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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 39. ISSUE 22

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Ed Miliband: A new ray of hope for Labour

Allahabad HC to pronounce judgment on 30th September

which, Ramesh Chandra Tripathi, the plaintiff approached the Supreme Court last week seeking the same relief.

The High Court’s

announcement came within minutes of the Supreme Court rejecting the special leave petition.

As one of the judges on the bench that heard the case is due to retire on October 1, the Allahabad High Court was very prompt to set the date for pronouncement of the verdict.

The apex court, on September 23, had stayed for a week the High Court verdict, which was to be pronounced on September 24.

Earlier at 2 pm on Tuesday, Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, in a brief order, said "Having considered in detail the arguments of the parties, we are of the view that the SLP has to be dismissed.

Accordingly, the SLP stands dismissed."

Continued on page 24

Ed Miliband MP has been elected as the new Leader of the Labour Party last week, following a vote by party members, MPs, and individual members of affiliated organisations.

Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party said: "Today a new genera-

tion has stepped forward to change our party. We are united in our mission to transform Labour so that, once again, we stand up for the hardworking majority who play by the rules and want a less divided and more prosperous Britain.

Continued on page 7

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Allahabad High Court will pronounce the verdict on the title suit of Ayodhya Ram temple on Thursday, 30th September. The High Court made announcement on Tuesday soon after the Supreme Court of India rejected the plea to defer the verdict with a view to give chance to the parties to reach an out of court settlement.

The plea to defer the High Court was earlier rejected by the Allahabad High Court too, following

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Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

one to one Keith Vaz MP with Graham Allcott

Personal Productivity Expert & Founder and Director of Think Productive www.thinkproductive.co.uk Graham Allcott is a productivity consultant & social entrepreneur. It was Graham’s transition from charity chief executive to freelance consultant that inspired him setting up ‘Think Productive’ in 2009.

Away from ‘Think Productive’, Graham runs a social enterprise, Fruitful Consulting, which helps charities and community organisations across the areas of volunteering, governance, leadership and youth engagement and Graham’s work has taken him from running kids’ projects in inner city Birmingham, to setting up HIV/AIDS education projects in rural Uganda, and advising the UK Government on youth engagement.

Graham’s previous roles include Chief Executive of Student Volunteering England and head of volunteering at the University of Birmingham. He is currently the Chairman of trustees of READ International, an award-winning charity. He is also a trustee of Centrepoint. Graham is a keen musician, and despite an intolerance of failure elsewhere in his life, an Aston Villa season ticket holder.

1) What inspired you to begin your career in your chosen field?

I got into leadership positions quite young from running Student Volunteering England at 25 and advising Government Ministers.

When I left, I realized my own productivity and time management skills were quite poor. I got completely obsessed about my own development and kind of fell into teaching it to others.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

As a social entrepreneur I enjoy seeing my work make a difference.

Helping create charity READ International, cofounding a charity that sends volunteers to overseas countries and seeing my work advising Governments have an impact are a few. With Think Productive, emails saying our training has revolutionized work are great!

3) Please tell us about Think Productive and the workshops that you have been running recently?

We run ‘Getting Your Inbox to Zero’ where participants learn and are coached to actually do it within three hours. We run a full-day workshop

Reading Football Club.

The teenager, who attended Highdown School, Caversham, Berks, was so badly wounded during the "exceptionally vicious attack" that a jogger failed to identify her dead body, the court heard.

The teenager may have been listening to music on her iPod and did not hear her attacker approach, the court heard.

Miss Muneer, a 5ft 5in woman who weighed little more than six stone, received stab wounds to her head, face and neck.

Opening Akhter’s trial on Monday, John Price QC, prosecuting, said that after the pair had broken up in the summer of last year they did continue to occasionally meet.

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

I would say the smile on someone’s face when they get their email inbox to zero and begin to feel in control of their workload.

It’s very powerful and truly priceless.

7) And the worst?

The fact that a lot of organizations don’t invest in training their staff. It makes it harder for us to explain the benefits of what we do, even though the results are things that all organizations want, like reduced stress levels, less absences and increased productivity.

called ‘How to Get Things Done’ which looks at personal workflow.

Workshops can be inhouse for companies or public sessions in major UK cities.

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

In some ways I don’t think I have found obstacles, because I choose not to view them as such. I come

Girl killed by the boyfriend she rejected A promising A Level student, Asha Muneer (pictured), was murdered by a jilted former boyfriend in an “exceptionally vicious attack” as she walked home from her part-time job at Laura Ashley, a court heard.

The 18 year-old was stabbed to death by Gulamyr Akhter, 19, in a frenzied attack because he “could not tolerate her rejection of him”, Reading Crown Court was told.

The popular schoolgirl was attacked as she walked home along a riverside path after completing a shift at the retail company on January 18 this year.

She was found floating in the River Kennet in Reading, Berks, more than six months after the pair’s relationship ended, jurors were told.

The court heard Akhter stabbed her so hard he broke a kitchen knife. He then dumped her body just yards from the local Madejski Stadium, home to

taught me a lot about how to manage people, how to put trust in people and develop their capabilities, those lessons have really stayed with me.

“It seemed she (Miss Muneer) had met somebody else. " G u l a m y r Akhter, the prosecution alleges, could not tolerate her rejection of him.”

The court heard that on the night she was killed she had been working at the town’s Laura Ashley store. Akhter was arrested a day later. The court heard police found the broken kitchen knife two days after he was arrested.

In a police interview he denied being responsible for the killing, saying he had been home all day on the 18th and had not spoken to Miss Muneer for more than a fortnight.

Despite claiming he did not leave home all day, cell site analysis placed him within the vicinity around the time she was killed.

Akhter, of Reading, denies one count of murder.

The trial continues.

from a very ordinary background, so there’s never been an easy route for the business, this means I have to work a bit harder, and I’m up for it!

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

So many! I’ve been really lucky to work with some truly remarkable people. I had some great bosses early on in my career who

8) What are your long term goals?

With Think Productive it’s to develop an army of ‘productivity ninjas’ to focus on reducing peoples’ stress levels and tackling information overload nationally.

Personally, I’m a social entrepreneur, so I want to make the biggest difference I can through workI’m hoping to focus on a couple of charity projects.

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

I think education needs a major shake-up – we haven’t really changed it since the Victorian times.

The current system rewards fact-regurgitation rather than creativity, passion, curiosity and effort.

The system also fails too many kids from less privi-

People ■ The Pope's historic visit to Westminster, although on a Friday when most MPs are away, attracted a large number of Members.

Stephen Pound MP was wearing his special Papal honour and Government Whip Shailesh Vara MP was wearing a lovely smile.

■ Jimi Mistry, Dev Patel and Shobna Gulati mingled with other celebrities at the launch of the Destination Kerala in Chelsea this week. The stars kept coming. Gary Lineker and Didier Drogba also popped in.

■ Talk about flying the flag. What a coup for Jet Airways. I hear that Chancellor George Osborne and his delegation to India did not go BA but instead flew Goyal Air. leged backgrounds and can be divisive in a whole load of ways.

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

Nelson Mandela (his book was one of the most moving things I’ve ever read); John F Kennedy and Harold Wilson.

Also Jack Karouac, author of ‘On the Road’, Jack Nicholson and Derren Brown would add the high-energy entertainment and intrigue. Oh, and maybe Houdini to help us get back home!

Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji passes away Indian pilot who flew Hurricanes over occupied France and was awarded the DFC for his daring reconnaissance missions in Burma died on September 18, 2010, aged 92. Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji, DFC, wartime fighter pilot, was born on August 14, 1918.

A graduate in law from Bombay University, Mahinder Singh Pujji was already a qualified pilot by the time war came in 1939, and he volunteered for RAF service the following year. Coming to the UK for further training, he saw service as a fighter pilot in sweeps over France and in North Africa, in both of which theatres he was involved in intense action.

He was subsequently posted back to India.

Volunteering for RAF service in 1940, he was one of the first batch of 24 Indian pilots who were

Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji

posted to Britain for operational training that summer.

As a Sikh, he was determined not to be deflected from wearing the turban, which is mandatory to the religion although at first this was deemed by authority to be unsuitable headgear for an RAF officer and impractical for a fighter pilot. He later claimed that the turban had helped to prevent him suf-

fering serious impact injuries when he crashlanded after his plane was badly damaged in a dogfight over the Channel. A popular and frequent figure at veterans’ events, he was always a prominent guest at such events as Black History Month at the RAF Museum, Hendon, in 2003 and the opening of the RAF Museum’s Diversity of the Royal Air Force exhibition in 2009.

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

COMMENT

Brothers Miliband: Ed beats David by a whisker Ed Miliband, the younger of the two Miliband brothers, beat the more fancied David, in the closest of contests for Leader of the opposition Labour Party. The successful candidate won a little more than 50 per cent of the votes cast by MPs, the Constituencies and the Trade Unions to a little over 49 per cent for his rival, the difference between the two, a mere 1.3 per cent.

The Tory-dominated media batted for David Miliband – this was to be expected – but the voice of the fourth estate is not quite the voice of all the people. The Sunday Times, which belongs to the Murdoch stable, was quick off the mark with an editorial – “Labour votes for time in the wilderness” - that wasn't nearly as negative in substance as the headline.

There will be attacks on 'Ed the Red' but such scaremongering will have little effect if the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government start to flounder amid its proposed savage spending cuts and growing public dissatisfaction and unrest. At 40, Ed Milivand is a few years junior to sibling David and to Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne or to Foreign Secretary William Hague, still in his forties, but with more years to his name. A new generation of leaders has taken charge of the nation's direction. Britain is moving in to uncharted waters in certain areas, while keeping faith with tried and tested policies in others. Easy labels may be a mismatch with ground realites.

Ed Miliband, was one of Gordon Brown's close aides, just as brother David was close to Mr Brown's predecessor as prime minister and rival, Tony Blair. Both men ended their days in 10 Downing Street with tarnished reputations, Mr Brown for his management of the economy, Mr Blair for joining US President George W. Bush and making Britain a partner in America's Iraq war. By tradition Labour's worldview has had a strong moral dimension, hence the Iraq

war has sown division within the party's rank and file.

Ed Miliband has distanced himself from Mr Blair's Iraq policy, which brother David refused to do. The younger Miliband recognises that sizeable numbers of disillusioned Labour supporters have been alienated from the party. His Sorry for Iraq is an attempt to bring them back on board the Labour ship they had deserted. It was a response to a moral imperative. Ed Miliband had his ears close to the ground, and he may reap early dividends from this break with the past.

He understands that he has to control the middle ground of British politics, a too far move to the left would bring few rewards and may well result in a loss of credibility.. He understands this well.

There is an all-party consensus on the urgent need for spending cuts in order to reduce Britain's ballooning fiscal deficit. The question is their pace and depth. If the cuts were too deep or too wide, the consequent growth in unemployment would add significantly to the UK's welfare bill. Yet the greater the numbers in work, the greater the flow of revenue in to the public exchequer. It's a matter of judgement, and the party which is seen to make the better call will surely rise in public esteem.

As Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband has a chance to lead Labour out of the wilderness, which its defeat in May's general election had consigned the party. He will be crossing swords with David Cameron on the floor of the House of Commons, from where his voice will ring out to every corner of the land, bringing news of Labour's plans to bind national and social wounds and take Britain forward.

A confident prime minister meeting an equally confident Leader of the Opposition will raise the level of the national debate, it will be good for the country.

Commonwealth Games shambles Much has been written about the shambolic Commonwealth Games on page 12. What has been said there need not be repeated here, for developments in Delhi are changing from day to day. At the start of last week the mood in the Indian capital was indeed gloomy.

Understandably so. The Games village, or a significant part, was in an acute state of disrepair, countries were threatening a boycott and a number high-profile athletes had packed their bags and left. Collapse beckoned. Desperate situations called for desperate remedies. Senior Indian ministers belatedly bestirred themselves, a huge labour force was brought in, as were the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. By the weekend things were looking up, the monsoon had cleared, repairs and construction were in full swing and teams were arriving in Delhi.

Media hysteria was at fever pitch on India's manifold failings. This was the inevitable price of failure.

When the Games are over the entire experi-

ence must be scrutinised under a microscope.

Due diligence was sadly lacking, so was co-ordination and the seeming absence of unified command. There were other shortcomings aplenty including scandalous cost-overruns. These issues must be examined in full public view.Those found guilty of wrongdoing must be named and shamed. There is little point in taking umbrage in loquacious pronouncements on 'conspiracies' to defame India, as Suresh Kalmadi, the Chairman of India's Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, did so demeaningly on Indian TV. He would have enhanced his stature by showing contrition for his inability to get things done on schedule.

If the correct lessons are learned, then some good will have emerged from this debacle, including a greater public awareness of the need for good governance. Meanwhile, one must hope for a trouble-free Games. It couldn't have been worse thus far, it can hopefully only get better.

Penalties of immigration cap Business Secretary Vince Cable is one of the coalition government's big hitters. His experience in industry and academe makes for a powerful and influential presence in Whitehall counsels. He says immigration limits are costing the UK thousands of jobs and hurting the country's fragile economic recovery. He claimed that companies were relocating jobs overseas in response to punitive caps that left them unable to hire key personnel.

Mr Cable's dissatisfaction with the present situation reflects business anger as the government imposes an immigration cap on work visas for people coming in from outside the EU, leaving many firms able to recruit only a handful of non-European staff.

Mr Cable cited an instance of a UK company making an application to hire 500 specialist engineers and given a quota for four. In another case, an entrepreneur who cancelled plans to

set up a factory in the north and create 400 jobs after failing to secure work visas for key staff.

Me Cable said he was signed up to the government's plan for a permanent immigration curb, he only wanted the system to be applied flexibly.

Maybe the recent agreement with India for the entry of Indian staff employed by Indian firms located in the UK could be a model for a broad arrangement to include others in a similar situation.

The problem is that too many of the wrong people have entered these shores and the country is now paying for this lack of judgement. The past cannot be undone, but the present cannot be held hostage to the errors of earlier years. The lesson is not to repeat them.

A new course to fulfil present and future needs must be charted. But with care and due diligence.

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Thought for the Week Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.

- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

‘World Class’ fiasco

By Sir Gulam Noon MBE The Indian Committee appointed for organising the Commonwealth Games headed by Mr. Kalmadi and others have repeatedly cried from the rooftops that India will host ‘World Class’ games in ‘World Class’ Stadium with a ‘World Class’ structure in place, ‘World Class’ roads and ‘World Class’ everything else.

Perhaps he meant ‘World Class’ corruption as well.

Now the stadiums are falling apart, buildings are leaking water, roads are flooded and a pedestrian bridge has collapsed before the Games have even started. India’s efforts have turned into a ‘World Class’ fiasco.

Journalists from all over the world have written openly about the corruption and inefficiency that has marred Delhi’s attempt to stage an international sporting event.

Indian journalists have been no less scathing. Now top athletes are reluctant to participate in the Games that are meant to open in a few days.

The fiasco has confirmed the worst excesses of the entrenched corruption in the Indian political system and bureaucracy. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, said as recently that the filthy buildings and flooded roads were minor glitches!

As for the collapsed footbridge, she said that had been made for ordinary people, not the athletes. As if that somehow makes it alright that dozens of poor workers died in that accident. The venue of the Commonwealth Games is East Delhi – why? Must be the constituency of some favoured MP. Instead, a separate township could have been built for the Games outside Delhi.

Lalit Bhanot, one of the committee members, says “Westerns have different standards of cleanliness and we have our own standards.”

What a stupid statement.

They are living in cloud cuckoo land.

There is no accountability. Each roll of toilet paper has been billed to the Games at £52, and machines such as treadmills have been hired for more than they would cost to buy outright. Despite the outcry, no heads have rolled, no arrests have been made. No politician is ever gone on trial for corruption because the Indian political class protect their own.

India is comparing itself to China, saying that these Commonwealth Games will be better and far superior to those held in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics! With most

of Delhi’s roads covered with stagnant water and the fear of deadly dengue fever, malaria and other diseases, it is to be seen whether the Commonwealth Games will be held at all in Delhi.

India had seven years to complete the complex – so why did they wait until the last minute? The London Olympics will held in 2012 but, as I’ve personally seen, the site is almost ready – and there’s still two years to go.

The Prime Minister has remained silent throughout.

He and the other leaders should have become proactive long ago and taken charge of the Games. That could perhaps have prevented the daylight robbery and inefficiency the world is witnessing. Even now should take the initiative by appointing prominent people from the private sector – like he did during the Satyam investigation – by employing companies like KPMG, Deloitte Touche or any other international company to do the forensic due diligence.

They should examine every document, invoice and contract, and their report should be published to the general public.

After that, the corrupt leaders should be brought to book. Instead, it looks as if they will get away with the money. Apparently, £1.5 billion has been lavished on this effort.

Mani Shankar Iyer, a former minister of the ruling Congress Party, criticised the working of the committee and the corruption therein.

He went on to say that it is better to call the Games off rather than face such an embarrassment.

It looks as if the Games will go ahead bit India has become the laughing stock of the world. Instead of projecting India as a rising power in the East, the Commonwealth Games fiasco has revealed the truth of the corrupt political system.

However, despite the politicians, India has the finest entrepreneurs who will lead it forward. Anyone wanting to invest in India can select one of any number of outstanding corporate houses to partner and be on their way. India is a great country and this fiasco should not dampen investors’ spirits.

YOUR VOICE

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Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Delhi – Do us Proud

Shame On India

First the foot-bridge collapses, then the ceiling caves in, and the media starts depicting horrible pictures of unhygienic facilities in the village in Delhi where Commonwealth Games will commence next week. As a consequence, some countries and their participants are saying that they will pull out of the Games.

One wonders if the venue will be ready in time? If South Africa can put on state of the arts football stadium for the football world cup, surely, India, with all the resources and manpower it can command, could put up a much better show!.

It is no good blaming the floods in Yamuna River for the tardiness.

The hygiene standards and security look awful in the pictures, but are these not the worst pictures shown at the expense of other better facilities already put in place? We sincerely hope that the country which we all hail from would put up an unforgettable show and make us Indians proud that even in the face of catastrophe, India could stand the test of time.

I feel reluctant reading the newspapers on the tube these days; I quickly turn the page over as soon as the news on the recent Commonwealth Games blunder appears. Anger and frustration takes over my anxiety which eventually turns into despair. I am completely speechless after seeing all those filthy snaps in various news agencies. Yes India has corruption, has bribery but those factors had to stay out of hosting this sort of massive event.

China had proved itself by hosting the Olympics pretty successfully and this was India’s turn to prove itself that yes we can as well.

This is an utter failure by the Congress Govt, by Sheila Dixit and proves the poor management of the organising committee. The corrupt leadership of Delhi and eventually India has put the country’s image in doubt in front of the world. One of the images shows young labourers working on the site.

There mustn’t be any young workers employed. Secondly, all labourers should have been given a suitable uniform from the building firm. Also I am not sure why the workers were allowed to spit everywhere?

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Athletes will be missed The negative press that India is receiving regarding the Commonwealth Games is turning into a free-for-all of India-bashing.

This great nation started with nothing in 1947 after 200 years of colonial rule.

Slowly but steadily, India has arrived at a stage where it is considered as one of the most vibrant economies of the world.

It has carried a billion people in a democratic set-up. Just as it has arrived on the world stage on the economic front, it is all set to arrive in the world of sport.

Bose is quick to quote his hero Mao on the importance of sports. With all its faults, Indian leaders never killed millions of their fellow citizens as happened in China.

In spite of all the problems, the Commonwealth Games in Delhi will be a grand success. The athletes who have decided not to go will not be missed.

Nitin Mehta, Croydon, Surrey

Commonwealth game and Pakistan The Cricket fiasco in Pakistan, a politician murdered in London, PM Mr Cameron equating Pakistan with terrorism, & aid for the awful flooding in that beleaguered country, yet ‘their enemy’ India contributing over $20 million, their ‘closest friend’ China a staggering $5million, & as for their dear Muslim brethren the oil-rich Arab states, hardly anything at all!

Sadly, seems like the Commonwealth Games, co inciding with Kashmiri militancy could be threatening for India’s reputation!

Harish Dave Via Email

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Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary On the day of Gandhi jayanti, let us pay respects to man of millenia Mahatma Gandhi. We must recognise that divine dispensed such a person after 1000 years of tyranny by foreign rulers. Divine also endowed Gandhiji with non violence which succeeded when violence against tyrants had failed. Thus credit must be given to Gandhiji and non violence.

Consider Gandhiji and thousand years of foreign slavery. India had surrendered to Mogul tyranny. Brave Rana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji defied the tyrannical rulers. Indians had cowed down and took path of least resistance, the bhakti cult, which did not weaken the stranglehold of Moguls.

British terminated Mogul dynasty.

From 1857 to 1947, freedom fighters weakened British morale. Gandhiji’s putsch was the last straw that broke camel’s back. Gandhiji happened to be right person at right moment to take over reins from British.

India achieved independence after 40 years of non violent campaign whereas violent campaigns overseas have failed over 150 year. Gandhians must modernise ahimsa to match assertive aggression mind set of world powers. Ahimsa mindset must have gregarious display of strength, and will to fight if needed to temper down or cripple anti Indian forces or ethos.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

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‘Diwali Special’ Contributors Welcome Diwali is a month away. The New Year is knocking at the door waiting to bring in colours and light to our lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, as every year, will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself.

If you think you would like to contribute to our unique Diwali issue, why don’t you write on either of the following topics: 1. One of your favourite childhood Diwali memories or 2. A particular charity you made in cash or kind to the needy or 3. Your first Diwali in the UK and how you spent it Please note that your articles MUST NOT be more than 650 words and should be emailed to AVEditorial along with your full name and contact details to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Please do not send your article via fax or post. The last day of entry is Sunday 24th October 2010.

If you have a relevant picture for your story, you can email us the scanned copy/post (only the picture). But please make sure you keep a copy of the picture and the article with yourself, as we may not be able to return the original.

- Asian Voice

P.C.B. should retire paranoid Chairman

Welcome to our mutual club

In my opinion Ijaz Butt the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, should have kept his paranoa in check with clear mind before releasing offensive statements, accusing England players against spotfixing. He produced no evidence to prove his malicious allegations. It appears he had just made up a story in retaliation because few of his own players are engulfed with corruption, therefore he must have mischievously decided to accuse the players of the host country.

I think because of his old age, Butt was confused and ridiculed himself by giving contradictory statements. At one stage he declared he had evidence of the England players involved and was going to identify by naming them all, and later on, he changed his earlier statement and backed off by saying he had no proof, but said so only because what the bookies were saying. If Butt continues to remain PCB chairman, he shall create more controversies and will unnecessarily undermine the credibility of PCB, and bring disrepute to ICC, as its full sitting board member. The sooner he is relieved of his duties as the chairman, would be better for PCB and Pakistan cricket.

First of all, let me welcome Hiren Dhangar to this mutual and privileged world of letter writers. I was the first to contribute to AV, way back in early 1990, not only as a letter writer but travel briefs for armchair travellers, short stories and interviews with prominent personalities.

Hiren will soon learn that to contribute week in, week out, requires dedication, knowledge and enthusiasm beyond call of duty. Many aspiring writers started but very few lasted the course.

But the most pleasing aspect is that AV and in particular its editor C.B. Patel has encouraged dedicated writers like us to climb the ladder of journalism. As we say, without FT, one has no opinion, without AV, we are out of touch with the community.

Hiren, if you are a dedicated reader like you claim, then you should know that AV is one of the most easily accessible newspapers and its editor do not court favour or pamper any one. The only criteria are the ability, knowledge and dedication and I never criticise any one unless it is in my self-defence. I believe in Gandhiji’s wisdom that saintliness is the best revenge!

A.M.A. Pira Via Email

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

AV Voting System in Action Ed Miliband won the election to be leader of the Labour Party by a fraction of 1% that took him over the 50% mark in the fourth round count. For Party Members, each had to put in their first, second, third, fourth and fifth preference on the Ballot Paper.

In the May 2010 First Past the Post Election system, while the Tories won 36.1% of the popular votes, they won 47.1% of the Parliamentary seats [voting rights in House of Commons]; Labour 29% [votes] and 39.7% [seats]; Liberals 23% [votes] and 8.8% [seats]; and Others 11.9% [votes] and 4.5% [seats] respectively. This has happened for 100

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years.

The AV [Alternative Vote} system is by far more representative than the current FPPS election system and PR [Proportional Representation] system could be even fairer.

Ed Miliband’s remarks that he was not going to reject every cut the Coalition proposes; his appeal for a new generation of politics; for unity in their Party; and his plea for humility; and his deep knowledge of issues makes him stand out from the rest.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

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

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(Off Coronet Street)

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

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

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

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

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Leicester Voice River ritual ends Ganesh festival

Do you have any comments, news or photographs about Leicester? If you do, please send them to Leicester Voice at

leicester@abplgroup.com

Police fear protesters plan to attack Leicester mosque Police fear protesters plan to attack a city mosque before marching into the heart of Leicester's Muslim community.

Concerns were voiced

by Chief Constable Simon Cole in a report to Leicester City Council about the planned march by the English Defence League on October 9.

The Chief Constable said that an intelligence and threat assessment indicated a "major threat" to public order.

His report said: "Intelligence dated September 8, 2010, indicated that the EDL intend

Hundreds of followers from Leicester travelled to Liverpool to mark the end of the 11-day birthday celebrations for Lord Ganesh

More than 1,500 worshippers travelled to Liverpool to mark the end of a religious festival.

Hundreds of statues of the Hindu god Ganesh were released into the River Mersey during a service to celebrate the end of Ganesha Chaturthi.

The 10-day festival marks the birthday of Ganesh, god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Ten coaches travelled to Liverpool on Wednesday from Shree Sanatan Mandir, in Weymouth Street, Belgrave, Leicester.

Organiser Vinod Patel: said: "We went out in a ferry and put the statues in the water. This is a very important festival and it brings luck to the thousands who pray to Ganesh. He is the most wise which is why we pray

to him first."

The Belgrave temple had displayed a nine-foot statue of Ganesh said to be the biggest of its kind in the UK. Members were due to immerse it in the River Mersey but decided instead to take smaller statues to Liverpool and offer the giant Ganesh to a charity.

Mr Patel said: "Every year we try to make the statue bigger. This one took four months to build and was imported from Mumbai. We thought that as it was such a special one this year we would offer it to a charity, so we took smaller ones to Liverpool."

Taresh Soni, 49, of Belgrave, was one of those who made the trip to Liverpool for the event.

"Everyone was dressed up in colourful outfits and

there was singing and praying. People were in a very energetic mood – there were thousands there. As we lowered the Ganeshes into the water we said a number of prayers and then had a meal before coming back to the temple."

A similar ceremony in Southend also attracted people from Leicestershire. More than 1,000 people gathered at the temple on last Tuesday night for its last Ganesha Chaturthi event.

President Ramanbhai Barber said: "Many people came here to pray but on the last night people came to receive blessings from Ganesh and to have food before they left on Wednesday."

Lord Ganesh is worshipped in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions.

to come to Leicester and attack a mosque before marching into the Highfields area, which represents the highest resident population of the Muslim community. This reflects previous intentions of EDL processions, such as that within Leicester, where actions were targeted to cause disruption to the Muslim community by provoking serious public disorder."

Leicester City Cabinet last Friday agreed to apply to the Home Office to ban the planned procession under the Public Order Act 1986. However, the EDL,

in a statement, rejected the police claims.

EDL event organiser Guramit Singh said: "We are coming to Leicester to peacefully demonstrate and we denounce attacks on any mosques. We are here to fight militant Islam, not moderate Islam. The intelligence provided by the police is incorrect."

The EDL submitted an application to march through the city to police this week. United Against Fascism has applied to hold a counter-demonstration on the same day. Up to 5,000 people could take part in the rival protests.

Sikh community walkers raise £1k for hospice Members of the Namdhari Sikh Community have raised about £1,000 for the Loros hospice by taking part in a charity walk.

Some 25 members of the Evington group were among 700 people who took part in the Loros Walk on the Wildside.

Namdhari spokesman Satwant Singh Flora said: "There are two main reasons why I took part in

this charity walk. One of the reasons is when I was growing up we would be looking after [my grandfather] and caring for him.

He was in his 90s and the amount of time and effort that is needed to care for the elderly can be understood only if you have been through it yourself.

Secondly, we did the walk as part of the Namdhari Sikh Community

Leicester, as a way of bringing the whole community together, regardless of age, gender and religion.

I hope our small donations will make a big difference to the lives of those in need."

Loros workers hope the Walk on the Wildside event will raise £25,000 to help the 2,500 patients and their families who are cared for by staff each year.

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MPs say they have faith in the new Labour Party leader Top Labour politicians in the city have welcomed the election of Ed Miliband as the new Labour Party leader.

Mr Miliband beat brother David by a small margin in the fourth and final round of voting.

David had the backing of all of Leicester's MPs, who are all Labour, as well as the Labour leader of Leicester City Council, Veejay Patel.

But after the announcement on Saturday, politicians said they were not disappointed.

Leicester South MP Peter Soulsby, who supported David Miliband in the election for the new Labour leader, said: "I'm absolutely delighted.

Although I backed David, I believe Ed will be an excellent leader. We now have to listen to what the

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electorate are saying and unite and work together and with the wider community against the savage cuts the coalition is introducing."

Leicester West MP Liz Kendall said the differences between the two Miliband brothers was "virtually non-existent" and that she had voted for David based on his experience rather than on policy

differences.

She said: "While I voted for David I do feel Ed understands how much we need to regain trust and change. The days of the Blair/Brown split in the party is dead and buried."

Councillor Patel said: "I'm very pleased we have a new leader and I'm convinced we will all be united behind Ed."

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Kapil’s

“Our London”

KHICHADI

CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

A big blow to the National Health Service The coalition government’s white paper ‘Equity and excellence Liberating the NHS’ published in July on alleged ‘health reform’ proposes the biggest shake up of the NHS London with its proposal to abolish the strategic health authority and London’s 32 primary care trusts.

Like many of the coalition government proposals this is yet another half baked initiative. The radical shake up was not in the Tory manifesto and the flagship concept of GP Consortia replacing PCT is a crude attempt to privatise NHS through the backdoor. At a recent consultation meeting in Brent one of the panel members suggested that eventually GP consortia may look like PCT in years to come! How true.

Surely the proposals are about replacing public quangos (PCT) by privatised quangos (GP consortia). If I had to choose between the two I’d opt for PCTs with a good level of accountability than the privatised commercial GP Consortia, controlling public funds worth billions, driven by commercial interests rather than patient care and accountability. The Financial Times commenting on the proposal said ‘The HHS faces its most radical shift of power and accountability and the largest structural upheaval in its 60 year history.’

Health and Public Services Committee of the London Assembly conducted a discussion with Ruth Carnell Chief Exec NHS London on

the white paper with a focus on its impact on London. Key aims of the meeting were how NHS London will be affected by changes - with a particular attention on Reconfiguration of community and acute services Changes to commissioning and management structures (GP Consorita) Achieving efficiency savings Londonwide working and potential role of the GLA / Mayor.

In summary the discussion highlighted The changes would affect every part of the system.

Given the changes how do we hang on to a significant level of improvements / achievements made in London when 54% reduction in management cost is sought through financial controls. Is this practically possible without affecting patient care?

With the abolition of NHS London where will the current functions go?

Ms Carnell expressed strong views about impact / issues related to London.

The strategic importance of London, the leadership it provides and significant role London plays that needs protection.

Research and development including training.

Wide range of special services and expertise London provides which require protecting.

Unique diversity related health issues in London.

Mayor’s Role: Extended scrutiny role.

Issues related to pub-

lic health and Councils responsibilities. How will this fit in with Mayor’s strategic role.

How will local Councils work with GP Consortia?

Should the current status of London Ambulance Service remain unaltered?

GP Consortia: Current PCTs to provide active support.

Accountability: Proposals for National Commissioning Board but no mention of regional monitoring regime.

What are the risks and how big Consortia should be? If small: they’ll require support services from elsewhere.

If big inherent problems of bureaucracy.

How the transition will from PCT to GP commissioning will work and how much will it cost to implement the change.

NHS Finances: - Concerns expressed

by London Assembly Members as to how PCTs and NHS would produce major management cost savings and at the same time oversee the structural changes proposed in the white paper.

I remain wholly unconvinced about the white paper proposals and I support the legal action by Unison against the Secretary of State for Health, challenging his refusal to consult the public on proposals in his White Paper. The union has argued that no steps should be taken to implement the changes in any way, until the public have had the opportunity to consider and comment on them.

Global Punjabi Society UK Chapter Launched India’s High Commissioner to UK H E Nalin Suri launched the UK Chapter of Global Punjabi Society (GPS) on 27 September at the House of Lords, UK. The guests of honour were Rt. Hon. Baroness (Dr.) Sandip

Verma, Shailesh Vara MP and Priti Patel MP. The event was attended by more than 150 People of Indian Origin living in India and abroad.

Ashok Verma was unanimously declared the President of GPS UK

Chapter, Ms Harminder Chahal is the Treasurer and Pradeep Ghatok the Secretary. A select group of Indian achievers were honoured on the occasion

by H E Nalin Suri. The awardees were Baroness Prasher- Member of the House of Lords, Basant Bansal – Chairman and Managing Director of M3M India, Manu Garg – Director Land Craft Developers, Samarjit Singh – Chairman and Managing Director, Agni Property Group, Sundeep Bhutoria – Secretary, Indian Federation of

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com CWG – A Farce The last week or so has allowed everyone to have a go at India in its preparation for the Common Wealth Games. My only observation would be, do not confuse the politically motivated organising committee and its failures with that of India at large.

Anyone who knows India will also know that large scale projects and developments continue unhindered and delivered to the highest standard. Of course these generally tend to be controlled by the private sector where delivery and keeping to a budget determines if you get your next contract or not.

The failure ultimately is that of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He took his eye off the ball not just on the odd occasion, but over several years. So enough said about that; the real question in my view is, ‘Should India remain part of the Common Wealth?’

The slave remains a slave, in its mentality, in its psyche, in its attitude, in its awe of the ‘white’ imperial masters, and in the inferiority bred from hundreds of years of subjugation. With all the awesome power of its people, its cultural heritage, and its natural resources – India and Indians still need time to escape from its past. I just hope that it happens in the near future.

Doubting Thomas’s There are those from the west who have jumped on this CWG bandwagon to show that India is not a super power or a player of any global significance.

It’s the opportunity they have been waiting for to bring India down a peg or two since witnessing its rise was just too much for those with inbred prejudices.

United Nations Youth Association and Managing Director of Ess Bee Consultants Ltd, Bharat Sharma Managing Director of G. B. Properties and Earth Movers, Surinder MongiaManaging Director of Strongfield Technologies Ltd., Surjit Singh PnaiserFounder of ‘Junction 2 Interiors Ltd’- Anuj J Chande- Partner and Head of South Asia Group, H.E. A. Kundasamy- High Commissioner of the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. A. Kundasamy- High

I would of course point out that there is a real difference between the way in which a corrupt CWG organising committee does its work; and that which is executed to international standards by the private sector in India. Those who fail to discern the difference between these two elements, do so at their peril.

The growth as exhibited by the GDP figures of some 8.5% shows that the Indian economy is booming and that engine will continue to drive developments in the country.

I agree that there are issues with India. It is frustrating at times to see Indian politicians shoot their foot off with regularity akin to the metronomic tick-tock of Big Ben. However, does this mean it is doomed to failure? This is where I differ from western pundits who find it hard to accept that increasingly they have to bow to the whims of a nation which they have held in contempt since its Independence.

India must rise to the challenges and as previously stated in KK, it is time for the mass marketeers of public opinion in India to make such shoddy attitudes a remnant of history and unfit for the India of tomorrow.

Remember even the doubting Thomas eventually had to yield.

agreed by the party and therefore totally legitimate.

People in the media and even some politicians it seems have already written him off as a wimp. I have to say, I am not sure their assessment is right. Ed (I assume I can call him that) grew up under the shadow of his elder brother David who has led on most things to date. Given this history it takes a strong individual willing to step up to the mark and pick up the gauntlet. So we must give credit where credit is due.

Ed’s task is challenging, but it is an important one to ensure we have good politics and governance in Britain. It is also incumbent on him to lead his Party to capture the middle ground again, and whilst doing so, not forgetting the history that made Labour what it is.

Like the original Mr Ed, Ed Miliband will have to show that even in his youth the seed of wisdom exists. That humour coupled with hard headed serious politics is the balance that will better resonate with the British public. And a tinge of mischief might actually be a powerful tool which if utilised correctly can often catch his opponents off guard.

One piece of advice to the new leader, please don’t do a David when it comes to India.

Mr Ed

Kili 2011

For those who grew up in the 60’s might remember a TV programme called Mr Ed. Great show (at least it seemed like it when I was 8 years old!) about a talking horse with wisdom, humour and that tinge of mischief. So what do we have in store from Mr Ed of the 21st Century?

Labour elected their new leader with a very narrow margin, but elected he was on the rules

Readers will know that I was destined to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for a charity this October.

Unfortunately I have sustained a minor injury to my leg which has meant that I have had to postpone my climb now to August of next year. So, more time to raise more money and to get mind, body and spirit in tune and ready for the challenge. Thank you for your continued support.

Commissioner of the Republic of Mauritius, Jagdish Chander Director India Tourism UK, K.L.Ganju - Honorary Consul General of the Union of the Comoros, Lalu Samuel - Managing Director and CEO of Clipsal Middle East, Mohammad Sabih Bukhari – Group General Manager Satco International Trading and Contracting, H. E Nimisha J Madhvani Uganda’s High Commissioner to India, Pankaj Shah- CEO and Chairman of Earthstone

Group and Dr Sudhir Ruparelia Chairman Goldstar Insurance Co. Ltd. Global Punjabi Society Newsletter was also released on the occasion by the High Commissioner.

The call for charity got an overwhelming response from the guests. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was contributed by Bharat Sharma from India, Surjit Singh Pnaiser from Birmingham UK donated a sum of 6000 and Lalu Samuel from Dubai donated a sum of Rs 2, 50,000.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Ed Miliband: A new ray of hope for Labour Continued from page 1 I know we have a lot of work to do. The journey starts today."

After four rounds of voting Ed Miliband won with 175,519 votes.

David Miliband received 147,220 votes.

Ed Miliband declared the era of New Labour over as he sought to distance himself from the legacy of Tony Blair and instead lead a “new generation” back into power.

In his first interview since his surprise win over his brother David in the party’s leadership election, Mr Miliband insisted he was his “own man” and not in thrall to the unions, whose support gave him victory.

The former energy secretary said he was tough enough to make difficult decisions and pledged to fight for hardworking “Middle England” families.

But despite insisting that the party would not “lurch to the Left” under his leadership, he spoke of plans for new taxes for higher paid workers, an assault on City bankers and new trade union rights for employees. He refused to condemn forthcoming strikes and indicated he would oppose Coalition plans to reform public sector pensions.

Labour leader Ed Miliband (L) arrives for the second day of the Labour party conference with Sadiq Khan, his campaign manager, at Manchester Central on September 27, 2010 in Manchester, England.

In a direct attempt to appeal to those traditional Labour voters alienated by Mr Blair’s premiership, Mr Miliband said: “The era of New Labour has passed. A new generation has taken over.”

Jim Murphy, another former Cabinet minister and a close ally of David Miliband, said the party did “absolutely remarkable things as New Labour”.

Margaret Hodge, the MP for Barking, said she was worried the party might “write off all the things that brought Labour three election victories in a row”.

Mr Miliband beat his brother by a wafer-thin margin after four rounds of voting. He had been consistently behind in support from fellow MPs and party members, and only edged ahead with the help of the unions.

He insisted he would not be in thrall to the unions, and told the BBC: “I’m nobody’s man. I’m my own man and I’m very, very clear about that.”

He claimed to want to represent the middle classes. “I think there are big injustices that we need to deal with in Britain many of them affecting so-called Middle

England in this country.

“People who are working hard, working long hours. They don’t have enough time to see their kids. They’re worried about their kids getting into debt. They’re worried about housing.

They’re the people I want to speak for in this country.”

Labour has been thrown into turmoil by Mr Miliband’s shock victory. Tory insiders are known to be delighted by the outcome because they believe that, despite his claims to the contrary, his Left-wing leanings will alienate the middle class vote at the next election.

Brother David Miliband is rumoured to be leaving politics, though Ed is allegedly trying to hold him back with a promise of the 'Shadow Chancellor' post.

Lord Kinnock, a supporter of Ed Miliband, claimed David Miliband lost out because Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson both backed him. “I think Peter Mandelson’s book and his utterings afterwards may have made a difference that damaged the case of David Miliband,” he said.

Ed Miliband's campaign manager Sadiq Khan says he's happy with the response from the Labour party after Ed was voted leader.

7

Taxman halts peerage for MP Britain’s first Muslim MP has had his peerage blocked by the honours watchdog because of concerns raised by the tax authorities.

Mohammad Sarwar, pictured, a millionaire Labour donor, had been proposed by Gordon Brown for a peerage in his resignation honours list in May. He was not allowed to take up a place in the House of Lords after HM Revenue & Customs said that it would not support his nomination.

Sarwar, 58, a Scottish Labour colleague of Brown, was instrumental in building up support for Labour from British Muslims and chaired an organisation that donated more than £300,000 to the party.

Sarwar, who made his fortune from a cashand-carry business, was elected an MP in 1997 but stood down at the last election. He was no stranger to controversy while at Westminster and was dubbed Britain’s “most expensive” MP after submitting the largest expenses claim in the Commons for 20089.

Mohammad Sarwar

He was paid nearly £200,000 in expenses, including £24,000 for running a second home and £31,000 for travel between Scotland and Westminster.

Sarwar was briefly suspended from the parliamentary Labour party during the late 1990s after allegations of voterigging. He was later cleared of the allegations in the High Court.

He was succeeded in his Glasgow Central constituency seat by his son Anas. In 2007 another son, Athif, was convicted for involvement in an £845,000 money-laundering scam.

Sarwar is now hopeful that his name may be put forward by the new Labour leader on a future honours list.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Midland Voice

Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com Dee Katwa Solicitors rake in cash at claimants’ expense News in Brief

More than half the compensation awarded to claimants in the Midlands goes to solicitors, it has been found. The revelation comes as the Conservative Party prepares to debate the no win, no fee culture at its conference in Birmingham next week. the claimants’ solicitors.

According to figures Tory MP for obtained by the Express Wolverhampton South, and Star, millions of Paul Uppal, believes “we pounds in compensation are living with a compenfor minor accidents like sation culture”. Paul, a trips and falls is being paid out by councils in Sikh of East African the West Midlands and descent, who is, ironically, married to Kashmir, a Staffordshire every year – lawyer, added: “Nobody with more than half the wants to take responsibilcash pocketed by soliciity – the default position tors. is to sue. Daytime televiIn the last two years, sion is filled with adverts £10.6 million of taxpayencouraging people to ers’ cash has been paid claim and it’s a racket.” out in “public liability” Successful claims claims by the region’s range from the £35,000 councils. And almost paid by Staffordshire £6.1 million of this County Council for a bromoney went straight to

Paul Uppal - Tory MP for Wolverhampton South West

ken hand caused by faulty paving to £40,000 paid by Wolverhampton City Council to a motorcyclist whose bike was “damaged by a build up of gravel, rubble and bits of metal”

on a road. In another case the city council, which has paid out £1.8 million in five years, was ordered to pay £900 to a resident who fell on a broken slab, while the solicitors were awarded £21,000 costs.

Another judgement saw just £39 paid out to a claimant who slipped on the uneven border of a playground, only for their solicitor to pocket £4,400.

Next week at the Conservative Party conference, the ‘no win, no fee’ culture debate is expected to propose reforms that could make it tougher for personal injury solicitors to claim excessive costs. Tell us your story by email – dee@katwas.com

Army scoops top diversity award Salutations to our Army on receiving the prestigious Race for Opportunity award for significantly increasing the diversity of its workforce.

The British Army beat stiff competition in the ‘recruitment’ category to clinch this national accolade at a ceremony in London.

Since 2007, there has been a 47 per cent increase in the number of soldiers from ethnic minority backgrounds joining the Army – double the Army’s national average for BME recruiting.

The Army’s Head of Diversity, Colonel Mark Abraham, said the award

recognised the progress the Army had made in “forging links with young black and Asian men and women, which has

Faith event a success

brought us a huge increase in talented young people joining our organisation”.

Separately, an annual presentation, The Army

for today, will take place at Walsall Town Hall on October 19. For more details visit www.army.mod.uk/apg

Airport chief to give talk The boss of Birmingham Airport, Paul Kehoe, will present a talk entitled, High hopes in hard times, looking at the global economic downturn and the challenges of running an airport business.

The talk, part of the 17th Crystal Lecture, will take place at 6pm on October 19 at

Wo l v e rh a m p t o n University’s Telford campus. Free to attend.

To book your place contact Marie Porello on 01902 323874.

Of the eight million people living within one hour’s drive, less than 40 per cent currently use Birmingham Airport.

Successful claims range A one-day faiths festival in Solihull which brought together people from a kaleidoscope of nationalities has been praised by the borough’s Mayor, Councillor Ian Courts, who described the event as “remarkable”.

The programme included world music, meditation, cultural

dances, a global cuisine, educational displays and much more.

The event, organised

by Solihull Faiths Forum, was led by diversity expert Gulbag Singh.

To find out more contact Gulbag on 0121 711 3148 or email gulbags@solihull-sustain.org.uk

Dodgy DVDs Midland shopkeeper Sameer Husseiny has pleaded guilty to selling more than 40,000 dodgy DVDs from his Ace Disks store in High Street,

Dudley. Husseiny, 52, from Smethwick, sold Hollywood blockbusters for as little as £1 each. He will be sentenced on October 11.

Trainee solicitor Rajeev Singh Grewal has been charged with a string of child porn offences.

Grewal, 28, was arrested and charged with 15 child porn offences, allegedly committed between 2006 and 2008.

Grewal, who lives with his parents in Edgbaston, Birmingham, worked for

Bell Lax Solicitors for two years and quit his trainee post before the police investigation came to light. He will next attend a plea and case management hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on October 29 when he is expected to enter a plea, reports the Sunday Mercury.

Kids Festival Children, young people and families are being invited to a fun-packed 11-day (20-31 October) event, the Juice Festival, in Newcastle and

Gateshead. From hip-hop to photography and music to free-running and more.

To find out more visit www.juicefestival.co.uk

Charity begins at home More than six in ten people still think it is morally right for the UK to help developing countries, despite severe austerity measures, according to the Institute of

Development Studies.

However, 64 per cent think poverty at home is the priority.

The IDS surveyed around 2,500 consumers.

Toxic cream seller imprisoned A shopkeeper has been jailed for four months for selling cosmetics containing toxic materials including mercury to Asian women desperate to lighten their skin.

Father-of-four Jafeer

Hussain, 33, from Perry Barr, had ignored several warnings from trading standards officials and continued to sell the illegal treatments from his six shops across Birmingham.

Community event at cop station

Trying the uniform with Inspector Rob Pilling

The rain did not dampen the spirits of over 1,500 people who took part in a community event organised by the emergency services and partner organisations in Stafford.

Held on Saturday a fortnight ago at Stafford Police Station, visitors enjoyed visiting the cells, having fingerprints taken and trying on police uniforms.

Boozy student nights Freshers at universities across the country are being reminded about sensible drinking.

In the West Midlands, 51 per cent of all students

see drinking alcohol as seen as a big part of the student lifestyle. To find out more visit www.drinkaware .co.uk or www.DRINKiQ.com

Council gets final warning The Government is on the verge of taking control of children’s social services in Birmingham.

It has issued the city council, Europe’s largest, with one final ‘must do better’ order because the crisis-torn department is still not meeting improvement targets. The department was acutely criti-

cised over the tragic case of Khyra Ishaq, the seven-year-old, pictured, who was starved to death by her parents.

Museum seeks profile Madame Tussauds has called in ethnic marketing agency Mediareach to launch ‘Diwali Weekend’ later this month. Since 2004, the museum has

introduced wax figures of Bollywood superstars Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwariya Rai.

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Sanskrit: An ancient inspiration for a modern society What is the relevance of the Ancient Language of Sanskrit in today's world, and what are the lessons it can teach to the modern city worker? The City Hindus Network, in partnership with State Street Corporation, answered these questions, and more, during their event Sanskrit: An Ancient Inspiration for a Modern Society.

The event was hosted

by Kanesh Lakhani, a Senior Managing Director of State Street Global Advisors, at the State Street offices in Canary Wharf on Tuesday (14th).

He was joined by Warwick Jessup, a leading Scholar in the Sanskrit Language, and Head of Sanskrit at the St James Independent Schools in London.

Around two hundred people, including top City professionals, and leading businessmen from the Hindu community, attended the evening, which looked at: l The relevance of Sanskrit in the modern world; l Why the language is able to thrive as a subject in a Central London

I pledge to Conference

Dhruv Patel (Founder, City Hindus Network), Warwick Jessup (Head of Sanskrit at St James Schools, London), Bijna Dasani (Principal, State Street Global Advisors), Kanesh Lakhani (Senior Managing Director, State Street Global Advisors)

School, such as St James; l Whether one of the world's richest ancient languages is in terminal decline; and l What lessons are there for the modern day City worker?

Kanesh Lakhani said: ‘State Street was delighted to have hosted such a successful event.

Our organisation has always placed a strong emphasis on inclusion and engagement with the communities in which we operate.

Sanskrit offers much richness to our modern world and it is such a pleasure to

see it thriving so well in a British school’ Dhruv Patel, founder of the City Hindus Network, which host regular networking events for Hindu professionals, said: ‘This event, one of the largest that we have ever held, was altruistically hosted by the most senior asset manager from our community and has given the professionals from our community an opportunity to be educated, informed and inspired by a leading scholar about the language of our Vedas.’

Kali Theatre celebrates 20th birthday with 'Black-i' Kali Theatre Company – the UK’s only theatre company dedicated to championing female writers of South Asian origin celebrates its 20th birthday by providing the chance to see our capital city through fresh eyes in a season of new writing.

'Black-I' takes two very different worlds within London and watches them collide on a roof high over the city as Naz meets Rose and working class Bangladeshi community of East London meets the moneyed elite of Mayfair.

There is also a clash between kids and adults how the weakness of a parent can affect a child.

The play deals the pressures and powerlessness of those young people who feel they must carry a knife – the person who owns the knife is not

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Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook:

necessarily the person to use it. 'Black-I' examines the extremes people will go to in order to protect

their patch and their way of life from what they see as threat, particularly the imagined Muslim ‘threat’ in London today.

'Black-I' explores the interaction of races in contemporary London, the Muslim hijab and it’s covering up of the body, the stresses and pressures on kids today, but first and foremost Black-i is, at heart, a weird love story between an Asian boy and

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a white girl.

'Black–I' by Sharon Raizada, will be at the Oval House Theatre, 19th October to 6th November with the Press Night on Thursday 21st October 7.45pm.

Oval House T h e a t r e , Kennington Oval, L o n d o n S E 1 1 w w w. o v a l house.com Nearest tubes: Oval (Northern line), Vauxhall (Victoria line & BR) Readers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar can get three tickets for the price of two by quoting ‘Birthday’ when booking – offer subject to availability.

Tickets £12 (£6 Concessions) Previews 19th & 20th of October, all tickets £6.

Oval House Box Office 020 7582 7680 www.kalitheatre.co.uk

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So many of you responded about the pledges from last week that I thought I better continue the political theme, starting with C o n f e r e n c e s .

Incidentally the North Korean Communist Party conference is this week too and they too got a new leader. He’s considered left wing too.

The pledge of the Indian Supreme Court on the issue of Ayodhya: ‘We pledge to pass the buck like a hot potato on this one. We’re judges not martyrs.’

Pledge of Ed Miliband: “I pledge to keep the red flag flying, but in a closet”. Pledge of David Miliband: “I pledge never, ever to have a second child”.

Pledge of the Irish Central Bank: “We pledge to never ride the ‘luck of the Irish’ again’.

The pledge of President Obama as he enters the mid-term elections: ‘I pledge never to let the world believe I am in charge when it’s really the Congressmen, Senators, Governors and e n f o r c e m e n t agencies...heck I can’t even close Guantanamo Bay.’ The pledge of the Iranian President: ‘I pledge I will not sound

during the Games. All our bullets are too wet anyway.’

The pledge of the child labourer at the Commonwealth Games: ‘I will work harder, better, longer, than the literate buffoons who hired me and without me who could not make the Games a success. I pledge my day will come.’

That’s enough pledging...this isn’t a furniture cleaning ad. What is unfortunate is how much things stay the same in politics. Anyone who like me has all the Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister shows on their Ipod and Ipad knows all the political issues remain the same.

There is the one about Civil Servant’s pay – how come they get paid so much and honours too with job security? Or the one about cost overrun on defence contracts for Trident – we have to pay because it is a security leak to tell anyone and the contractors know it. Or the one about the hospital all ready to go but with more administrators than doctors so can’t afford to have patients.

It’s all almost enough to make you give up!

crazy and completely untrustworthy with nuclear weapons the next time at the UN I say ‘America itself did 9/11’’ The pledge of the North Korean President: ‘I pledge to the world my son who will takeover is not a crazy nut-job. I raised him in a completely sane environment.

Now stand and salute glorious leader.’

The pledge of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela as he enters elections: ‘I pledge to sound less paranoid when I blame all my problems on the Americans...some are down to the Brazilians.’

The pledge of whichever Castro is in power in Cuba: ‘I pledge to sound less paranoid when I blame all my problems on the Americans...some are down to the Mexicans’.

The pledge of the Israelis negotiating in the Middle East peace process: ‘We pledge to forgive but not to forget.’

The pledge of the Palestinians negotiating in the Middle East peace process: ‘We pledge to forget but not to forgive.’

The pledge of the Pakistani Government during the Commonwealth Games: ‘We pledge India will have no security issues

Ashiana Charitable Trust, One year on On Saturday 18th September 2010, Ashiana was proud to celebrate our first anniversary using the Byron NRC. This is their Health and Wellbeing Centre which runs every Saturday morning providing yoga and Bollywood dancing for the service users. The celebrations were enjoyed by 75 members, their carers, volunteers and invited guests.

On the party list was also the Mayor of Harrow, MP Bob Blackman and Harrow Councillors and staff. The service users demonstrated the progress they have made and to mark the occasion, took part in a small cake cutting ceremony.

For the past 10 years, Ashiana has been supporting and empowering children and young adults with learning difficulties and their carers. We provide a service which is much needed within the Asian community and aim to combat the stigma associated with being disabled.

Ashiana also runs monthly events which include ten pin bowling, quiz and

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movie nights. Indoor and outdoor sporting activities, weather dependent.

Bob Blackman, MP said, "I am happy to support the excellent work that Ashiana carry out.

The opportunities created for people to live full and active lives are critical and I trust that Harrow Council will continue to support the project financially.”

If you would like to become a volunteer or know of any person(s) that could benefit from the services please contact Arvind Joshi on: 020 8428 7542 or Cllr. Yogesh Teli on 07770 222 307. www.ashianacharitabletrust.org.uk

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EDUCATION/COUNCIL

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

11

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Kajal Valani, President

Teaching to the test

What?! ANOTHER Year of Excellence?? Here we go...!

It’s now been over two years since I was given the honour of becoming President of National Hindu Students Forum UK (NHSF). It has been an engaging experience so far and seeing as my role asks that I overlook all areas of the organisation and analyse progression and improvement areas, I thought I’d share my thoughts with you...

At last year’s AGM I asked all leaders of NHSF university societies around the UK to not just do their job well, but to look to the future in raising the bar of excellence already set. On the first day in my role as President, my first thought was not ‘how will I achieve results during my term?’, my mind went straight to ‘who will the next President after me be? I must keep an eye out and work with potentials closely’. This is something all chapter office bearers must do. Our job is to look at securing the future and act like Shri Krishna Bhagwan, NHSF’s Ishta Devta for the year, as role models for society. Sri Krishna Bhagwan excelled in many fields for us to take note of, be it in a spir-

itual, social or political respect. That is what we as British Hindu students must aspire to do.

Last year we hosted two major annual events; the first being ‘Hindu Times’, NHSF’s Annual Conference, where we broke attendance records and really worked to get students to look at understanding spirituality, applying it in the samaj and then using it on a political level to make a grand difference. The message given to students, endorsed by world leaders such as Tony Blair, David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg, was that we are all capable of becoming leaders of the samaj. Hindu Dharma gives us the foundations for that; we now need to get on a platform to stand up and speak up for what we believe in.

The second national event was the Sports Competition which saw 750 students, 26 universities, 84 teams, and 165 sports matches.

When addressing our students, Vikram Solanki (exEngland cricketer) spoke of the importance of implementing teachings

from Hindu Dharma when in fierce competition. The British Army attended and played kabaddi against a Manchester Hindu Society. We also received many endorsements for this event from great personalities such as Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London Olympics 2012.

Locally, each NHSF society has produced some phenomenal events, not just due to their sheer size, but also due to their content and spirituality. We have seen this change over the years in order to appeal to a more dynamic and youthful generation.

Two years ago you would have been hard-pressed to find any NHSF society that did a regular spiritual event. Now you’d be hard pressed to find one that does not! The blend of spiritual, cultural, educational and social events and weekly activities that take place at NHSF chapters across the UK provide us all with lessons worth learning!

Analysing NHSF activities and progression shows that there is, naturally, still work to be done.

Yes we‘re brilliant at what we do but, in general, the

Hindu community lacks implementing the brilliance and standing out!

We are on the Sanaatan (universal) path and now need to unite together and fully utilise this brilliance.

Looking over NHSF, I can certainly say it is a proud moment for me to confidently state that it is going to be British Hindu students who can and will take us to a bright Dharmic future.

So for those of you who are new to NHSF,new to what Hindu society is, Svaagatam (welcome). I hope you are ready for a thrilling experience in which you will protect, promote, practice and preserve Hindu Dharma, whilst enjoying university life! Let us all work hard, in unity, and make sure this year is one to remember. Positive stories on the front page of every newspaper should and can be thanks to Hindu students at NHSF (UK) chapters.

Are you ready to be the news you wish to see in the world?

Sanghatan Mein Shakti Hai - In Unity There Is Strength

Council tax could be halved for CSOs People who volunteer to be special constables could receive council tax rebates under proposals being considered by the Government.

Volunteers' council tax bills could be halved under the measures in return for helping police the streets.

It is thought the measure, if enacted, could mean the death knell for the much-criticised Police Community Support Officer.

The coalition is said to be keen to increase the number of special constables, which peaked at

more than 60,000 in the Fifties but today stands at just 15,000 or so.

They are aware if could be a tough sell to a sceptical public and so are considering how they could provide incentives to signing up.

Other possibilities are a loyalty card scheme or a civic medal.

Senior police officers have proposed the plan to the Government's 'Policing in the 21st Century' consultation paper, according to the Express.

A project which saw

special constables in Hull receive a 50 per cent discount on their council tax has been proposed as a template.

Police in Norfolk are also apparently considering giving people who sign up a loyalty card where they amass points for different types of work.

Special constables are not paid, unlike PCSOs, but can make arrests which means many see them as more effective.

The idea would appear to fit well with David Cameron's aim to create a 'Big Society' where com-

munities work together.

It has emerged days after Sir Denis O'Connor, the Inspector of Constabulary, criticised the way police have let anti-social behaviour spiral out of control.

PCSOs, or 'plastic policemen' as they have been dubbed, were introduced by David Blunkett in 2002.

The Tories have long considered scrapping them and the clamour for action will grow if frontline police services are targeted in the upcoming spending cuts.

New London-wide scheme makes primary admissions fairer Parents of children starting primary school in Ealing in September 2011 will be among the first to use a new pan-London admissions system. The ‘onestop’ system has been used for high school admissions since 2005 and will now also be used for all primary places.

Under the new scheme, parents will be required to submit one application to Ealing Council, even if they are applying for a place outside of the borough.

Parents will be asked to apply online or by completing Ealing’s common application form, listing up to

six schools in order of preference before the deadline of Saturday 15 January 2011.

All London boroughs will then use a computerised system to share the details of school applications in other areas and coordinate the offer of places to make sure that no one is offered more than one place. There will be a single, London-wide offer day on 4 April 2011 when parents across the capital will be sent the outcome of their application.

Previously London boroughs did not co-ordinate their offers or their offer

dates with each other, meaning that parents could be in receipt of more than one offer, only one of which they intended to accept.

Parents would sometimes hold on to offers until they had heard from all of the boroughs they had applied to, leading to a delay in offering surplus places to other children.

And sometimes parents did not inform the council that they had taken up another offer until the start of the school term.

The new system is fairer because boroughs will have an accurate picture of the allocation of places mean-

ing that more children should have a chance of being offered one of their preferred schools.

To meet the rising demand for primary school places in the borough, Ealing Council has funded 16 permanent additional forms of entry and nine temporary additional forms of entry in primary schools since 2008. Information packs and application forms are available from your preferred school or by contacting Ealing’s school admissions service on 020 8825 5511. Parents can apply online at www.eadmissions.org.uk.

When people ring us at eTutors to discuss our service, they frequently ask us which exam boards we teach (EDEXCEL, AQA, OCR etc.) We are not surprised that parents are interested, but actually, when we teach a topic what we do is to make sure that a pupil knows about it and given that we specialise in Maths and Science what we are teaching is pretty well defined. For example, trigonometry is trigonometry whatever exam board you are studying and blood doesn’t suddenly flow in the opposite direction according to which Biology exam you happen to be sitting.

Obviously, its important that we know about the various different exam boards and that we use past exam papers to help us to decide coursework and exam practise for our students, but more than that, what we are doing is teaching children subject matter and how to think for themselves, thus boosting their confidence.

And now it looks as if some of the UK’s private schools are also realising that just teaching to the test and “cramming” a student to pass an exam is no substitute for actually making sure that pupils have a thorough understanding of the subject.* Now you may say “What relevance does this have to me? My child is not in a private school now and never will be.”

Well, I happen to agree with the private schools.

Education should give children more than just the ability to pass an exam. Education is about preparing you for the challenges that you will face in life. Having great GCSE and A level results is obvi-

Pankaj Vekria

ously useful for getting into University, but if once you are there you suddenly find yourself having to go through an intense period of adjustment while you learn to think laterally as well as linearly you are in for a shock.

We face a situation where exam grades are distrusted by employers who feel that “grade inflation” is debasing the value of British qualifications.

The current government is more than aware that this is the case and I am sure that in the near future there will be a review of the whole examination process. That’s good; we need to get our children used to a higher standard of academic rigour. I found out this week that A level French students are not even reading French literature these days – they are writing essays on French films after watching them.

Come on people, this is hardly stretching the elastic.

I want British education to be great. I want children to be inspired, to be curious, to want to learn more than is just in the syllabus and to be taught more than the minimum they need to know in order to pass an exam.

That is what we set out to do at eTutors. Don’t you want that for your child?

For more information about tutoring please call 0845 004 7633. *Daily Telegraph 14 Sep 2010

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take your education with you

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Scrutator’s The hyped Commonwealth Games in Delhi has turned out to something of a calamity. It hovers on the brink of humiliating disaster. It matters not that the stadia have been completed on schedule and looks good. It has been the village for athletes that has left much to be desired. Parts of it were well constructed, but others were in an awful mess with less than a fortnight to go before the start of the event. There was talk of countries pulling out event – individual athletes have already done so – but herculean efforts to put things right and their early results have persuaded participating nations to call off their threaten boycott of the games.

The prolonged monsoon over Delhi may have contributed to the calamity but this is no excuse: all preparations should have been completed by May prior to the onset of the rains.

The organisation and co-ordination were simply unworthy of an event of such importance. The public boasts of certain Indian officials that it would be a stellar success have made them and the country look doubly foolish and inept.

Truth is that sport in the Indian capital is perceived as a government quango, an avenue for preferment and little else.

For some contractors it is an opportunity for grand larceny.

These people must surely be brought to book. About a year or so ago, an international cricket fixture between India and Sri Lanka had to be cancelled at the start of the match because the pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla ground was deemed unfit by players and umpires alike. It was a disgrace. Now comes the Commonwealth Games fiasco.

Commonwealth Games: Cycling Velodrome

A fresh perspective The Daily Telegraph's man in Delhi, Dean Nelson (September 24) gave a splendid Indian take – inspired by industrialist Gopichand Hinduja on the Commonwealth Games, likening it to a “rough and ready Punjabi wedding where, amid the the caparisoned elephants, brass bandsmen in grubby Sergeants Pepper suits and celebratory gunfire, one or two guests might be wounded by a stray bullet and no one will know whether it's going ahead until the turbaned groom arrives at the very last minute on a clapped out old nag.”

However, he continued, “we risk overlooking not just the extraordinary achievements India has made in recent years, but also the role India plays in the continuing rise of India Shining. My home in Delhi is just a ceiling tile's away from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and I, too,

have been amazed its builders have left it so late to finish the work....Yet passing close by is the South Delhi extension of the world-class Delhi Metro, which has cut miserable road travel times in half and opened up the wonderful Walled City to the world – plus a link to the city's extraordinary airport terminal.

“Terminal Three..... was the work of an Indian company that had never before built an airport, but it opened on time and within budget....The Metro was overseen by E. Sreedharan, possibly the most honest public servant in India, whose only known vices include yoga and walking, and who gives his £400-a month salary to charity while living off his pension. I cannot think of another chief executive of a multi-billion pound infrastructure project who would be happy to be paid so little, let alone give it away,” he said.

Rich, poor cheek by jowl

Darshan Desai, a London-based Indian financier , was quoted as saying that India's fast-growing lower middle class and poor population was the secret of its success and the key to its future.

“It's a growth story of mass markets,” he says, “India's middle class, at 170 million is half the population of the United States and will mount to 600 million

India's affluent middle class, with their appetite for good living, exist cheek by jowl with the labouring masses who toil to make this possible, yet they buy mobile phones, £10 water purifiers, small refrigerators and satellite TVs themselves.

by 2025, equal to two for top place with the most numIndo-Russian fighter Americas.” ber of firms on Forbes Asia deal The demography of a young Fabulous 50 List, an annual population guaranteed sustained compilation of the best and most While the above evaluation of 8 to 10 per cent growth over the profitable 50 big public compapower is based on a wide range next two or three decades, he nies in the region. Each country of measurements, military prosaid. accounted for 16 companies; jection is inevitably part of the Dean Nelson again: “World together with 32 companies they package. Hence Ajay Shukla's leaders are well aware of this, took 60 per cent and more of the Business Standard report which is why Mr Cameron entire range of the companies (September 18) highlighting the brought his cabinet colleagues to logged. deepening defence ties between Delhi in July and President Forbes started with 936 comIndia and Russia. He Obama will arrive began by referring to the later this year. The recent Indo-Russian success or otheraccord for the co-developwise of the ment of the 2,500 km mulCommonwealth tirole transport aircraft to Games will not replace the Air Force's change these fundavenerable AN-32. mentals.”

Maybe But now this pathnot, but India could breaking $600 million venhave done without ture “is likely to be the shambolic exerdwarfed soon, when India cise.

Meanwhile, and Russia pledge $6 bilthe canny Mr lion to co-develop the A Larsen & Toubro engineering plant in Saudi Arabia Hinduja assured Mr world's premier fighter, a Nelson that things step ahead of the US Air would come good in the end, as panies with at least $3 billion in Foice's F-22 Raptor, which curthey usually do in India. revenue or market capitalisarently rules the skies.”

The Daily Telegraph editorial tion. It looked at the five-year Senior Indian defence minlit a candle amid the encircling record for revenue, operating istry sources had confirmed to gloom. Was the new Indo-British earnings and return on capital.

Mr Shukla “that years of tortuamity to stumble at the first hurThese 50 companies have solid ous negotiations have been sucdle?, it asked. There were justifinancial track records coupled cessfully concluded in time for fiable concerns about the probwith great management and President Dmitry Russian lems that have bedevilled the entrepreneurial skill, the magaMedvedev's visit to India in preparations. But the panic was zine said.

December.Russian and Indian uncalled for, it said.

India's 16 companies (up negotiators have finalised a pre“The Commonwealth Games from 13 last year) included softliminary design contract that is unlike any other global athletware major Infosys will allow designers from both ic event in that it is not in the Technologies, Bharat Heavy sides to actually begin work on stranglehold of of big money Electricals, HDFC Bank and the fighter.” sponsors....In no other world engineering giant Larsen & Said Hindustan Aeronautics competition can teams from Toubro.

Ltd (HAL) Chairman Ashok Jersey and the Isle of Man take Nayak in Bangalore: “It is is in on the big boys: where bowls, India third global power the system [the Cabinet seven-a-side rugby and netball Committee for Security] for sit alongside athletics, boxing India is listed the third most approval.The respective work and cycling.

The powerful country in the world shares have been agreed to by Commonwealth is a unique after the US and China and the both sides and once we sign the institution....We trust the glitchfourth most powerful measured the preliminary design contract, es will be fixed and October 3 as a bloc after the US, China and we will finish the design in about will see the start of a triumphant the European Union, according 18 months. Developing and games.” to a joint report of America's designing the fighter will take 8And so say all of us.

National Intelligence Council 10 years, and each side will pay and the European Union's $6 billion as its share.”

Institute of for Security Studies.

Indo-UK partnerships The Russian and Indian Air In 2010 the US tops the list, Forces each plan to build around accounting for 22 per cent of A Financial Times report by 250 fighters, at an estimated global power. China and the Chris Tighe (September 24) tells cost of $100 million each. That European Union follow with 16 of “British manufacturers seekadds up to $25 billion, over and per cent, followed by India on 8 ing lower-cost suppliers targetabove the development cost. per cent, and Japan, Russia and ing India over China, according The huge cost of such airBrazil with 5 per cent each. to new research by KPMG, the craft had forced the US to limit According to this model, by professional services firm....The the manufacture of its F-22 to 2025 the US would still be top, research, based on answers from 196 senior manufacturing executives worldwide, all representing companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue.....

Economic uncertainty has left British businesses highly pricesensitive, with 86 per cent of domestic manufacturers cost as their top supply chain priority, compared to 66 per cent globally. However, U K respondents also showed particular strong interest in long-term partnership with suppliers....Half of UK respondents expect new sourcNew Delhi airport’s Third Terminal ing arrangements with India and 41 per cent with China. Those citing India as a possible supplibut with a reduced 18 points, 187 instead of the planned 350. er base rated it equally for its with China on 16 points and As such, it made sense for potential role in product develIndia increasing its weight to 10 Russia to co-develop this plane opment and in production of points, and the European Union with India, but the choice of colgoods involving intellectual on 14. In other respects the 2025 laborator also carries a political property.” listing was expected to follow message of trust. In the final the pattern of 2010, although stages of the negotiation, the US, EU, Japan and Russia Russian negotiators sought India, China top would see a decline in their Moscow's clearance for the sharForbes List points (The Times of India. ing of top secret technologies.

September 21) For India the deal marks a quanAsia's two economi powerhoustum leap in air power. es, China and India, have tied

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

13

14

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

By Spriha Srivastava

India ready to award 10,000km of road contracts, Nath says Indian transport minister Kamal Nath has signed a memorandum of understanding with Britain’s Transport secretary, Philip Hammond, to cooperate in road transportation. Speaking at an event in London, Nath said India is getting ready to award 10,000km of road concessions by year end. He said the country has beefed up its road building programme and is looking to partner with other countries for investments in this sector.

“I had said we will be constructing 20 kilometres of road a day and we are heading towards that.

But the first step is that projects are really being awarded to private players. By the end of this year, we will have close to 21,000 kilometres of work in progress which is a huge quantum leap from the past,” said Nath.

On the sidelines of signing a memorandum of understanding with Britain’s transport secretary, Philip Hammond, to cooperate in road transportation, Nath said that India is looking for the UK to provide support not just in the construction sector but also in areas such as traffic management and vehicle certification.

“As India grows we have a huge challenge before us in Infrastructure and staring us on our face on the infrastructure are roads.

Well, most of the roads were built by the British and that we today are signing a MOU to continue this collaboration which we have been discussing for sometime and I have been looking forward to.”

He also said that India and UK have cooperated in many areas for a long time and that British construction groups have been in India both pre and post independence.

“In UK, companies are building world class cars, well this partnership will help us build world class roads,” he added.

British Transport secretary Philp Hammond said India is an extremely important partner for UK. He also praised the strong presence of Indian community in the UK that has contributed in the growth of its economy. The two countries

Philip Hammond, Britain's Transport Secretary with Kamal Nath, India's Road Transport and Highways Minister

will now be cooperating in areas of road construction which is an extremely ambitious sector in India.

Earlier in February, the UK and India set up the British India Roads Group, which comprises investors from both countries and seeks to attract investments for roads projects in India. India has also been holding talks with other countries to attract investments for road projects that have been delayed due to lack of funding. Recently, Nath visited China, where he discussed cooperating in road construction with the government.

Nath told the press conference that India is looking at China for support in construction and investment.

“China is very keen to invest as concessionaires and to invest in construction. There are about eight Chinese construction companies that are currently bidding for road projects in India and the Chinese government is keen that we take this forward,” Nath informed.

Meanwhile, Nath also rejected the idea of using the country’s foreign exchange reserves for the $11 billion infrastructure debt fund that had been announced by the Planning Commission of India in June. He said that the country will not need to touch its foreign exchange reserves to fund the infrastructure sector

because there are already a number of infrastructure funds being set up by various financial institutions in India to invest in areas such as power, ports, and roads, among others.

“We are seeing a mushrooming of funds, a number of infrastructure funds being put up by institutions and even by construction companies.

So there is a mushrooming of funds in every infrastructure sub-sector and that is the whole idea.

Once the money is raised, these funds will then help projects in various infrastructure sectors, including power or ports or roads, depending on how much they can absorb,” Nath said.

With regards to the u p c o m i n g Commonwealth Games, he said that we are being over-critical and we should wait for the games to actually begin. Well said, Mr. Nath, I think we are being extremely edgy with regards to the games. There is so much negative publicity surrounding the event that even one small incident is over-hyped leading to apprehensions and tension in the air.

One can just keep fingers crossed and hope that the games take place successfully. As for public memory, well when we can move on from events like 26/11 then I am sure we will find our way through this as well.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

ITV’s Tasmin Lucia Khan and Ameet Chana to host AAA Tasmin Lucia Khan Former BBC News Presenter Tasmin Lucia Khan is now the new face of morning news at ITV. She can be seen weekdays from 6am to 9am, every half an hour on the channel's new breakfast show Daybreak, formerly known for 17 years as GMTV which was once Britain’s most popular breakfast programme on TV The anchor joins ITV and new colleagues Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley, after several years as the face of BBC Three’s hourly news bulletins and the host of E24 on the BBC News channel.

Graduating from Oxford University with an Honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, she then trained as a journalist before moving into news reporting and presenting.

She has a special interest in security, counter-terrorism initiatives and international relations strategy.

With 11 years of on screen experience, she has covered many breaking

news stories such as the death of Michael Jackson, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the 7/7 London bombings and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Her presenting career began in 1999 at the Zee Television Network where she hosted a variety of entertainment and interview based

Ameet Chana Ameet, is a London based Actor & is probably best remembered as “Adi Ferreira” on the BBC’s flagship soap opera “Eastenders” & as “Tony” from the worldwide boxoffice hit “Bend It Like Beckham”…

Ameet started his acting career as a young actor in a film for Film Four called “Wild West” which centred around an all Asian ‘Country & Western’ band, based in Southall with dreams to make it big in the home of Country music, Nashville, Tennessee. He then went on to learn his craft in the theatre, touring nationally & internationally for over 10 years with various theatre productions & companies including The Royal National Theatre.

After a number of TV & Film credits such as “The Bill”, “Casualty”, “Holby City” & “The League Of Gentlemen” Ameet landed the ground breaking character of “Tony” in “Bend It Like Beckham” – playing the “Gay guy” who was willing to sacrifice his dreams to marry “Jess” so that she could escape her shackles of being a regular girl in West London to pursue her dreams of playing professional football.

After the worldwide success of “BILB” Ameet went on to play the middle brother, “Adi” of the con-

‘Rock’ band that have absolutely no talent at all but still get signed by a struggling A&R man on the verge of losing his job. “The Story Of _” is a mad, twisted tale about how the music industry today is more about marketing campaigns & less about talent…

Ameet plays “Herman J. Berman” – the front man of the band. “The Story Of _” is to be Ameet Chana released in October 2010. troversial “Ferreira” famiIn 2008, Ameet ly on BBC1’s Executive Produced his “Eastenders” for a 2 year first feature length low stint. budget film called “Ca$h Since then Ameet has & Curry”. Ameet plays the starred in a number of central character of “Raj” films that are to be in which he & his 2 close released in the coming friends try to escape their months. “It Could Be mundane lives by becomYou” is a film that sees the ing “runners” in a huge down-trodden Father of a drugs deal between 2 rival large family who wins the gangs that goes horribly lottery & uses the money wrong….”Ca$h & Curry” to teach his wife & sibreleased on DVD in July lings a few lessons in 2010. morality & respect. “It Ameet also presents Could Be You” stars his own specialist music Naseeruddhin Shah & show – Breakdown on the Kirron Kher, (both are BBC Asian Network every huge Bollywood stars) as Sunday. Ameet is all set to the parents & Ameet plays direct his first feature film the very ‘down & out’ in 2011 & is currently setparty animal “Dave”. ting up his own independ“The Story Of _” is a ent production company film that was shot entirely to champion young British on location in Budapest, actors, writers & direcHungary & centres on a tors.

Tasmin Lucia Khan

shows.

Having hosted the Queen’s Baton Relay for the launch of the 2010 Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace last year, Tasmin Lucia Khan will be hosting this year’s Asian Achievers Awards at Wembley Arena on the 30th September 2010.

Travel & Life styLe

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

The tale of

There are a few regions that are famous for their saris but none are as famous as Benaras. The Benarasi silk sari is richly embroidered, making it heavy and it is usually only worn during special occasions such as weddings. Benarasi silk saris hail from Varanasi, also known as Benaras or Banaras. It is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on the west bank of the Ganges River and is considered to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The silk used for the saris was historically imported from China but modern saris are made ith silk imported from Bangalore, India.

Several first-millennium Buddhist texts mention Benaras fabrics, giving the indication that Benaras has been the center of fine textile weaving for at least two millennia. During the past few centuries, the weavers of Benaras have been overwhelmingly Muslims belonging to the Julaha community. Some of the weavers have been able to trace their lineage back to 990 AD. The Benarasi silk saris reached the climax of their fame during the Mughal era in the 1600s. During that time the traditional motifs of the sari underwent a change and combined Indian and Persian patterns. Legends has it that when Lord Buddha attained nirvana, his body was wrapped in Banarasi brocade.

The Banarasi brocade flourished much under the Mughal period during the 14th century. Earlier the women used to weave cotton sari's but soon they switched on to the silk saris as they were becoming much popular and were sold at

high prices in the market. Brocades are the textile which has a regular weaving where the weft thread passes over the warp normally. Usually, when a gold and silver thread is densely woven with the textile thread special threads are riveted in between by omitting along the channel of the standard weft over a definite quantity of warp threads according to the pattern and omitting is done regularly through set type of patterns.

The heddles so

arranged, on different occasions, elevate and depress asymmetrical threads in turn, as required in the pattern. Selects of Banarasi saris that are available in the market are Tanchoi, Jangla, Vaskat, Cutwork, Tissue, and Butidar that are made of silk weft and brocaded with additional weft styles in different outputs

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ate the sari, depending on how intricate the design is. When the saris were made exclusively for royalty, they took up to one year to make. Ranging from two thousand rupees the price of this sari goes up to fifty thousand rupees depending upon the rich Zari work on the sari.

Teaming up with modern day's style artisans put some mirror work, zardosi work along with the silk and Zari which enhances the look of the sari and makes it heavy too. Benarasi sari never goes out of fashion. It is usually worn in two or three styles. Some ladies prefer it to wear it in the general Indian style whereas the pleats are tucked in front and the border (pallu) is pinned to the blouse on the left shoulder. During some occasions ladies prefer to drape the border (pallu) from the back on the right shoulder and expose the pallu's design in front. Any woman who wears a Benarasi sari looks gorgeous because of its rich texture.

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with designs like buties, bells, creepers and buttas in the base or on the border for alluring look. Nuptials are sanctified with brocade draperies glowing all over the bride. These fabrics hold the importance of playing a chief role in the most blissfully blessed venerated moments .

Benarasi silk saris are traditionally made in four varieties: pure silk (Katan), organza (Kora), Georgette sari, and Shatir sari. Traditional designs of the brocade include jasmine (chameli), thousand emeralds (panna hazar), marigolds (genda buti), betel nut leaves (paan buti), diagonal stripes (tircha) and the corner motif with a mango flower (konia). Originally the saris were embellished with threads made from real gold and silver for use by the royal family. In modern times, this has been replaced by gold- and silver-colored thread, making the saris affordable for the general population.

Historically, three people have been needed to make one sari using a powerloom. One artisan weaves the silk, one dyes the silk, and the third engages the power ring creating bundles of silk. The motifs are drawn on graph paper as a pattern for punchcards, which will be used as guides for the thread during the weaving process. It takes from 15 days to six months to cre-

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The UK’s only theatre company dedicated to presenting new plays by women with a South Asian background.

“Most enjoyably inventive piece of theatre I’ve seen this year” THE GUARDIAN on BEHNA

Bollywood

16 Asian Voice Saturday 2nd October 2010

‘Enthiran (Robot)’ with 2,250 prints S u p e r s t a r Rajinikanth’s much awaited Enthiran (Robot), directed

by Shankar, has been passed by the Chennai Regional Censor Board with a clean ‘U’ certificate.

The Censor Board officials are said to be highly impressed with the movie, especially its graphics work and advised no cuts, saying that ‘Endhiran’ can be viewed by all types of audiences.

‘Enthiran,’ produced by Sun Pictures’ Kalanidhi Maran with

Aishwarya Rai as the female lead, is most likely to hit screens on October 1 with 2,250 prints in more than 2,000 screens globally, including more than 300 screens abroad.

However, some reports suggest that the film is slated for September 30 release.

Asin under police protection

The ‘Kavalan’ press meet last week was on render hooks till the end because of Asin who is still not taking any chances. Instructions were given to the media persons not to ask controversial questions to Asin and particularly no questions on her Sri Lankan visit. Even Vijay, the director of the film, evaded questions about the anti-Asin sentiments among many Tamil organizations.

Even the director was not interested to talk about Asin controversy.

Siddique said his job is to complete the movie the right way and what happens at the time of release is a later problem. People who had been at the meet said

hearts in Hollywood."

“Break Away” is set in suburban Toronto, Canada. The film follows a hero caught between a family's traditional expectations and his dream of making it big in the national sport of his adopted country.

Shooting began on September 20.

Akshay Kumar is taking Hollywood by storm. After roping in “10000 AD” actress Camilla Belle for his Indo-Canadian project “Break Away,” directed by Robert Lieberman, Khiladi Kumar has now signed “Brothers And Sisters” star Rob Lowe (Senator Robert MacAllister) for a significant role.

Says a source close to Akki, "Akshay saw the TV series in which Rob has acted and felt that Lowe suited the character of an ice hockey champion in Break Away."

Adds the source, "The film showcases the struggles faced by South Asian immigrants. The story revolves around a Sikh immigrant family and how they cope with cultural conflicts. Akshay is doing everything to ensure that ‘Break Away’ has the best of both worlds and that's why he has roped in American actors Rob Lowe and Camilla Belle.

‘Break Away’ will also have Toronto-born Vinay Virmani in the lead role along with comedian Russell Peters."

Says Akshay, "The film expresses the crossing of two great cultures. It has a brilliant international cast and crew, and I really feel this will touch a lot of

Madhuri may make TV debut with ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’

Asin was under police protection until she stepped into her car after the event. Many senior journalists boycotted the press meet, sources said. ‘Kavalan’ is releasing in December and there’s sure to be more action off screen from various quarters then.

Seetha enters wedlock Wedding bells rang for the second time for Seetha when she married her longtime friend and television actor Satheesh at a private function in Chennai.

The wedding was attended by her parents and close relatives.

The actress, who married actordirector Parthiban, more than a decade ago, got divorce following difference of opinion. From then, she has been concentrating on her acting career again, by playing pivotal roles in television serials. It was at the shoot of one such serial she met Satheesh, circles close to her say.

“What started as friendship slowly blossomed as love and both decid-

Akki takes Hollywood by storm

ed to marry at one point of time. With the blessings of elders, they are a happy couple now.”

Says Seetha, “I am happy about my life.

Satheesh is a gentleman who understands me and cares for me a lot. A woman should be in the company of a man in her life for many reasons.

Satheesh is a nice companion.”

Known for her nimble steps, undying grace, and talking eyes, dancing diva Madhuri Dixit may make her first TV appearance in “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.” But if all goes well, the actress will soon be seen in all her glamour on the small screen. Madhuri Dixit may be seen dancing in ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa's’ forthcoming fifth season. She will make a special appearance on television for the very first time.

Apparently, the channel's top officials called up Madhuri Dixit requesting her to participate in “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5.” A source close to the show said, "Our show is very popular.

Madhuri is a treat to watch when she dances. Her pres-

ence will be an asset."

Madhuri happens to be one of the very few Bollywood actresses Kathak Maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj has lauded personally. Surely, television will be another crucial milestone in

her journey as a dancer so far.

The source added, "Madhuri is quite open to the idea of coming to India and doing this show. She is seriously considering the offer. The modalities are being worked out."

Madhuri's secretary Rakeshnath (aka Rikku) did not deny that the actress had been approached for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5. "It's all at a very nascent stage. There is nothing official as yet.

Madhuri gets lots of offers every now and then," said Rikku.

Drew Barrymore to make debut in Bollywood Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore is going to make her Bollywood debut with a movie titled “The Lifestyle.” An Indian production house is going to make this movie with this “Charlie's Angels” star.

Santosh Kumar Jain, the producer of “The Lifestyle” was quoted saying that he liked Barrymore's performance in “Charlie's Angels” and decided to sign her for his film.

The producer said that the script was liked by her and she agreed immediately.

Jain is debuting as a writer and director with this film. He is a renowned film distributor.

“The Lifestyle” revolves around three women having different background, who are trying to affirm their identities. Drew will be playing a foreigner in this movie, Jain informed. He added that the two other women will be played by leading Indian actresses. Throughout the movie, the river Ganga will remain as the backdrop, Jain added.

Kunal Ganjawala has recorded a song for this movie. The playback singer was quoted saying that he has sung a peppy Punjabi-

cum-Hindi item number for this movie and is very happy to be a part of a project that stars Barrymore. The movie will start rolling in this November and is likely to hit theaters in 2012. It will be shot partly in Haridwar and Benaras but the major part of shooting will be done in the US. The film is expected to come with a budget of huge Rs 1,500 million, as per the estimation of the producer.

Jain said that Barrymore would certainly come to India but the date can be confirmed only after everything is finalized. The filmmaker further said that the project will have some international singers as well as big Indian names like Lata Mangeshkar, Sudesh Bhonsle and Kunal Ganjawala.

Priyanka beats Big B, Khans on Twitter

Lifetime achievement award for Manoj Kumar

Priyanka Chopra has left behind Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan, and three Khans - Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman - when it comes to garnering maximum number of followers on twitter.

'King Khan' was running ahead of the Bollywood lot but Priyanka is now on top with 652,822 followers while SRK's followers are 649,515.

Interestingly, when it comes to Bollywood actress, no one is even near to Priyanka. Preity Zinta is the second female star from Bollywood to have the biggest fan following but her number is only half of Priyanka's admirers on twitter.

Preity has about 390,080 followers while Om Shanti Om star Deepika Padukone is third with 85,226 fans. Salman Khan, who has been in the eye storm for his comments on 26/11, is third after Shah Rukh. Big B is fourth in the list with 417,558 followers but the number is likely to go up as the megastar is a new entrant to the world of twitter.

Veteran actor Manoj Kumar, who dedicated over three decades of his life to Indian cinema, will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival.

'I am happy to receive this award. It's as important as an Oscar,' the 73-year-old actor said in a press statement.

Manoj Kumar, known for his patriotic films like 'Upkar', 'Purab Aur Paschim' and 'Kranti', will receive the special award at the festival organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). It will be held on Oct 21-28.

He has earlier been bestowed with honours such as the Padma Shri and Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy, apart from other awards for his acting and directing talent. The actor has also been involved with films like 'Roti Kapda Aur Makaan', 'Sanyasi', 'Dus Numbri' and many more. His last film before retirement was 'Maidan-EJung' which was released in 1995.

take a walk."

Akshay's dilemma stems from the fact that while he's close to Katrina (they're a popular pair and have delivered several hits), Deepika is going out of her way to be accommodating in giving her dates.

The source adds, "Akshay has given his dates for January and Deepika can offer her dates for the month as well."

While Deepika is ready to negotiate her price as well, things have worked out for Katrina as well with the

Dostana schedule being postponed to March. She too will be available in January. The trouble is Akki doesn't want to hurt either girl's feelings. The role is a very glamorous one and not being chosen would hurt either's prospects."

The source adds that, "That's why Katrina was upset about reports of Akki and her having a fallout. Kat wants the world to know that she's still very close to him."

Says Shirish, "We are in the process of casting the female lead opposite Akshay for Joker. Top names are being considered. It is a performance- oriented role.

Akshay and I will take the final call in a week." Akshay remained unavailable for comment.

‘Peepli Live’ for Oscars A comic satire on farmer suicides will be India's entry to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. Debutante director Anusha Rizvi's 'Peepli Live' was selected by a Film Federation of India (FFI) committee in Chennai last week.

"This movie was chosen because it depicts the stark reality about farmers in India but deals with it in a lighthearted manner," said FFI president L Suresh, adding that 'Angaadi Theru' - a Tamil blockbuster that completed 100 days in most theatres it was screened at - was a close competitor for top spot.

Producer Aamir Khan is a happy man. "I'm really thrilled that my fourth film is going to the Oscars," said Khan, who is in London for the premier of 'Peepli Live'. The movie has already travelled to festivals like Sundance, where it won Rizvi the best debutante director

17

Khichdi – The Movie

It’s Katrina v/s Deepika once again Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone have once again been at loggerheads.

The latest bone of contention is Shirish Kunder's “Joker,” a co-production between Akshay Kumar's Hari Om Productions and Farah Khan and Shirish's Three's Company.

Says a source, "Deepika and Katrina both think that they are doing the film without the other knowing about it. Katrina had spoken to Akshay during the shooting of Farah's ‘Tees Maar Khan’ and has taken it for granted that she is doing ‘Joker.’

Deepika's inclusion in the casting is a recent development and she suits the script better. Akki is in a dilemma and is tearing his hair out figuring out the best way to tell one of the girls to

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

award. It was also judged the Best First Feature film at the Durban film festival.

P r e v i o u s l y, Khan's 'Lagaan', 'Rang De Basanti' and 'Taare Zameen Par' have been chosen as India's official selection for the Oscars. Of these, only 'Lagaan' made it to the shortlist. "You have to realise there are more than 60 entries in this category and about 600 committee members who select the final five," says Khan, adding, "What I have taken away from my experience at the Oscars is that ultimately it is the movie that matters."

A comedy flick based on a TV serial, Khichdi is the story of a family full of funny people. Produced by Jamnadas Majethia under the banner of Fox Star Studios and Hats Off Productions, Kichdi – The Movie is directed

by Aatish Kapadia.

He has also written the story and the lyrics of the film.

The film is narrated through the two wise kids of the hilariously madcap Parekh family, namely Jacky and Chakki.

It is about a hare brained dream of a snail brained bunch of lovable losers. Hansa’s brother Himanshu has born a ridiculous ambition that is to have a memorable, legendary love story. It's all together another matter that he is not in love with anyone and neither is he capable of getting any sensible girl smitten to him. But as Babuji says, for every idiotic Praful there is an even more idiotic Hansa made, his prophecy turns out to be true.

Parminder, Himanshu's neighbor falls in love with Himanshu for no logical reason and the duo get engaged. That's when this story line takes a ridiculous turn.

Himanshu realises on the eve of the wedding that the impending ceremony would mean doom to his desire to have a legendary love story. For nothing interesting ever happened in his love story to make it memorable.

It was a simple non happening take with a boring happy ending. No resistance, no conflict, no separation, no sad song, no climax nothing. And so our gifted dumb family sets out to stall the wedding. And then begins their journey to create all those missing stages in Himanshu's love story in order to make it legendary. How, in this hilariously hare brained process, they make a mess of everything and how at the incredibly ridiculous climax Himanshu manages to win his love back, makes up the story.

The cast of the film includes Supriya Pathak (Hansa), Anang Desai (Tulsidas aka Babuji), Rajeev Mehta (Praful), Girish Sahdev, Nimisha Vakharia (Jayshree), Kesar Majethia, Markand Soni, Kirti Kulhari, Jamnadas Majethia and Himanshu Seth. Farah Khan has a friendly appearance, while Satish Shah, Deven Bhojani and Paresh Ganatra make a special appearance.

Raju Singh has composed the music.

18

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I thought I better share this with you before you read it elsewhere....

From: shatan@hell.co.uk Sent: 28 September 2010 06.06am To: alpesh.patel@tradermind.com Subject: Sorry Dear Alpesh, I thought I better write to you and explain to your readers what I’ve been up to before someone else put’s their spin on it. Even I am afraid of journalists.

As you know for many years I’ve been quietly toiling away in Hades, aka Hell. I usually like to stoke the fires down here with fresh souls and the financial services industry has been keeping me busy by regularly providing fresh meat for me to skewer and roast. It’s been fun. (They do scream a lot though – whimps).

Sadly, the supply of souls was starting to thin somewhat when a few hedge fund managers not realising their souls belonged to me, a pact they had made when they entered the industry in exchange for unspeakable wealth, started undertaking ‘charity’ work. Excuse me while I clean my mouth with bleach.

It burns even my flaming eyes to read the word ‘charity’.

But as they started undertaking good works for the likes of Pratham, helping children’s literacy in India (why they care and can’t simply ignore poor, hungry, ill children, like the rest of the people who I keep warm down here did when they were in India I just don’t know) they started being role models for those even outside the evil hedge fund industry.

I mean take Pratham. Hedge fund legend Vilas Gadkari and his wife Reita with Priyanka Gill raised £1.6m before costs for the charity a couple of weeks ago with the help of their team. Now, I ask you – why couldn’t they just let the kids be illiterate? Illiterate kids are far more likely to eventually end up in my home. Kids are easy to ignore. Okay, the ones with a missing limb catch the attention at the corner of your eye – but walk faster I say.

Anyway, in that room at the Pratham ball there were so many people I was looking forward to keeping toasty here in hell – they had pretty much the richest Asians in Britain after all. But no, the Gadkaris and that Gill woman spoil it all by hosting an auction in which the rich gave up their money! How can I ever get hold of their souls now?

Which leads me onto my reason for writing. I understand you’re involved in a fundraiser from which half the proceeds will go to the children of Pakistan (who incidentally I remind you, you are supposed to hate being of Indian origin – you muppet) and half to Pratham for children’s literacy in India. This one is organised by God’s top pupil Nic Careem! My impish spies tell me it’s on Nov 7th at the Garrick Theatre in London with a play, auction and celebrities.

Hmmm...I’m certainly not calling 0844 412 4662 to book a ticket, (most of the celebs will be visiting me soon I expect anyway).

To make matters worse you’re doing National Sewa Day too with my best buddy Vikas Pota! What you trying to totally stop the flow of souls down here? You’re really playing around on my turf. I could take offence.

So I am going to put rude things on the link www.nationalsewaday.org – I warn you now you will not want to see the things my hackers will put on that link.

Look...you I thought I had for sure. After the things I’ve heard about you! And encouraging people to play in finance – people like you are usually my buddies for eternity. Anyway, all this ‘charity’ work you’ll have to do for the rest of your life to wash your soul clean – even then I reckon I’ll get you in the end Patel.

So I appeal to you. Cancel the event. Stop wasting your time and stop providing people the opportunity to escape me. I mean, the other place is over-rated and the big guy up there is such a spoil sport.

Shatan aka Satan aka Devil aka Beelzebub aka your friend for eternity Ps. You still expect the market crash on the date you told me last night eh?

Corus transforms to a new identity as Tata Steel Re-branding as Tata Steel Europe will be a gradual process Corus, the UK steel maker will now start the journey of identity transformation.

It will be known as Tata Steel Europe. To start with, the new name and logo will appear on transactional documents, product deliveries, locations and vehicles. The re-branding will be a gradual process.

Tata Steel, a part of the India’s Tata group took over Corus in 2007. The acquisition made Tata Steel one of the largest steel makers with presence

in India and Europe.

Corus has operation in UK and the Netherlands.

Kirby Adams, MD & CEO of Tata Steel Europe, said: “The companies that comprise Tata Steel Europe have evolved over many decades from local

to national to regional players. They now form part of one of the world's top ten steelmakers.

"This is the right time to enter a new era under the Tata Steel name, now that we have successfully returned the company to profit following the global financial crisis. This brand migration will lead to the Tata Steel name becoming much more prominent and widely recognised across Europe and will reinforce our sense of belonging to

the Tata Steel family.”

Tata Steel Europe is Europe's second largest steel producer. The company supplies steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, material handling and other demanding markets worldwide.

The combined Group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.

Vodafone plea on tax rejected by SC IT authorities to decide liability in four weeks

Vodafone could not get any immediate relief in the case of tax demand over the deal with Hutch. The Supreme Court of India refused to grant any immediate relief to the mobile operator, while income tax authorities have been instructed to decide on the liability of Vodafone in four weeks.

Income tax authorities had raised a demand for Rs. 120 billion as tax over the $11 bn deal under which Vodafone bought entire stake of Hutch in 2007. Earlier, the Bombay High court had rejected Vodafone’s plea and had

Slide in UK House prices continues

ruled that Indian tax authorities are entitled to raise a demand.

“Pending the hearing and further orders, we direct the TDS officer to decide within four weeks from Monday on the tax liability,” a bench headed

by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia said while issuing a notice to the I-T

Department.

However, the bench refused the plea of Vodafone’s counsel and senior advocate Harish Salve seeking a stay on the High Court’s judgment, saying that it would have to deposit a part of the tax demand amount first.

“If you want a stay on the High Court judgment... You have to pay part of the amount. The choice is yours,” the bench said while asking the counsel not to press for the stay. Next hearing on the case is scheduled for 25th October.

SC notice to Vodafone, Bharti in BSNL case Meanwhile, Vodafone and Airtel have been issued notices by the Supreme Court in a case filed by government owned BSNL, for routing unidentified calls to BSNL network. The state operator has asked Bharti Airtel and Vodafone to pay up more than Rs. 900 mn for the routing calls with no CLI, incomplete and unauthorized CLI during the period of May 2003 to August 2005. Another similar case against Reliance Communications is also pending.

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House prices all over England and Wales continued their slide for the third month in a row, with a warning that the property market was likely to remain in the doldrums right into 2011.

Hometrack, a property intelligence group said the slide in prices was on an average 0.4 per cent in September. The chief reason for the low market was lack of availability of affordable mortgage for potential buyers.

Banks do not seem to pay heed to the calls for starting lending again.

Gross mortgage lending is down three per cent from £14 billion in July last year to £13.6 billion last month. ''It is a process that can typically take between six and 12 months to work through.''

The group said all regions of England and Wales recorded price falls in September, the first time that has happened since April 2009.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

19

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

The Nal Safari Project l Investment Summary You can invest from as little as £15,000 Growth has been 10% already in 3 months We anticipates growth of around 50% within 2 years The developer’s last project, Rituraj Palace, has gone up five fold in three years- we have actual proof of this from a purchase to sale of a plot which took place in Late December.

This project has over 90 homes built on the site as opposed to most plot only schemes. This encourages end user activity and therefore leads to an up lift in prices.

We can provide an exit strategy – through our office in the UK and in Ahmadabad.

This scheme and area has been chosen for its modest prices and strong future potential.

The Tato Nano Plant has now brought this region into the limelight. As Ahmadabad expands we are confident this area will become a centre of gravity, meaning it will act as a magnet for future investment.

The development has been approved by DHFL, one of the leading banks in India, and funding can be arranged from the UK.

may look a little tacky. In much the same way many Indian movies do when they copy a western film or concept.

I am glad to say I was wrong and the finished product looks amazing. Only it looks too beautiful. One cannot help but get attached to it.

l My Personal Perspective When I first saw the site and met the developer, I liked the enthusiasm and passion he has for his own project. I knew from visiting past sites his construction work is good. The aim of this scheme was not to only section plots, it would have been easier and the developer and the investors would no doubt make money. He wanted activity in this site. He wanted families to come and use the facilities. Hence the Safari Scheme.

In all honesty I believed it was an excellent scheme, but I had reservation regarding the execution of the whole safari concept on to this huge barren piece of farmland. In short I could not see the vision he was seeing and I thought perhaps the finished product

The site now has greenery, horses, geese, and lots of open space. It is now very difficult to simply treat it as an investment and cash in.

The area is still raw and will increase further in price. We would like to invite you to our coming seminars for this development and become our neighbor.

Please call our office to register for the seminars.

T: +44 (0)203 384 5323 E: info@sowandreap.co.uk

If You Don’t Move Forward You Go Backwards Above is what the High Street banks are currently giving you. In fact the above is misleading, with inflation running at 3.14% your money is actually shrinking.

Even if you are in a so called high interest account earning 5% by the time you take into account tax and inflation you are left roughly even at best.

With talk of a double dip recession in the UK property market, we feel certain areas are and will be bullet proof in the event of a double dip.

The return you get on many of the properties we recommended will be far in excess of the paltry interest paid by banks.

Roughly speaking an investment of £100,000 will yield you £1214,000 per annum net. These are based on current rentals being achieved for these properties because of their central location. We are obtaining this level of return for our clients.

The last property we sold completed on a Friday, we had viewings already lined up for Saturday. The tenant moved in on the Monday. We had four potential tenants seeing the property that day. They all liked it. In this kind of situation we try and choose the tenant we feel will be the least hassle and will stay there for the longest. The tenant is a police woman who is on a low income and therefore entitled to housing benefit. She had the full references and a young son. This means the son will be in a school and as she works locally these are both good indicators of a long term tenancy. The flat got rented for £500 pw. This is testimony to the level of demand in the market for these properties.

The property was purchased for £315,000 and is a two bedroom ex local authority flat situated in Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale - long lease, low service charge.

The investor in the above scenario invested 40% deposit, with the other 60% borrowed at a rate of 3.8% on a buy to let basis. This means he will have a mortgage of £7,182 against a rental of £26,000. This is based on £126,000 invested.

Prime areas have been reported to be recession proof. Not only will have they defied the last down turn they have gained in value. Top locations always hold their value.

One of the reasons for this is the level of interest by foreign buyers.

The word from agents in Central London is that the level of enquires and interest has increased substantially. This new found interest comes from two sectors, first time buyers and foreign purchasers looking to purchase in London due to a combination of the weak pound and fallen property prices. Both of the factors combine to give foreign buyers

strong discounts of around 50%. Rare to get.

An article by theLondonpaper described how properties in Maida Vale, Putney and Richmond were defying the down turn. A table was produced naming the roads which had the highest demand.

The first was the road Maida Vale in Maida Vale. No. 4 was actually Elgin Ave, where our investor recently bought.

No. 2 and 3 where upper Richmond Rd (Putney) and Ladbroke Grove (Notting Hill).

Of course the length of the road adds a bias as there will be more properties for sale there.

If rates of return like these interest you then call our office to see how we can help you. We offer a complete turnkey solution and specialise in Central London property investment. Investing in Prime Areas in London is a lot more accessible then most people think.

We will be giving a UK property seminar on the 20th October 2010, please call our office to register your interest in attending. - Call 020 7706 0187

Up and coming seminars Call now to register 5th Blue Ginger 7.30pm 7th Chilli Room Croydon 7.30pm 10th Swagat Leicester 1pm Please call 020 7706 0187 for more information

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

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

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

20

finAnciAl voIce

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Leadership Matters The Art of Reinvention Maria Fernandes maria@abplgroup.com

Immigration powers of stop and search systems A number of queries have been received that immigration officers have been stopping people at bus stations, underground stations and sometimes on various streets. The question that has been asked is whether immigration officers are allowed to carry out checks in this way and whether there are any limits to their checks.

Stop and search powers for the police has been limited to circumstances when they have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed.

After the introduction of the Terrorism Act in 2000 the powers were significantly widened until the European Court of Human Rights declared this unlawful as it breached the right to respect for private life of an individual.

The Home Secretary has responded to this by tightening up the provisions.

If powers are limited in criminal cases do Immigration Officers have random powers to stop and search?

Operations are organised by the police for targeting criminals and criminal activity through an intelligence led operation called a Crime Reduction operation (CrOps). This usually consists of police officers and Immigration Officers are invited to attend where an immigration element may be relevant.

Street operations (StOps) are immigration led operations targeted at specific locations example the public transport system.

So do Immigration Officers have powers to stop and search random individuals?

Immigration officers do not have the same powers as the police to stop and search individuals in public places. Just because their presence is lawful the powers do not automatically allow them to stop and questions individuals.

They can do so under the circumstances below: 1. If they have specific intelligence that a person will be travelling through the area at a particular time, loca-

tion etc.

2. If there is reasonable suspicion and they would need to be able to justify this as they are required to record the reason for stopping. The case of Singh and Hammond requires specific information to be available to question a person after entry.

3. If by the behaviour of the individual there is an "adverse reaction to an immigration presence" for example an attempt to run away. Even so there can be many reasons for running away none of them related to an immigration offence.

Where for example during a CrOps operation a police officer refers a person to an Immigration Officer, the Immigration Officer can only be questioned with their consent or if there is reasonable suspicion to do so. However once a person consents to be questioned any information they give can be used to form a reasonable suspicion.

4. There is an absolute prohibition on stopping a person on the grounds of their race. Therefore it is unlawful for an Immigration officer to select all those with a foreign face. As records have to be kept of all persons stopped it is important for the Equalities Commission to look at these records at regular intervals to ensure that individuals are not being selected for their colour or race.

Civil liberties are the cornerstone of our rights and responsibilities and any these rights must be safeguarded at all costs.

Maria Fernandes is the Principal partner of Fernandes Vaz solicitors and is an accredited member of the Immigration Rule panel by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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.

Namaste Travel launches a new Brazilian programme Namaste Travel and peoplestravel, both a part of the Emerald Global Group launched their new Brazilian programme in conjunction with Brazil Tourism and Iberia Airlines at peoplestravel Baker Street flagship store recently. Over sixty invited guests were given a chance to taste some exotic Brazilian food and to try their dancing skills at Salsa. Brazil is the newest addition in the ever-growing portfolio of Escorted

America offers something for everyone. From the beaches and salsa schools of Rio to the Eco villages in the Amazon and the breathtaking (from L to R) Mr Ray Blok from Iberia beauty of Iguassu Airlines, Cris Fuzinatto Brazil Tourist Falls, the friendly Office and Jack Shah - Namaste Travel Brazilians make Tours and Packages everyone welcome. Brazil offered by Namaste Travel is hosting the 2014 and Tours.

Football World Cup and Brazil, the vast coun2016 Olympics try in the heart of South www.namaste.travel

Arvind to enter into a jv for Bangladesh foray Denim plant planned with an investment of $60 million One of the oldest and wellknown textile maker of Ahmedabad and India, Arvind Ltd. has plans to set up a denim plant in Bangladesh. The company has said it will enter into a joint venture with Nitol

Group of Bangladesh for setting up a 30 mn metres per annum capacity denim manufacturing plant. The joint venture will have 20% stake from the Bangladesh partner. The total investment in the jv is

envisaged at $60 mn over a period of three years.

Arvind is currently exporting 36 mn metres of denim to Bangladesh and the market there is expected to grow at a rate of more than 25% annually.

Why is it that whenever there is a change in leadership, with it there always comes a promise of something new? Be it a new direction (Ed Miliband), a new leadership team (HSBC) or simply just a renewal (Nokia); someone always talks about doing something differently.

This would suggest that either the outgoing leader was so brilliant, it would be impossible to emulate them or the leader was actually so poor that unless something new is done everything is doomed.

There have been quite a few leadership changes lately, although surprisingly Suresh Kalmadi is not one of them, but there has been one change which signalled a seismic shift in a corporate culture. On September 10th Nokia announced that OlliPekka Kallasvuo had been fired as the CEO and replaced by Stephen Elop, an ex-president of Microsoft.

Nokia has always been a very traditional organisation with a strong Finnish culture.

Until the 10th September, every CEO has been a Finnish

national, every one of them working their way up the ladder and every time being replaced by someone who vowed to continue to follow the same successful formula which has seen Nokia become the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world.

Firing a CEO is not the norm at Nokia and if that seemed uncharacteristic, hiring a nonFinn could almost be tantamount to treason.

Change is inevitable and every leader has to be able to manage change. Kallasvuo was a Nokia man through and through, yet with the threat of Apple’s iphone, even he realised that things needed to change to meet the new challenge.

Indeed, upon his appointment he stated, "There is no doubt in my mind Nokia needs to become more flexible and even more responsive as an organisation…I commit to drive the change within Nokia." That was in 2006 - just four years later he became the change. So where did he go wrong?

Change is not simply a task to be completed,

By Amit Patel

rather it is an art that needs to be created. It does not always have to be radical, sometimes it can just be more of a ‘fine tuning’, a reinvention. There are three steps to reinvention – Imagine.

Visualise.

Create.

Kallasvuo knew the changes that needed to be made, he saw that applications and downloads in phones would be the demand, however, he failed to create them.

He did not master the art of reinvention.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He has delivered speeches on People Management and Development throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. To contact Amit, email him at amitpatelmail@gmail.com

Auction 21st October 2010 Grays

Leicester

Tesco Express, 30-34 Southend Road, Essex RM17 5NJ

25-29 Horsefair Street & Unit 3, Market Place South, Leicestershire LE1 5BL

RETAIL INVESTMENT

BANK INVESTMENT

Tenant: Tesco Stores Ltd until 2030 (subject to option) Rent £50,100 per annum Associate Auctioneer: Michael Laurie Kaye

Various tenants including Clydesdale Bank and State Bank of India Rent £195,500 per annum

Mansfield

London NW10

HSBC Bank, 1 Leeming Street, Nottinghamshire NG18 1LU

247 Acton Lane, Park Royal

BANK INVESTMENT

RETAIL INVESTMENT

Tenant: HSBC Bank plc Rent £74,200 per annum Rent Review 2011

Majority let to The Carphone Warehouse Limited.

Well located on major industrial park Rent £59,500 per annum

Slough Co-Operative Supermarket, 29-31 Elmshott Lane, Cippenham, Berkshire SL1 5QS

Hounslow West 334-342 Bath Road, Middlesex TW4 7HW RETAIL/RESIDENTIAL INVESTMENT

Tenant: Somerfield Property Company Ltd (t/a Co-Op) until 2020 Rent £36,000 per annum

On behalf of Joint LPA Receivers Four retail units with five maisonettes above Highly reversionary Rent £95,600 per annum with Two Retail Units to be Let

Wolverhampton

London N5

Vodafone, 4 Dudley Street, West Midlands WV1 3EN

The Snooty Fox, 75 Grosvenor Road, Highbury

RETAIL INVESTMENT

PUBLIC HOUSE INVESTMENT

On behalf of Joint LPA Receivers Tenant: Peoples Phone Ltd (guaranteed by Vodafone Multimedia Ltd) Rent £70,000 per annum

Tenant: Enterprise Inns plc until 2045 (subject to option) Rent £55,000 per annum

Grimsby

41/43 Kirkgate, West Yorkshire WF1 1HX

RETAIL INVESTMENT

22 Victoria Street West, Lincolnshire DN31 1DP BANK INVESTMENT Tenant: Bradford & Bingley until 2019 (t/a Santander) Opposite Freshney Place Shopping Centre Rent £53,500 per annum

Wakefield PUBLIC HOUSE INVESTMENT Tenant: J D Wetherspoon plc until 2032 (subject to option) Rent £69,000 per annum rising to £90,934 per annum Fixed rental uplifts

Contact: John Mehtab

+44 (0)20 7034 4855 john.mehtab@acuitus.co.uk

www.acuitus.co.uk

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

21

Foreign Exchange Rajesh Agrawal is the Chairman & CEO of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

For any further information call 020 7220 8181 or e-mail info@rationalfx.com

Have Labour Given Tories Next Term in Office?

David Cameron could have been given a boost to getting in next term outright by the recent leadership election by Labour. The Labour party was so close that it looks as if the party is still split on how they want to go forward in the future. Their leadership vote really needed to show a clear outright winner to make a strong opposition to the current coalition government.

Most had predicted a win for David Milliband in the leadership race by a clear margin but that was not the case as although most of the party members backed David his brother Ed had the support of the unions. This tilted the vote in his favour but it doesn’t look as if it has been well received by the voting public as it shows signs of going back to militant labour of the past.

With the threatened strikes coming up this winter by a coordinated strike action by the TUC the change of leadership may not be that welcome and could be a shot in the foot by the labour party. It was expected, when there was no outright winner at the last election, that there would be an early next election and if the Liberal party don’t get

the result that they are looking for on the electoral reform then, they also may start pressing for another election vote.

The Tories are going to come under pressure with their impending cuts especially in the public sector, however if they are seen to bring down the countries deficit by these measures without too many job losses, then this could lead the way to them winning the next election with an overall majority.

This era of politics has become one of the most interesting for

many a year and it seems as if the man in the street hasn’t taken as much interest in who is running the country since

back in the days of Margaret Thatcher, who was a bit like marmite, you either loved her or hated her.

The economy in the UK would appear to be fighting off the double dip recession that many analysts had been predicting, but there is definitely no room for complacency in getting the country back on its feet.

The UK’S growth

although moderate and a bit stuttery appears to be on an upward curve and perhaps more stable than most of our Eurozone adversaries. If this pattern continues over next year and there is an election called, it would be heard to see the Labour party regaining power. The effect that this will have on the currency markets is debatable although you would fancy that the percentage call would be that it would gain ground against the major pairings namely the Euro and US Dollar. With the stimulus packages expected in the US over the next couple of months, it is very likely that the greenback will come under pressure. It is currently losing ground versus the Euro and Yen but if the UK can hold up its data over the next few months despite the cuts then Sterling could see some strength on the currency markets. It all leads to a giving time for the current government over the next few months left of this year, but there are signs that there could be some light at the end of a very long tunnel, however as always only time will tell.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 28th September 2010 @ 1pm GBP - INR = 71.576 USD - INR = 45.19 EUR - INR = 60.85 GBP - USD = 1.5873 GBP - EUR = 1.1774 EUR - USD = 1.3465 GBP - AED = 5.8337 GBP - CAD = 1.6356 GBP - NZD = 2.1558 GBP - AUD = 1.6466 GBP - ZAR = 11.1280 GBP - HUF = 327.18

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

INDIA

22

Chinese is the new flavor in the GU’s new academic session

By Swati Bhan Realising the growing importance of trade relations between China and India, Gujarat University has introduced the teaching of Chinese language in the foreign language learning centre beginning this academic year. The centre had been teaching foreign languages but the growing importance of the Chinese language has been realisied following the growing number of trade relations with the neighbouring country.

Vice Chancellor of GU, Dr Parimal Trivedi said, ``The university has always seen to it that the education is imparted to the students catering to the changing times.’’ He said that foreign languages like Arabic, German, Spansih and French have been part of the course earlier. He said that the Chinese language is not just taught as any other language, it is taught on the basis of the business requirements. ``The stress is not just interpreting the language but also to see to it that the students who get enrolled are specifically taught some required business lingos, mannerisms and kind of behavior that is required to conduct any kind of business dealing with the people of China,’’ said Trivedi. He said for the benefit of the students those who have visited China and have conducted business dealings are also invited at the centre to share their experiences with the students who enroll for learning the Chinese.

He said till a few years ago, there was a need for Spanish and French languages and these two languages were taught on the same principles. ``The foreign languages are taught to students for either a certificate course or a degree course depending on the requirement of the students,’’ said Trivedi. He added that students who have cleared their Xth can also apply for these courses and those who are already in some profession and want to learn languages for business dealing can also enroll for the foreign language subjects. The foreign language learning centre Kadamb has been of growing importance even for NRIs, as apart from English they too realise the importance of learning one other foreign language. He said that keeping the NRI crowd in mind, the admission season is open even mid term for the convenience of the students. Trivedi said that the students who complete these courses get a certificate of the GU and once they have learnt one language, they can opt for learning other foreign languages as well.

Akal Takht against Golden Temple replica at Nashik

Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest seat of the Sikh religion last week said he has learnt about plans of building a replica of Golden Temple at Nashik town in Maharashtra, which is highly objectionable. Such an activity would be amounting to hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community all over the world. The Akal Takht Jathedar had been to Fatehgarh Sahib last week and paid obeisance at the famous Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib.

Giani Gurbachan Singh said “For Sikhs, there is no place equal to the Golden Temple in the world.” He also warned that action would be taken if anyone is found violating the ‘maryada’ (honour).

Assam among second green revolution states

The Ministry of Agriculture has included Assam in the list of eastern states to be covered by the second green revolution. Assam Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has informed CM Tarun Gogoi about the decision of the Union Ministry. Assam’s Agriculture Minister Pramolia Rani Brahma informed that Assam was initially not included among the eastern states to be covered by the second green revolution. However, the Union Agriculture Ministry finally decided to include Assam in the list of second green revolution states after Gogoi had written a letter to Pawar requesting him to do so, Brahma said. Among the eastern states Assam has received the best performance award for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-rice in the 13 NFSM districts of the state.

The mission aims at increasing the production of rice.

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2011 in January Manmohan to inaugurate the event on 7th January in New Delhi With a special focus on North Eastern states and the tremendous potential that the region holds for NRIs, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2011, an annual even that India celebrates to keep a constant connect with its global Diaspora will be held in New Delhi, the capital of India from 7 to 9 January, 2011.

Prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the PBD celebrations, while President Pratibha Patil will present the PBD honours to distinguished PIOs/NRIs and address the concluding session

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), one of the premier national bodies of trade and Industry in India and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region will be the partners for the event being organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA).

Vayalar Ravi, minister for OIA said, “the focus of PBD 2011 will be on "young overseas Indians" so as to connect with and engage the younger generation of the overseas Indians with emerging India.

"In order to engage the

youth with India, a plenary session on ‘Engaging with the young overseas Indian’ is being organized," Ravi said.

Ravi noted that the consultations at earlier PBDs led to the formulation of the Overseas Citizenship of India scheme, establishment of an overseas Indian facilitation centre, conceptualisation of Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK), formation of Prime Minister's global advisory council of people of Indian Origin, setting up of the India development foundation, and the launching of the Global Indian

Network of Knowledge (Global-INK).

"PBD conventions provide a platform for exchange of views and networking to overseas Indians on matters of common interest and concern to them. They also help the government of India to better understand and appreciate the expectations of the overseas Indian community from the land of their ancestors and more importantly, acknowledge the important role played by them in India's efforts to acquire its rightful place in the comity of nations," Ravi added.

Mini Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Durban South African city of Durban is celebrating ‘Mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’, a conclave of the Indian Diaspora. South Africa has a sizeable chunk of people from India. Coinciding with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, also known as “the father of the nation” in India, the tallest leader of India’s fight for independence who started his public life in South Africa, the mini

PBD also marks the year long celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of arrival of Indian immigrants in South Africa.

The two day event begins on Friday.

Government of South Africa and the provincial government of KwaZuluNatal (KZN) are partners in the event and celebrations. The theme of the two-day event is 'India and Africa: Building Bridges'.

Praful Patel questioned at O’Hare airport in USA Another person with same name, details on US watch list cause of incident played the inciIn a curious incident, as he said dent, Indian civil that his name and aviation minister date of birth are Praful Patel was the same as taken to a special another person, room and quesreportedly on the tioned at O’Hare US watch list. airport in He said it was Chicago, USA nothing serious. this week. He was Praful Patel The Minister on a private visit was asked why he was visto the US and was on his iting the U.S. and whether way to Montreal for an he had stayed in the counofficial engagement. try earlier.

Praful Patel down

Around 600 to 800 delegates from all over Africa are expected to participate in the conference.

Durban has historic significance because Gandhi lived there from 1893 to 1914 and first experimented with nonviolence as a tool of struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

South Africa has around 1.28 million Indian-origin people who constitute about 2.5 per

cent of its total population.

A plenary session on "The Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the 21st Century" will be held on October 2 followed by sessions on 'Business: Opportunity in Africa'.

The first ever miniPBD was organised in New York in 2007 and the second was held in Singapore in 2008. The third mini-PBD was held last year in The Hague.

XLRI to set up Hyderabad campus Premier management institute Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, will set up its second campus in Hyderabad.Ranked among the country’s top five B-schools, XLRI zeroed in on Hyderabad after three years of negotiations with the Andhra government and a personal invitation extended by Chief Minister K Rosaiah.

A delegation headed

by XLRI Director E Abraham called on Rosaiah and sought 75

acres from the government to develop the institute. The Chief Minister said land would be allotted at Jawahar Nagar on the same terms and conditions as applied to BITS, Pilani. With the new campus, the institute will be able to augment its intake of students.

‘Children of Jamnagar’ in Poland want ex-ruler of the city to be honoured Polish President requested to confer ‘Order of Polonia Restituta’ on Digvijaysinhji posthumously Academics and Indophiles from Poland want their government to honour the late ruler of Jamnagar state, Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji with ‘Order of Polonia Restituta’ for his noble act of providing shelter to more than one thousand Polish children during the World War II, in early 40s. They have urged the newly elected President Bronislaw Kmorowski for the same.

Thousands of Poles were exiled to the most inhospitable parts of then USSR after the Red Army had invaded Poland in 1939 under the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. But once the Nazis under Hitler invaded the

Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji

USSR in August 1941, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin freed many of those capitives. Unable to return to their motherland, Polish children and their families from Ashkhabad and Samarkand were offered

asylum by Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji in his state of Jamnagar, now a major city in Gujarat.

From 1942 to 1946 these children lived in Kathiawar Peninsula, not far from the summer residence of Maharaja Jam Saheb, and in Poland till this day they are known as the 'Children of Jamnagar'. Whenever any Indian president comes to Poland on a state visit, the survivors of this association calls on the Indian dignitary to express their gratitude.

To commemorate Jam Saheb's memory and his act of generosity, these experts from the PolishAsian Studies at Warsaw University have now

requested the president to decorate the maharaja posthumously. Jam Saheb had died way back in 1966.

The Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI), the main organisation that promotes trade and friendship between the two countries, has also supported the petition.

IPCCI president J. J. Singh said, ‘With the Polish prime minister's official visit to India, relations between the countries have improved greatly and it is high time the Polish president also decorates the late maharaja. It will be a right step in the right direction.’

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

23

Direct flight withdrawl now hits Punjab Air India to withdraw Amritsar – London – Toronto flight Air India, it seems is eager to give away lucrative markets to rivals on a platter. While the Indian flag carrier is yet to decide to restore the London – Ahmedabad direct flight; it has taken another shocking decision, of withdrawing the direct flight that connects Amritsar in Punjab to London and Toronto. Air India operates 4 flights a week on the AmritsarLondon-Toronto route and enjoys almost 100% traffic, but now in the new found enthusiasm of New Delhi hub, AI has decided to withdraw the flight altogether. This decision has triggered widespread protests. A Congress MLA from Amritsar has already made strong representation to Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, seeking to review the decision. Dr. Singh has even promised that he would personally intervene and speak to Praful Patel, the minister for Civil Aviation.

The delegation that

met the Prime Minister in New Delhi included top industrialists and businessmen from Amritsar. O P Soni, the Congress MLA said the Rajasansi international airport in Amritsar is vital from business point of view too. He pointed that in the current year, till date more than 800,000 tonnes of vegetables have been exported from here to Europe.

He also alleged that

Manmohan Singh assures to intervene some vested interests are out to marginalise the Amritsar airport. He said the prime minister had assured them that he also wants the Rajasansi airport to thrive.

Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) members staged protests outside the Amritsar office of Air India last week after the decision to withdraw the flight came out in the open.

Gujarat population rising at a rapid pace Ahmedabad headcount around 5.5 mn, Surat at 4.4 mn

Massive urbanisation and better facilities have led to the population graph of Ahmedabad and Gujarat showing a sharp rise, with an average growth of 18 per cent overall. The growth in the cities though is double or more than that.

Official sources have indicated that on the basis of the recent census exercise, which is not complete yet, Ahmedabad city’s head count is about to touch 5.5 million mark with the rate being 54.88%, while Surat has surged ahead with a rate

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Based on phase-1 data, officials believe Gujarat's urban growth would be perhaps one of the highest in India.

“We have been told that Ankleshwar's population has grown by 85 per cent. The population of cities like Rajkot, Jamnagar and Junagadh has jumped by at least 36%”.

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LBP chief Balwant Singh Ramoowalia said with the withdrawal of this flight, scores of NRI Punjabis would have to suffer. “Amritsar being the holy city, always finds an important place on their touring list when they visit India. The withdrawal of this flight will be nothing but lack of vision,” he said.

On the other hand, AI station head Shashi Kant Kaundal clarified that the flight had not been discontinued, but put on “hub and spoke” basis. “With this new arrangement, Amritsar-Toronto-London passengers will be flown to New Delhi from where they will board their connecting flight to London and Toronto. To benefit them, instead of one, as many as four flights have been started from Amritsar to New Delhi. Moreover, passengers boarding from Amritsar will not be charged anything extra.

They will just have to change the plane from New Delhi,” he added.

In villages, even pet dogs are declared ‘outcasts’!

Untouchability is still a bane in rural India. The worst, most curious case of this regressive social practice came to fore in Madhya Pradesh recently.

A pet dog of a Rajput family, ‘Sheru’ was declared ‘outcast’ after it eat a ‘roti’ fed to him by a dalit woman. His case has now been referred to government officials.

The dot was accustomed to the creature comforts in the home of its influential Rajput owners in Manikpur village in Morena district. Rampal Singh, the head of the family is a rich farmer with local political connections.

Recently, a dalit woman, was serving lunch to her farm labourer husband.

"There was a 'roti' left over from lunch. I saw the dog roaming and fed it the last bread," she said. "But when Rampal Singh saw me feeding the dog, he grew furious.

‘Cobbler woman, how dare you feed my dog with your roti?’ He yelled and rebuked me publicly. I kept quiet thinking the matter would end there. But it got worse,” she said.

On Monday, Rampal ex-communicated the dog. A village panchayat was called, which decided that Sheru would now have to live with the woman and her family because it had become an untouchable. She was fined Rs 15,000.

An outraged Sunita and her brother Nahar Singh Jatav rushed to Sumawali police station.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Garuda: Awakening of Consciousness The part of the earth on which the rising sun’s rays fall starts waking up.

Birds come out of their nests and tend to their daily needs, flowers start blooming, and life in general wakes up – the sun gives life to earth.

Similarly, in the morning the rays of the inner spiritual sun (or soul) come first into the buddhi, then the ego, after which the whole library of memory or samskaras is made active, and finally into the mind and the five senses and we wake up. We are never aware enough though to experience this inner sunrise.

As our level of awareness rises, we are at one point deeply astounded and affected by this inner sunrise. Before the real sun rises there is the dawn, represented by Vinita’s son Arun, then comes the advancing of the rays of light which travel nearly instantly, like an eagle, through space and the atmosphere creating a glorious spectacle of light, devouring the darkness of night. Thus we have the word Garuda (meaning eagle), which comes from the root ‘gru’ which is to devour. He is the carrier of the Lord Vishnu signalling the awakening of consciousness.

After five hundred years, Garuda was born from the second egg of Vinita. He was so radiant that Indra, the god of the Devas, asked Agni as to who it was that rivalled him in brightness. Agni told Indra that it was the son of Kasyapa and Vinita who would surpass all the gods in brilliance and that was the reason why Indra felt blinded by his light. When the Devas heard what Agni had to say, they started singing praises to this king of the birds. Garuda heard their prayers and reduced his brightness, thus not blinding them any longer.

As Vinita, his mother, was the slave of her sister Kadru, Garuda also had to do the bidding of Kadru and her sons. He grew tired of working for them and asked his brothers what he had to do to free his mother from the bondage. His brothers, the snakes, asked him to get for them the pot of Amrita (elixir of life), which was lying well protected with the Devas.

Garuda realised that to accomplish this nearly impossible task of getting Amrita, he would require a great amount of energy and so he asked his mother what he could eat to gain that large amount of energy. His mother

Here in this beautiful ancient brass sculpture of Garuda, from ancient Indonesia, we see the ‘Krodha mudra’ of Garuda. He is keen to free himself of slavery. The fingers are in mudra with wings spread, to perform the task. Only his claws are touching the ground – he is ready to take off. The stomach takes the form of the head of a man and the eagle head is shown higher implying that in consciousness one rises above ordinary logical thinking.

On top of the head is the crescent moon with the dot or ‘bindu’ where the pot of Amrita lies. This is also the highest experience of the mantra AUM. On either side are two horns representing the duality of life. Just seeing the image makes us feel that our consciousness is about to rise and free itself from the shackles of the mechanical world of man and also from our way of living.

suggested him to go to an island where there lived a tribe of evil ‘Nishadas’ (low caste) and to feed on them. Garuda did what he was told but even after eating all the Nishadas, he was still hungry. At this juncture he met his father, the sage Kasyapa, who told him that on a certain island he would see an elephant and a tortoise quarrelling – these were two rishis who since their previous birth had been quarrelling.

Kasyapa asked Garuda to eat them and doing so, his hunger was appeased and then he was ready to go and wrest Amrita from the Devas.

Garuda heralds the rising of consciousness in the body-brain system and so the first thing he wants to do upon being born is to free himself and his mother from bondage.

To be free, he has to get Amrita and to search for Amrita he needs energy.

Whoever walks on the spiritual path needs energy and the main source of energy is stopping the wastages of our energy in negative emotions and inner chattering.

Vinita tells him to eat the tribe of Nishadas.

They are of low-caste performing menial labour but had turned to evil ways – instead of performing hard labour they are sitting and just talking in the mind. The word ‘Nishada’ means to sit.

So Vinita tells Garuda to gain energy by stopping the inner chatter.

Garuda was still not satisfied and needed more energy and so his father tells him to eat the elephant and tortoise.

Elephant is a symbol of the muladhara chakra, also of intelligence and the earth element in the muladhara chakra. The swadhisthana has the element of water. The tortoise represents the meeting of the two elements. His father tells Garuda that there is a large reservoir of energy within all of us, which can be tapped by higher yogic techniques. Once he eats them, Garuda’s hunger is satiated and so will be ours when we accomplish these tasks within ourselves.

In the next article, we will see how Garuda battles with the devas and wrests the pot of amrita from them.

(Edited by Chintu Gandhi)

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

24

INDIA

Surinder Koli gets third death penalty for Nithari killings In the sensational case of young children and women disappearing in Nithari, on the outskirts of New Delhi, a special CBI court on Tuesday handed third death penalty to Surinder Koli, the servant of businessmean Moninder Singh Pandher.

In the latest case, Surinder was given the death penalty for rape and murder of Rachna, a nine year girl. Nithari cases rocked India in 2006. Judge A K Singh said the crime was in the rarest of rare categories and awarded death penalty to 38-year-old Koli.

He even said the criminal deserves more severe punishment for his crime.

Both Pandher and his domestic help Koli have been accused of killing young children and women.

The crime came to light when the remains of the victims were found dumped in a drain behind Pandher's house in Noida. Pandher, who is still lodged in Dasna district jail, was not an accused in this case.

Thirteen other cases remain to be decided.

BJP-JD(U) finalise seat arrangement for Bihar polls NDA partners BJP and JD(U) finalised seat adjustments for the Bihar assembly polls. The JD(U) is expected to contest on 141 and BJP on 102 assembly seats in Bihar. This arrangement was agreed by JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and chief minister Nitish Kumar. However, there is hitch on some seats which have been reorganised by the delimitation commission. About a dozen MLAs of both JD(U) and BJP are likely to be denied ticket.

Liquor spins gold for Kerala Jostling for their turn at a government run liquor shop has become a common sight in Kerala. Liquor sales touched a whopping Rs 2,350 million in a single week during the Onam festival recently. The state-run Beverages Corporation, the only wholesale supplier of liquor in the state, has now become the biggest money spinner for the government - even surpassing revenue from sale of petrol and diesel! In the last four-and-ahalf years, the revenue from sale of liquor in Kerala touched nearly Rs. 150 billion more than the total revenue earned in the earlier 22 years.

"Am I happy that liquor consumption is going up?

No never. But it's an assured source of revenue for the government. And even if I don't collect it, there will still be consumption of liquor," said Dr T M Thomas Issac, Finance Minister, Kerala.

While state coffers are filling up, Kerala's high liquor intake has doctors worried.

"In many instances, patients brought with some other complications are actually believed to be cases of alcohol abuse. They don't consider this as a stigma or something dangerous for health. They take it as a matter of prestige," said Dr Shyam Sundar, Consultant, Government General Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. But it doesn't help that young boys too are getting addicted. With liquor sales being one of the biggest revenue sources for the government, it seems Kerala will retain the dubious distinction of being a tippler’s paradise for some time.

Nishita Shah ranked among richest in Thailand The 30-year-old woman entrepreneur of Gujarati origin Nishita Shah Federbush is in the club of richest in Thailand. Shah, who has her business empire in Bangkok, has found a respectable place in the Forbes report on Thailand's 40 richest people.

The report published last month puts Shah in 24th rank with net worth of $340 million. Shah dropped three ranks down from the 21st rank in 2009, although she has gained $60 million in her net worth.

In the Forbes list of 2009, her net worth stood at $280 million.

Nishita Shah is director of her family's business in Precious Shipping Public Company Ltd, a dry bulk shipper founded by her father, Kirit Shah. She is holding the position in the company since 2002. She holds around 98.5 million shares, which account for 9.48% of the total paid-up capital of the listed company.

Precious Shipping has a fleet size of 44 ships.

She is also director in other non-listed companies, including Globex Corporation Ltd, Graintrade Ltd, Unistretch Ltd, and Geepee Air Service Ltd. Nishita's father Kirit founded the group in 1989 and subsequently took it public in 1993. Her family migrated from India to Burma and then to Thailand many years ago.

The wealth was calculated using share prices and exchange rates as of August 20, 2010. Shah has been regularly in the Forbes list of richest in Thailand. In 2008, she was ranked 19th with net worth of $375 million while in 2007 she was ranked 12th with net worth of $350 million.

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Prof A R Rao, the maths wizard At 102, he is still active and conducting classes every week

By K K JOSEPH “It is important that the brain is used as an activity room and not a store room.” This motto is keeping Prof A R Rao (Annaswami Rangnath Rao) popularly known as Raosaheb active in life.

He has completed 102 years of his exemplary life on September 23. He is an expert in problem solving, pioneer in the field of non-formal mathematics, the one who set up an excellent mathematical laboratory at Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) in Ahmedabad, the first lab of this type at that time in India.

He looks frail and emaciated with hearing problem and his speech is also impaired. He is also weak in the knees and moves with the help of a wheelchair or on someone’s help. But he is very agile – at least on the intellectual front. His memory is excellent, to say the least. He communicates in writing. Even after all the physical disabilities, he conducts classes on every Saturday for two hours in problem solving in maths. He is wizard in geometry.

His students are a heterogeneous group. Dr Jayesh Patel is a gynaecologist by profession. Mr Ratnakar Mehta is a banker and works in the Reserve Bank of India, Ahmedabad. Dr M H Vasavada is a retired professor of mathematics from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Prof Roghelika was associate professor of maths at M G Science College, Ahmedabad.

Dr Padmanabhan is working as a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation and has taken PhD in maths. Mr Sabir Telwala is teaching maths in Anjuman Islam High School, Ahmedabad.

Prof Bachubhai B Raval is a retired professor of maths

A R Rao (Right) conducting classes

from J G College of Education, Ahmedabad.

Though these students of Prof Rao have nothing much more to gain in life now, why they are attending his classes regularly?

According to them it is the love of maths that is drawing them to Prof Rao’s classes.

“Maths is pleasure.

Learning maths is like threshing and polishing the brain, especially under the guidance of Prof Rao,” said Dr Jayesh Patel. Since Prof Rao’s hearing is impaired, a slate and pencil is used to communicate with him.

His method of teaching is unconventional.

His problem solving methods are not available in any text book. He will explain to you different methods in solving the problem.

He has instant answers for any complicated problems. “We feel rejuvenated and fresh after coming out of the class,” say his students.

Maths acts as a medicine Prof Vasavada recalled an incident where maths has acted as a medicine for Prof Rao. “One day when we came for the class, Prof Rao was running high fever. So we told our teacher to cancel the class. But Prof Rao insisted on conducting the class. Once the class was over, Prof Rao’s temperature came down and became normal.” Mr V R Rao, son of Prof Rao narrated another incident which illustrates the memory power of his father. “One day my son who came from America

wanted to know the details of his family tree.

His grand father instantly gave him the names and details of five generations before him.”

This mathmagician was born in a small village called JakkaSamudram of Salem district in Tamil Nadu as the eldest of four siblings. He completed his schooling at Tanjore and Tiruchirapalli and graduated in chemistry with gold medal from Madras (now Chennai) University. After completing his post-graduation from Bombay University and fellowship from Wilson College, Mumbai, he started his teaching career at Bahauddin College, Junagadh (Gujarat) in 1933, where he spent the next 27 years as a maths professor.

Later he pursued stints at other colleges in Gujarat and held distinguished positions in many academic committees in and outside Gujarat. After retiring from active teaching, he joined VASCSC in 1974 as professor emeritus. He was associated with the centre for the next 34 years till ill heath forced him retire from it in 2009. In order to popularize maths he set up a maths lab there and designed new mathematical models, be they teaching aids, games or puzzles.

To bring awareness about non-formal mathematics, he travelled far and wide to deliver talks and organize workshops and exhibitions. His serv-

ices are still sought for training students for International Olympiad.

He had presented research papers in the filed of geometry, number theory and combinatorics at conferences which gave him international recognition. He has also made contributions in the making of Gujarati encyclopaedia “Vishwakosh.”

He has also published five books in maths- two in English and three in Gujarati, besides several articles in magazines and journals.

Prof Rao is also interested in philosophy, geography, chemistry and biology. He is also a linguist and knows eight languages. To acknowledge his services to the society in popularizing maths, he has been honoured by the government of India and the Gujarat government.

Documentaries have also been produced on the life of Prof Rao. Even after all the honours and awards, this doyen of maths is a simple man. Even former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam greeted Prof Rao on his 100th birthday.

According to Prof Rao defective method of teaching, over emphasis on exams and indiscriminate cramming of materials from text books and so-called guides are some of the reasons why students are scared of maths and showing not much interest in studying the subject. To popularize and make it easier to understand, he advocates the use of mathematical models in teaching the subject.

Now many school boards are making it mandatory to use this method in schools and even to establish maths labs for the same. If implemented properly, more students will opt for maths. Our present system of teaching maths is age-old. If we can supplement it by non-formal methods, the dream of this visionary would be fulfilled.

Ayodhya verdict stay plea rejected Continued from page 1 Importantly, the CJI and the other two judges on the Bench - Justice Aftab Alam and Justice KS Radhakrishnan – were unanimous in their decision to lift the stay.

Following the judgement, all parties to the case expressed satisfaction. The Congress and the BJP have also welcomed the judgement saying that the people of the country are mature enough to accept the verdict.

Earlier counsels pleading for deferment of the verdict said the court and

the government could try innovative approach to evolve an out-of-court settlement.

However, counsels for all the parties to the dispute except Nirmohi Akhara, opposed the plea for deferment.

Appearing for the petitioner pleading for Tripathi, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the dispute was an emotional issue and the court and the government should make some innovative and proactive approach to evolve a mediated settlement.

Rohatgi contended that there could be no title

suit pending after the government acquisition of the land in 1993.

Opposing the plea of Tripathi, a counsel for the Sunni Wakf Board said his petition was motivated and should not be entertained at this stage.

The lawyer contended that there must be an element of settlement which is acceptable to all the parties to resolve the dispute and sadly, this is missing here.

Senior advocate Ravi Shankar Prasad, appearing for one of the parties, said "He (Tripathi) is a non-serious party" who did not appear regularly

before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court during the protracted hearing.

He said the plea that the pronouncement of the verdict may lead to adverse consequences should not be considered.

"If this argument of consequences is accepted then even a bail plea could have a negative consequence," he said.

Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, who appeared for one of the parties, agreed with Prasad and said "judicial function cannot be made hostage to consequences."

World

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

25

US military now quietly opens up to Sikhs In focus falsely associated the religion founded in India with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "I think the only way for that perception to be eliminated is when young Sikhs come up and say: I want to serve in the military," Rattan said. "For me, I said whatever it takes, I'm going to fight this thing - I'm going to serve. Maybe if nothing else comes out of it, people will know who Sikhs are," he said.

Sikhs have a historic military culture and have long kept their articles of faith in the militaries of Britain, Canada and India.

Canadian Indians raise $320,000 for poor kids Former Indian Prez Dr APJ Abdul Kalam addressed a gala in Toronto

Another Indian attacked in Australia Melbourne: After a long lull in the racial attacks in Victoria, a 21-year-old man was reportedly bashed and bruised after being asked if he was an Indian. According to a local newspaper Dandenong Leader, police said the man was walking to Sandown Park rail station about 6.40 am when four teenage males on bikes approached him, three with baseball bats. One asked him "Buddy, are you Indian?" police official Jo Hayden said the man was hit from behind, fell and was kicked while lying on the ground. Two passers-by took the man home, she said. He was bruised and had a large cut on his nose.

He told police his attackers looked about 15-16 years old. Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV) president Vasan Srinivasan said he was surprised about the attack which took place in eastern suburb which is considered to be multicultural.

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organisations like AIM for Seva. People are in dire straits in every part of the world and only the proportion of poverty varied from country to country, he said. Lauding AIM for Seva, Kalam said it should spread its "good work of educating under-privileged children" to even more countries, including Canada.

Live a "life of righteous-

liper weight.”

Seeing their plight, he said he prevailed upon his surgeon friend to design light-weight callipers so that the crippled children could start moving.

"Within 20 days, children were now running around.

When the children's mothers watched their kids running around with the help of ultra-light callipers, I could sense their eyes welling up. That was one of the happiest moments of my life,'' the former president said amid a huge applause.

Kalam was in Canada to accept an honorary degree from the University of Waterloo.

Vienna: Six Sikh men have been sentenced to prison terms in Austria over an attack on a Sikh gurudwara which killed a visiting preacher and triggered deadly riots in India. A court on Monday night sent one of the men to life in prison for murder and two counts of attempted murder, the Austrian Press Agency (APA) reported on Tuesday. Four others, who had been charged with being accomplices in attempted murder and with attempted severe assault on the worshippers, received 17 to 18year prison sentences, while one man got only six months in prison for attempted coercion.

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A P J Abdul Kalam

ness and giving. In giving you receive happiness in body and soul,'' Kalam exhorted the audience.

To a huge applause, the former president recalled how he and his team helped children afflicted with polio.

"My friend, an orthopaedic surgeon, was running a hospital for children who were afflicted with crippling polio. Most of these children had crippled limbs and they wore callipers for the minimum mobility. However, these callipers were so heavy that they were proving to be counter-productive as the children found it impossible to drag the cal-

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Toronto: The IndoCanadian community here raised USD 320,000 for the welfare of poor children in India at a fundraising gala attended by former president A P J Abdul Kalam.

The Sunday-night gala was organised by the Toronto chapter of All India Movement (AIM) for Seva which is dedicated to working for underprivileged children of India and many other countries.

Addressing about 1,000 participants, who paid at least USD 500 each, Kalam said poverty is universal and poor people everywhere deserve help and service from

New York to host 7th Sikh film festival New York: Films dealing with heartrending Sikh stories from across the globe by both established and emerging filmmakers will be screened at the Sikh Art and Film Foundation's seventh annual film festival in New York.

The two-day event, which starts on Oct 22, will offer a range of 12 films. "I am humbled with the encouragement and overwhelming response we are getting for our festival year after year. I feel much pride in witnessing the interest of young Sikhs in our culture and their enthusiasm in participating in this event," Tejinder S Bindra, president of the Sikh Art and Film Foundation said in a statement. "I hope they are inspired by our tradition and culture, and continue to make us proud Sikhs in society," said Bindra. The winners will receive cash prizes of $15,000 from actor-politician Raj Babbar.

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his first day of training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, a first sergeant pulled him out of the crowd and told the soldiers about the Sikh's long ordeal to enlist.

"These were his words: 'The Army is made up of different shades of green, and if you have any objection to him being here, you need to tell me now,'" Kalsi said. "It was great; everybody clapped."

The US Sikh community - estimated at more than half a million - suffered hate crimes after the September 11, 2001 attacks by assailants who

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again." The 31-year-old is now US Army Captain Rattan, since July the head dentist at the Fort Drum base in New York. In what appears to be a quiet shift, the US military since last year has allowed Rattan and two other Sikhs to serve while retaining their turbans and beards, which are required by their faith.

Rattan and another Sikh who received approval last year Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a doctor - said in interviews that their superiors had welcomed them warmly.

Kalsi, 34 said that on

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Washington: Growing up near the air force base in Dayton, Ohio, Tejdeep Singh Rattan knew he wanted to serve in uniform. When the military discouraged him, he persisted but again got a cold shoulder. When he was turned away a third time, Rattan - an observant Sikh with a turban and beard became suspicious.

"I was, like, I don't know what's going on," he said. "I was very introvert at the time. I never felt the need to fight back. But I said I really want to do this, and you guys are sending me out again and

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26

Pakistan

In focus NATO launches air strikes into Pak, 50 dead Kabul: NATO helicopters in eastern Afghanistan launched rare air strikes into Pakistan, reportedly killing more than 50 militants after an outpost near the border came under attack from insurgents, officials said on Monday. International forces also pressed forward with a key combat phase in their drive to rout Taliban fighters around the southern city of Kandahar, an operation that is key to US military strategy to turn around the 9-year war and prevent the Taliban from undermining the Afghan government.

The air strikes into Pakistan came after the insurgents attacked a small Afghan security outpost near the border, and NATO justified the strikes based on "the right of self-defense," a spokesman said.

Pakistan is sensitive about attacks on its territory, but US officials have said they have an agreement that allows aircraft to cross a few miles (km) into Pakistani airspace if they are in hot pursuit of a target.

Defence outlay hiked by Rs 110 bn Islamabad: Pakistan has hiked its defence outlay by Rs 110 billion over the budgeted allocation of Rs 442 billion for major military operations against the Taliban in the volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The changes, listed in a "country paper" presented by the government to the International Monetary Fund, include a reduction in the allocation for development by Rs 73 billion. The allocations for military have been made while outlays on the development and non-development budgets have been slashed by 50 per cent and 20 per cent respectively to create fiscal space for rehabilitating the floodaffected population. The changes were made even before the first quarter of the current fiscal year has ended. The projected defence expenditure has been increased to Rs 552 billion from the Rs 442.2 billion in the 2010-11 budget approved by parliament. The Dawn newspaper quoted its sources as saying that the increase was made for a major military operation in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Officials reluctant to disclose ISI's expenditure Islamabad: Top Pakistani officials are refusing to disclose how and on what the country's powerful spy agency ISI spent a whopping Rs 5.55 billion allocated to it during 2007-08. "This is highly sensitive information and hence I can't talk about it at an open forum," Finance Secretary Salman Siddiqui told the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament. He merely told the Parliamentary watchdog that the money was released to the ISI for operations. But opted to keep quiet when asked for details, media reports said last week.

The huge sum was paid to the ISI as a supplementary grant. But the spy agency has so far not accounted for it. The meetings of most Pakistani parliamentary panels are open to the media.

Mentally challenged man kills five Islamabad: A mentally challenged man last week went on a shooting spree in a Pakistani town, killing five men and leaving two seriously injured. The shooting incident took place in Hangu town in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The wounded have been taken to hospital and doctors said that their chances of survival were bleak, Online reported citing a TV channel. Deputy Superintendent of Police Til Mir Chaman said the man opened fire in a compound in Dar Samand area of Hangu. Five people were killed on the spot and two were seriously hurt. The man managed to flee after the firing and police have launched a hunt for him.

PML-N keeping all options open to form govt Islamabad: Amidst the uncertain political scenario in Pakistan, the main opposition party in the National Assembly, the PML-N, is reportedly keeping its options open, including helping form a new government if the PPP-led government falls. According to The Nation, the PML-N leadership had isolated itself from any talk of change, instead offering tacit support to the ruling coalition. However, over the last few weeks it seems to have changed its stance. "Yes, if the situation arises in which other political forces support the PML-N for a meaningful change within parliament through which we can really transform the country, the party is ready to lead the government," PML-N spokesperson Ahsan Iqbal said. He further stated that if the new alignment of political forces was for a common agenda - rule of law, good governance, independence of judiciary, and eradication of corruption, there was no harm in becoming part of the government.

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Hands off Kashmir, India tells Pakistan

New York: Stating that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal part of India, India’s external affairs minister S M Krishna has asked Pakistan to end its illegal occupation of some parts of the state before advising New Delhi on what to do with Kashmir problem. "Kashmir is an internal part of India," said Krishna, who was here to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting.

Pointing out that Pakistan is in "illegal occupation of some parts of Jammu and Kashmir", Krishna said, "it is desirable that they vacate that and then start advising India as to how to go about doing things in Kashmir."

"We have taken certain actions in terms of assisting what needs to be done in Kashmir... An all party delegation has just gone

S M Krishna

back to Delhi and they have had wide ranging discussions across the board from all shades of opinion.

"So, Government of India is fully conscious of its responsibilities... institutional mechanism and individual mechanism will be put in place so that the genuine grievances of Kashmir and the people of Kashmir will be addressed squarely and directly," the external affairs minister told TV news channel.

Pak asks India to stop treating Kashmir as its integral part Pakistan, meanwhile,

said there can be no resultoriented discussions with India on the Kashmir unless New Delhi stops treating it as the country's integral part and seeking a solution within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

Intensifying the criticism of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit called on India to "revisit its approach and its Kashmir policy rather than trying cosmetic measures here and there because this is not going to bring about any difference as far as the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is concerned."

"Unless India takes a fresh look at its Kashmir policy, does some introspection and stops treating Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part and stops harping on seeking a

Pak scientist sentenced to 86 years in US prison New York: A US federal court last week sentenced a Pakistani woman scientist to 86 years in prison for the attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan, in a highprofile case closely watched in Islamabad.

Aafia Siddiqui, 38, a neuroscientist trained at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was found guilty in February of trying to kill American servicemen in Afghanistan.

"It is my judgment that Dr Siddiqui is sentenced to a period of incarceration of 86 years," judge Richard Berman said at the hearing.

As the sentence was read out, a woman among about a dozen Siddiqui supporters in court yelled: "Shame, shame on this court!"

But Siddiqui repeat-

Aafia Siddiqui

edly pleaded with Muslims to take her sentencing calmly. "Forgive everybody in my case, please.... And also forgive Judge Berman," she said, as her legal team said an appeal would be lodged.

"The important part is that an appeal go forward and that those errors be addressed, because there were a lot of errors in this case," attorney Charles Swift told journalists after the hearing.

Siddiqui, a mother of three, was found guilty of grabbing a rifle at an Afghan police station in the town of Ghazni where

she was being interrogated in July 2008 and trying to gun down a group of US servicemen.

Pak wants Siddiqui repatriated Pakistan, meanwhile, said it would petition the United States to repatriate Siddiqui, whose sentencing sparked furious protests in the country.

"We will use every means to bring her back.

Doctor Aafia is the daughter of the nation.

We fought for her and we will fight politically to bring her back," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told parliament.

The sentencing sparked immediate outrage among Islamic activists in Pakistani cities, who took to the streets chanting anti-US slogans and burnt an effigy of President Barack Obama.

solution within the Indian Constitution, we do not believe that we can really have any meaningful or result-oriented discussions with India on this (issue)," Basit told a weekly news briefing.

He was responding to a question on the Indian government's efforts to address the protests in Jammu and Kashmir by sending a delegation of political leaders to meet Kashmiri leaders.

Basit noted that the Hurriyat Conference had already rejected the move.

He also described as "self-serving" India's rejection of resolutions passed by both houses of Pakistan's Parliament condemning the violence in Jammu and Kashmir and calling on the international community to ensure the implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir.

Bomb threat forces Pak plane to land in Stockholm Stockholm: Suspicions that a passenger had smuggled a bomb on board a Pakistan Airlines plane heading from Toronto to Karachi forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Stockholm last week, Swedish authorities said.

Swedish media reported that a man who might have smuggled the suspected explosives on board had been detained.

Initial reports had stated the suspect was female.

The plane's 273 passengers were evacuated at Stockholm's Arlanda airport, said authorities, so specialists could examine the plane.

The pilots were believed to have received a radio warning from Canadian authorities about the bomb.

Govt, apex court on collision course again Pak PM says no to reopening of Swiss cases against Zardari Islamabad: The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened as the government defied the apex court's orders regarding the reopening of Swiss cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, saying that the president enjoys constitutional immunity and that no cases can be initiated against him in any foreign country.

The Supreme Court earlier gave the government two days to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against Zardari in Switzerland.

President Zardari has been one of the beneficiaries of the amnesty law, known as the National Reconciliation Order (NRO), which was struck between his slain wife

Benazir Bhutto and then military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The law provided amnesty to Miss Bhutto and sores of other politicians, diplomats and others in corruption cases besides ensuring her return to Pakistan from exile.

However, the SC on 16 December, 2009, struck down the NRO and directed the government to reopen all corruption cases against the NRO beneficiaries, including President Zardari but the government had been slow to implement the court's orders.

A few days ago the SC asked the attorney-general why a letter had not yet been sent to the Swiss authorities by the government to reopen the cor-

Asif Ali Zardari

ruption cases against the president and set a twoday deadline for the government to initiate the move.

The developments made it clear as to how the prime minister and his government would defend their beleaguered president. A summary prepared by the law minister, Babar Awan and sent to Mr Gilani says that the Swiss cases are closed, that there is no need to reopen them,

and that the president enjoys immunity under article 248 of the constitution. It mentioned that any official letter to the Swiss government to ask it to reopen the cases would be in conflict with national sovereignty.

Call for change of govt Observers expect that major political changes and decisions will take place in the coming critical weeks and months. For the past two months, the government had been under immense pressure for failing to provide good governance and security to people. The crisis intensified when monsoon floods ravaged a major chunk of the country and when some political forces called for a change in the country.

East Africa

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

In focus Zimbabwe mulls new polls next year

Harare: Two years after agreeing to form a unity government, Zimbabwe's squabbling political leaders are hinting at new elections for next year, despite doubts the country is ready for polls. Many Zimbabweans cringe at the idea of elections, with painful memories of the 2008 presidential race scarred by deadly political violence when it appeared then-opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai could unseat President Robert Mugabe, leader since the country's independence nearly three decades earlier. The rivals were eventually pressured into a unity government with Tsvangirai as prime minister, but the agreement signed on September 15, 2008, was meant as an interim arrangement to pave the way to new polls. Tsvangirai told party supporters last weekend that he and Mugabe had agreed elections would come next year, an idea both men have floated in recent months. "When I last saw President Robert Mugabe he said the prevailing peace was ideal for us to go for an election, and this time we agreed that whoever loses should make way for the winner," he said, according to The Standard newspaper. Tsvangirai won the first round of the 2008 race, but pulled out of the run-off after an estimated 200 people died in political attacks directed mainly at supporters of his Movement for Democratic Change. He and Mugabe agreed to the power-sharing pact under intense regional pressure.

The unity government has succeeded in piecing together the shattered economy, but has been mired in political bickering over key posts. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said that no decision has been made, saying Mugabe and Tsvangirai have yet to give instructions on an exact date.

Al-Qaeda claims kidnapping 7 foreigners in Niger

Niamey: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for recent kidnapping of seven foreigners, including five French citizens in Niger, a media report said.'In announcing our claim for this operation, we inform the French government that the mujahideen will later transmit their legitimate demands,' a voice claiming to be AQIM spokesman Salah Abi Mohammed said in an audio message, according to Al-Jazeera. 'We also warn (the French government) against any sort of stupidity,' he added, in reference to a possible military operation.

French military planes have been combing the desert in an effort to locate the seven victims. Niger's government also said Al-Qaeda was responsible for the abduction.The kidnapping of five French citizens and nationals from Togo and Madagascar took place on the night of Sep 15 in the northern mining town of Arlit and involved employees of the French firms Areva and Vinci.

Pirate ringleader faces execution in Somalia

Mogadishu: A pirate ringleader has been sentenced to death by a court in the breakaway Somali state of Puntland. Salah Mohamed Gelle faces execution for murdering Sayid Jacfar, the Pakistani skipper of hijacked cargo ship the MV QSM Dubai, in early June.

Seven other pirates who took part in the assault were sentenced to jail terms of between 10 and 17 years.

Some were also ordered to pay fines of about $2,000 (£1,260) by the court in Bossasso, Puntland's business capital."Salah Mohamed Gelle, the first defendant was found guilty of killing the captain Sayid Jacfar and therefore was sentenced to execution," said Mohamed Yusuf, the presiding judge, according to reports.

Pirates seized the 15,000-tonne Panama-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden in the early hours of 2 June. It was sailing from Brazil in the "internationally recommended transit corridor" in the Gulf when it was seized. The vessel had a crew of 24 made up of Ghanaian, Egyptian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals. When soldiers from Puntland stormed the ship, the pirates refused to surrender and killed Mr Jacfar.

Gunmen seize Nigeria school kids

Abuja: Gunmen have seized 15 children who were on their way to their school in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Abia, say police."The abductors have contacted [the owner of the private school] and asked for 20 million naira [$130,000; £81,500]," police spokesman Geofrey Ogbonna said. The nationalities of the children - who are thought to be under 10 years old - have not been confirmed. The kidnap took place on Monday. In recent years, gunmen in the oil-rich Niger Delta have been kidnapping prominent Nigerians, and their relatives, rather than foreign oil workers, whose security has been improved. There has been a recent spate of kidnappings for ransom in Abia, which is on the fringes of the Niger Delta. Most hostages are released unharmed after a ransom is paid.

A federal police spokesman in the capital Abuja said officers and investigators were on their way to the state to look into the abduction.

27

International Court to go ahead with Kenya election violence probe The Nairobi: International Criminal Court (ICC) will go ahead with the preparation for two cases, which will see four to six suspects, probably senior society, in persons charged for election violence. Kenya lacks the power to terminate the investigations at this stage, the ICC prosecutor’s office has said.

The court’s response came following sentiments by Justice and Affairs Constitutional minister Mutula Kilonzo that with the new a and Constitution

reformed judicial system, Kenya can try poll violence suspects.

A statement from Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s office said the window for Kenya to block investigations and trial was closed Pre-Trial the after Chamber gave the chief prosecutor the go-ahead to investigate the case, and present them for indictment to the judges before the end of the year.

Only judges at The Hague can defer the Kenyan case, according to the statement.

Public information coJelena ordinator

Vukasinovic said only decide can judges “whether the Kenyan Government is unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out criminal proceedings at the national level”.

“Regarding the deferinvestigation, of ral please be informed that the situation in Kenya came to the Court through a legal process and it could leave the Court only through a legal process,” she said in response to questions by the Daily Nation.

The media liaison officer in the prosecutor’s

Kenyans to face legal action within EAC Nairobi: Kenyans who commit crimes within the East African Community will be handed over to the affected nation for legal action, the government has warned. The warning came just days after Kenyan terrorism suspects were arrested in Uganda.

Civil society groups and Muslims have been exerting pressure on the government to explain the circumstances under which the 13 Kenyans were transferred to Uganda to face terrorism charges. In addition, the executive coordinator of Muslim Human Rights Forum Al-Amin Kimathi is also being held in Uganda on similar charges of terrorism and his family has pleaded for his release. The

Kenya Human Rights Commission, SUPKEM and the families of the suspects claim they did not go through the due extradition process.

However, government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the action to transfer the suspects to Uganda was within the security agreement among the five member states of East African Community.

“The Government wishes to inform the public that there exists a security agreement under the East African Community to reduce and stop cross border crimes," said a statement posted on his website.

“Now, with the free movement of people and services in the region, it is

even more critical that criminals are stopped from taking advantage of this economic protocol to start stealing and selling goods in the countries or plotting and carrying out criminal activities in one country or another.”

“Therefore, people who commit crime in any of the East African Countries will be handed over to the affected country for questioning and further legal action in any of the East African countries,” Dr Mutua said.

An EAC Peace and Security strategy was adopted by the 13th Council of Ministers meeting in November 2006 to guide the states in combating crime in the region.

Nicola Ms office, Fletcher, said that as far as they were concerned, the Kenya government was committed to cooperating with The Hague.

She repeated the prosecutor’s statement when he visited the country earlier this year, saying: “In a public press conference, President Kibaki Minister Prime and Odinga both expressed their support for my investigation. Mr Kilonzo has also recently confirmed to me his personal commitment to do justice for the victims of the post-election violence.”

Dozens hurt in South Africa riots Cape Town: Dozens of people were injured and 62 arrested when Cape Town residents clashed with the police who demolished shacks on the slopes of the city’s Sentinel mountain last week. The riots broke out when the city's land invasion unit arrived to dismantle new shacks erected near a firebreak on the mountain. The Sentinel is part of the Table Mountain National Park, which is itself part of the Cape Floristic Region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After residents chased away the eviction teams, police arrived on the scene.

Zuma calls for unity in ANC divisions Pretoria: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has called for unity in the governing party and condemned leadership squabbles in the ANC. He was speaking to thousands of party delegates in Durban, amid reports of growing unease at his leadership.

He called for a return to "revolutionary discipline" in the ANC. Reports say this was one of Jacob Zuma's boldest speeches in recent times - a rallying call to the party faithful to remain united in the face of damaging divisions.

The ANC's relationship with its union allies has been hit by a recent nationwide strike by some one million civil servants.

But Mr Zuma denied

Jacob Zuma

that the ANC's partnership with unions and the left was under threat, saying predictions of the imminent break-up were "a waste of time and ink".

He did, however, warn them that the ANC is the "leader of the alliance".

The head of the Cosatu trade union federation, Zwelenzima Vavi, who recently said the alliance with the ANC was "dysfunctional", welcomed Mr Zuma's speech as "well

measured" and "pro-poor", South Africa's Times newspaper reports.

Mr Zuma also took a stiff line on ANC members who publicly condemned the party, saying they would face discipline.

"We have no choice but to reintroduce revolutionary discipline - junior structures must respect senior structures of the ANC," he said.

Mr Zuma's leadership style has been described as people-driven and pragmatic but others see the same qualities as populist and indecisive.

Due to his many allies, this man often finds him-

self having to steer through tricky waters having to balance the sometimes conflicting interests of the poor, unions, communists and business.

Mr Zuma does not have a reputation for giving decisive speeches but his Durban address did contain surprisingly strong criticism of some ANC members and allies seen to be causing disunity in the party.

He plays the role of the middle man well, careful not to say too much. But in a country desperate to see a drastic reduction in poverty, massive job creation and economic growth, it will take more than a good speech to sustain the massive support he currently enjoys.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

This week MR Rajesh H Dhruv, Chartered Accountant will talk about NRIs - Investment opportunities and precaution and Deputy Borough CommanderSuperntendent Neil Vyse and Sonoo Malkan, Chair of HPCCG will give very useful advice for prevention of crime during Diwali and Navratri

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

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Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00pm to 8:00pm

Gandhi in London Tara evokes Gandhi’s life in London in the spectacular rotunda of the Temple Church with a company of actors, musicians and dancers. This unique collaboration with the Inner Temple is part of the Mayor's Story of London festival 2010, with performances on 2nd (Gandhi’s birthday) and 5th October (6:45pm).

The story of Mahatma Gandhi is inextricably woven with the story of London. Gandhi studied law at the Inner Temple from 1888-1891. The three years he spent were to prove pivotal in shaping his philosophy. Tara’s production evokes his life as a young man about town in London - a law student, a dandy, an avid reader of spiritual texts, a

passionate vegetarian… and a keen ballroom dancer. The performance on 5th October will also mark the launch of the Gandhi Inner Temple Association, set up by students of the Inner Temple.

Gandhi in London is directed by Jatinder Verma and performed by Ankur Bahl, Jonathan McGuiness, Nobonita Chowdhury (vocals) and Danyal Dhondy (violin & keyboard).

Walking tours of the key locations which featured in Gandhi’s time in London will also be available on 2nd October (6:15pm) and an illustrated map of Gandhi’s London for schools will be available online at www.tara-arts.com

Nepalese community hails new courses for Gurkha families in Harrow and Brent New courses to provide language training for the newly-arrived families of former Gurkha soldiers will “greatly help them” to integrate into society, according to one veteran.

Last week Barnet College announced it has won funding, along with three other institutions in the country, to provide English as a second language courses to families of former Gurkhas.

Barnet, Brent and Harrow have one of the largest concentrations of Nepalese families in the country, with more set-

tling there after a landmark court ruling last year giving the ex-soldiers the right to live in the UK. On last Friday dozens of Nepalese families attended a community day in North End Community Centre, Burnt Oak Broadway, where they were given useful information from a range of people on integration, job opportunities and health.

Lachhya Gurung, the chairman of the Burnt Oak Nepalese Community, organised the event, the first of its type in the area.

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Decision making will prove to be a bit of a bind because of your wavering mind - seek professional advice and then steam ahead. Be careful with your expenditure as you have a tendency to be extravagant. Relationships need to be scrutinised carefully. Sometimes it is a good idea to stand back and re-assess life.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

Coming Events l A national march for animals by Nitin Mehta MBE on; Date:Saturday 2nd. October.

Time: 12 noonPlace: Cavendish Square, W1G OPR. Nearest underground: Oxfors Circus l Navratri Festival and Shri Ram Katha organised

by Int Siddhashram Shakti Centre & Sangat Centre, date: 8th Oct-18th Oct & Shrad Punam: 22/23rd Oct, harrow Leisure Centre (Byron Hall), 10-1pm (katha), 8-11pm (raas garba).

Contact: 0208 426 0678 l Navratri Festival and Preeti Bhojan, Friday 8th Oct, 6:30pm onwards. At VHP Mandir, 43 Clevland Road, Ilford, IG1 1EE Contact: 0208 478-6049 l Navratri Raas & Garba Festival. Friday, 8th October 2010 to Saturday, 16th October 2010 Sharad Poonam: Saturday, 23rd October 20107.30 to 10.30 Weekdays 7.30 to 11.30 Weekends at Shree Aden Depala Community Centre 67A, Church Lane, East Finchley, London N2 8DR Contact: 020 8428 4464 l Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street.

London W1K 1HF, Sat 02 Oct 6.30 pm Music : SUL-YATRA's Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi Mon 04 Oct 6.30 pm Music and Dance : The Call of the Flute Tue 05 Oct 6.15 pm Exhibition of Photographs/Talk: Portraits of Ingenuity Kiral Owal, Thu 07 Oct 6.30 pm Seminar: Remembering Pandit Kishan Maharaj Puran Maharaj

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people. If you are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Either you or your partner have been going through a phase of inner doubts and uncertainties, and perhaps the main source of tension has simply been the need for breathing space in your relationship and a need to look at things more objectively. Wait before going full steam ahead with grand actions and gestures.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 With Venus traversing your sign of leisure, it will put you in the right mood to indulge in 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 riding high and you should make the most of this phase.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The pace of everyday life will gather momentum and there may be times when you find it hard to keep your act together. Any obstacles that have stood in the way of your heart's desires should melt into the background soon. Your self-confidence will be extremely high and this will be helped by various encouraging events.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 Life appears to be focusing your mind on practical matters. So you will need to organise your time carefully if you are to avoid an "all work and no play" situation. Resist making any hasty moves when it come to finances - this is a time to focus on consolidation of current assets rather than attempting to make any new investments.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Get out as much as possible. Do not be misled by inconsequential issues as you will have better opportunities if you stick to your main objectives. Try and work out where you want to make changes in your busy life. A tremendous amount of planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

All close ties of love and affection will benefit from the gentle influence of Venus. If you are married or have a well-founded relationship, it seems that the pattern of events will somehow draw you closer together emotionally. Scorpions who are not yet wholly decided on what direction to take careerwise, this is a fine time to do some serious thinking.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 It seems that the winds of change begin to put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak. Extra energy and drive will serve you well in getting things accomplished.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

This week 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.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Co-operative ventures are likely to generate financial success. So, if hoping to drum up support or backing, it would certainly do no harm to adopt a more pushy and outgoing approach to life. As social life will tend to draw you into a wider circle, the chances of meeting someone attractive are greatly increased.

It's a time of slow and steady progress. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level. To get here you may have overcome obstacles by making important decision and choices. You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

time

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

68 Declare frankly 69 Rugrat 70 Meaning 71 Highland caps

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28 Fight memento 29 “I want You to Went Me” band 33 Help-page acronym 34 Fort Worth sch.

35 Jamican music 37 Footnote word 38 Holding areas 40 Made do 41 “magnet and Steel” singer Walter 44 Morse symbol 46 Puts on punds 48 Puts up 50 Zig or zag 51 Terrific time 52 Phillies all-star 2ndbaseman chase 53 Blaze of light 54 Flax thread 55 Jerks sharply 59 Bounty competition 60 Senior soiree 61 Uses a Singer 63 Resident’s suffix 65 Sugary suffix

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1 Tel____-Jaffa 5 Malodorous 10 End-of-week cry 14 Actress Sofer 15 Lickety-split 16 Fly by oneself 17 Cow or chicken 19 __go bragh!

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Solution of sudoku-106 HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a sub-grid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each subgrid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution.

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How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain the central letter.

There should be at least one seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and proper S names are not allowed. British English N I Dictionary is used as reference.

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Solution of KAKURO - 106 20 12

The numbers in the pink squares refer

Example to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

Note: A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination.

For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

Solution of Spellathon - 106 gave, gavel, lave,leave, salve, save, SELVAGE, slave, vale, vase, veal

By Dr Anil Mehta

The Venerable Bede – Father of English History variety of details and discusses many intriguing aspects of life in contemporary England.

He describes in vivid detail the Roman rulers of England (54 BC – 4th century AD), and the arrival of Anglo-Saxons and the growth of their kingdoms (5–8 centuries).

Most importantly the book is based on his own knowledge of contemporary events and on meticulous research separating facts from legends. He was anxious about the accuracy of his sources and has recorded only what he regarded trustworthy evidence. The book has become a classic (a copy is on display in British Library) and has been frequently translated. King Alfred the Great (AD 849 – 99) supervised its translation into Old (Anglo-Saxon) English.

Bede’s life was as such uneventful. He travelled little but Durham Cathedral : Final resting kept in touch with place for Bede other scholars by correspondence. Apart ing, prayer, and in the from visiting Lindisfarne (a daily duty of singing the small monastic Island – choirs in church. He also called Holy Island – leaned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew as well as off the coast of becoming familiar with Northumberland) and astronomy and natural York, he hardly ever left sciences. At thirty, he Wearmouth-Jarrow but became a priest. He was his works were profoundly to become one of the influential across Europe. greatest scholars of his An important aspect of his time not only in England text is that he consistently but in Europe. refers various AngloBede was an all-round Saxon tribes as a single genius; his contribution to entity (English people).

He may have felt that a the literature being enornational history would mous. He was a teacher encourage national unity, as well as a writer. He is and perhaps this may the author of numerous have played an important works. He wrote on theolpart in the acceptance of ogy, liturgy, history, chronology (the arrangethe idea of national unity. ment of events in order of On 27th May 735, time), grammar, physical after prayer Bede retired and natural sciences, in his cell and died peaceastronomy, and music fully. He was buried in reflecting the vast range Jarrow but his remains of his scholastic interests. were later (11th century) He introduced the system removed to Durham of dating events from the Cathedral where they rest time of Christ’s birth (BC, in his tomb to this day. His life has been an inspiraAD) which we still use tion to many generations today. of monastic scholars and Bede’s most famous to historians of widely difwork is the great ferent backgrounds. His ‘Ecclesiastical History of influence continued English People.’ Written in through the lives and work Latin and compiled in 731 AD, it is the single most of his pupils. He was offivaluable source of early cially recognised as a English history from 54 saint in 1899 (feast day BC to 731 AD. His main 27th May). He is better concern is to record the known as the Venerable advent of Christianity (597 Bede and generally AD) in England, but in regarded as the Father of doing so he gives a great English History.

Saint Bede (pronounced ‘bead’), AD 672/673-735, English Benedictine monk, scholar, theologian, and first English historian, was born near Monkton (in Jarrow, Northumbria). Nothing is known of his childhood or family background except that he was taken to the monastery of Wearmouth at the age of seven to be raised as monk, moving later to the monastery at Jarrow where he spent the rest of his life.

Bede devoted himself to the study of scriptures, in reading, writing, teach-

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HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Breastfeed longer to reduce breast cancer risk As breast cancer continues to be a rising threat for women worldwide, a study by a Britain-based NGO in Punjab says breast-feeding for a longer duration can significantly reduce the risk of the disease in premenopausal woman.

According to a study by 'Roko Cancer', an NGO working in 12 districts of Punjab in collaboration with the state health department, the risk of developing the disease is reduced by five percent for every year of breast feeding.

'After analysing the results of study conducted on 4,250 women in the last three years, it was felt that lack of breast-feeding has been established as an independent risk factor for cancer,' Isha Bhandari, director operations (India) of Roko Cancer campaign, told IANS. The highest number of cases in the state have been reported from the Malwa belt of Punjab that

has now come to be known as the 'cancer belt' of the state.

A high-level team of medical experts constituted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently visited the region to study the high incidence of cancer cases in the region.

The study highlights excessive use of pesticide and changing lifestyle as the main reasons for the increasing cases in the region.

'Data from 4,250 women in various district of Punjab were collected over a period of three years (2006-09), making it the largest case-control study on breast cancer to be conducted in India,' Bhandari said.

The study also highlights the difference in the data recorded for urban and rural women. While nine to 15 women per lakh in rural areas are affected by the disease, the number is 25 to 30 women per

lakh in urban India.

'Five years ago, cervical cancer was the number one disease affecting Indian women; today it's breast cancer, with 50 percent of the cases affecting women below 50 years of age. Breast cancer is often provoked by the increased duration of exposure to oestrogen hormone.

Children who attain puberty at an early age and women who attain late menopause are at risk.

Regular physical activity among children should be encouraged as it could help delay the onset of puberty,' Bhandari said, adding that about 20 percent of the cases were reported among urban women under 35 years of age.

For women with high risk factors such as a family history of breast cancer, or obesity, a check-up is recommended before their mid-30s.

New test to detect Parkinson's early on Parkinson's disease could be identified years before it begins to show symptoms. Researchers have identified key markers that may indicate whether a patient is at risk of developing the neurodegenerative disease.

Currently its patients are diagnosed through an evaluation of symptoms, by which time the disease is already well advanced.

Scientists, however, will reveal new research at the World Parkinson's

Congress in Glasgow this week that has identified a series of proteins in the blood and spinal fluid to provide an early warning of the disease, reports The Telegraph.

M i c h a e l Schlossmacher, the neuroscientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada, will make a presentation on a protein known as alphasynuclein, found at elevated levels in the spinal fluid of Parkinson's patients.

Watercress helps fight breast cancer

Why rubbing a bump makes it feel better?

Does rubbing a bump or scrape make it feel better?

Scientists found that people experience much less pain when they gently rub a sore part of the body.

The finding helps explain why most of us instinctively clutch an arm or leg when it is injured, but are reluctant to let anyone else touch it.

British scientists believe that touching an injury helps to reset the brain's internal 'map' of the body - that seems to play a key role in pain perception, reports the Daily Mail.

Scientists studied the soothing power of touch using a well-tested lab experiment that inflicts pain on volunteers without causing physical damage, according to the jour-

nal Current Biology.

Study author Professor Patrick Haggard of the University College London said: "The index and ring fingers are placed in warm water and the middle finger in cold water. This generates a paradoxical feeling that the middle finger is painfully hot." In the experiment, the volunteers were asked to place both hands into the water until they felt pain.

Once their fingers were lifted out of the water, they were asked to record how much pain they were experiencing on a scale.

When they were allowed to bring their two hands together - so each sore finger was touching its opposite number - the

painful heat experienced in the middle finger dropped by 64 per cent.

But on occasions when they kept their hands apart, the pain levels stayed the same. Touching the hand of somebody else made no difference to pain

levels. And the pain levels only dropped when all the volunteer's fingers were touching.

Marjolein Kammers of University College London, said the study shed light on the origins of pain in the brain.

Scientists identify faulty gene behind migraine The discovery of a faulty gene behind migraine - an extremely painful condition - offers a ray of hope to millions of sufferers.

The finding potentially opens the way to a new class of migraine-busting drugs and shows how debilitating headaches can be passed from parent to child.

Researchers from the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit at the University of Oxford found the gene - called TRESK - in families of sufferers.

When the gene is mutated, it can more easily trigger the brain's pain centres and cause severe headaches, reports the journal Nature Genetics.

Around one in four women and one in 12 men experience migraine, triggered by alcohol, stress, fluorescent lighting and foods such as chocolate, red wine and caffeine,

according to the Daily Mail.

The World Health Organisation rates migraines as a major cause of disability worldwide and it has been estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder in Europe.

Study leader Zameel Cader from Oxford said: "We have now made a major step forward in our understanding of why people suffer with migraine and how in certain cases, your family can literally give you a headache."

During the headache stage, victims experience a pulsating, throbbing pain often on one side of head, sensitivity to bright lights and sound, nausea and often a strong desire to lie down in a darkened room.

Severe attacks can last for days.

One in every two migraine sufferers believes that changes in the weather can trigger an attack.

Last year, a study at the Harvard University showed that a drop in

atmospheric pressure and a rise in temperature are triggers.

Watercress is often placed to the side of a plate as a decorative garnish, but it has been revered for its health properties for centuries.

The father of medicine, Hippocrates, is believed to have located his first hospital close to a freshwater stream to have a ready supply of the plant, while 17th Century herbalist Culpeper claimed it could cleanse the blood. It was used to ‘cure’ ailments such as baldness, hiccups and even freckles.

While these health claims may be debatable, watercress is packed with 15 essential vitamins and minerals. Now, scientists believe a daily dose may help combat breast cancer.

This month, researchers at Southampton University discovered that within hours of eating 3oz of watercress a day – about a full cereal bowl – a small group of breast cancer survivors had a higher level of cancer-fighting molecules in their blood. They found the compound phenethyl isothiocyanate – which gives watercress its peppery taste – blocks the hypoxia-inducible factor protein which helps cancer tumours grow.

They also found watercress helps ‘turn off’ the signals that cancer cells send out asking the body for more blood and oxygen.

Professor Graham Packham, who led the research, said: ‘I was surprised that eating one por-

tion produced significant levels of this compound in the blood. It has the potential to have the same effect with other cancers.’

In fact, this is not the first time watercress – whose Latin name means ‘nose-twister’ – has been found to combat cancer.

In 2007, Irish scientists revealed that a daily portion reduced DNA damage to blood cells, considered an important trigger in the development of cancer.

The trial involved 60 healthy men and women who ate 3oz of fresh watercress every day for eight weeks. They found that in addition to reducing DNA damage, the cress also increased the ability of cells to resist damage from free radicals.

But its cancer-preventative properties are not the only benefit.

‘Watercress is full of nutrients including iron, calcium and Vitamin A and C,’ says dietician Katie Peck.

‘It is low in sodium and high in water, so it is very low in calories.’

It is an excellent source of natural phytonutrients, substances in plants that have antioxidant properties such as isothiocyanates, flavonoids and carotenoids. It also contains folate, which helps maintain normal blood levels of homocysteine (high levels are associated with an increased coronary heart disease risk) as well as decreasing the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

Sport worLd

Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010 Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex Opening and closing ceremonies, Athletics, lawn bowls and weightlifting.

Seating capacity 60,000. It was also the main venue in the 1982 Asian Games.

CWG - Venues and events Siri Fort Sports Complex Badminton and Squash competitions will be held here.

Indira Gandhi Sports Complex Gymnastics, cycling and wrestling events will be held here.

India’s largest indoor stadium was built in 1982.

Yamuna Sports Complex Table tennis and Archery competitions will be conducted here.

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Delhi University R u g b y Sevens will be held here. The updated stadium has a s e a t i n g capacity of 10,000.

Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range Shooting events

R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex This 5,000 seating capacity complex is functional since 1970.

Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Stadium It is a venue with a seating capacity of 5,000.

Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium This 20,000 seating capacity venue is also known as “the temple of Indian Hockey”.

Named after the legendary hockey player and Olympian Major Dhyan Chand, the stadium hosted this year's World Cup and boasts two brand new synthetic hockey turfs.

Event Date Aquatics 4-13 Athletics 6-14 Boxing 5-11, 13 Gymnastics 4-14 Lawn Bowls 4-13 Rugby Sevens 11-12 Squash 4-13 Tennis 4-10 Wrestling 5-10

Event Archery Badminton Cycling Hockey Netball Shooting Table Tennis Weightlifting

Date 4-10 4-14 5-13 4-14 4-12, 14 5-13 4-14 4-12

England, NZ and all happy with facilities at CWG village Athletes, officials from 46 countries satisfied, OC heaves a sigh of relief Officials of New Zealand CWG contingent, who raised the first alarm at the state of affairs in the CWG village have finally moved with their contingent to the village on Monday and Tuesday.

They have finally said they are happy with the facilities. England officials also echoed the sentiment, as they said the accommodation is fine, even the security is OK. Officials and athletes from Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and most of the other countries have already arrived and said the facilities are fine.

One of New Zealand coaches Dave Edwards said the players had no complaints after their first night in the Village.

"Our flats are roomy and spacious in that regard and the rest of the Village is all fine. The dining hall is excellent.

England, whose first batch of athletes were put up in city hotels initially before checking into the Village after the cleaning works in their residential zone are over, termed their accommodation as threestar facility.

"This is not a five star ... It is reasonable three star and athletes are fine with that," England's Chief-de Mission, Craig Hunter told reporters.

Australia happy with Games Village facilities Australia Chef de Mission Steve Monoghetti expressed satisfaction over the facilities being

provided to the athletes and delegates of his country in the Commonwealth Games Village.

"We are working very hard. We have brought the largest team from Australia. We are enjoying a comfortable life in the Village," Monoghetti told Australian media.

Australian athletes too appreciated the food, transport and security being provided to them by organisers here.

"It has been pretty good. The dining hall is fantastic, it is same as Melbourne. And the security is top notch out here. I feel completely safe and secured," said lawn bawl player Lynsey Armitage.

Elated over her first of its kind experience in the

country, Lynsey said, "Being in India is a lifetime opportunity." The facilities also impressed Australia's Press Attache, John Gartfield.

Pakistan, Bangladesh too satisfied Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik expressed satisfaction at the facilities and said most of the national athletes will check in at the 63.5 acre sprawling complex here on Wednesday. Bangladesh HC Tarik A Karim also gave a thumbs up to the arrangements and said he was happy with the facilities and athletes from his country will arrive here on Thursday.

“I am happy with the facilities here.”

Games village get monkey security against animal intrusion

Authorities in India have adopted an innovative security net, employing trained monkeys to guard the Commonwealth Games village against intrusion by other animals, mostly dogs, other monkeys and even snakes.

The novel idea has been implemented after complains of dogs enjoying the cosy beds meant for

athletes and officials. High Commissioner of South Africa also saw a snake – a cobra at the village when he had been there to see the facilities.

Langur monkeys are employed. They are intelligent and aggressive, capable to scare the other animals away. Delhi is also known to be facing menace from wild monkeys.

Talkatora Indoor Stadium - Boxing

Prince, President to share CWG opening honours As Indian authorities claimed that President Pratibha Patil will be declaring the Commonwealth Games Open on Sunday, it caused a sort of row. It raised a question about the role of Prince Charles, who is to represent Queen Elizabeth at the opening ceremony. Traditionally, it is Queen who declares the CWG open.

But on Tuesday, accordPrince Charles ing to a BBC report, a spokeswoman from Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles said, “There is no row. Both the Prince of Wales and the President of India will have a prominent role in the opening ceremony in Delhi. We cannot be specific about the choreography, but the prince will read out the Queen’s baton message, ending by declaring the Games open,” she added.

Earlier, senior Indian Government aides had claimed that President Patil and not Charles would officially declare the Games open on next Sunday.

The British High Commission in Delhi however had insisted that Prince Charles would represent Her Majesty at the opening ceremony.

EPL games this week Saturday, 2 October Wigan v/s Wolverhampton D W Stadium 12:45 Birmingham v/s Everton St. Andrews Ground 15:00 Stoke v/s Blackburn Britannia Stadium 15:00 Sunderland v/s Man Utd Stadum of Light 15:00 Tottenham v/s Aston Villa White Hart Lane 15:00 West Brom v/s Bolton The Hawthorns 15:00 West Ham v/s Fulham Boleyn Ground 15:00 Sunday, 3 October Man City v/s Newcastle City of Mcr. Stadium 13:30 Liverpool v/s Blackpool Anfield 15:00 Chelsea v/s Arsenal Stamford Bridge 16:00

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Asian Voice - Saturday 2nd October 2010

Dhoni’s CSK are CL T20 champs England cricketers, Local opponents Warriors beaten by 8 wickets

M S Dhoni, the skipper of the Indian cricket team added another feather to his cap, as he led his IPL team – the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to win the Champions League T20 in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday. CSK were successful in keeping the local rivals – Warriors limited to 128 runs.

Thereafter, Murali Vijay and Mike Hussey made the target look fairly easy, though Warrior bowlers captured two quick wickets in the final stages, but Hussey and captain Dhoni ensured no further damage as they wrapped up the game with one over to spare.

Super Kings' skipper MS Dhoni (17 not out off 12) provided the finishing touch as he hit a huge six and two fours in the penultimate over of Juan Theron.

Earlier, wickets, including the price scalp of skipper Davy Jacobs, at

regular intervals derailed the once steady-looking Warriors' innings as the home side struggled to put up a challenging total in the final.

For CSK, the spin combination of R Ashwin and Muttiah Muralitharan proved a lethal weapon as the duo shared five wickets between them.

Ashwin, who has been a revelation for the Chennai side in this tournament, provided the wicket of Jacobs (34 off 21) as soon as Dhoni brought him into the attack. The Warriors' skipper misjudged the line of the off-spinner and was strapped in front of the wicket while trying a reverse sweep.

After Jacobs' wicket, the tussle for survival started for the Warriors' batsmen as they struggled to decode the spin of Aswhin and seam-up deliveries of L Balaji.

The pressure did the

PCB chief in London to meet lawyers on tainted trio

MS Dhoni lifts the Champions League T20 trophy

trick for Chennai as Colin Ingram (16 off 23) lofted a full-length delivery of Morkel which was neatly taken by Suresh Raina running backward.

Craig Thyssen, with his big hitting, damaged the bowling figure of Balaji as the right-handed batsman hit two fours and a six off the medium pace bowler. He was foxed by Muralitharan and with that the Warriors innings finished with 128/7.

In reply, the Chennai openers made a solid start

and once seeing off few early overs, both Vijay and Hussey started tearing Warriors' bowlers apart with their free flowing play.

While Vijay was the aggressive between the two, Hussey always kept the required run-rate under control and ensured a thumping win for his side. {Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 132 for 2 (Vijay 58, Hussey 51*) Warriors 128 (Murali 3-16, Ashwin 216) by 8 wickets}.

Dismal chapter ends, a brighter page opens Pakistan lose last ODI, England take series 3 - 2

By Premen Addy The final ODI at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire ended in an emphatic English victory of 121 runs over Pakistan, leaving the series 3-2 in the hosts' favour. England's 256 for 6 owed most to a spakling, unbeaten century (107 not out) from Eoin Morgan. In reply, Pakistan could only muster 135 all out, with Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann taking 3 wickets apiece for 25 and 26 runs respectively. The latter confirmed his rise as the best spinner in the world.

So ended a fraught season including alleged Pakistani spot-fixing, the Pakistan cricket board president Ijaz Butt's charge that English players were guilty of taking money from bookies, and England's demand that he apologise unconditionally or else face a libel action in court.

It wasn't cricket, and it was a shoddy way to repay England's generosity in permitting Pakistan to perform in the country as a neutral site against Australia. It is unlikely that such hospitality will

Andrew Strauss leads England's series-victory celebrations at Rose Bowl on September 22

be extended to Pakistan in the next English summer, when Sri Lanka and India will share the season.

“There are plans ahead,” said Geoff Miller, the National Selector.

“Size does obviously matter and we presume there will be some bouncy pitches over there. But we've planned long and hard and we feel we've got a good cross section to cover all the areas.”

According to Shane Warne, Swann will be key to England's success. He will be partnered by Panesar's rejuvenation following his change of county from Northants to

ECB to sue Ijaz Butt

Sussex. His comeback has been remarkable.

Panesar's left-arm spin should be an excellent foil for Swann's off-breaks.

Each bowler offers variations of flight and turn to stretch the Australian batting. Whether the England pace attack can fulfil their potential in batting-friendly conditions remains to be seen. Height alone will not do. The West Indis pace battery of the 1970s and 80s possessed supreme skill to supplement their various gifts.

Together, they constituted a force unmatched in the annals of the game.

Whence comes another?

The England middle order batting will be formidable if Pietersen rediscovers the form that appears to have deserted him of late. But Trott at No 3 has fulfilled his role as reliable anchorman and Strauss and Cook are capable openers. Others in the line-up speak for themselves. They must prove their class against Australia at home, a stern and testing task.

The Australians, as tourists, will be testing measuring their strength against India in two Test matches and an ODI series. Their performances should provide notice of their current form and state of mind. Australia have never been pushovers; they will be hard to beat in India and at home, when England arrive to contest the Ashes. All in all, fans everywhere will be a relieved to return to cricket after the recent shenanigans. {Brief scores: England 256 for 6 (Morgan 107*, Shoaib 3-40) beat Pakistan 135 (Broad 3-25, Swann 3-26) by 121 runs}.

Even as PCB chief Ijaz Butt has not given any indications about his future course of action on the notice slapped in him

by England cricketers and ECB, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president was scheduled to travel to London on Tuesday to meet lawyers here about the case involving the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohamed Asif and Mohamed Amir.

Sources close to Ijaz Butt did agree that they had received the notice from England cricketers and ECB, seeking full apology from him for his allegations of England players being involved in match fixing, as England lost the third ODI against Pakistan.

"Mr Butt has been advised that if a satisfactory response is not received, legal proceedings will be commenced against him without further notice," an ECB statement said.

The threat follows an interview given by Butt to

Ijaz Butt

a Pakistan television channel after England lost the third one-day international against Pakistan at the Oval last Friday.

Butt and PCB legal advisor Taffazul Razvi were to meet lawyers who represent the tainted trio in the spot/match fixing case that is likely to be slapped on them for their role in the spot fixing scam. Scotland Yard has handed over their files on the investigations to Crown Prosecution Service. There are no indications that Ijaz Butt would meet ECB chief during the London Stay.

Ball tampering: Shoaib Akhtar again caught on camera Pakistan cricket is deep into trouble, with players adding to the woes. The latest is the ball tampering issue, with one of their seniormost bowlers – Shoaib Akhtar was again caught on camera doing it at Rose Bowl on Wednesday in the last encounter against England.

Video clippings of Akhtar running his left thumb along the ball's seam before dropping the ball on the ground and standing on it with his spiked right boot.

Four years ago, Sky

News cameras filmed Akhtar flicking at the ball with his thumb during a one-day international here against England.

On that occasion Shoaib was cleared but was warned about his behaviour after being accused of tampering with the ball during a Test match in Zimbabwe in late 2002.

The following year he was banned for two ODIs and fined 75 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of the same crime against New Zealand in Sri Lanka.

Monty, Tremlett back for Ashes clash Ajmal Shahzad misses out from the main team Monty Panesar, the experienced spinner alongwith Chris Tremlett have earned a recall to the England team for the Ashes series starting later next month. The two teams though will be playing the test matches in November and later ODIs in December.

Ajmal Shahzad however could not secure his berth in the main team. Ravi Bopara also has failed to find a place.

Tim Bresnan got the nod ahead of Shahzad,

though Ajmal was expected to be picked up for his better show this season, especially his developing an effective use of reverse swing.

Ashes squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Steve Davies, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar.