Asian Voice

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London bridge celebrity goat walk to mark international widows day 2012

RSS backs Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate

For report see page 24

VOL 41. ISSUE 9

For report see page 14

80p

India’s presidential poll: It is Mukherjee vs Sangma

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Mumbai attack handler Abu Jundal arrested Saudi Arabia has helped India with a major breakthrough in the probe into the 26/11 attacks by facilitating the arrest of Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the key plotters of the Mumbai raid.

Jundal, who directed Ajmal Kasab and other 26/11 attackers from the Lashkar control room, was picked up by the Saudi police, who put him on a New Delhi-bound flight after alerting the authorities in India about their prize catch. The Lashkar terrorist , an Indian national wanted in many terror cases who was arrested on June 21, has since made the stunning claim that LeT chief Hafiz Saeed was present in the control room when the 26/11 masterminds choreographed the Mumbai attacks.

He has also said that ISI and Pakistani army officials were involved in planning 26/11 and attended the meetings. After Kasab

and David Headley, the arrest of Jundal is seen as the third major success in India’s effort to unravel the 26/ 11 plot. Kasab’s arrest was important since his Pakistani nationality exposed Islamabad’s initial stubborn denial about involvement in the strike, and put paid to the plan to pin the blame on homegrown terrorists; even Hindu radicals.

Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley’s disclosures strengthened evidence against Lashkar and, significantly, ISI, besides bringing out meticulous planning that went into the outrage. Jundal’s significance lies in the key role he played in preparations and during the

attack. Being from Beed in Maharashtra, he taught the basics of Hindi usage to the Pakistani Laskhar squad. On the fateful day, he was in the control room firing instructions to killers, and also coached the killers to wrong-foot the Indian investigators and global community by posing as members of a fictional Indian outfit: Deccan Mujahideen.

In the tapes of the conversation between the terrorists and those in the control room, one of the handlers is heard saying “Lo Jundal Bhai se baat karo”, in what is seen as reflecting his familiarity with the plotters and executioners.

Continued on page 26

30th June to 6th July 2012

Raja Parvez Ashraf sworn in Pak PM Raja Parvez Ashraf, a stalwart of the ruling PPP, on Friday became Pakistan's new Prime Minister as the country struggled to come out of its latest political crisis.

Ashraf was administered the oath of office by President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday night, hours after he was elected as the new Prime Minister by the National Assembly.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a top leader of the ruling PPP's key ally PMLQ, has been appointed as deputy prime minister. A new federal Cabinet was also sworn in at the Presidency, where eight lawmakers were inducted as federal ministers while seven were inducted as ministers of state.

Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar, Liaquat Abbas Bhatti, Sardar Talib Hussain Nakai, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Anwar Ali Cheema, Ghous Bukhsh Mehr, Jam Muhammad Yousaf and Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain took oath as federal ministers.

Rana Asif Tauseef, Malik Nauman Ahmed Langrial, Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf, Senator Saeed Khan Mandokhel, Chaudhry Ghias Ahmed Mela,

Akram Masih Gill and Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood were inducted as ministers of state.

Prime Minister Ashraf, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani and Cabinet members attended the ceremony.

On June 23, a total of 38 lawmakers had been sworn in as ministers along with Ashraf.

While 27 were inducted as federal ministers, another 11 were sworn in as ministers of state. The total strength of the council of ministers now is 53. The 61-year-old loyalist of the Bhutto family was pitch forked into the hot seat after the original choice Makhdoom Shahabuddin faced an arrest warrant.

Continued on page 26

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A sentimental Pranab Mukherjee said he was leaving his job as finance minister of India to "embark on a new journey." Before leaving to tender his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee said, "I stand ready to embark on a new journey." In his last message as finance Minister to the media, he said, he felt honoured and humbled on his nomination as a candidate to contest in the presidential election by UPAII, supported by SP, BSP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, CPM , Forward Bloc and some other parties.

"Yet, standing on the brink of such an honour, I will also feel a pinch of sentiments at the thought of leaving behind my life as a political activist, spanning over four decades," he told reporters. He said, while not every decision of his might have been right, Continued on page 26

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Gaurav Vaz Raghu Dixit Project Gaurav Vaz studied Computer Science Engineering at PESIT University, Bangalore, before going on to explore another of his passions, music. Gaurav Vaz was the bassist of band “Phenom” celebrated for releasing the first music in India under a creative commons licence, he pioneered the first Indian online radio station, (the renowned RadioVeRVe), and was a finalist for the global Young Music Entrepreneur award in 2008. Right now he is the bassist (and blogger) of “The Raghu Dixit Project” a highly successful Indian Indo-World-Folk-Rock band whose album reached No. 1 in the UK’s world music iTunes album charts, he has appeared on the popular BBC show ‘Later with Jools Holland’, and remains the only Indian Indie band to be published worldwide. The band is currently on tour in the UK, and tickets can be bought from their website.

Q. Please tell us about the work you are currently doing?

A. I am the bass player and manager for India, for the Raghu Dixit Project, a contemporary folk band from India. We are currently touring the UK performing at various festivals and venues around the country. I also work with a boutique web development and iOS application development company based in Bangalore, India called The Random Lines.

Q. What are your proudest achievements?

A. Managing to pursue my passion for music and make it my full time career while juggling my

interest in technology and touring the world, playing music and having the time of my life is something special. I would certainly consider an achievement for myself Q. Please tell us about the Raghu Dixit Project?

A. The Raghu Dixit Project is a contemporary Indian folk band that takes pride in being from India and singing songs of the land. We make music in our regional tongue, Hindi and Kannada, and while the songs are rooted in our culture and tradition, the arrangements are contemporary with influences and sounds from around the world.

Q. What has been the biggest obstacle in your musical career?

A. The Raghu Dixit Project, are in my humble opinion, treading a path that very few have, in the Indie music scene in India.

So at every step, we have had to figure things out ourselves. So it’s never been a simple journey, but thinking about it now, I don’t think I would have it any other way.

Q. Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

A. I’d have to say Raghu himself has been the single biggest influence on my

Sahara plans to build an Indian Centre in UK Sahara India Pariwar, Chairman and Managing Worker, Mr. Subrata Roy Sahara along with his team met with Hon’ble Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Mr. David Cameron and his team at his official residence 10 Downing Street, London.

The meeting was on the opportunities of business development within the United Kingdom in view of Sahara India Pariwar’s Global business mandate.

Amongst various deliberations the iconic 4 acre India Centre in East London in association with the Olympic university of East London held the core.

The Prime Minister appreciated the fact that this would be the only kind of its endeavour in the world between a corporate and a University.

Sahara Supremo’s proposal of creating a “think tank” within the United Kingdom to explore unique and hidden business opportunities and

career.

Q. What is the best thing about your job?

A. The fact that I wake up every day and NOTHING is the same. Every day is new and almost every day, I start the day not knowing what the rest of the day will be like, where I will be or what I will be doing for the most part. It’s a continuous learning and adapting process, and the icing on the cake, is that I get to meet so many people, play music and see a whole lot of them smile and feel happy because of something I do.

Q. And the worst?

A. That you are constantly moving, and there are times when you would love to just sit back and soak it all in. I’ve had to miss birthdays, best friend’s weddings, anniversaries and a lot more because of it and there is little you can do.

Also, when on stage or when you are doing anything, there are very few second chances, you are only as good as your last show, or your last release, so you have to be on top of your game irrespective of what the circumstances are and irrespective of the situation. But like I said, it’s a constant learning and adapting process!

Q. What are your long term goals?

A. Play a big part in establishing an international touring career for the Raghu Dixit Project, and also establish myself in the music industry. And in time, start a restaurant where I can try my signature dishes and get much better at playing the bass guitar.

Q. If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

A. If I were the Prime Minister of India, the one thing I would like to change is accountability, in every public office in the country. Right now, I think that is the one thing that will drastically change the face of India, if each and every department and public office could take responsibility for what it is meant to deliver and then be accountable to the people.

People ■

Leicester’s newest Hindu Temple was opened last weekend.

Hundreds of devotees came to Rushey Mead for the occasion.

Particular thanks are due to Pradip and Veena Dhamecha for their generous support.

■ The Dalai Lama caused quite a stir in Parliament.

Around 200 crowded into Committee Room 14, the largest Committee Room in Westminster, to hear the charismatic Leader.

■ Westminster Hall, the scene of so many historic events, witnessed another one when Aung San Suu Kyi visited. She became the first non Head of State and the first woman other than Her Majesty the Queen to address MPs. She got a standing ovation at the start and the end of her remarkable speech.

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

A. I miss the city life too much to be marooned on an island, so if I had to pick a historical figure, I would go with the fictional ‘Robinson Crusoe’ who knows a thing of two about being marooned on islands and was eventually rescued.

Anti-capitalist protesters occupy Olympic artist’s home Anish Kapoor’s Olympic Orbit tower

Prime Minister David Cameron with Sahara India Pariwar Chairman and Maaging Worker Mr Subrata Roy Sahara

portray it to the world was deeply appreciated by the Prime Minister with a promise to support the initiative.

The initiative would also lead in creating a roundtable think tank platform in India as well of leading business houses and present to the Hon’ble Prime Minister when he would visit India later in the year.

The initiative and enterprising approach of the Prime Minsiter could

be gauged from the fact that he personally enquired from the Chairman about the likelyhood of a large business interest and opportunity in South of Wales that the group had only recently been following up.

As the meeting came to the end the Prime Minister extended a personal invitation to the chairman to be his special guest at the Inaugural ceremony of the Olympics next month in July.

Anti-capitalist protesters have occupied an empty property belonging to Anish Kapoor, above, the Olympic Orbit tower designer, for a one-day arts event in their first demonstration against the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Members of the "Bread and Circuses" group entered the expensive five-storey building in Lincoln's Inn Fields, located in central London, on June 22 for a celebration of art and music in order to protest at corporate involvement in art.

The group’s chief complained that the London Olympic Games are “being used by the [British] government and

corporations to take our minds off austerity measures, the global economic crisis and the commodification of everything, even art.”

The 115-metre tall Olympic Park's landmark red tower, which cost £22.7m to built, dominates the skyline, towering above a previously rundown part of east London.

"The ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower and the staging of the Olympics are attempts to create publi-

capproval through diversion and distraction, whilst hiding the corporate influence on every aspect on our lives - even sports and the arts, not to mention democracy ," the group said in a statement.

Moreover, the anticapitalist protestors said that they wanted to use “all this empty space” left derelict by Kapoor, adding, “How can you own a place like this and not even use it when there are people sleeping in the streets?"

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

COMMENT

Egypt’s new President Morsi faces serious challenges The election of Muslim Brotherhood-backed candidate Mohamed Morsi as Egypt’s first democratically elected president is a welcome development. Morsi’s victory is an outcome of the pro-democracy movement that started 16 months ago. That his election to the highest civilian office in Egypt breaks a long-running trend of presidents from the country’s armed forces, reaffirms the precious democratic gains made during last year’s Arab Spring. However, serious challenges remain. Morsi inherits a deeply divided country, a large section of which continues to be fearful of the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda. If he is to become a truly representative president, he must devote himself to upholding the rights of all sections of society, including women as well as Egypt’s sizeable Coptic Christian minority But that certainly won’t be easy. Following a recent slew of constitutional promulgations by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) overseeing the democratic transition, the new president’s powers are to be significantly curtailed. Besides, having already dissolved the Islamist-dominated parliament elected earlier this year, SCAF not only retains legislative powers until the formation of a new parliament but also has the authority to pilot the drafting of a new Constitution. While this may offset threats to Egypt’s secular credentials in the short term, the army must hand over power to the civilian government as promised. Failing to do so would strengthen radical Islamists and could even lead to a civil war.

As the most politically and culturally significant country in the Arab world, Egypt must show the way to

political reconciliation and a secular Arab democracy.

Despite the challenges ahead, the endorsement Morsi’s election by US and other western countries is a step in the right direction. They have a major role to play in the future well-being of the country. Barack Obama, the US president, telephoned both candidates on Sunday evening. He congratulated Mr Morsi, promising to continue to support Egypt’s democratic transition, and urged Mr Shafiq to back the democratisation process.

William Hague, UK foreign secretary, described the result as “a historic moment for Egypt”. “I welcome President Morsi’s statement that he intends to form an inclusive government that governs on behalf of all the Egyptian people,” he said. Even Israeli prime minister congratulated Morsi on his election. Mr Morsi said his regime would “respect the international conventions and charters it signed with the world”, and he promised his country would “honour agreements”, a reference to the peace deal in place with Israel.

Morsi’s election is a lesson to all autocratic Muslim rulers. One day they have to honour the wishes of the people and transfer power to them. The earlier they realize it and hand over power to people’s representative it would avoid needless bloodshed.

In his first televised speech, the 60-year old UStrained engineer called on Egyptians to unite and tried to reassure minority Christians, who mostly backed Morsi's rival Ahmed Shafiq because they feared Islamic rule. He said he carries "a message of peace" to the world and pledged to preserve Egypt's international accords. He also paid tribute to nearly 900 protesters killed in last year's uprising.

Gilani’s disqualification opens the door to instability It is entirely possible that the Pakistani Supreme Court genuinely fancies itself as a champion of democracy, and that its chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is a stickler for constitutional propriety. But in its zeal to purge the system of perceived vices, it has not only created a precedent for future confrontation between the judiciary and the executive but also plunged Pakistan into yet another period of political uncertainty. The apex court’s disqualification of Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani may or may not have been sound in law. Having been convicted of contempt in April for refusing to ask the Swiss government to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, Gilani’s membership to the Pakistani parliament was placed under a cloud. But what is disconcerting is that the drastic judicial activism on display is neither consistent nor free from prejudices.

Notwithstanding its crusade against the civilian leadership, the Pakistani judiciary continues to fumble in convicting terrorists, despite Pakistan itself having become a prime victim of terrorism. Nor can the judiciary claim the moral high ground on the anti-corruption score. That justice Chaudhry saw it fit to preside over a corruption case involving his own son and only excluded himself after mounting criticism from across the board speaks volumes. Throughout the various military regimes in Pakistani history, the judiciary was an equal victim along with the civilian leadership. That it should now use its authority to bully the latter is highly ironical.

The problem lies in the political culture of

Pakistan that has consistently seen power gravitate to unelected poles. This has not only stymied the development of democratic institutions in Pakistan but also obstructed a genuine respect for the ideal of democracy. In its absence, the civilian government continues to be a soft target. That hitherto no elected government in Pakistan has completed its full term is telling.

In such a scenario, supporting the civilian government should be topmost priority for all the arms of the Pakistani state.

It hardly helps that the current political turmoil comes in the midst of a deteriorating Pakistani economy. The election of new prime minister would not end the basic problem. It’s still unclear if the new PM would be obliged to reopen the corruption cases against Zardari. Unless flexibility is shown by all sides, Pakistan risks receding from its fragile democratic progress.

As the latest in a series of crises, it would seem that Pakistan's cup runneth over. For months now, Pakistan's various state institutions have been at each other's throats, ready to tear each other to shreds - a series of scams, Memogate, Bahriagate, and even Mediagate - are designed to squash the credibility of all voices.

Besides, Islamic terrorism continues to rage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA regions, organized crime and sectarian violence is rocking Karachi, a fullblown insurgency is underway in Balochistan, its economy is in a mess and its ties with its chief ally, the US, worsens everyday.

Lessons to be learnt from sentencing of Rajat Gupta The conviction of Rajat Gupta for insider trading has led to soul searching among India’s corporate elite.

Business associates of the disgraced former head of McKinsey seem genuinely perplexed that a man who once had an unimpeachable reputation for integrity would risk everything by passing on corporate secrets.

But despite the expressions of shock and surprise, there has been little public criticism. This suggests an insufficient reckoning with the difficult questions his crimes raise about business in India.

Gupta was by all accounts an admirable figure, as acknowledged by several jurors who convicted him last week for passing confidential information – gleaned from his Goldman Sachs directorship – to Raj Rajarathanum, head of the Galleon hedge fund. During the trial, more than 300 business and other professional figures signed an open letter in praise of his character; a list including some of the most recognisable names in Indian business, such as Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries. Even after the verdict, the sense remains that Gupta’s was a temporary lapse of judgment. Those who know him mutter that the punishment, which could include many years in jail, is excessive.

This reaction is partly explained by Gupta’s unusual position in India’s recent corporate history.

Although he was not a prominent figure before becoming head of McKinsey in 1994, his elevation had deep symbolism. The first Indian to lead a large

global business, he inspired a generation of aspiring professionals seeking a place at the top table in an era of globalisation.

More important, his rise coincided with the opening up of India’s economy; a time when the nation’s corporate titans were turning their eyes abroad. Mr Gupta became a trusted conduit: a source of counsel to India’s biggest boardroom names, but also of international contacts and even personal advice. He also had a knack for bringing the elite together. It was a trait seen most obviously in his founding of the Indian School of Business, established in 1999 and now rated among the world’s top 20 management institutions. India’s leading business families cooperate rarely, but they did so at Gupta’s instigation.

Yet while this understandable mix of personal friendship and professional admiration explains a good deal of the incredulity at Gupta’s fate, there are surely other factors – and these reflect less well on the country. The first concerns the crime itself. Hard data are tough to find, but analysts and brokers admit privately that insider trading is widespread in India, and often not considered a serious crime.

In any case the conviction of Gupta is the right step and would be a lesson for others. Insider trading calls for exemplary punishment. It is expected from people of higher echelons to behave in an ethical way.

Here in Gupta’s case greed is much more than need.

www.abplgroup.com

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Thought for the Week

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.

- Albert Einstein

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel’s The Muslim Brotherhood from Turkey to India “We’ll show them someday soon, the evidence of truth we are all over the world and to themselves, until light to them, that the Qur’aan is the truth. It not enough that thy Lord is witness over all things. “(Surah Fushshilat: 53).

Dear Prime Minister of Turkey, I prayed to a Hindu God today in a Mosque – the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

I prayed for the children of Syria, your neighbour, being murdered and slaughtered and exterminated and eradicated by your Muslim brother Assad. Prove me seditious for praying to another God on behalf of the children of your faith, because their God has deserted them.

I prayed, that your God, who my faith teaches me is my God too, listens to me in your Mosque, because He does not listen to His own children in their mosques – because surely as they are being murdered their parents pray for salvation – and none comes.

I prayed to Shiv, the destroyer, in your Mosque, that He may become death and the destroyer of worlds…the world’s of Assad.

(Forgive my impertinence, I confess, my God also fails to listen to the cries of His children in His mandirs.)

I prayed my God gives you courage to act against Syria. I landed just as Syria shot down an American-supplied Turkish fighter jet using Russian-supplied anti-aircraft guns; Boris and Jack meet again. I prayed that your blood boils with anger and the wrath of the Lord flow through your veins and you strike down with a mighty vengeance those who harm your children. And should you need friends to stand by you, you can invoke Chapter V of the Nato Treaty, which makes an attack on one Nato member on Nato soil, an attack on all Nato members. Tonight I prayed you realise that Assad has declared war on not just his weak and innocent children, but on the United States of America, the strongest military power in history and that divine providence gives you strength to act.

What relevance that I am Indian? More Muslims reside in these two secular countries, India and Turkey, than any other secular State – so it is that India and Turkey have a responsibility to the world’s Muslims to show them secular liberal democracies will be their defender. It is a duty and opportunity both countries have yet to grasp. China has more Muslims than Syria, yet China fails to protect Syrian Muslim children. Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined – yet Russia too fails to protect Syrian Muslim children. So it is surely left to India and Turkey.

Prove me seditious for praying to another God on behalf of the children of your faith, because their God has deserted them. Prove me your bloodline from Turk to Ottomon.

So show us non-believers, ‘the evidence of truth, that you are all over the world and that it is not enough thy Lord is witness over all thing’s – but that you will save the children of a greater God. When Pope Benedict visited this same Mosque he said, ‘May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.’ Tonight I bore witness as a believer in God, make me a believer in Islamic brotherhood.

Prime Minister – you are your brother’s keeper. A Catholic has told you – a Pope no less, a Hindu commoner has told you – both from inside your own Mosque – when will the Muslim brotherhood tell you?

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LEICESTER VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Potential leads in Ponnuthurai Nimalaraja murder inquiry Detectives will be following up on several lines of inquiry after stopping people in the street where a man was murdered.

P o n n u t h u r a i Nimalaraja, pictured, known by family and friends as Nimal, died a week after he was found with serious head injuries at the junction of Gipsy Lane and Northfield Road, Leicester, at about 11.04pm on Saturday, June 9.

Police believe the 41year-old father-of-two was killed after confronting a group of teenagers in the street. They think he probably died as a result of falling backwards and hitting his head after being punched by one of the

youths. A murder investigation is under way.

Two weeks on from the attack, officers spoke to pedestrians and motorists in the area to try to trace witnesses who have not yet come forward. They said they hoped to get as much information about

the incident and the moments leading up to it as they can.

Police said Sunday a number of potential lines of inquiry had been established as a result, and would be followed up in the coming days and weeks. But they would not reveal the nature of the new information.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Hewson said: "We still believe there may be a number of potential witnesses out there who have not come forward. If you were in the area on Saturday, June 9, and have not yet come forward I would urge you to contact us. Even if you don't think you have much information to pass on,

the slightest detail could help. We have also had huge support from the community. The assistance of the community is paramount in an investigation such as this."

A family friend, speaking on behalf of Nimal's relatives, urged anyone who has any information, to speak to police. He said: "Whatever people know about this, they should tell police."

Six boys, aged 15, 13 and four aged 14, and a girl aged 14 have been arrested as part of the murder investigation, and have been released on police bail.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101.

Shisha cafe boss fined over customers smoking indoors The boss of a shisha cafe has been ordered to pay more than £3,000 for breaking the smoking ban.

Ismail Patel (26), who runs Recharge, in Elizabeth Street, North Evington, Leicester, was visited by two undercover council officers after a tip-off from a member of the public.

Leicester magistrates heard how during the first visit, undercover officers posing as customers bought shisha and were allowed the opportunity to smoke it indoors.

On a second visit, two different officers witnessed

people smoking in an enclosed area of the cafe.

Patel, of Bridge Road, Spinney Hills, Leicester, was found guilty in his absence of two offences of failing to prevent smoking indoors, on June 10 and July 6 last year.

Nicki Agalamanye, for Leicester City Council, told the court: "The area was completely enclosed without ventilation and it was unlawful to allow a person to smoke there."

Patel was interviewed by environmental health officer Gurdeep Dosanjh and denied Recharge was a

shisha cafe.

Mrs Agalamanye said he admitted being "partly in charge" of Recharge, renting the unit from a person called Vijay.

The magistrates agreed that as Patel was in control of Recharge, a smoke-free area in that it was open to the public as a workplace, and had failed to prevent a person from smoking there, that he was guilty of both offences. He was fined £1,000 for each offence and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

After the hearing, Mr Dosanjh said: "This shows

Leicester City Council will not tolerate smoking in smoke-free areas. Over the past 12 months we have dealt with six or seven cases like this."

Assistant city mayor Councillor Sarah Russell said: "Smoking inside commercial premises has not been allowed since July 2007. We will not tolerate blatant breaches of legislation. The smoking ban has now been in force for nearly five years and this case serves as a timely reminder that we continue to seek compliance and take action where necessary."

Driver involved in row guilty of assault A businessman has been convicted of assaulting a motorist who ended up with a broken arm.

Hashim Choksi was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm to security firm engineer Jason Clifford. He was also found guilty of careless driving during the same incident, but cleared of dangerous driving.

Choksi, who runs a second-hand household goods store in Narborough Road, Leicester, denied the charges, claiming what happened was an accident.

The court heard the incident began at 5.15pm on Friday, February 25, last year.

Choksi was heading out of the city along Narborough Road in a van.

Mr Clifford, in a Group 4 Securicor van, was trying to edge his way from Upperton Road into Narborough Road in front of Choksi, who had the right of way.

Thinking Choksi tried to block him and their vehicles touched, Mr Clifford said he drove after, and pulled in front of, Choksi.

No damage was in fact caused to Mr Clifford's vehicle.

The court heard earlier that Choksi had got out of

his van holding a hammer by his side. In his defence, Choksi (39), of Bramcote Road, Rowley Fields, Leicester, told the jury last Friday that he had got out of his van with a hammer he used for work in his back pocket. He said he did not know what possessed him to do that.

However, it caused Mr Clifford enough concern to ring the police.

The prosecution said Choksi then drove off and collided with a Fiat Punto.

Mr Clifford said he was caught between the two vehicles, which was when he suffered a double fracture to his arm.

Choksi, in his defence, said he decided to leave the scene because Mr Clifford was aggressively goading him and that he had intended to park around the corner.

Character references described Choksi, who has no previous convictions and holds a clean driving licence, as a devoted family man and "a thorough gentleman".

The case was adjourned until next Thursday for sentencing.

Recorder Colin Edelman QC said the offences did not amount to road rage and he would not be sending Choksi into custody. He released the married father-of-two on bail.

Carrying on at the Khyber!

Firestarter launches court bid to clear name A man who was jailed indefinitely for a campaign of arson against his family has launched a Court of Appeal bid to clear his name.

Omar Mohammed Suleman, (30), of The Fairway, Oadby, has always denied responsibility for a spate of fires in 2009 at premises related to his family.

In October 2010, he was found guilty at the

city's crown court of nine counts of fire-starting and two of causing public nuisance by making hoax calls.

Last week, he appealed the convictions, claiming prejudicial evidence was wrongly allowed into his trial.

Suleman's barrister, Michael Birnbaum QC, said a ruling by the crown court judge, admitting some evidence was wrong

and made the trial unfair.

There were 26 separate fires caused in and around Leicester, at or near addresses allegedly linked to the defendant, from 2007 to 2009, although he was only prosecuted in relation to incidents in 2009.

Attacks were made in St Matthew's Way and the Dunlop Building, in Evington Valley Road.

Addressing Lord

Justice Pitchford, Mr Justice Cooke and Mr Justice Davis, Mr Birnbaum said so-called "bad character" evidence should not have been allowed into the trial. He said evidence of the fires previous to 2009 should not have been allowed into the trial.

Lord Justice Pitchford said the judges would reserve their judgment until a later date.

Suleman bids for police job A businessman and community leader is to stand for elected police commissioner as an independent.

Suleman Nagdi, pictured, who lives in Leicester, said he believed party politics should be kept out of the £75,000-a-year role.

Mr Nagdi, who is active in a number of community groups, including Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, said he would "put the feelings of victims of crime and lawabiding citizens first" if he was elected in November.

He said: "Over the past 25 years, I have been

actively engaged in providing a critical voice to the police to ensure that members of the public receive the highest standards of service. In order to create stronger, safer and integrated communities, we need to support our police – not to play party politics with them.

That is why I am standing as an independent candidate. The person who is elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) should be accountable to the people and not to political parties. I believe my experiences in business and in the community will stand me in good stead for this vital role."

Labour and Conservative candidates – city councillor Sarah Russell and retired Air Chief Marshall Sir Clive Loader – this week both stressed they would not make decisions based on party affiliations.

The PCCs will replace police authorities, which

have traditionally set police budgets, appointed senior officers and scrutinised force performance.

The Home Office believes commissioners will be more accountable to the public because they are elected, whereas police authority members include appointed councillors, magistrates and independents.

Mr Nagdi is the second person to tell the Mercury of their intention to stand as an independent in November's election.

However, the first, city magistrate and businessman Rick Moore withdrew from the contest last month.

Ashok and Dinesh Raval with Bob and Margaret Allen

Brothers Ashok and Dinesh Raval's restaurant, Khyber, made a big impression on their first customers when it opened its doors more than 25 years ago.

So much so that Bob and Margaret Allen, who were the first to dine at the tandoori restaurant in April 1984, became regular customers, visiting two or three times a week from their home 23 miles away.

Now in recognition of their loyalty and to say thank-you, the brothers have offered the Allens free meals for the rest of their lives.

Dinesh said: "Bob and Margaret have been coming three times a week ever since we opened and they're like close family now, so we've offered them free meals for life.

Most of our customers here are regulars but Bob and Margaret have been

coming very often from the very beginning so they're incredibly loyal customers. Ashok knows what they like and enjoys cooking for them so they're always happy customers, too."

The couple, who live in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, said they had tried curries elsewhere but had never wanted to eat anywhere else since tasting Ashok's cooking at the restaurant in Melton Road, Belgrave, Leicester. Bob, 81, said: "I used to work in the textile industry and spent a lot of time in Leicester so I'd heard about Khyber opening – it used to be a good restaurant called Safari where we'd gone a number of times. When it became Khyber, Margaret and I were the first ones there on the opening night and the meals we had were delicious."

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

5

India in chronic famine, funded from London In his speech accepting the The Gandhi International Peace Award at The House of Lords on 12th June, Dr Binayak Sen, respected health expert, human rights campaigner and Amnesty Prisoner of Conscience since 2007, argued from his Government's own statistics that India is in a state of chronic famine, that the Government and international corporations are responsible and that the funding for their activities is decided in the City of London.

The Gandhi International Peace Award was established by Lord Richard Attenborough, Surur Hoda, Diana Schumacher and Martin Polden in 1998 “to honour unsung heroes and heroines for their advocacy and practise of Non-Violence”.

The Gandhi Foundation's President, Lord Bhikhu Parekh presented the Award jointly to Dr Sen and Bulu Imam, the cultural activist, 'for their humanitarian work' amongst the tribal peoples of India, the Adivasis.

Dr Sen's speech was entitled “Hunger, Dispossession and the Legitimacy of Dissent”.

He told us that figures from The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau show that between 45% to 47% of children

Dr Binayak Sen (Left) and Bulu Imam (Right) receiving The Gandhi International Peace Award from Lord Bhikhu Parekh in The House of Lords

under 5, 37% of the whole adult population and an astonishing 60% of Minorities and Scheduled Castes are malnourished by weight-for-age criteria, that is, Body Mass Index.

The World Health Organisation declares a famine when more than 40% of a nation's peoples have a BMI less than 18.5.

The Adivasis have been able to survive only because their traditions ensure equal access to their common property land, water, shelter and crops.

Over recent decades, the State has increasingly “acted as the Guarantor to the expropriation of common property resources handing them over to corporate interests

under their doctrine of Eminent Domain, through which the State is the ultimate owner of all the resources in the country”.

PM Singh is regarded as a key figure in India's spectacular economic development but brooks no opposition.

He called the Naxalite insurgency in the so-called Red Corridor from Jharkand to Andra Pradesh 'the greatest threat to India's security' and launched Operation Greenhunt. This targets the Naxalites but is having a devastating impact on all Adivasis.

As more and more mines, factories, dams and roads are built on their land, millions of tribal people have been dispos-

sessed, impoverished, violated with impunity and given no access to fair judicial process. Dr Sen pointed out that resistance has therefore become vital to the very survival of these communities. “But a panoply of Laws, old and new, now severely restrict free speech and any form of protest which, however non-violent, can be branded as 'sedition', 'rebelliousness' or 'insurgency'. Too often protests are met with violence by police, army and corporate goondas.

There are thousands of people in jail right now, just like me, who have been convicted under false charges. I am one of the very few lucky ones. I have been granted bail twice by

Convenient money transfers available online... whenever, wherever

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The Supreme Court who stated 'that no evidence had been produced by the C h h a t t i s g a r h Government', but I still await a final judgement.”

How can peace be achieved when both sides resort to violence? Dr Felix Padel suggested that India needs its own model of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The UK should also appear as it bears responsibility for the situation and not only historically. London is now the global centre for coordinating corporate investment in mining and is host to many corporate headquarters.

The Foreign Office, the Business Secretary and the Department of I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development all share a current duty of care to monitor the effects of their activities. Too often there is wilful ignorance: one survey showed that the professionals involved in designing and managing an Aluminium factory were aware of only 2% of the effects it was having on local communities and ecosystems.

The distinct lack of press coverage in the UK ensures that most people here have no understanding of the violence and corruption which we are indirectly causing.

Bulu Imam called for 'a new consciousness', Satyagrahas for the 21st Century. He said that “industrial civilization is an aberrant civilization.

It has strayed from the path of Nature. It has made war, brutality and profit a path without compassion or hope. It heralds planetary catastrophe from causing global warming. India with its older order of ancient spiritual values, non-violence toward man and nature, tolerance and psychological fulfillment stands ready to show the way. The culture of the Adivasis offers us that very model from which we can all learn. All of us here must act to stop the forces now at work destroying them.”

Ms Bianca Jagger, Martin Horwood MP [LibDem & Chair, The All Party Parliamentary Group on Tribal Peoples], Aruna Roy, C B Patel, Professors John Gilbert and Narinder Kapur and the President of The Gandhi Foundation, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, all endorsed the Recipients views on India, offered new and different ideas for the way forward and urged all present to take action.

Please see www.gandhifoundation.o rg for full details.

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6

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Kapil’s

By Spriha Srivastava

Kiran Bedi to talk on July 6 India’s first lady IPS officoncern Navjyoti with cer and the winner of the professional help from prestigious Ramon Mobile crèche (an Magsaysay Award winNGO), has helped in ner, Dr. Kiran Bedi is improving the nutrition coming to London to talk and health of the chilabout her NGO India dren of Tihar inmates Vision Foundation. The and has also trained a talk will take place on number of female July 6th at YMCA inmates as crèche workLondon, Warren Street. ers.

The event organized by For mainstreaming IVF London, is a the children of Tihar fundraising show with an Prison inmates, a sepaentry fee of £10 per perrate project i.e. son.

“Children of Vulnerable The proceeds from Families was started in Dr. Kiran Bedi to speak in the event will go towards 1995 as a continuation of London on July 6th IVF Fund. Also on disthe crèche project.

Olympic flame. I shall play will be several books Facilitating their social, treasure my torch and physical and psychologiauthored by Dr. Kiran display it in my house cal rehabilitation is the Bedi for sale. The pronext to my OBE! general aim of the projceeds from this sale will Gurinder could bareect. also go towards the IVF ly contain her pride: “My On July 6th, Dr. Bedi Fund. goodness, I don’t think will discuss in detail the India Vision my parents would have challenges faced, the sucFoundation was born in ever imagined I would cess and failures and the the year 1994 out of the have such honours road ahead. For those prestigious Ramon showered on me when Magsaysay Award they first arrived that was conferred on British soil in on the first Lady the sixties. I am IPS Officer of proud to be a India, Dr. Kiran British Punjabi Bedi for her and when I first reforms in Tihar took hold of the Prison during her flame I said to tenure as IG myself ‘Bole (Prisons) in 1994.

Sonihal’. Saturday Tihar Jail, has been a great known as the day for me and my Central Prison of community!”

Delhi houses Gurinder women prisoners Chadha was born along with their in Kenya, and male counterparts, grew up in though in a sepaSouthall, London, rate enclosure.

England.

She Serving a sentence, began her career whatever the reaas a news reporter son may be is a with BBC Radio, very traumatic directed several experience for the award winning Gurinder Chadha carries Olympic Torch women. They are documentaries for interested in attending, separated from their the BBC, and began an please send a confirmaloved ones, they have alliance with the British tion email to long hours to fill and Film Institute (BFI) and London.ivf@gmail.com. their self-confidence is Channel Four. In 1990, Gurinder Chadha nullified. Further many Chadha set up her own carries Olympic torch women are those who production company: ‘Bend It Like are in prison for many Umbi Films. Most of her Beckham’ years. Subsequently, it director films explore the lives of was felt that imparting Gurinder Chadha carried Indians living in the training and skills to the Olympic torch on United Kingdom. She is these women would not Saturday 23rd June best known for the hit 2012. She ran the only help them gain films Bhaji on the Beach Blackpool to Manchester financial independence (1993), Bend It Like segment near after their release, it Beckham (2002), Bride Burnley. Blackpool is would also go a long way and Prejudice (2004) where she shot her first in filling out their long and Angus, Thongs and feature film, the unforhours.

Perfect Snogging (2008). gettable ‘Bhaji On The Some of these Her most recent project Beach’ and Manchester women unfortunately is the comedy film It’s a was of course home to a have children, up to the Wonderful Afterlife football team connected age of six, staying with released on 21 April to a certain Mr them as they cannot 2010.

Beckham!

Says entrust the custody of Reports suggest that Gurinder: “It was a comthe children to anyone her next film is an epic plete and utter exhilaratelse.

India Vision drama on Indian ing experience, I am Foundation was the first Independence and hooured and blessed to NGO to initiate a welfare Partition, to be released program for women and have been selected as in 2012. It is based on children in Tihar Jail. one of only a few thouthe book Freedom at The crèche-cum-training sand out of all of Midnight by Larry Britain’s 56 million popprogram started in colCollins and Dominique ulation to run with the laboration with its sister Lapierre.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

KHICHADI

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

The Westminster Wilderness May 2010 seems a long time ago. The marriage of convenience between David Cameron and Nick Clegg was sealed on the lawns of Number 10. Both declaring an era of unprecedented transparency and a belief that, ‘we are all in this together.’

Barely two years on and the Coalition has lost its shine, its focus and what many would say, its moral compass. The share of votes in May 2010 election was CON 36.9%, LAB 29.6%, LD 23.5% and UKIP 3.1%.

Compare that with the latest averaging at CON 34%, LAB 44%, LD 8% and UKIP 8%. The Tories have lost the popular vote over these two years. Even more devastating are the findings for the Liberal Democrats who have fallen from their high of 23.5% to a disheartening 8%. This disgrace is compounded when you note that UKIP are now on level par with the Lib Dem’s.

So what has gone so dramatically wrong in such a short span of time?

The answer of course is multi-factor, but it seems they have seriously underestimated the public mood.

Let’s get the Lib Dem’s out of the way first. They are seen by the vast majority of people as a Party that will say anything to get elected. That shield of transparency, honesty and integrity they had so valiantly harnessed over many decades lies now in tatters. Most voters don’t believe anything they say, and their contempt for Nick Clegg knows no bounds. For the Lib Dem’s their only salvation is to get a new leader and a decade or more of apologies to the electorate before they are taken seriously again. For all intents and purposes, they are now a spent force in British politics.

For the Tory Party their shining gem was David Cameron. Let us be clear, without him they would not have been the majority party post the last election.

Voters believed him and hence gave that little bit of flexibility and trust to inch away from Labour. It is he, their prized possession that is now seen by the same electorate as someone they cannot trust or rely upon. The phrase, ‘we are all in this together’, has begun to ring untrue.

At the last count the Government had made in excess of 28 ‘U’ turns, an indication of how out of touch they are with the electorate.

Add to this the stench of sleaze emanating out of Leveson. The Prime Minister is seen to be so embedded with the likes of Coulson, Brooks and the Murdoch’s that it defies all logic to

believe that there is no smoke without fire. The smoke signals have been seen by the public, yet those in the fire of conceit don’t seem to have read those signals too well. And to top all of that, the Prime Minster thought it was acceptable to have a go at Jimmy Carr and his special ‘legal’ tax arrangements.

This lapse could be forgiven but for the fact that at the same he time did a ‘U’ turn on publishing the tax details of those in politics.

The Tory party in its zeal to get on with things forgot one crucial ingredient, to take the electorate with them. If necessary, to slow the pace down; and to explain with better clarity what it intended to do. And most importantly, to know the difference between listening and hearing. In an age of unprecedented access to various forms of communication technology, the public are not fools and they have their own means to assess what is right and wrong.

The only way the Tory party will win the next election is if they eject most the present front bench. And yes that does include the residents of number 10 and 11. Boris showed (narrowly albeit) that you must connect with the people and maintain that connection. Ideology might be ones driving force, but one does not necessarily have to ram that down people’s throat and choke the very life out of them. Whoever is advising the Tories should be fired for they have to be the most hopeless bunch of nincompoops any party has ever had for a while.

What about Labour I hear you ask?

Frankly Ed Miliband does not come across as the right type of leader either, but given the other parties are intent on committing hara-kiri; Labour might just get away with it. For Labour, keeping their nose clean, keeping their heads down and avoiding the temptation to have an internal fight could see them through. The Unions of course are a different matter. Labour’s only hope being that the Unions are not as stupid now as they were in 1979.

And so where does this leave all of us? You should see from the political mess in Westminster that this is as good a time as any for our community to get politically organised properly. We are more than double the Jewish community in number, yet compared with their 70+ MPs; ours can be counted on the fingers of one hand. In the wilderness of Westminster, surely now is the time to act decisively.

Julian Assange must face court, says Jemima Khan WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must face court and answer sex crime allegations in Sweden instead of trying to avoid extradition and taking refuge inside the Ecuador embassy, Jemima Khan, one of the people who collected his bail money, has said.

Jemima, daughter of British billionaire James Goldsmith and former wife of Pakistani cricketerturned-politician Imran Khan, was among those who put up a total of 240,000 pounds bail for

the 40-year-old WikiLeaks founder.

Assange's supporters risk losing their money after he spent two nights in the Ecuador embassy in Knightsbridge, central London, the Telegraph reported.

Jemima said Assange's alleged victims deserved justice too, and that he should respond to the allegations.

"For the record, in response to those asking about Assange and bail money... I personally would like to see Assange

Jemima Khan

confront the rape allegations in Sweden and the two women at the centre have a right to a response," she wrote on Twitter.

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

South Event – Oxford – John Radcliffe Hospital world led her to extend her vision of philanthropy in the UK. Path to Success has been able to donate 48 wheelchairs since January 2012 and has raised funds for another 40 to be donated to NHS Hospitals by end of this year.

On Wednesday 20th June an event hosted by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Path to Success donated twenty four wheelchairs to hospitals in the South Region who have accepted their donation.

“We are aware of the great work that the NHS is doing to help cover patients’ requirements across the UK and we wanted (right to left) Mrs Anita Choudhrie Founder to collaborate of Path to Success, Ms Linda Hands, with Hospitals Clinical Director of Cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery and Lord Lieutenant of and help some of the patients Oxfordshire, Mr Tim Stevenson by providing uals who fulfil their charithe Wheelchairs. We have table objectives. Path to been fortunate to witness Her Majesty’s many years Success has joined forces of service during which with Miriam Gonzalez time her commitment to Durántez, Chief Patron to Home, the provide 60 NHS Hospitals Commonwealth and hunwith wheelchairs, to celedreds of Charitable interbrate the Queen’s 60th ests, have supported and Jubilee year. “60 for 60” is inspired generations of Path to Success’ flagship Britons. We wish to conCampaign, spearheaded tribute in the lead up to by founder Anita this momentous event by Choudhrie whose vast running a campaign in her experience of the charity

Path to Success, a London-based charity established in 2005, funds towards projects which have an immediate and demonstrable positive impact upon the health, welfare and educational prospects of young people and adults with disabilities, mental health and shelter concerns. Support is provided through fund raising and grant-giving to organisations and individ-

SARVAM

honour and celebrating this wonderful personal and National event. Our philosophy is to help those who are so keen to make a success of their inability into ability. We hope the growth of Path to Success will help achieve a change in the destiny of a targeted society or a single individual”.

“Our special thanks to John Radcliffe Hospital – Ms Linda Hands for hosting this event, Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson with his inspiring and encouraging speech. Thank you to our special Guest Speakers and all our suppliers for their full support and help in making this event a great success. We have two more events during 2012 where we will be donating wheelchairs to other regions in England.

7

Making a change at India's Grassroots

Generating confidence, Generating income

Mr Vijay Poddar

Mrs Choudhrie and a young patient who was donated a specialised wheelchair

Official Charity for AAA 2012

UK

In the villages where SARVAM works, women were not used to entrepreneurship. The only work they knew they could do was daily wage work on agricultural sites around. But it’s difficult to survive on daily wages as it’s not regular.

SARVAM announced loans for income generation for women, but no one came

forward due to hesitation, fear of things not working out and notion that such work has no dignity.

Rani, Selvanayagi and Jeeva were the first three women from the community who came forward with an idea and asked for loan.

These three extremely enterprising women wanted to start a cloth ironing and washing service unit.

With ten thousand rupees loan from SARVAM they purchased three iron boxes and one cart and thus set up a mobile service unit in their village in Vazhapattampalayam in Perambai panchayat.

They divided the tasks of collecting, washing and ironing clothes amongst them on alternate turn basis and set off.

Soon their business flourished and they started reaping profits.

Within a year, they paid back the loan. Earlier it was difficult to earn three meals a day, now they were able to provide good and

nutritious food for their families and cater to all the education needs of their children. Their entrepreneurship changed their whole lifestyle.

After repaying the loan Rani, Selvanayagi and

Jeeva earned enough to set up a permanent shop. The community and the institutions around were in need of their services and there was no such unit existing in the area. Their business flourished so much that their husbands left their old jobs and joined their wives.

Rani, Selvanayagi and Jeeva case study shows that with adequate encouragement and some financial

support, many rural women in India have the potential to change their lives for better.

Should you wish to know more about Sarvam and their project, please speak to Mrs Shilpa Shah on 07404618933 (between 2pm and 6pm) or email on shilpa.sarvam@gmail.com.

They requires your help with their projects and should you wish to donate please make cheques payable to ‘THE SARVAM TRUST’ and send them to: The Sarvam Trust, UK. Asian Voice/ Gujarat Samachar Asian Bu sin ess Publ ic at io n Ltd , 12 H oxto n Marke t, Lo nd on , N1 6HW

8

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Midland Voice

Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com Dee Katwa News in Brief Briton laughed after shooting Anuj Bidve 'Psycho Stapleton', a Briton who admitted shooting Indian student Anuj Bidve on December 26 last laughed and ran away after the incident, the Manchester Crown Court was told on the first day of his trial Monday.

Kiaran Stapleton, 21, had earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but not guilty of murder of Bidve, 23. His plea was not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service and he now stands trial for murder.

Stapleton 'smirked or laughed' after he walked up to Bidve and shot him through the head, the Crown Court was told

Victim: Anuj Bidve

during the day's proceedings today.

Stapleton approached Bidve and his friends in the street in Salford and asked them at least once what the time was.

One of the group answered and without warning Stapleton pro-

Killer: Kiaran Stapleton

duced a gun, put it to the head of Bidve and fired a shot, which killed him, the court was told during the trial that is expected to last 12 days.

The Bidve family has travelled from Pune to attend the trial. Opening the case, prosecutor Brian

Cummings told the Crown Court: "Anuj Bidve immediately fell to the ground, fatally injured. The gunman smirked or laughed and ran off." He told the jury that Stapleton had pleaded guilty to his manslaughter three weeks ago but continues to deny murder.

The defence are likely to call expert psychological and psychiatric evidence in the trial.

Bidve, who was a student of Microelectronics at Lancaster University, was on his way from his hotel walking through Ordsall to the Boxing Day sales in Manchester city centre with a group of other Indian students

Balsall Heathans honoured

Shabir Ahmed: The Rochdale sex gang ringleader

Congratulations to Mr Boota, pictured, an acclaimed poet from Birmingham, who was honoured for his services to the local community at the Balsall Heath Heart of Gold Awards. Also recognised for similar contributions were Habib Rahman and Naseem Akhtar. The awards, now in their second year, celebrate the achievements of individuals who work together to make the area a better place. Balsall Heath is a working-class, inner city area of Birmingham with 60% Asian, 20% white and 20% black residents. It is also home to the Balti Triangle.

Nominations are being accepted for 2013, phone Abdullah Rehman on 0121 446 6182/3.

A girl raped by Shabir Ahmed has said that the ringleader of the Rochdale sex gang that preyed on vulnerable white school girls should be jailed for life.

Last month Shabir Ahmed, a 59-year old cab driver of Pakistani origin was jailed for 19 years for his part in running a ring of paedophiles in Rochdale and Oldham. Ahmed could not be named at the time as he was awaiting a separate child abuse trial.

The girl said: “I’m just Shabir Ahmed glad people can know who he is and what he’s done. He’s just such an evil man. I know what he’s done to me — it’s obvious now from this second trial that he’s been doing this for years and ruined a lot of lives.

“If anybody deserves to spend the rest of their lives in prison, it’s him. I’m just relieved it’s over — it’s some justice.”

Ahmed persistently supplied the girl with vodka before raping her above a takeaway restaurant in Heywood, Rochdale.

Behead-threat men jailed for kidnap Two men who kidnapped a teenage boy and threatened to behead him as well as sever his limbs from his body if his father did not pay a £40,000 ransom have been jailed. Abdul Miah, 29 was jailed for 17 years while Liban Mohammed, 20, was jailed for 11 years after they were found guilty of kidnap and blackmail at Sheffield Crown Court. Officers have said that the boy was bundled into a car while waiting outside an off-licence in Sheffield on 31 October 2011. During a six hour ordeal, the boy was hooded with a makeshift balaclava and threats were made to his father that he would have his arms, legs and head cut off if he did not pay a £40,000 ransom.

Miah and Mohammed face further jail time of 15 years and 10 years respectively for blackmail.

Gold raid warning Police have warned the public to be on their guard after a spate of Asian gold thefts in the Black Country. Officers have received reports of three thefts on Penn Road, Dudley Road and Rookery Street, Wolverhampton, with offenders snatching Asian gold necklaces from female victims as they walked along the street. Separately, mum-of-two Dhanlaxmiben Narshi from Birmingham suffered bruises to her chest, knees and arms after two youths on bicycles pounced on her from behind and ripped off her gold necklace. The 58-year-old was knocked to the ground in the incident on Showell Green Lane, Sparkhill, around 3pm last Tuesday.

Blogger being sued for libel An award-winning Indian restaurant has launched a legal action for defamation against an Indian food blogger. Birmingham-based Lasan is seeking “substantial damages” from Dan Toombs following a restaurant report on his website. The blog concerned an alleged dispute over the payment of a bill. Mr Toombs, an American based in North Yorkshire, is a prolific user of Twitter and has nearly 19,000 followers using the name @TheCurry-Guy. Mr Toombs’ blog entry has been removed from his website. Lasan was named Best Local Restaurant in Britain by Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word in 2010.

Return to the helm The former ‘invisible’ chairman of West Midlands Police Authority has been reappointed to the role. Labour Councillor Mohammad Nazir, pictured, who was chairman of the authority for four years between 2000 and 2004, will replace fellow Walsall Councillor Mohammed Arif.

Prank call, man in court A man accused of making a malicious call to Central News has appeared before Birmingham Magistrates.

Akhtar Hussain Shah, 48, of Brook Lane, Billesley, pleaded not guilty to an offence under the Communications Act. Shah, who was released on conditional bail, will appear again before the court on August 15.

35k boost for Asian charity Dudley Asian Women’s Centre, a charity, has been awarded a £35,000 by the Lloyds TSB Foundation. The Centre, established almost 20 years ago, helps the disadvantaged and victims of social isolation. Centre Manager Adeela Parvez, pictured, said: “The grant will allow us to expand our work with staff, volunteers and members.” To find out more visit www.dudleyawn.org.uk

Enter the Family Business Awards Nominations for the Family Business Awards 2012 are still open. The deadline for submissions of entries, which is completely free, is midnight this Friday (June 29). Now in their third year, the not-forprofit Awards are the Midlands’ only initiative to recognise the work and achievements of family businesses and owners. The awards ceremony will take place on November 8 in Leicester. To enter, or to find out more visit www.familybusinessawards.co.uk

Students: We ask, you listen Sixth-formers from across the Midlands took part in a Question Time-style debate at Solihull School last Friday. Panellists included MPs Lorely Burt and Roger Godsiff, Bishop of Aston, the Rt Rev Andrew Watson, and Professor Anthony O’Hear, who served as education adviser to Margaret Thatcher and John Major. The debate was chaired by BBC Radio Four presenter Ritula Shah, pictured.

Neighbour attacked over fence dispute A taxi driver who left his neighbour needing 17 stitches after battering him over the head with a wooden pole in the garden of his Birmingham home has been handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Mohammed Arif, 38, attacked his neighbour of seven years Robert Martin during a long-running dispute over damage to a fence. Arif was also ordered to pay £150 compensation, carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work and banned from contacting Mr Martin and his family.

Dancing with the Spirit A vicar in Somerset has apologised after a band celebrating the Diamond Jubilee played on a churchyard plot where a grandmother had been buried only 18 months before. The entertainers were, literally, dancing on her grave. Another good reason to be cremated.

Schools’ ratings drop Two top Birmingham girls’ schools have been downgraded by Ofsted, the schools watchdog. Kings Norton Girls School and Hillcrest School in Bartley Green dropped from the top “outstanding” rating to “satisfactory” following their recent “no notice” inspections. Schools, according to the Birmingham branch of NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the country, are being downgraded by Ofsted, “not because schools are necessarily doing a poor job, but because of the continual moving of the goalposts”.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignments Editor

Ayesha Mustafa, 32 Ayesha Mustafa is the founder and director of Fashion ComPassion, an online ethical fashion retailer. Ayesha previously worked as a marketing professional at Pepsi Co UK. Before Pepsi she worked in PR and communications and had a short stint working at a New York law firm. Beside her professional career, she’s also worked with NGOS and social development organizations that support literacy, women’s empowerment and community development.

She acquired a BA in Politics & Economics from Mount Holyoke College, U.S.A, and a Masters in Media & Communications from City University, London. She grew up in Karachi, Lahore, Cairo, New York & Dubai & currently lives in London.

Q Where were you born? Tell me about your family background. was born in I Karachi, Pakistan, and I lived there till I was nine.

Both my parents worked.

My two brothers and I were brought up by my maternal grandmother, aunt and uncle. We then moved away from Karachi to various other countries, but visited Pakistan often. We were taught the importance of giving back to others, loving our country, and striving for the best from a young age. These ideals have shaped my life and make me the person I am today.

ellery collection with artisans in Kenya. We find brands either through research or recommendations or they contact us directly.

Q What made you set up this company?

I had been dabbling with the idea of establishing an ethical fashion house that focused on social development and empowering women in developing countries.

After extensive research and travelling, I decided to give up my job and start this company. The inspiration to form Fashion ComPassion came from a combination of my two biggest interests: fashion and philanthropy. While working at the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, I witnessed first- hand how creating jobs and providing a sustainable solution for the poorest in the world had a monumental impact on families and communities and wanted to take this forward by establishing my own company.

GUNAS is an exclusive, progressive luxury brand that is created with modern eco-friendly materials. Gunas Bags are created by skilled artisans working in fair trade workshops. Bhalo (the Bengali word for ‘good’) is an eco friendly label that employs local women, widows in rural Bangladesh.

Beshtar means 'More' in Dari; the idea behind the brand is to do more for the people of Afghanistan. The profits from sales go to various charities. Nawa means seed and aims to use fashion to create sustainable improvements in the quality of life for poorer communities.

Palestyle is a social brand that works with Palestinian Refugee Women in camps in Jordon and Lebanon.

Q What fashion brands do you work with and how do you find them?

I work with 6 sustainable fashion brands but we are expanding our product range and adding new brands to Fashion ComPassion. I am also looking to design a limited edition jew-

Q Your brands are located in different countries. Tell me a bit about them.

Our brands originate in Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and New York.

I believe that positive change takes place even with the smallest initiative

Q What is your plan for penetrating mainstream fashion?

The idea behind Fashion ComPassion is to create a market for sustainable fashion that is as luxurious and design-led as mainstream fashion. We want to show how ethical fashion can be high end and have positive effects on socie-

Ayesha Mustafa

ty. I am also planning on forming a partnership with mainstream fashion brands that are looking to create a socially conscious line. Further, I give talks on sustainable fashion and hold exhibitions with retailers, art galleries, and multinationals in different countries to raise awareness about the concept.

Q How do you quantify the help to the disadvantaged? And isn't it a drop in the ocean compared to what's needed?

The brands we work provide income generating opportunities to marginalized women who have no access to employment and earning a living. Some brands give a percentage of profits to the artisans while others use all the profits to better the communities they live in. As a company, we further donate a certain percentage to various charities that work towards improving the lives of women and children around the world.

It depends on which way you look at it, but I believe that positive change takes place even with the smallest initiative. We all need to start somewhere, and this is my way of giving back to others to make a difference.

Please see w w w. f a s h i o n c o m p a s sion.co.uk for more about us.

Starkey racism row The historian David Starkey was embroiled in a race row at the Sunday Times Festival of Education at Wellington College in Berkshire.

The row was sparked by a comment made by Starkey in which he accused the Rochdale child exploitation ring who groomed white girls for sex of having values that were “entrenched in the foothills of Punjab or wherever it is.”

This provoked an angry reaction from Laurie Penny, a radical blogger and journalist who alleged that Starkey was a “racist”, a “troll” and a “biggot”. After joining him on a panel discussed which Britishness, Penny said that Starkey was “playing xenophobia and national prejudice for laughs.”

Spurred on by audi-

David Starkey

ence's cries of “keep going, keep going,” Penny moved on to address his tax status.

Once she had taken her seat, a seething Mr Starkey walked over to her and jabbed his finger in her face saying that “I will not be lectured to by a jumped up public school girl like you.”

As Penny, 25, a columnist for the New

Statesman carried on, Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas think tank intervened and declared that “you [Penny] are a disgrace to women and you are a disgrace to the left.”

As the session drew to a close, Tim Novis, the chaplain of Wellington College took to the stage in a bid to prevent the situation from escalating.

Following the commotion, a furious Penny said that “David Starkey is a troll and that's what trolls do. He's a bigot and that's what bigots do.

When you call a racist a racist, you get attacked.”

Mr Starkey has previously made controversial remarks. Days after the conviction of the Rochdale sex gang, the historian declared that the men were “acting within their cultural norm.”

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YOUR VOICE

10

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Gurkhas suffer biggest army cuts

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central and Minister of State for Children and Families

I refer to your article on Gurkhas survive army cuts etc dated 16 June 2012. The MOD’s confirmation that the Gurkha regiments would escape the cuts provoking anger elsewhere is misleading. The reality is that the Gurkhas have taken the biggest hit if you look at numbers.

Considering the size of the whole Brigade of Gurkhas which is some 3400 plus strong the announced cut is for 700 Gurkhas from this figure. There can be no further cuts to the Infantry Regiments as a whole for there is only one Infantry Regiment now, the Royal Gurkha Rifles with two battalions one stationed permanently in Brunei.

The interesting fact is there were 11 Gurkha Regiments in the Gorkha Brigade of the British Indian Army, the 11th disbanding in 1922 only to be reformed after Independence in the Indian Army.

Following India’s independence in 1947 the Gurkha regiments of the British Indian Army were divided between the new Indian Army and the British Army.

2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th Gurkhas transferred to the British while 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th remained in the Indian Army. During the Option for Change in 1994 when there was a very large cut in the British Armed Forces the Gurkhas were the worse hit when it went down from around 13000 to what now is 3400.

Not only were so many Gurkhas made redundant but the four Regiments were disbanded in totality to form the Royal Gurkha Rifles, while the rest of the Gurkha Regiments in the Indian Army march on from strength to strength.

Capturing the spirit of the 1948 Olympics for 2012

When Britain last hosted the Olympics in 1948 the Second World War had just ended – rationing was still in place, the country was financially crippled by wartime expenditure and some of the country’s best athletes had lost their lives. In short, life in Britain was still bleak for many people. Yet amazingly, despite the difficult times, the Olympic games that Britain hosted in 1948 were a great success. Mere lack of money wasn’t allowed to get in the way of the Olympic dream. When rationing dictated that British citizens were entitled to no more than 2,600 calories a day, the athletes got round it by eating whale meat, which was not covered by the rationing restriction, although it apparently tasted awful.

Perhaps more importantly, the legacy of the 1948 Olympics is that following the greatest period of upheaval in the twentieth century, the games were able to provide a forum where countries from across the world could come and take part in this great sporting spectacle together.

These so-called ‘austerity Olympics’ also produced some historic Olympic moments that are still remembered more than 60 years on. Fanny Blankers-Koen, a 30 year old mother of three who was given the nickname “The Flying Dutchman”, won a record 4 gold medals at Wembley and could have won more if she had been allowed to compete in the long jump and the high jump – events in which she was the world record holder.

Duncan White won the first medal of any kind for Sri Lanka, (then Ceylon).

Alice Coachman became the first nonwhite woman in the world to win a gold medal in a track event and the final of the field hockey tournament saw the Indian team defeat Great Britain and win India’s first gold medal as an independent nation.

Perhaps because I am the Member of

Parliament for the London constituency that contains Wembley stadium - the scene of all of these great achievements - I’m especially mindful of the legacy of those games, and particularly looking forward to the London Olympics in 2012.

Now, just as in 1948, the Olympics matter as much for what happens outside the sporting arena as what happens inside. That is why I am proud that the mission of this Olympics has been to encourage people young and old into sport whether it is a once a week swim in the local pool or the first step on the path to competing in a professional arena.

To achieve this, more than 900 community centred sport projects spread across the British Isles are being set up.

Coupled with a £1 billion five year youth and community strategy, these projects will make sure that the changes brought about by the Olympics have a lasting effect.

Additionally, the legacy of these games will be global. London is the first ever host city to put in place an international sport development programme – a programme which has already helped more than 12 million young people from countries as diverse as Azerbaijan to Zambia take part in sport. The 2012 Olympics are also helping to save lives for example in flood-prone areas of Bangladesh, where a child drowns every half an hour, the scheme is working with the charity Unicef supporting programmes teaching young children to swim.

Sport has the power to change lives, empower young people, and bring communities closer together. As we get ready to welcome a global audience to our capital city, I am proud that the London 2012 Olympics will deliver a lasting legacy not just here in the UK, but also around the world.

The Penurious of Britain

Britain, people are pampered to expect everything even if they have little or no money. Whatever money they get in wages or in state handouts, is blown on drink, cigarettes, expensive non-vegetarian foods and luxury items purchased on tick. And, as credit becomes harder than ever to get for those on a low income, more and more people in Britain are turning to loan sharks. Often, that's when their problems get worse - facing crippling interest rates from these illegal money lenders. People need to be educatied to live within their means, eat cheaply available vegetarain foods, which incidntally, are good for your health and for your pockets! They should learn to go without if they cannot afford to buy from whatever their incomes are. This reminds of an old adage – scrimp and save for a rainy day!

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

According to a most comprehensive study published in the media recently, almost 7 million working-age adults are living in extreme financial stress, one small push from penury, despite being in employment and largely independent of state support. Of these 3.6m British households have little or no savings, nor equity in their homes, and struggle at the end of each month to feed themselves and their children adequately. They say they are unable to cope on their current incomes and have no assets to fall back on, leaving them vulnerable to something as simple as an unexpectedly large fuel bill. it is stated that South Asian families living in suburbs like Brent who suffer most.

The definition of poor here is relative.

The poor of Britain are probably affluent in comparision to the so called better off people in Asian or African countries.In

Major (retd) Tikendra Dal Dewan Chairman British Gurkha Welfare Society, Farnborough

PM’s twisted priorities PM David Cameron is puzzled as to why a significant section of his own party members and back bench MPs oppose him and fail to understand his agenda, his priorities. The answer is simple and starring him in face. But if he locks himself in his Ivory Tower surrounded by flatters, yes men, then it would indeed be difficult for him to understand the mood of the nation. Incompetence has become a hallmark of this lame duck administration which stumbles from one crisis to another.

PM prefers the company and the agenda of his coalition partner Nick Clegg rather than carry out the promises he made at the election, to come out of European Human Rights laws and give British people their own charter of privileges, duty and responsibility. PM fails to understand that LibDem are free loaders exerting influence well beyond their meagre number of MPs in HOC. No wonder press calls Nick Clegg his political wife.

While economy is in free fall with double dip recession, PM indulges in issues British people do not care, such as gay marriages, reform of HOL, pursuing his private obsessions with wind power, lending some £40 billion to IMF and relentless increase in our overseas aid

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

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

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

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

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

away five years from your life.

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

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

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E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

While no one can dispute that all doctors work hard, in fact dedicate their lives in the care of their patients, going on strike is an extreme step to air their grievances.

In this harsh economic climate, created by unintelligent, undedicated and economically illiterate politicians, every one has to make sacrifice. Retiring with a pension in excess of 50K a year when average wage is less than half and the minimum as low as 10K, this does not seem a sacrifice beyond call of duty?

What we need is change, a new foundation in NHS, Social Care and practically every walk of life. But British people with outdated, Victorian views and politicians without vision, without foresight, living in dreamland, behaving as if we have an empire to run, are incapable of moving forward. No wonder we are being left behind by emerging countries like China, South Korea, Brazil and Singapore, a few among many emerging nations.

What we need and would be fair is an individual pension and savings account, as operated in Singapore and some Nordic countries, whereby every individual is obliged to save a percentage of his/her salary, with generous contribution from the State in the form of direct subsidy, tax rebate and higher interest. It would start as soon as the child is born, with a generous bonus from the State and a voluntary, compulsory parental contribution.

Although strictly regulated by the government, this is essentially a private savings with close family members, high earners allowed to transfer funds from father to son or on the demise of a family member. This is fair, imaginative and in retirement, it provides a generous pension without being a burden on the State.

This is as good as personal savings with bribe and compulsion!

Kumudini Valambhia By email budget, even surpassing the contribution of super rich Germany. Soon he will be telling British people to eat cakes if they can not afford bread! He should look across the English Channel where the French people got rid of President Sarkozy who shared our PM’s views on economic front and learn from German Chancellor Angela Merker where economy is flourishing with manufacturing is in the forefront, producing real jobs and real wealth.

Although Labour made spectacular gains in local elections, it was due to the failure of the Coalition rather than any positive message by Labour. Ed Miliband has failed to make any impression and most Labour voters still consider David Miliband a far superior leader than his brother Ed. This is the sum total of British politics. God help us from selfrighteous politicians who consider themselves mini Gods. They may have licence to print money but not licence to mess up our lives, our economy and our beloved country!

Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

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

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

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

11

Values of Democracy and Tibet C.R. Parekh Lecture by the Dalai Lama Dibyesh Anand In contemporary world, there are very few figures who cut across the boundaries of nations, states, religions and political divide. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso is one of them. He is the leader of the oppressed Tibetan people.

He is the spirit of the Tibetan nation. He is the embodiment of Avalokitesvara, the boddhisatva of compassion. He is a global icon who prioritises compassion and inter-faith dialogue. He is a religious leader who strongly espouses secular ethics. The Dalai Lama has steadfastly maintained his commitment to seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet within People’s Republic of China even as he proudly reminds the world that he is like a ‘son of India’ and the Tibetan people’s relation with Indians is akin to that of ‘chela’ (disciple) to a guru.

The University of Westminster was privileged to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 19th June to deliver the C R Parekh Lecture on the ‘Values of Democracy and Tibet’. The video of the event is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esn5 qKNLWOA. The event was organised by myself with the support of my Department of Politics and International Relations and the Nirman Foundation.

He was welcomed by Professor Geoffrey Petts, the Vice Chancellor and Professor Roland Dannreuther, the Head of the Department. Lord Bhikhu Parekh gave a very warm vote of thanks at the end.

I have met the Dalai Lama a few times since my research is on Tibet and ChinaIndia relations. Being an atheist and a critical scholar, my interest is neither affected by interest in Buddhism nor by what I call ‘exotica Tibet’. Yet, the Dalai Lama always strikes me as an astute political figure and a genuinely warm person. And during the event at my University he left a similar impression on the audience.

The Dalai Lama reminded the students of the virtues of democracy and

well as after the exile in 1959 that India will not tolerate pro-independence, hence anti-China, activities on a large scale within India.

For a leader whose people were betrayed by India - India was the first country to sign off a treaty in 1954 where international identity of traditional Tibetan state was extinguished - the Dalai Lama is remarkably understanding and even appreciative.

A dominant strand of his lecture was an admiration of secular and democratic The grace and dignity of a real Guru India. He exhorted the ethics. While accepting that national audience to see Indian secular democracy identity is important, he urged for a nonas a model for the entire world without chauvinist and an inclusive idea of identibeing blind to its flaws such as corruption ty that has at its heart concern for the and short-sighted mode of development wider humanity and respect for individuthat destroys environment. Is the Dalai als. Education and the search for a secuLama starry-eyed about India? lar ethics that is respectful of all religious Not many Indians realise this, but the believers as well as non-believers should Dalai Lama is the biggest spokesperson be a priority, he said. The Dalai Lama for India in the world stage. To host a may be a rare national leader who reiterremarkable global icon who combines ates his belief in the humanity of the peoreligion, politics, nationalism, individualple and even government of the occupyity, and humanity in a unique way is ing force. Actually, he sees Chinese peoIndia’s fortune. While Tibetans in general ple as an ally of Tibetan people if only the and the Dalai Lama in particular never system in China becomes more open, fail to express their gratitude to India for more democratic. giving them refuge, Indians also need to In response to a question after the forbe more aware and appreciative of contrimal lecture, the Dalai Lama argued that butions made by Tibetans to India’s culindependence is not a practical goal for ture, religious landscape, economy, and the Tibetans and his stance of ‘middle security. After all it is Chinese controlled way’ to strive for genuine autonomy withTibet and not China that is India’s neighin China was the only option. Dalai bour. Many people inhabiting Indian Lama, the politician with a particular Himalayan borderlands are followers of view of what the future of Tibetans Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetans play a crushould be, revealed that both the Indian cial role in Indian military. And yet, government and the United States would Indians are mostly unaware of Tibetan restrict Tibetans in exile if Tibetans start issue. demanding independence. Providing a If India really deserves the praise rare insight into the thinking of India, the bestowed to it by the Dalai Lama, it needs Dalai Lama said that Pandit Jawaharlal to be genuinely secular and robustly demNehru had made it clear to him in 1956 as ocratic. Not a faux-democracy that

Plans for O-level-style exams to replace GCSEs England's exam system needs further changes, Education Secretary Michael Gove has told MPs, amid reports of plans to return to O-level style exams.

Mr Gove is reported to be preparing to replace GCSEs for England from autumn 2014 and also to bring in a simpler exam for less academic teenagers.

He was summoned to the Commons to answer urgent questions after details were leaked to the Daily Mail.

The Liberal Democrats are angry they were not told about the plans. A senior figure told journalists: "We are very, very hostile to something that looks like it is going to return to the two-tier system of the past."

Mr Gove did not confirm the plans directly with MPs but praised many of the ideas, saying action was needed because the current exam system was letting children down. "Children are working harder than ever

but we are hearing that the system is not working for them," he said. "We want to tackle the culture of competitive dumbing down."

He said rigour needed to be restored to the system if England was to keep pace with educational improvements in some other countries.

Documents setting out the proposals for change were leaked to the Daily Mail and government sources told the BBC they were broadly correct. The ideas, if introduced, would amount to the biggest change to the exams system for a generation. They are going to be put out for consultation.

The plan is for students to begin studying what the leaked document says will be "tougher" Olevel style exams in English, maths and the sciences from September 2014. They would take their exams in 2016. Less academic pupils would sit a different "more straightforward" exam, like the old

CSE. Labour's education spokesman Kevin Brennan told Mr Gove such a move would take the exam system "back to the 1950s". "GCSEs may well need improving, but a two-tier exam system which divides children into winners and losers at 14 is not the answer," he said.

The Liberal Democrats said the plans appeared to set too low an aspiration for young people. And a senior figure said changing the secondary exams system within two years could "lead to massive upheaval".

GCSEs replaced O-levels and CSEs in the mid1980s. Under the previous system, the more academic teenagers took O-levels while others took CSEs (Certificates of Secondary Education). News of the plans come as tens of thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland finish taking their GCSE and Alevel exams.

accepts corporatised development that impoverishes millions while enriching a few or lets majoritarianism trump minority rights. Democracy is not only a geographically bounded electoral system but a spirit. A spirit that balances between majority rule and minority rights, that accepts the right to dissent without fear and crucially supports the rights of the other oppressed people. A genuinely democratic India cannot be smug about the political system within the country while lackadaisical about the fate of peoples in the neighbourhood. India’s foreign policy has in fact been rather anti-democratic as it shows no qualms in doing business with all sorts of tyrants and dictatorships all in the name of ‘non-interference’. A good illustration of this is Indian attitude toward the plight of their Tibetan neighbours living under Chinese occupation.

In his vote of thanks Lord Parekh said that his father would have been thrilled that His Holiness had delivered a lecture in his memory. His father had followed the Dalai Lama’s life and struggle closely and greatly admired his wisdom and commitment to his people.

Lord Parekh said that the Dalai Lama had shown how to combine religion and politics without corrupting either and how to fight against injustice without damaging one’s own or one’s opponent’s humanity.

Since the Dalai Lama is fond of children, Lord Parekh invited Marcus Raj Parekh and Sophie Nitin Parekh, his grandchildren and aged 15 and 14 respectively, to offer flowers and a box of chocolates to His Holiness.

The Dalai Lama said he respected Lord Parekh, called him ‘Guruji’ and asked his blessings. Lord Parekh was taken aback by his extraordinary generosity. He told His Holiness that he was the real Guru and that it was he who sought and needed the Dalai Lama’s blessings.

Dibyesh Anand is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster and an expert on Tibet and China-India relations.

Exhibition on Southall Broadway changes A new 20 mile per hour speed limit, wider pavements and new central islands to make crossing the road easier are among proposals to completely redesign the layout of Southall Broadway.

Residents will be able to view the plans and give their opinions on proposals to radically improve the layout of Southall Broadway at a public exhibition on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 June. The Southall Broadway Boulevard project is part of

Southall’s Big Plan which will see more than £11million of investment in the town centre to tackle traffic problems, make walking easier and safer, regenerate the area and create more job and training opportunities.

Proposed changes to the layout of the Broadway between Stanley Road and South Road include: l More loading bays l Widening pavements l Reducing the speed limit to 20 miles per hour and building central islands to

help pedestrians cross the road l Removing signalled pedestrian crossings and allowing pedestrians to cross at more locations l Removing the bus lane between Tudor Road and Greenford Avenue l Better street lighting and more trees The exhibition takes place at Southall Town Hall, 1 High Street, Southall, Middlesex UB1 3HA on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 June between 10am and 4pm.

Rogue traders operating in the Borough are being warned they will be investigated and tackled if they're not operating within the law.

The warning comes after five separate investigations were launched in Redbridge to look into possible rogue trader incidents that occurred in May alone.

The Council will prosecute if traders provide false or misleading infor-

mation or operate contrary to regulations and has recently successfully prosecuted two traders.

In May, building company Shields Installations Limited, was fined £5000 plus costs after it failed to supply the correct paper work when Trading Standards launched an investigation following concerns from a resident who felt they were being overcharged.

At the beginning of

June, another trader, Prikunj Shah, operating under a number of names that abbreviated to NDC, was prosecuted after falsely claiming he was registered with National House Building Council when contacting residents about building works. The trader was fined £8000 and ordered to pay more than £22,000 compensation to residents and costs to the Council.

Rogue traders warned to stay out of the Redbridge or risk prosecution

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Scrutator’s The recent theatrics in Delhi have swung from black comedy to low farce. Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister, is turning out to be India’s untamed shrew. Her antics and her illconsidered pronouncements may make good copy, but the promise of the new dawn for a state struggling to recapture the present from three decades and more of its benighted Communist-led past, is fast receding into limbo. Investors and industrialists alike were betting on political stability and common sense government before advancing into unknown territory.

Alas, West Bengal remains an investment risk, as it was under the Communist dispensation.

Ms Banerjee’s penchant for maladroit drama led to her publicized caper with Samajwadi Dal leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to jointly forward Mamata Banerjee A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s name in the presidential stakes. Mr Kalam, a former Indian president and distinguished rocket scientist, declined the offer with thanks, putting an inglorious end to Ms Banerjee’s selfappointed role as national king-maker.

Pranab Mukherjee The opposition BJP, which had also rooted for Mr Kalam, was hung out to dry.

Worse, the BJP’s NDA coalition partners refused to sing from the same hymn-sheet and expressed their support for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, leaving BJP leaders L.K.Advani and Sushma Swaraj in a visible state of distress.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A.Sangma’s determination to stay the course as the BJP’s late-choice candidate has cast him adrift of his National Congress Party, and he is now heading for the rocks.

Pranab Mukherjee, Mamata Banerjee’s bête noire, is a political heavyweight with forty years of experience behind him. He keeps harvesting votes from every side of the political spectrum, including those of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati.

Ms Banerjee’s fevered machinations to cripple Mr Mukherjee have clearly failed. Revenge, it is often said, is best served cold.

The pantomime hasn’t been an ennobling spectacle (The Hindu, Times of India, The Telegraph (June 15-23).

(RBI) failed to materialize at the appointed hour, much to the disappointment of the market, ministers and industry circles. The RBI Governor defended the decision in the light of continuing inflationary pressures, currently at 7.5 per cent. The Times of India’s editorial (June 20) supported this position, arguing that without a significant reduction in inflation, the desired rate cut would fail to deliver the full cure.

Instead, the government should permit Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector, as demanded by some states and opposed by others, most notably by Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal. With Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Dal seemingly on board the UPA bandwagon, it was time to initiate fresh moves to make multi-brand retailing a marketplace reality. An increase in the permitted quantum of FDI in the insurance sector would also gel with the national interest. The measures in question can be passed into law through executive orders if there is the will to action.

Not all gloom Raghuvir Srinivasan pointed to the positives in the economy, listing current oil prices whose downward trend below $100 a barrel in the last one month was “excellent news”. It would have a “salutary effect” on trade figures by bringing down the import bill, reduce inflationary pressures and stimulate consumer spending. he said. (The Hindu June 18).

vergence holds,” remarked our scribe.

No alliance expected Ms Sirohi went on: “The Americans know India will not become an American ‘ally’ and no-one is pushing for it. They have enough treaty allies.

Expectations have been adjusted and Washington well understands that India wants a partnership of equals. For historical, psychological and philosophical reasons, India won’t be anyone’s junior partner.”

Put simply, it means that Indo-US conversations cannot be conducted in an echo chamber, so to speak The dialogue of the deaf is a dreary monologue. The portents were good. The seating arrangement eschewed the usual face-to-face sequence for one where Indians and Americans sat side by side, a symbol of the symbiosis between the parties.. A message was being conveyed for audiences near and far.

No Indian involvement in US-blessed foreign exercises would be sought, but the US would enhance Indian strategic capabilities. Seema Sirohi again: “As more US defence technology becomes available, India can gather greater ‘comprehensive national power’ – a phrase the Chinese casually throw around to disparage India. India is smartly hunting for strategic autonomy while getting closer to the US. It packages the alignment differently at different times. This may disappoint the with-us-oragainst-us Americans but they are a minority. The big picture is good and getting better.”

Postscript As a postscript to these shenanigans, the Calcutta High Court upheld the Tata company’s right of possession to Singur, the site of its aborted Nano car project, and struck down the West Bengal government’s legislation to have land returned to farmers who claimed it was taken from them illegally without adequate compensation by the previous Communist-led Left Front regime (Times of India, Hindu, The Telegraph June 23).

The Economic Times editorial (June 23), referring to the event, commented: “The Singur verdict is no big setback for Mamata or gain for the Left.”

The Kolkata-based Telegraph took a contrary view, sustaining it with a detailed presentation of the factual record, followed by a damning analysis of the entire affair. (June 23). The government, for its part, will lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court in Delhi. The Chief Minister’s credibility, meanwhile, appears to be replicating the law of diminishing returns.

The economy, stupid Former US President Bill Clinton famously remarked before his re-election, “It’s the economy, stupid,” when answering a question about his priorities on the campaign trail. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it would appear, is similarly dis-

This, certainly, was an encouraging start to a win-win relationship, but it will need nurturing. Nothing should be taken for granted. Governments change, as do national priorities.

Reckless optimism is best avoided.

Meanwhile, China’s primordial conceits darken the horizon. Beijing and Islamabad as bedfellows underlines the limitations of the Chinese imagination. Beijing’s crude projections of itself as Washington’s sole superpower rival in a bid to muscle its neighbours is a delusory exercise. The challenge for Indian policymakers is to take China seriously, but not losing sight of the prescriptive pinch of salt.

Taliban approval The Afghan Taliban has shed a kindly light on the Indo-US talks. It stated: “No doubt that India is a significant country in the region. They are aware of the Afghans’ aspirations, creeds and love for freedom. It is totally illogical they should plunge their nation into a calamity just for American pleasure.”

The Taliban wanted cordial relations with India on the basis of sovereignty, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs (The Hindu June 18).

Across the border, Pakistan’s Army chief reiterated that there could be no stability in the Subcontinent without prior settlement of the Kashmir problem to Islamabad’s satisfaction. On the heels of this statement came Pakistani firing on an Indian border post in Kashmir, causing injury to an Indian jawan. Which puts paid, at least for now, to the efforts of India’s special pleaders for “brotherly love” between the neighbours.

Their message is gift-wrapped: prolix prose redolent with recycled, flagellating homilies and platitudes.

Time for a sleepwalk.

Sporting heroine

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) handshake at G20 Summit posed.

Dr Singh assured heads of state and government at the G20 Summit in Cabos, Mexico, that putting India back onto its high growth trajectory was his prime concern. Having experienced 89 per cent growth for the past decade, Dr Singh accepted that the 2011-12 fiscal’s 6.5 per cent figure wasn’t acceptable to the Indian people, even though it might pass muster in most other countries.

He promised a tranche of reforms to propel the stalled Indian economy forward. Its fundamentals, he affirmed, were essentially sound. (The Times of India June 20).

Proper focus The anticipated interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India

New Indo-US template There was a noteworthy analysis of Indo-US ties by Seema Sirohi in the Times of India (June 18) Her tour d’horizon ranged beyond customary geostrategic concerns to less glamorous subjects, surely as significant for the durability of the Indo-US template. These included a “dizzying array of fields – from agriculture to education, from science and technology to women’s empowerment, from cyber security to counter-terrorism, from police training to creating virtual institutes in mathematics – a very large palette is coming alive”.

While such nation building exercises may be something of a novelty for both sides, “the fundamental logic of strategic con-

Devious China Seema Sirohi concludes her thought provoking piece with this telling passage: “Finally, the Pakistan hang in US policy towards India may have gone but China remains the biggest complicating factor for both India and the US. The Chinese vice-premier’s attempt to play India was baldly obvious when he whispered during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting that the ‘real partnership’ of the century was one between India and China. By implication India was wasting its energy on a partnership far away. But China plays for itself while America can and does try to play in a team….India can help shape the team while gaining in strategic autonomy.”

At 22, Sania Nehwal has been making waves. The emerging Indian superstar has taken the world of women’s badminton by storm, winning the recent Indonesian Open Super Series in Jakarta, after overcoming Chinese champion Xuerul in a thrilling final. One set down, Saina prevailed in the next two sets, saving two match points b e f o r e clinching the title, her third in as many weeks in a career total of 13.

Nehwal has a medal at t h e London Olympiad Sania Nehwal in her sights. She has a string of major international honours to her name, starting with her first victorious tournament in 2005. The best, surely, is yet to come.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Royal Tailor’s body found in Thames The body of the tailor to the royal family has been found drowned in the Thames.

Harry Bhageerutty, pictured, 74, had been missing for over a week since he left his home in South London.

Bhageerutty was employed by Dege and Skinner of Savile Row as a master coat maker. The company's clients include the royal families of both Bahrain and Oman.

Three days later police issued an appeal for information on Mr Bhageerutty's whereabouts. He is believed to have suffered from high blood pressure and possible memory loss.

A police spokesman issued a statement saying: “Officers continue to make inquiries to establish Mr Bhageerutty's movements prior to his death.” An inquest into his death will open in due course.

Balti curry seeks EU protected status Curry houses in Birmingham are applying for the city's famous Balti dish to be given protected EU status. If the application is successful, the name "Birmingham Balti" would be given EU protected name status.

Adas, the agency which helps in the application process, said it would be a big advantage for the city's so-called "Balti Triangle" district and "pin down" its recipe and cooking method.

The application by Birmingham Balti Association is being consulted on. Under the 12week UK consultation, which ends in September, interested parties will be able to comment or object to the application.

The association wants to make Birmingham Balti a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed product (TSG), which means only curries conforming to a precise specification can use the name.

Taliban man stays in Britain, saying outfit will kill him

Lord Rana speaks on voluntary sector and social enterprise Lord Rana, pictured, took part in a debate on the role of the voluntary sector and social enterprise that went “to the heart of citizenship”. During the debate Lord Rana highlighted how important it was to ensure that adequate funding is made available to sustain valuable services saying: “The voluntary sector makes a proportionately greater contribution in Northern Ireland than in other parts of the UK.” Of the many reasons that lay behind this the extent of poverty and a weak private sector were contributing factors.

“Both have been influenced by over 30 years of upheaval and violence,” he said.

Noting the “good work done by Northern Ireland C….VA,” Lord Rana emphasised that “The work of many voluntary organisations touches virtually every section of the community;” adding, “the sector is a major source of employment;” [including] “former prisoners from both sides of the divide, who are unable to find mainstream jobs.”

As well as “contributing to the strategic focus of the Northern Ireland Executive on accelerating the growth of the private

enterprise culture.” This was something that Lord Rana thought would help rebalance the economy and reduce an unhealthy overdependence on the public sector.

Representing approximately 4.5% of the Northern Ireland workforce they are a significant proportion of people who work to help others. “It is,” Lord Rana said: “a community support system that is fundamental to the economic well-being of communities and their stability,” and it is, he underlined: “important [..] the Government should be seeking to ensure that the funding is underpinned and sustained adequately.” This is especially so now that the area does not qualify for as much European funding as it did in the past.

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But Ahmadzai managed to overturn the case on the grounds that his life would be at risk if he returned to Afghanistan.

After losing his first appeal against the Home Office decision to deport him, Ahmadzai took his case to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

Ahmadzai claims he was tortured when he tried to leave the Taliban.

He said he managed to escape the country, but cannot return because his life would be in danger.

The report said Ahmadzai was now free to live anywhere in Britain.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said they were "extremely disappointed" with the court's decision, and that they did not believe Ahmadzai needed or "deserved refuge" in the country.

A Taliban militant, who killed NATO soldiers in Afghanistan and supplied the outfit with weapons, has managed to stay in Britain, claiming he will be punished for deserting the terror group if he returns home.

In May 2010, 30-yearold Zareen Ahmadzai entered Britain illegally in the back of a lorry, The Sun reported.

Ahmadzai killed NATO soldiers with a Kalashnikov rifle in wartorn Helmand province.

He served in the outfit for three years after his father, a commander in Helmand, was killed by US soldiers.

The British Home Office rejected Ahmadzai's claim for asylum, and he was locked up at the Harmondsworth removal centre in west London while awaiting deportation.

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ART & CULTURE

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Q & A: Visa to India What is Renunciation/ Surrender of Indian Passports Under the Indian law, people of Indian origin, who have acquired foreign nationality, are required to surrender their Indian passport (nationality) to the High Commission of India in London or at the respective Indian consulates at Birmingham and Edinburgh before submitting their visa applications.

What documents do I need to surrender my Indian Passport Documents Required for Surrender of Indian Passports Duly filled application form Original Indian Passport (Last/Valid Indian passport at the time of Naturalization) Self attested photocopy of Indian passport (Used Visa Pages) Self attested photocopy of British / Foreign Passport Self attested photocopy of British / Foreign Naturalisation certificate Processing time would be a minimum of 13-14 working days; it may take longer in certain cases. All decisions are at sole discretion of the High Commission of India, London and its Consulates in the United Kingdom.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and does not guarantee a Surrender Certificate. The High Commission of India or its Consulates reserve the right to ask for additional documents if required.

What is the fee for Surrendering my Indian Passport?

Mode of payment could be Cash, Debit or Credit Card (except American Express Card), Postal Order or Bank Draft payable to “VF Services UK Ltd” The Government of India has fixed a fee for renouncing the Indian Citizenship / Surrender Of Indian Passport based on the date, the Person of Indian Origin, has acquired British/Foreign Citizenship. The fee has been fixed w.e.f. 01.06.2010 as under:-

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Shree Samatra Leva Patel Community celebrate Ruby Jubilee As part of the Ruby Jubilee Celebrations, Samatra Community (U.K.) organised a charity cultural programme at Byron Hall, Harrow Lesiure Centre on Saturday 16th June 2012.

The programme included folk songs by Mrs Vijyalaxmi Kara, stage performances by community children, raas – garba, ramzaniyu and dandiya raas. A sumptuous vegetarian meal was also enjoyed by all. There was a photo exhibition of various Samatra projects and activities in UK and India.

The hall was packed with people of all ages and everyone had a fun packed

Dancers entertaining guests

evening.

The four beneficiaries of this charity event were: Cancer Research (U.K.) – Prostate Cancer,

Orphanages in Kutch, S.K.L.P.C (U.K.) Gujarati School and good causes in Samatra, Kutch.

The programme fin-

ished at midnight with everyone in a joyful mood participating in a well organised and successful charity event.

Maharashtra Mandal London hold premiere of ‘Ajintha’ Distinguished as the oldest of the Indian organisations abroad, Maharashtra Mandal London has recently hosted a fabulous movie premiere of the film “Ajintha” at its premises in Dollis Hill.

While President of Maharashtra Mandal London Sushil Rapatwar and his team welcomed the cast of the film: Producer/Director Nitin Desai, heroine Sonalee Kulkarni, hero Phillip Scott Wallace, choreographer Ashwini Kalsekar and dialoguewriter Alice Birch, a superb lezhim display by the Yuva Club delighted scores of people who lined up at the entrance.

A traditional “aukshan” was given to the crew by the first lady

Producer/Director Nitin Desai meeting members of the Yuva club

Ragasudha, Trustee Viju Kale, Dr Viju Kanegaokar and Sharmila in the reverberating setting of lezhim, dhol and jhaanj.

Narayan Naik, Chairman of the Trustee Board briefly chronicled the 80 year existence of Mandal and the pivotal

role it played in providing a social and cultural platform to the community.

He emphasised that Mandal’s imposing Digital Theatre System would enhance entertainment experience to all age groups further. Audience were thrilled to interact

with Nitin who is prodigally famous for his excellent art direction in Jodha Akbar, Devdas, Lagaan and Slumdog Millionnaire and has numerous awards to his credit.

“Ajintha” profoundly renders the efforts of Major Robert Gill in painting the mirror-images of newly uncovered Ajantha Caves to reveal their beauty to the external world. He also falls in love with a local girl Paroo who helps him in his painting pursuits. On one hand, she gets killed and on the other, Robert’s elegant paintings get destroyed in the Crystal Palace fire in London. He is emotionally devastated.

The climax and fineness of the film have intensely touched the audience.

London Bridge celebrity Goat Walk to mark International Widows Day 2012 *The fee in the table is inclusive of the £2 Consular Surcharge.

Can I post my Indian Passport Surrender Application?

Applications can also be sent by post to our centralised postal processing centre at the address listed below. Postal applications require a minimum of 10-14 working days to be processed. This does not include the period when applications are in transit to and from the High Commission of India or its Consulate General of India in United Kingdom.

India Visa Application Centre 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN For further information please visit our website in.vfsglobal.co.uk "

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On Saturday 23rd June 2012, twenty prominent women lead a herd of goats across London Bridge to mark International Widows Day and raise awareness of the plight of widows worldwide.

The group was led by Lord Raj Loomba CBE, founder and executive chairman of the Loomba Foundation. As a Freeman of the City of London, courtesy of the Guild of Haberdashers, Lord Loomba has the right to drive livestock over London Bridge.The goat is a symbol of wealth and prosperity and often a lifeline for widows in India,

Raj Loomba with Nick Clegg and other distinguished guests at the fundraising dinner after the walk

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Lord Loomba CBE, Shamin Lalji, Baroness Benjamin, Cilla Black OBE, Nancy Dell’Olio, Cherie Blair.

South Asia and across Africa.

Lord Loomba was joined by Cherie Blair, President of the Loomba Foundation, Cilla Black, Heather Small, Nancy Dell’Olio, Lady Veena Loomba, Rajashree Birla, Baroness Floella Benjamin, Isla Blair, Neev Spencer, Kanya King, Elizabeth Emanuel, Baroness

Angela Harris, Aruna Oswal, Jo Swinson, Susan Tobbell, Indu Kakar, Shamin Lalji and Kristine Byrne.

The walk was followed by a reception at 10 Downing Street, hosted

by Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg.

The day of recognition concluded with a Fundraising dinner at the Banqueting House, Whitehall.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

The Institute of Export awards Sun Mark Ltd

L to R: HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Mrs Renu Ranger, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Mrs Reena Ahuja and Mr Harmeet Ahuja

International Trade for four consecutive years, a unique of achievement in the history of the Queen’s Awards. The award was presented by Mr Doug Tweddle, National Chairman of the Institute of Export to Dr. Rami Ranger MBE, the founder and Chairman of Sun Mark Ltd. Dr. Rami Ranger MBE, upon receiving the award put his success down to the British sense of tolerance and fair play where

an ordinary immigrant like him could realise his ambitions and become an asset for his family and adopted country. He also paid tribute to the staff of Sun Mark for sharing his vision for the company and working hard to provide excellent customer service.

The company exports British supermarket products to over 100 countries and its motto is “we only succeed when our customers succeed”.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh visits LondonSAM

L to R: Mike Leeson, Prof. Stuart Wall, Supriyo Chaudhuri, Brenda Eade, Dr. Dak Patel, Lord Parekh, Prof. Chatterjee, Dr. Teeranlall Ramgopal, Harshad Kothari.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh, the noted academician, visited London School of Accountancy and Management, for an informal meeting with its Senior Management Team and members of the Academic Board.

The discussions touched upon a number of areas, including the educational model of private sector colleges and LondonSAM’s various initiatives, the current regulations for overseas students

Archbishop of Canterbury visits Shri Vallabh Nidhi UK

Shri Vallabh Nidhi UK was very pleased to welcome His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for the Dept. of Communities and Local Government, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Mayor of Waltham Forest, Shrutidharma Das, H.H. Atmaniveden Swami and other distinguished guests to an event celebrating the first anniversary of the Near Neighbours programme and all it has achieved in East London commenced from St. Andrews Church, Leytonstone.

Mr Doug Tweddle presenting Dr Rami Ranger MBE, FRSA with an award

The Institute of Export hosted a splendid Gala Dinner to honour those businesses who have been conferred The Queens Awards for Enterprise in International Trade in this Jubilee year 2012.

The dinner was attended by over 150 prominent members of society including HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent KG GCMG GCVO who is also patron of the Institute.

Sun Mark Ltd received special recognition from the Institute for winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in

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and strategies for British Private Sector colleges.

Dr Teeranlall Ramgopal, Chairman of LondonSAM’s Academic Board, noted that this was a great occasion to welcome one of Britain’s most celebrated academicians in LondonSAM and hoped that the college would continue to receive Lord Parekh’s guidance and advice.

Professor Stuart Wall, member of LondonSAM’s Academic Board, com-

Correction The below photograph was published with a wrong caption in the Volume 41 of Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar - 23rd June 2012.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. The corrected caption is as below.

Dance Performance by Kuntal Dance Academy

mented on the economic impact of the overseas students on the UK economy and expressed hope that the overseas students will continue to have confidence in high standards and great prospects of UK Higher Education despite the changing visa regime.

Dr Dak Patel, Founder and Principal of LondonSAM, thanked Lord Parekh for the visit and hoped that the college executive team could continue to draw upon his wisdom and insights.Dr Patel also expressed his keenness to engage in setting up an Education establishment in Gujarat, and sought Lord Parekh’s advice on the same.

Harshad Kothari, Financial Controller of LondonSAM, Brenda Eade, Quality Assurance Advisor, Professor Charles Chatterjee, Academic Advisor, Mike Leeson, Managing Director, and Supriyo Chaudhuri, Director of Higher Education, also attended the meeting on behalf of LondonSAM.

Drivathon from London to Mumbai

Jayesh Desai

Jayesh Desai, 63, a selfemployed post-master and his wife Lata, 59, are taking part in a Drivathon from London to Mumbai to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

They will be accompanied

by Jayesh Patel, 51 a microbiologist and actively involved in Hare Krishna activities at Watford.

Jayesh and Lata Desai moved to the UK in 1973 and have a son and daugh-

Lata Desai

ter and three grandchildren. In March 2010, their daughter Rinal was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and is in remission after 6 months of chemotherapy and currently on a 2 year maintenance drug.

Money raised will be donated to the Asian Women Cancer Support Group based in Kenton Swaminarayan Temple in Harrow Middlesex that

Jayesh Patel

meets on a monthly basis and provides invaluable support and information to any Asian women that have been affected by cancer.

They plan to leave London on 14th August and are hoping to reach Mumbai by September /October. If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause please go to: www.justgiving.com/drivathon.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Nayantara hides Prabhu Deva's tattoo Nayantara and Prabhu Deva may have ended their relationship, but they continue to be in news. Thanks to the actress' unwillingness to remove her ex-beau's tattoo, which still attracts shutterbugs. However, Nayan seems to have become cautious about the tattoo from being clicked and has started hiding it from media. Nayantara, who attended a function, was not keen on revealing it and tried her best to cover the tattoo from being photographed. Knowing that the media was desperate to capture the Prabhu Deva tattooed on her left arm, the actress wore a long-sleeved white chudidar to hide it.

Anupam Kher to act in Malayalam movie Bollywood veteran actor, Anupam Kher, who got rave reviews after he acted in Blessy's “Pranayam” is now all set to act in another Malayalam film titled “Nayana,” directed by KN Sasidharan. film is said to be an all and all family entertainer with Innocent, Siddique, debutant Mukhil and baby Anikha playing pivotal roles. The shooting is likely to begin in September at Palakkad and in its surrounding areas.

Trisha becomes choosy to save Queen title Actress Trisha, who recently rejected Ravi Teja's film offer, has revealed that she is now waiting for a good script. The popular South Indian actress says that her recent movies have brought her title of T-Town queen and she does not want to lose it by accepting all the projects that are coming her way. Trisha asserted that only good roles interest her now. She said that she has been treated like a queen in T-Town and she does not want to ruin her stardom. The actress added that she has decided to wait for an exciting role or do other language films. However, she is one of the most sought after actress in Telugu films.

Hot Garam masala Parineeti and I are not dating: Uday Chopra Actor Uday Chopra has rubbished all the rumours that he is dating actress Parineeti Chopra. In fact, the actor posted on the social networking site that he finds their 'brewing relationships' news pieces 'ridiculous'! Earlier, the duo was spotted a couple of times at various nightspots which made the gossipmongers spread the news that there's something beyond a professional camaraderie. "Whoa! Parineeti Chopra and I are NOT dating guys...it's kinda ridiculous! And she doesn't call me Sir, though I think she should start," tweeted Uday Chopra.

Hrithik Roshan is 'super' angry!

Hrithik Roshan is extremely upset over the reports that he has summoned his old friend Farhan Akhtar to over look the climax of his upcoming superhero film. The climax of the movie was shot under the supervision of Hollywood action director Tony Ching. Tony Ching is a reputed name in Hollywood and was signed one year prior to the film gone on the floors. Hrithik was the one who brought in Tony. A source said, “Hrithik has been hands on this film and it is one of his most ambitious projects till date. The father-son duo is coming up with a film after a huge gap and they are leaving nothing to fate.”

Shahid Kapoor finds his girl in Katrina Twice before, they were almost finalised as the lead pair but it didn't happen. However, if all goes well, Katrina Kaif, who is gearing up to star in Prabhudheva's next 'Namak', will play the romantic lead opposite Shahid Kapoor for the very first time. In 2007, Rajkumar Santoshi had wanted to cast Katrina and Shahid in lead roles in the film he was planning to direct. Again, Imtiaz Ali's wife Preeti had wanted the pair to headline the 2009 remake of the Korean film' My Girlfriend Is An Agent' that she was going to produce. “Namak” also marks the coming together of Katrina and Prabhudheva for the first time.

Is sizzling Ayesha Carmela the new Sunny Leone?

Salman throwing starry tantrums at film shoot

British Asian glamour model Ayesha Carmela is set to follow in the footsteps of porn star turned Bollywood actress Sunny Leone by becoming the latest adult entertainment star to appear in a big Hindi blockbuster. Often referred to as the Asian Barbie Doll, Ayesha Carmela has been approached by different Indian movie producers to play a pivotal role in their respective movies.

"Although it is too early to speak about the offers, I was quite taken aback, when I was approached. Performing has been in my blood from an early age, but Bollywood was something that had never ever crossed my mind. After doing some research, I learnt that Indian porn star, Sunny Leone is starring in her first Bollywood feature film coming out this year and has also been signed up for a second film, so thought why not," said Ayesha.

The busty beauty of Indian/Italian descent is in her twenties and has become talk of the town after setting television screens ablaze with her sizzling presence on the new adult chat channel. Ayesha has caught the eyes of casting agents and some Bollywood producers, who are eager to sign her up. Ayesha is eager to light up Bollywood and desperately wants to work with Salman Khan one day.

Ayesha further adds, "I'm thrilled that a porn star, like Sunny Leone will be able to show the world that we are just normal people at the end of the day and should not be seen in a different light just because we have chosen the glamour industry as our profession. I look forward to seeing her in JISM 2 and hope I can emulate her success in India. If porn stars like Sunny Leone, can break the Bollywood stigma and pave the way for glamour models, then what's stopping a Masti Babe and nobody entertains like a Masti Babe."

Saif to play superhero in Amitabh heaps praises on Preity Milan Luthria's next The wait is finally over as actor Saif Ali Khan has been confirmed as the main lead of TSeries and Milan Luthria's mega film project! The leading lady of the film is still under wraps but the makers promise it is a very strong and challenging role and that she will be one of the top five heroines of the industry.

Jointly produced by Bhushan Kumar and Milan Luthria, the film is slated to be a wholesome entertainer with a strong romantic angle appealing to all types of audiences, with music playing a significant role in the project.

For Bhushan Kumar this yet to be titled

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project is his next big outing after the 2011 Salman Khan-Asin starrer “Ready”, which was a hit at the box office. Directed

by Milan Luthria, who has had a fantastic run recently with the success of “Once Upon A Time In Mumbai” and “The Dirty Picture,” the film will be a character-driven story and an interesting mix of comedy, action, drama and romance creating larger-than-life cinema for movie lovers!

Bhushan Kumar says, "We wanted someone who could make people laugh and Saif is perfect. The film will have action, adventure, suspense, comedy and music - in short; it's a complete masala film!

We should start filming in 2013."

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he admires actress Preity Zinta for the drive and guts with which she has managed her career all alone. The 69year-old actor recently attended a party thrown by the French embassy in honour of Isabelle Adjani, who is playing a prominent role with Preity in her debut production venture 'Ishkq In Paris'. “Preity Zinta produces and acts in a film which also has in its cast the beautiful Isabelle Adjani from France.

Isabelle was in Mumbai for its shoot and Preity invites us for a party at the Sofitel Hotel, hosted by the French Ambassador, to meet the lovely lady. “It's a quiet dignified evening, and because I am fond of Preity, I go along for precisely 10 minutes, to wish her and her guest,” he posted on his blog.

Bachchan, who has shared screen space with Preity in films like 'Veer-Zara' and 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', said he was bowled over by her guts, the way she has managed her career so far without any help and survived in the showbiz business.

“I have always admired Preity for her drive and guts in a world that can be most cruel to a single girl.

But just look at the way she has managed her career, all alone, without any traditional assistance from the Industry. “She is frank and painfully honest and outspoken to the 'o', and that is an admirable quality, for a girl that had to face some rather tragic and unfortunate events very early in her life,” he added.

Salman Khan, who of late had started giving his 'inputs' and rather strong 'suggestions' on the sets have issued a new diktat.

A source from the unit of Yash Raj Films' “Ek Tha Tiger” said that the actor has now barred unit members from summoning him for a shot while he is in his vanity van.

Needless to say, this new injunction issued by Salman has put the unit in an inconvenient situation. "Salman wants to step out of his vanity when he feels like.

Nobody can call him for a shot. The entire unit has to simply wait for him to alight. Even if it means delaying the shoot," added the source.

But the “Ek Tha Tiger” team has been grinning and bearing it. "Salman often comes to the set late these days. Then he simply locks himself in

his vanity van. He pays no heed to the shot that is being readied or is already prepared for him.

The filmmakers can't schedule his shots with other actors either since you can't make Salman wait," an eyewitness said. Salman had been throwing his weight around with the makers of the film for some time now. Earlier, Salman had refused to travel to Morocco to shoot a promotional song and had ordered for a set to be built in Film City to represent the foreign location.

Helpless, the unit had to comply.

While star 'tantrums' is not a new phenomenon in the film industry, Salman's latest set of rules and regulations have surely come as a shock to the makers of the film. Perhaps, the actor has taken the tag of Tiger a bit too seriously.

Kareena is back to size zero, says fat is not sexy Kajol's relative to join Rakhi wants to dress like Malaika?

Bollywood bandwagon Kareena Kapoor, the poster girl for size zero, has gone on record to say that she doesn't believe big is beautiful. Watching Kareena's fluctuating weight has become something of a national obsession. She's yo-yoed between her ultra slim self in “Tashan” to the curvier “Chammak Challo” look. But it seems she personally subscribes to being thin. A leading daily quotes her as saying: "Being fat is not sexy! Anyone who says that is talking crap. Voluptuous is sexy, but fat is out. Any woman who says she doesn't want to be thin is talking nonsense. It's every girl's dream."

Meet Ankeeta Mukherjii, a relative of Kajol, who is the latest to join the Bollywood bandwagon. Born and brought up in the US, she moved to Kolkata and currently resides in Mumbai. “My uncle was married to Kajol’s aunt. My mother is American,” she says. Ankeeta had auditioned for some films and is in touch with Mohnish Behl. She is presently doing a Bengali film with Prosenjit. She considers Preity Zinta to be her idol and her folks are not averse to her joining B-Town. “But they don’t want me to do item numbers,” she says.

Rakhi Sawant doesn't seem to stop harping about how she's the original item girl. In fact, not too long ago, Rakhi even took a dig at Malaika Arora Khan and Katrina Kaif about them doing item numbers. But while Rakhi believes that Malaika and Katrina can't sizzle like she does, the item girl secretly seems to be aping Malaika. Or why else would she ask one of Malaika's costume designers to design the exact same thing for her too? When fashion designer Ashley Rebello, who designed for Malaika in “Dabangg,” when asked about Rakhi Sawant, he said, "It is better we don't talk about her. Every time I design something for Malaika, the next day Rakhi calls me and asks me to design the same thing for her."

Wonder what Rakhi has to say to this.

18

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Govt steps fail to cheer up India’s forex market Dear Financial Voice Reader, By the time you read this, I will be delivering the message below to the World Economic Hindu Forum in Hong Kong, having got there from India, Turkey, Bratislava, Vienna, Kuala Lumpur – so will consider myself well informed!

Despite Western debt and Eastern growth, my view is to invest in the West to access the East. Europe’s demise is overdone. Eastern promise is overdone.

Growth figures for to 2015 reveal that the West is far from out of the game. This is reinforced by Chinese and Indian growth recently slowing. Because of their large economic sizes, even small European and US growth is large in absolute terms. This is what people forget who focus on China 10% growth.

Billionaires asked where they think US stockmarket will be in 2012 – where the superrich think they will make the most money – are extremely divided in their views according to a Bloomberg poll.

So where are the opportunities? We know share of global economy is increasingly tilting to India and China.

China alone makes up 34% of global growth in 2012.

Other Asia gives us 26% of global growth in 2012.

And we know the most indebted countries are European and US. So is it as simple as Asia good, US and Europe bad? Isnt the US sorting its debt problem?

Republican and Democrat proposals to cut the US budget deficit amount to under a 1.6% difference to the overall annual budget. So the problem is not being addressed in the world’s largest economy.

But does it matter? The Chinese, Japanese keep on funding the US deficit anyway. A deficit which means the US government has to pay interest of $200 billion annually. Is that a lot? Not if Microsoft is nationalized – which is worth the same. But, you’d need to nationalize a Microsoft annually – because that is the annual interest payment on the US debt. How else could that money have been spent if there was no debt interest payment?

It would remove about 600m people out of extreme poverty. Thankfully the Chinese are funding the US defence budget and the US funding on drug abuse – which in combination amount to a $1 trillion annually.

The total US debt is over $16 trillion now. Everytime it increases the debt ceiling, the price of gold seems to follow – upwards. Thankfully the most indebted European nations have some of the largest gold reserves which are worth more and more. But Europe is not written off because the Greece is the economic size of Washington state and Italy the size of California. We would not worry about those US states, so too need not for the EU – especially as China produces a new Greece every 3 months.

So where do you put your money? China, Malaysia, Turkey look good as emerging market economies and Vietnam, Romania in the frontier markets. Which companies – those which are consistently generating the most cash, regardless of global debt crisis, and in all growth markets – Infosys, Apple, Google, Microsoft, American Express, Coca-Cola.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in consultation with the government announced a host of measures to encourage flow of foreign debt, but failed to cheer forex markets where the rupee slipped to end the day below 57 levels, close to its historic lows.

The measures include allowing companies with forex earnings to raise foreign borrowings of up to $10 billion, increasing the limit for FII investment in government debt from $15 billion to $20 billion, allowing qualified institutional investors to park funds in government securities and relaxing norms for foreign debt investment in infrastructure. In addition, the indicative external commercial borrowing ceiling for the current financial year has also been increased from $30 billion to $40 billion.

“We are re-tarring the

Lucknow-based Sahara Group has decided to build an India Centre in Olympic University. In a first-of-its-kind initiative between a university and a business house, the media to real estate group, which also co-owns a Formula One team, will build the India Centre over four acres in East London, said a person familiar with the development.

“The matter was discussed and shaped during a meeting between Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy and British Prime Minister David Cameron in London,” said the source quoted earlier, adding that the British Prime Minister welcomed the move and stated that it would be the only kind of its endeavour anywhere in the world.

said. Miners led the wider market lower after a gauge of China manufacturing activity slipped to a sevenmonth low. The FTSE 100 lost 1 per cent, or 55.93 points, to 5,566.36. Anglo American lost 5.2 per cent to £21.01, Vedanta Resources was off 4.9 per cent to 930p and Antofagasta eased 3.7 per cent to £10.80.

Aquarius Platinum dropped 10.9 per cent to 53.2p after the miner mothballed its Everest project, which had been its main source of growth.

Poor ground conditions and a low platinum price meant the mine had become uneconomic, Aquarius said.

“The elimination of loss making ounces is a pragmatic decision, especially given a problematic metal price environment is

likely to persist,” said CIBC. However, Aquarius is likely to remain loss making at current metal prices, raising ongoing concerns over the balance sheet position.”

Gold miner Centamin lost 4.9 per cent to 65.8p amid protests in Egypt after election officials delayed the results of a presidential poll. Among the gainers, Reckitt Benckiser bounced 1.5 per cent to £34.19. The traditionally defensive stock had been under pressure this week following profit alerts from Danone and Procter & Gamble.

Unilever also rallied, rising 0.9 per cent to £20.80 Dixons Retail rose 7.4 per cent to 17.2p after giving an upbeat assessment of current trading with full-year results that were slightly better than forecast.

Toubro with forex earnings could raise foreign debt.

“We have been receiving lots of enquiries from real money investors like sovereign wealth funds, central banks and from long-term players like big pension funds.

The announcement should be greeted with enthusiasm by such potential investors,” said Hitendra Dave, MD and head, global markets, HSBC India.

The rupee, which had firmed up to 56.82 in intra-day trade, slipped below 57 to close at 57.02 against the dollar - 14 paise stronger than its alltime low close of 57.16 on Friday. Main reason for the disappointment was that

Mukherjee had earlier built up expectations by announcing that a package of measures would be announced on Monday.

Most had expected that there would be some kind of a scheme to attract NRI funds and policy measures to make India more attractive to strategic investors.

“No decisive government action was seen on the policy front, against expectations of FDI liberalization, NRI focused bond issues, or policy reforms,” said Rohit Bammi, partner, KPMG India. He added that as India’s outlook has deteriorated in the eyes of external investors and lenders, the pricing for incremental ECBs is unlikely to be significantly better than rupee borrowings if hedging costs are taken into account. As a result, the rupee was unlikely to get support from these measures.

Quality for Community

Sahara to build India Centre in UK

BP and miners lead FTSE 100 lower BP last year paid Reliance Industries $7billion for a 30 per cent stake in offshore exploration blocks across India with the D6 block its only source of production from the acquisition.

Investors had seen the India acquisition as a key part of BP’s rebuilding of its upstream asset base and a diversification from the US. But the purchase “probably didn’t get the normal level of scrutiny” in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster and BP’s failed attempt to form an alliance with Rosneft, said UBS. “The hefty price-tag cannot in retrospect be justified,” said UBS, which valued Indian blocks at just $2.8 billion.

“A credible development plan and exploration upside is now needed to support the value and reasoning for the deal,” it

road for better and faster traction,” Thomas Mathew, joint secretary in the finance ministry, told a press conference. Market players, however, said that the moves - like Pranab Mukherjee’s term in the finance ministry - were high on promise but low on substance. Mukherjee is due to step down as finance minister on Tuesday to contest presidential elections.

Bankers said that RBI measures will help bring in more foreign exchange but only after there is a change in sentiment. The measures were not seen strong enough to reverse the tide of foreign funds which are making their way to safe havens like US treasuries. But even in the current market there would be a few investors such as sovereign wealth funds who could bring in money while good quality companies like Larsen &

Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

I

Handling Complaints

f the situation ever arises, complaints received from community members (complainant) expressing any form of dissatisfaction, should not be seen in a negative manner but as an opportunity to improve. Complaints are an important part of capturing member’s feedback and should be investigated fully in a fair manner.

They provide an opportunity for your organization to sustain loyalty, and goodwill with the membership, and provide information which can be used to improve community events and services, and they also enable an early identification of potential problem areas.

The level of dissatisfaction could be triggered from the members perception that e.g; • A community event or service provided was below expectations • A pre-arranged agreement failed to be fulfilled • Management committee /community officers acted unfairly or discourteously A structured process for the management of complaints would allow members a vehicle upon which to formally address the complaint and seek resolution. Any member raising a verbal or written complaint would normally seek information on Where and to whom to address the complaint?

How and through what medium to communicate the complaint?

And obtain a level of

confidence that their compliant is being dealt with?

Your community organization may find it useful to develop a standard complaint form or register to record information as follows; * Name and contact details of complainant, * Date of complaint, * Description of complaint, * Category or event to which complaint is related, * Description of complainant’s proposal for resolution of their complaint, * Supporting/ objective evidence to justify complaint.

A section at the end of the form `For internal organization use’ could be used to record information such as date received, complaint reference number, date acknowledged, date responded (within a pre set timeline), description of final response made, approval sign off and closure date.

The `final response’ section should explain how the complaint was reviewed by the management committee and what conclusion was reached.

The conclusion should lead towards permanently improving the respective organizational processes and practice.

The management committee should make the members aware that complaints will be addressed at the first opportunity, however complaints pertaining to any particular event should be received within a certain time frame e.g. no later than 23 months of the event

date. The committee may also wish to consider implementing a step by step process, and establish response times, such as; Step 1 – Complainant should communicate their complaint through submission of form or by direct contact with the committee. Management committee should log and acknowledge within an agreed time frame e.g. 2 days, subsequently fully reviewing, and responding within 10 days. A committee member with knowledge /experience of the issue should be involved in the review.

Step 2 – Management committee should consult the board of governors/ trustees if unable to formulate an adequate response.

The Complainant if still dissatisfied with the response, they should directly discuss the issue with the respective committee member.

Step 3 – If the member is still not satisfied they could consider escalating in writing to and possibly meet with the Board of Trustees / Governors / arbitration committee.

The management committee could set a target to close the complaint within e.g. 30 days of receiving it.

If the complaint is considered to be of a serious nature having legal implications, external parties e.g. umbrella body/charity commission may need to be consulted for resolution. Anyway complain less, keep calm, and keep improving.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

19

Is your money working for you?

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

This week I was reading the biography of the legendary footballer Pelle. Having scored over 1283 goals in his professional career his status was less human and more on the plane of a demigod. Yet even someone of his status had issues in investing. A paragraph in his book stated 'I've earned a lot of money in my lifetime, but the truth is that I never learned how to make money work for me the way some people do. I was good at football not so good at business'.

Even people who are good at business are sometimes not good at letting money work for them. When you remove the owner of the business from the business it normally collapses.

Pele with his legendary status didn't have a clue about business, let alone how to make money work for him. Even though he was hitting some record sums in earnings, where was it going? Twice in his career he had to return to work in order to get himself out of a financial hole.

This is the situation of many who work hard either running their own businesses or working for someone. It is not a case of being educated, for even those who are educated are often clueless regarding how to make their money work for them.

The y have on ly been taught how to work for mone y, this has bee n d ru mmed in to their psyche from a youn g ag e.

We regularly come across pharmacists, doctors and other professionals who haven't provided for themselves adequately. Not through lack of funds, they have the financial means to do so. And clearly they are not stupid people, yet their funds often lie stagnant in some bank or policy which isn't really doing much for them.

The blockage in my opinion is two fold, first they have a misunderstanding. Many cannot comprehend the fact that a property will work for you without you practically doing anything. This is the most important point. If you consider your own home, and remember when you bought it and how much for, if you compare it to the value it's worth now you probably haven't saved as much money as the rise in value, assuming of course you did not buy it in the middle of the credit crunch. Yet you did nothing for this to happen, you simply purchased the property and lived in it.

This is a difficult concept for many to grasp, most people are of the opinion one needs to work hard in order to gain money, it can't just come by itself, there must be some catch.

So they scratch their heads and walk off. But for those who have tried and invested they become believers, those of the faith and they stick to this concept, free with the knowledge that yes money can work for them! They start replicating this sacred concept again and again regardless of what the non believers say.

Those who haven't been initiated into this knowledge simply sit on the fences and throw stones.

The second block is actually knowing where to invest to give this passive income, in having the tools to invest in a hassle free

The Real Deal High income generating BTL Opportunity - ÂŁ460,000 l Very Large 3 bedroom property which has been converted into a 4 bedroom flat to maximise yield l New tenants have just been secured at ÂŁ680pw (ÂŁ35,360pa) - at a 8% yield l Central location, Moments from Great Portland Street, Warren Street and Euston Square Station l Short walk away from Regents Park and UCL university ensuring solid future rentability l Low service charges l Long lease

way, so your investment does not become a source of bondage.

Property naturally has the ability to give you passive income which means income without you sacrificing your own time. This will allow you to enjoy your money and spend your time doing something else. This is the easiest way to start generating passive income. It is also the perfect investment for retirement because it has the ability to give you a monthly income.

It is said time is more valuable t han mone y, you can g et more mone y but you cann ot ge t more t ime . So to sacrifice your t ime for mo ney is n ot a very g ood proposition.

Learning and understanding how best money can work for you is essential if you don't want to be a financial slave. Given the current situation when the banks at best are giving paltry returns, and we are faced with the rising cost of further education and the reduction in the level of health care, things are not going to get better into the future. To meet these challenges securely you will need have some understanding of how to put your money to work for you and to take control of where to put your funds, and not simply choose the default option of using the same account simply because that's what you used for the last twenty years or choosing a pension scheme simply because it's the one your company have offered you.

Many successful people who have done well from property have used their business profits to invest in property. The funds from the business rather than being planted back in to the business is siphoned off and invested into property. The property then acts as a buffer if the business was to fail or if the profits of the business were to decline. Property can be a solid safety net by providing passive income to keep the business afloat. There always exists the temptation to plant the proceeds back into what you know, which is your business, because it's what you're used to and perhaps it gives you even greater returns than property. However you then end up being run by your business rather than you running the business.

Property has the magical ability to release you from this bondage it also serves as a good retirement pot.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

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0207 313 4595 Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

Tips of the Week l There are two main points when entering the property market one is timing and the other location. Given the current economic crisis many are using the London property market as a safe haven you can ride the wave. l Price of anything is decided by supply and demand with Central London you have limited supply but a constant demand from various sectors.

20

financial vOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

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

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

The new immigration landscape

he soon to come into force rules limiting the T entry of families only to

those who earn salaries of around £27000 will inevitably result in an immediate reduction of numbers.

Surprisingly enough the strongest concern has been raised by Baroness Warsi who recognises the impact that this will have on ethnic communities. Changes in the other areas rules have already started to bite and affect other industries.

Colleges an d restaurants are closing down at rapid rates.

What is increasingly clear to those wanting to move here is that unless you are rich and speak English as a first language (having most likely come from a country in the West) you will not be welcome to the UK. The English tests created, one after the other is a smokescreen for a return to the old days where discrimination flourished and when migrants were trashed and denied employment. And they are worse off as migrants do not want to claim benefits and a low proportion that do so.

In the last few days there have been pronouncements by the leader of the Labour Party

that his party got things wrong. He is primarily referring to the entry of countries within the EU who were no restricted form coming to the UK to work and that the Government underestimated numbers. However of concern are his pronouncements that there should be a plan to identify firms that hire a greater proportion of foreign workers. What Milliband in effect is saying is that is saying is that he wants local British workers to be hired instead. If we are ever going to get out of the economic crisis that engulfs us year after year we need to de-regulate and the current Government recognise this. For the Labour Party to introduce measures to force employers to take on useless employees who do not have the motivation to improve their lives, in effect give them a job regardless of their ability to do the job is sheer folly.

Employers need staff, the best they can find who want to work and have the qualities that will result in increased productivity. We are living in a global village and those who want Britain to hold the island mentality are normally those who have no vision.

Until the welfare reforms

kick in (which will take several years) and creates a work ethic employers will want to select the best. If this amounts to foreign staff then that is what has to happen. With the EU workers no Government will be able to restrict their entry or work.

Tony Blair presided over a very vibrant economy despite the fact that he opened the borders for immigration. Today he stated that the problem with immigration is when it becomes uncontrolled and illegal and used by the unscrupulous. He recognised the political need to raise this issue rather than the merit in doing so.

Both parties are attempting to change the immigration landscape.

In doing so little regard is being paid to the needs of families or for businesses to take on the best staff.

This political football mentality is principally what is wrong with the immigration debate.

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

China, India boost IMF crisis fund; US stays away

Dr Manmohan Singh, with the Chinese Premier, Mr Wen Jiabao, at a bilateral meeting during the Rio+20 Summit.

China, India and other emerging economies made commitments to a fund during a summit in Mexico of the Group of 20, a club formed during the 2008 global economic crisis that aims to give a bigger say to developing powers.

China lent $43 billion to a new firewall being set up by the International Monetary Fund to help nations escape contagion from woes still afflicting the global economy.

The pledges made China the third largest contributor after Japan and Germany. The IMF said that commitments to

the firewall now totaled $456 billion (360 billion euros), more than it initially anticipated.

The United States and other Western nations have long pushed China to be, in the words of World Bank president Robert Zoellick, a "responsible stakeholder."

US officials have often charged that Beijing sought to enjoy the prestige of a top power but assume the responsibilities of a poorer nation when convenient.

"It's a breakthrough in terms of countries committing resources," Australian

Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters. "This is an important outcome which Australia has been advocating strongly for."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged $10 billion but called for swift progress on promised reforms at the Washingtonbased lender, which along with the World Bank is dominated by the West.

"India's contribution reflects our recognition that as a responsible player in the global community, we must play our part," Singh told reporters after the summit on the beach resort of Los Cabos.

But the United States, the world's largest economy, has not committed any money to the firewall. The only other Group of 20 nations that have not made specific pledges are Argentina, Canada and Indonesia, according to the IMF. President Barack Obama's administration has argued that Europe has the capacity to fund its own recovery.

But contributors have made clear that the firewall is not just for Europe.

Dealing with Mischief Makers “He who has a mind to do mischief will always find a pretense”, Publilius Syrus (Roman author, 1st century B.C.) Mischief can come in many forms. It can be a practical joke, it can be slander, and it can even be a compliment. It is the intent rather than the act that defines what mischief is and what harmless be.

But the most dangerous type of mischief is that which is done in the name of goodwill and peace.

Benjamin Disreali once said, “That doctrine of ‘peace at any price’ has done more mischief than any I can well recall that have been afloat in this country. It has occasioned more wars than any of the most ruthless conquerors.”

When India was on the verge of gaining Independence, a British diplomat solemnly stated that before leaving, they had a duty to ensure that the minority Muslim population would be protected.

Was it a gesture of imperial concern for all subjects?

Or was it an idea motivated by the old policy of ‘divide and rule’. When the USA decided to overthrow

Swedish firm IKEA to invest $1.9 bn in India Sweden-based IKEA, the world's largest furniture maker, will invest around $1.9 billion in opening 25 retail stores in India, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said. IKEA's chief executive officer Mikael Ohlsson confirmed the investment during his meeting with Sharma in St Petersburg, according to an official statement. The company plans to invest 600 million euro in the first stage and an additional 900 million euro later, taking total investment to 1.5 billion euro.

The money will be used for establishing 25 retail stores in India through a wholly owned subsidiary.

Sharma said IKEA had certain reservations about sourcing norms.

Saddam Hussein – was it to free the Iraqis from oppression? Or was it to secure the vast Iraqi oil reserves?

Coming closer to home, a new character has emerged from David Cameron’s cabinet, who it seems, has a rare and almost enviable gift.

Michael Gove is the minister for Education, and recently he has given a master class in the art of political mischief.

His comments at a press luncheon about the Leveson enquiry seem to have had the judge, Lord Leveson, questioning his position, the inquiry and even the point of it all. This was followed by the ‘leak’ of his plans to abolish GCSE’s and bring back O’ levels and CSE’s, an issue which now threatens to violently create a divide in the coalition. In two outwardly harmless and blameless actions he has managed to let the Country know exactly what he, and possibly the Tory side of the government, thinks and intends to do without actually being held accountable for any of it.

By Amit Patel

The beauty of it is that no one can actually prove that he is deliberately causing any mischief at all.

I daresay that even David Cameron is not sure of how to handle this new ‘might be’ menace. Yet, every leader must learn to recognise and deal with mischief makers. They cannot be ignored and they will not go away. And any such inaction or appeasement can be interpreted as encouragement.

Cameron is currently defending Gove, but he would do well to heed the words of Shakespeare in Othello, ‘To mourn a mischief that is past and gone; is the next way to draw new mischief on.’

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He provides consultancy services and ideas on issues such as Leadership, People Management and Development. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail @gmail.com

India's rating outlook stable: Moody's

Global agency Moody's on Monday retained outlook on India's rating at stable despite slowdown in GDP growth rate saying that it is unlikely to be even a medium-term feature.

Moody's Investors Service in a statement said, "It is maintaining its stable outlook on India's rating as various credit challenges - such as weak fiscal performance, tendency towards inflation and an uncertain investment policy environment have characterised the Indian economy for decades, and are already incorporated into the current Baa3 rating".

On the other hand, it said that certain recent negative trends - such as lower growth, slowing investment and poor business senti-

ment - are "unlikely to become permanent or even medium-term features of the Indian economy".

Although, Moody's expects that global and domestic factors, including potential shocks in agriculture, could keep India's growth below trend for the next few quarters.

India's GDP growth rate slowed to 6.5 per cent in 2011-12 against 8.4 per cent in the previous two financial years. The government expects the economic growth in the current fiscal at around 7.6 per cent.

Moody's retaining India's outlook comes against the backdrop of two other leading agencies - Standard and Poor's and Fitch lowering the credit rating outlook to negative.

Worried about economy, Indian firms hoard cash In times of economic uncertainty, investors are routinely advised to hold on to cash. But with slowing growth and a difficult economic outlook, even companies are hoarding cash.

As a result, huge cash reserves are not being put to productive uses like expansion, acquisition and investment in new businesses, hurting growth.

Cash and bank balances have hit a three-year high in nearly four of the top 10 sensex companies (excluding banks and financial services firms). Leading the

companies that have accumulated cash in a big way are Reliance Industries, Infosys, Coal India and Wipro. Their aggregate cash and bank balances totalled Rs 796.52 billion at the end of 2011-12, data with the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy showed.

These companies have added Rs 216.45 billion to their cash balances in the past year with RIL alone adding Rs 124.63 billion to its kitty. In all, 23 of 41 companies on the NSE-50 (Nifty) list, excluding banks and financial services firms,

have seen a rise in cash holdings in the last one year.

Among the BSE-100 firms, cash and bank balances have gone up in nearly 45 out of the 85odd companies (excluding banks and financial services firms). But cash-rich companies, which have turned wary due to rising costs amid slowing growth, have not been disbursing dividends in a big way this year. The majority of companies on the sensex have either reduced payouts or have maintained it at the same level.

financial VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

21

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

Focus shifts towards upcoming EU Summit The Eurozone has seen a lot of action recently and all eyes will be on the crucial EU Summit scheduled for the 28-29th June.

This meeting will most likely see European leaders discussing the banking union, a tighter fiscal integration in the area and the creation of a debt redemption fund.

Prior to the EU summit on Wednesday 27th June a small meeting for the summit will be held, this time just between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. This will allow the two leaders to reach a common position on issues they still remain divided on and discuss future Franco-German relations.

Europe’s big four France, Germany, Italy and Spain agree on Growth Boost, Split on Bonds. German Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted pressure on Friday for common euro zone bonds or a more flexible use of Europe's rescue funds, but agreed with leaders of France, Italy and Spain on a 130 billion euro ($156 billion) package to revive growth. After four-way talks in Rome, Italian Prime

Minister Mario Monti said the European Union should adopt pro-growth measures worth about 1 percent of the region's gross domestic product at a crucial summit next week.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has announced last week his new cabinet, which is dominated by MPs from his conservative New Democracy party.

Vassilis Rapanos, the chairman of the National Bank of Greece, has been given the key post of finance minister.

Last week saw credit ratings agency Moody's has downgraded 15 global banks and financial institutions. The UK banks downgraded were Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and HSBC. Lloyds also had its rating cut by Moody's in a separate announcement. What didn’t help was RBS and in particular NatWest saw its customers being affected by glitches in their banking as accounts were not showing true figures for almost a week.

UK inflation fell unexpectedly in May to its lowest in two and a half years due to slower price rises for food and fuel. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI)

measure fell to 2.8% in May from 3% in April and Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure fell to 3.1% from 3.5% in April.

This is likely to bolster the case for more emergency cash to be pumped into the economy through the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme.

The emerging markets BRICS consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa reported their currencies making losses for everyone including central bankers to Proctor and Gamble Co. (PG).

The currencies have posted that they have seen the biggest declines since at least 1998.

Reports highlight how the Real, Ruble and Rupee are weakening the most for the first time in thirteen years, while the Yuan has seen a massive decline more than ever since its last devalua-

0 8 0 8

$ 0 4 5

tion in 1994. This has affected P&G (world’s largest consumer market) immensely who have cut their profit forecast for the second time in two months due to currency losses.

United States saw demand for new homes probably rose in May for the second month as mortgage rates fell boosting the residential real estate market.

Reports highlighted that sales stood at 346,000 annual rate, up from 343,000 showing a 0.9% increase. Household spending was flat last month, but figures show that the amount of cash splashed on the high street and online fell. There was a three percent drop on the high street from a year earlier and a 2.1 per cent fall in online expenditure.

Good weather boosted spending on clothing and footwear, which was up by 2.3 per cent.

The USD will continue to find support from the fact that the Fed did not implement more quantitative easing, but firmer risk appetite will cap the ability of the USD to strengthen much from current levels. On balance US data will continue to outperform although consumer confidence is likely to slip in June.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 26th June 2012 @ 1.30pm GBP - INR = 88.99 USD - INR = 56.96 EUR - INR = 71.06 GBP - USD = 1.56 GBP - EUR = 1.25 EUR - USD = 1.25 GBP - AED = 5.73 GBP - CAD = 1.60 GBP - NZD = 1.97 GBP - AUD = 1.552 GBP - ZAR = 13.23 GBP - HUF = 357.90

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.

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PAkISTAN-BANglAdeSh-SrI lANkA

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

America mulls new covert raids in Pakistan

Washington: US military and intelligence officials are so frustrated with Pakistan's failure to stop local militant groups from attacking Americans in neighboring Afghanistan that they have considered launching secret joint US-Afghan commando raids into Pakistan to hunt them down, officials said.

But the idea, which US officials say comes up every couple of months, has been consistently rejected because the White House believes the chance of successfully root-

ing out the deadly Haqqani network would not be worth the intense diplomatic blowback from Pakistan that inevitably would ensue.

Members of the Haqqani tribe have been targeted by US drone aircraft, but sending American and Afghan troops into Pakistan would be a serious escalation of the hunt for terrorists and potentially the final straw for Pakistan, already angered over what it sees as US violations of its sovereignty.

The al-Qaida-allied

Haqqani tribe runs a mafialike smuggling operation and occasionally turns to terrorism with the aim of controlling its territory in eastern Afghanistan. The Haqqanis use Pakistani towns to plan, train and arm themselves with guns and explosives, cross into Afghanistan to attack NATO and Afghan forces, then retreat back across the border to safety.

The latest round of debate over whether to launch clandestine special operations raids into Pakistan against

the Haqqanis came after the June 1 car bombing of Forward Operating Base Salerno in eastern Afghanistan that injured up to 100 US and Afghan soldiers, according to three current and two former US officials who were briefed on the discussions. The officials said that recent discussions of clandestine ground attacks have included Gen. John Allen, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, as well as top CIA and special operations officials.

Sarabjit Singh gets Zardari's Pak a hired gun paid to kill America's enemies: Imran pardon, to walk free Islamabad: After being on the death row for 20 years over bombing charges, Indian national Sarabjit Singh is being released with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday commuting his death sentence. Zardari commuted Sarabjit's death sentence to life term which he has already completed having been in jail beyond 14 years. Therefore he is being released.

The 49-year-old Sarabjit, convicted and sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a string of bombings in Punjab in 1990 that killed 14 people has maintained his innocence and said that his was a case of "mistaken identity."

Zardari has directed authorities to release him if he has completed his prison term, official sources said.

Following the summary or official proposal issued by the presidency, law minister Farooq Naek asked the interior ministry to take steps to "immediately" release Sarabjit

Pakistan SC suspends 6th PPP leader from National Assembly Islamabad: The Supreme Court suspended a Pakistan Peoples Party leader's membership of Parliament on the ground that he possesses dual nationality, taking the number of lawmakers suspended so far to six. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suspended the membership of PPP lawmaker Zahid Iqbal, who represents Sahiwal constituency of Punjab province in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament.

The bench sent an order to the Speaker of the National Assembly that said Iqbal's membership would remain suspended till he submits proof to the court that he has only Pakistani citizenship. Once Iqbal provides proof, the court will consider the restoration of his membership, the Chief Justice said. In a related development, PML-N parliamentarian Jamil Awan confessed possessing dual nationality during the hearing but the bench did not take any action against him.

The bench subsequently adjourned the matter till July 2.

as he had completed a life term, the sources said.

Sarabjit could be released in the next few days after the interior ministry and the home department of Punjab complete necessary formalities, the sources said.

Sarabjit is currently being held at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. President Zardari's action came a little over a month after ailing Pakistani virologist Khalil Chishti, detained in Rajasthan for nearly two decades on the charge of involvement in a murder, was freed on the orders of India's Supreme Court so that he could meet his family in Karachi.

Sarabjit had sent a fresh clemency appeal to President Zardari last month after the release of Chishti.

The mercy petition included a document with the signatures of 100,000 Indians that urged Zardari to reciprocate the release of Chishti by India.

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf chief Imran Khan, in an interview to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, said the relationship between the US and Pakistan is that of a master and client. He said Pakistan is "a hired gun, being paid to kill America's enemies".

Talking about Osama bin Laden's assassination, Khan said the US operation on Pakistan's soil in May 2011 against bin Laden was the "ultimate humiliation" for the state, which was "sacrificing for the US" because it turned out that "our ally (US) did not trust us and actually came and killed someone on our own soil."

The PTI leader said, "These people (bin Laden and al Qaeda members) were assets of the Pakistan army.

Around 20 years ago, Osama was trained by the Pakistan army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). They were financed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

but they were fighting the Soviets, and for a long time these groups had very close association with the Pakistan's secret agencies."

Khan reminded Assange that once al Qaeda was financed and trained by the US to fight the Soviet Union but "suddenly comes 9/11 and you (US) do a 180-degree turn". Khan, whose political party was ignored for years and termed 'Pakistan's oneman party' by the US State Department cables, is a frontruuner in Pakistan's politics now. He believes that the war on terror has been devastating for Pakistan.

Buddha attacked by Taliban gets facelift in Pakistan Jahanabad (Pakistan): When the Taliban blew the face off a towering, 1,500-year-old rock carving of Buddha in northwest Pakistan almost five years ago, it fell to an intrepid Italian archeologist to come to the rescue.

Thanks to the efforts of Luca Olivieri and his partners, the 6-meter (nearly 20foot)-tall image near the town of Jahanabad is getting a facelift, and many other archeological treasures in the scenic Swat Valley are being excavated and preserved.

Hardline Muslims have a history of targeting Buddhist, Hindu and other religious sites they consider heretical to Islam. Six months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting a pair of 1,500-year-old Buddhist statues in central Afghanistan.

The Jahanabad Buddha, etched high on a huge rock face in the 6th or 7th century, is one of the largest such carvings in South Asia. It was attacked in the fall of 2007 when the Pakistani Taliban swarmed across the scenic Swat Valley. The army drove most of them out two

years later, but foreign tourists who used to visit the region still tend to stay away.

Olivieri himself had to leave in 2008 after more than two decades of tending to the riches dating back to Alexander the Great and the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim invaders who followed. The 49-year-old head of the Italian Archeological Mission in Pakistan returned in 2010 and is back at work.

Taliban militants climbed ropes to insert explosives in holes drilled into the face and shoulders of the Jahanabad Buddha, said Olivieri. The explosives in the shoulders failed to detonate, but the others blew off most of the

face above the lips and cracked other parts of the carving and surrounding rock.

Olivieri and his team began work this month on fixing the cracks and what's left of the face. A full reconstruction is impossible because detailed documentation and fragments of the face are lacking.

"Whatever you do in the absence of perfect data is a fake," said Olivieri, who says he has wanted to be an archeologist since age 6 and still brings a youthful exuberance to his work even as his beard grows gray.

Arriving as a university student in 1987, he was fascinated by Swat, once an important center of Buddhist culture and trade. The monk credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet was born in Swat.

In more recent decades, the area was known as "the Switzerland of Pakistan," popular with religious tourists from China, Japan and South Korea, and the hope is that restoration of the Jahanabad Buddha will spark a revival of tourism here.

In Focus Pak sends reminder to Interpol to arrest Musharraf

Islamabad: Pakistan has sent a reminder to Interpol to immediately arrest former President Pervez Musharraf, a "proclaimed offender" in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. The Federal Investigation Agency has written another letter to Interpol to remind it to immediately arrest Musharraf and hand him over to Pakistan so that he can be produced before a court conducting the trial of those accused in the assassination of former Pakistan premier, senior public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said. A formal request was made to Interpol in March to arrest Musharraf, 68, who has been living in self-exile in London and Dubai since early 2009. The FIA also informed Interpol that an arrest warrant for Musharraf issued by the anti-terrorist court in Rawalpindi will remain valid till it is served.

Militants kill 13 Pakistani troops, behead 7

Islamabad: Militants crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan and killed 13 Pakistani troops, beheading seven of them, the Pakistani military charged, and the country's outraged new prime minister said he would protest to the Afghan president. The border skirmish is a new sign of tensions between the uneasy neighbours. Pakistan has complained that militants use parts of Afghanistan for sanctuary to stage attacks inside Pakistan. That claim helps Islamabad counter frequent US and NATO complaints that militants behind much of the violence in Afghanistan come from Pakistan.

Kabul hotel siege ends; 20 killed in Taliban attack

Kabul: A 12-hour siege by Taliban militants of a lakeside hotel near the Afghan capital Kabul is now over. At least 20 people, including five militants, were killed in the attack. The gunmen, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, launched the attack on the Spozhmai Hotel in the Lake Qargha area and took many hostages. Police said 15 civilians, including hotel guests, died, while all five militants were killed. The Taliban said the hotel was used by wealthy Afghans and foreigners for "wild parties". Insurgents battled Afghan security forces for about 12 hours while they held hotel guests hostage inside the hotel.

Lahore HC issues contempt case notice to Zardari's secretary

Lahore: A Pakistani court has issued a notice to the principal secretary to President Asif Ali Zardari in response to a contempt of court petition filed against the President for not giving up his political office of the chief of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Lahore high court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued the notice and observed that a larger bench should hear the case because it has raised important legal questions. "A larger bench will be constituted to proceed further with the matter," he said. Lawyer A K Dogar, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, argued that the court should summon Zardari to explain his position as the Supreme Court had summoned former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani in a contempt of court case. The Chief Justice said the court had issued a notice to the President's principal secretary and would make a decision after the official submitted his reply.

Pak deliberately harassing our diplomats: US

Washington: The United States has said that Pakistan government is "deliberately, wilfully and systematically" harassing and obstructing American diplomats in the country, marking a new low in the already strained ties between the two nations. The harassment and obstruction has increased dramatically and reached "new levels of intensity," said a state department report, which has urged Washington to take the issue up at bilateral talks with Islamabad.

The department's internal watchdog said the harassment of diplomats had heightened since the May, 2011 US raid on a compound in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden and rose further after November Nato airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

world 23

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

In Focus Indian-American Sunita Williams headed to space in July

Washington: IndianAmerican Sunita Williams, a record-setting astronaut who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station for six months in 2006, is headed to the space once again in July. Williams is scheduled to take off on July 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA said.

The 46-year-old Williams will be a flight engineer on the station's Expedition 32 crew and will become commander of Expedition 33 on reaching the space station. According to NASA, Williams and her colleagues will be aboard the station during an exceptionally busy period that includes two spacewalks, the arrival of Japanese, US commercial and Russian resupply vehicles, and an increasingly faster pace of scientific research.

14 killed in torrential rains in China Beijing: At least 14 people killed and more than 1100,000 people affected after downpours triggered flash floods and mudslides in China's southwestern regions and some parts in the north over last week. Floods triggered by the rainstorms have killed six people, affected the lives of more than 450,000 people, destroyed some 1,000 houses and inundated almost 17,000 hectares of cropland in southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Direct economic losses were estimated at 128 million yuan (USD 20.3 million). Rainstorm-triggered floods also affected three counties in the Ulanqab city in Inner Mongolia. Strong downpours also battered east China's Jiangxi province from Friday, leaving over 734,000 people in disaster.

Mohamed Morsi is Egypt's new president Cairo: Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi last week won the historic postMubarak presidential polls in Egypt, beating his rival and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to become the country's first freely elected President.

Supreme Presidential Elections Commission head Farouq Sultan announced that Morsi had won the presidential run-off. Morsi, 60, won 51.73 per cent of the vote, beating his rival Shafiq,

their candidate, waving flags and chanting pro-Morsi slogans.

Some schools and shops closed early and people rushed home amid fears of unrest after the result. Extra troops and police were deployed across Cairo as military helicopters hovered above the city.

The road leading to parliament was shut to traffic, and security measures were in place to protect vital establishments.

the Higher Presidential Election Commission said.

Sultan said the election commission had upheld some of the 466 complaints by the candidates, but that the election result still stood.

The announcement prompted scenes of jubilation in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where Morsi's supporters gathered. Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had packed Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square in anticipation of a win for

Ethics probe against Nikki Haley

Washington: An ethics probe into whether South Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley illegally lobbied for her employers when she was a legislator would be launched by a key legislative panel in a first such investigation against the state's top elected official.

The 40-year-old Haley had created history last year by becoming the first IndianAmerican woman Governor of a US State. She is also the first non-white and woman Governor of South Carolina.

This is for the first time that a Governor is being investigated by the South Carolina House Ethics Committee, which has subpoenaed 11 corporate executives, lobbyists and former government officials for the hearing, as well as documents. Haley has denied any wrongdoings. "We have turned over anything and everything that they

want. It has been an amicable process. And if they want my birth certificate, driver's licence, they can get that too," Haley said last week.

Born to immigrants from Punjab, Haley, who was a state representative from 2005-2010, is accused of using her office to illegally lobby on behalf of two of her employers - the Lexington

Ela Bhatt one of my heroines: Hillary

Washington: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has hailed India's eminent social activist Ela Bhatt as one of her "heroines" for her pioneering work in empowering women. "I have a lot of heroes and heroines around the world," Clinton said, adding that one of them is Ela Bhatt, who started an organization called the Self-Employed Women's Association (Sewa) in India many years ago.

"She was a very well-educated woman who had the options available to those in her class with her intellectual ability, but she chose to devote her life to organizing the poorest of the poor, women who worked in fields, who sold vegetables, who were domestics, who struggled to eke out a living for themselves and their families, women who were considered the last to eat, the least important," Clinton said while speaking very highly of Bhatt.

Medical Center Foundation, where she was a USD 110,000-a-year fundraiser, and the Columbia-based Wilbur Smith and Associates engineering firm, where she was paid USD 42,500 as a consultant.

According to the local 'The State' newspaper, Haley's attorneys have said she was representing her Lexington County constituents, not the hospital, on the heart-centre issue and was hired to help win county and private contracts for the engineering firm. At the time, Lexington was looking for legislative support to build a heart-surgery centre, it said.

Wilbur Smith was seeking work on the new State Farmers Market. Haley's attorneys also said no rules were broken when lobbyists and companies gave donations to Lexington Medical's foundation.

T-shirt on NRI murder stirs outrage in SA Johannesburg: Selling of T-shirts carrying objectionable slogan referring to the gruesome murder of an Indian-origin lady have sparked a fresh controversy in South Africa, attracting criticism from different sections of the society, including that from the victim’s family.

The apparel with the message “Dewani Tours treat your wife to a killer holiday” apparently refers to the killing of Indian-origin honeymoon bride Anni Dewani in Gugulethu township of Cape Town in 2010, for which her British husband Shrien Dewani is

Anni Dewani with her husband Shrien Dewani

facing extradition plans to stand trial after being implicated in the murder.

The message uses a popular English font type resembling Hindi script, reminding readers of Anni Dewani’s Indian origins.

T-shirt about NRI

woman’s murder sparks outrage in South Africa "This is a blatant disregard and disrespectful way of showing no remorse over a killing that shocked not just South Africa but the world,” said Gugulethu resident Vusi Ndoda, noting the incident has severely impacted on tourism in the area. He said he would talk to the Indian-origin businessman Dinesh Dowlath, who is the man behind the idea, to withdraw the clothing, failing which he would campaign for boycotting his stores and organise protests at his businesses.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

RSS backs Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat backed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a candidate for the prime minister's post and said that the country should have a PM who propounded Hindutva.

"To keep alive the Hindutva ideology, the Hindu 'samaaj' (society) should come together. And the country should have a prime minister who believes in that ideology or propounds that view," Bhagwat told reporters here.

Bhagwat's comments came a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hit out at Narendra Modi without naming him and said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, should announce a secular prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Nitish Kumar Tuesday made it clear that Modi is unacceptable as an NDA candidate for prime ministership.

"Will Nitish decide what sort of person makes a good PM?" Bhagwat questioned.

He also slammed Nitish Kumar and said

Nitish Kumar

that he is scared to call himself a Hindu.

The Nitish-Modi rivalry has been on a high for the past few days. Modi took a dig at politicians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for what the Gujarat chief minister called "resort to caste-based politics".

Nitish Kumar then said that Modi, who has been a constant irritant in the JD(U)-BJP coalition ties in Bihar, should mind his own business instead of making comments on others.

Modi cost NDA 2004 general elections: Nitish At a time when cracks within the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance over the Presidential polls are visible to all, the NDA faced further embarrassment when Bihar Chief Minister and NDA ally Nitish Kumar targetted Modi over

the race for NDA's prime ministerial candidate.

Kumar fired another salvo at Modi saying his mishandling of the 2002 Gujarat riots cost the NDA the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He also added that the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajapyee was not happy with the way Modi handled the riots.

BJP hits back at Nitish The BJP hit back at Nitish Kumar, saying that the party will announce its own prime ministerial candidate and that nobody has the right to give fatwa on secularism.

'The entire controversy doesn't make a sense and BJP has not outsourced to anyone outside party to make this sort of judgment,' said BJP leader Balbir Punj.

'Nobody has right to give fatwa as to who is secular and who is not,' Punj said, reacting to Janata Dal(United) leader Nitish Kumar's statement that the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) prime ministerial choice should be secular and acceptable to all constituents of the NDA - an obvious comment on Narendra Modi.

Keshubhai takes on Modi, point by point

Corruption, fake charisma, false claims, failing law and order, farmers’ misery and decline in growth rate are some of the charges the former CM has levelled against Modi government in his letter to the party leadership. Stung by the campaign led by Keshubhai Patel and a letter written by him to senior national BJP leaders, including party president Nitin Gadkari, the Modi government has decided to give a point by point rebuttal to the allegations made against it in the letter, but finding it difficult to do so.

Keshubhai Patel wrote the letter against Modi govt after party leaders gave him a cold shoulder in New Delhi. Keshubhai on Saturday had written a strongly worded letter in Hindi to the national leaders after returning from Delhi. The leaders to whom he made representations were said to have met him with a stoic silence. The chief minister’s office has procured a copy of the letter and sources claim it is finding it tough to respond to the

points raised by the former chief minister. A former BJP minister who has joined hands with Keshubhai against the Modi government confirmed the contents of the letter and said that copies of the letter have been sent to national BJP leaders.

There are the 10 points Keshubhai has raised, putting Modi government in the dock.

Corruption and Inflation-Keshubhai has called Modi government the most corrupt in the country. Fake charismaThe state government uses state transport buses to gather people and show a crowd during political programmes. BJP has lost Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation election and the by-polls for the Mansa assembly seat.

Glib

tongue, false claims-Modi had boasted of the state (Gujarat State Petrochemicals Corporation) finding 20 trillion cubic feet gas in the Krishna-Godavari basin and becoming the petro capital of the country. However, even after spending Rs 60 billion, the state has not found any gas.

Fiendish Cruel Government-Razing of temples in Gandhinagar, murder of priests and loot in temples have become common during Modi rule.

Declinging Growth rateThe growth rate of Gujarat in 2011-12 went below even Bihar’s, Failed Beti bacahao campaign, Farmer’s nightmare-The government has failed to construct a single new dam in the state in the past 10 years.. Not a vibrant Gujarat-While tall claims of investment are being made the state has failed to implement even 25 per cent of the MoUs signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Investors Summit.Law and Order. The government has failed on the law and order front.

Singur act unconstitutional, rules Calcutta HC The Calcutta high court held the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011 as unconstitutional and void.

A division bench of the high court gave the verdict on Tata Motors' appeal against a single judge order. Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Mrinal Kanti Chowdhury set aside an earlier single bench order that had

upheld the Act. The implementation of the order will be stayed for two months by the court to allow the aggrieved party to appeal before a higher court. Tata Motors had challenged the order of the single bench of the Calcutta high court which had upheld the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, by which the West

Bengal government vested the land leased to the company at Singur, before the division bench of the Court.

Tata Motors had appealed against the order of Justice I P Mukerji, which was passed on September 28 last year. The court had, however, ordered on September 28 an unconditional stay of the judgment till November 2.

In divine light

By Rajen Vakil

Bhima gets the divine lotuses

he demons who were guarding Kubera’s T garden told Bhima that it

was not right for him to be there without Kubera’s permission and they would not allow him to take the flowers.

Bhimasen said, “I cannot see Lord Kubera nearby and even if he was I will not go against a Kshatriya’s dharma and beg from anyone. This beautiful lake, filled with these divine golden lotuses, has been made from the mountain streams; it is not the personal property of Kubera. All living creatures have an equal right to it.” Saying these words, Bhimasen entered the lake to pick the lotuses.

The demons immediately surrounded him, ready to attack. Bhima picked up his favourite weapon - the gada, which he had tied to his waist with a golden belt. The rakshasas, or demons, came with swords and spears that were huge and dreadful.

Bhima first attacked them and broke all their weapons. He then cut off their route to escape and in no time he killed and heaped more than a hundred demons near the lake. The demons then regrouped and started attacking Bhima from the air. This did not deter Bhima and he defeated them all. The demons left the garden and ran to the

peak of Mt Kailas.

Bhima then entered the lake and picked as many golden flowers as he could. He then drank loads of the divine water that increased his strength and luster.

Meanwhile, all the rakshasas went together to Lord Kubera and gave him an account of what happened and Bhima’s prowess. Kubera smiled and told his army of guards not to disturb him but to allow him to take the flowers for Draupadi.

As Bhima started to leave Kubera’s garden, the skies lit up with different omens. Huge comets filled the skies, throwing balls of fire on the earth. A massive sandstorm made it impossible to see anything. The earth started trembling and there was darkness everywhere. The four corners were filled with red fires. Birds and animals ran about in fear.

Yudhishthira saw the signs and realized that

something had happened that did not please the gods. Together with his brothers and Draupadi, they went quickly on the path that Bhima had taken. There they came upon Kubera’s garden and the beautiful lake of lotuses. They saw Bhima standing by the lake with his gada in hand. They saw the dead bodies of the demons piled in heaps, their huge eyes open, their hands and legs cut and blood flowing from their forms.

Yudhishthira was shocked at the sight and embraced Bhima many times. Then he scolded him, saying he had displeased the gods and asked him never to do this again. Then all the brothers, Draupadi and their retinue entered the lake to have a bath.

At the same time, all the demons guarding the garden came together to Dharamraj Yudhishthira and bowed before him.

Yudhishthira spoke to them with soft words and apologized for Bhima’s actions. They sent word to their master, Lord Kubera who was very pleased that Yudhishthira had come to his garden. The Pandavas then returned to Badrikashram.

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

NavkarmaNtra

By Nischal Sanghavi

A book with a modern outlook to understand the in-depth meaning of one of the oldest mantras

ainism is followed by over 12 million people Jworldwide.

Almost all of

them follow Navkarmantra in their daily routine since centuries. However, the author states that most of them who are conversant with the recitation of this mantra are actually not aware of the exact meaning of the mantra.

According to the author the mantra clearly states a philosophy of life which is easy to understand and if followed by every human being the world can become a better place to live.

However, since the mantra is in ancient Indian language called ‘Magadhi,’ people fail to understand it. Although the meaning of the mantra is available on internet, it is being published in the form of a

book with a modern outlook for the first time.

Since the book is in English, people who don’t know Indian language can understand the indepth meaning of the mantra easily.

The book states that the mantra actually does not mention the name of any God; its relations with Jainism can be found only at the beginning.

Hence, as per the author the mantra is a purely secular one which conveys a philosophy of life in a discreet manner. He states that in this internet era, youth may discard the concept of the mantra as a blind-belief kind of religious stuff. However, the meaning of the mantra does not suggest anything that may be categorized as blind belief, but, instead just teaches a way of life. The author has

purposely limited the book to 50 pages so that it can be carried easily and read. The book explains the in-depth meaning of the mantra in a simple manner. It tries to explain the way in which mantra could be used by an individual and the probable effects it could have on human beings.

The author is a freelance columnist, owns an Outsourcing Company and is also connected with NGO ‘Ehsass’ which makes efforts to contribute towards development of sporting talents in the society.

Book available at: http://nischalonline.com/ Order-Book.php

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

In Focus Mulayam gives Akhilesh full marks on completing 100 days

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav gave full marks to the Uttar Pradesh state government headed by his son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on the eve of completing 100 days in office. "I am very happy with the way things are shaping up and will give a 100 on 100 to the government," said Mulayam. He, however, cautioned that he would be doing a threadbare review of the government's performance when it is six months into office. Adding that his party was working hard for the Lok Sabha 2014 polls, Mulayam said the party's manifesto was of prime importance and the government should implement it as soon as possible.

"The people have given us not only a mandate but full faith. We should live up to it," Yadav further said. He said the national executive meeting of the Samajwadi Party would be held in Kolkata after the July presidential election. Meanwhile, the opposition Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came down heavily on the 100-day-old Akhilesh Yadav government and alleged that it was an "all-round failure".

DMK to 'fill the jails'

DMK activists will "fill the jails" across Tamil Nadu on July 4 to denounce the "vendetta politics" of the AIADMK government, party president M Karunanidhi had said. And if they are not released in time, DMK MPs and legislators will still vote in the presidential election next month. He said he had called for the protests as the government had invoked the Goondas Act on one of its leaders and former minister Veerapandi S Arumugam. Earlier, the party's executive committee decided to "fill the jails" on July 4 to condemn the continuing arrests of former DMK ministers and other party members.

Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has said that the arrests were being made following complaints by ordinary people.

Historical Srinagar shrine gutted in blaze

Historical Peer Dastgeer Sahib shrine in Srinagar was gutted in a blaze although the authorities said all the relics of the 11th century saint were safe. A senior officer of the local fire brigade department said: "Fire broke out inside the Peer Dastgeer Sahib Shrine in Khanyar locality of the city, dozens of fire tenders have been pressed into service. "The old wooden structure appears to have suffered massive damage. The cause of fire is being ascertained". An official of the provincial administration said all the relics of the saint those are lodged inside a fireproof vault were safe. Scores of locals gathered at the shrine weeping and wailing while they watched the blaze. Reverence for the 11th century saint in Kashmir cuts across religious barriers. While Muslims call the saint Ghaus-e-Azam, the Hindus revere the saint as Kahnoow.

BCCI chief Srinivasan again quizzed by CBI

BCCI chief and India Cements Managing Director N Srinivasan appeared before the CBI for the second time this week for questioning in connection with a disproportionate assets case filed against YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy. A senior CBI officer said, "He (Srinivasan) is being questioned in the Jagan assets case." The Central agency had last quizzed Srinivasan for over six hours with regard to the alleged investments made by his company (India Cements) in the firms promoted by the Kadapa MP when his father late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (2004-09).

Karnataka minister resigns but CM refuses to accept it The ruling-BJP government in Karnataka suffered yet another set back after law and urban development minister S Suresh Kumar resigned following allegation of owning Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) residential site in violation of rules.

Meeting chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda early on Saturday at his official residence Anugraha, Kumar tendered resignation and told he will not return to the cabinet till he comes out clean.

25

President Patil goes on mercy overdrive

Ahead of demitting office, Indian President Pratibha Patil has scored a new record.

She has commuted the death sentence of as many as 35 convicts to life - among them are those convicted of mass murder, kidnapping, rape and killing of children.

On June 2, Patil gave her pardon to four more - Bandu Baburao Tidke from Karnataka, Buntu from Uttar Pradesh and Lalchand alias Laliya Dhoom and Shiv Lal from Rajasthan. As a swami of Sadashiva Appana Math, Bagalkot, Tidke abducted a 16-year-old schoolgirl, raped and murdered her.

UP's Bantu, on death row since July 2008, was convicted of raping and killing a fiveyear-old girl. In fact, almost all the convicts pardoned are guilty of the most blood-curdling crimes. Piara Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Gurdev Singh and Satnam Singh had massacred 17 of a family at a marriage function. Gopi and

Mohan (Tamil Nadu) and Molai Ram and Santosh (Madhya Pradesh) had raped and murdered little girls. The large scale of presidential pardons is seen as surprising.

That is because India has not yet abolished the death penalty. Were these pardons diluting the legal provision through the backdoor?

Archana Dutta, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson, said the President was well aware of constitutional provisions as she was a lawyer herself.

"The President only takes a decision to commute a death sentence or reject it after she is satisfied by the advice tendered by the government.

The President ensures that

the government has put in certain application of mind to give mitigating and extenuating circumstances for their advice,'' she said.

Notwithstanding Dutta's assertion, the speed with which Patil has granted pardons would indicate haste.

Those shown clemency have been held guilty of barbaric crimes. These appear to have met the criterion of the "rarest of the rare" crimes that attract death penalty. While Patil has shown mercy to mass killers and rapists and killers of children, she has not given the same treatment to political assassins like the killers of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh or Rajiv Gandhi.

Akhilesh Yadav seeks `900 bn to back UPA govt

In the first indication of the Samajwadi Party’s terms for continuing support to the UPA government at the Centre, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has stated that he is expecting a `900 billion infusion of funds to the state to show the Centre’s desire to build a partnership with SP. In an exclusive interview, India’s youngest CM said that this was neither “assistance” nor a “package.”

“When I met the Prime Minister, I gave him a list of projects where the Centre’s share to UP was pending. For instance, the wazifa (stipend) for Muslim children is being funded by the state but the Centre’s share is still pend-

ing, as is the case with NRHM. In Bihar, the Centre has permitted the use of NREGS funds for flood control activities. With UP facing floods, we would also like to be allowed to use NREGS funds for flood control operations. These are the kind of demands that I went to meet the Prime Minister with. And this amounted to a total of Rs 900 billion, which I asked to be released. I have not asked for any additional disbursement to UP.” Although he did not say so, Yadav indicated that the SP might lend support to the Centre on reforms if its demands were recognized.

For instance, he said he was open to FDI in retail and

Flying to US, UK from Ahmedabad just got dearer Air India's decision to stop direct flights from Ahmedabad to the US and the UK has caused heartburn among many families from Gujarat as they had planned trips this year to meet their relatives. At least three international airline companies have hiked fares of their direct flights from the city by more than one-and-a-half times since last month.

Besides travelers, Gujarat-based tour operators too are upset as their commission will be slashed to one per cent from 5 per cent from July 1 by airline companies.

The Gujarat Association of Tour Operators (Gato) has sent a letter to the three airline companies to be considerate and reduce fares. Gato chairman Manish Sharma says, "Only till recently, return tickets for London cost anywhere between `35,000 and `39,000 if booked in advance.

During peak season, prices went up to `55,000. But today, these tickets cost up to `70,000. Similarly, flights to New York cost close to `90,000 today when they cost about `65,000 earlier."

Gato officials feel the airlines are not transparent about the reasons for hiking the fares since Air India shut operations. Sharma added that some 400 passengers travel to London and New York from Ahmedabad every day.

"When Air India used to operate, economy class tickets were easily available and all airlines had similar fares.

Today, economy class tickets are not available for some strange reason and passengers from Gujarat have to buy costly tickets." Private tour operator Viral Shah says, "Most of the travellers from Gujarat visit the US and UK for social functions like marriages, deaths and visiting of sick relatives. These visits are a necessity and not for pleasure.

reforms in other sectors like banking, pension and insurance, if they don’t harm farmers and are in the country’s interest. In the same breath, however, he said he didn’t see

much of a future for the UPA government. “UPA's time is over. It needs to press the refresh button and get a fresh mandate of the people before going ahead with any reform,” he said. On the lingering uncertainty about Noida Extension housing projects, the CM said that he has already sent the state government’s clearance and the ball was now in the NCR Board’s court.

“Now, the construction activities there need clearance from the NCR Board.

From what I understand, Union minister Kamal Nath is also likely to hold a meeting regarding this. Let us see what happens there,” he said.

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26

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Virbhadra Singh resigns from Manmohan cabinet In Focus Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Virbhadra Singh resigned from the Manmohan Singh cabinet on Tuesday after a court in Shimla framed corruption charges against him and his wife.

"I have submitted my resignation to the prime minister," the veteran Congress leader said after calling on Manmohan Singh at his official residence. The prime minister has accepted the resignation, officials said.

Virbhandra Singh said he would return to Himachal Pradesh, his home state, "to strengthen my party ahead of the forthcoming (assembly) elections. "I will fight it out both at the grassroots and in courts," he added.

A Shimla court on Monday framed charges of corruption against Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh in connection with a 23-year-old case. The former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh accused the

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state of vindictiveness.

"It has tried to register false cases against me earlier too," Virbhadra Singh said.

"In the past I have come out clean. This time also I will come out clean."

The case against Virbhadra Singh pertains to a CD from 1989 which allegedly shows him, when he was chief minister, and his wife demanding a bribe to allow investment in Himachal Pradesh.

Iran invites Morari Bapu as state guest

Well-known ‘kathakar’ of Ramayana Morari Bapu has been invited as state guest of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Director, cultural house, Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, Mehdi Hassan Khani visited Mahuva in Bhavnagar on Sunday and handed over to Morari Bapu the invitation, a close associate of the spiritual motivator Jaydev Mankad said.

“Bapu has been invited as state guest of Iran. He is welcome to visit the country as per his schedule in future.

Bapu has accepted the invita-

tion,” Mankad said. Mehdi Hassan Khani was in Mahuva to attend a communal harmony function. Bapu

has done about 711 ‘Ram Kathas’ across the globe. He plans to do a Ram Katha in the Holy Muslim city of Karbala near Imam Hussein Shrine and is awaiting clearance from Government of Iraq.

Bapu recently did a Ram Katha in Jerusalem, Israel.

He is scheduled to do a Ram Katha in Nagasaki from August 4 to 12 so as to coincide with the anniversary of bombing on the Japanese city on August 9. He has been spreading the message of communal harmony through

the Ram Kathas. The spiritual motivator was among the first Hindu religious leaders to lead a peace march through the riot-torn areas of Ahmedabad in 2002.

He organized a religious conference in Mahuva in January 2009.

The ‘Dharmasanwad’ had speakers from Jain, Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Muslim communities. Bapu had earlier said “The world wants the fifth yuga (fifth age) to be the age of love. My Ram Katha at Karbala will talk about truth, love and compassion.”

India’s presidential poll: It is Mukherjee vs Sangma Continued from page 1 "but I have taken those decisions keeping in view the interest of the people".

BJP supports Sangma Reconciling with division within NDA over presidential poll, BJP announced its support to P A Sangma to pit him against Mukherjee. The party, which failed to persuade allies like Shiv Sena and JD(U) to support Sangma, argued that it was its duty as the main Opposition party not to allow

a "walkover" to Congress which did not "consult" it.

Announcing the decision at a press conference, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley said the main opposition party could not support a government which is using "various manoeuvres," including investigative agencies, to rope in parties to stay in power. "BJP has decided to support the candidature" of Sangma, whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK and BJD, Swaraj said. Describing Sangma as

"the country's tall leader" as also northeast's "tallest leader", she appealed to allies like Shiv Sena and JD(U) to give up their opposition to his candidature. Swaraj and Jaitley said BJP was trying to bring Trinamool Congress on board but refused to reveal how it was being done.

Split in Left parties too The Left parties too failed to reach consensus on the presidential election with two of the four parties, including the CPI-M, supporting Mukherjee and the

other two deciding to abstain. "Four Left parties differed on presidential poll issue. Two decided that they will support Mukherjee while two others will abstain," Communist Party of India (CPI) leader A.B. Bardhan told reporters after the meeting. A Left leader said while the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Forward Bloc have decided to support Mukherjee, the CPI and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) will abstain.

Raja Parvez Ashraf sworn in Pak PM Continued from page 1 But the new leader himself is dogged by corruption charges relating to his tenure as Power Minister.

The 342-member National Assembly chose Ashraf as the country's 25th Prime Minister with 211 votes, against opposition PML-N nominee Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi who got 89 votes.

Addressing the National Assembly following his elec-

tion, Ashraf promised to keep the bettering of ties with India as one of his foreign policy priorities. He said Pakistan would work to strengthen the dialogue process that was already underway to resolve problems like the Kashmir issue.

Several members of Gilani's Cabinet were reinducted as ministers, including Hina Rabbani Khar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Naveed Qamar, Khursheed Shah, Farooq Sattar and

Makhdoom Shahabuddin, who was the ruling Pakistan People's Party's original candidate for the post of premier.

Shahabuddin had to bow out of the race after a special court issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with alleged irregularities in the import of a controlled drug during his tenure as Health Minister.

The election of the new premier was necessitated because a bench of the Supreme Court headed by

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry disqualified Yousuf Raza Gilani in response to several petitions that had challenged the National Assembly Speaker's decision not to disqualify him following his conviction for contempt. The apex court ruled that the post of premier had been vacant since April 26, when another seven-judge bench had convicted Gilani of contempt for refusing to reopen graft cases in Switzerland against Zardari.

Mumbai attack handler Abu Jundal arrested Continued from page 1 Sources said, he was present when Lashkar commander Zaki-ur Rahman Lakvhvi trained the attackers in a 12day training camp organized at Muzaffarabad in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir. Jundal himself tutored the terrorists for three days on how to get by in Mumbai. His statement to the Delhi police about Saeed’s presence in the Lashkar control room directly incriminates the Lashkar chief who has strenuously denied his complicity in the

terror strikes.

Jundal wanted by Ahmedabad police Ahmedabad crime branch officials are likely to seek custody of Abu Abu Jundal after Mumbai police finish questioning this accused of the 26/11 terror attack that left 166 dead.

Jundal is wanted in the Kalupur railway station blast of February, 2006, in which more than 25 persons were injured. “He is also wanted in connection with a LeT sleeper cell that was busted in 2006. Six persons were

arrested from a madrasa in south Gujarat. Jundal was behind recruiting these terror operatives,” said crime branch officials.

Jundal admits his role Jundal has admitted to his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, saying that he worked closely with Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who was the mastermind of the terror plot. Durring the interrogation, Jundal admitted that he was present in the LeT control room durring the terror attack and was giving instructions to the terrorists

while they were carrying out the strike.

Authorities believe Hamza is the voice of a previously unidentified man who was taped speaking by phone from Pakistan to the militants involved in the Mumbai attacks. He is also said to have coached the attackers in speaking Hindi.

The 10 gunmen killed commuters, foreigners and some wealthy Indian businessmen in the rampage, which included attacks on two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and a train station.

15 dead in Uttar Pradesh road mishap Fifteen people were killed when the bus they were travelling in crashed into a tree in northern Uttar Pradesh. The mishap took place near the old police station at Joya in Jyotiba Phule Nagar district. Police said that the accident took place as the driver fell asleep. Fourteen people died on the spot while one succumbed to his injuries at a Moradabad medical facility. The bus was packed with members of the same family who were returning from a head tonsuring ceremony from Haridwar. More than two dozen people from Kamalpura were travelling in the ill-fated bus.

Rajasthan: 4 newborn girls starved to death in 10 days In an alarming trend, authorities in Rajasthan have found a series of suspected cases of newborn girls being starved to death and deprived of medicines by parents. Rajasthan has one of the most skewed sex ratios in India and female infanticide is rampant in the state. Police said that four suspected cases of female infanticide have been reported in a span of ten days in different areas in Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer's Superintendent of Police (SP) Mamta Bishnoi said in all the four cases, the infants were either starved to death or deprived of necessary medication, leading to their death.

Rape case: Indian law to apply against French official India asserted that land of the law will prevail in the alleged rape case involving a French consulate official and rejected any scope of "parallel" investigation in the backdrop of reports that France was doing its own investigation into the case. "The question of carrying out a parallel investigation does not arise. The law of the land will prevail. He (the French official) has no immunity," external affairs minister S M Krishna said. He was asked about the reports that France was on it own investigating the allegations of rape of a three-year-old girl by her father and French consulate official Pascal Mazurier in Bangalore. Mazurier has been arrested by Bangalore police.

Pune mall catches fire, 15 rescued Fifteen customers and staffers were rescued from a major fire that broke out in a shopping mall in Pune. The fire broke out in the basement of the Koregaon Plaza, a mall in the Koregaon Park area of Pune. The blaze quickly spread to the first floor and the surrounding areas. A warehouse belonging to the national retail chain Shoppers Stop was virtually gutted in the fire, the cause of which is not yet known.

The entire area has been cordoned off, all shoppers from the remaining floors and surrounding areas have been evacuated. The blaze came on the same day as a major fire swept through the state secretariat in Mumbai.

5 killed in Maharashtra secretariat fire A devastating fire in the Mantralaya, Maharashtra’s seat of power, last week killed five people and reduced to ashes thousands of sensitive documents, computer files and records, including those on the Adarsh housing society scam. The four top floors of the eight-storey secretariat were believed to be gutted in the fire. Sixty-five people were evacuated and eight injured rushed to hospitals; the condition of one of the injured is serious. Many of them, trapped on the sixth floor, were forced to clamber down water pipes to the fifth floor in scenes reminiscent from the recent high rise fires in Kolkata and Bangalore.

Supreme Court refuses to suspend trial against Jayalalithaa The Supreme Court of India declined to suspend the trial in a disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and her aide Sasikala.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

27

The Sheikh family keeps on playing music for Sultan Ahmad Shah

By AV Correspondent For over six centuries, the Sheikh family has been playing music in the evening in honour of the Badshah Sultan Ahmad Shah of Ahmedabad. Ahmad Shah has been long dead and consigned to history, but the Sheikh family’s music lingers on around Badshah ka Hazira as a reminder of its glorious past.

“Our family was asked to play music to indicate time by the Badshah,” says Amir Sheikh, the younger of the two brothers, who play the flute. “Music was also a signal for signifying time in those days,” Amir adds. The walled city of ancient Ahmedabad had 12 gates, and with the last session of salaami, which used to be played at 11pm used to mark the end of the day, signaling time for closing the gates.

With the splendor and the glory of the monarchy gone, the Sheikh family today lives in a squalor house in Manekchowk area, near the Hazira (tomb) of Sultan Ahmad Shah. “It is a unique thing that is happening in Ahmedabad where a family has kept its loyalty for a ruler, who is no more for centuries,” said Debashish Nayek, heritage expert from Ahmedabad.

The city of Ahmedabad was built in 1411 AD by Sultan Ahmed Shah.

Subsequently, he built the Jama Masjid in 1423, which is one of the most aesthetically pleasing mosques in the Western India. Badshah ka Hazia houses the graves of three great rulers of Gujarat - Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. Time has eaten away all the historical documents that could ascertain their claims. President of Ahmedabad Wakf Committee, Rizwan Kadri, admits that the historical documents of Ahmed Shah’s period are no longer available. “Wakf Committee has been paying this family for their salary since 1914 and we have those records, but the historical records are all destroyed,” Kadri admits.

Back in Manekchowk, the commercial area adjoining Hazira, Amir walks into a jewellery shop along with his brother. The duo work there to make ends meet. “The Wakf committee pays us Rs 1,800 a month for playing the drum and the trumpet, but we need a little more to make ends meet,” he says with a smile. “The owners of the jewellery shop where we work allow us to go to the Hazira in the evening and do

Team Anna member deplaned from Kingfisher flight

our ritual. One can’t say no to Badshah,” he adds. On Thursdays and Fridays, they, however, have to attend to their royal duty more than twice.

“On these two days we play five times a day - once at 9 am, then at noon and then once again at 3 pm apart from the routine 7 pm and 11 pm schedule,” Amir adds. “The tradition has been handed out to us by our father Bannu Sheikh, who is no more. Now I am teaching my son Afzal who will continue after I am gone,” he says. For 11-year- old Afzal it is a matter of pride that he will be taking forward the tradition of his forefathers. “I am aware that there are not many people who come to hear it now but at least there is a generation to tell the story,’’ says Afzal. He

said that by the time his generation comes forward there would be none to narrate the story and history. “At present I do take out time from my studies to learn from my father, I am aware that it is not a well paid job either, but my father has faith in me and the community too thinks that I can carry forward the tradition,’’ says Afzal.

He said that once he grows he would take out time and see to it that the decades old tradition is maintained, and he would definitely look for an alternative job but that would not deter him to take the efforts of his forefathers forward.

Ismail Shaikh, a shopkeeper near the dargah says, “I have been coming here regularly, first with my father as a child now with my grandson to listen so that

they can tell their children about the history.’’ The 69-year-old admits that it might be a difficult proposition for the next generation to maintain the tradition but says that he was glad to see young Afzal take keen interest in carrying the tradition forward. Another regular visitor, 58- year- old Manzoor Shaikh, too admits that he has been visiting for several decades and come what may the tradition would be maintained. “We are trying to represent through community leaders that the allowance should be increased so that the younger generation is drawn toward the century old tradition.’’ Shaikh says that the youngsters are keen and the elders would ensure that this tradition does not die a natural death.

Presents

12th Asian Achievers Awards 14th September 2012 NOMINATION FORM *' 24'56+)+175 5+#0 %*+'8'45 9#4&5 +5 *156'& '8'4; ;'#4 $; <5 .'#&+0) 0'95 9''-.+'5 5+#0 1+%' #0& 7,#4#6 #/#%*#4 61 *10174 4+6+5* 5+#05 2#4 ':%'..'0%' ( 6*'4' +5 51/'10' ;17 -019 9*1 *#5 $41-'0 $170&#4+'5 #0& &'5'48'5 4'%1)0+6+10 (14 6*'+4 70+37' %1064+$76+10 61 6*' %1//70+6; #0& 6*' 0#6+10 6*'0 2.'#5' 01/+0#6' 6*'/ (14 10' 1( 6*' #9#4&5 .+56'& $'.19 #-' 574' 6*#6 ;17 (+.. +0 6*+5 #22.+%#6+10 (14/ #0& 5'0& +6 10 14 4 '14)' '. #: /#+. ### #$2.)4172 %1/ #&&4'55 +5 4 '14)' 4172 #4/# "1)# 175' 1:610 #4-'6 10&10

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Please tick the appropriate category Sports Personality of the Year............................................

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Name of the Nominee: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Contact Details of the Nominee (Tel & email): _______________________________________________________________ Present Occupation of the Nominee: _______________________________________________________________________

Arvind Kejriwal

Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal was last week deplaned from a Kingfisher Airlines flight in New Delhi while he was on his way to Dharamsala.

The anti-corruption crusader said he was singled out even when he was carrying a valid ticket, adding that no reason was given to him for same.

"No reason was given by the aircraft before offloading me," said the key Team Anna member. Talking to mediapersons, Kejriwal said, "I believe some corrupt forces forced the airlines to offload me." The Team Anna member further said that he was in the queue to board the flight when officials of the Kingfisher Airlines asked him to step out. He was made to wait there even after the boarding gates shut.

According to Kejriwal, he was told by the airlines officials that his ticket had been sold to someone else.

Please attach the Nominees's CV which includes the following information (Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words) (1) Personal background (2) (3) (4) (5)

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Summary- (Please include a summary in not more than 150 words why the nominee is worthy of winning the particular award in a separate sheet) Nominators name and contact details: _____________________________________________________________________ Nominators current Occupation/Company: __________________________________________________________________ Tel/Mobile: _________________________________

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NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS This is a unique event where readers nominate and an independent panel of judges comprising of eminent personalities selects the winner. Judges’ decision is final. ABPL Group will not entertain any dialogue with members of the public regarding the judging process. In order to ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness, the management and members of the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will play no role in the nomination or judging process. You may use an additional sheet if the space provided is insufficient. The winners will be announced at the AAA Awards ceremony in 14th September, 2012. Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar will publish the names of the short listed candidates and winners after the event. The winners names will also appear in our e-edition www.abplgroup.com You can nominate yourself if you wish to. Nominations and entries must follow the prescribed format. All nomination forms must reach our offices on or before 12th July, 2012

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traVel & women

asian voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

PuRvi’s tRaveL Bag

women achievers Acting runs in the blood of Supriya pathak

By Purvi Apurva Shah

By aV Correspondent

the camel city of India Popularly called the camel city of India, Bikaner is renowned for the best riding camels in the world.

Gaily caparisoned camels can be seen at Bikaner's annual camel festival held in January.

Camel races, camel tug of war and other exciting contests enliven the festivities.

The royal fortified city is sheer beauty amidst the sand dunes. The genesis of Bikaner dates back to 1488 AD when a Rathore prince, Rao Bikaji, son of Rao Jodhaji of Jodhpur, chose a barren wilderness known as Jangaldesh and transformed it to an impressive city called Bikaner.

Its strategic location on the ancient caravan routs, linking Central Asia and North India with Gujarat sea ports, made Bikaner a prime trade centre in the times of yore.

A medieval aura pervades the city, as visible in its forts, palace and temples - each a delicate creation in red and yellow sandstone bearing testimony to the rich historical and architectural legacy. It is a beautiful city with rippling sand, scorching sun and an arid rocky scrubland. The old part of the Bikaner city is surrounded by a stone wall that is 15 - 30 feet high and has five gates.

The city is famous for woolen shawls, blankets, carpets, and sugar candy.

The city has beautiful havelis, which are marvels in home architecture.

These type of havelis are not found anywhere in the world except in Bikaner.

temple dedicated to the fifth Jain Tirthankara, Sumati Nathji and is decorated with rich mirror work, frescoes and gold leaf paintings. The temple is carved in red sandBhandaser stone and white marJain temple ble.

Devi Kund Sagar: It is the royal crematorium which has exquisite cenotaphs built in memory of the deceased family members of the royal family. The cenotaphs were other havelis are about made of red sandstone with a rich carving work.

100-year- old.

Lallgarh Palace: This Bikaner is also famous for a large number of festi- palace was built by vals. One of them is the Maharaja Ganga Singh in camel festival which memory of his father in begins with a colorful pro- 1902 AD. The palace has magnificent pillars, richly carved fire mantles, Italian colonnades and motif of lotus in full bloom. Bikaner royal family still lives in a part of this Palace.

Shiv Bari Temple: This temple was built in the 19th century Lallgarh Palace

by Dungar Singhji. cession on camels in the The temple is surrounded red sandstone background by embattlement wall and of the Junagarh Fort. The has a four faced black marcamels exhibit remarkable ble Shiva statue and a foot-work and dance bronze statue of Nandi.

Best time to visit: gracefully to the direction November to February (during winter months) How to reach: A i r p o r t : Jodhpur airport is the nearest airport, which is 235 km from Bikaner.

Railways: Fairs & Festival Bikaner is linked of their riders in this festi- with major cities in India val. Another important like Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, festival in Bikaner is the Kalka and Howrah by railkite festival, locally known way lines.

Roads: Major cities as the "Akkha Teej". that are linked with Other places of Bikaner by roads include importance Jaipur and Bhandaser Jain tem- Delhi, ple: It is a 15th century Jaisalmer.

They are situated in the narrow lanes of the old city and are mostly made of red sandstone. The oldest haveli in Bikaner is about 400-year- old, but

Camel Race

Supriya Pathak Kapoor is the daughter of late Dina Pathak, veteran actor and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actress. Supriya is famous for her role in the Indian sitcoms “Khichdi” and “Idhar Udhar.” She is a well known character actress famous for playing mother and grandmother roles during the 1980s and 1990s. Supriya is married to actor Pankaj Kapoor with whom she has a daughter and son. Her step son is the famous Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor.

Supriya began her career with the critically acclaimed 1981 film ‘Kalyug’ which was followed by roles in many more critically acclaimed

films such as ‘Vijeta’ (1982), ‘Bazaar’ (1982), ‘Masoom’ (1983) and ‘Mirch Masala’ (1985).

She also had a minor role as Mahatma Gandhi's niece in the award-winning biopic ‘Gandhi’ (1982) and starred in the 1988 French film ‘The Bengali Night’ alongside Hugh Grant and in ‘Raakh’ opposite Aamir Khan.

In the early 1990s, she took a long break from acting in films but appeared in several television serials. After an 11year hiatus from films, she starred in the 2005 film ‘Sarkar’ opposite Amitabh Bachchan, following which she also worked in some other films, most recently being the 2009 Ranbir Kapoor - Konkona Sen Sharma starrer ‘Wake Up Sid.’ She is best

known for her role of Hansa Praful Parekh in the TV series ‘Khichdi.’

Some of the critically acclaimed films include ‘Kalyug.’ Of late she has given performances in ‘Sarkar Raj’ as Pushpa Nagre and as Vimla in 2009 in ‘Delhi 6.’ Her performance in ‘Wake Up Sid’ as Sarita got nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

In 2003, Supriya and her husband won awards at the MTR Foods Indian Telly Awards for Best Actor in a comic role.

Supriya always thought of herself as the type of actress suited to play tragic roles but playing the role of Hansa, for which she won the award, changed her perspective even toward her character.

Guru Purnima, a day to worship sage Vyasa The full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashad (July-August) is observed as the auspicious day of Guru Purnima, a day sacred to the memory of the great sage Vyasa. All Hindus are indebted to this ancient saint who edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata. Vyasa even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the Guru of Gurus.

Significance of Guru Purnima: On this day, all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honor of his divine personage and all disciples perform a 'puja' of their respective spiritual preceptor or 'Gurudevs'.

This day is of great significance to the farmers, for it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains, as the advent of cool showers usher in fresh life Aptly called the poor man’s burger! It is potato patties served between laddi pav smeared with an assortment of chutneys.

Here is the perfect Mumbai roadside recipe: Ingredients: For The Vada: 1 tbsp oil, 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger, green chilli and garlic, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai / sarson), 1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing), 5 to 7 curry leaves (kadi patta), 1 1/2 cups boiled , peeled and mashed potatoes, a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi), salt to taste, oil for deep-frying Batter: 3/4 cup besan (bengal gram flour), a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi), salt to taste 1/4 cup water Method: For the vada ;Heat the oil in a small kadhai and add the mustard seeds.When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida and curry leaves and sauté on a medium flame for a

in the fields. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally, spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual 'sadhana' from this day. The period 'Chaturmas' (four months) begins from this day. In the past, wandering spiritual masters and their disciples used to settle down at a place to study and discourse on the Brahma Sutras composed by

Vyasa, and engage themselves in Vedantic discussions.

The Role of the Guru: It was not without reason that the India of the past carefully tended and kept alive the lamp of GuruTattva. It is therefore not without reason that India commemorates anew this ancient concept of the Guru, adores it and pays homage to it again and again.

Vada Pav

few seconds. Add the pounded mixture and sauté on a medium flame for a few more seconds. Add the potatoes, salt and turmeric powder, mix well and cook for a minute, while stirring continuously. Add the coriander and mix well.

Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a round shape. Dip each vada in the prepared batter and deep-fry in hot oil until they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides.

Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside. Slit a pav horizontally, apply meetha chutney, teekha chutney

and sukha lehsun ka chutney (as per your taste) on the inner sides of the pav and stuff with a hot vada.

Alternatively you can avoid the meetha chutney and teekha chutney and use only sukhi lehsun ki chutney.

Health benefits: The product is rich in Carbohydrates, proteins, fat, dietary fibre and iron.

HealtH WAtch

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Avoid placing laptop directly on your lap

Wonder drug aspirin also fights cancer The humble aspirin’s case for being a wonder drug just got stronger. Three studies published in the latest issues of The Lancet show the analgesic to have anti-cancer properties, along with a role in prevention of distant metastasis (spread from one part of the body to another) of the disease. The studies build a case for inclusion of the drug in cancer treatment protocol.

Because of its bloodthinning quality, aspirin is already recommended for cardiovascular patients.

One of the new studies examined patient data from 51 long-term randomised controlled trials involving 77,549 patients.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that after three years of daily aspirin use, the risk of developing cancer was reduced by almost 25 per cent when compared with a control group not taking aspirin. After five years, the risk of dying of cancer was reduced by 37 per cent among those taking aspirin.

A second paper that analysed five large randomised controlled studies in Britain found that over six and a half years on average, daily aspirin use reduced the risk of metastatic cancer by 36 per cent and risk of adenocarcinomas - common solid cancers, including colon, lung and prostate cancer - by 46 per cent.

Daily aspirin use also reduced the risk of progressing to metastatic disease, particularly in patients with colorectal cancer, the studies reported.

A third paper by Andrew T Chan and Nancy R Cook of Harvard Medical School compared the findings of the observational studies and the randomised trials of aspirin.

There is an urgent need for clinical trials of treatment regimens incorporating aspirin, Dr Peter M Rothwell, a professor of clinical neurology at the University of Oxford, who led the first two studies, said. “What really jumps out at you in terms of prevention is the striking 75 per cent reduction in oesophageal cancer and a 40 to 50 per cent reduction in colorectal cancer, which is the most common cancer right now. In terms of prevention, anyone with a family history would be sensible to take aspirin.”

The studies show “a lot of promise because we never knew these things earlier,” says P K Julka, professor of clinical oncology at AIIMS. According to him, the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin and its role as inhibitor of prostaglandins (hormomelike substances) may explain the findings of the studies. Professor Julka cautions that more trials were needed before aspirin could be made a part of the treatment protocol.

However, long-term use of aspirin - as in patients with a cardiovascular condition - is not without its share of risks. The drug is known to trigger bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, and the risk of that goes up as a patient grows older.

Past studies have also suggested that drawbacks.

The laptop was invented to provide user mobility - so we don't end up being chained to our desk computers. But working for hours with the lappy perched on your lap could result in discoloured patchy skin. While you could be enjoying the heat emanating, you could also develop Toasted Skin Syndrome.

What is it?

It is clinically known as Erythema Ab Igne and also known by names such as 'laptop thigh' and 'hot water bottle rash'. Swiss doctors call it 'laptopinduced dermatosis'.

Cosmeto-dermatologist Dr Anuya Manerkar defines it as "A coarsely reticulated pigmentation which is produced by prolonged exposure to excessive heat without the production of a burn."

Who is at risk?

"People who spend prolonged periods of time British and Italian researchers have found that eating three bananas cuts the risk of a stroke. They said that having one banana for breakfast, one for lunch and one in the evening would provide enough potassium to reduce the chances of suffering a blood clot on the brain by around 21 per cent.

The findings suggest that thousands of strokes could be prevented by the consumption of other potassium-rich foods such as spinach, nuts, milk, fish and lentils.

Although some previous studies have suggested bananas could be important for controlling blood pressure and preventing strokes, results have not always been consistent. In the latest research, scientists analysed data from 11 different studies - dating back to the mid-Sixties -

studying, reading, or playing games on laptops resting on their upper legs could develop this skin syndrome," warns dermatologist Dr Shreyas Kamath. This skin condition is common among people often exposed to heat while working (blacksmiths, silversmiths, cooks, etc). Now, people using laptops for long hours are facing this.

Causes: The prolonged placement of laptop on the thighs results in thermal build of around 44 degrees of heat to which the skin responds by developing persistent redness and pigmentation.

Harmful effects: "The skin develops a patch which is mottled (caused by local hemostasis - stagnation of blood) and later becomes reticulated erythema (patchy striped erythema) leaving behind pigmentation," says Dr Manerkar.

Cosmetodermatologist Dr Swati Srivastava warns that repeated skin exposure can waste tissues, typically due to the degeneration of cells. If there is a persistent soreness that does not heal, a skin biopsy should be performed to rule out the possibility of skin cancer.

Treatment: First of all, identification of the root cause, i.e., the source of the heat, needs to be identified. If it is excess duration of laptop usage, it should be cut down. Also, direct contact of the laptop and the skin should be avoided by placing a barri-

er in between. Dr Arsiwala says laptop coolers are also available. The skin change, if detected early and is mild in nature, can settle on its own without treatment. For persistent redness, anti-inflammatory creams can be used. In some cases, one may require laser therapy.

Eat three bananas a day to cut risk of stroke a n d pooled the results to get an overall outcome.

They found a daily potassium intake of around 1,600 mg, less than half the UK recommended daily amount for an adult of 3,500mg, were enough to lower stroke risk by more than a fifth.

The average banana contains around 500 milligrams of potassium,

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which helps to lower blood pressure and controls the balance of fluids in the body. Too little potassium can lead to an irregular heartbeat, irritability, nausea and diarrhoea.

Researchers from the University of Warwick and the University of Naples said, "Potassium intake in

most countries is well below the recommended daily amount."

But if consumers ate more potassium-rich foods and also reduced their salt intake, the annual global death toll from strokes could be cut by more than a million a year.

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

CB Live is the only Gujarati live programme in UK on Television This week on CB live Mr Sanjay Morzaria, a voluntary London Olympics Ambassador will be explaining his role in the games and talking about volunteering in general.

The Honorable Rajni Tailor, Minister of Kabaka Government and trustee of the Indian Association Uganda and Vice Chairman of Uganda Reunion 2012 will talk about Uganda’s 50th anniversary independence celebration and the 40th anniversary of the Uganda Asian Expulsion Reunion.

If you do not have a SKY, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500 With the Sun transiting your solar fourth house of family and home, these areas are highlighted during this period. Buying or selling of property or even renovating it will be uppermost in your mind as you will be trying to put your roots down permanently. It is also a time when family life will be charged with emotions so be diplomatic and respect other people's views.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

7pm to 8pm Every Thursday

CB LIVE Every Thursday on MATV (SKY 793) 7pm to 8pm For more information email: cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk or call Alka Shah on 07944 151 893

‘A Soldier’s General

The Sun highlights your second house of finance, and your focus is on material affairs and comfort issues. This is a good time to plan your future investments carefully to maximise your profits.

If travelling make sure you keep your documents safe as there is a possibility of misplacing them.

Some of you might change your travel itinerary.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

An Autobiography’ by General J.J Singh Anjali Patel

The Sun transits your first house and this affects your personal identity, appearance, outward behaviour, and self-expression. This marks the peak of your physical solar cycle, and you are in the position to make an impression on others, and to assert your personal influence. Increased energy and a renewed feeling of confidence is with you now, so take advantage of your charisma to achieve your goals.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

On Monday 25 June 2012 a special book launch took place at the Waldorf Hilton, London by His excellency Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, the High Commissioner of India.

The book addresses the experience of a former General of the Indian Army and Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, General J.J Singh. Three generations of his family graced the launch, members of his family and old colleagues read out

General Singh addressing the audience

forces chiefs have taken the call. But I was determined, and finally wrote the events as they happened to me….”

Upon arrival all the guests were greeted by a well renowned businessman, Dr Rami Ranger, who is descended from nobility.

His father, Shaheed Nanak Singh was against the breakup of India on the basis of religion. His father

attended the event were ministers, successful entrepreneurs and members of various political parties.

The event commenced at 7pm at the main reception hall, where all the guests were served canapés and drinks. This was followed by a gathering where guests were directed to enter the main dining room to their assigned tables.

The atmosphere of the room was welcoming, the pillars

were adorned with midnight blue drapes and lights beaming from beneath, tables were decorated beautifully with a centre piece to compliment the extraordinary event.

The event concluded with a full course dinner and a book signing opportunity with General J.J Singh. The guests walked out filled with happiness and forever remembering the event to be a very memorable one.

Coming Events

Colonel Aloke Dutt; H.E. General JJ Singh, Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and Former Chief of Indian Army; H.E. Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; Mrs Anupama Singh, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill and Mr Paul Uppal MP.

extracts from the book and gave their full hearted praises. A short documentary captured the milestones of J.J. Singh’s career and life.

“Five years ago, I decided to pen my life,” the General said. “Now I understand why few armed

You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment. Socially you are very popular and your communications strengthen your connections. You will be busy with errands, paperwork, phone calls, and light socializing. Siblings, close relatives and friends may play an important role in your life during this period.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

famously declared that “India’s unity and diversity are like the colours of a rainbow, if one were removed, its charm and beauty would be diminished”.

Unfortunately Shaheed Nanak Singh was assassinated in 1947.

Among the guests that

Asian Voice Main Office Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW.

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l Krishna Leela Katha to be conducted by Param Pujya Santshree Shripagiri Bapu of Palanpur at VHP Hall, 55 Albert Road, Ilford, IG1 on Friday 29th June, Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July l Chinmaya Mission presents Swaranjaneya, a divine rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa in 7 ragaas.

Time and date: 7:30-9pm, Tuesday 3 July 2012.

Venue: Kensington Town Hall, Hornton St, London W8 7NX. Contact: 07825615493 l The City Pavilion presents The Kings of Bollywood (Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy) on 6th July 2012 Venue: The Millennium Suite at The City Pavilion, Collier Row Road, Romford, RM5 2BH. Limited Tickets Only. For more information please contact Tapps Mehta 020 8924 2227 l Tuhi Ram Seva trust are celebrating Guru Purnima on Saturday 30th June at Slough Hindu Temple, Keel Drive, Slough, SL1 2XU. Programme starts at 2pm. More information please contact Arun Bapu on 07876 205 314.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The Sun travels through your twelfth house now, marking a time of retreat and regeneration. This also heralds a time for research and unfinished behind-the-scene activities.

Matters which have dragged on for a while should now be re-assessed and put to rest. Some of you will be looking to spiritual enlightenment and take up yoga and meditation.

The Sun illuminates your sector of friends, social gatherings and group activities. You will be in constant demand and will be in a position to network with new-found friends who will promote your cause.

Personal relationships are also to the fore and some of you might even find true love. This is a time to follow your dreams and ideals.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

More than any other time of the year, your focus is drawn to your career and standing in the society. This is the time when you are more interested in, and focused on, accomplishing something important. Contact with authority figures is more likely during this period. Recognition will come your way whether you ask for it or not, and the responsibility that goes with it.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 You are feeling most adventurous and willing to achieve higher knowledge and spiritual growth. This is a good time to broaden your horizons through travel and higher learning. This may take you to far off lands in pursuit of your new-found goals. You must distance yourself from the mundane grind of life and take on something which is more meaningful for your inner growth.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The Sun energizes your sector of change, transformation and regeneration. On a more practical level, you may be dealing with joint finances and shared resources now more than usual. You should also make sure that your tax affairs are in order. You are more willing than usual to explore and delve deeper into life's secrets and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

As the Sun transits your seventh house, you have a greater need than usual to be in a relationship. The emphasis is on "us" rather than "me". Social interactions of a personal nature are highlighted. This is likely to be an extremely busy time for most of you. Use tact and diplomacy in your dealing, otherwise you are likely to come across as over confident and egotistical.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The Sun transits your solar sixth house and highlights your health and also makes you take pride in your day to day work. Hence, you should enhance your skills, get organized and take up a health regime for your wellbeing. This transit highlights the need for efficiency and as such you should bring in the new and get rid of the old ideas that do not work.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

After a period of relative inactivity, you are coming out of your shell, ready to perform and to express yourself creatively.

This is a very progressive period of the year, when you are inspired emotionally. You take more pride in your your love affairs, your children, and your hobbies and are generally very sociable and make friends easily.

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

31

32

Action at a Glance Sri Lanka crush Pakistan in first test

Sri Lanka claimed the extra half-hour at the end of the fourth day to complete a 209-run rout of Pakistan in the first test on Monday. The visitors, chasing an unlikely victory target of 510, were bowled out for 300. The game looked like dragging on to the fifth day when fifthwicket pair Younus Khan (87) and Asad Shafiq (80) put up stubborn resistance with a stand of 151. After the pair was removed, Mohammad Ayub (22) and Adnan Akmal (40 not out) continued to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers. When the extra half-hour started Pakistan were 279 for eight but Suraj Randiv snapped up the last two wickets to finish with figures of three for 86 in the second innings and seven for 99 in the match. Shafiq hit 13 fours in an attractive innings before edging a catch to Mahela Jayawardene at slip off Rangana Herath.

Former captain Younus struck seven fours to thwart the home attack until he was finally undone by the second new ball after tea, caught behind by Prasanna Jayawardene off Nuwan Kulasekara. Debutant Ayub then presented Nuwan Pradeep with his first test wicket when he was trapped lbw.

Cook ton seals ODI series win over Windies

England captain Alastair Cook led his side to a seriesclinching eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the second one-day international with an impressive hundred at The Oval last week. England, set 239, finished on 239 for two with five overs left after Cook made 112 and shared stands of 122 and 81 with Ian Bell (53) and Jonathan Trott (43 not out) respectively. Victory gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-match series and was their sixth successive victory at this level after a 4-0 clean sweep of Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in February.

Win lone T20: On Sunday England beat the West Indies by seven wickets to win the lone Twenty20 international at Trent Bridge. England, set 173 to win, finished on 173 for three with Alex Hales making an England best 99 at this level.

Asian Voice - Saturday 30th June 2012

Indian tennis mess: Paes in no hurry to take Olympic call

To accept or not to accept a raw deal is the question.

Leander Paes may be stuck on the horns of a dilemma, but he is in no hurry to take inarguably the most important decision of his 23-year tennis career. “Am trying to chill out after a couple of bad days… I’ve started training for Wimbledon with Radek (Stepanek), am going to the gym, doing all the hard work so that I can create magic on the court once more. Don’t want anything to distract my goal of winning a couple of more Grand Slams with Radek and Elena (Vesnina),” Paes said from London on Saturday.

“The moment I’m convinced about what I should do, I’ll announce my decision,” was all that the 39-yearold would say on an issue the entire India is curious about.

Paes had stated clearly in a letter to the AITA that a

compromise formula pairing him with a junior player after the federation bowed to the demands of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna - won’t be acceptable to him. The AITA, under severe political pressure, went ahead and did just that a day after and sent the entries to ITF without seeking Paes’ consent.

Left to himself, a disgusted and disillusioned Paes would have probably walked away from it all by now, sacrificing the dream of participating in a record sixth Olympic Games. He told a confidant that he would perhaps end up playing only the men’s doubles with Vishnu Vardhan, which doesn’t represent a realistic medal hope in London, so why just make up the numbers? His pessimism stems from a total lack of faith in the AITA, which has only verbally said that Sania

Mirza and Paes would be playing the mixed doubles.

What has also put him off is a fresh media campaign launched by Bhupathi on the mixed doubles pairing. The last thing that Paes wants now is to get into another messy fight over who partners Sania. The fact that he’s ‘chilling’ out and tak-

ing some more time to make his decision, though, is an encouraging sign, his father Dr Vece Paes reckons. “I think he’s softening down a bit. He’s listening to the advice of a core group of well-wishers, but at the end of the day, it’s his call because he’ll have to live with it, not anyone else.”