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VOL 41. ISSUE 46

30th March to 5th April 2013

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With anti-Sri Lankan sentiments being whipped up in Tamil Nadu, chief minister J Jayalalithaa said that her government would not permit IPL matches in Chennai that involve Sri Lankan players, umpires and even support staff for the event.

"In view of the popular antipathy and anger in Tamil Nadu against the actions of the government of Sri Lanka, the state government is of the view that IPL matches involving Sri Lankan players, umpires and other officials should not be played in Tamil

The farce of UK ImmIgraTIon polIcIes Welcoming parasites, turning away real skilled labours and entrepreneurs

J Jayalalithaa

Nadu," she said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The chief minister said the BCCI may be advised by the Centre to prevail upon the IPL organizers not to allow Sri Lankan players, officials, umpires Continued on page 26

Mumbai blasts case: Sanjay Dutt jailed

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Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will have to undergo a jail term of three years and six months after the Supreme Court last week upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case which it said was organised by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and others with the involvement of Pakistan's ISI. However, the apex court reduced to five years the six year jail term awarded to him by a designated TADA court in

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2006, ruling out his release on probation. The 53-year-old Dutt, son of the late Sunil Dutt and Nargis, has already spent one and half years in jail Continued on page 26

David Cameron

Theresa May

UK Immigration has become a standing jest. No country other than our Britain changes its rules every day and ironically it has become a new convention that every politician's speech on immigration is prefaced with a plea that they should be allowed to make speeches on the subject!

With the scandalous announcement of Theresa May on Tuesday about the government's decision to abolish the UK Border Agency (UKBA) due to its lack of performance- is the final nail in the coffin.

Whether it's PM Cameron or Deputy PM Clegg or Home Secretary Theresa May or Secretary of State for Communities Eric Pickles - they are all aware of the benefits, both cultural and econom-

Nick Clegg

ic, that immigration has brought to Britain. They are also aware that many immigrants who are now citizens of this country have integrated successfully.

On Monday David Cameron gave a speech in Ipswich about 'controlled migration'. Of course 'illegal immigration' is unacceptable, but the point is Mr Cameron, you claim that there has been no surge in numbers of EU immigrants, but the non EU immigrants cannot possibly be a 'burden' on Britain's economy.

Yes they may take British jobs, only those Britons refuse to do, but you must realise that non EU immigrants do not get preferences, have the right to take benefits of any kinds or live in this country unless they earn a certain amount of wages

Keith Vaz

Vince Cable

and pay taxes. It's the EU citizens who have in fact taken child benefits regularly from the British government, inspite of not having their families and children living in Britain.

Mr Cameron, you have set yourself a very tough target. You want net migration to be in the tens of thousands a year rather than the hundreds of thousands that it has been recently. At the same time you want to ensure that those you call “the best and the brightest” are not deterred from coming to Britain.

Isn't that a little 'deceitful' Mr Cameron?

As the investigative journalist Willard Foxton rightly wrote in The Telegraph, Continued on page 5

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

John Cooper QC

week to a student if they had worked hard during that period.

John Cooper QC was called to the Bar in 1983 and took Silk in 2010. He has been involved in some of the leading cases of the last decade and was listed in the Times in 2012 as one of the “Top 100 most influential lawyers in the UK”.

His case-load includes high profile litigation such as the Judicial Review into the Inquest of the death of Dr David Kelly, the Government weapons inspector, and representation of the Occupiers outside St Pauls Cathedral. Other cases include representation of bereaved families in a catalogue of high profile Inquests, such as those deaths at Deepcut Barracks, the Hercules aircraft disaster and Puma helicopter crash.

John Cooper advises internationally on the Rule of Law and was responsible for advising countries as far afield as Slovakia and Nepal upon setting up their legal systems.

1. Please tell us about your current position?

I am a QC at 25 Bedford Row specializing in Crime and Human Rights. I am also an Honorary Visiting Professor of Law at Cardiff University.

2. What are your proudest achievements?

I come from a working-class background with no lawyers in the family and have got to where I am now as a result of my own efforts and endeavours.

I became a Bencher at Middle Temple in 2012 and I felt a great deal of pride accepting that honour, with my 85 year-old father sitting in the Hall.

There are many cases I

could cite here, but I am particularly proud of representing the employees in the BCCI action, many of whom lost their jobs and life security as a result of the collapse of this bank. I also recall with satisfaction the important case representing the bereaved in the Deepcut barracks Inquest, when we were attempting to discover how a number of vulnerable young people met their deaths at that place.

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

Although the Bar has improved dramatically in the last few years, there still remains an element of snobbery and resistance from a section of the Bar who still per-

Dhruv Patel elected as a member of the City of London Corporation Founder & former Chairman of the City Hindus Network, Dhruv Patel, was elected in the ward of Aldgate to sit on the Court of the Common Council of the City of London Corporation.

The City of London Corporation is the oldest continuous municipal democracy in the world, predating Parliament.

It governs the area in central London, north of the Thames known as the "Square Mile". As well as performing all the usual functions of a local Council, such as providing waste collection, libraries and traffic management, it is also the representative body for the UK’s financial services industry and has its own police force which is entirely separate from Greater London's Metropolitan Police.

Other unusual characteristics include the £1.3bn City Cash fund it controls making it the richest local authority in the country and the fact that it is not organised along party political lines so that most candidates including Dhruv stand as independents.

It is also unique in that businesses are allowed to appoint voters as there are hardly any residents in the area. Aldgate ward covers businesses including those based in the "Gherkin" tower as well as the London Metal Exchange and the Baltic

Dhruv Patel

Exchange. Dhruv is one of 26 new members that have been elected to the 100 strong Court in all out Council wide elections that were held on Thursday.

Dhruv is the first ever Common Councilman (as City of London Councillors are known) from a black/minority ethnic background to be elected from a business ward, but he hopes that he will be the first of many so that the Court will in future better represent the diversity of the workforce in the City.

As well as setting up the City Hindus Network, Dhruv worked at the magic circle law firm Slaughter and May and the investment bank Barclays Capital before leaving his career to invest in property and the insurance market Lloyds of London. You can follow Dhruv on Twitter @dhrvptl.

5. What is the best thing about your current role?

Independence. As a barrister you are completely responsible for the decisions that you make.

Although this is also a cause for pressure, it means that everything that you decide; from the law to pursue, to the tactics that should be employed, is entirely in your hands.

ceive the profession as being a club rather than a modern business.

Often this approach comes from those who have not had to strive for a foothold in the profession and that attitude continues to display itself even to this date.

4. Who has been the biggest influence on you to date?

My mother. Her words were always “only do what makes you happy”. She also valued those who worked hard, even if at times, it did not result in success. When she died in 1992 an award was established in her name at the local primary school where she was a dinner lady, which was awarded every

6. And the worst?

Watching the present Government’s dismantling of the publicly funded Legal Aid system is particularly difficult. The Legal Aid regime is the laws equivalent of the National Health Service but it is not as easy to get its loss over to the public as it is in health. We can all empathise with the need for hospital care, because after all we will, at some time, fall sick or have people close to us that become poorly. The problem with the publicly funded Legal Aid system is that there is a misleading perception that it is only for criminals and therefore irrelevant to the general public.

7. What are your long-term goals?

To be doing exactly what I’m doing now, with the same

amount of hair.

8. If you were PM what one thing would you change?

I would change the whole negative approach to the European Convention on Human Rights and the constant undermining by certain politicians of the Human Rights Act. I would strengthen the influence of the Convention in our jurisprudence and continue to remind both Parliament and the public at large that the European Convention on Human Rights is a bulwark which protects us from torture and inhuman and degrading practices, ensures freedom to practise religious beliefs and the right to speak freely.

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

Edward Marshall Hall.

Marshall-Hall was a criminal defence barrister who practiced at the turn of the last century.

He made his name representing defendants who otherwise might not have received help.

One of his famous lines when representing a woman accused of murder was “God never gave her a chance, won’t you?” as he addressed the jury. She was acquitted and saved from the gallows. His commitment and dedication to the weak and discriminated has always been a torch, which has guided my own approach to practise.

Zubin Karkaria appointed on the Executive Board of Kuoni Group Zubin Karkaria, Chief Executive Officer – VFS Global Group, has been appointed as a member of the Executive Board of Kuoni Group effective 21 March 2013. Besides continuing in his existing role, he will also take on the role Executive Board member, and will now report to the Chief Executive Officer of Kuoni Group, Peter Rothwell. Simultaneously, VFS Global has been made a separate business division of Kuoni Group.

As a member of the Executive Board, Zubin will play a role in the strategic direction and decision-making of the 106 year-old Kuoni Group. The Executive Board, whose members include the CEO, CFO, and Business Division Heads of the Group, is the preeminent managerial body of Kuoni Group.

Incidentally, Zubin is the first Asian to serve on the Executive Board of Kuoni Group.

Zubin, who joined Kuoni in 1991 in India, rapidly moved up from one managerial role to the next in the company’s Tour Operating Division, and was appointed as the Deputy CEO and Head Business Development for Kuoni India and South Asia in 2003. He was then appointed as the CEO and Managing Director of Kuoni India and South Asia in 2005, being responsible for all units of

the company – Tour Operating, VFS Global, Business Travel and Kuoni Academy. He was responsible for the conceptualisation and launch of VFS Global in 2001, and has subsequently led VFS Global to become the largest global company in its field of providing visa and other consular services to governments and diplomatic missions.

This development further underlines VFS Global’s increasing prominence within the Kuoni Group. In the words of Group CEO, Peter Rothwell, “Zubin is a highly accomplished and respected member of Kuoni’s top management. I am convinced that his rich experience and his dynamic leadership

Zubin Karkaria

qualities will contribute positively to the functioning of the Executive Board and to the overall performance of the Kuoni Group. I welcome Zubin on the Executive Board.”

Vikram Balan, Mrs Mahapatra, Mr Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Regional Head State bank of India UK and Mr Gurcharan Das at a discussion about his new book India Grows at Night organised by the IIM Europe and IIT UK Alumni Associations in London sponsored by SBI

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th march 2013

Comment

What next with friends like these…

The Congress -led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is facing multiple crisis. The big one came few days back following the decision of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to pull out from the government over the government’s stand on United Nation’s Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) resolution on Sri Lanka.

DMK supremo M Karunanidhi demanded UPA government to introduce a stronger language into the US-backed resolution at UNHRC in Geneva, including the use of the word “genocide,” to denote the alleged atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan forces against Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil population. Not much a surprise that the DMK has softened its stand on Monday stating that it would not let the government fall.

DMK has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament). The Tamil Nadu -based party’s withdrawal may be a body blow to UPA, but doesn’t seem a fatal one. Mood in Congress party is not one of deep despair even though the strength of ruling alliance has now reduced to 224. DMK’s pulling out makes UPA dependent on Samajvadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samajvadi Party (BSP) having stronghold in Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. For the alliance it is not a happy situation as it makes UPA vulnerable to their demands. Even after DMK’s exit, the ruling alliance is enjoying support of 281 MPs in the house where magic figure for a majority is 272. Of the 57 MPs supporting the alliance from outside, 22 and 21 respectively are from SP and BSP. Even Mamta Benerjee’s The All India Trinamool Congress has supported UPA’s stand on Sri Lanka and given assurance to support from outside.

Already states like Bihar, Bengal and Uttar

Pradesh are demanding special packages from the federal government. SP is likely to demand Muslim quota and package for Uttar Pradesh.

BSP may come along on these, but problem will arise when Maya demands Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe quota in promotions, which SP is supposed to oppose. With Narendra Modi’s rise in BJP, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar of Janata Dal (U) is unhappy.

JD(U) has 21 MPs and is warming up to UPA. However, to please Kumar, UPA would have to give special status to Bihar.

Looking to the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2014, leaders of regional parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Mayavati (BSP) and Mamata Benerjee would constantly put the government under pressure. The Indian government’s budget for the year 2013-14 was presented keeping the upcoming election in mind. Ever increasing deficit is a cause of serious concern. The beleaguered UPA government avoided bold reforms in its annual budget and opted for cautious steps to shore up growth and modest targets to rein in the bloated deficit after a series of political setbacks exposed its fragility. The budget has so many sops for preelection popularity.

Sonia Gandhi is Congress Party president for the past 15 years. She is running the coalition government with remote control. There is no one in the oldest political party of free India to challenge her. It is believed, she would keep the seat of prime ministership warm, till her son Rahul Gandhi would come into power, though he is not so far very effective in the Indian politics. Rahul is good looking Youngman and a scion of the dynasty but what else?

The Immigration pot is on the front burner Famous Indian cuisine in Britain may not taste the same anymore thanks to UK’s new immigration policy. Under the new proposed rules, it would be impossible for specialized chefs from the Indian subcontinent to move to Britain.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s plans for cash deposits of more than £1,000 for migrants from ‘particular’ countries would be harsh on those coming to work in UK. In fact the “security bond” is impractical and also discriminatory. Even the Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz has also commented negatively on the issue. The plan is sending negative signals amongst the large number of immigrants settled in UK. As per the proposals, visitors would have to put a bond which would be forfeited if they failed to leave the country as per their promise.

Security bond or payment for UK visa for migrants from high risk countries would only be returned upon leaving the UK. The UK Border Agency has yet to draw up a list of which “highrisk” countries to which it would apply, but it is likely to include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some African nations.

Already criticisms on the proposals are flooding. Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, was scathing about the likelihood of the scheme getting off the ground, denouncing it as “unworkable, impractical and discriminatory.” The labour MP appropriately said it could lead to targeted countries - not named at this point - taking retaliation against Britain, and they could introduce their own schemes for UK nationals. He was also concerned on “arms race on immigration” after the deputy prime minister’s speech. In facta as a foreign office minister under Tony Blair, he rejected the scheme when it was examined by the last Government.

Even employers are not spared in the Clegg’s proposal. He wants to double the penalties for employers taking on those without the necessary documentation. He said: “Employers need to get the message: they have an inescapable duty to employ people who are working here legally and not to turn a blind eye to those working illegally.”

If as suggested it would apply predominantly to South Asian countries, then that is discriminatory and potentially highly provocative. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants indicated that it would be looking at the legality with a view to challenging it. Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs said, “There should be a level playing-field. Whether they are African, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Indian they should be treated similarly.”

The Liberal Democrats also sent clear message by announcing that the party was dropping its policy commitment to offer an amnesty to foreign nationals who had been living illegally in Britain for ten years. The Liberal Democrats’ support for an amnesty - which it argued would enable people living here unlawfully to take their place in society - came under sustained fire from the Tory and Labour parties at the last election. Clegg now concedes that the policy “was seen by many as a reward for breaking the law”.

The debate on immigration is catching up fire with all major parties, as well as UKIP, now supporting tougher immigration controls.

Senior Liberal member of the Government, Vince Cable, has opposing views on Immigration. Last week the Business Secretary warned that restricting immigration too much would have damaging consequences for the economy. He said Britain need to encourage students from China and India to study here.

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Before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience - Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird"

by Harper Lee (1960)

What To Use Your (Asian) Voice For The first ever column I ever wrote was not in the Financial Times, was not on Finance. It was in this paper, when I was a student and it was a political piece. The article was why the Hare Krishna Mandir should remain open. It was back in the early 1990s.

The second ever column I ever wrote, was well before my first book was published. And it was also in this paper. And again it was political. It was about the death of a Gujarati boy. And why we need to keep the spirit of protest.

Today I read about the amazing Asian Voice Youth Conference this past weekend – I see how indebted this community is to this paper and to its youth. But also, when I get an email about some caste legislation or about immigration – I am reminded why we are all in the same boat. An attack on immigrants is an attack on us all.

So to the youth – when you get agitated, when you protest – make it about things like this – I still remember this boy – this is what I wrote then. These things are what youth and protest are all about. Protest about these things. As immigration becomes a major issue in the next campaign – be vigilant – we are in this together – red, blue, yellow – Brahmin, untouchable.

“On July 7 1997 a young Gujarati boy, Manish Patel, was murdered in a brutal racist attack near Harrow. His funeral was on August 2 1997. Virtually no-one gave a damn.

Where is the news coverage? Where are the radio stories or the headlines in the national press or national TV? Indians represent the largest ethnic minority in the country, but the news headlines on August 2 and 3 were of a mountaineer who had sprained his back several thousand miles away, and a pilot who made an emergency landing.

On July 8 the Times front page carried the story and picture of a white 16 year old schoolgirl that died in France in a coach crash. This was correctly reported as a front page story. If this makes the front page why does not the story or picture of a brown 16 year old schoolboy that died in Harrow in a brutal racist murder?

Manish was not murdered because he was a schoolboy, or because he was in Harrow or because he was 16 years old. It appears he was murdered because of the colour of his skin. Why is there a news blackout? It is true excessive press coverage could prejudice any future trial and lead to an acquittal of the guilty. But are we to believe the press is showing uncharacteristic selfrestraint in the pursuit of justice? We no longer expect the press to fulfil their duties. They do so erratically and inconsistently in any event.

I would remind the media of an inscription in the Holocaust museum in Washington DC which reads, ‘first the came for the gypsies, but I did not speak, for I am not a gypsy. Then they came for the blacks, but I did not speak, for I am not black. Then they came for the Catholics, but I did not speak, for I am not Catholic.

Then they came for the Jews, but I did not speak, for I am not a Jew. Finally they came for me. And there was no-one left to speak for me.’

Continued on page 8

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Midlands Voice

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 30th March 2013

Hajrah blinded in one eye by stones thrown in playground Manchester Evening news have reported that schoolgirl, Hajrah Shabir, was left blinded in one eye after a stone was hurled in the playground'. Her family claimed that the staff at her school failed to realise that she had been seriously injured.

Seven- year-old, Hajrah possibly may never see again in her right eye due to the stone throwing incident, which occurred as she 'played with her friends'.

Parents of Hajrah, Zaida and Mohammed Shabir, furious, stated that the staff at Cravenwood Primary in Crumpsall did not realise the extent of her daughter's injuries.

Mrs Shabir, a registered nurse, noticed her daughter was hurt immediately and took her to A&E. The family are now under an 'agonising wait' to see how she recovers.

After the incident, the girl was told to 'wash her eye' and school staff did not phone her parents, until 90 minutes afterwards.

Hajrah Shabir

Her family say that a group of older boys had been throwing stones in the playground when the lunchtime accident happened. However, they believe that Hajrah was not deliberately targeted.

Mother, Mrs Shabir, whose three children also go to the school, claimed there had been previous cases of stones

thrown, which teachers had failed to tackle.

Hatim Kapacee, the school's executive head, insisted that staff had acted on Hajrah's injury as soon as its seriousness had become clear.

He mentioned: “The pupils picked up a handful of pieces from a decorative mosaic in the playground that we believe must have worked loose through the frost and were throwing the pieces against a wall. One piece ricocheted off the wall and hit Hajrah in the eye.'

After the incident, first aid was administered immediately and there was no sign of visible injury, as stated by Hatim Kapacee. Her eye was checked again by another first aider, and staff called her mum to come and collect her.

The boys involved and their parents were informed about serious the consequences of their “game' were.

The police looked into the matter, but decided not to take any further action.

BBC Asian Network announces '100 years of Bollywood season'; returns to Bradford after 'Queen of Melody' concert BBC Asian Network is creating a season of Bollywood-related content to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Indian Film Industry with an exciting offering of star interviews, Red Button specials and major BBC collaborations, starting this April.

The station returns to Bradford after its ‘Queens of Melody’ concert as part of the BBC Three spectacular ‘Bollywood Live’, a one-hour special live from the centre of the city which re-tells the story of Bizet’s Carmen in a contemporary Bollywood style.

Head of Programmes Mark Strippel says, “Asian Network is set to deliver an unmissable and unique range of Bollywood coverage this Spring. We’ll be bringing the rich heritage of the Indian

film industry to life through BBC archive and reflecting the work of community organisations right across the UK celebrating the wonder of Bollywood.�

The centrepiece of the season is a ‘100 Greatest Bollywood Hits’ audience vote to find the greatest Bollywood song ever released. A panel of Bollywood experts will compile the list of songs from the last 100 years and Asian Network listeners will get to vote for their all-time favourite tracks. The station will unveil the panel of star experts next month with an on-air launch.

Asian Network’s successful Red Button TV offering continues with a ‘Bollywood at the BBC’ special with BBC archive content including interviews with Salman Khan, Rekha, Dilip

Malala begins her first day at school in Birmingham The 15-year-old Malala Yousafazi, who underwent numerous operations since she was attacked in the Swat Valley last October, began her first day at Birmingham's oldest independent school for girls, Edgbaston High School.

The schoolgirl who was shot in the head by Islamic extremists because of her support for girls education, returned to school for the first time on 19th March.

After being airlifted to the UK after the attack, the doctors fought to save her life.

Her family were relocated to Birmingham, while she was being treated at Queen Elizabeth hospital.

Malala already speaks very good English and did not seem to have problem with joining the girls in year 9, studying a full curriculum before taking her GCSE options next year.

By returning back to

education, she has proved that the Taliban's attempt to silence her has failed, after she decided to write a blog that supported female education.

She has pulled through, survived her injuries and doctors have been Malala Yousafazi delighted with that among other subher progress. But she is jects, she was looking focussed on setting up a forward to learning fund to try and help girls about the Greek gods around the world to and taking up ancient receive an education.

Greek.

Ban Ki-moon, the She said that she Seceretary-General of wanted all girls to have the United Nations statthis basic opportunity. “I ed that she is “a global miss my classmates from symbol of every girl's Pakistan very much but I right to an education.� am looking forward to Education is often meeting my teachers and taken for granted in making new friends here many parts of the world, in Birmingham,� she however Malala in a added. statement described that “Getting better, day she was “excited� to by day�, Malala thanked have “achieved� the God for giving her “this “dream of going back to new life�. school.� She also said

Kumar and music performances from Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar.

Lata Mangeshkar also returns to BBC Asian Network with a Sanjay Sharma interview chronicling her glittering career over six and a half decades.

Anushka Arora will be taking on an exciting new role, delivering a range of Bollywood star interviews across the station as part of 100 Years of Bollywood.

The music stars of Bollywood will also feature throughout the season, with Shreya Ghoshal, Atif Aslam, Ash King and Hariharan some of the stars featuring. BBC Asian Network will also broadcast a collaboration between the BBC Concert Orchestra and Kuljit Bhamra and guests at the Royal Festival Hall.

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Midland coroner complains of increase in suicides

A Midland coroner, Robin Balmain mentioned that he had suffered his darkest day in 40 years in the job after hearing of five incidences where people had hanged themselves. He said it was the worst, single session in his career.

The five cases at Wallsall Manor Hospital were “indicative of a worrying increase in suicides generally.� He ruled that all five people, aged between 33 and 54, had killed themselves. “I've been associated with the coroners' service for 40 years and i've never dealt with one day of five deaths by hanging.� “Whether it's something to do with the country's financial situation, whether t's an increasing breakdown of relationships, I don't know what the problem is.�

Referring to the inquests, Mr Balmain added that there had been a definite increase in suicides over the last 'six to nine months'.

Seven men plead guilty

Seven men have admitted their part in an attack on a crowded restaurant in Leicester.

The Moghul Durbar on East Park Road was badly damaged during the incident in January.

At Leicester Crown Court the men, aged between 20 and 28, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit violent disorder. Six of the defendants are from Derby while the seventh is from Oldbury in the West Midlands. They are due to be sentenced on 26 April. The defendants are Surjit Pandher, 28, of Northfield, Derby; Gurmukh Singh Cheema, 25, of Harrington Street, Derby; Ranjit Singh, 21, of Harrington Street, Derby; Sundeep Sangha, 25, of Wordsworth Avenue, Derby; Raj Sangha, 24, of Wordsworth Avenue, Derby; Ranvir Singh, 21, of Harrington Street, Derby and Kahan Khalsa, 26, Rectory Gardens, Oldbury, West Midlands Following the attack six people were treated at Leicester Royal Infirmary for both minor and serious injuries.

To avoid sex scandals: teens spy on taxi drivers

Teenagers have been hired in Rochdale to spy on taxi drivers, in order to avoid the repeat of the child sex ring scandal.

The youngsters known as “mystery shoppers� have been asked by the local council in Rochdale to capture taxis in a bid to root out 'inappropriate behaviour' by potential sex abusers.

Following the conviction of nine men last year for offences including rape and sexual activity with a child, it is part of a crackdown by the council on taxi drivers and takeaway workers.

Recruiting teenagers between the ages of 15 and 16 from outside Rochdale, is a method of ensuring that such criminal activities are not repeated. The checks did not aim to entrap taxi drivers, but made sure that they were 'complying with their licences'.

Off-licences and newsagents, that often sell cigarettes to children are checked in a similar manner.

The youngsters were also look out for any “inappropriate behaviour or language� us by cabbies and takeaway workers

who could have their licences taken away and be reported to the police if they show any sort of predatory behaviour.

The teenagers will pass on any concerns to the licensing authority who will work with the police on any further action.

Rochdale council leader, Colin Lambert, mentioned: “All aspects of safety of adults and children will be explored within the borough and that includes ensuring the safety of those who use private hire or licensed taxis, food outlets or other premises.�

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

The farce of UK Immigration policies Continued from page 1 “The problem is if you ask businesses, especially tech businesses, the one supply side reform they would like, it's not making it easier to sack people, or being able to pay less than the minimum wage: it's a simplification of non-EU visa rules...While the concerns about immigration are all about a flood of cheap labour, and people vanishing into the welfare state, the people we've actually have clamped down are skilled, hard-working valuable migrants, like students who have studied here who want to stay on.

Things are even worse for foreign entrepreneurs.

In the first year of the Coalition, the rules for visas were changed – essentially, if you had £50,000, and were coming to the UK to start a business, you got let in, no questions asked and all you had to do was prove you had the cash.

There was a small amount of fraud, with fake businesses being created and so on, which the Government rightly realised was a problem.

Unfortunately, the solution they have come up with is a total disaster.

Now, an entrepreneur who wants a UK visa has to attend an interview where he has to pitch his business plan to an immigration officer, in a sort of Dragon's Den where Theo Paphitis is replaced by some hopeless bureaucrat.

Inevitably, the fraudsters present a wonderful scheme and get waved through, whereas real entrepreneurs – especially ones with complex tech business – get poohpooed and turned away.

I can't help thinking: if people were good at picking and backing businesses to succeed, they wouldn't be civil servants in the Home Office. And there's no appeal. If Mark Zuckerberg sat down with a Home Office drone, could he sell him the concept of Facebook?

If he couldn't, that's it: no entry to Britain...”

Let us now see the changes proposed by the Coalition or introduction/re-introduction of the new rules/criticism since Friday 22 March 2013.

Immigrants to pay £1,000 deposit to enter Britain Nick Clegg has supported Theresa May's proposal to hand over a bond of more than £1,000 as part of efforts to tackle immigration abuses on Friday.

The scheme proposes that visa applicants from “high-risk” countries would pay their deposit and repay them when the visitor leaves Britain.

This scheme was pro-

posed 2 years back, but it was shelved due to the impracticalities and discriminations involved in it.

Mr Clegg's backing of the scheme has run into strong opposition from migrant groups, especially from the Indian subcontinent whose families visit for weddings and funerals. A South Asian wedding typically includes many invitees coming over from the subcontinent, and asking the sponsor or the family to deposit a bond of £1000/person is absolutely 'ridiculous'.

The Deputy PM has also doubled the fines for employing illegal immigrants to £20,000 a worker.

Nick Clegg has highlighted that falling net migration as evidence of Coalition's commitment are efforts on the issue.

But Dr Vince Cable has told the Housemagazine that the cap on numbers “isn't a Government policy, (but) it's a Conservative policy.'

Rt Hon Keith VAZ told Asian Voice, "I realise that Easter is the time to celebrate resurrection but reviving the bond scheme will only end in tears.

It was shelved twice under the last government because the scheme was unworkable, impractical and also discriminatory. It did not command the confidence of those who had to administer it.

At the moment the UKBA is unable to collect the fines it imposes on those who break immigration law and is struggling with a massive backlog. Those who support these schemes have little understanding as to how our entry clearance operation works.

Mr Clegg would do better to let us have some accurate estimates of how many Romanian and Bulgarian citizens are due to arrive later this year."

Abolition of UKBA The UK Border Agency is to be abolished with its work returning to the Home Office, Theresa May has announced.

The home secretary told MPs "its performance was not good enough".

The UK Border Agency was formed in 2008 as an arms-length agency of the Home Office but Mrs May said this had led to a "secretive culture".

It will now be split into parts focusing on the visa system and on immigration law enforcement.

Both parts will report directly to ministers.

It is the second time the UK Border Agency has been split in just over a year, making our government a laughing stock

in the eyes of critics.

MPs criticised the border agency in a report published on Monday, describing it as "not fit for purpose".

The controversy of its failing purpose soared as it was reported that more than 100,000 foreign students are said to have abused the system to get into the country last, which is 20 times figure of two years.

The investigation by Telegraph newspaper has suggested that the UKBA are not able to determine what has happened to all of the students. An official report has criticised the agency for ignoring tens of thousands of such warnings, both from universities and colleges.

The Home Affairs Committee also said that for years the UK Border Agency had repeatedly supplied it with incorrect information about the size of the backlog of asylum cases.

Committee Chairman Keith Vaz welcomed the home secretary's decision to put the border agency "out of its misery".

But in a heated committee session after Mrs May's announcement, the MPs were told by Mr Sedwill that the decision to axe the border agency had only been taken on Tuesday morning.

Mr Sedwill, the senior civil servant in the department, said the new structure would begin on Monday, and in a leaked memo to staff said most would "still be doing the same job in the same place with the same colleagues for the same boss".

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said problems with immigration had got "worse, not better" since the Coalition government came to power.

Doctors refuse to vet immigrants The icing on the cake of this 'immigration mania' has been the PM's decision that A&E nurses should to verify the immigration status of nonemergency patients. The government has claimed that this is just another method of attempting to cut down on “health tourism” and to ensure that no one receives free treatment who was not entitled to it.

But doctors and nurses have challenged the Prime Minister's proposed curbs on foreigners using the NHS by saying that they refused to act as an arm of the UK Border Agency.

Forcing medical staff to check the immigration status of patients would not only increase bureaucracy but also clash with the ethical requirements.

Their response came as the Government pro-

5

Key community figures get locked up for St Luke’s Councillors, teachers, business representatives and local residents were arrested and faced prison bars on Friday 22 March at Harrow Wealdstone police station as part of St Luke’s Jail and Bail fundraiser.

On Friday 22 March at 11am, eleven brave St Luke’s supporters were tried and locked up at Harrow Wealdstone police station as part of the hospice’s Jail and Bail event.

Our ‘convicts’ faced a gruelling questioning from Sergeant Mills of the Metropolitan Police before being searched and locked up in a cell by PC John Bishop and PC Derek Livingston.

Our detainees had to raise the sum of £1000 ‘bail’ each in order to be let out and were allowed access to a mobile phone to raise this money. They collectively helped to raise over £12,200 for St Luke’s and the hospice is very grateful for their tremendous fundraising efforts.

Leader of Brent conservatives and Kenton ward councillor, Suresh Kansagra says, ‘The event was exhilarating and I took part because St Luke’s is doing a wonderful job and I wish to support the charity.’

Director and Choreographer of Classic Creations, Rupal Gandhi says, ‘My arrest came across very genuine. I found it really interesting when the police officers came up with different scenarios to charge people which suited each individual that was taking part in duced wildly conflicting figures for the cost of treating patients from overseas.

UKIP’s call to black and Asian voters While the Coalition government continues to make a mess of the existing rules, Nigel Farage, UKIP's leader at Exeter University mocked Westminster politicians for underestimating the party.

“Nobody should be able to claim benefits until they have been in the country for five years, paid their taxes and obeyed the law”, he said.

Winston McKenzie, a boxer-turned-politician, urged the party to reach out to ethnic minority voters.

The Jamaican politician suggested that the party should not consider Black and Asian voters off limits. Many would welcome a party like Ukip that takes a

work from when I was a teenager and I like to help and stay connected with society.’

Jatish Pindolia of Capital Financial Consultants says, ‘The arrest was very different and I was charged for burglary and thrown into a cell with a bunch of uniforms! I support the hospice because my aunt spent her last days at St Luke’s and the staff

looked after her extremely well. My manager also did an Indian show in aid of the hospice which is how I got involved with fundraising for the charity.

St Luke’s is a great charity and I hope it keeps going.’

H a l i f a x , Edgware Manager, Mahesh Patel says, ‘It was an initiative from the bank to help the local area.

We chose St Luke’s as it is a very worthy cause and a charity we would love to support.’

St Luke’s Director of fundraising, Pam Russell says, ‘St Luke’s is tremendously grateful to PC Nandha for organising the day and to Sergeant Mills, PC Bishop and PC Livingston for providing such a memorable jail experience for our prisoners. We would also like to thank Sergeant Katie Ruff, the Brent Schools liaison officer and PC Catherine Guinnelly for doing the arrests at the schools, and, of course our ‘prisoners’ for being such good sports and making a difference to our patients.’

tough stance on law order, he said.

In conclusion, Britain is cracking down on the wrong kinds of migrants.

Forcing wealthy Indian wedding attenders to pay an extra £1000 to come here isn't going to make British economy stronger.

Barring real entrepreneurs from non European

countries coming is only going to hurt our economy. The trouble is, as Willard Foxton rightly says, we have an unstoppable tide of cheap labour from the EU; and until politicians do something about that, they will be limited to cracking down on non-EU migration, which hurts all of us.

the event.

I support St Luke’s because I have a family member suffering from an incurable illness and this was my way of helping. I have always done charity

.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

How a brand is packaged is more important than the product Spriha Srivastava

Mint Leaf – for authentic curry & spices It’s 2013 and we have come a long way whether it’s in terms of science, technology, the world of fast-food and cross-border cuisines. It’s time to look back here in London and see how far we have come. It is indeed true that Britain has had a strong impact on India during the colonial rule but today I will focus on an area where India has had a stronger influence on Britain – Cuisine. In a completely globalised world, it is now easy for cuisines to slowly penetrate into different markets to make their presence felt. If we take the example of London, we can a clear example of multiculturalism.

For instance, in London you find Indian, Chinese, MiddleEastern, Thai, Mexican and Caribbean and so on.

Indian cuisine too has slowly evolved in the UK. According to Britain's Food Standards Agency, the Indian food industry in the United Kingdom is worth £3.2 billion, accounts for two-thirds of all eating out, and serves about 2.5 million British customers every week.

However, if you are looking for true and authentic Indian cuisine, one name comes quick to my mind – Mint Leaf.

Mint Leaf Restaurant & Bar offers a unique dining experience, serving innovative Indian cuisine in a elegant and stylish setting, situated in the heart of the West End minutes from Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. The restaurant has recently welcomed its new Head Chef Rajinder Pandey who lately returned after a sojourn refining his skills after being part of our opening team in 2003. Expect an exciting new menu filled with innovative dishes inspired by Chef Pandey's travels across India.

I visited the Haymarket branch to try Chef Pandey’s cuisine and was left spellbound.

The menu offers a mouth watering selection of innovative and contemporary Indian dishes, blending delicate flavours and light textures prepared using the very finest ingredients. I particularly liked the sharing platters for starters that gives you the best of all. The

restaurant has also reduced its prices to cater to a wider audience and has included a number of vegetarian dishes in its new menu.

The large and versatile restaurant is sectioned by dark American Walnut wood paneling creating intimate spaces, semi-private areas for groups, and accommodating up to 220 guests for a seated dinner. The

well. I remember having attended a number of fashion shows at this restaurant but the latest to the list of celebrities was Justin Bieber who visited the Mint Leaf Restaurant in Haymarket to celebrate his birthday.

Recently famous writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar and his wife and famous actress Shabana Azmi attended a dinner at Mint Leaf Restaurant

restaurant has a very lavish menu with items from every part of India. I found the food to be absolutely delicious and truly Indian. It matched the magnificence of the décor.

Mint Leaf has another branch in Bank called the Mint Leaf Lounge.

Mint Leaf Lounge & Restaurant offers a unique dining experience serving innovative Indian cuisine in a stylish and contemporary setting, bringing a sense of elegance and sophistication to the Indian restaurant scene in the City of London.

The a la carte and weekly changing lunch menu offer a mouth watering selection of innovative and contemporary Indian dishes skillfully prepared by Head Chef Dhayalan Paul and his team using the best seasonal and local produce.

Dhayalan Paul moved from 'Shoo Fee Ma Fe' at the acclaimed Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai to work next to Vivek Singh at the Cinnamon Club in London before taking charge of the Mint Leaf Lounge Kitchen.

The menu combines authentic Indian Cuisine with contemporary cooking techniques and stimulating presentation. The result is a powerful balance of modern and engaging food which maintains those distinctive authentic Indian flavours.

A very distinct aspect about Mint Leaf is it being a favourite dining place for celebrities as

organised by the National Indian Students Union (NISU). The restaurant is a favourite whether it’s among students, professionals or celebrities because of it’s and unique and stylish approach to serving Indian cuisine and welcoming guests.

The best part about Indian cuisine is that it is as diverse as the country.

With every state having a cuisine of its own, it makes it extremely special and lavish. Such is the quality attached to ‘Being Indian’. And Mint Leaf lives up to this in every aspect.

Offer for Readers – Mint Leaf has a special offer for AV readers - 3 course menu with Bellini on arrival @ £20 (Valid till April 30th). This offer will be available at Mint Leaf Restaurant, Haymarket SW1 and Mint Leaf Lounge, Bank EC2.

QUIZ for Readers – In what year did Mint Leaf open? (a) 2001 (b) 2002 (c) 2004 (d) 2004 (e) 2005 The winner will be awarded a dinner for 2 from our a la carte menu with arrival cocktail and bottle of red or white wine. The prize can be enjoyed at Mint Leaf Restaurant, Haymarket SWIY 4HX or Mint Leaf Lounge, Bank EC2R 7HB. Please send your correct answer by 1st April to aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com News in this week was that Pepsi had decided to put forth a new bottle design for its cola drinks, the first time they have made a change to their bottles since 1977.

In many people’s eyes that is hardly anything to shout about, but the reality is that whether we are conscious of it or not how something is packaged really affects the way we treat it and perceive it.

Coca-Cola is a testament to this. The real success of their business stemmed in 1916 when they decided to bottle their product, rather than

dispensing it from a drinks fountain.

The bottle that CocaCola choose evolved into becoming an American icon, featured on the front cover of Time magazine, and we as consumers probably would agree that holding and drinking a glass bottle of Coke, changes the perception of the product.

Dare I say it, even the taste of it?

Whichever industry we look at, the more effort and thought that is put into the packaging of the product, will inevitably result in a higher perception of the brand, which in turn equates to a premium feel, which allows then a business to increase prices.

The idea that first impressions count really is the basis of packaging design. When we see a new product on a shelf, if our gut reaction isn’t, ‘I want it’ or ‘that’s cool’

then the packaging designers have failed.

The chances of us trying or investigating that brand further hugely diminish.

The trouble is a lot of businesses get caught up in how good their product or service is and fail to add equal value or importance to how it is packaged to the consumer. In certain industries the cost of packaging is more significant than the cost of product sold itself.

That is where brand really takes over. If the packaging and other points of communication can exert an emotion and desire in the mind of the consumer, the product doesn’t really have to be so different or unique.

If the packaging for your business doesn’t create a sense of preference or desire, then it is time to go back to the drawing board, or call in a branding consultant...

Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire Anahita Hoose The British Library's current exhibition on Mughal civilisation presents an almost overwhelmingly broad range of manuscripts, paintings and other objects spanning the three centuries between Babur's conquests and the end of the dynasty in 1858, from manuscripts commissioned by Akbar to a poignant photographic portrait of Bahadur Shah II awaiting trial for involvement in the Rebellion of 1857. Informative labels give visitors an insight into the historical and cultural context of the exhibits, which are classified partly along chronological lines, partly into thematic sections such as 'Religion' and 'Science and Medicine'.

I was left impressed by the willingness of the emperors to tolerate and propagate cultural diversity, as expressed, for example, in exquisite illustrations for a Persian translation of the Mahabharata, Shah Jahan's favourite son's treatise attempting to combine Hinduism and Sufism, or works of art that respond to European influences and apply them to an Indian setting, such as an intriguing Kashmiri scene inspired by a Dutch or Flemish engraving.

Many of the paintings produced under imperial patronage are of astonishing beauty, testifying to the riches of the civilisation that produced them.

Landscapes teem with human and animal life; the exquisite calligraphy of precious books draws the eye; a stunning scroll, packed with pedestrians and pachyderms, evokes the spectacle of an imperial procession. For me, one of the exhibition's many gems was a brush drawing of Akbar's head, attributed to Govardhan. It would be easy to walk past this tiny por-

trait, but it captures the emperor's humanity and individuality with stunning realism, bringing him to life across almost four hundred years.

Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire is on at the British Library until 2 April.

The historic battle at Panipat saw Babur and his army defeat Afghan Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, the collapse of the Sultanate of Delhi, and the subsequent establishment of the Mughal Empire.

Photo courtesy: The British Library

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

7

Celebrating 40 years: A Temple is Established The late Beatle George Harrison, who was deeply impressed by Srila Prabhupada, was concerned that the ISKCON temple near the British Museum was overcrowded. With overwhelming generosity he offered to donate a much larger property. In January 1973 Dhananjaya das saw that the Manor estate was up for sale and told George he had found exactly what he was looking for.

George gave the go ahead and that day a hugely significant event occurred in ISKCON’s history.

25 enthusiastic devotees moved in and renamed the estate Bhaktivedanta Manor.

Almost immediately they turned their attention to the task of preparing to install the deities of Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda in time for Janmashtami.

And so, on Janmashtami, August 21st 1973 in front of devotees from across Europe, Hindu leaders, pop stars and local VIPs, Srila Prabhupada personally installed Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda at Bhaktivedanta Manor. A great Temple was established, with a devotional legacy now spanning 40 years.

As the devotees of Bhaktivedanta Manor embark on a momentous year of celebrations to mark these 40 years we would like to say that we are honoured and humbled by all the wonderful service that so many devotees have given.

‘40 years of devotion’ at

Bhaktivedanta Manor began with a grand Adi Vaas Puja on Sunday 24th March, which hosted special guests including Radhanath Swami, Shailesh Vara MP and Mr C.B Patel from Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice.

The Havan was followed by the spectacular festival of Colours and the celebration of the Appearance of Lord Chaitanya (Gaura Purnima), who is the Krishna Himself coming to show us how to serve in the mood of Radharani.

Lord Chaitanya, who was considered an incarnation of Lord Krishna lived about 500 years ago. He also was the first to start the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, for which the Hare Krishna movement is famed.

six events a year. However, after that a much stricter ban on Manor activity was attempted to be put in place.

A Campaign to save Bhaktivedanta Manor as a public place of worship followed, which lasted about 10 years.

This included Public Inquiries, political lobbying and the gathering of public support. The media also came in support of the Campaign, especially the Asian Voice, for which the devotees remain grateful.

In May 1996, the Manor received the good news: the Department of the Environment

Bhaktivedanta Manor’s history By the late 1970s attendance at Bhaktivedanta Manor began to increase significantly. Tension between ISKCON and the local Hertsmere Borough Council began soon afterwards, when Hertsmere officials issued an enforcement notice banning all public festivals at the Manor. An agreement was signed allowing

John Gummer MP had granted planning permission for Bhaktivedanta Manor to construct an access road and to remain a place of public worship and religious festivals.

Bhaktivedanta Manor today With the new land, the estate has grown from the initial 17 acres to a generous 77 acres.

The campaign itself also increased the fame of ISKCON and has won the respect of the media, politicians, interfaith groups and Hindu communities across the world. It is also sig-

nificant that today the temple community has good relations with the Hertsmere Council.

Today Bhaktivedanta Manor hosts about 10,000 school children on an annual basis as part of their educational school curriculum, where they receive ox cart rides, workshops and vegetarian food. There are now numerous civil weddings on the premises and many courses based on the ancient Vedic culture of India. There are also Open Days throughout the summer and Cultural Evenings and Dinners are held.

British Hindu Voice calling Hindus and Jains to ‘make their vote count’ Caste Amendment inserted in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill by the House of Lords on 4th March 2013. Due to be debated in House of Commons on 16th April 2013 The Hindus and Jains in the UK, have formed very open and close relationships across all our communities, including the Dalit communities.

What is the objective of this amendment?

Principally it is to drive a wedge and break the Hindu & Jain (H&J) Communities. However the target in the UK is limited. The real target is India. It is now time put a string through each Samaj and Mandir with a common purpose to deal with not only this but many other issues that impact on us. Issues that at individual community level we are left voiceless and ineffective.

Don’t forget that British Summer Time

starts on Sunday 31st March, but which way to change the clocks? Easy!

Just remember: "Spring forward, Fall back!"

Unfortunately all the political parties take the Hindu and Jain votes for granted, but ignore our real pestering issues.

What is the bases on which The HOL has passed this amendment?

A study commissioned by the Equalities Office for the Equality Act, 2010.

The Report “The Caste discrimination and harassment in Great Britain”, has largely been discredited on all the substantive points.

What is the H&J Communities Stand?

Memorandum from the Hindu and Jain

Communities 1.1 ‘Caste’-based discrimination does not occur in the UK within the H&J communities.

1.2 On 28/2/11, we wrote to the Home Secretary pointing out the issues raised by the NIESR research conclusion. No response so far.

2.1 We are strongly opposed to all forms of discrimination and support the Government in its intention to eliminate discrimination.

2.2 ‘Caste’-based discrimination - should there be any – can, and must, be dealt with by the Equality legislation.

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2013

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Kapil’s

LILY Foundation is the sponsored charity of Asian Achievers Awards 2013

Nightmare across Borders Lady Mohini Kent Noon

Santhi, 16, a Nepalese girl, was offered a job in India by her brother’s friend. At the time, her mother was ill with cancer, and family was poor and unable to pay for her treatment, and Santhi was desperate. She had some basic education and jumped at the opportunity to earn money to pay the medical bills of her beloved mother. She left her Bydungha village in the Samundar district and travelled down the length of India to Mysore in the south,

“I am lucky to get to go back home…Not many girls get out.” says Santhi

Santhi’s arrival, police raided the place and she taken to the police station, along with the other girls. That’s when the real nightmare began.

Santhi was raped by

Odandi’s shelter home in Mysore

feeling very scared indeed. She arrived at the address given to her.

It was a small lodge called Vasavi.

Predictably, it was a brothel. Shortly after

the policeman, who also took pornographic photographs of her. Later, Santhi was released and sent to Odanadi, an NGO in Mysore that LILY supports. All this emerged

later in the course of counselling and rehabilitation.

Santhi’s dream of helping her mother in Nepal turned to ashes but at least Odanadi restored her to her family. “I am lucky to get to go back home,” Santhi said. “My brothers are good to me and they will take care of me. Not many girls get out. So, yes, I am lucky.”

Odanadi has also pressed charges against the policeman.

The U.S. government estimates that 12,000 Nepalese girls get trafficked annually into India’s sex trade. This could well be a low estimate since India has an open border policy with Nepal and it is very difficult to identify victims of trafficking.

Others like Santhi remain trapped in brothels, enduring a life of abuse and sadism. Girls who are rescued have generally suffered from cigarette burns, chilli treatment and fractures, quite apart from the sexual abuse, and are severely traumatized, both mentally and physically.

LILY works to counter the evil trade in human beings by supporting NGOs such as Odanadi in Mysore, Karnataka.

For more information go to http://www.ipartnerindia.org/lily-foundation.php OR contact us at info@ipartnerindia.org/+44 20 7841 8919

What To Use Your (Asian) Voice For Continued from page 3 The fault lies not entirely with the press. Where was the Indian outrage and where was the protest from our leaders, Indian and Non-Indian? Most white people want to help Indians if they can. But no-one will help a community if they believe that community does not give a damn itself.

We have to speak out and let them know that we care.

The fault of this dishonourable silence lies also with us as Indians.

Manish was murdered for being an Indian. That was an attack on every single Indian in this country. If I wanted to remove the freedoms of Indians in this country I would not pass a law, I would inflict fear in them; the fear to walk down a high street in daylight. That fear will accomplish something far greater than any law ever could.

Your freedoms as an Indian will not be eradicated at a stroke, swiftly and immediately. They will be eaten away slowly, as the night eats day, so that at any

moment you will not be able to say, ‘there, that is the turning point’. That is why if a fight needs fighting, a protest needs making it must be done immediately, not once all the light has gone, but at the first sign of darkness.

And how did we respond? The Financial Time on 1 August 1997 described Gujratis as the most successful ethnic minority. We send our children to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, we are barristers, doctors, surgeons, accountants. We are some of the wealthiest people in Britain and are in the Lords and Commons, we are in government and at the heights of business. So what? When they kill our children, you will not hear a whimper.

Where do we draw the line? When do we say, ‘this far and no further?’ For what do we fight? For what values do we stand? How much will we let go before we make a stand?

When one of our own is murdered for being one of

us, then there is spit on the collective Indian face in Britain.

We must draw the line now. Here. No further, you will not take from us what is ours. We hold it too dear and we will not let you take it. We will protest and fight for it and we do give a damn.”

To the Asian Voice Youth Conference attendees – keep fighting – keep protesting.

The NKF, the largest kidney patients’ charity in the UK, welcomes the progress made in increasing the number of donors after death for kidneys over the last five years but is disappointed that the number of transplants has not matched this increase.

Kirit Modi, the new Chairman of the NKF, speaking to representatives of Kidney Patients’ Associations (KPA) on 23 March 2013, said: “ We need to do more since the proportion of kidney

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

Tories + Indians = ?

It is almost 45 years since the infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech given by Enoch Powell on 20 April 1968 which undermined the image of the Tory Party in the eyes of ethnic minorities in Britain and abroad. To this day the stigma attached has not diminished; in fact many would say that in each and every decade since, some element of the Tory Party has always added fuel to the fire that they so desperately want to put out.

Over the past few decades it has managed to increase its ethnic minority members marginally, as it has done with the votes secured during elections. However many wonder why the Indian community that appears to share some of the Tory Party values still seem to be alienated to the extent that no matter what the Tories do – the votes just don’t come in.

They have even tried to secure the services of some high profile wealthy Indians to advise them as well as trying to get a few more candidates selected in readiness for the next election. And yet, even all of this has failed to grab the attention of our community.

Since David Cameron took over he does appear to have made an effort to connect with our community by hosting events at Number 10, by his visits to India, the support for Hindu Schools and so on. Frankly even with all of this effort it seems the ordinary Indian voter is still not convinced that the Tories have moved on from the days of Enoch. The Tory back benchers don’t help either, sometimes you wonder if they wilfully raise extreme race issues just to undermine their chance of getting the ethnic vote.

Labour on the other hand has not exactly done much to warrant the votes it secures from our community. Remember they were in power for 13 years and during that time the perception given was of a Party whose interest lay in securing the Muslim vote at any cost (no doubt the discerning reader will remember Ken Livingstone’s attempt to secure the Muslim vote in London). I have often heard some very senior Labour Party individuals who have said that there was no need to worry about the Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and others given they had nowhere else to go but to vote for Labour.

Therefore their concentration has been on the rapidly increasing Muslim population that tends to vote en masse, and could also be directed to do so more easily.

So where do we all stand now?

Should the community blindly vote for Labour regardless of the contempt that they often show to our needs? Or does the community need to re-align itself with what other parties are actually offering and make an informed judgement? It seems that our community has got values that transcend all the three main parties.

As a friend of mine said to me once, ‘we are neither wholly Labour nor Tory – but we have bits of each in us – and we still search for a day when we will feel truly at home in one of these political parties.’

Well that sums up the problem nicely.

It’s clear to me that if the Tories went through their own reformation, moved firmly to the centre ground and ditched the condescending attitude to immigration and ethnic minorities – they may well begin to have the basic structure to attract our votes on a grander scale than hitherto. Will they do that? I know they want to, but the advisers close to the Prime Minister are simply useless – and the right wing of the Party does not help either. The average voter from our community is not a high profile multi millionaire with honours bestowed – most of us are somewhere in the middle and we need a party that resonates with our plight and daily experience.

I cannot see any circumstance in which the mass of the Muslim community will ever vote for the Tory Party for at least the next few decades. I can see a proportion of the Afro-Caribbean community giving them a chance under the right circumstances. The Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others – if we see positive genuine steps towards us, then there is scope that it would be reciprocated to some degree. However, it is for the whole Tory Party to come together and make a genuine effort and show they mean what they say by their thoughts, their deeds and of course by their actions. All too often one part of the Party will do some good only to find another part has let the side down.

There is no coherency to what they wish to do and the means by which they wish to get there. The overall voter base for the Tories is diminishing and unless it does something dramatic and with genuine intent, it does leave the door wide open for Labour to secure power easily in 2015.

So what will ‘Tories + Indians’ really equate to in 2015? That my friends is the $64000 question the Tory leadership is asking. And the beauty of it all – only you have the answer.

Kidney charity asks Government to double the number of transplants transplants in the UK do not compare well with other countries and three people die every day while waiting for a transplant. I am asking the Government to support a doubling of the number of kidney transplants from around 1800 per year to 3600 per year by 2020 in the new strategy which is currently being developed.”

He added that the key features of the new Transplant 2020 strategy should include a commitment from all four Governments ( England, Continued on page 30

Bud Abbot (Treasurer), Kirit Modi (Chairman) and Ray Mackey (Vice-Chairman)

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Natasha Dhillon Making the Best of Yourself, Smartly!

Natasha Dhillon is convent educated and went to St Catherines Senior School.

She took her A levels at the Notting Hill and Ealing High School, where she excelled in Theatre Studies.Deciding upon St James Secretarial College instead of University, she entered the world of beauty consultancy; working for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Guerlain.

Natasha’s parents are Punjabi; from the Jhaur region and Kolcatta. She has mainly been in recruitment sales. Working for a large high street agency, she learnt everything she could about the world of recruitment. When she did not have a computer, she taught herself how to develop business using a Yellow Pages directory; a skill she enjoyed. She worked as a Branch Manager in Hospitality Recruitment working with accounts such as The Dorchester Hotel.

She then moved to set up a Legal Secretary Division for Angela

Natasha Dhillon

Mortimer. Natasha also worked for Star Medical, a special challenge, locating outside London. There, she won an exceptional performer award for bringing in the highest amount of new business. Business development is where she demonstrated an ability to build a rapport at all levels. Currently working as Sales Account Director for

Vitamin T, Natasha develops new business and builds on existing relationships.

She has autonomy and works with various clients.

The job plays to her strengths. “I enjoy this work because I use my personality to gain trust and build relationships.

Researching the client and finding out what makes

him or her tick is thrilling.

Offering honest solutions to their problems is enjoyable,” she told us. Natasha is a confident, articulate and straight talking, modern, Asian woman, who, she says, “has been fortunate to be brought up by educated, modern parents, who encouraged me to be respectful of others and who fed my hunger to learn.” Natasha says that she has pushed boundaries and often questioned the opinions of others, but kept her values and beliefs intact.She has sometimes had to make people sit up and think. When working in the beauty industry for Yves Saint Laurent as a beauty consultant, she was one of two ethnic girls who were encouraged in their roles due to the light colour of their skin. She would encourage Asian friends to have make- overs and would talk to her head office to promote Asian women.

Natasha finds that “Asian women have a lot to offer - not only a blend of elegance, pride and beauty, but the intelligence to educate the minority of people who tell you, (after you explain that you are not Italian), that they love curry.” Natasha feels that forums and networking events are great, and that a positive representation of Asian women should be actively promoted.She shared with us some lessons she learnt while working in beauty and recruit-

ment. “I helped woman be the best they could be.

From the exterior to the interior. A positive mental attitude is good. Always dress as if you were about to meet an important client.” People often ask her for advice on how to carry themselves and for c o n f i d e n c e boosters.Natasha says that

Every woman’s story is individual; full of heartache, pain, joy and success it is easy to have a victim mentality. But she actually feels that every woman’s story is individual; full of heartache, pain, joy and success. Gaining strength from these experiences and learning how to become stronger is something Natasha learnt from her mother.

“She doesn’t look like the archetype of an Asian mother.

She’s glamorous, very light skinned and well travelled. Growing up, I used to smell her before I saw her, with her sophisticated outfits and her discreet expensive jewellery. She never had a hair out of place, and her makeup epitomised femininity - she would learn about everything from fashion, beauty, cooking, and women’s struggles and encouraged me to do the same.” Natasha would like to open a school of knowledge, helping woman

9

who perhaps have come out of difficult divorces and need to start a new relationship, career, or just cope with the demands of life.

Natasha thinks the current Asian female trend for marrying later is a good thing, since career aspirations can be fulfilled. She says that the days of marriage terminating a career are over, “I think that Asian woman have a voice, aren’t afraid to use it and are flourishing in a variety of industries.”Lastly, as a women’s empowerment advocate, Natasha has safety advice that she takes herself. “Staying safe means turning rings inwards, keeping away from darkly lit roads and remembering my boxing classes!”.

This week the paid subscribers of Asian Voice will receive a copy of Charotar special with their newspapers.

Your Voice

10

Hindun views least represented Mr.Pratik Dattani mentions crosspartisan British think tank’s inference that Hindus are under represented in media from data collected from mere three newspapers.

Hindus are gregarious, enjoy publicity, but are marginalised and ignored by media.

The think tank is blind to pan-British influence of Yoga, Swaminarayan and ISKCON, J. Krishnamurty, Yoga Guru of Beatles, HINDUS in House of Lords, Hindu Gurkhas in British Army, Tata and Mittal, and Sikhs who are Hindus vide India’s constitution.

Prominent Hindus have complained that their contacts with media to publicise constructive news have failed; pro Hindu news has been ignored by relevant media, taking advantage of meek and docile nature of Hindus. Media bent backwards to publicise non Hindu items.

Two vicious demons eclipsing Hindus are the words Asian and Secularism.

Many erudite Hindus have protested repeatedly against lumping Hindus with non Hindus under the term Asian. But elephantine media ignored protests. New name, South Asia, has emerged, to eclipse term Hindu.

The word secularism is used more to discard Hindu views and news by equating Hindu with religion. Thus even constructive news are blacked out, whereas Muslim and Christian items are utilised even though these indicate religious ethos. Hindus are shadowed by interfaith organisations where they enlist.

Denial of media attention arise from fact that media moguls discard Hindu philosophy- “world as one family”, which promotes macro issues, consideration of civic issues, collective capacity building in Hindu community etc.

Hindus are unsung, unappreciated heroes thanklessly enhancing healthy environs without seeking media attention.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Dear Letter Writers, Thank you for your letters to our ‘your voice’ section. As you may recall a few years back we made it mandatory that your ‘letters to the editor’ must not be more than 200 words. Despite that we have allowed people to write upto 250-300 words and have edited them as and when required.

However some regular letter writers continue to send letters worth 400-450 words. Our Editorial team has been downsizing every week. However the team and the Editors have decided that from now on, if any letter is more than 250 words, we would unfortunately not be able to accommodate in the paper.

Please note: letters must be written within 250 words. And can be sent via email to by Monday 5pm or by fax to 020 7749 4080 or by post.

- AV

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Cameron’s Returnism On the flying visit to India Mr Cameron spoke about the 105-Carat Koh-i-Noor diamond saying ‘I don’t believe in “Returnism”.

Personally I share your views for I believe that once someone gives a thing/item ethically, morally, socially and even politically it is not advisable to ask to be returned.

But then past is in the ‘present’, without ‘past’ there would be no ‘present’ and the present contains ‘future’ in its womb.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, well known as ‘Lion of the Punjab’ suffered a stroke that took his life-but when he lay paralysed & speechless, he gestured to his priests to give his greatest treasure, the Koh-i-Noor diamond as penitent alms to the Hindu temple of Jagannath.

That was his last wish, which was not fulfilled by the good Christians of the time.

This diamond was not a gift / present given to the Queen Victoria; it was despoiled by the East India Company, given to Lord Dalhousie, in great secrecy, it was placed on aboard HMS Medea on 6th. April 1850 the Royal Navy steamsloop sailed for England. In his admiration of the loot, Lord Dalhousie was brutal but perceptive in his analysis of the diamonds power.

The world knows that David Cameron paid a visit to Golden Temple in Amritsar, and he may not be aware that it was Maharaja Ranjit, from whom the Koh-i-Noor diamond was despoiled was the one who had the whole temple gold plated at his own expense.

In those days of 1887, the British raised annual revenue from India of some £50,000,000 and 60,000,000.

The Imperial government’s top officers said that India is indeed a gold-mine to England.

Noni Sahota Via Email (abridged version)

Mother’s day Like every year on Mother’s day, many of us treat our mothers (parents) by taking them to temple, fine restaurants and giving nice gifts to show our gratitude. There is nothing wrong in doing all this but it must not be limited to a one day celebration.

If mother (or father) lives with us, then we must spare a few minutes everyday to talk to them on social, religious, family matters, when we are at work we should call them to find out how they are doing, if they live far from us or in foreign country then periodically we must call them too, and visit them on holidays, take them on pilgrimage etc. You must install religious channel on TV, bring them books, new papers, CDs, DVDs of their choice, and ask our children to talk to them with respect and if possible in our mother tongue.

If we do all this, it is equivalent to a gift worth millions and will make our parents happy more than anything else.

Caste discrimination in Britain

Caste Discrimination: Why flog a dead horse

I disagree with Bharat Parmar (AV 22 March). A vociferous lobby is claiming that caste discrimination is rampant in the UK. If one takes a close look at the statistics provided they do not inspire much confidence. Aspersions have been cast over teachers, doctors and nurses without any proof whatsoever. A radio station manager is accused of demoting a person due to her caste. Without hearing the manager’s side of the story how can an individuals account be accepted as a case of caste discrimination? For caste discrimination to exist here in the UK the dominant caste would have to wield an absolute economic and political power.

Hindus in the UK have no such clout.

This country already has quite robust anti discriminatory laws. Hindus would not be able to discriminate against anyone in the allocation of jobs, education or any other field even if they wanted to. No one is barred from Hindu temples in the UK. So why one wonders is there a clamour for introducing caste in British politics?

The new government is keen to dismantle unnecessary laws and it would be prudent to scrap this wholly unworkable and phoney proposal. On the other hand if the government does go ahead with making caste discrimination unlawful in the UK it will be pyrrhic victory of the caste lobby as it will not change anything on the ground. It seems that some individuals almost revel in being victims!

Abandon the victim psyche !

I have lived happily in this country for some fifty years but never came across or heard of caste discrimination until a few years back when it was given prominence by some Christian evangelist organizations in order to gain converts.

The liberal minded Hindus are the easiest target for conversion, especially in India that has now become a honeycomb for the Christian activists who are being driven out from the Middle, Centre and Far East countries in Asia. India is a safe haven for Christian evangelist, as it is for every religion. The sorry truth is that the virus of casteism has now spread to some section of the Asian community who have lived sheltered lives and mirrors one’s own prejudices, thus putting into shade the real discrimination on the ground of colour, race and religion that is still spreading like a cancer throughout Europe, made worse due to economic meltdown that has plunged our living standard. The ascendency of White supremacy and racial harassment of Asians, especially our black footballers in East European countries should be our prime concern, not the perceived threat of casteism in this country. Why make waves where there is not even a tide? In UK, we live in a den of equality but we must guard against gullibility and there is no need to bow down to Western, Abrahamic morality.

Nitin Mehta, MBE Croydon

In his last week’s budget, the chancellor has announced that the planned 3p rise in beer duty will be scrapped and replaced by a 1p cut in the price of a pint.

He said the alcohol duty escalator which adds inflation plus 2% to the price - would be abolished for beer completely.

So he has taken off a whopping one penny in the price of beer! How generous of him! How much are we going to be better off by this gesture? If a person downed ten pints of beer a week, he will save a meagre 10 pence over that period.

Would there be a run on the nearest pub?

His generosity, however, has not extended to pensioners as there is nothing in the budget for older people. He has increased the personal income tax allowance for people in work, yet there has been no corresponding increase in the personal allowance of pensioners. As most people’s income goes down after they retire from work, and in recognition of the years they had spent paying tax and National Insurance, the previous chancellors had introduced additional tax relief for people over the age of 65.

Currently this gives pensioners a higher tax allowance than the general population, so they can earn an extra £3,000 from pensions or savings, before paying income tax. In the last budget, the Chancellor, announced he would axe this special tax break for pensioners. Hence this tax allowance has remained at £10,500 in this and last year’s budgets.

Be Dharmic I must congratulate to CB Patel and all the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar for organising the Celebrations of 5000 years of Dharma through the Be Dharmic event. It is very important to hold such functions to know and maintain our culture.

But it is most essential to know and act about the social problems we are having in each and every family not only in India but in Britain as well.I have been contacted by many people that our elderly people are being mistreated in joint families by their young children and equally many people are complaining about the mistreatment to daughter in laws even in this day and age.

These kind of problems are not easy to solve but keeping eyes closed and only celebrate our culture by eating food, dancing and chanting will not help to improve our image in the World.So all temple leaders to wake up and start discussing the problems of our people which they are facing in day to day life. Press media owners like CB Patel definitely can help to contribute to improve the lives of people.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Ontario

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Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

EducAtion/council Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Migrants need to wait 5 years for council housing

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Suraj Bhanot, General Secretary 2012-2013

National Hindu Students’ Forum (NHSF) UK AGM 2013 Another incredible year has passed for NHSF (UK) and on reflection I am filled with a sense of pride with what has been achieved, both nationally and locally. Students and young professionals are setting examples for what can be achieved by serving the community at large. These achievements were reflected upon at this year’s NHSF (UK) Annual General Meeting (AGM).

On Saturday 23rd March, both National and Chapter Committees, well-wishers and alumni members braved the unseasonal wintery conditions and assembled at Birmingham City University for NHSF (UK)’s AGM. The AGM enabled us to review the previous year’s activities and look ahead to build upon this year’s successes.

Pranav Bhanot, National President, delivered his year-end report showcasing what each team on the National Committee had accomplished. The Hum Awards 2013 recognised the hard work that Chapters have put into the year to ensure our Dharma is ever present on campuses across the UK. ‘Most controversial workshop’, ‘best designed website’ and ‘most developed Chapter’ were amongst the accolades bestowed upon our many Chapters.

It was clear to see NHSF (UK) had increased its national and international standing. NHSF (UK) was present at the European Youth Interfaith Summit in Norway in June 2012 and was the only Hindu body at the British Youth Council’s ‘Young People in Faith’ consultation meeting. Strong links with other Hindu organisations were also upheld as NHSF (UK)’s Public Relation team sat on the

organising committee for the annual Diwali in London celebrations. It is evident that our hard work, passion and dedication is being recognised by other influential bodies who are taking NHSF (UK) more seriously and ensuring that our voices are heard and listened to.

It has been an unbelievable year for the development of both Chapter and National Committees.

June Committees day enabled NHSF (UK)’s Chapter Committee members to come together in preparation for another jampacked year of sewa, learning, bhakti and social events, which always endeavour to unite Hindu students on campus. September saw each Chapter Committee member from across the UK equipped with the skills to develop as leaders by tailored training sessions on key aspects of leadership, management and team work.

These workshops were delivered by distinguished professionals, Karyakatas and NHSF (UK) National Committee members.

National Union Of Students (NUS) were also present at this event for the first time and were impressed at the professionalism displayed by all Chapter Committee members who showed that they were preparing themselves for the challenges that lay ahead.

NHSF (UK)’S Annual Conference; Big Hindu Questions, aimed to answer the questions and concerns the modern day Hindu student has regarding his or her faith. It addressed many misconceptions of our dharma and put its timeless teachings and philosophies into a modern day setting, ensuring that faith is still relevant to Hindu students today.

Distinguished speakers and guest session facili-

11

tators embarked on a day filled with discussions and debates including topics such as ‘One God, Many Gods?’; ‘Law of Karma’; ‘Scriptures: Past their sell by date?’; ‘Science and Hindu Dharma and many more.

NHSF (UK)’s Annual Sports Competition was a resounding success, with over 750 players, onlookers and guests.

For the first time an opening ceremony inaugurated the day’s proceedings, allowing chapters to showcase their Hindu Society Flag and impart a sense of passion, determination and rivalry for the games.

Bhakti events have become enshrined in NHSF (UK)’s calendar and this year was no different. NHSF (UK) North Zone’s 108 Hanuman Chalisa continued its tour of the North, this year taking place at the Radha Krishna Mandir, Liverpool.

Central Zones 12 hour Ram Dhun this year was conducted at the Geeta Bhawan Mandir in B i r m i n g h a m .

Furthermore, Slough Hindu Mandir played host to this year’s London Zone and South Zones 12 Hour Krishna Kirtan. All three events allowed NHSF (UK) to build new links with Hindu communities which otherwise would not know about the work NHSF (UK) do.

Each year comes with a sense of sadness as we bid farewell to long standing members of the National Committee.

Their hard work, dedication and commitment to the Hindu samaj are commendable and inspirational.

The newly launched NHSF (UK) Alumni Project will ensure the work of NHSF (UK) reaches new dimensions and facilitates the development of individuals who yearn to volunteer for our samaj.

Migrants will have to wait up to five years to qualify for council housing in Britain under plans to address public concern about immigration.

PM Cameron has announced the introduction of a new residency test for all individuals applying for taxpayerfunded accommodation to ensure British citizens have priority.

David Cameron’s new legislation will bar councils from allocating housing to those who have not lived locally for a minimum period. The new rules will apply to EU citi-

zens and are expected to be rushed through before visa restrictions are lifted on Bulgarian and Romanian migrants next year.

Last week, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, admitted voters had lost confidence in the system.

The number of council flats and houses going to foreign nationals has been rising steadily, from 6.5% in 2007-08 to almost one in 10 today. Local authorities are currently free to set their own qualification criteria, though they must give priority to certain

vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and the elderly. Although some set residency tests, requiring applicants to have lived locally for a certain period, others do not.

Under the new statutory system, everyone applying for social housing will have to be able to show they have lived in the area for between two and five years before they can even join the waiting list. Exceptions will be made for UK nationals who need to move area for genuine reasons, for example because of a new job.

Britain needs Maths teachers urgently On last Friday the British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that there is a serious shortage of paediatricians and Maths Teachers in the UK, so much so that they have been put in the "shortage occupations" list. He added that there were 34 such professions in the list. The country is facing a severe shortage of engineers, too, but has more than enough health workers. UK's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) told Times of India that the number of specialist UK jobs which

needed to be filled by workers from outside the European Economic Area was falling. Its latest report recommends a reduction in employment of shortage occupation list to 180,000 employees, less than 1% of the total workforce.

In 2008, total employment covered by the list was in excess of 1 million. One in 400 immigrants to the UK comes via this route.

The occupations recommend to be added to the shortage list are rehabilitation medicine, psy-

chiatry, mechanical engineers within the oil and gas industry, nuclear safety case engineer, piping design engineer, geologists, electronics and communications engineer, games designer etc within the computer games industry.

The occupations which would be removed from UK shortage occupation list include clinical neurophysiology, forensic psychiatry, general surgery, sleep physiologist, mining and coal engineer and environmental scientist.

EU students '10 times more likely to avoid repaying loans' ?

Almost a quarter of European students who borrowed cash to study at British universities have allegedly disappeared without making repayments, figures suggest, prompting fears that hundreds of millions of pounds in loans may be written off.

It is feared that the system used to reclaim money from those returning to their own country after graduating is not robust enough Data obtained by the Telegraph shows that 22 per cent of students from EU member states awarded Government loans up to 2010 had “not been traced” after graduation.

Research published by the House of Commons library suggests these students are around 10-times more likely to fall through the cracks in the system than British graduates.

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The disclosure comes just weeks after figures showed that almost £400 million in Government loans had been made to students from mainland Europe in the last six years.

Students from countries such as Germany, France, Cyprus, Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria borrowed more than £100m from taxpayers to study in Britain in 2010/11 alone.

It is predicted that the bill will soar further in coming years following the introduction of tuition fees of up to £9,000 for the first time last September – a near tripling of the cost of a degree.

Under European law, students from EU states can apply for the same Government-backed loans as British students to complete courses in the UK. Home students repay

their loans directly to the taxman through the PAYE system when salaries rise above £21,000, under rules introduced by the Coalition.

But critics fear that processes used to reclaim money from different European countries may not be as robust – allowing graduates to fall through the net and creating a multi-million pound black hole in the public finances.

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Asian Voice hosts successful annual Youth On 23 March 2013, Asian Voice witnessed another successful year of the annual Youth Conference. The weather was a challenge, as it snowed heavily in the morning, with numerous train cancellations and emergency engineering works- the city came to a halt. But over 70 determined Asian youngsters between age group 15 and 25, braved the odds and made their way to the Brunei Gallery, SOAS to attend one of the best conferences ever organised. The day started with registration with Tanveer Mann and Kruti Patel, followed by a brief welcome

by Rupanjana Dutta, Associate Editor, Asian Voice, and a warm up session hosted by Aekta Mahajan, Vice Chair, City Hindus Network and Harsha Patel, Founder & Managing Director, Doing Social.

The first half of the event comprised of a panel discussion followed by a question and answer session. The panel had distinguished members including Alok Sharma, MP, Navin Kundra, singer-song writer, Shekhar Bhatia, journalist, Monica Juneja, Senior Manager, Accenture, Geeta Sidhu Robb, Founder Nosh Detox, and Andy Claesens, RAF. They discussed the importance of giving back to the community and how that makes one richer and wiser.

CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar gave a brief speech about importance of community services and thanked all the volunteers for making the event so lively.

A competition was launched after CB's speech, where the youngsters were asked to develop an online portal idea which will help make the British Asian youth community more cohesive and integrated. The participants were asked to imagine themselves as a consultant and pretend that they were hired to provide a strategy to the company, offering suggestion on â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what would they name the portal, what would the content be to

Warm up session with the young participants while they networked

make it interactive, interesting and useful, how would they promote and market it to the target group and how would they raise income for the portal. While the judges looked into the answers, and choose the winners, the youngsters were welcomed to a spread of sandwich, crisps, cake and fruit lunch while they networked amongst each other.

After lunch they had a team building workshop/exercise by RAF, followed by a talk on 'Understanding the power and pathways to 'Social Output' by Abhaey Singh, and a workshop on 'Understanding your communication style' by Sonia Khera, and workshops on applications, interviews and CVs by Harsha Patel, Nishi Shah, Monica Juneja and Shiv Morjaria.

Before the day concluded, the four winners of the competition were announced (see box) and participation certificates were distributed to all present along with goody bags, comprising of some very useful items.

Aekta Mahajan introducing the speakers

Working on the feedback form

Winners First Prize: Krupali Bhagani, 24 She won a 2 day/1 night trip to Barcelona (flights and hotels only) for 2 people. A special thanks to sponsor Brightsun Travels.

Second Prize: Saagar Dave, 16 He won a tea for two at the House of Lords. A special thanks to Lord Dolar Popat for sponsoring it.

Third Prize: Kishan H Patel, 18 He won a 3 course dinner for two at the Zaman Restaurant, The Sportsman Casino. A special thanks to

Zaman for sponsoring it.

Fourth Prize: Ekta Bhayani, 18 She won a 3 course dinner for two at the Arch Restaurant, Holiday Inn, Wembley. A special thanks to Holiday Inn, Wembley for sponsoring it.

Organisation/institution sending the highest number of attendees: Sai School of Harrow

Asian Voice would like to express a special gratitude to City Hindus Network and City Sikhs Network for spreading the word and making this event such a great success.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Photo courtesy: Rovin George

Navin Kundra speaking about his experience and humming a tune

Alok Sharma, MP speaking about his experience and community work

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Conference for third year in a row

UK

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Andy Claesens addressing the young audience

Participants working on their competition answer sheet

Shekhar Bhatia addressing the audience

RAF team building exercise

Geeta Sidhu Robb speaking about her experience

Communication workshop by Sonia Khera

CB Patel, Neishaa Gharat, Nishi Shah, Harsha Patel, Rupanjana Dutta, Aekta Mahajan, Tanveer Mann, Kruti Patel, Sonia Khera, Abhaey Singh, Shiv Morjaria and Rovin George (standing) Alok Sharma, MP, Navin Kundra, Shekhar Bhatia, Monica Juneja, Geeta Sidhu Robb, Andy Claesens (sitting)

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Deepak Kuntawala awarded Global Entrepreneur of the Year at the TiE UK Deepak Kuntawala, the Founder of international trading and finance company DVK, was named Global Entrepreneur of the Year at the TiE UK Awards 2013.

Chief Guest and keynote speaker, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats, presented the DVK CEO with the prize at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday, March 18th.

The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) UK Awards select the finest in entrepreneurial talent from across the UK. The ceremony also honours the best of Britain’s Asian business and enterprise practitioners; those with the innovation, vision and tenacity to achieve success.

In attendance were TiE UK Charter Members, high net worth individuals, political and public figures, including James Caan, music sensation and founder of New York Coffee Club Peter Andre, Jacqueline Gold, CEO of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, online gaming billionaire Vikrant Bhargava, Lord and Lady Dholakia and Lord Loomba, amongst several other distinguished names.

Deepak Kuntawala was recognised for growing DVK from a start-up to an international brand with innovation and hard work. A gifted entrepreneur, Deepak has achieved several feats on the international scene. Recently, DVK opened an office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with His Royal Highness, the Prince of Saudi, appointed Chairman of DVK Saudi. The brand has a portfolio of businesses across private equity, wealth management, structured trade and commodity finance, capital markets, infrastructure, real estate, mining, aviation and fund management sectors. It is active in the following countries and territories; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, the UAE, Switzerland, Nairobi, Ghana, Malawi and the cities of Moscow, Johannesburg and Madrid.

At DVK, the ethos is very much about giving back to society and nurturing entrepreneurial talent. As a result of Deepak’s TiE award win, he has instigated an apprentice scheme at DVK to help aspiring entrepreneurs to learn the skills needed to succeed in the world of business.

In line with the estimated £3.4bn that

‘Apprentices are vital to Great British business – from mechanical engineering and business administration to dental nursing and physiotherapy. We are making it as simple and rewarding as possible to take on apprentices.’

Deepak was thrilled to receive the Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award and thanked his supporters and team. He said ‘It is a pleasure to be in a room with some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs and business Deputy PM Nick Clegg with Deepak Kuntawala leaders. I am still a foot soldier and develop my acumen apprentices are said to contribute to the by watching entrepreneurs like yourUK economy, Deepak said: ‘We want to selves. share our success by initiating and estab‘TiE UK is pivotal in nurturing entrelishing an Apprentice Scheme – this year. preneurs in the UK. These awards have We already had a student from the always been a showcase for the UK’s London School of Fashion. In the next many business talents who have conquarter, we will take two people. DVK tributed, and will continue to contribute, believes that apprentice schemes are a to the UK’s economy. I wish the organisapowerful medium for any economy to tion continued success. flourish.’

“My Grandfather and Father instilled He quoted Nick Clegg MP, who had

Deepak with Peter Andre, Upen Patel and James Caan

previously spoken about the value of apprenticeships, saying: ‘Apprenticeships are at the heart of our drive to provide employers with people who have the skills needed for their businesses to prosper and compete, often in a global market.

in us that as you sow, so shall you reap, and that hard work will one day bear fruit. Indeed, the late Steve Jobs said: ‘I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure persever-

ance.’”

DVK International plans continuous innovative international expansion.In attendance were TiE UK Charter Members, high net worth individuals, political and public figures, including James Caan, music sensation and founder of New York Coffee Club Peter Andre, Jacqueline Gold, CEO of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, online gaming billionaire Vikrant Bhargava, Lord and Lady Dholakia and Lord Loomba, amongst several other distinguished names.

Some other award winners were: l Social Enterprise of the Year Award – The Hub l Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Tej Lalvani, COO, Vitabiotics l Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Jacqueline Gold, CEO Ann Summers & Knickerbox l Entrepreneur of the Year Award – James Palumbo, Co-Founder and Chairman of Ministry of Sound Group Young media and film entrepreneur and CEO of international communications agency Sterling Media, Natasha Mudhar said: “Aspiring entrepreneurs require guidance, advice and mentoring to fulfil their entrepreneurial aspirations.

The UK is a richer place for the establishment of such organisations as TiE. The TiE UK Awards celebrates the spirit and ethos of that great thing we call entrepreneurship. Dynamic, creative and enterprising individuals are essential for any society’s economy to flourish. The range and depth of entrepreneurial talent at the event was astounding, and this is an amazing feat, and one that should be acknowledged and celebrated.“ The UK chapter of TiE was established over a decade ago and has grown to more than 100 charter members and 450 members. As the UK’s need for dynamic entrepreneurs has increased; over the past three years, Charter Members of TiE UK have mentored over 200 entrepreneurs at different stages of development across industry sectors. These business figures along with a new generation of entrepreneurs today represent the lynchpins of global and national entrepreneurialism.

Tackling the stigma of mental health illness in the South Asian Community Bijal Shah Bijal Shah is Personal Development Lead at the City Hindus Network, a non-profit-making organisation in the UK that promotes networking, education and charity amongst Hindu professionals.

For centuries, mental illness has been a taboo subject for people in South Asian communities.

Misconceptions and misunderstanding about the causes of mental health problems have meant that members of South Asian communities who may be suffering, perpetually experience shame, secrecy and taboo. Pressure to adhere to social norms and perceptions that those with mental health problems are ‘stupid’ are key causes of such negative attitudes; which more often than not have resulted in reduced marriage prospects, lowered community status and social exclusion.

The reality is that mental health conditions are no different to physical health conditions and should be treated in the same regard. Additionally one in four people will suffer from such a condition in their lifetime, which means that statistically you are likely to know someone who is currently suffering.

Local mental health co-ordinator

from national mental health charity MIND, Chandrakant Shah, who works with members of the Harrow South Asian community with mental health problems, said he frequently hears about the damaging effect stigma has on people with mental health problems in the local area.

“The stigma is so profound and ingrained, and many members of this community are suffering in silence,” he said. “We need to address misconceptions about mental illnesses and people affected by them, bringing the issue to the heart of the community".

Stigma does not help anyone. It damages the person suffering. It stops them from recovering faster when what they need is support, understanding, love and acceptance.

Stigma also makes it harder for carers, family members and friends to help their loved ones who are suffering to get better quicker. It is a no-win situation for all.

Last year, the CHN hosted an event in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police of London to raise awareness of this issue. It was well attended and encouraging to find young Hindu professionals ready to tackle stigma and curious to understand mental health better.

Based on its success, CHN is hosting another event on mental health discrimination in conjunction with the City of London Police in April. (See details below.)

CHN also urges Hindu communities to start tackling the stigma that exists by taking small steps, such as holding small forums to discuss mental health issues within the community, setting up a helpline, providing information to local communities as to where they can get help and support (e.g. national charities such as MIND provide significant support to service users), or even having a Mental Health Champion within the community. Remember mental health conditions can affect anybody, anywhere, at any time.

On Thursday 25 April at 6.30pm, City Hindus Network (CHN) in conjunction with the City of London Police will be exploring the 'shame and secrecy’ surrounding mental health in South Asian communities at a free event that will be held at the City of London police offices.

The event aims to raise awareness of the stigma of mental health illness in the South Asian community. This is a follow up event to the one held in January last year at the Metropolitan Police offices at New Scotland Yard.

The evening will consist of an expert presentation on mental health illness by Dr Dinesh Bhugra, Professor of Mental Health & Cultural Diversity at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. This will be followed by various speakers giving first-hand accounts of their personal experiences of mental health illness. This evening will conclude with a documentary on the stigma of mental health in ethnic minorities and a Q&A panel session with the speakers and other mental health experts. There will also be an opportunity to network with other mental health professionals, carers, mental health service users and members of the public who have an interest in mental health.

The event can be registered athttp://cityhindusnetwork-mental-health2013-es2004.eventbrite.co.uk/?rank=1# CHN is also undertaking the following short survey on mental health. All responses are anonymous and will remain confidential. http://www.cityhindusnetwork.org.uk/2013/02/21/chnmental-health-survey/

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

15

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

MUsiC

Tanveer Mann After getting noticed singing Gurdas Mann’s classic Sajna ve Sajna inhis college canteen, Rob- E has definitely taken the world by storm with his debut single called Driver and his upcoming second single ‘Majajne’ which is set to light up dance floors across the world!

The single will be release on 28th of March and is produced by London based music producer Sunny-G, who recently produced for singer Gary Dhaliwal.

Rob-E, who comes from a family full of singers, started singing at the age of 6 as a hobby and was encouraged to sing from his young years. Having lived in the UK for 2 years, Rob- E has now made time to launch his music career.

Majajne is a through and through Bhangra track to get everyone on the dance floor. The music production merges traditional Bhangra instruments and blends with Rob-E's u unique voice.

Sunny G is excited for the release saying, “After producing tracks like Akhiyan for Parineeta Narula & Baapu for Gary Dhaliwal people started to think, I only produce serious tracks so it was about time I switch up the

10

Upcoming

SPORT Are you interested in the chance to play football alongside European Champions Chelsea Football Club?

things & Rob-e came up with the idea of Majajne, it was a good experience working on this project with Rob-e”.

This rising star is ready to take over this year with 3 releases and exciting collaborations this year.

EvEnts

British Dance troupe Flex FX set to Dance it out in ‘Bollywood Showstoppers’ at O2 Arena This April will see this year’s most exciting music and dance line up come together for two spectacular shows in the UK on the 5th (LG Arena, Birmingham) and 7th of April (O2 Arena, London).

Iconic Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu, gorgeous dancer/actress Malaika Arora Khan, Pakistani rockstar Atif Aslam and Hindi singing star Shaan will all perform alongside leading British dance troupe Flex FX in what is set to be the UK’s biggest Bollywood showcase in years.

On Thursday 21st March, Flex FX dancers brought a sprinkle of Bollywood to the O2 Arena to mark the launch of the upcoming tour. The dance troupe took part in a photo call on the iconic dome structure and co-ordinated a Bollywood masterclass performance for onlookers, attending guests and the O2's competition winners.

Naz Choudhury, Flex FX’s artistic director said: “This is has been a wonderful day for everyone who is part of Flex FX. We have come a long way in the last 10 years, in our efforts to bring Bollywood dance to the mainstream audience in the UK. The O2 has been home to some of the world's biggest names and we are proud to bring together the star line up of "Bollywood Showstoppers" and perform here with them in 2 weeks time."

For more information visit: www.bollywoodshowstoppers.com

CURREnt

March Named The Official Lazy Month

As we approach Easter and leave behind the good spirits from the onset of the New Year, our New Years resolutions are mostly likely to suffer as well.

A study has found that March is the month where the nation plummets into a ‘Laziness Trap’ as people loose motivation and resolutions slowly disappear.

March has also been named the month in which gym users are most likely to halt their exercise routine, according to figures found by a nationwide fitness chain.

According to SimplyGym, over a third of those who join a gym in the New Year are no longer exercising by the end of March, figures showed, with many falling back into their bad habits.

"We always notice a decline as March presses on so that by April, regular gym goers are significantly fewer," said Andy Tee, Director of simplygym.co.uk, "We see people hit the 10-12 week mark in March and if they haven't seen the results they want by this point they often drop off the radar.

"Similarly, if people do achieve their desired results they see their efforts as successful and stop

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

going, believing they have accomplished their fitness goals".

Furthermore, the end of March also sees the clocks go forward which will bring brighter nights and warmer days, encouraging more social events and less time at the gym.

According to figures, the number of people ending their gym contracts is double that of previous months. Of the people who sign up for gym membership over Christmas and the New Year, 50% leave in March.

Additionally, 20% said they were drinking as

Supporting Equals are hosting an ‘Asian Star’ pre-event alongside European Champions, Chelsea Football Club, with a special coaching and training session that will offer boys from Asian communities an opportunity to be put through their paces with the club's coaches.

This session is specifically designed to empower participants with confidence and will also give them a chance to hone their technique ahead of the Asian Star 2013 competition on Monday 6th May. Sporting Equals is an organisation that works to promote the inclusion of under-represented communities in sport and physical activity. They work closely with sports providers to support them to improve and increase sustainable sports opportunities for the under-represented communities and Asian Star 2013 forms part of its wider work to help meet these objectives.

The event will take place at Three Bridges Primary School, in Southall on Sunday 14th April, and will give 100 boys the opportunity to be put through a series of challenges and small-sided games to help participants prepare for Asian Star 2013, which will take place at the Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham.

The ‘Asian Star’ campaign will be hosted at the world famous Chelsea training ground in Cobham in May to identify a player who will win a seasonlong placement at the European Champion's Football Development Centre.

To register, visit: http://www.sportingequals.org.uk/PICS/Chelsea% 20-%20Asian%20star%20training%20session%2014th%20April%20(2).doc

Did you know..?

A hard working adult sweats up to 4 gallons per day. Most of the sweat evaporates before a person realizes it's there.

Word of the Week: Apolaustic: Devoted to Enjoyment

much alcohol as before, while 5% had resumed smoking, despite knowing the health risks.

Andy concluded with highlighting the fact that many people are unaware how much exercise an adult should take each day, and after a short burst of fitness at the beginning of the year they still leave themselves at risk of weight gain which is strongly associated with heart problems, diabetes and many other conditions.

"March is clearly the danger month for many gym-goers," he said.

How many New Years resolutions have you stuck to?

Ha Ha.....

He He.... :P WHAT do you get if you cross a dog with a hen? Pooched eggs.

“YOU want a lift?”, the driver asked a pal. “No thanks, I’ve just moved to a bungalow,” he replied.

WHY couldn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas Party? He had no body to go with.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Akshay Kumar is the highest taxpayer It is usually believed that the more tax a Bollywood celebrity pays, the more successful and rich he or she is, and going by reports Akshay Kumar has become the highest advance income tax payer for the sixth consecutive year by shelling out Rs 180 million this year.

While, ‘Dabangg’ star Salman Khan landed second in the list by paying Rs 110 million, Shah Rukh Khan stood third by paying Rs. 105 million. Meanwhile Mr. Perfectionist - Aamir Khan - is said to have coughed up Rs 80 million.

Trisha Swims the High Seas

When Sonam Kapoor took Rekha's blessings

Actress Sonam Kapoor, who reprises the role that Rekha played in the 1980 family comedy “Khubsoorat” in its remake, says she sought the blessings of the veteran stunner before beginning to shoot for it.

"I got her blessings for the film I am doing; I met her at the ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ premiere and that's when she told (blessed) me," Sonam said. "We are just taking the spirit of the character and putting it in a modern way.

We are modernising it and just keeping the spirit of the girl. We are not sticking to the same story line," she added.

How can Asha and I be rivals, asks Lata Mangeshkar

A recent report in a newspaper about rivalry between her and sister Asha Bhonsle has disturbed Lata Mangeshkar. She says, “How can we be rivals? I can never sing what she can. Even Pancham (RD Burman) admitted that we had mutually exclusive singing abilities.” Speaking candidly on the relationship with her sister, she continues, “There’s no fight between us. Until recently we lived in adjoining flats and there’s a connecting door between our homes.

We’re constantly in and out of one another’s homes.”

Priyanka ‘Kick’-ed out of Salman film

Priyanka Chopra’s proximity with Shah Rukh Khan seems to have cost her the leading role opposite Salman Khan in the upcoming movie ‘Kick.’ According to reports, after considering many female leads Sajid Nadiadwala has finally signed Deepika Padukone in the Salman Khan starrer. “Deepika Padukone is to romance Salman in ‘Kick’……looks like Priyanka’s close proximity with King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) has made her lose the role,” a source said. ‘Barfi!’ star Ileana D’Cruz who had played the lead in the Telugu ‘Kick’ was also being considered for sharing screen space with Salman in the Hindi remake.

Scuba diving was a dream-come-true for Trisha. She had tweeted "Scuba diving truly one of my most memorable experiences.

Indescribable, therapeutic. So deep, so dark and so silent, the ocean is a world by itself." She is excited and thrilled that she got to swim with the different species of fish, octopus, lobsters, prawns, lemon sharks and dolphins. What are we missing out? The great white sharks, of course. But Trisha wouldn't miss them, as she is heading to Africa for her next adventure. "A born traveler and a born thrill seeker.

Time to pump it up and swim with the great white sharks of Africa.

Coming to you soon", posted the actress.

Tamannaah Bhatia makes Bollywood debut Tamannaah Bhatia is all set to make her mainstream Bollywood debut with “Himmatwala.” Sajid Khan has been claiming that the film will become a blockbuster, ever since it went on floors. When the 23year-old was asked about her director Sajid Khan's tall claims, she said, "What I really like about Sajid Khan is that although people call him over-confident, he has conviction. He believes in the film so much. For him, it's more about magic than logic.

Sajid Khan believes a lot in what he does."

Aishwa Dhanus up for n

Aishwarya Dhanush innings as a director challenging film that demonstrated her ade the craft of filmmakin that starred Dhanush Haasan received a we opening at the box of by a sensational soun debutant composer A While an official anno is awaited on the cast it is being speculated ‘Kadal’ star Gautam K might play the lead. B has emerged as a plea surprise in the projec Yuvan Shankar Raja confirmed as the mus

Subbulak

Aamir Khan becomes a woman again

Aamir Khan had waxed his body in 1995 to get into the character of a woman in his film “Baazi.” He has returned as woman in 2005 and 2008 for two different TV ads. Now, he is doing it yet again, for a new commercial. “It’s a comedy of errors where Aamir plays himself, researching the role of a woman. So he dresses as a woman and visits his neighbour’s house, which leads to some funny instances,” reveals Mickey Contractor, the make-up artiste who has been responsible for Aamir’s transformation each of the four times.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

arya sh gearing next film

began her with ‘3’, a

eptness in ng. The film h and Shruti elcome ffice, driven ndtrack by Anirudh. ouncement t and crew that Karthik But what asant ct is that has been sic director.

fter the successful concert at Wembley Arena in A April 2011, International Promoter, Rock on Music once again brings, Shreya Ghoshal, the reigning

kshmi's biopic stalled While all are eagerly looking forward to Rajiv Menon's forthcoming biopic on legendary singer M S Subbulakshmi, the project has already hit troubled waters. The film's progress has been stalled due to a stay order filed by the wellacclaimed producer Somaprasad. According to him, he had purchased the rights of 'MS - A Life in Music', a book by TJS George and had planned to adapt the book into film which was supposed to be helmed by Menon.

However, Somaprasad cited that tables turned, when without his knowledge the director went ahead to associate with another banner to direct that film. And so he decided to plead for injunction order.

I got my first bikini when I was two: Bipasha Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu says she is comfortable with bikinis and her fascination for the swimsuit started when she was a kid. "When I was two years old, my dad got me a bikini from Australia.

I have that picture and that looks really cute. So, from that time I have been a girl who loves sun and beach," the 34-yearold said after she was declared the brand ambassador of India Resort Wear Fashion Week. "So, it`s something which comes naturally to me. It`s not definitely to create a screen image, I am very comfortable offscreen also. I am totally a beach bum," she added.

Queen of Melody, to UK for a much awaited musical night for her fans, performing live with an orchestra at The Royal Albert Hall on Monday 6th of May 2013. Celebrating 100 Years of Bollywood - it is going to be a spectacular night of musical festivities.

In the live concert with leading musicians and vocalists, she wants to sing all her favourite numbers. “Its is not only going to be my songs but also some of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle songs which I admire a lot, the songs will be retro, chart-toppers, item-numbers and other old & new songs. I have not decided much on what I am going to sing during the show, but I am going to go by the pulse of the audience, it’s what they want to hear. On stage, it is more tuned to connect with audience. I just prefer to go with the flow of the song on stage,’’ she says.

“I really loved my show in London last time, Royal Albert hall is simply the place for it and I am eagerly looking forward to perform there. After all my UK audience has a taste for music and songs. They are very much updated with Bollywood. UK audience is so much energetic and I am overwhelmed by their love and applause,” she adds.

“I love London and if time permits, I want to go around and enjoy the beauty of some places there. Previously I was crazy shopping, but now I have grown a bit and shopping does not interest me anymore. Just walking on Trafalgar Square or simply buying Butter cookies would delight me,” she adds.

She is the small-town girl who struck all the right notes in the city of dreams- Mumbai. Brought up in a little town called Rawatbhata in Rajasthan where her scientist father was posted, Shreya Ghoshal started learning music at the tender age of four. It was Shreya’s father who coaxed her to take up singing since he felt she had it in her. My Naniji is a classical singer and my mother too is a good si nger, though she doesn’t sing professionally. So I guess it came down to me from them. But had it not been for my dad egging me on, I would never have made it into a career,” She says.

Things took an unexpected turn for the better when, one fine day, she got a call from Gajendra Singh of “Sa Re Ga Ma” asking her to take part in the second mega-finals.

“I was surprised since I was just 14 then, and didn’t qualify as a senior participant. But Gajendraji asked me to participate since one of the finalists didn’t turn up, and he felt I had a good chance of winning it,” she says, “And would you believe it, I won the mega-finals. It was in that Sa Re Ga Ma episode that Sanjay Leela Bhansaliji noticed me.

And what impressed him was the fact that I was singing his favourite song, a Meera bhajan.”

When Bhansali wanted to contact her to sing for “Devdas,” he didn’t remember her name and got it from Gajendra Singh. “I remember the date, it was March 9, 2000.

ollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, B who is busy shooting Ayan Mukerji's "Yeh Jawaani Hai

Deewani"(YJHD), admitted that he doesn't have any problem sharing the screen space with ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone in the film.

"Deepika and I have moved on as individuals and as actors," Ranbir said in a statement.

The film features Ranbir and Deepika in the lead roles. Kalki Koechlin also plays a pivotal role in the film. Ranbir, who was last seen with Deepika in "Bachna Ae Haseeno", finds her completely "passionate and ambitious".

"When you come across someone who is as motivated as

Bhansaliji called me up and asked me to meet him. I couldn’t believe it, and was too stunned to react,” she says, “When we met, he asked me to sing some Lata Mangeshkar songs.

Later, he had me sing a song from Devdas, and liked the way I sang it. He then told me I would be singing for Devdas.”

Then she became the voice of the protagonist Paro and went on to win a National Award for Devdas. She showcased her musical variations by making the masses groove to ‘Chikni Chameli’ and ‘Ooh La La Ooh La La’ and then ensured that they fell in love with the romantically intense ‘Teri Meri’ and ‘Saans’. With umpteen popular trophies and four National Awards in her kitty, this pitch-perfect songstress seems unstoppable at the moment!

It is perhaps this desire to achieve versatility in her singing, coupled with her down to earth demeanour, that has made this young girl the favourite of almost every music director in Bollywood.

Supported by our Media Partner Gujarat Samachaar, the powerhouse of talent Shreya Ghoshal is going to set the stage alight with her performance. Make sure you are part of this musical extravaganza!!!

For more information on the Shreya Ghoshal UK & Europe tour visit www.shreyalive.com - Purvi Apurva Shah

you are, the experience of working together is terrific. I share a deep comfort level with her. I don't feel awkward with her. We are all professionals," said the 30-year-old.

Talking about his character in YJHD, he says the character will strike to today's youth.

"In YJHD, I've found myself. It deals with the relationship, heartbreak and ambition of four people. All my films have had a strong romantic tale underneath. This is the story of a guy who grows up from a 21-yearold boy to a 30-year-old man. It's an urban film with characters that are closer to today's youth," said Ranbir.

17

18

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I write to you whilst preparing my online webinar no Gold trading using my ‘System X’ algorithm. So Gold is on my mind!

I am also about to leave for a UKIndia Business Council speech I am giving about India. And critical to that is a slide where I am astonished how much Indians in India spend on weddings – and Gold.

I therefore take a long bias. But the key issue is that Gold has come off the boil. When I look at the longer term chart it is clear that the uptrend that began in 2002 – the 10 year bull market in Gold is very close to being broken. But I think that will be a buying opportunity – just look at how the Cyprus crisis again caused prices to rise.

I am of course well aware that Soros cut his holdings in SPDR Gold Trust, the largest exchange-traded gold product, by 55 percent last quarter, and Goldman Sachs predicts the metal’s 12-year rally will ‘end as a U.S. economic recovery gathers momentum.’ Well the US recovery has been and gone in those 12 years and Gold went in one direction. And now we have a lot of rich Indians obsessed with Gold for weddings.

I first traded gold – back when I was a Congressional Intern (the same time as Monica Lewinsky actually). Of course in 1994, the same time I stumbled across the web, I should have been buying Amazon and AOL stock, not trading gold.

Buying gold should have less to do with whether you think the price will rise and more to do with diversification benefits to your portfolio. Consider that during major stock recessions, it’s by holding gold you would have outperformed pure stock investors alone.

For instance between 1929-1934, 1968-1974, 2000-2002, the S&P 500 fell around 63%, 34% and 26% respectively. However, the price of gold rose 69%, 347% and 9% respectively.

Indeed even if you bought leading-lights Coca-Cola and Disney in 1972, you would not have a positive return until 1985; whereas gold spot prices went from $44 to $341 over the same period.

The value of gold is not it’s unique metallic properties or its glimmer in jewellery, but that it is negatively correlated (does not move in tandem) to most other asset classes. The economic forces that determine the price of gold are often opposite to forces determining the price of other asset classes.

When long term bonds decline, there is a tendency for gold to go up. When equities decline, there is an even greater tendency for gold to go up. Indeed gold is more negatively correlated to stocks than any other asset classes typically used as portfolio diversifiers such as foreign stocks, real estate, bonds, small cap stocks and emerging market stocks.

With these asset classes, studies show higher correlations when markets decline (the so-called ‘contagion-effect’ where markets fall in tandem) implying that the benefit of the safety net of diversification is lost when it is needed most. Not so with gold – it retains its diversification benefits even under volatile falling markets.

There is one further unique property of gold if you like continuity – it’s staying power, gold will still be here in 100 years; whereas only one company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average remains in the Dow from one hundred years ago: General Electric.

EU finance ministers approve Cyprus bailout deal Cyprus avoided bankruptcy, and potential turmoil across the Eurozone, by securing a last-minute 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout with promises to sharply cut back its oversized banking sector and make large bank account holders take losses to help pay much of the bill.

Negotiations into early Monday ended with approval of the deal by the 17-nation Eurozone's finance ministers. The European Central Bank had threatened to cut off crucial emergency assistance to the country's

banks by Tuesday if no agreement was reached.

Without a bailout deal

by Monday night, the tiny Mediterranean nation would have faced the prospect of bankruptcy, which could have forced it to become the first country to abandon the euro currency.

That would have sent the region's markets spinning.

"It's not that we won a battle, but we really have avoided a disastrous exit from the Eurozone,'' said Cyprus' finance minister Michalis Sarris.

India will ease restrictions for foreign institutional investors in federal and corporate bonds next month to attract inflows and help fund a widening current account deficit, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Saturday.

Under the new rules, foreign investors can invest up to $25 billion in government bonds, including both long- and short-term debt such as treasury bills.

Previously there had been investment restrictions on T-bills of up to $10 billion.

The cap on corporate bonds remains at the current level of $51 billion, but separate limits on different types of corporate debt have been removed.

"Effect from April 1, there will be two baskets one of $25 billion for government securities and one

$51 billion for all corporate bonds," Chidambaram told a conference.

Currently, foreign institutional investors can invest up to $25 billion in corporate infrastructure bonds, $20 billion in other listed corporate bonds, and $5 billon could be invested by other foreign investors including sovereign wealth funds, pension and insurance funds.

India restricts foreign access to its debt markets because of its reluctance to owe money to overseas investors, and has a complicated system of categories for debt as well as restrictions on which types of investors can bid for the debt.

But a record high current account deficit - which hit 5.4 per cent of the GDP in the quarter ending

September - has prompted the government to take steps to increase capital inflows into country's debt and stock markets.

New Delhi will review the foreign investor cap on corporate bonds when 80 per cent of the limit is reached, Chidambaram said, adding it would help large investors plan their investment.

The government may further increase the cap on FIIs to invest in government bonds, depending on demand and macro-economic requirements, Chidambaram said.

"The annual enhancement of the government bond limit will remain within 5 per cent of the gross annual borrowing of the central government excluding buy backs," he said.

The government plans

Overseas flying norms being liberalised The aviation ministry in India has decided to end the discrimination desi carriers face in flying abroad vis-a-vis foreign airlines that have flights to India. The current rule that an Indian carrier must complete at least five years of operation and have a fleet of 20 aircraft before being allowed to go overseas is all set to be relaxed.

While the minimum age of five will remain for now, the fleet requirement could be cut by half to 10.

“The change of rules would have to be approved by the Union cabinet and we are preparing the papers for being put up there. Many foreign airlines that fly to India (like those of Bangladesh and Bhutan) do not have 20

aircraft in their fleet. Why should our carriers face such conditions then?” aviation minister Ajit Singh asked.

Such a change would

help airlines expected to be launched now after FDI rules have been relaxed and Wadia Group’s GoAir that has sought exemption from the 20-aircraft rule to fly abroad. Airline industry officials question the five-year logic too. Many foreign carriers have had

their launch flights to India.

The crucial requirement of bringing down the limit of five is, however likely to remain as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has told the ministry that Indian carriers must have some minimum operating experience before flying abroad.

“I will ask the DGCA on whether its stand for five years is due to safety reasons, in which case it cannot be changed. This will be studied and we are working on this front,” Singh said while hinting at a slew of reforms from the aviation ministry in coming days after abolishing the ageold aircraft acquisition committee.

P Chidambaram

to borrow a gross 5.79 trillion rupees in 2013/14, excluding the 500 billion rupees of bonds it will sell to fund a buy back.

Chidambaram also said the current corporate bond auction mechanism will be replaced with "ontap system" that is used for infrastructure bonds.

India's current account gap is expected to touch an all-time high for the fiscal year that ends in March.

Ford apologises over distasteful India car ad

Ford Motors India has apologized for an ad campaign that showed scantily-clad, voluptuous women gagged, bound and stuffed in the trunk of the car maker's Figo model.

One of the ads showed a caricature of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in the driver's seat flashing a peace sign while three scantily clad women sit gagged and bound in the trunk.

Another version shows Paris Hilton -similarly kidnapping a trio of Kardashians, while a third, has Michael Schumacher toting Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton, the Huffington Post reports.

Britain's oldest wine merchant to sell Chinese wine

Britain's oldest wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) has announced it has become the first major retailer in the country to sell Chinese wine. The 314-year-old wine merchant said it would sell four wines from leading Chinese winemaker Changyu alongside the finest offering from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

The four wines are 2008 Chateau Changyu Moser XV, Ningxia; Chateau Changyu Gold Label Ice Wine, Liaoning; Chateau Changyu Blue Label Ice Wine, Liaoning; and Chateau Changyu Black Label Ice Wine, Liaoning, with the price ranging from 19 pounds ($29) to 65 pounds.

The four Chinese wine varieties will be for sale

alongside the finest wines from around the world including Ch. Petrus from Bordeaux and Domaineeconti from Burgundy in BBR stores and website, it said in a statement.

A group of connoisseurs will taste the four wines. The ice wines are made from frozen grapes, which give the wines a fresh and pure flavour and an intense sweetness.

BBR buying director Mark Pardoe said: "China is already the eighth largest producer of wine in

the world so it was only a matter of time before it entered the international market and its huge geographical size and range of climates mean that there must be regions capable of producing good wine."

"Until now the country's focus has been on its volume-driven domestic market, and other export efforts have based on external investment.

Changyu's strategy represents a change, with home-grown investment in partnership with international expertise, with a real will to get things done," he said.

"We expect to taste wine of great quality from more Chinese producers," said Pardoe.

BBR, a supplier to the royal family since the reign of King George III, now has shops in London and Basingstoke, as well as business in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan and duty free presence in Dubai. Its range comprises over 3,000 wines and services.

China is predicted to become the sixth largest wine maker in the world by 2016, and Chinese consumers drink over 1.6 billion bottles of wine annually, which is forecast to grow by a further 1 billion by 2015.

"The Chinese have also acquired a taste of fine wine. They are now the second biggest buyers of top Claret by volume behind Germany," according to the BBR statement.

finAnciAl Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

19

Trade or ride the wave?

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

In the last couple of weeks we have closed three deals with a view to trade them prior to completion. One of the properties is a purpose built flat for £240,000, which will be sold in auction on the 17th April 2013; another is for £275,000 which is a conversion and a probate sale which we expect will be resold shortly for £310,000; and the other is a bigger freehold property in Shepherd's Bush for £715,000 which we are expecting to resell for £825,000.

The Shepherd's Bush property is interesting, Shepherd's Bush is not a market I know intimately hence I had to rely on past sales figures; the past sales figures did not look very promising to me as the last sale occurred in December 2012 and the price was not much different to what we were about to pay for this so called deal, the previous figure in June was also at a similar level. I was not seeing the deal, yet the agent involved assured me this was a deal and we must purchase the property.

'The figures are out of date' he exclaimed, 'and the market has heated up aggressively'. I have experienced this, where you purchase the property at market price purely because you know there is no decent stock around and the demand is very strong, this means in the coming months you will experience a strong rise.

This information does not come from the internet or past research but reading the signals from reliable sources.

In one sense all past performance is an indication of is past performance, this does not necessarily indicate where price will go in the future. If you can read the currents on the ground this will give you a stronger indication. We once purchased a property for a client in 33 Davenport W2 for the full asking price of £495,000 on this basis a year and a half ago, the property is currently worth £700,000.

Luckily in the same week we were agreeing this deal we received an offer in Shepherd's Bush for a two bedroom flat we sourced for our client for £380,000. In fact we had sourced the whole block consisting of three flats early last year for £650,000, we purchased this as part of a portfolio. The properties were on the market for £250k , £250k and £375k (the two bed), giving a total of £875k.

the other 90% of the money either in cash or through funding, therefore although this money is not used actively in the deal, and perhaps it never will be, it needs to be in place.

This means the returns above are skewed and not as high as they look, as although the money is not used in the deal, and hopefully will never be, it needs to be blocked somewhere in case completion occurs.

However trading before completion does have other benefits.

One is the stamp duty saved, in the case of the property in Shepherd's Bush this will be nearly £30,000, on top of this you will save on the other costs associated with completing and then selling, for example the arrangement fee for any funding taken out as well as a redemption penalty. On the assumption of 70% funding and a 3% arrangement and exit fee you're looking at another expense of around £15,000; thus with the trade you would be saving about £45,000 of expenses which would have otherwise eaten into your profit.

We use a combination of approaches: sometimes we trade deals, other times it pays to sit and ride the wave as it is rising; and of course there’s developing and adding value to the property as an option too.

The highe st offe r we got for t he two bed when we put them on the mark et was £315, 000, so t o receive an of fer at over t he fu ll askin g price clearly was a sign fro m t he g ods f or us t o purchase this d eal . This gave us the impetu s to exchan ge on the d eal . Short ly aft er we e xchange d we received an offer for £800k!

The point to note with all these three deals is not that we have purchased them at good prices but they have all been exchanged with the intention of selling them on prior to completion.

The combined purchase price comes to £1.23m, and the potential total sale price will be £1.41m giving a gain of £180,000. This will be on a combined exchange deposit of £123,000. So the percentage gain is 145% within a month of exchanging.

This looks like a good percentage return when you calculate the percentage return or the Internal Rate of return etc, but it is deceptive.

When you exchange on a property you must be prepared to complete, unless you're willing to gamble the whole amount away if you cannot resell prior to completion. This means you will need

Cu rrently we have a very lucrative deal available in a prime part of Lon don , this is a de ve lopme nt which was starte d but the n frozen due to the owne r havin g othe r commitmen ts. We have agreed the pu rchase price at £3.25m and an othe r £1. 5m will be re quired to fin ish the developmen t . T he e nd valu e conservatively is expecte d to be £6. 7m and the build time expe cted is 12 mo nths.

By the way, did you know….

If we make an assumption of 50% gearing for this development the total comes to £4.75m, the cash funds required to purchase and develop this will be about £2.375m; this will give you a return of approximately £2m within a 12 month period. Of course we haven’t included contingency and stamp duty etc to keep things simple, but to counteract this the price of £6.75m is unreasonably conservative, furthermore we believe this is an area where you will be riding a wave. There is upward pressure on prices in this spot, whilst the build will be happening the prices will be rising month on month.

Property Funds – Returns without the hassle of direct ownership l Investing in property directly may not suit everyone l There are funds offering returns of 15% to 20% in the market l This means you get a decent return without the hassle of owning a property l This beats the returns offered by banks and many other financial products l Underneath it your money is secured by property in a strong location l There is a reason why banks are still prepared to lend 75% of a property value in this climate, because they know it is a secure investment l Many funds are protected with external auditors and fund managers, this means your funds are kept as secure as possible

Once developed there are other options than simply to resell this development. The flats can all be remortgaged individually to extract 75% of the value, assuming the final value of £6.75m extracting 75% means you get just over £5m, so everything you have put into the deal; and you will have a bunch of properties providing a rental income and rising in value for you in the future.

So if the current crises in Cyprus has scared you and given you the impetus to take control of your funds rather than keeping them in an institution which is riddled with fraud at its core and at its highest levels, property in Central London is a safe environment to place it. This is why money from over 63 countries is pouring into the Central London market. Cyprus will be an impetus for many to ship their funds to the London property market .

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 993 0103 info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l Budget 2013: Under the “Help to Buy” program, buyers will only need a 5% deposit, with the government investing 20%, which will be repaid when the property is sold - worth exploring if you’re short of deposit. l Remember to keep a contingency when renting property, for emergency works and rent arrears etc, this could affect your credit history if your mortgage payments are late

20

UK

Maria Fernandes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Indian companies are engaging in ambitious outbound merger and acquisition (M&A) deals and have made 72 acquisitions abroad worth USD 11 billion in 2012, a trend which is likely to gather pace in the years to come.

According to global advisory firm Kroll Advisory Solutions and merger market, an independent M&A intelligence service provider, corporate India announced 72 acquisitions abroad worth USD 11 billion, a significant improvement over 2011, when the deal value stood at USD 6.7 billion.

"Outbound deals are likely to see an uptrend going forward as Indian companies have strong balance sheets, they understand international

maria@abplgroup.com

Visitors and family members

ave you noticed that whenever the immiH gration rules are changed

they are usually “to avoid abuse” of the system?

Now there is no doubt that in some cases there is justification for this.

However, the latest amendments which come into force on the 6th April relate to visitors. The Rules are being tightened by the introduction of a paragraph which allows an Officer to refuse an application if he/she is satisfied that a person intends to live in the UK for extended periods through “frequent and successive visits”.

These rule changes come in not long after the Rules on dependant parents in effect stopped them from qualifying to enter for settlement. Not satisfied with banning them from permanent stay it appears that the intention is to stop them from entering and spending periods with their families even on a short term basis. The question that I have is what evidence is there of abuse of the visitor rules and why it is felt necessary to tighten the rules in this way. It is simply not good enough to say that there is abuse. This word is bandied about and used to justify changes and often goes unchallenged.

The next time you want to bring a family member be aware that there is trouble

ahead.

Human rights and criminals Dominic Raab MP has tabled an amendment to the Crime and Courts Bill which will have the effect of preventing criminals from using Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention to prevent their deportation. This issue has been used to justify a need to downgrade Article 8. Since attempts to limit their rights through the use of secondary legislation have so far failed, this is a clever ploy to introduce a limitation in primary legislation by amending the UK Borders Act 2007. The Courts would then have to apply it or if they declared it to be incompatible, cannot under the law strike it down but merely make a declaration to this effect.

Will it succeed? Unlikely.

Our Supreme Court is not the last call. The case would go the court in Strasbourg and is likely to be successful there. Our courts would then have to abide by the decisions of the European Court. Back to square one.

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

The Reserve Bank of India sought to downplay the money-laundering allegations against three private sector banks, saying the country has a "perfect" system to prevent such offences and that not a single such transaction took place in the Cobrapost sting operation. The country's three largest private banks – ICICI bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank – were last week accused of indulging in money laundering both within and outside with an online portal, Cobrapost, claiming that the sting operation conducted by it had revealed a scam.

"Allegations do not

network. Jet is in talks with Abu Dhabi's Etihad for a stake sale, where the latter would part with a minority stake in favour of the Middle-eastern carrier.

Goyal met senior officials at the civil aviation ministry and has placed written requests for addition of Amsterdam as a brand new European destination to Jet's existing network.

"If you look at Jet's balance sheet, you will see that they are more profitable on international operations than on domestic routes. They are increasingly turning more towards JetKonnect model

on domestic and diverting capacity for international routes. Aiming for more foreign destinations/ routes in that sense is both part of their own growth plan, which is also in line with the Etihad deal," said Sanjay Bhasin, managing director GoIbibo.com. Jet Airways could not be reached for comment.

In the backdrop of Kingfisher Airlines losing its international slots, Jet Airways has also asked for permission to operate more flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuwait among others.

markets, and are thus engaging in ambitious outbound M&As," said Reshmi Khurana, associate managing director at Kroll Advisory Solutions.

Sector-wise, besides IT and pharma, manufacturing is also going to see good number of deals going forward, she added.

Indian companies made major acquisitions into energy, mining and utilities, with total reaching USD 6 billion, more than half (55 per cent) of deal activity for the year.

Notable buys included ONGC Videsh's purchase of an 8.4 per cent stake in a major Conoco Phillips oilfield in Kazakhstan for USD 5 billion, which was the largest natural resource deal ever for an Indian business.

The outbound wave has seen a notable shift over the past 10 years, changing from deals centred on IT and pharma to acquisitions in the consumer and energy space.

These new deals have been driven largely by the need to satisfy the growing consumer class and meet its growing need for oil and coal.

In terms of geographical region, Indian companies have typically targeted Western jurisdictions taking advantage of attractive valuations in distressed markets.

According to merger market data, since 2003, the US and the UK have ranked as the top two investment destinations for Indian capital.

Emerging market

No money laundering by India’s top private banks: RBI

economies are also a hot favourite for Indian companies and they are utilising best practices learnt domestically to acquire assets in markets in Central and Southeast Asia.

However, Indian corporates need to tread softly before committing resources to unfamiliar markets as understanding the risks - political, economic and labour-related is crucial to successfully investing abroad.

"For Indian companies looking at the US or UK, they need to be aware of their responsibility under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act, respectively.

Targeted due diligence in advance can help mitigate an investor's risk in these markets," Khurana said.

Rajaratnam's brother charged

mean flouting norms. There is not a single transaction which has taken place. KYC violations will happen in any system. These are all transactional issues and have nothing to do with money laundering," Deputy Governor KC Chakrabarty told reporters after a meeting with bankers. He was responding to a question on the issue. Chakrabarty said, "there is no scam (that) has happened...as no transaction has taken place."

"Let us not unnecessarily downgrade ourselves. Our system to prevent money laundering is perfect, absolutely nothing (wrong with it)," he said.

Chakrabarty also said RBI would further tighten the anti-money laundering norms if needed. "If we find there is a need to further tighten any guidelines, we'll do that."

The comments come even as the RBI, Finance Ministry and the banks concerned are probing the allegations that some officials of these banks offered to facilitate money laundering. On March 14, Cobrapost had released the contents of purported video recording of officials of HDFC, ICICI and Axis Bank allegedly agreeing to receive unverified sums of cash and put them in their investment schemes.

The younger brother of jailed hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam has been charged by US prosecutors with conspiring in an insider trading scheme to cheat on Wall Street and earn nearly $1.2 million illegally.

Rajarengan "Rengan" Rajaratnam, 42, of Manhattan, was charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with conspiracy to commit securities fraud and six counts of securities fraud. A former portfolio manager at the hedge fund management firm Galleon Group, Rengan Rajaratnam, was charged in an indictment.

"IndiGo has also put in a written request for surrendered Kingfisher Airlines slots. We have not begun considering them so far," a senior official from the ministry said, declining to divulge details about frequency of flights demanded by either.

On February 25, the government decided to

free up grounded carrier Kingfisher Airline's routes for use by other carriers.

Kingfisher Airlines was allowed to fly the sky of 8 countries namely Bangladesh (14 services per week), Hong Kong (14 services per week), Nepal (7 services per week), Singapore (7 services per week), Sri Lanka (14 services per week + 21 services per week from unlimited 18 destinations), Thailand (21 services per week), UAE Dubai (21 services per week) and UK (7 services per week each from Mumbai, Delhi and

Bangalore).

Last April, with the civil aviation ministry ending Air India's monopoly over bilateral traffic rights, allowing all Indian carriers to utilize these, Jet Airways sought government permission to add 35 new flights to Germany and seven each to France and Belgium, in addition to seven each to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah and Vietnam.

An equity deal with Etihad will help Jet expand operations and fulfill its ambition to widen international footprint by fund infusion, giving it access to Etihad's global network.

Jet Airways seeks Kingfisher’s overseas routes Ahead of a possible deal with Etihad Airways, Naresh Goyal, promoter of Jet Airways has approached the aviation ministry to seek more international routes for his airline. A source said Goyal has put in a written request to the government seeking more foreign routes for Jet Airways.

Some of the routes are now available after the ministry cancelled Kingfisher's flying licence.

The move to seek more routes is significant as this will allow Jet to fly passengers to the Middle East for onward travel on Etihad's

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

21

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

EU bailout Cyprus In the early hours of Monday 25th March, Cypriot officials and EU finance ministers struck a deal for the bailout of Cyprus that should release the â&#x201A;Ź10bn much needed for the country and thus avoiding an exit from the euro zone.

Under the agreement Laiki Bank (or Cyprus Popular Bank) will be shut down and split. All deposits under â&#x201A;Ź100,000 will be protected, with deposits over â&#x201A;Ź100,000 likely to face a heavy haircut â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there have been indications that this haircut could be between 30-40%.

The initial market reaction was that we saw some relief for the euro, given the pressure that it has been under over last week.

However the euro came under selling pressure once again after Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem declared on Monday 25th March that the Cypriot rescue package will set a template for the rest of the euro zone. With confidence draining out of the euro zone, there is potential for the euro to get weaker.

The Cypriot central bank has also announced that Cypriot banks will remain closed until

Thursday to ensure the banking system functions "smoothly".

Temporary measures to control limit cash withdrawals and prevent money from leaving have also been put in place.

Banks have not been open since 15th March. Their reopening had been expected after Cyprus agreed the bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU).

The negative news from the euro zone caused the pound to strengthen to a six week high against the euro as concerns over the political wrangling over the â&#x201A;Ź10bn bailout of Cyprus has undermined faith in Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial system.

The British pound failed to maintain the advance from the previous week, with the GBP/USD falling back below the 1.5200 figure, and the sterling may continue to consolidate in the coming days as the pair appears to be carving a nearterm top just ahead of former support from the 2009 low to high.

There is a case for sterling to struggle to maintain the rebound from the yearly low (1.4830)

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 26th March 2013 @ 2pm GBP - INR = 82.50 USD - INR = 54.44 EUR - INR = 69.97 GBP - USD = 1.52 GBP - EUR = 1.18 EUR - USD = 1.29 GBP - AED = 5.56 GBP - CAD = 1.54 GBP - NZD = 1.81 GBP - AUD = 1.44

should the economic docket continue to show a risk for a triple-dip recession in the U.K. Credit rating agency, Fitch donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to have a positive outlook for the UK, after announcing that a possible downgrade could be on the cards for the UK by the end of April citing a weak economic outlook and high government debt levels as reasons behind the decision.

Then there is the topic of the quantitative easing program.

The US Federal Reserve contin-

0 8 0 8

$ 0 4 5

ue to hold their stance on reducing their QE program should the job market continue to improve â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if this were to come into fruition then it would give another reason for the US dollar to strengthen. In the UK however there is continued talk when Mark Carney takes over as the Governor of the Bank of England, then central bank may look to expand their QE program to stimulate the ailing economy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a practice that would typically devalue a currency.

GBP - ZAR = 14.02 GBP - HUF = 357.71

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

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22

Budget

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

The Chancellor’s Spring Budget

Has he done enough to get the UK back on track?

“Today I’ll present a budget … helping those who want to work hard & get on.”

(George Osborne’s first ever tweet, 20/03/12) There are always winners and losers in the Budget, but in this year’s Spring Budget, Chancellor George Osborne has tried to please everyone. Osborne delivered a good Budget overall, but a safe one, at a time when this country badly needs a courageous, intelligent, insightful Economist at the helm – a Winston Churchill – if you like, to guide the country through the storm. To my mind, this chancellor should have stated his allegiance with the private sector, entrepreneurs, contractors with specialist skills, and SMEs of all sorts by making them the winners of this Budget. With that, he would have inspired confidence, made lending to small businesses viable, attractive, and mandatory even, and he would have made the UK a more attractive proposition for global investment.

Highlighting the winners, losers, disappointments and missed opportunities of the 2013 Spring Budget

The Winners 1. Larger businesses From April 2015, the main rate Corporation Tax and small profits rate are to align with the current small business rate of 20%.

2. Employers The chancellor took “Tax off Jobs” to help businesses get ahead, and said that he recognises that the cost of employing people is a huge burden on small firms. His surprise move came with National Insurance relief of £2,000 – the so-called Employment Allowance – which, he said, means that 450,000 small businesses – one third of all companies in the UK – can employ one person earning £22,000 or four people earning the minimum wage, without paying any National Insurance.

3. Working families earning under £150,000 The introduction of tax-free childcare vouchers worth £1,200 per child is welcome. To take advantage of this, the family opens an on-line “voucher account”, but to be eligible “all parents in the household must be working, not receiving tax credits or universal credit, and neither earning over £150,000 p.a.”

Sumit Agarwal

The chancellor announced the “Help to Buy” scheme, whereby government provide an equity loan worth up to 20% of the value of a new-build home to anyone looking to get on or move up the housing ladder. This incentive is not just for first-time buyers or low-income earners, but is applicable to everyone buying a new-build. As the scheme is only applicable to newbuilds, this initiative helps the construction industry and the building trade in general.

6. The motorist Good news for motorists again, the fuel duty rise is scrapped at a projected cost of around £3.9 billion over the next five years. This is particularly welcome to haulage, building, courier, and taxi firms, and to all other motorists who have been suffering the prices at the pump.

Not such good news for those bothered by heavy traffic congestion, and environmentalists, who hoped to see higher fuel prices as a disincentive to private-vehicle owners.

7. Innovative companies April 2013 brings two new schemes to promote innovative UK businesses, the Patent Box (Intellectual Property) and the Research and Development Expenditure Credit. Introduction of R&D Credit at 10% for nonSMEs qualifying expenditure, incurred on or after 1 April 2013, represents a very positive benefit to small businesses. R&D, together with the Small Business Research Initiative, purportedly, will aid small businesses in gaining a larger portion of lucrative public-sector contracts.

The Losers

4. Low earners and all taxpayers Everyone who pays income tax will benefit from an early increase in the personal allowance to £10,000. The personal allowance – the amount of tax-free income you can earn annually – was due to reach £10,000 in 2015/16; now, a year early, everyone will benefit in April 2014.

1. Tax dodgers The Budget contained plenty of rhetoric about the government’s clampdown on tax avoidance, with the introduction of a General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) and measures to stop companies “buying” losses (to offset against tax) and other unscrupulous means. The chancellor hopes the war against noncompliance and fraud will raise around £4.8 billion in five years.

5. Homebuyers, the construction industry and the building trade

2. Members of Final Salary Pension Schemes

Workers could risk seeing these schemes close with the introduction of the flat-rate State Pension, worth £144 a week, brought forward to 2016.

3. Families with children earning over £50,000 From 7 January 2013, child benefit for households where one person earns £60,000 or more is effectively withdrawn, and starts to be withdrawn if their income is over £50,000. This rule applies to married couples and civil partners, but also, importantly, for unmarried couples living together. Normally, child benefit is payable to the mother, but if she continues to claim it once the threshold has been reached it will be retrieved through the tax system from her partner or husband.

4. The UK infrastructure and the economy in general Capital spending will increase by £3 billion a year from 2015–16 to make improvements to the UK’s infrastructure. New roads, better transport links, world-class airport facilities, high-tech, smart and efficient public facilities, such as improved utilities’ mains supplies and information technology all come at a high price. Many commentators are saying that the chancellor simply did not pledge enough to make the UK attractive as a business destination for multinationals.

5. The 40%-band taxpayer loses out to the top-rate taxpayer The 40%-band taxpayer definitely looses out to the top rate taxpayer again, just as they did in the last Budget. The chancellor decreased the top rate from 50 pence to 45 pence for those earning £150,000 and the higher earnings threshold, currently £41,451, will now rise below inflation.

Missed opportunities The Chancellor put in place a few incentives to please small businesses, such as the £2,000 NI rebate and the temporary increase in the Capital Allowance, but he did very little to kick-start lending, or inspire confidence in the UK’s economy.

One thing is clear: until SMEs start investing, no significant job creation is foreseeable.

Unfortunately, SMEs in the UK cannot invest without finance from banks, so George Osborne missed a beautiful opportunity to do something in this area in order to get the economy back on track. With some banks still partpublicly owned, the chancellor could simply have asked them to lend more to businesses, but he took no such action. The extension of the Seed Investment Enterprise Scheme (SEIS) and R&D tax credit will not inject enough money into the economy to put the UK back on its feet.

Osborne has never been bold, and the last four Budgets reflect his tentative indecisiveness.

Another big opportunity the chancellor missed was to simpli-

fy the highly complex UK tax system. This could have reduced the burden of monitoring it, closed loopholes, and allowed the chancellor to reduce the additional resources currently pouring into anti-avoidance (£900 million).

As an accountant, I always keep half an eye on the number of pages that make up the tax legislation: 11,520 pages to date of convoluted notes, legislation, guidelines and pitfalls. My team and I understand it more than most, but for the layperson, it is maze. The whole thing needs paring down, clearing out and simplifying.

While all businesses welcome the reduction in Corporation Tax to 20% from April 2015, there is general disappointment that businesses will have to wait two years before this comes into effect. It would have been preferable to see Corporation Tax reduced sooner to deliver immediate benefits to businesses, thus speeding up economic recovery.

Had the chancellor reduced VAT to 15% he would have given businesses the immediate boost they need and seen an immediate upturn in the economy. This, in turn, would bring confidence levels back for businesses and increase spending on the high street.

Other highlights of the 2013 Spring Budget worth noting Business expenses In 2012, Osborne also announced that there would be further consultation on standardising business expenses, allowing claims of fixed amounts rather than recording actual amounts.

Government will introduce a new cash basis for small, unincorporated businesses to calculate their income tax from next month.

Simplifying Self employed NICs The self-employed currently pay income tax and Class 4 NICs through the Self Assessment system and Class 2 NICs separately.

Government will consult as to whether to collect Class 2 NIC through the Self Assessment system.

Emissions April 2015 will see the introduction of two new CCT bands at 050 grams/kilometre of carbon dioxide and 51-75 g/km CO2.

Universal Credit Universal Credit will replace child tax credits, working tax credits, income-based job-seekers allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, income support and housing benefit. The new system will begin initially in Greater Manchester and Cheshire in April 2013, and nationwide from October 2013.

Has the chancellor done enough to put the spring back in the UK economy?

Chancellor George Osborne has tried to please many sections of society, doing so in bits and pieces without a single revolutionary policy. He could have

reduced VAT to 15% for one year; he could have brought Corporation Tax down to 15% for small business owners; he might have provided a £10,000 overdraft to businesses who can offer two or more jobs to new employees. He made no such bold move, however, which would have had a direct and immediate impact on UK growth.

Tax relief on employer NI of £2,000 is of some help, but all business owners are aware how far that will go in a year. Will it create even one additional job? I doubt it.

Until SMEs start investing and stop worrying, the UK will continue to struggle. With UK debt forecasted to rise by more than £61.5 billion, the situation is worse than forecasted and it will continue slide – down not up.

If you agree with me that the UK’s trump card lies with the private sector, specifically with SMEs, I am sure you will agree that the chancellor did not demonstrate his confidence in the private sector’s ability to help him lift the UK economy out of the doldrums. There are some big winners: among them low-earners, some families with children, larger businesses, and the wealthy. The losers were the middle classes as usual: always stretched to help the less well off and thumped to keep the wealthy sweet. The biggest loser is the whole of the UK, however, because without supporting investment in SMEs there can be no renewed confidence, and without these two things there will be no lending. If UK businesses are to remain global leaders and retain their influence then government needs to do more. Businesses require a bold plan and not a hodgepodge of concessions for the electorate in general. Businesses in the UK are losing patience as we watch “our patch” lose its edge in an everexpanding and growing global economy.

This Budget lacks the spice and vibrancy of a chancellor who is aware of his duty. He has a duty to lead this once great country through all the difficulties of the twenty-first century boldly and with a clear objective. Only the strength and will of the public can create the magic that will bring the UK back to its glory days. Without a doubt, the performance of the global economy will have an effect on the UK economy, but we cannot sit back and blame our losses on pressure from outside. Competition is what drives business and if there is no courage of conviction, you lose. Should I happen to meet the Chancellor I will ask him what stopped him taking the bold measures necessary; I will also ask him why he let his ship sink slowly and never tried to rescue all the passengers. In any game, you play to win but if you lose, even badly, you were in the game – at least you were in the game – and going for the win created positivity. This Budget did not make the headlines because it was a Budget designed simply to keep the chancellor going up until the next election.

world

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Indian Americans protest against Wharton snub to Modi

In Focus 10 million Indians want to move to US

Washington: Some 10 million Indians say they would like to leave their country and move to the US permanently - the No 1 desired destination for potential migrants around the world, according to a new poll. They are among 138 million people, making up about 13 per cent of the world's adults - or about 630 million people - who want to make the US their new home, according to the Gallup survey of over half a million adults in 154 countries between 2010 and 2012. The Britain (42 million), Canada (37 million), and France (10 million) also rank among the top choices for potential migrants.

Bikram yoga founder accused of sexual harassment

Los Angeles: The founder of Bikram yoga, Bikram Choudhury, has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by a former student in the US. According to ABC news, 29-year-old Sarah Baughn has claimed in a lawsuit in Los Angeles superior court that the yoga guru approached her and asked her if she could wash his hair. The former student has further alleged in the suit that the yoga guru on another occasion declared that they were friends from the past life and asked her, "Should we make this into a relationship?"

Wave of blasts strikes Baghdad killing over 65

Baghdad: A wave of bombings tore through Iraq, killing 65 people on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion, showing how unstable Iraq remains more than a year after the withdrawal of American troops. It was the deadliest day of attacks in Iraq since September 9, when insurgents unleashed an onslaught of bombings and shootings across the country that left 92 dead.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde's Paris flat searched

Paris: French authorities searched the Paris flat of IMF chief Christine Lagarde as part of an investigation into her handling of a 2008 compensation payment to a businessman supporter of expresident Nicolas Sarkozy. Police are investigating claims that Lagarde, when finance minister under Sarkozy, acted illegally in approving the 285 million euro ($367 million) arbitration payout to Bernard Tapie. She denies any wrongdoing.

23

Durban: The BRICS grouping of emerging powers on Tuesday reached a deal to establish a development bank that would rival Western-backed institutions, South Africa's finance minister said. "It's done," minister Pravin Gordhan said after meeting with his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India and China. "We made very good progress, the leaders will announce the details," he added, just hours before a summit in the South African port city of Durban.

The bank is likely to focus on infrastructure financing, a direct challenge to seven decades of dominance by the World Bank. It is the first time since the inaugural BRICS summit four years ago that the group matches rhetorical demands for a more equitable global order with concrete steps.

Together the BRICS account for 25 per cent of global GDP and 40 per cent of the world's population. But members say institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Security

Council are not changing fast enough reflect their new-found clout.

In the face of competing policy demands, BRICS negotiators had been under pressure to come up with an agreement that proves the grouping is relevant. And

to reach a deal that would send a strong message to the United States and Europe that the current balance of power is untenible. But an Indian diplomat involved in the talks said many of the details are likely to be left for another day, allowing leaders to announce a deal, however tentative.

The bank is not likely to be up and running for years. Brazil's central bank chief also said there was also good progress made on a deal to establish currency swap lines, which is likely to be worth in the

Border problem with India tough to solve: Chinese president

Beijing: For the first time, a Chinese president has said resolving the boundary dispute with India won't be easy. China and India need to concentrate on boosting relationship without being held back by differences in the border region, the new president Xi Jinping had said.

The statement comes days before Xi's meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, perhaps for the first time in years, during the BRICS summit in Durban. "The boundary question is a complex issue left over from history and solving it won't be easy," according to a transcript released after his meeting with select editors from BRICS countries. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa form the group called BRICS. "However, as long as we keep up our friendly consultation, we can eventually arrive at a fair, reason-

Xi Jinping

able and mutually acceptable settlement," he said.

No Chinese leader is known to have made such candid observations on the border issue in recent years. Chinese leaders and the foreign ministry usually describe the border dispute as a problem "left over from history" and seek peace and tranquillity on the border.

Apart from mapping and technical challenges, there are sensitive and emotive issues. Areas claimed by China in Arunachal Pradesh are heavily populated. Fears of emotional backlash from ordinary people in the two countries is also a challenge for the negotiators.

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region of $100 billion. "We are working on it," said Alexandre Tombini. The fund would be used to draw on in times of liquidity or other crises and to encourage trade.

Securing both deals is a thumb in the eye to those who argue the BRICS is little more than a talking shop for disgruntled nations. It is also a boon for BRICS leaders many who have tethered their reputations to a deal.

Xi Jinping has underscored the growing importance of the group by making Durban his first summit as China's president.

In a keynote speech in Tanzania on Monday Xi vowed Beijing's "sincere friendship" with the continent, and a relationship that respects Africa's "dignity and independence."

Diplomats say it could start with $10 billion seed money from each country, but the exact role of the bank is up for debate.

Indian officials have pressed for a BRICS-led South-South development bank, recycling budget surpluses into investment in developing countries.

Washington: A group of IndianAmericans held a peaceful protest march in Pennsylvania against the decision of Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) to withdraw an invitation to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Under the banner of "Americans for Free Speech," the IndianAmericans chanted slogans like "We want Modi" and displayed his pictures on posters and banners.

Most of the protesters who had arrived from New York and New Jersey marched down several blocks to hold a demonstration in front of the WIEF event on Saturday, which held its day-long conference on the India's economic development.

Several speakers addressed the protesters gathered across the street from Harrison Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania, where the conference was held.

"Members of the press were denied entrance to the conference," The Daily Pennsylvania reported, putting the number of protesters at 200.

Opposing the decision of WIEF to cancel its invitation to Modi after three University of Pennsylvania professors protested against it, Narain Kataria of the Indian American Intellectuals Forum alleged that WIEF had attacked the "freedom of speech" and called it an "inappropriate interference" into the Indian political process.

Later in a memorandum submitted to the University of Pennsylvania President Dr Amy Gutmann, the protesters said they were "saddened and outraged to see this great university being bullied by a mere three English and Social Work activist professors" of Indic origin.

"The principal issues here are freedom of speech and right to dissent. Sadly, both of these have been brutally trampled on at UPenn by this action," the memorandum stated.

24

Pakistan-Bangladesh-sri lanka

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 30th March 2013

In Focus Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman dead

Dhaka: Bangladesh President, Zillur Rahman, died at a hospital in Singapore at age of 84. He was a top leader of the ruling Awami League party before Parliament elected him President in 2009. The government declared 3 days of mourning. His death does not affect the government since Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy, with the prime minister holding executive powers. The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office said parliamentary speaker Abdul Hamid will be acting President.

China, Pak conclude secret deal on nuclear reactor

Washington: China has secretly entered into an agreement with Pakistan to construct a third nuclear reactor at Chashma in Punjab province that the Obama administration says will violate Beijing's promises under an international anti-nuclear weapons accord. China, which joined NSG in 2005, agreed not to sell additional reactors to Pakistan. "We remain concerned that a transfer of new reactors appears to extend beyond the cooperation when China was approved for membership in the NSG," the official told media which reported that the US is expected to protest the sale at an upcoming NSG meeting in June.

Imran Khan elected Tehrik-eInsaf chairman

Lahore: Imran Khan has been elected unopposed as chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf during intra-party polls held ahead of the upcoming general election. No other candidate contested against the cricketer-turned-politician during the polls in Lahore. Khan said that no one would be eligible to hold the post of the chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf for more than two terms, that ensures that the party was not controlled by one family.

Vendor arrested under blasphemy law in Pakistan

Lahore: Pakistani Police have arrested a vendor under the controversial blasphemy law for allegedly burning the pages of Quran in Lahore, officials said. Police had to rescue Ghulam Hussain, said to be in his thirties, from an angry mob that gathered outside his house in Shahdara area of Lahore. "Before the angry mob broke into Hussain's home, police reached the area and controlled the situation," a senior police official said. A case was registered against Hussain under the blasphemy law.

Tamil women soldiers recruited to Lankan army

Colombo: A batch of 95 Tamil women soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army held their passing out parade at Security Force Headquarters in the former LTTE stronghold of Kilinochchi in the north. This was the first time the Army saw such a large group of Tamil women joining the organisation en bloc, although the Army has had a fair number of Tamil woman officers serving it ever since its founding, military officials said.

Speaking on the occasion, Brigadier R Ratnasingham said women officers were recruited to the Army to establish a good rapport and civil co-ordination between the Tamil community in the North and the Army.

Tornado kills 20 in Bangladesh

Dhaka: A tornado swept through nearly two dozen villages southeast of the Bangladeshi capital, killing at least 20 people, tearing roofs of houses and uprooting trees and power pylons, officials said. The death toll could rise sharply as more than 300 people were injured when the twister struck Brahmanbaria district, more than 100 km southeast of Dhaka. More than 500 dwellings suffered damage. Rescue teams were dispatched to the area.

Indian prisoner in Pakistan tortured to death

Karachi: An initial autopsy report on the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh has revealed that he was tortured prior to his demise, a report in the Express Tribune newspaper said on Monday. However, the Punjab government has rejected this report and a senior member of the cabinet has said that attempts were being made to politicise the issue.

Islamabad/Lahore: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has left for Dubai after a tiff with his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, over the affairs of the PPP, leaving the party without its star campaigner for Pakistan's general election.

Bilawal, recently named patron-in-chief of the Pakistan People's Party, developed differences with Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, over the party's handling of key issues, including militant violence, sectarian attacks against Shias and the award of party tickets for the polls scheduled for May 11.

Sources privy to the development said that Bilawal had made it clear to

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

his father that he felt the PPP had not strongly taken up issues like the shooting of teenage rights activist Malala Yusufzai by Taliban fighters last year and three devastat-

ing bomb attacks on Shias in Quetta and Karachi that killed nearly 250 people.

Bilawal was also upset with the PPP's handling of issues that affect the youth, especially in the wake of efforts by other parties like Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf to woo the youth ahead of the polls, the sources said.

The 24-year-old nominal chief of the PPP was angered

by Faryal Talpur's refusal to award tickets to certain candidates in Sindh province that he had recommended, a source said.

"Last month, Bilawal had recommended the names of some 200 PPP workers and asked former Sindh chief min-

ister Qaim Ali Shah to give them jobs but Talpur had intervened, causing bad blood between them," the source said.

Bilawal discussed these matters with his father and sought authority to take decisions in party matters. But Zardari sided with his sister, who plays a key role in the PPP's affairs, the source said.

"When Zardari told him that he would be handed over the command of the party after he is groomed politically, Bilawal got upset and left for Dubai," a source said.

Matters got so heated on one occasion that a source quoted Bilawal as saying: "If I had to vote, even I wouldn't vote for the PPP."

Musharraf returns home, US hands over Bagram prison to Afghanistan forces vows to 'save' Pakistan

Bagram (Afghanistan): Afghanistan on Monday took full control of Bagram prison from the United States, healing one running sore in their testy relationship as US-led forces wind down more than a decade of war.

President Hamid Karzai had made the fate of the detention centre north of Kabul part of his ill-tempered push to regain sovereignty over key matters from the Americans, ahead of next year's pullout of foreign combat troops.

The United States was long concerned that a total handover to Afghanistan's weak and corruption-prone security forces would allow suspected Taliban and alQaida militants housed at Bagram to return to the battlefield.

But US defence secretary Chuck Hagel clinched an agreement with Karzai in a telephone call on Saturday, and the handover ceremony took place on Monday.

"The transfer of the detention facility is an important part of the overall transition of security," General Joseph Dunford, commander of the international coalition in Afghanistan, said a speech.

"This ceremony highlights an increasingly confident , capable and sovereign Afghanistan," he added, admitting that that negotiations to reach a final agreement had been difficult.

US Secretary John Kerry in Kabul: The handover came as US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit,

John Kerry

seeking to mend frayed relations between Washington and Kabul. Bagram was due to be turned over on March 9, but the transfer was postponed at the last minute after Karzai indicated that "innocent" prisoners would be freed. In September, the United States gave Afghan authorities control over more than 3,000 detainees at Bagram, once dubbed the Guantanamo Bay of Afghanistan because some inmates are detained without trial.

Islamabad: Defying death threats and vowing to contest the upcoming general elections in the country, Pakistan's former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf returned home from a four-year self-imposed exile in Britain on Sunday.

Musharraf, 69, landed in Karachi where he was greeted by hundreds of his supporters at the airport waving green flags, with his pictures jostling with large frames of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The former president, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, thanked his supporters and asked them to help him make the country a better place.

"I have put my life in danger and come to Pakistan, to be the savior of this country," Musharraf said at the airport.

"I have come to save Pakistan.

Inshallah (God willing), we will be successful if I have your support," he said.

The former general chided people who doubted he would return. "Where are those who said I would never come back?" he asked. Musharraf had vowed several times in the past that he would return to Pakistan, but those attempts never materialized. Last year, he dropped his plans to return home at the last moment after

Pervez Musharraf

the military warned him against coming back.

"There were indications that they didn't want me to come, and my own colleagues told me not to come," Musharraf had then said.

This time, he said, he would be protected by government security and his private security guards from the army's special services group.

Apart from death threats, Musharraf faces a string of legal troubles including conspiracy to murder, but on Friday, Pakistani authorities granted him protective bail in several outstanding cases, freeing him from immediate arrest. He is charged with involvement in the 2006 death of a Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, in a military operation and also faces criminal charges in connection with the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

US resolution against Sri Lanka passed at UNHRC Geneva: India voted in favour of a US sponsored UN Human Rights Council resolution against Sri Lanka.

Twenty five members voted in favour of the resolution, 13 against while eight abstained from the vote.

"India votes for Resolution on Promoting Reconciliation and Accountability in Sri Lanka," India's external affairs ministry spokesperson said on Twitter.

India's envoy Dilip Sinha made a strongly worded statement on Sri Lanka. "It is vital that Sri Lanka addresses issues like missing persons, detainees, and the return of private lands by military," Sinha said, adding that the measures taken so far were unsatisfactory.

"India is Sri Lanka's closest neighbour and shares thousands of years of rela-

tionship. We cannot be but untouched by what happens in Sri Lanka," he added. The resolution now calls for a "credible and independent" investigation into the human rights violations, replacing Sri Lanka with "each state".

The resolution also encourages "to cooperate with special procedures mandate holders and to respond formally to their outstanding requests, including by extending invitations and providing access." The first two changes will address India's concern over the resolution not infringing on sovereignty and there is no "intrusive provisions" of international investigations.

Consistent with Indian position, the emphasis on international observers getting unfettered access is gone.

The latest draft is much softer than the resolution

United Nations Human Rights Council adopted last year on Lanka, but from a foreign policy point of view, it is in India's interest.

The latest draft of the US resolution on Sri Lanka may be acceptable to most countries, including Sri Lanka, but in terms of state politics, it pushes DMK into a corner.

Driven mostly by domestic political compulsions, New Delhi pushed for amendments to ensure UN-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka sends a "resolute message" to the island nation.

The Indian amendments will reflect the views of the political parties and its New Delhi's concerns for the Tamil minority population and their plight, government sources said.

"India's position has always been and remains that the UNHRC should adopt a

strong resolution that would send a resolute message to Sri Lanka and goad Sri Lanka to accept an independent and credible investigation," finance minister P Chidambaram said.

Lanka rejects resolution: Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government decided to reject the final draft of a US resolution submitted at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and seek a vote among members.

The minister noted that the beneficiaries of such action would be none other than the divisive forces that seek to destabilize the hard won peace in the country.

Moreover, he said the precedent created by intrusive, biased and politicized actions such as the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka would pose danger for all nations.

IndIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

25

South Chennai to get four more flyovers

The city's landscape is all set to get more crowded with flyovers with state finance minister O Panneerselvam announcing four more. With the rapid urbanization not matching the poor infrastructure and urban planning, the state government has decided to conduct a study on the multi-modal transport integration in Chennai. Effective urban planning requires a combination of different modes of transport like buses, sub-urban trains, metro rail, mono rail and also a few innovative systems like Bus Rapid Transit System. Better roads, more flyovers and no new taxes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; these are the happy highlights of TN budget 2013, which set apart a lion's share for school education.

Man sentenced to life for burning woman

A local court sentenced a 32-year-old man to life in a woman murder case. The man had an illicit relationship with the married woman who deserted her husband for him.

He set her ablaze in December 2010 after she protested his plans to marry another woman. The woman in her dying declaration had stated that the man had doused her with kerosene and set her ablaze.

Kanchi murder accused hacked to death in Chennai

Kathiravan, an accused in the sensational Sankararaman muder case in Kancheepuram, was hacked to death by a four-member gang near his house in KK Nagar, Chennai. Kathiravan, 40, was an associate of Appu, a key accused in the murder of Sankararaman, an ex-employee of the Kanchi mutt who was found dead in 2004.Police said the gang came on two bikes at 7.40am and waited outside Kathiravan's house. As soon as he came out, they hacked him with sickles.

Punjab Drunk youths abuse, thrash cops at Nakas

An inebriated youth, Kavinder Singh of Sector 30, Chandigarh, driving his car, was intercepted for routine checking . As a constable approached the youth with alcho-sensors, he refused and shouted at the top of his voice. Kavinder threatened the cops that if he is forced, he would approach senior cops and Haryana politicians. The situation took an ugly turn when he did not even spare women traffic police and hurled expletives at them. He asked naka officials to let him go without the examination. The accused was released on bail.

Undertrial bites prisoner's thumb

A prisoner in Ludhiana Central Jail bit the thumb of another prisoner in the course of an altercation, leaving the injured victim in need of a surgery. Rajiv Jain, 40, a resident of Haibowal and Roshan Lal, 30, a resident of Santokh Nagar, were lodged in the same barrack of Ludhiana central jail. They are both undertrial in an attempt to murder and loot case. In the afternoon they had a scuffle over a minor issue but the argument soon turned violent.

MD student booked for sexual harassment

A 31-year-old MD student, Rakesh Jain, of a prestigious medical institute was booked for harassing and threatening his junior female student by sending objectionable messages to her and her relatives in Chandigarh.The complainant is a student of same institute as the accused. In another incident, a 28-year-old model Gurwinder Singh aka Sonu Bajwa of Mohali was arrested for allegedly molesting a female student.

Women cabbies: We mknow how to handle mean men

Surabhi Pandey, a single mother of two, feels happy to be a cab driver. She used to work as a domestic help and was apprehensive about venturing out alone in a car in the national capital. But now she knows how to handle lewd remarks and lecherous looks when behind the wheels. Like other women chauffeurs, the 35-year-old knows it is not easy to drive a taxi in Delhi.

Within days of pulling out of the UPA government, the DMK on Monday adopted a soft line towards the ruling Central coalition, stating after its executive committee meeting that it won't let the government fall. Outlining a move to keep options open for a possible pre-poll arrangement with the Congress, a top DMK leader said the party can't let communal forces form the next government at the Centre.

"The Congress gave our party a lot of problems (referring to the 2G scam). But, we can't allow communal forces to form a government," said

this leader, quoting DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan, but not wanting to be named.

Significantly, DMK chief M Karunanidhi's elder son M K Alagiri skipped the executive which was attended by all the top party leaders including Alagiri's younger brother and party treasurer M K Stalin, parliamentary party leader T R Baalu, and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi.

Alagiri left Chennai in the morning, a few hours before the meeting, and told reporters in Madurai that he was not the only one to miss the meeting, implying there was no need to

make an issue out of it.

Indeed, strains between Alagiri and Stalin became all too evident with Karunanidhi refusing to address party members and Anbazhagan pointing out that the DMK chief was not only suffering from a sore throat but also hurt by the rivalry between his sons.

Recalling the reasons why the DMK aligned with the Congress in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Anbazhagan was again quoted by this leader as saying, "We continued our alliance with the Congress despite differences (over 2G scam and Sri Lanka) and even after the

M Karunanidhi

CBI questioned Dayalu Ammal (Karunanidhi's wife) and Kanimozhi only because we wanted to stop the communal forces (referring to BJP) from regaining power."

These reasons to support the Congress are still valid, he is learnt to have said.

Man, 30, sets self ablaze at Tell your parents not to be anti-Lanka rally, dies in hospital corrupt, Kalam tells girls Girls in the family can bring about a change by curbing corruption. So believes former President APJ Abdul Kalam. Reiterating his confidence in GenNext, Kalam told girl students to ask their parents and family members not to indulge in corruption if they have been doing so.

"Thirty per cent of households in the country indulge in corruption. Imagine if the daughter of the house musters courage and asks her father not to indulge in it," the missile man said at the valedictory of the 4{+t}{+h} decennial celebrations of

NMKRV College of Women.

The 81-year-old, who played a critical role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, also urged students to help bring change the lives of their fellow women by educating and empowering them.

In his book India 2020, Kalam advocated an action plan to propel India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He has often said that it's the youth who can help India achieve that feat. "I am confident about the youngsters of our country," he said amid hundreds of cheers.

Daughter not allowed to cheat in exam, BJP leader flashes gun

Ludhiana is turning toxic

A 30-year-old man, who set himself on fire protesting against the alleged human rights violation by the Sri Lankan government, died at the Government Kilpauk Medical College.

Police said Vikram doused himself with kerosene while attending a public meeting on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue at Red Hills. He sustained 80% burns and was rushed to the hospital, police said.

While attending the metting organized by a Tamil outfit, Vikram of Vanagram stood up, raised slogans in support of a separate Tamil

A local BJP leader allegedly flashed a pistol while his 16year-old son and his friends thrashed the examination staff when his daughter was not allowed to cheat during her Class XII computer science paper. Police arrested the father-son duo and said the weapon was licensed.

Pran Nath is the general secretary of Amritsar district BJP (rural). The incident happened when the exams were on at the government senior secondary school at Bhangali in Amritsar district and the BJP leader's son barged into the examination hall.

The boy intimidated the school superintendent and other staff and asked them to let his sister copy during the exam-

Eelam and doused himself with kerosene.

Vikram's self-immolation coincided with the passage of the US resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC meeting in Geneva calling for a detailed probe into the allegations of war crimes and massive human rights violations during the final stages of the war.

Vikram was the second person to immolate himself over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in the recent past. Mani, a Naam Tamizhar outfit activist, immolated himself in Cuddalore early this month.

ination, said Lovedeep Singh, SHO of Majitha police station.

When senior superintendent of school Pushpinder Kumar requested the boy to leave the hall, he called his father and friends, who immediately arrived at the centre with a pistol and a .315 calibre rifle.

He said Pushpinder told the cops that all of them thrashed him and other staff, tore the answer sheets and threatened them with dire consequences before leaving the place. Amritsar SP (headquarters) Manmohan Singh said Pran Nath and his son were arrested.

"We have registered a case against the duo and six other unidentified persons under var-

ious sections for causing injury, criminal intimidation and stopping public servants from doing their duty," the SP said.

Meanwhile, the boy, a Class X student, and his sister have been expelled from the school. Director general of school education K S Pannu said, "We have decided to expel them." He added that extra staff has been deployed at the examination centre for the security of staff and the matter has been brought to the knowledge of the education minister.

Parmod Devgan, president of Amritsar district BJP (rural), refused to comment if any action was taken against Pran Nath following the episode.

SGPC chief Makkar to lead delegation to Pakistan on Nanakshahi Calendar issue

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Commtitee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar will himself lead a delegation to Pakistan to persuade Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to observe Sikh religious days according to Nanakshahi Calendar adopted by Akal Takht after amendments in 2010.

Ahead of Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev which is being observed by SGPC according to amended version of Nanakshahi Calendar on June 12th, Makkar's visit

Avtar Singh Makkar

hold significance since for past two years the SGPC had not send Jatha's to observe the Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev to Pakistan due to difference in dates. Last year PSGPC had observed the Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev on June 16th whereas SGPC had observed the day on May 25th.

The American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), then headed by Paramjit Singh Sarna,had also observed the day on June 16th. While talking to TOI on Thursday, Makkar said "We have sent passports for getting visa and hopefully we will go there by the end of March". He said persuading PSGPC over observing Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev besides other Sikh religious days according to Akal Takht approved Nanakshahi Calendar would be top on their agenda.

Ludhiana is ready for another national rebuke: urban environment disaster. After the WHO report of 2011 that had dubbed Ludhiana the most polluted city in India, the Comptroller Auditor and General (CAG) too has found irregularities with over 2,578 air polluting and 1,943 water polluting industrial units operating in Ludhiana. The report was tabled in the Punjab VidhanSabha and submitted to the governor on Wednesday.

The cumulative environmental pollution index of water pollution in Ludhiana stood at 63, against the last year score of 60, the report said. The country's national average stands at 40.

Similarly, the Particulate Matter (PM) per cubic metre in Ludhiana stands at an incredibly high figure of 277, as compared to 251 in 2011.

"While one of the major factors contributing to the high Index level is insufficient common treatment facilities, the main sources of air pollution are the industrial units manufacturing plants" the CAG report said.

The report also pointed out that periodical inspections were not carried out as per norms. Out of 1,943 water polluting industrial units identified during 200712, only 1,679 had been granted the consent by the board. It added that this was the reason "behind deteriorating level of Satluj." Similarly, out of 2,578 air polluting industrial units, only 1,797 had been granted the consent, the report said.

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India votes against Sri Lanka in US resolution The US resolution against Sri Lanka over alleged human rights violations has been passed at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. While 25 countries, including India, voted in favour of the resolution, 13 countries, including Pakistan, voted against it and eight countries abstained from voting.

While India could not move amendments to the resolution, Indian envoy Dilip Sinha, while speaking at the UNHRC debate, urged Sri Lanka to undertake measures and ensure accountability. The Indian envoy called upon Sri Lanka to implement lasting political settlement.

"We urge Sri Lanka to take up investigation that is credible and acceptable to the international community," Sinha said. "Political settlement should be

acceptable to all including Tamils," he added.

Speaking at the UNHRC debate, the Sri Lankan envoy said the US resolution was "clearly unacceptable". "The resolution casts aspersion on Sri Lanka's reconciliation process," the envoy said.

"Sri Lanka's constructive engagement has been ignored," he added. He claimed that Sri Lanka was not consulted over the resolution.

Switzerland welcomed the US resolution against Sri Lanka saying, "We welcome the resolution. We underscore the importance of dialogue." Venezuala voted against the resolution saying it believed that this was a condemning resolution. Pakistan, which voted against the resolution, said, "A country specific resolution is not an example of constructive engagement."

Two Italian marines who face murder charges in India returned to Delhi after a dramatic turnaround

by Rome, which said earlier this month that the men would not be sent back.

The naval officers landed in on the last day of the deadline set for their return by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi resigned from his post in protest against the return of two Italian marines to India to face murder charges. "I resign in contention with the decision to send the marines back to India. The misgivings I expressed had no effect on the decision taken," he told parliament. "I am resigning because for 40 years I have maintained, and still maintain, that the

reputation of the country, the armed forces and Italian diplomacy, should be safeguarded," he said.

Here are 10 big developments in the marines’ story: India’s external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said that India had assured Italy that if convicted, the marines would not face the death penalty because this was not a "rarest of the rare" case. India and Italy have an agreement under which sentenced prisoners can serve jail time in their home countries. Like earlier, the

Brit minister, Modi discuss ways to increase trade

The UK scaled up its relationship with chief minister Narendra Modi a notch with British minister of state at foreign and commonwealth office Hugo Swire meeting the chief minister in Gandhinagar.

However, there was no word on the British officially inviting Modi to London later this year.

“Such things are looked at from individual basis,” a noncommittal Swire said about the visa issue after meeting Modi. “In recent times, relations between Britain and Gujarat have improved. They are set to get better.”

On the speculation of Modi being the prime ministerial candidate of NDA

in the next parliamentary polls, Swire said, “It’s an internal matter of India.”

Swire had late last year directed British envoy James Bevan to make a courtesy visit to Gandhinagar, which ended Modi’s decade-long boycott

by UK. The UK followed it up by taking part in the

Vibrant Gujarat summit held in January this year.

Swire and Modi discussed ways to increase trade, their shared experience of coalition governments, human rights and minority rights issues. “We also discussed the issues of justice for the two British nationals killed in

the 2002 riots,” Swire added. “He (Modi) said the court is about to deliver its judgment. I will be visiting their families in Britain in a week or two.”

The British nationals were killed in Sabarkantha during the violence.

In Gandhinagar for the signing of a long-term liquefied natural gas sale and purchase agreement between Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation and British Gas, Swire said the deal will help improve India’s energy security.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said, “Gujarat and Britain are co-travellers in the journey of development, progress and well being of human race.”

set free by reducing the sentence to jail term already undergone.

"The circumstances and the nature of the offence is so serious that we are of the view that he (Sanjay Dutt) cannot take the benefit of provisions of the Probation of Offenders Act to release him on probation," the bench said.

"We reduce the punishment of six years to minimum of five years under the Arms Act," the bench said and directed him to surrender within four weeks. Dutt's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said he has spoken to the actor who told him that he was strong enough to go through whatever the court has asked him to undergo.

The apex court concurred with the conclusion arrived at by the designated TADA court saying that it had adopted the "correct procedure" while awarding the sentence to Dutt.

"We are in agreement with conclusion arrived at by the designated TADA court that had rejected the arguments of the appellant

Sanjay Dutt," the bench said.

According to the CBI, RDX had come from Pakistan in boats and had landed in Dighy and Shekhadi coasts in Raigad district in January and February 1993. Besides, weapons had also landed and were collected by Tiger's men. One of the weapons was given to actor Sanjay Dutt by Bollywood filmmakers Samir Hingora and Hanif Kadawala.

The apex court modified the nine year jail term awarded by TADA court to Hingora to the jail term already undergone.

Hingora had supplied AK-56 rifles, magazines, cartridges and hand grenades, which were part of the illegal consignment to be used in the blasts, at Dutt's Pali Hill residence and has spent six and half years in jail.

Kadawala was shot dead in February 2001 by two unindentified men during the trial of the case.

The apex court upheld the five-year jail term

awarded to Zaibunnisa Anwar Kazi, who also was found guilty of storing AK56 rifles and hand grenades.

The court also upheld the conviction and fiveyear sentence of Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, a close friend of Dutt, who was held guilty of destroying the weapons which were kept at Dutt's house.

The punishment of two-year jail term of Kersi Bapuji Adjania, who was also sentenced for destroying weapons in Dutt's possession, was also upheld.

According to CBI, Nulwalla had picked up the weapons from Dutt's house and took them to Adjania and then destroyed them.

The court, however, dismissed Maharashtra government's appeal against the acquittal of Ajai Yash Prakash Marwah who was charged by the probe agency of keeping the pistol recovered from Dutt's residence while other weapons were destroyed by convicts Nulwalla and Hingora.

British minister Hugo Swire with Narendra Modi

Mumbai blasts case: Sanjay Dutt jailed

Continued from page 1 and was out on bail. So now he has to spend only three and half years in prison.

Dutt was convicted by the TADA court for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and a AK-56 rifle which was part of the consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for the coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured over 700.

Bringing to a closure the appeals by the convicts and the state in the case, a bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan upheld the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, brother of one of the absconding main conspirators Tiger Memon and life sentences of 16 of the 18 convicts.

The death sentence of 10 others was commuted to life sentence by the court which directed that they will remain in prison till death. The life sentence of one Ashrafur Rehman Azimulla was reduced to 10 years while Imtiyaz Yunusmiya Ghavte was

marines won’t be under arrest during the trial. They will stay at the Italian embassy in Delhi and will need to report to a local police station once a week.

The marines flew to Delhi on an Italian air force plane. They were accompanied by Italian deputy foreign minister Staffan de Mistura.

India has reportedly promised Rome that a fasttrack court would be commissioned in Delhi to handle the trial. Indian Prime Minister, who had warned Italy of "consequences", said that he was "happy that the integrity and dignity of the Indian judicial process has been upheld".

On March 11, the Italian government said the marines would not return to face trial for shooting a

pair of fishermen from Kerala at sea last year. The marines say they mistook the fishermen for pirates.

The Supreme Court was furious with the decision since it had permitted the naval officers to spend a month at home to celebrate Easter and vote in the national election. The court banned the Italian envoy, Daniele Mancini, from leaving India because he had personally mediated the marines' release and had assured the judges in writing that the men would honour their commitment to stand trial. But the European Union agreed with Italy's contention that this violates international laws which guarantee the freedom of movement of diplomats and prohibit their arrest or detention.

Jaya bars Lankan players from Chennai IPL matches Continued from page 1 and support staff to take part in the tournament in Tamil Nadu.

"We will permit IPL matches to be held in Tamil Nadu, only if organizers provide an undertaking that no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff participate in these matches," she said.

Justifying her stand, Jayalalithaa said, "In such a hostile and tense environment, we apprehend that the participation of Sri Lankan players in the IPL tournament, with many games to be played in Chennai, will aggravate an already surcharged atmosphere and further offend the sentiments of the people."

Pointing out that all political parties in Tamil Nadu have repeatedly voiced their grave concern regarding these issues, she said, "The atmosphere is, therefore, already surcharged with a groundswell of popular opinion against the Sri Lankan government."

Earlier this month the DMK, the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu and a key ally of the federal government, pulled out of the ruling coalition at the centre asking for sterner measures to redress alleged atrocities towards Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Reacting to news of the letter, Rajiv Shukla, the IPL chairman, insisted that all matches scheduled to be held in Chennai would be staged as planned. He said there would be an emergency meeting of the IPL's governing council and the issue was being discussed with the BCCI president but no decision had been taken. The federal information minister said the prime minister was out of the

country and would take a decision on his return.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said that it was monitoring the developments in India closely and was waiting for a travel advisory from the Sri Lankan government. "If there is a secondary threat to a player in a particular area then we will wait for the government's advice," Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, said. "We have written to Ministry of Foreign Affairs through our Minister of Sport to get feedback on our players' safety."

Ranatunga also said the BCCI had kept the SLC posted and assured it of player safety. "Even the BCCI has told us if the situation is going to be bad they will take a call on this.

But we have not worked or spoken in detail so far."

Tamil parties want India to skip CHOGM meet in Colombo: Meanwhile, DMK and AIADMK mounted pressure on the centre demanding that India boycott the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Colombo this November. “At the very least, India must stay away from the CHOGM to be held in Colombo and, thereby, exert pressure on Sri Lanka to do justice by its hapless, much exploited Tamil Minorities”, chief minister Jayalalithaa said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Her letter to Singh came soon after a meeting of the DMK executive, chaired by its chief M Karunanidhi, asked New Delhi to boycott the meeting to reflect the sentiments of Tamils around the world and to keep up democratic spirits.

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In Focus Salman Khan gets temporary reprieve in 2002 hit-and-run case

In a temporary relief to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, a Mumbai sessions court postponed the hearing of the 2002 hit and run case to April 8. Khan did not appear in person before the court. Khan was earlier being tried for rash and negligent driving, which carries a maximum sentence of two years. In 2002. Salman had ran his Land Cruiser over a pavement outside a bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one person and injuring four others.

Karnataka Assembly polls: Voting on May 5, counting on May 8

Karnataka Assembly election will be held in a singlephase on May 5 and counting of votes will be on May 8. The CEC said the poll notification will be issued on April 10 when candidates can start filing nominations.

The last date for nominations is April 17 and after scrutiny the next day, the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 20. There are a total of 4.18 crore voters in Karnataka and as many as 50,446 polling stations will be set up.

Five Maharashtra MLAs suspended for assault on cop

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly suspended five MLAs for the rest of the year, for assaulting a police officer in the Vidhan Bhavan premises. Those suspended for their involvement in the incident are: Ram Kadam (MNS), Jaykumar Rawal (BJP), Kshitij Thakur (Bahujan Vikas Agadhi), Rajan Salvi (Shiv Sena) and Pradeep Jaiswal (Independent). Making the announcement in the House, Mr. Patil said the MLAs’ action was “serious and lowered the dignity of the august House”.

Blackbuck case: Fresh charges against Bollywood stars

Fresh charges were read out against actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam by a court in the 14-year-old blackbuck poaching case. Chief Judicial Magistrate Chandrakala Jain read out the charges under sections 9/51 and 9/52 of Wildlife protection Act and 149 of IPC and posted the case for next hearing on April 27. The actors denied the charges read out to them by the judge.

Six killed in Bangalore factory fire

Six workers were charred to death in their sleep at a private seat making unit. The workers had stayed in the factory godown itself after night shift when the tragedy struck. The bodies of five victims were recovered at the spot where they had slept and of another nearby indicating that he might have tried to escape the blaze. Eleven fire tenders were rushed to the spot to put out the fire, the sources said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

O

ne week in the entire Church year is called “Holy.” It is so called not only because it commemorates the last days of Jesus Christ’s life, his death on the cross and his resurrection from death, but also because it calls us to remain holy. This is the week that we are called to remember our own life, death and resurrection.

This is the week we are called to be at the service of each other, called to the cross, called to enjoy our return to God, called to the glory of the Resurrection and filled with new Christ-life, called to our own resurrection.

This is the week of compassion, as heard in the last words of Jesus, “today you will be with me in the paradise” to the dying thief. It is the week when God demonstrates his everlasting love for the mankind.

This Holy Week will remind us of the darkness of Calvary (place where Lord Jesus was crucified) to the light of Easter. The cross will be a throne and the man on it a king. The way to Calvary reminds us that injustice and violence will never win and that the victory of love is slow. The resurrection took three days- a time scale, which

says the grace of God comes slowly, and takes time to ease its way through the toughness and the darkness of sin and fear. The pain of the journey is eased by the love and encouraging care of others.

The world is reminded again this week of the hope that lives and endures forever. Easter is time of joy and renewal.

Easter is the time many Christians will celebrate a hope that overcomes even death. These holy days represent some of the most profound hopes of humanity, which are shared in many traditions.

We feel our reliance on the Creator who made us. We place our sorrows and cares before Him, seeking God’s mercy. We ask for forgiveness for our failures, seeking the renewal God can bring into our lives and families. Faith of knowing God by our side brings confidence that failure is never final, and suffering is temporary.

The Easter season brings renewal of faith to those who seek it, and comfort to those who need it.

In the Holy Bible, Scripture, Luke 24: 13~30.

This part of the scrip-

ture talks about two of the disciples of Jesus walking to the village of Emmaus, a seven-mile walk from Jerusalem. They were walking towards the sunset (facing west). As everything else in Bible, this has great significance.

Setting sun shows that the night and darkness are imminent. It shows our hopelessness. They were very disappointed with the turn of events. All the disciples were hoping that Jesus would establish His kingdom in this world and they can stake a good position in his kingdom by being His followers. They believed that Jesus would escape from any trap set by the authorities. After all, He had healed countless people. He even had raised a few people from death. Obviously nothing can happen to Him! They were thoroughly confused and disgusted with the turn of events and the death of Jesus on the cross. All their hopes had thoroughly got destroyed.

It was a dejected set of disciples walking towards the setting sun.

The disciples, on that Easter Sunday, had no clue of the resurrection, in spite of the fact that Jesus had told them of these things many times when

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he was alive as well as quoted appropriate scripture.

The scripture says that Jesus joined the two disciples. But they did not recognise Him in spite of the fact that they had been with Him for the last few years. Jesus was with them, walking along with them and talking with them.

Easter is at the heart of Christian faith. At Easter Christians stand in wonder that God chooses to be in solidarity with the human race. In the suffering of Jesus we see God going to the very extreme of human agony and alienation for our sake. Jesus is condemned as politically suspect, morally bankrupt and religiously heretical.

Yet he behaves as absolutely faithful to the will of God. In Jesus’ resurrection we see that God is going to rescue us, at His own cost, is God’s very nature. God in Christ wishes to be God in solidarity with humanity.

At Easter we come to the central festival of Christianity. This year Easter comes at a time when there has been sustained questioning of our public life. The integrity of our public institutions has been under the spotlight.

Political process, parliamentary privilege, the church and other organisations have all been open to deep questioning during the first few months of this year. Many are asking whom can we trust today?

The answer is that Jesus would expect today what he hoped for 2000 years ago: a just community that valued love for our neighbour and truth in our dealing with each other - at all levels.

Dash of whisky lifts Indian sauce Rudy & Marlene Otter A spicy sauce laced with whisky had people swooning with appreciation at a 4-day International Food exhibition in London's docklands recently (17th to 20th March).

Bourbon Masaledar is one of six innovative sauces produced by Harj Dhillon's one man-company, Little Turban, in London's Park Royal. "It's a spare time enterprise" said Dhillon, 40, an East London housing regeneration scheme consultant.

"When I get home after work I start experimenting with different flavours and sell to independents, hoping to interest supermarket chains as well."

Hitesh Sata, chief executive officer of Swastik International UK Ltd of Harrow told us he imports and distributes spices, oil seeds and foodstuffs from Gujarat. The company, set up two years ago, recently launched its Deeya's Spices range to give customers the "authentic taste of India".

A company called

E

Holy Cow of East London, set up five years ago, produces curry sauces for cinema chains, contract caterers, fast food outlets and leisure venues, and has its own curry bar at Tottenham Hotspur football club. "We also sell street food items like samosa chaat and onion bhajis," said Sanjay Bhandari whose mother Kiran creates recipes.

The business is run by Sanjay's sister Anu and her husband Gautam Sharma. Also there was celebrity chef Cyrus

Todiwala who demonstrated with an entertaining commentary how to make a spicy Shepherds Pie. He also gave an engrossing talk to another audience on the essence of Indian cuisine.

At the same time Asian participants featured in Pro2Pac, a processing and packaging show running in the other half of the venue. Taking part across both shows included such companies as Jadli Foods, Laila's Fine Foods, Nirvana Foods, Samosaco and New York Delhi.

xhibitors at Destinations, the recent 4-day holiday and travel show in London's Earls Court, said India was a "hot favourite" with the hundreds of visitors who attended their stands.

Saif Hadi, 27, proud possessor of his Cambridge masters degree in marketing and tourism, was helping to man central London's India Tourism stand. He said: "Many are asking about Rajasthan's Golden Triangle encompassing Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, and about Kerala in southern India.

I'm also promoting other parts like north-east India where I come from.

The people there are so nice and hospitable."

Kochi-headquartered Spice Land Holidays' information technology director Sebastian Joseph said his company organises tailor-made breaks in Kerala. He said: "Some British tourists have been to what we call God's Own Country 11 times so far. They just love the peaceful backwaters, lush scenery, lovely beaches and Ayurvedic massages."

TransIndus has been operating from Ealing, west London for the past 25 years and "business is fine" beamed its managing director Amrit Singh. She too named Rajasthan and Kerala as "popular destinations" for her tailor-made tours, with

eastern India now making its mark along with Kashmir. She also said Gujarat, "a culturally rich state", has "great tourism potential."

Other companies busy promoting India at the show included Indian Holiday, On the Go Tours, Colours of India, Escape to India and Mysteries of India.

-Rudy Otter

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Recently UK’s minister of state for foreign office Hugo Swire described his meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as “Logical Next Step.” At a time when companies from all over the world are investing in the state, the initiative to form Gujarat Expatriate Club would become a bridge between the foreigners working in Gujarat and local people.

Aloha!

Hawaii - the beaches, the surf, the hula and natural beauty all wrapped in the flower garland of friendship. Six amazing islands give visitor’s the pick of lush greenery, abundant rainforests and towering cliff faces all edged with crystal clear waters and beaches of soft silky sands.

The islands of Hawaii are home to exotic towns, cities and beaches that conjure up images of care free days. Take for example Honolulu, probably the most famous city in the Pacific Ocean. Home to a melting pot of cultural and dining diversity fused with modern architectural wonder and back dropped with green mountains, if only all cities had so much to offer. If Honolulu is the most famous city in the Pacific Ocean then Waikiki must be the most famous beach. Just 15 minutes away is the former playground of Royals and a haven for those looking to be pampered. Relaxing is a way of life, wile away the hours topping up your tan, lounging by the pool, a visit (or two) to the exquisite spa’s can never be underestimated and enjoy a meal right on the beach with your loved one, take life at your own pace in enchanting Hawaii.

Fabulous Las Vegas What makes Las Vegas fabulous?

Could it be shopping in designer boutiques set in designer malls? Could it be the big name, larger than life resident shows like Cirque du Soleil? Or could it be the World famous Casino’s and nightlife that will mesmerize your senses for long after you have left this amazing playground of decadence? Billed as “The entertainment capital of the world” you are almost guaranteed to have the time of your life. Set in a desert valley and enjoying 300 days of sunshine with a subtropical climate makes Vegas the ideal year round destination.

“The Strip”, we have all heard of it – a walk along its centre will have you pointing and shouting “Wow – look at that!”

Where else can you go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visit St. Marks Square, watch dancing fountains at the Bellagio, and see the Beatles perform(albeit a tribute band), all in one stroll on a sunny day? - Las Vegas, Nevada, that’s where. No matter what you decide to do on your Fabulous Las Vegas Holiday - remember one thing “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.

San Francisco Ohh so cool San Francisco is well known for many things, Alcatraz Island is one of them. Here you will find the world famous prison which you can visit on a short 10-15 minute ferry. Together with the towering Golden Gate Bridge these are two “must see’s” while in San Fran. But, there really is so much more that this cosmopolitan hybrid has to offer. North Beach has a beatnik vibe all its own, this Italian quarter has Swing and Jazz to entertain in

the evening, the best coffee houses in the day and restaurants with melodic names offer tasty morsels. Shopping San Francisco style is at Pier 39, with a myriad of shops, restaurants and attractions. No trip is complete without a cable car ride – the perfect way to travel on the hilly streets of the city – “The City by the Bay”.

For return flights, all accommodation in Hawaii, Las Vegas & San Francisco, this package starts from just £1770p.

Brightsun Travel offers a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deals.

To book your dream holiday, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or visit www.brightsun.co.uk

By Nayan Dave he industry friendly policy of Gujarat govT ernment is attracting for-

eign companies to set up their units in the state. In the process, a large number of foreigners are coming to Gujarat to work. In fact, a large number of expatriates are working in companies like IT, pharmaceutical, auto & engineering and other sectors in the state. However, there was no platform in the state to connect these emigrants beyond their workplace.

Expecting that more expatriates would arrive as the state has emerged as an industrial hub of India, Gujarat Expatriate Club (GEC) has been formed.

The first-of-its-kind initiative in Gujarat is aimed at assisting expatriates and their families in settling down in the new environment and to make their stay a pleasant one. With initiatives like Vibrant Gujarat Summit, the state has in its credit the highest success rate of projects implemented in India and the number of expatriates is increasing in cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat.

Besides, with Gujarat emerging as India’s ‘Petro Capital’ with 30 per cent of petrochemical business centered here, the number of foreigners being employed by oil and natural gas companies like Reliance and Essar are on the rise.

Many expatriates have demanded a platform to engage in cultural, entertainment, sports, adventure, knowledge-sharing, social and other activities and GEC is an initiative to meet their demands, said Jagat Shah, founder director of the club. “The initiative is aimed at providing

Small uttapams topped with onion, tomato, green capsicum and mozzarella cheese.

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 1015 minutes Ingredients: Rice, soaked 2 cups B l a c k gram split (urad dal dhuli)1 cup Salt to taste Oil to cook For topping: Onion 1 medium Green capsicum1 medium Tomato 1 medium Mozzarella cheese grated 1 cup Method: Drain and grind urad till fine and fluffy. Transfer into a bowl.

Drain and grind rice till smooth. And transfer it into the same bowl and mix the two batters well.

them an opportunity to discover Gujarat and develop new skills with an element of fun,” added Shah. Even in issues like taxation and insurance, the club would extend its services to its members and guide them to contact right people for the purpose. Even in the case of hospitalization, the club would assist the members with the best possible manner. The club would also approach foreign missions in Gujarat, including the Trade Offices of UK, Canada and Netherlands, Australian High Commission and United States Information Services etc. to become members of the club and to promote it amongst its expatriates.

“The idea is to provide information and help expatriate members on settlement issues like living cost, education, housing, domestic help, temporary accommodation, getting temporary membership of clubs, entertainment, transport, security, sensitization, banking, tourist locations in Gujarat as well as India, hospitals, visa issues to name a few. It is a collective effort to strengthen ties between foreigners working in Gujarat and people of Gujarat. We aim to promote mutual respect for different cultures,” said Shah.

The club will not only celebrate festivals of India but also celebrate festivals of expatriate members’ countries. “In fact on 27th of this month we have arranged holy celebrations for the expatriates,” he said adding that plans are afoot to organize a Navaratri celebration only for expatriates.

With project like Gujarat International Finance Tech- City (GIFT) coming up and numerous multinational companies setting up their manufacturing facilities in Gujarat, this initiative would promote Gujarat’s image as one of the most progressive states in India, said Saurabh Patel, Gujarat finance minister. He said that such initiative would help to enhance cultural and professional bonding between expatriates working in Gujarat and the local population.

Besides companies like Bombardier and McCain from Canada, Chinese companies like TBEA & TWWA, Shanghai Highly, global auto makers like Ford, Maruti Suzuki and US -based pharmaceutical giant Abbot, Israel’s Teva, FMCG behemoths Amway and Colgate and many more are all set to start their units in Gujarat.

Baby Uttapam

Set aside in a warm place to ferment overnight. Add salt and whisk well.Heat a non stick dosa tawa and spread small amounts of batter into small uttapams keeping a little distance between each.

Slice onion and sprinkle a little on each uttapam. Slice green capsicum and sprinkle a little on each uttapam. Slice tomato and sprinkle a little on each uttapam. Sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on each. Drizzle a little oil

around each, cover and cook on medium heat till they get cooked and the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Health Benefits: It is low calorie and digested easily. Tomatoes have vitamin c.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 30th March 2013

CALCIUM + Magnesium + Vit. D3

SKIN, SKIN, HAIR, HAI NAILS

Smoothies can be packed with protein; pre-workout energizers, hydrators, and post-workout recovery accelerators can deliver performance-enhancing nutrients; herbal teas can soothe or energize — all of these beverages have a functional purpose to meet specific wellness needs. And then there’s a less obvious, simple, blender-free drink that serves a mighty wellnessenhancing purpose. Providing more than just hydration, fresh lemon juice and water can deliver surprising benefits.

Starting every morning with a glass of warm lemon water is actually a ritual in Ayurveda or Yogic traditions, used to stimulate digestion for the day and clear the body of any toxins that may have settled in the digestive tract overnight. While it is tricky to apply the strict burden of evidence expected by Western science to traditional practices (often called “folk medicine”) that originated long before modern medical science standards were developed, research on the nutritional elements found in lemons suggests the numerous health benefits traditionally associated with drinking fresh lemon water daily may have merit.

We tend to reach for those warm beverages in the morning like coffee and tea, but try starting your day with some warm lemon water first to kick-start digestion.

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The water doesn’t always have to be warm, but it should be purified. Simply use half a fresh lemon per large glass of water or to taste and sip throughout the day. On a simple level, fresh lemons take plain old water up a notch. Here are 5 health benefits of drinking lemon water that elevate drinking it for reasons beyond just taste: Support immune function: Lemons are high in antioxidant vitamin C, known for its supportive role in healthy immune function1,2 which may reduce the risk of respiratory infection3. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) found in lemons demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects, and is used as complementary support for asthma and other respiratory symptoms4,5. Lemons also contain saponins6, which show antimicrobial properties that may help keep cold and flu at bay. Last but not least, ascorbic acid enhances iron absorption in the body; iron plays an important role in immune function7.

Alkalize the body: Although the tartness of a lemon may make them seem acidic, lemons are actually one of the most alkalizing foods for the body.

Lemons contain both citric and ascorbic acid, weak acids easily metabolized from the body allowing the mineral content of lemons to help alkalize the blood.

Aid digestion: Citrus flavonols8 are believed responsible for lemon’s traditional use as a digestive tonic. Believed to stimulate and purify the liver, lemon juice is traditionally understood to support digestive hydrochloric acid in the stomach further aiding digestion. Vitamin C status has been associated with reduced risk of peptic ulcers caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori9.

Clear skin: Vitamin C and other antioxidants in lemons combat free radical damage. Free radical damage — especially as caused by UV exposure and environmental toxins — is responsible for many symptoms of aging. Antioxidant intake can help offset this damage, minimizing wrinkles. Further, lemon juice can be applied topically to scars and age spots to help reduce their appearance. Traditionally used as a liver stimulant, lemon water is also believed to help purge toxins from the blood, helping to keep skin clear of blemishes.

Promote healing: Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), found in abundance in lemons, promotes wound healing, and is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue, and cartilage10.

As noted previously, vitamin C also displays anti-inflammatory properties.

Combined, vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of good health and recovery from stress and injury.

Any quest ions

By Mamta Saha Psychologist

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write to mam ta@thin kspalon

with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates," the agency said on its website. The products are sold online and in some retail stores.

There is a growing trend in dietary supplements,

To Our Readers We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

often promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and body building, to contain with hidden drugs and chemicals, although they are often represented as being "all natural," the agency said.

Consumers should be

hether it’s learning to drive or going on that W yoga retreat - there’s near-

ly always something we would like to do but have been too nervous to try.

We lead such chaotic lives that many of us retreat into to our comfort zone as a refuge against the pressures of the day-to-day.

When you come home from a hard day at work or you’ve been battling with the kids all afternoon, you just want to do something easy, something that you know - but there’s a saying that the fastest way of moving backwards is to stand still. When we stay within our comfort zone it becomes smaller, and the range of new things that we are prepared to try becomes fewer and fewer.

Whereas, when we take on a new challenge, however small, it boosts our confidence, delivers personal growth and make us feel more alive.’ So, to discover the power of new for yourself, follow my top five tips for getting started.

1. Start small If you’ve been stuck in a rut for a while, the best way to start is with small changes. Try cooking something different for dinner, wearing a colour you’d never normally wear or go on a different kind of holiday. Whatever you chose, you will learn something new about yourself which will boost your confidence and feed into your overall wellbeing. It will

also start to push at the boundaries of your comfort zone and get you in the habit of trying new things.

2. Identify the thing you are most afraid of The more resistant you feel about doing something, the more you are likely to gain from giving it a go. Whether it’s joining that new fitness class or retraining for a different job – you will realise that, not only is it not as scary and difficult as you thought but, also, that you are capable of far more than you give yourself credit for.

Achieving something we didn’t think possible, gives us a sense that if we can tackle that, we can tackle anything. You’re also likely to feel more positive about life generally. When we’re within our comfort zone we are able to run on autopilot which frees up our brain to think - and when we are living a repetitive lifestyle, those thoughts tend to be negative. So taking on new challenges can therefore give us a positive lease of life.

3. Break it down You don’t have to throw yourself headlong into a big change. Break it down into small steps and tackle them one at a time.

So, if you’ve always wanted to join a writing club but are worried you’re not good enough – research the different kinds of clubs in your area, talk to the organiser or current members about your concerns

careful about purchasing such products, the FDA said, because the agency is unable to test and identify all products on the market that are marketed as dietary supplements but have potentially harmful hidden ingredients.

!

and ask if you sit on a session to see how it works.

Each small step will give you a confidence boost and bring you that little bit closer to the big change.

4. Be brave and go it alone Although doing something with a friend can help you feel more confident, it can also hold you back.

Your friend will remind you of who you are, or were, and it might make you feel more self-conscious, even if they are supportive. It will be even more unhelpful if they remind you of a previous bad experience or if they say things like ‘Ooh, that’s not like you’. It’s usually better to take the plunge alone.

5. Don’t forget to self reflect Every time you try something new, it’s important to look for the positive lesson. Review what happened, how you felt and what the experience has taught you - even if you feel it went badly. If you push hard enough you can find a positive in every new experience and that will help you see how far you’ve come and why, no matter what happens, you never lose out by trying.

To stay in touch ‘Like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (Thinkspalondon) and email me directly for any questions or enquiries about coaching and courses: mamta @thinksp alondon.com.

Good luck!

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Nitish Bharadwaj at Maharashtra Mandal London

Hollywood film “Coin Toss” was screened at Maharashtra Mandal London on 9th March 2013. This is the third such successful premiere after Ajintha and Kaksparsha, the much applauded films globally.

Amongst special dignitaries present were Chief Guest Sangeeta Bahadur, Director of The Nehru Centre and Minister for Culture, Liberal Democrats Counsellor Alison Hopkins and Nitish Bharadwaj who was very popular as Shri Krishna in B.R Chopra’s famous teleserial Mahabharat.

Mandal was com-

mended and congratulated for creating a platform for community interaction and hosting a variety of cultural programmes and festivals for several decades.

The screening was followed by a Q and A with its director Satyajit Kharkare and Nitish Bharadwaj.

Audience have enjoyed knowing the story behind the moviemaking and the nostalgic moments of Mahabharat.

MML will soon be conducting Ekankika Spardha, the first of its kind competitions in Drama in which teams from all over the UK are taking part.

British Hindu Voice...

Continued from page 7 3.3 to put up a counter-critique of the concerns raised on the NIESR report by the H&J communities.

3.4 On the pilot study - The H&J community refuse to co-operate until the above issues

have been addressed.

When? 16/4/13 HOC debate.

Make your vote count Contact your local Community organisation to organise a meeting with the local MP. British Hindu Voice * Gujarat Arya Kshatriya

Kidney charity asks Government to double the number of transplants Continued from page 8 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to be among the world leaders in kidney transplantation and to recognise this that there will be significant savings to the NHS if more patients receive a transplant instead of continuing on dialysis. The new strategy should encompass all kidney patients and include specific actions which will address the challenges facing patients from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background who constitute around a quarter of those waiting for a kidney. He offered support from the NKF and said: “The NKF is ready to work closely in supporting the implementation and monitoring of the new strategy to ensure we begin to make a real difference by reducing the number of patients waiting for a transplant.”

In addition, he welcomed the increase in the number of kidney transplants from living donors over the last few years.

Increasing transplantation requires a major cultural change in this country so that donations become a

norm rather than an exception. He urged that the new strategy on donations from deceased donors should be linked to the strategy for live donations and that we should also aim to double the number of transplants from live donations by 2020.

The NKF organised a very successful KPA Day for representatives of 35 local kidney patients Associations in Birmingham on 23 March 2013. A new Executive Committee of fourteen patients, carers and others was elected. Welcoming the new Executive Committee, Tim Statham, the Chief Executive of the NKF said: “I am delighted we have a strong Executive Committee in place for 2013. Our priorities for the future will include how we continue to support individual patients and their families as well as how we influence the new arrangements within the NHS by working closely with local KPAs, the NHS Commissioning Board, NHSBT and others. We have a lot to do.”

Mahasabha UK * Hindu Council UK * Hindu Forum Of Britain * ISKON *Jain Samaj * National Council of

Hindu Temples UK * National Hindu Students Forum * Sangh UK * Swaminarayan BAPS * Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

The Sun transits your solar first house. You experience a renewal of energy and vitality now, and it's a strong time for increased personal confidence. The emphasis is on self-expression. For many aspiring Arians there is much to suggest that a goal you have been striving towards will at last be reached.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Sun's transit of your 12th Solar House indicates that experience will put you in a deeply reflective mood. This is a favourable time for getting away from usual routines and seeking a retreat for a few days. All the better if you are interested in such things as meditation, yoga and therapies that help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 You will have plenty of energy and drive to improve your status and at the same time achieve financial prosperity - you must make good use of the energy that is flowing, by channelling it positively! Creativity, romance and leisure all receive a tonic.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Do not kid yourself that emotional problems can always be solved by material means. This only covers the cracks and does nobody any good in the end. Be prepared to confront the issues. If love has left you feeling rather dejected or cynical, it looks as though soon events will pull you out of this mood of despondency.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The Sun continues to transit your solar ninth house now. In this period you seek to expand your experiences and awareness, whether through philosophical thinking, travel, or simply activities that take you away from your mundane routines. It's an excellent period for looking at your life from a different perspective.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The Sun continues to transit your solar eighth house. Personal transformations and intimate matters fulfill you most during this period. There may be a strong focus on other's money, such as the resources of a partner, inheritance, banking and loans, or taxes. You are more in touch with the deeper and even primal elements of your own personality.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 This is almost certain to be an eventful time for affairs of the heart. The transit of Venus through your opposite sign augurs well for those hoping to meet the right partner. A party that you attend allows you to connect with interesting new people, one of whom may be interested in you as a romantic partner.

Coming Events l Opening of first ever Shri Shirdi Saibaba Temple, 30 March 6am till late. Guild Hall.

Leicester LE1 1QB On Saturday 30th March 2013 - 108 Hanuman Chalisa from 11 am. 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DZ Tel: 07882 253 540

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

l Kali presents My Daughter's Trial. 8-25April, 7:30pm, Brown's Courtroom, Soho Theatrebox WC2N4AG 02074780100 Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Kalpesh Shah Tel: 07539 88 66 44 Email: kalpesh.shah@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com

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Although all kinds of opportunities are coming your way, there are many obstacles between you and the fulfillment of any of these. As you clear your path you will get closer to achieving your dreams.

Relationships and romance are both under scrutiny by the presence of Saturn in your 1st house.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The fiery planet Mars, continues to occupy your solar 5th house. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. However, you will need to focus on what is most important in your life, otherwise mistakes will be made.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 in Disruptions your home bring a new outlook with a search for security. There will be opportunities through partnerships. It is time to team up with others with the same desires and goals. It is time to take your plans to the next level with focus and planning.

The prevailing cosmic pattern packs a powerful punch early this week. Having such potent energies, make you feel positive and confident in whatever you do. This is not the time to hold back or underestimate your potential if you wish to further an important aim.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The Sun continues to transit your solar second house. This is the most "financial" period of the year for you. You have an increased interest in your own possessions, during this period. You are more attracted to objects that give you a sense of comfort, status, or luxury now. Careful with your extravagant spending habits.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Sport World

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

England's last pair somehow clung on to seal a draw on the final day of the Test series against New Zealand in Auckland. In a thrilling advert for virtues of Test cricket, Matt Prior and Monty Panesar played out the final 19 balls of the game to frustrate a deserving New Zealand victory.

There were several occasions on a wonderfully absorbing final day when it appeared New Zealand's victory was inevitable. When England lost Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow either side of lunch and when they lost Ian Bell the over before tea, it seemed New Zealand were on the brink of just their second home series victory over England - the first was in 1983-84 - and their first Test series victory over any top eight opposition since they defeated West Indies in 2006.

But for all England's

faults - and there have been times in this series when they have looked a very modest outfit - they possess an admirable resilience. They have been outplayed for long tracts of this campaign but remain, as Leonard Cohen put it, as stubborn as those garbage bags that time cannot decay. Surviving for 143 overs might be considered not only a Dunkirk moment for England cricket, but as admirable in its own way as coming from behind to defeat India in India.

There were several heroes for England. Stuart Broad, who tempered his attacking instincts so completely that it took him 62 deliveries to get off the mark, produced his longest Test innings since the Lord's Test against India in July 2011, while Ian Bell resisted for just short of six hours in seeing England to the brink of the

tea interval. But most of all there was Matt Prior who may have produced the definitive innings of his career to thwart an excellent New Zealand seam attack that threw everything they had at him on a pitch that remained true for batting to the end.

Prior's innings was, in many ways, odd. While his colleagues clung to the crease with the desperation of a climber sliding down a rockface, Prior played with a freedom that

seemed to belie the match situation. Despite the fact that runs were irrelevant throughout the last day, he rarely declined an opportunity to punish the loose delivery and reached his century - his seventh in Tests - from only 148 deliveries with his 18th four.

The logic was simple: he reasoned it was better to play his natural, positive game than attempt something unfamiliar. His innings may be remembered alongside Mike

Atherton's unbeaten 185 in Johannesburg, in 1995, and Dennis Amiss' 262 against West Indies in Kingston, in 1973-74, as one of England's greatest match-saving contributions.

But he, and England, enjoyed much fortune and many nervous moments on the road to safety. Most pertinently, Prior somehow saw the bails remain unmoved after the ball thumped into the stumps when he had scored 28.

Struggling to deal with a brute of a bouncer from the wholehearted Neil Wagner, Prior saw the ball bounce, via the bat handle and his neck, onto the stumps but fail to dislodge a bail.

Prior was also adjudged leg before to Tim Southee by umpire Rod Tucker when he had 16 the Decision Review System showed a thick inside edge onto the pads -

Mike Hussey, Ricky Ponting Pragyan Ojha reaches 100rule out Ashes return wicket milestone in Tests

Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey ruled out shock comebacks to the Australian Test ranks for the Ashes tour of England after the team's troubled series in India. With Australia 4-0 down in India and the first of back-to-back Ashes series rapidly approaching, coach Mickey Arthur has indicated he would be open to Hussey returning to the national set-up.

But the 37-year-old, who bowed out of Test cricket in January, said while he was flattered to be considered, he had retired from the international game.

"It's extremely flattering," said the 79-Test veteran, who has been in fine form for Western Australia in the domestic Sheffield Shield.

"But I've moved on and I really don't want to be back in that pressure-cooker environment, particularly leading into the Ashes.

"It's going to be an extremely stressful time for all the boys. I'm really looking forward to having a winter at home and just having some time with the family and being part of some normal life."

On top of trailing the series in India, there has been massive upheaval in the team with the suspensions of Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson for indiscipline. Vice-captain Watson has returned to the fold after being axed for one Test but skipper Michael Clarke remains short of experience leading into the Ashes, having leaned heavily on Ponting until he called it quits last December.

Like Hussey, Ponting has been in sparkling form since quitting international cricket in December after 17 years and 168 Tests and was named the Sheffield Shield player of the year.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha completed his 100 wickets in Test cricket on the second day of the fourth and final match of the series against Australia, becoming the third fastest Indian to reach the milestone. Ojha dismissed James Pattinson as his 100th victim to bring an end to Australia's first innings at 262 all out at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

Ojha achieved the feat in his 22nd Test and, in the process, becomes the third fastest Indian to get 100 wickets behind legendary spinners Erapalli Prasanna (20 Tests) and Anil Kumble (21).

The 26-year-old from Orissa dismissed Pattinson on the first ball of his 27th over when the Australian pacer got the leading edge while playing for the turn and Virat Kohli completing a sharp catch at slips. Ojha finished with innings figures of 26.1-6-75-1 at an economy rate of 2.86.

Ojha, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Kanpur in 2009, has not played a single match in the longer format overseas. His

Tendulkar scored two fifties and hasn't scored a century.

In an interview, Srinivasan was all praise for Team India for the four-nil win against Australia and defended Mahendra Singh Dhoni's boys for the 2-1 defeat against

England at home.

"The team was unlucky at times and also undergoing a transition. Against Australia, the team has regrouped and we should be proud of them.

No team wants to lose and our players have tried their best. Sometimes, the circumstances are not in your favour," Srinivasan said.

The BCCI chief refused to talk on selection matters and ducked question on Tendulkar's future. Praising Dhoni for his amazing record as Indian skipper, the BCCI boss said: "It's nice to see India win so comprehensively. We always had confi-

and on 20 he survived a loose top-edged pull off the same bowler. Neil Wagner, running back from midwicket, was unable to cling on to a desperately tough chance.

Perhaps New Zealand may rue some missed chances, too. Both Bell and Jonny Bairstow were dropped in the over before lunch as Trent Boult, swinging the new ball back into the right-hander, brought tentative edges to the slip cordon from deliveries angled across the batsmen. Bell, feeling for one angled across him that he could have left, was grateful to see Dean Brownlie, at fourth slip, put down a relatively straightforward chance, before, two balls later, Bairstow pushed hard at one some way from him and was fortunate to see Kane Williamson, in the gully, put down a sharp chance.

India retain No.1 ICC ODI spot, England second

India has retained the No.1 spot in the ICC ODI rankings while England finished second on the table at the April 1 cut-off date. According to reports, India, with 119 rating points, will receive the shield along with a cheque of 1,75,000 dollars while England, with 117 rating points, will receive a cheque of 75,000 dollars for finishing second. Australia stood in the third place with 116 rating points, while South Africa, who defeated Pakistan 4-2 in the recent ODI series, came in the fourth place at 112 ratings points.

Meanwhile, in the ICC ODI Player Rankings for batsmen, India's Virat Kohli is ranked third with South Africa captain AB de Villiers being at the top of the list following his man of the series performance in the five-match series against Pakistan, the report added.

Tiger Woods reclaims world No 1 spot

best bowling figure (6/47) came against the West Indies in Mumbai in 2011. Today's milestone has made Ojha the 18th Indian overall and world's 163rd bowler to get to the 100-wicket figure.

Ojha also becomes the fifth left-arm spinner from India to get to the milestone, the others being Bishan Singh Bedi, Vinoo Mankad, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Doshi.

Sachin is different, says BCCI chief Srinivasan If the Board of Control for Cricket in India president N. Srinivasan is to be believed, Sachin Tendulkar's Test future seems to be alive and kicking. Refusing to comment on Tendulkar's underpar form in back-to-back home series against England and Australia, the BCCI chief said: "He is different. Any assessment on India's greatest cricketer will be unfair (at this stage)."

For the statistically minded, Tendulkar's aggregate in the 8 matches in the 2012-13 season reads as follows: 304 runs in 13 innings (1 not out) at an average of 25.33.

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dence in the team. We had faith in the captain and his boys and now our stand has been justified."

He added: "The real test of character will come when India play South Africa and New Zealand later this year."

Srinivasan said the Indian Premier League was in safe hands and all apprehensions around the participation of Sri Lankan players were exaggerated. "India is a safe country and there is no law and order problem in Tamil Nadu. The IPL is still a few days away and if any situation arises, we will deal with it," Srinivasan said.

Tiger Woods reclaimed the world number one ranking for the first time since October 2010 with a closing round of two-under 70 to capture the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational on Monday. With his eighth Bay Hill course triumph, 37-yearold Woods replaced Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy atop the rankings and set the seal on an extraordinary comeback after a spectacular fall from personal and professional grace. "I play well here," said Woods, who earned $1.08 million in prize money after a closing round of two-under 70. "That is about as simple as it gets. It is a by-product of hard work and patience." It took an extra day, but Woods out-dueled fellow American Rickie Fowler down the stretch, winning the $6.2 million event by two strokes.

South Africa beat Pakistan in final ODI to win series

South Africa beat Pakistan by six wickets in the fifth and final one-day international at Willowmoore Park on Sunday to win the series 32. South African captain AB de Villiers hit an unbeaten 95 to help guide his side past Pakistan's 205 all out. De Villiers, who was dropped on one, overcame some hostile bowling on an unpredictable pitch as South Africa chased down the Pakistani total with six overs to spare.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 30th March 2013

Prideview Cricketers’ Cup

For the second time in successive Test matches, India reached their victory target with an M S Dhoni boundary. On Sunday, after he clouted Nathan Lyon past the midwicket ropes, the India skipper had plenty of reason for a rare display of emotion.

The winning hit had sealed a 4-0 series whitewash, an unprecedented feat for India.

Australia hadn't been on the wrong end of such a scoreline since their tour of South Africa in 1969-70.

Dhoni's side, however, were far from unaccustomed to such reverses, having experienced it twice, on their last two overseas tours. Now, they had turned things around, with a youthful team that had no room for some of its biggest names of the recent past.

Having watched the ball crash into the advertising hoardings, Dhoni didn't raise his arms or roar in elation.

He stood still for a couple of seconds, turned around, and walked slowly back to his crease to take possession of a stump.

From the non-striker's end, Cheteshwar Pujara strode up the pitch in a similarly unhurried manner. Even a pair of flawless half-centuries, scored from an unfamiliar batting position on a perilous wicket with a broken finger, only brought to his face a shy smile. Dhoni and Pujara, as they met mid-pitch in a muted embrace, possibly had the lowest heart-rates among the mass of humanity

The 2nd edition of Prideview Cricketers’ Cup will be held once again at Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood Middx, on Sunday, 14th July 2013. Like last year, all are requested to participate/donate wholeheartedly. Everything earned via entry fees, corporate sponsorship and the raffle will again be donated to The Big Hug Foundation. The team entry fee will be a minimum of £350 (including food and drinks for your players/supporters) and we will have 8 teams like last year. If there is demand for more spaces (which hopefully there will be) then priority will be given to the team that donates the most, but of course any team who pays their fee in advance to Big Hug will have their space guaranteed. Please save the date, start getting your players into shape and confirm your initial interest. Contact: Nilesh Raj Patel t: 0208 863 8680 (ext. 36) email: nilesh@pridemanagement.co.uk

Adam Gilchrist signs up for Caribbean Premier League

that had filled the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium almost to capacity.

Where previous victories over Australia had featured dramatic turnarounds and wildly fluctuating emotional graphs, this six-wicket win had been almost too easy. All the turmoil had been restricted to the visitors' camp.

Dhoni himself had set the tone in Chennai, when he had walked in with the first Test in the balance (India 324/5 replying to Australia's 380) and smashed 224 to take the momentum entirely the home side's way. Since that knock, everything had fallen in place for India. By the end of the series, nearly all the gaps that were evident in the side after their defeat to England earlier in the season appeared to have been plugged.

Murali Vijay, who had been called to replace Gautam Gambhir despite having a poor season in domestic cricket, ended up as India's top run-getter in the series. In Mohali, Shikhar Dhawan took Virender Sehwag's place with an innings of Sehwagian proportions. Pujara and Virat Kohli enhanced their reputations and Sachin Tendulkar ended the series with his career looking in far better shape than it had been in at its beginning.

After a poor series against England, Ravichandran Ashwin re-emerged as the leader of the attack and took 29 wickets, the most by an Indian in a four-Test series.

Ravindra Jadeja, who had played only one Test match before this series, gave the side an all-round option they had lacked for many years,

taking 24 wickets with his accurate left-arm spin and suggesting, with his cameos in Mohali and Delhi, that he could make a difference with the bat too. In Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India discovered a bowler who was both accurate and capable of swinging the ball both ways.

But such uniform, unchallenged success is rare, and is usually the result of an unequal contest. This Australian team came into the series with little previous experience of the subcontinent, and lacked top-class batsmen and spinners. To compound matters further, it was weakened at different times by injuries and self-imposed disciplinary bans. The scoreline possibly revealed more about Australia's weaknesses than about India's strengths. Still, Dhoni and his men have made tangible gains.

Australian players face media fury A livid Australian media labelled their side as "worst" in 34 years and ridiculed the shot selection of their top order batsmen to "insanity" after India inflicted a humiliating 40 whitewash on the visitors.

"IT's official. Australian cricket's class of 2013 are the worst to tour India ... and the nation's worst Test outfit in 34 years. That is the macabre reputation Michael Clarke's battered troops will bring home," a write-up in the Telegraph read.

'Herald Sun' was more harsh in chiding the batsmen.

"THEY say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Unless Australia's batsmen change something - starting today they might wake up in a mental ward before the Ashes."

"The real concern ahead of the Ashes is not so much the batting averages in India, but the wider mentality that governs the decisions, and mis-

takes, Australia's batsmen are making," the report added.

The Australian sports writers came down heavily on the top-order and stand-in captain Shane Watson was hit hardest. "The struggling all-rounder can no longer be a selection untouchable after

seasoned player. He returns home as the only specialist batsman in the series not to post a fifty. Even tail-enders Siddle (51 and 50) and Mitchell Starc (99) managed half-centuries on this tour.

"In the ultimate indictment, No.11 Nathan Lyon

his form slump hit crisis point during Australia's latest batting collapse. "...If any player should forensically analyse their form on this shambolic tour, it is Watson," wrote Telegraph.

"With Michael Clarke, he arrived as Australia's most

(244 balls) managed to survive more deliveries on this tour than Watson (239).

Lyon (18) also finished with a superior batting average to Watson (16.5)," the critical piece added.

Continuing in the same vein, Sydney Morning Herald

pilloried Watson the most.

"Watson, the captain in Delhi, has been the most guilty and there was more of the same on Sunday. His shot, rocking back and trying unsuccessfully to heave the left-armer Pragyan Ojha to the boundary, was not one out of the leadership handbook."

'Herald Sun' also questioned the way Australian batsmen got themselves out.

"Australia's second highest individual score in this series is 99 ... by paceman Mitchell Starc. Getting out in India is not a crime. Getting out the same way is."

"Too often on this tour Australia's top-order have come unstuck with either carbon-copy dismissals, reckless strokeplay or, worse, going against the initial plans they had in place to counter India's bowlers."

Syndey Morning Herald wrote that the only remedy for Australia's redemption seem to be overhaul of the top order.

Former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has been named the second international franchise player to be participating in the Caribbean Premier T20 League (CPL), commencing on July 29 in Barbados. Gilchrist has joined his former Australia teammate and captain Ricky Ponting as the latest international star to sign up with the League. "I am very excited to be on board with CPL, and am looking forward to coming back and playing cricket in one of the most beautiful places on the planet," said Gilchrist. "The CPL will feature some of the world's best cricketers and I can't wait to test my skills and play in what is going to be a dynamic and exciting competition," he added. The stumper, who has toured the Caribbean three times as a player, has one of the fondest memories in the West Indies when he had smashed 149 off only 104 balls in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 against Sri Lanka to help Australia lift the trophy.

Ponting voted Sheffield Shield player of year

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was voted Sheffield Shield player of the year for his sizzling form since quitting international cricket.

Ponting, who retired from Tests in December after 17 years, has been in fine touch with the bat, scoring 875 at an average of 87.5 for Tasmania, who are into the Shield final against Queensland. The 38-year-old, the second-highest Test run-scorer of all-time behind India's Sachin Tendulkar, had been expected to make the current Australian domestic season his last, but has indicated he could continue. He is due to play tournaments in England, India and the Caribbean throughout 2013, and said this week he could be back for Tasmania. "I've really enjoyed the last few months to tell the truth," he said. "I feel like I'm still playing well... I'm playing a lot of cricket through the off-season so there's every chance that I might be able to get around again next year."