Asian voice

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 38. ISSUE 32

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Tamil parties to contest Lankan Prez election Tamil parties in Sri Lanka will field their candidate in the presidential elections to be held on January 26 since Tamil people could not vote for the two Sinhalese candidates who committed genocide of Tamils, Tamil Nationalist Alliance MP Sivaji Lingam said.

“Though, Tamil candidate does not have a chance to win the elections, a contest by Tamils is necessary to express Tamil sentiments to the world. We want justice for Tamil people,” he told.

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Russia commits nuke fuel, 5 more reactors to India

President Dmitry Medvedev (L) shakes hands with India's PM Dr Manmohan Singh

General (rtd) Sarath Fonseka waves to representatives of the People's Liberation Front opposition party

India and Russia on Monday signed a pathbreaking broad-based agreement in civil nuclear field that will ensure transfer of tech-

nology and uninterrupted uranium fuel supplies to its nuclear reactors and inked three pacts in the defence sector.

Continued on page 23

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

ONE ON ONE Keith Vaz MP with Surinder (Max) Mongia Winner of the Asian Who’s Who ‘Asian Of The Year’ Surinder Max Mongia was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Asian of the Year 2009’ at London’s Dorchester Hotel. A graduate in engineering from India, Mongia is the Managing Director of Strongfield Technologies Ltd, a leading player in consultancy and design services to aviation projects which has rapidly expanded to have offices in Canada, UK, Finland and India.

He moved into the aerospace industry in the late 1980s. Events of 9/11 led Mongia to realign the business model and move away from a dependence on the aeronautical industry into industrial and defence areas.

1) What inspired your decision to come to the UK as an engineer?

I was encouraged by the advertisements in the media by the British Government, inviting young graduates to come and work in the UK. Also I suppose it was the desire to gain work experience and the pursuit of higher education.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

From my personal side, while I do not know if I can call it my achievement, I am certainly proud to have a successful, close, dedicated and supportive family.

From my professional side, I arrived in the UK in 1962. Within 10 years of arrival, we were run-

ning several companies employing over 100 local engineers - that is a proud achievement.

3) You have done a lot of humanitarian work – do you have a favorite cause?

I have done a lot for sight related programs over the years, in particular the effort to remove the causes of reversible and preventable blindness championed by Lions Clubs. I have also been touched by the plight of street children.

They are deprived of innocence and childhood. Not a favourite, they are all worthy causes.

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

I have had many chal-

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

It is very satisfying to see the next generation settling in and taking on responsible roles. I feel sure they will build the businesses and position of young British Asians to greater heights.

People ! Atul Patel the CEO of ASRA Housing in the Midlands is to stand down after 11 years in the post. In total he has spent over 30 years in the Housing field. Atul is married to Rita Patel the founder of the Peeple Centre in Leicester.

7) And the worst?

There are not enough hours in the day!

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

Political constraints have inhibited successive Governments from adopting and working with the European community.

I would urge the removal of immigration barriers as enjoyed by the rest of Europe, and even move towards closer integration with Europe. I would also encourage the support of SME’s financially during this period, as they are driving force behind British industry. lenges, never obstacles.

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

I grew up in a very hostile environment, having witnessed the trauma of

£300,000 in bonuses for immigration officials despite backlog of cases Bonuses of almost £300,000 were paid to officials running the immigration service despite the discovery of another backlog of old case files, according to a Commons report. Twenty-nine members of staff, including senior civil servants, at the UK Border Agency were paid the bonus money last year.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said that the UK Border Agency was still a long way from “performing as it should”.

John Reid, the former home secretary, had said that the service was “not fit for purpose”.

Earlier this year the agency said that it had found 40,000 more old cases where officials had “no formal record” of whether immigrants, many of them students, had left the country.

The report said that of 450,000 asylum case files uncovered three years ago, 220,000 had been dealt with, resulting in 74,000

talked about the bigger picture.

asylum seekers the payment of and their chilbonuses. “With dren being the creation of allowed to stay the UK Border in Britain.

Agency, we Increasing assembled a numbers of management immigrants are team from being allowed a c r o s s to remain Whitehall and because as time beyond who are passes they are leading dynamic Phil Woolas more likely to changes across have established the business. I a family, making it difficult believe that it is right to to remove them, the report reward staff for outstandsaid. It also said that the ing work, and bonuses are target of 2011 for officials only ever awarded to those to deal with the “substanwho have performed to a tial” backlog should be high standard,” he said. moved to September next Damian Green, year.

Shadow Immigration Phil Woolas, the Minister, said that the Immigration Minister, report provided further said: “The UK Border evidence that the chaos Agency is continuing to inside the immigration make progress in dealing system had not been with the legacy backlog of resolved. older asylum cases and He said: “Ministers has already concluded have had years to deal more than 220,000 cases. with the backlog created We are now looking at by the collapse of controls whether we can clear the after 1997, but it is clear backlog earlier than sumthat they have not sucmer 2011.” ceeded. They should treat Mr Woolas defended this as an urgent priority.”

partition of India. I was, however, fortunate to be growing up in the era of building the Nation; I spent time reading speeches of PM Nehru, which were full of vision and inspiration. He always

9) If you were marooned on a desert island, who would you like to spend your time with and why?

I can’t imagine life without my friends - I guess I will be marooned!

! It’s that time of year again folks when you have the chance to nominate for the Public and Political Awards 2010. Next week we will be publishing the shortlisted candidates and you will have the chance to vote. Who will take over as Parliamentarian of the Year from Harriet Harman? Or Community Activist of the Year from Dolar Popat. You will have to wait and see! ! The Merlyn Vaz Tree was lit for the 6th time this year in honour of Leicester’s first Asian Woman Councillor. The Lord Mayor was there to perform the ceremony outside the new Health Centre that bears her name.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar rejoices, celebrates and awards Asian contribution to the community Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar presented the 9th Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) on Thursday 3rd December 2009 at the gala venue of Great Hall, Wembley Stadium.

The chief guest was the most powerful Asian woman in Britain, Baroness Shriti Vadera, who was interviewed by the renowned Ms Bina Mistry.

Baroness Vadera has been an adviser to Gordon Brown since he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Later she became the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet office, and currently the Advisor to the G20 Presidency.

The winners of the Asian Achievers Awards 2009 are: Anil Maneklal Solanki - Business person of the year, Dr Manjul K VasantProfessional of the year, Rishi Lakhani- Young Entrepreneur of the year, Vraj PankhaniaAchievement in

Shriti Vadera

Community Services, Rajeev Bagga- Sports personality of the year, Chamanlal Chaman Achievement in Media, Art & Culture, Uma Mehta- Women of the

year, Capt Sandip PatelUniformed and Civil services. Narendra PatelBusiness in Community, The Editor’s choice award for Best Overall Enterprise was given to Ratheesan Yoganathan, Nitin GanatraExcellence Award for Contribution and Support in the Community, and Chak 89Excellence and Innovation in Business.

The sponsored charity of the year was St Luke’s Hospice.

A detailed report of the event will be published in our post event magazine.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

COMMENT

Afghanistan-Pakistan: No end to bloodshed and confusion No sooner had President Barack Obama announced that the US would be sending an additional 30,000 troops to reinforce the numbers already fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan than the Taliban struck with murderous force in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. A suicide bomber detonated his weapon in front of the military headquarters, the blast so powerful that 36 people perished, among them five serving officers, including a major general and a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels and a major. This brazen attack was a reminder that the Taliban are alive and well and have the ability to strike at will wherever they choose. Talk of a Pakistani victory against the insurgents is premature ad appear wide of the mark.

The US and Nato are in for the long haul.

Meanwhile, the number of British dead in Afghanistan this year has reached 100, a grim reminder of the hard fighting that lies ahead.

While most of America's allies have welcomed the troop surge in Afghanistan, they have been puzzled if not dismayed that the US president should have put a firm date for their withdrawal, thereby giving the enemy needless notice of intent. Even if Mr Obama hadn't set a time-line on a US departure the mission, such as it is, is high-risk and strewn with difficulties. The first problem is Pakistan. It has long been the epicentre of regional and global terrorism, and for all the reassuring talk of its leaders nothing has really changed on the ground. Amy Kazmin's report in the Financial Times quotes US intelligence sources as claiming that a number of planned terrorist attacks in neigh-

bouring India have been aborted in the past year. Another attack of the scale of the Mumbai assault of 26/11 (2008) is likely to result in a lethal Indian response, which could lead to an Indo-Pakistan war with its attendant perils and uncertainties.

Ajay Srivastava in Asian online put the figure 15 on aborted terrorist attacks on Indian soil. Amy Kazmin referred to American representations to Islamabad on the possible consequences of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Talking is surely not enough. It hasn't thus far brought the desired results. Tougher measures are required if the situation is not to get out of control. What appears to be out of control are the mounting terrorist attacks within Pakistan. These are taking a heavy toll of innocent civilian lives, particularly women and children. The latest bombing in Lahore has left 20 dead and rising. The picture is a human tragedy and there is little sign that it will end anytime soon. Supping with the devil can have unforeseen consequences, as Pakistani politicians now understand.

However, undoing the past is proving hugely problematic.

Adrian Michaels in The Daily Telegraph writes of the possible dangers stemming from the lack of US and Nato success in Afghanistan. Terrorism could spread into Somalia and other global hotspots; there could be an India-Pakistan conflagration and much else besides. Peace or war will be determined by conditions in Pakistan.

Pakistan is key. That is where America and her allies have to get real. Indulging Islamabad has reached a dead end.

Copenhagen climate change talks begin on hopeful note The eagerly awaited Copenhagen climate change summit opened this week on a note of cautious optimism. President Obama will be attending later as will Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from India. India has let it be known that it will be flexible in its approach to these negotiations. Delhi has said that India will reduce its carbon emissions up to 25 per cent by 2025. However, the country's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh reiterated that India would not accept legally binding targets for reducing carbon emissions.

This was a major change from its previous hardline position. Minister Ramesh said: “The Planning Commission has concluded that we can have a 20-25 per cent reduction in remission density between 2005 and 2025 .” He outlined several measures to improve fuel efficiency , including stricter vehicle emissions

targets, improved building standards and 'clean coal' technology in power stations.

“I believe we our negotiating position is strengthened considerably if we go to Copenhagen from a position of leadership , taking this protective measure. When I use the word flexibility it does not mean a sellout,” he said.

India has joined up with China, Brazil and South Africa in turning down a draft document from host nation Denmark, which had proposed halving global greenhouse gases by 2050, setting a 2020 deadline for a peak in the earth's emissions and limiting global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels. This was seen as too ambitious by far. Better to take things step by step initially before quickening the pace. An achievable start with a working consensus is the right way to start.

Headley and accomplice to be charged US prosecutord have charged Chicago-based David C.Headley aka Daood Gilani, born of a Pakistani diplomat father and an American socialite mother, of helping to plan last year's Mumbai terrorist attacks by reconnoitering the main sites in the strikes. According to a Financial Times report, US investigators have accused Mr Headley “of being the missing link in the attacks, whose sophisticated planning initially surprised analysts...” In 2008 he allegedly discussed potential landing sites for attackers with co-conspirators.

“He was instructed to take boat trips in and around the Mumbai harbour and take surveillance video, which he did during his visit to India starting in April 2008, said the US Justice Department. An American passport enabled Mr Headley to travel freely in India. He even opened an immigration services office in Mumbai in 2006 to cover his activities.

The charges against him, conspiracy to bomb public places in India that resulted in deaths,

carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or death.

The Headly catch is truly significant. He was apparently intending to visit Denmark with a view to pulling off a terrorist attack on the offices of a Copenhagen-based Danish newspaper deemed to be anti-Islamic. It proved to be one attack too many and he was arrested in October. Mr Headley is believed to have sung like a canary and revealed vital information of his Indian operations to his US interrogators.

Indo-US anti-terrorist cooperation has reached a commendably high level of trust. It has taken time for the US and UK fully to appreciate the scale and depth of the Islamist terrorist threat, not simply to India, but to the West as well. Joint action between the parties - India, the US and UK - are yielding results. It is the right way to go if the civilised world is to defeat the scourge that confronts us all. Meanwhile, Mr Headley's trial should bring much strategic information into the public domain.

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Thought for the Week

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

- Dalai Lama Steve Pound, MP Ealing North (Labour)

False blue friends?

Last week’s AV reflected the grim reality of the UK’s rapidly speeding progress towards the General Election. David Cameron’s media spinners will have been delighted with the coverage afforded the Conservatives but they may not realise that AV is a paper – and often a philosophy – above Party politics and, above all, it is a voice for Gujaratis and for the wider Hindu and Jain community.

My long knowledge of, and respect for, CB and for AV has proved to me that this is not a paper, and CB is not a man, to hitch a wagon to one particular political party and that is the honest relationship that we politicians have with him and with AV/GS. Mind you – rather than summoning CB to meet David Cameron I would have thought that Cameron’s team should have gone to Karma Yoga House!

One thing that I hope the wider counsels around Mr Cameron will explain to him is that no person and no Party can ever claim the collective allegiance of so strong and diverse a community of interests and ambitions as that which sprang from Gujarat.

There are a lot of lazy assumptions made and I freely admit that there are some in the Labour Party who assume that oursupport for Independence and our consistent and unflinching record of fighting racism at every level from the doorstep to the dispatch box has earner the collective political allegiance of the Indian origin electorate in the UK. On the other side of the red/blue divide is the belief that the inherent entrepreneurial instinct of Gujarat will see the community move towards the Tories. Both assumptions are false and both are disrespectful to the community.

Labour most certainly has the strongest case for consistency from the anticolonial days to the 21st.

Century but no-one can seriously suggest that as thoughtful a people as the Gujarati community would vote on the basis of nostalgia and sentiment.

Labour certainly has the best record for the endorsement and election of Indian origin Councillors

and MPs but the Tories are catching up fast and the all white Conservative front bench will soon be seen a relic of the past.

What I’ve learned is that there is one fundamental difference between Hindu voters and almost all others.

The striving for success is there without doubt. The desire to achieve is as strong as ever. The thirst for self improvement and education is undimmed.

Aspiration is universal but it is not a characteristic that is confined to Conservatism and I believe that politicians need to shake themselves from the slumberous stupor of simplistic sentiments and realise that the Gujarati community is actually quite capable of analysing and assessing political promises in a more sophisticated way that many practitioners of the old politics can appreciate.

Where there is a real difference is that no highachieving Gujarati entrepreneur ever, in my experience, surrenders spirituality to success.

I expect nothing more from my Gujarati constituents than serious questions as to how my party’s policies match their aspirations and I cherish the reality of a political and personal dialogue conducted at this level – rather than on the basis of any broad-based belief.

I don’t believe that the current Conservative campaign to close in on the community is a cynical expression of political expediency as there is much in what little we are able to discern of the manifesto they will eventually share with us that will find favour with a thoughtful, educated and hard working community.

I doubt that David Cameron will listen to me but I would advise him, and all politicians, not to ever even consider taking the community for granted. We have to earn votes – not expect them to be delivered as a block. I know that Mr.Cameron will have been impressed

by CB during his meeting but I suspect that he will have heard a few home truths as well.

Let the lesson that AV will never be in the pocket of any Party be the lesson we learn.

YOUR VOICE

4

Is Cheese Really Suitable for Vegetarians?

Being a Jain and vegetarian, I stay clear of anything and everything which may contain even the slightest hint of animal parts in them. So I was horrified when I found out that the cheese sandwiches or the cheese salad which I was happily munching away could contain animal parts in them. I was under the wrong impression that because cheese is made from milk, it was in order for vegetarians to eat cheese products. However, even though the label on the packet may state that the cheese is suitable for vegetarians, all cheeses are not vegetarian.

As I understand it, the process of making cheese involves the use of a substance called rennet. Rennet is curdled milk found in the stomach of an unweaned calf. It is impossible to extract the rennet out of the lining of the calf’s stomach without having to kill the baby cow. If, therefore, cheese is made with rennet which comes from the stomach lining of calves, it is certainly not vegetarian.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Islam and Christianity

Adam Osborne getting married to a Bangladeshi girl from Islam faith is another testament about the tolerance level UK has towards religion. Though I do not agree with changing religion for getting married to your beloved, however the saying is apt “ Everything is fair in Love and war”.

I’m sure before taking this life changing step, Adam must’ve understood the travails of being a member of the Asian family and hence he decided to go ahead.

I’ve myself studied Islam to a greater indepth and understand that it is a very pure and strict religion, however we do not yet know whether there was pressure from the girls family on him to convert his religion.

Just today we read it in the Metro about changing perspectives towards Islam after the 7/7 and 9/11 attacks, however the poll seems to be true when it comes to the tolerance level of religion within this country.

I’m sure Adam is a grown man coming from a culture, which sadly has adopted binge drinking, and is moving to a zero alcohol policy. We wish him good luck for his married life and hope he gathers enough will power to continue following the Islamic path all his life.

Rakesh Suri London

Correspondents wanted If you live in Leeds, Manchester, Bradford or Edinburgh and are interested to be the Asian Voice 'Community News Correspondent’, please send your CV to Rupanjana at rupanjana@abplgroup.com.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Holi Dhamaka

Climate Change

Asian Voice 5/12/09 printed an article titled, ‘Pay to Pray’.

I was most disappointed that your esteemed paper might have lapsed into the folly of thinking that voluntary organisations run without contributions from donors. SKLPC organises many events yearly that are open to everyone.

In order to maintain buildings, insurance, covering the cost of an event etc takes time, effort and financial resources.

The event is free to everyone and your headline mischievously misinforms the readers into thinking that everyone has to pay.

The notion of a ‘Yajmaan’ is well understood and SKLPC has presented to the public, the opportunity to participate and also support the event financially.

Most people do understand that if you can help in anyway, then you should however, why undermine the good work of those who give their time so freely so that thousands can engage in a ‘sathsang’ of huge significance?

The head banging on the climate change has finally started in Copenhagen. After months of deliberations and one up man ships, the world has gathered together to talk about climate change. Dubbed as the most important meeting ever on this issue, delegates from 194 countries are again talking. It helps me wonder whether all these ambitious announcements to cut the carbon footprint will work at all.

By announcing that countries will cut the emission rates by 20 to 30% in 20 or 30 years, I wonder if the future generation will actually go ahead by something which was laden by the previous generation of ‘good-for-nothing‘ politicians.

Don’t be surprised if the planet cools down in the next 10 years by 1 degree Celsius, the new generation of politicians will gather again and form a new treaty that would outlaw anything substantial the current gathering is going to achieve.

However, we all know deep down that nothing can be achieved if there is not a joint effort by the public and their respective governments to tackle the climate change.

Panna Vekaria Holi Dhamaka We agree with your point of view totally.

Many Thanks.

- Editor

A brilliant interview with difference May I extend my congratulations to the Editors of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, for the brilliant, in-depth interview with David Cameron, especially for asking some awkward questions that a lesser person may have avoided.

I am sure the trepidation on both part, especially Asian Voice was misplaced, as such high profile interviews with leading politicians is a routine for the most widely read ethnic newspaper.

The most interesting point raised by CB was about Baroness Warsi and her views on Kashmir, expressed on her website. The answer by David Cameron was some what evasive. In today’s violent world, there are no freedom fighters as such. Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar, Mandela and even Jinha were a different class of people who have nothing in common with people like Sheikh Omar, Osama bin Laden and their likes, although there is always an exception to the rule.

It is nice to note that Mr. Cameron is well versed in Hindu values, Hindu ethos and Hindu achievement on all fronts but unfortunately Hindus are ignored on political front by all major political parties. I hope Mr Cameron will put this right, give Hindus the due reward, respect their hard work and tremendous economic contribution deserves.

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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I’m sure you will carry the news of Ms Champaclal being stabbed by her husband in a store where she used to work.

But I still want to highlight the plight of Indian/Asian women in this free country of ours. I read a letter from one of your readers a couple of weeks ago I think about how women are used and abused in India.

On the remark, I want to notify that not only Indian women are suffering in India but also in this western liberalised free country we call the UK. We have seen movies like ‘Provoked’, read many such examples, yet men from Asian origin continue to harass wives and children. To my surprise people actually defend such acts in our community and counter such arguments on behalf of tortured women.

It has just been their upbringing which has led to them adopting the same principles from their parents. It is time for Indian women to stop tolerating the idea of “Pati Parmeshwar” (husband is God) and realise that their torturous husbands are not God and pretty inhuman in their behaviour!

It is time to realise that women like us have human rights and tolerating abuse and injustice is not an option at all. The endurance fundamentals were proper in the early 1900’s where we were still an unborn nation but now I think its time to stand up to our own rights and shout against injustice.

Shilpa Parmar London

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Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

No Minarets?

It was ‘naive’ in criticising Switzerland for banning the building of minarets and to suggest that this may create problem in maintaining civil order (Kapil’s Khichadi AV 5/12/09).

Switzerland is a democratic country with high literacy rate and they have their own way of deciding national issues by means of referendums. Switzerland is a peaceful country with no race issues and unlike India and Britain it is free of Islamic extremists.

It is wrong to suggest that Swiss will regret for their decision and even during the second world war, it remained neutral. Switzerland is a Christian country and the Muslim population is less than two percent and they have very strict immigration control and there are a number of South Indian temples in Switzerland. Before calling Swiss people insane, Kapil should write to Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh not to destroy Hindu temples and churches and not to change Hindu names of streets and towns to Muslim ones.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Indian Muslims in India In my opinion the point raised in Mr R.V. Moradabadi’s letter ( A.V. 5/12/09) is not at all related to my topic- the Vande Mataram song. It should be realised there has not been an issue on discrimination but the protest is against the dictatorial directive for Muslims to sing lines of the song, particularly in madrassas, which are in praise of deities than Allah and this is certainly against one of the fundamental Islamic tenants. Hence, Muslims have steadfastly refused to follow the BJP directive. This was therefore, the core issue of my last letter.

A.M.A. Pira Via Email

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Harman Singh London

Babri Masjid demolition The Liberhan report about demolition of Babri Masjid was all sound and fury signifying nothing, but hurting religious sentiments of Hindus. It failed to meet expectation of the public. It produced a patently prejudiced report against VHP, RSS, BJP, Shiv Sena and other Hindu organisations. Blatant blunder of the commission is that many persons mentioned were neither in Ayodhya nor attached to any of the blamed organisations at the time of demolition. The commission members did not visit Ram janma bhoomi. It did not call any of the named and blamed to defend and offer their version of the incident.

The commission exceeded terms of procedure and acted from Delhi instead of Lucknow. It fails to offer any material evidence to prove the conspiracy and premeditated plans and preparations for demolition, though the commission made lots of noise about demolition and those involved. At the same time, the commission has not stated any punitive measures. Was such a futile and exorbitant exercise necessary?

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'(#)*&"+,-. /##.012.%3$ ‘Smile Pinky’ too gets the Oscar

Boyle says Mumbai dwarfed the statuette

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Karma Yoga House 12 Hoxton Market (Off Coronet Street)

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

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

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

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

London N1 6HW

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

When you’re living with cancer, the good days really matter. The day you got something sorted out. Finally got some answers. The day you just had a chance to talk about what was on your mind.

And felt better for it. At Macmillan we have a team of cancer support specialists whose role is simply to help you have more of the good days. Answering your questions about cancer. Helping you sort out your moneyworries. Or just being there for a chat, when it’s not such a good day. All you need to do is give them a call. Why not do it today?

For answers, help or just to chat, call us free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am−8pm)

We have interpreters available in Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu who can give you information, answers or just listen if you want to talk to someone.

State your chosen language in English when you call and you will be transferred to an interpreter. www.macmillan.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604).

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Kapil’s

“Our London”

KHICHADI

CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

The AAA Awards Congratulations to the Asian Voice and particularly the AV team who organised the most impressive Asian Achievers’ Awards last week at the Wembley Stadium.

I found the venue for the prestigious awards stunning and I take particular pleasure and pride that it was held in Brent, the constituency I represent as the London Assembly member.

Further reason for personal satisfaction being the charity chosen for fund raising which was St Luke’s Hospice – an independent charity serving the multi-cultural community of Harrow and Northern Brent, providing unique free services based on the concept that a dying patient is a ‘living person’ with unique physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

Additionally St Luke’s provides support to the needs of their families and carers.

In all, the night was very satisfying for two reasons: the AAA awards recognising the immense contribution made by a range of members of our community and substantial funds raised for a very worthy cause.

Immigration: the facts No doubt the issue of immigration and its ‘control’ will take centre stage in the forthcoming general election some time next year. Before campaigns commence on this sensitive subject, which tend to be less about objectivity and more on questionable propaganda, how about examining this issue based on objectivity and facts?

It is estimated that 590,000 people arrived to live in the UK in 2008. This is the second highest figure on record after 596,000 in 2006.

Of these the largest single group ‘of new arrivals in Britain’ comprises 85,000 British citizens who’ve returned back to live in the UK. How worrying these figures are? Its very interesting to note that net migration from the eight European Union countries fell to just 9,000, down from a peak of 78,000 in 2007.

However, as one would expect there is distortion and scaremongering in the media about these figures. For instance The Telegraph says “Record numbers leaving UK but half a million migrants still arriving each year” and the Sun has barely bothered to report the out-

bound figures.

Together with the above the figures for people leaving the UK are worth examining.

The latest official figures show that in 2008, 427,000 left the UK meaning that net inward migration was 163,000.

The figures demonstrate that more people left the UK last year as compared to any year since records began in 1991. The statistics also show that net migration fell last year by more than a third, lowest level since Poland joined the European Union.

Of those who left the UK last year, 196,000 were citizens while British 189,000 were long-term migrants who had been living in the UK for more than a year. Generally, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa appear to be the most popular destinations for emigration, How will the above facts and figures translate in the forthcoming general election? Would we have the repeat of campaigns like ‘Are you thinking what we are thinking?’.

May be I’m being unrealistic but I hope that there will be no underlying pandering to prejudices by any mainstream political party on this issue and for that matter on any issue.

BSA celebrate Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas

L to R: Dr. Madhavi Amdeker, Mr Virendra Sharma MP, Signaler Simranjit Singh, Mr. Steven Pound MP,Dr Rami Ranger, & Dr Sukhbir S. Kapoor.

The British Sikh Association held a joint celebration last month honouring the work of Guru Nanak Prakash as well the 12th anniversary since the launch of the World Sikh University in London.

The event was attended by over 350 guests including the students of the World Sikh University and Khalsa College London. The guest of honour was the High Commissioner of India to Britain His Excellency, Nalin Surie along with Mr Virendra Sharma MP and Mr Stephen Pound MP and Mr. Asif Ibrahim, Minister Coordination at the Indian High Commission, UK.

In his key note speech His Excellency Nalin Surie, praised the founder of the Sikh faith Guru Nanak Devji for giving a set of rules which benefit the entire mankind.

Dr Rami Ranger MBE, the Chairman of the British Sikh Association paid tribute to Guru Nanak Devji for giving us new directions which are designed to guide us through an ever changing world.

Dr. Ranger also paid tribute to the leadership of Vice Chancellor, Dr. Sukhbir Singh Kapoor for making the World Sikh University a world class Institution in just 12 years.

Dr Sukhbir S. Kapoor, Vice Chairman of the

World Sikh University and Secretary General of the British Sikh association spoke of the achievements of the institution. He paid particular tribute to his team led by Dr. Madhavi Amdeker & Dr Jagjit Kaur Sirha.

Mrs Kailash Kaur an educationalist was recognised by the British Sikh University for her outstanding service over many years in the field of education.

Signaler Simranjit Singh, a Queen’s Guard was honoured for services to Queen & Country. Mr Simranjit Singh has previously served at the Tower of London Protecting the Crown Jewels including the Kohinoor Diamond.

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Gujju’s Galore It was certainly an interesting conference hosted by the National Congress of Gujarati Organisation (NCGO) held at the Kadwa Patidar Samaj Hall in Harrow on Sunday last.

Several notable contributions caught my eye and leading them was our one and only Lord Bhikhubhai Parekh who posed the question that now is the time for the Gujarati community to become serious players in society. Being successful in business and education, and making lots of money is fine, but surely we can aspire to do a lot more? The answer is obvious, of course we can do a lot more, but for that our mentality must change and with that, our capacity to support the NCGO both practically as well as financially becomes a key ingredient.

Cllr Anjana Patel added to this by bringing home the simple fact that if we want political power, then you have to being politics. She made a plea that time had come for our community to become active members of political parties, to take part in party politics and discussions, and to use the rights of such membership to vote for candidates of our choice. Only by doing so will we get outstanding individuals into the top tiers of the political arena.

Rt Hon Keith Vaz made an observation which I hope is understood by all of us when he said that all too often when people get to the top of their chosen field, they tend to forget where they came from. This

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applies equally to politicians, business folks and of course, our professionals.

Truptiben from Oldham let everyone have it with both barrels. Her message was simple, ‘Why are there so few women in the committees of our organisations?’ Her contention was that women have shown to be very capable yet when it came to many of our organisations they are almost wholly dominated by men – why? By going back to the drawing board, by making sure that active plans are in place to promote competent women into such positions – it is our community that will gain in the end.

The one that I found particularly interesting was when Yogesh Mehta (owner of Pickfords) said, ‘Why do we compete with each other?’ He posed the question since in this massive world – why is it that we have to compete and undermine our fellow Gujju? Why can’t we help and support each other – for example, as it happens within the Jewish Community? After all, there is more than enough to go around; surely it makes sense that now we should inculcate this notion of helping to give people a leg up, rather than pulling it down!

All in all, stimulating – but I want to see practical projects, practical solutions and I want ourhigh net worth individuals to put their hand in their pocket and create a slush fund to make these things happen. Of course for Kapil who thrives on Khichadi, I was fortunate to find really great tasting Kadhi at lunch time!

The War Begins This week we can sense that both parties are now beginning to line up foran election in 2010. Labour is on the ropes, taking punch after punch but refusing to go away. Tories have been galvanised and running

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rings around the Prime Minister – landing great looking shots but nothing of significance for a full knockout. At this rate, dare I say we the voting public are going to be totally exhausted.

In this war don’t be surprised if you find that we become pawns in the middle. Our own people will compromise their own Dharma, their own community as long as it gets their party those few extra votes. I have heard politicians say that their party comes first, before their Dharma, their community and even before the country. Such is the prize of victory and gaining control of the country that some will go that extra mile to do whatever, even if it means selling their morality to the lowest denominator.

So the message for us all is simple, it is very important that voter registration is as high as we can make it. Speak to your friends and relatives, don’t be shy – tell them, it is now that we must rise and get counted into the governance of this country. As CB Patel said at the NCGO, ‘this bechara bechara nonsense must stop.’ And rightly so, enough of self pity and naval gazing. We have to harness the inner strength that is so widely manifest in our community to the extent that we want the leading contenders to know that they will have to come to us with more than the rhetoric and platitudes of yesteryears.

Let the party that gets your support be the one that is willing to rise above the delusions of the past several decades, and propose change that will positively impact everyone. For Britain to even maintain its place in the world order it will have to do a lot more than depend on its historical partners.

The world order is changing and India and Indians need to realise and recognise – it is now their time. Don’t be shy, stand tall for you have much to offer, and the values we cherish are the same that the new world requires. We stand on the dawn of great change, as ‘Bapu’ would say, be the change that you wish to see in the world.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Leicester Voice

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

leicester@abplgroup.com

Brothers arrested on drug charges

Brothers Babu Natha Day Sarasia and Bharat Ram Sarasia were jailed for a total of 43 years

Drugs concealed inside the wooden panels

Last Tuesday two men were found guilty of drugs offences after it was discovered they were involved in importing millions of pounds worth of heroin into the country.

Babu Natha Day Sarasia (44) of HMP Welford Road and his brother Bharat Ram Sarasia, (45) of Darlington Road, Leicester have been on trial at Nottingham Crown Court charged with conspiracy to be knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of prohibition on the importation of goods and conspiracy to supply class A drugs, as revealed by the Leicester police.

Also on trial for the same offence was Rajesh Rathod (48) of Portmore Close, Beaumont Leys, who was found not guilty.

Babu Natha Day Sarasia was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and Bharat Ram Sarasia was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.

The court heard how the defendants had been involved in a criminal operation responsible for the importation of approximately 180 kilograms of heroin, with a potential street value of £12million. The investigation began in July 2007 when officers from HM Revenue and Customs conducted a routine inspection of goods at a freight forwarding centre in Coleshill, Birmingham. The consignment, which had come on a lorry from Istanbul, Turkey, contained two chiller units on wooden pallets, which had been specially constructed to conceal packages of heroin. On examination by officers each of the pallets was found to contain 15 blocks of high grade compressed heroin, which totalled nearly 18 kilograms of heroin with a potential street value of £1.3million.

The heroin was removed from the pallets by customs officers. The pallets were then reconstructed and sent on to

their intended destination in Leicester, being covertly tracked by police.

This led them to Sukie Motors, in Midland Street.

Officers carried out a search of the premises on July 27, 2007 and discovered several chiller units and wooden pallets. Further investigation by Leicestershire Police identified this was the 10th consignment of chiller units to have entered the country from Istanbul since February 2007. Eight of these consignments contained two chiller units, and two were single machines. They had all been destined for addresses in Leicester.

Rathod was arrested on July 27, 2007 at Sukie Motors as the pallets were delivered. Officers subsequently arrested Bharat Sarasia and Babu Sarasia, on August 8, 2007 and August 18, 2007 respectively.

Detective Constable Kevin Hames, from L e i c e s t e r s h i r e Constabulary said: “This was a well organised plot to smuggle large quantities of high grade heroin into the country and onto the streets of Leicestershire. “The chiller units themselves cost between £2,500 and £4,000 each and were imported purely to cover up the drugs operation.

They were not sold on or used for anything. The fact they were happy to spend between £40,000 and £80,000 just on hiding the drugs goes to show the size of the operation. “Despite the inventive methods used to try and conceal the heroin, HM Revenue and Customs were still able to detect the drugs and alert our officers so we could launch an investigation to track down those responsible. “It has been a long

Top 10

Name: Mr Ved Dhiman Age: 63 Occupation: Chairman Lives: Roseneath Avenue, Leicester 1. Favourite colour: Beige 2. Favourite food: Asian food 3. Favourite film: Sci-fi and Action 4. Favourite holiday destination: South India Rajkot 5. Favourite historical character: Manmohan Singh 6. Favourite movie star: Ranbirraj “Raj” Kapoor 7. Favourite part of Leicester: Rushey Mead 8. Lucky number: 5 9. Favourite TV programme: News and Documentary 10. Who is the person you admire the most: My wife

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and complex investigation lasting more than two years and today’s result is testament to the hard work and dedication shown by the investigating team. I would also like to relay my thanks to the Crown Prosecution Service, who have been instrumental in bringing this organised crime group to justice. “We hope this conviction shows the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that we are committed to doing all we can to fight the drugs menace that can blight our neighbourhoods.”

Manchester News

Part-time money transfer shop worker shot dead A ‘highly-educated’ student working part-time in a money exchange shop was shot dead as he left for the night with £10,000 takings and his laptop.

Khurram Ashraf, 30, was blasted once in the stomach after he and a co-worker were confronted by a gunman demanding he hand over the goods.

A total of three shots were fired outside the money exchange in Longsight, south Manchester, shortly after 6pm last week.

Mr Ashraf, a parttime post-graduate student who is originally from Pakistan, was taken to hospital but died overnight.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: ‘At 6.20pm on Thursday, police were called to Stamford Road, following reports a man had been shot. Officers attended and discovered a man with gunshot wounds to his stomach.

He was taken to hospital and died overnight. A

Home Office postmortem examination took place.’

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody for questioning.

Detectives are also trying to trace the gun used in the robbery.

The victim’s friend, an Asian man who did not want to be named, said Mr Ashraf and another employee, a Mr Waqas, the driver of a silver Mercedes SL, were ambushed by a lone gunman as they closed the shop and left with a bag of money to get into the car.

The friend said: ‘Khurram was highlyeducated and came on a student visa, working and studying two or three hours a week.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

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Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dee@abplgroup.com

JP Doug exits over court system grievances Birmingham magistrate Roshan Doug has written a damning letter of resignation to Justice Secretary Jack Straw in which he accuses the court system of being “outdated” and not representative of multicultural Britain. Here he explains why.

Having served on the bench for over a decade Mr Doug, pictured, has decided to quit after becoming “disillusioned” over the fact that the magistracy is “still primarily white, middle-aged and middle class”. The 46-year-old former Birmingham poet laureate, who lives in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, said efforts to attract people from black and Asian communities to the bench have failed. According to Her Majesty’s Court Services, there are around 30,000 magistrates in the UK, of which 3.7 per cent are

Asian and 2.4 per cent are black. “There was an initiative called Operation Black Vote which was organised on an ad hoc basis,” said father-of-one Mr Doug. “A select group of magistrates might visit a temple or church groups, but that was just a box-ticking exercise.

There was no real coordination or determination to see it succeed.” Mr Doug criticised the methods employed by the courts when seeking and training applicants – claiming the work of magistrates only suited retired people with time on their hands. His other

Disillusioned: Magistrate Roshan Doug

grievances with the court system include what he claims is “snobbery” by administrative staff and the influence of clerks.

Mr Doug worked as a lecturer for many years before following up his interest in law. After completing his training in Dudley and serving on the bench there for a few

years, he was offered a job at the then University of Central England in 1998 and subsequently transferred to work at the city centre courthouse.

He said: “I really enjoyed the job at first, it was fun.

However, I am very politically minded and soon began to look at the composition on the Birmingham bench. I realised the majority of magistrates were retired captains of industry and their wives.” Mr Doug, who was seen doing festive shopping in the Bull Ring last Saturday, was born in India and came to British shores at the age of two months with his parents. Asian magistrates in the Midlands include Dineshbhai Chhotalal Chauhan and Alkaben Gandhi.

Patels leading the way Congratulations to Kavita, Neal and Misha, who all happen to share the surname Patel, on their unrelated but timely individual achievements.

At law firm Martineau in Birmingham, Kavita has been elevated as the new head of corporate finance. Kavita, pictured, has worked at the firm for ten years, all of them in the corporate finance department, after joining as a trainee. For Kavita

being female and Asian has never been a negative thing. She explained:

“The first time as a trainee you walk into a room with ten blokes in their 50s and 60s, and they have to listen to you it can be unnerving. But as soon as they understand what you’re about that all disappears.” Neal has been appointed head of corporate communications at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He joins from his position as head of comms at the National

25,000 families across the UK, this is a reality.

Children’s hospice services help these families to deal with the emotional and physical challenges they face and to make the most of life. To find out more about Acorn’s, or to make a donation, visit www.acorns.org.uk

New church building The New Testament Church of God in Lozells, Birmingham, whose previous building was demolished in autumn 2007, is set to open a new £5.2 million building on Saturday (12 Dec). Funding for the project has come solely from members and friends of the church. The church pastor is Bishop Derek Webley, pictured, chair of West Midlands Police Authority, who is also the first African Caribbean chair of any police authority in the UK

Art competition The controversial Equality and Human Rights Commission is launching a national art competition for 11-to-19-year-olds to express their vision of a world free from prejudice. The EHRC has produced teaching packs which explore the meaning of equality and human rights through art.

Multi-lingual support worker Asian people with learning disabilities who face language barriers when accessing services in Birmingham are receiving extra support, thanks to Samia Ali. The role of mum-of-two Mrs Ali, from Bournville, is to work alongside health workers to instantly translate important information in South Asian languages.

Help for freed prisoners A mentoring programme has been launched in jails across the West Midlands to help Muslim inmates on their release. More information is available online at www.mosaicnetwork.co.uk

Mum lied to obtain cash Pharmacy Association.

And Misha has been named one of six top 100 Rising Stars under 40 by Financial News, sister publication of The Sunday Times. Misha, 29, works as a legal counsel for the International Centre for Financial Regulation where she advises on all legal and corporate governance procedures as well as on its business and operating plan.

Help save a child’s life Over 400 people dressed as Father Christmases darted around Birmingham’s BrindleyPlace last Sunday to raise money for Acorns Children’s Hospice. The 3km nationwide annual charity race, Santas on the Run, raised over £22,000. Local photographer and father-oftwo Jas Sansi offered his services for free on the day as his “commitment to social responsibility”. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to be told their child will die before them.

But for an estimated

News in Brief

When Sukhbinder Sahota from Coventry heard a bump upstairs, she assumed that her seven-year-old Ranveer had dropped something. But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. It transpired that the perfectly healthy boy had run upstairs to get a toy, had suffered a heart attack and died, crashing to his bedroom floor. When Sukhbinder went to see why everything had gone so quiet, she could not open the door.

Her son had fallen against it and was blocking her entry.

In sheer panic, she found the strength that any mother would and pushed the door open. The sight that lay before her will stay with her forever. Her son Ranveer was lying dead on the floor. He had not even screamed.

Sukhbinder and Surinderjit now have another son – Sandeep, aged four – who looks a lot like Ranveer. But life is not the same. “Life isn’t a straight road,” said Surinderjit. “People think nothing bad is going to happen. You can’t experience anything worse than losing a child. We don’t take anything for granted now. We take each day as it comes, because every day is precious. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

A Birmingham woman who fiddled £14,500 from a mortgage protection scheme by lying about her job has been given a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months. The judge said he had resisted sending Safeera Khan, from Oldbury, to jail because of her difficult circumstances, her health issues and the fact that she now had a young baby.

Crooks on council tax A telephone scam that targets vulnerable council tax payers, falsely claiming they have won a council tax rebate has been exposed by the Valuation Office Agency. “Some of the callers are very aggressive and intimidating, people should not be fooled into thinking these calls are legitimate,” said Tim Eden, VOA Director of Council Tax. To find out more visit www.voa.gov.uk

Caught in the act A prostitute and her Muslim boyfriend from Birmingham have been handed three-year Anti Social Behaviour Orders after she had sex with clients on communal staircases and in a garden shed. Kim Owens, 31, and her partner Kamran Iqbal, 29, of Bordesley Green, were also given a court order after neighbours said they had been terrorised by the couple’s late night punch-ups, visits from drug dealers and abuse towards other residents.

Asian women scoop award

Mosque plan halted

In Coventry, Rani Saund and her team at Sahil Project, a charity, are celebrating after receiving the Queen’s Award for voluntary service. “We’re absolutely delighted,” said Mrs Saund. Sahil Project is based in Foleshill, a ward with a 62 per cent Asian population. The charity, which has its AGM this Friday, was recognised for its hard work in supporting Asian women experiencing isolation, stress and mental health issues for over 22 years. Last week, the team from Sahil Project received a certificate signed by the Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal at a special ceremony arranged by the Lieutenancy office.

Controversial plans to convert an empty town centre warehouse into a mosque have been rejected. Several hundreds of people descended on Walsall Town Hall last Friday in opposition to the proposals. Four petitions with a combined total of 848 signatures were submitted to Walsall Council against the application by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK.

A jobless man who rented a property in his street in Birmingham so he could turn it into a cannabis factory has been jailed for three and a half years.

Wajid Hussain, 31, from Lozells, had admitted charges of producing cannabis, possessing the drug and abstracting electricity.

Courtesy: Sunday Mercury.

Drug factory

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Council cracks down on hundreds of dangerous and fake Christmas goods Hundreds of potentially dangerous and fake goods have been seized by trading standards officers in Newham. They were confiscated from shops in the borough as part of a crackdown on counterfeit goods in the run up to Christmas. Many of the goods do not have the CE mark which certifies a product has met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements.

The dangerous haul includes: ! Toy helicopters and spaceships with sharp parts which could come loose and get stuck in a child’s throat and with sweets attached which could breach food safety standards. ! Fake toys using the ‘Disney’ and ‘Spiderman’ trademarks which easily

fall apart into small pieces. ! Fake stationery sets using the ‘Hannah Montana’ trademark. ! Illegal cosmetics which do not conform to health and safety standards and could cause an aggressive allergic reaction as the ingredients label is inadequate.

Consumers are advised to: ! Check the packaging are there any spelling mistakes or irregularities on the box and beware of trademarks that aren’t quite right. ! Check the safety. Toys for small children shouldn’t come with small parts they can swallow and there should always be an age appropriate label on the box. ! Check the prices. If a toy is half price before Christmas, be suspicious.

I am HINDU when it suits me; during election time ... ! Check with the manufacturer. Every major toy maker has a special phone line that fields customer questions and they will be able to advise consumers if they are buying a genuine product.

To report unsafe toys and goods to Consumer Direct phone 08454 04 05 06 or visit their website www.consumerdirect.gov. uk.

Host Karan Bilimoria addressing the gathering

Mr. Barry Gardiner MP, The Rt. Hon. Gareth Thomas MP, Minster of State for International Development and Mr. Tarique Ghaffur, Former Assistant Commissioner of

Police.

A minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect for the victims of terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Great Britain and India.

Osborne’s brother converts to Islam to marry Bangladeshi girl Shadow Chancellor George Osborne’s brother has apparently converted to Islam to marry a Muslim, it has emerged.

Psychiatrist Adam Osborne, 33, married Bangladeshi-born plastic surgeon Rahala Noor, 31, in a traditional Asian ceremony conducted by an imam last month.

The couple, who met and fell in love as undergraduates 14 years ago, also had a civil ceremony in Scotland in October.

George Osborne was not at the Islamic ceremony but he and his wife Francis and their children attended the civil one, followed by a Western-style reception.

Dr Noor’s devoutlyMuslim family are said to have made Dr Osborne’s conversion a condition of the marriage.

He is said to have spent months learning about Islam at a local mosque before agreeing to conduct his life according to its teachings, including praying five times a day and abstaining from alcohol.

He has adopted the first name Mohammed. Dr Osborne, the younger brother of the Shadow

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Kajal Valani, President

House of Lords hosts Pakistan, India & UK Friendship Forum Independence Day celebrations The Pakistan, India & UK Friendship Forum again celebrate jointly the independence days of the respective countries, this time in the House of Lords.

The event hosted by Lord Karan Bilimoria was attended by over 120 top dignitaries and Parliamentarians of all political persuasions. The Guest of Honour was Dr Lord Khalid Hameed.

Attendees included Mr Mohammad Sarwar MP, Hon. Bernard Jenkin MP, Lord Mohammad Sheikh, Lord Nazir Ahmed, Baroness Sandeep Verma,

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Names such as Swami Vivekanada and Mahatma Gandhi leave people trembling when we think of the epic dynasty they left for all to be inspired from.

Engage, empower, inspire- this was a tag line of the NHSF conference which took place 21st November 2009 called ‘Hindu times’.

This conference wasn’t about touching the 400 delegates present on the day there, but it was about inspiring them to walk out the door and be the news they wish to see in the world.

When organising this conference, my team and I got together and realised that one of the aims were to push Hindu students to their core and allow them to be exposed to successful Hindu politicians and other experts in different sectors who can inspire them to be all they can be. So we set about that and had some fantastic responses. On the day Baroness Verma, Barry Gardiner MP and Seema Malhotra are just a few of the names of those profiles who came to inspire and connect with the youth. However, there are a few politicians who not only confirmed their attendance,

but also agreed to take workshops and be a part of the question time panel- and one or two even failed to show up on the day with NO or little correspondence.

So here I am preaching to 400 Hindu delegates about leading from the front, getting involved in politics, working in the Samaj and getting a good spiritual understanding to back all this- BUT there are some that are in significant positions and fail to turn up or make a significant effort to help encourage our youth. - .

Are these the kind of people we are voting for?

The NHSF (UK) Public Relations team consists of 6 members between the ages of 1922 years. In between their studies and lectures they spend their time creating invite letters, press releases and contacting guests such as prominent politicians to attend and take part in events such as ‘Hindu Times’. When the PR team turn around to me on the day of the conference asking what to do when a MP who has agreed to be on the question time panel is unreachable and has not contacted to say he cannot attend for any rea-

son- it makes ME question the work we as youth are all doing. I guess when it comes to elections and votespoliticians as such declare their religion and culture and claim to understand the needs of our fellow Hindus but when it comes to actually engaging with those whom vote for themthey just don’t see the need any more. No wonder our political system has lost a sense of legitimacy, especially when the leaders of our country David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Nick Clegg openly endorse our conference but some of the politicians from our community we supposedly look up to do not even offer their solid commitments.

Well, I have promised my PR team that I will get them some answers and I will not allow people to miss-use their positions. So I am asking those politicians and the MP’s who went AWOL to contact the PR team and explain their absence. I will not name and shame them in this article- I will give you one chance....Don’t let the youth down, and remember this is your duty, this is your Dharma....Be the news you wish to see in the world.

Education provider wins Asian business award Adam Osborne and Rahala Noor wore traditional Bangladeshi dress at their Islamic wedding in Manchester

Chancellor, was temporarily banned from working as a doctor last year over allegations that he improperly prescribed drugs to a friend.

He and Dr Noor met at St Andrews University in Scotland but friends say they kept the relationship secret from her family to avoid upsetting her father.

The civil ceremony at St Andrews Castle was followed by a black-tie reception with alcohol and dancing.

The bride’s youngest sister, Siria, who is studying dentistry, is believed to have been the sole representative of her family there.

But they were out in force at last month’s

Islamic ceremony in a banqueting hall in Manchester, where the couple live.

Many members members of the city’s Bangladeshi community were also there.

Dr Osborne wore a red and gold sherwani with a red turban while his multimillionaire father Sir Peter wore a blue sherwani.

Lady Osborne was in a traditional cream lehenga gown. The bride and groom recited verses from the Koran before being declared husband and wife by the imam, after which there was lavish entertainment featuring Bollywoodstyle bands.

Members of both families refused to comment on the marriage.

Winners all: Award winners celebrate their success at the annual dinner of the Institute of Asian Businesses at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, sponsored by Grant Thornton UK LLP.

Key Stages On Line (KSOL.CO.UK), the Midlands’ largest provider of online and centre-based education, won the accolade of Outstanding Business of the Year at the Institute of Asian Businesses annual dinner at the international convention centre.

Sponsored by leading

business and financial advisers Grant Thornton, over 500 people attended the event where many Asian businesses won awards.

The principal speaker was author, Preethi Nair who spoke of the many adversities she faced in order to follow her dream of becoming a writer.

Chairman of the Institute of Asian Businesses, Arun Bajaj said:” Winners were individuals and companies whose skill, ambition, enthusiasm and sheer hard work have enabled them to excel in their business pursuits. The awards are the ideal opportunity for these qualities to be recognised.”

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UK

Spriha’s

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Corner

By Spriha Srivastava

A modern wedding with a bollywood flavour?

Even as the world has fallen into the pit of what is called as the global financial crisis, it has definitely not affected the marriage market.

In the past few weeks, I received almost two dozen marriage invitations and all of them have a glitzy flavour to it. From a theme wedding to a historical set up in one of the palaces in Jaipur, the marriage market seems to be always on a high. But what is even more interesting is the amount of creativity involved behind organising a wedding. It’s almost like shooting an entire film that has emotional drama, larger than life setting, songs and the most special of all is the entry of the prince charming making his way on a white horse to take his Cinderella in a world where they will live happily ever after.

A banker by profession and a writer by choice, Kavita’s debut book looks into the mindset of the young generation of Hindu Americans who are trying to give their traditional Hindu wedding a western flavour. She tries to examine how the second generation of Hindu Americans adopt and reject the various elements of the Hindu and American mainstream marriage rituals.

Before writing the book, the author spent nearly two and a half years carrying out an anthropological study of Indian-American Hindus in the tri-state New York area. Her research included going out into the field and conducting interviews of couples and attending more than 20 weddings – Hindus and Jews, Christians and Atheists.

It is here that she came across the question that “why do people fall in love and then plan extravagant weddings?”

This question remains central to the entire book which takes a very close look at how the Bollywood film industry has inspired many couples when it comes to planning their wedding.

In her own words,

the author says that it was by accident that she came across the theory of the influence of bollywood in Hindu American marriages.

“To be honest, Bollywood never entered my mind in the four months of research.

Instead, I was solely thinking about two very cultures: antithetical that of mainstream, modern, American wedding culture as elucidated in magazines such as “Modern Bride” and movies like “Sex in the City” versus traditional Indian culture circa the 1960s and ‘70s when the first generation immigrated from India to the

United States. The original dichotomy I was working with was America’s modern, love marriage versus India’s traditional arranged marriage.

However, while conducting my interviews of approximately twenty couples and attending wedding after wedding, Bollywood kept popping up as a recurring theme.

The second-generation Indian-American women I met couldn’t relate to the fitted, strapless white wedding dresses worn by models in mainstream wedding magazines since white is traditionally considered the colour of mourning in Hindu culture, and showing skin and putting one’s sensuality on display is frowned upon in Indian families.

However, these same men and women I interviewed couldn’t relate to the way their parents married: none of the couples I met had

arranged marriages; they were all in love and had a modern way of life.”

For those settled outside, it is always a mix of two worlds – be it British or American.

One of the findings that caught my attention during the read was a hybrid model of “arranged meetings” between the boy and the girl. It is a true amalgamation of two cultures – both Indian and American. So in this case, as much as the parents have a say in who their son/daughter should marry, even the individual suitors have the freedom to look through thousands of portals like shaadi.com to find a person who suits their criteria. Thus in many ways it is a sort of a compromise between the older and the younger generations on the question of marriage.

The book gives a very clear insight not only into the minds of Hindu Americans but the present generation of Non Resident Indians who might have never been to India but still try and maintain a balance between the two cultures. And it is bollywood that brings the Indian culture and rituals to their door step.

One of the interesting observations made by the author is that the biggest impact of bollywood is on the Wedding wardrobe. The new generation is seen to have styled their clothes in a way that is worn by film stars and struck poses in wedding photos that are quite similar to Hindi movies.

All I can say is that it is a very engaging book that hooks you on once you have started. As I said in the beginning, it takes you on this journey that everybody loves to make in their lives – from small introductions to dating then to courtship and then to a lavish dream wedding.

And the tinge of bollywood in between all this spices up the entire book.

(The book is available on www.amazon.com)

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Britain’s first Asian woman magistrate admits road crash killing Shan Alexander, 66, wept as she pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving when she appeared before Macclesfield magistrates.

She allegedly pulled out of a T-junction in her Mercedes car into the path of another vehicle, killing her rear seat passenger Mallory Perry, also 66.

The tragedy happened while Alexander was taking a party of blind and partially-sighted people and their carers for a Rotary Club day out to a stately home in Cheshire in May. Beverley Dobson, prosecuting, said Alexander’s was the third car in a convoy when she pulled out in front of a Peugeot which was unable to avoid her car.

Mrs Perry was not wearing a seat belt. Her husband Brian, 65, who is blind and was also a passenger, and Alexander

were treated for shock.

Alexander, who was born in Sri Lanka, is chairman of Stockport magistrates bench where she has served for over 20 years. She has been the first Asian magistrate to date.

She is a former mayor of Stockport and her late father, Victor Guruswamy was the first Tamil mayor of Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1946.

Michael Hayton, her solicitor, told the court: “She has achieved a great deal. She was the first ethnic minority woman to be appointed a magistrate, first in Cardiff and then in Stockport.

“She has devoted her life to public service, she was doing this public service on the day of this accident. This is not a lady who requires further punishment.”

An interim driving ban was imposed and she will

Shan Alexander

be sentenced on December 23. The maximum penalty is five years in prison, but magistrates said Alexander was likely to receive “a low-level community penalty with unpaid work”.

A spokesman for the Magistrates Association told a national newspaper: “She will not be allowed to continue as a magistrate. It would be wrong for anyone who is adjudicating on other people to have a criminal conviction such as that.”

Gardening enthusiast wins 3 consecutive flower shows A gardening enthusiast won 7 first prizes at the Eastcote Horticultural Flower show.

Kewal Seedher, also won second prize for the magnificent dahlias at Eastcote Community Centre in September.

Judges who were impressed with Mr Seedhar’s blooms awarded him the GH Bickerton Cup of the highest points

in the Dahlia class and a silver medal diploma.

Mr Sreedhar who also took part other flower shows, won 3 first prizes, 3 second prizes and 2 third prizes in Newton Park horticultural society and 6 first prizes and 1 second prize at the Wembley Park Horticultural society in last September.

Murdered mother predicted her death six months earlier Varsha Champaclal predicted her death six months before being stabbed by her husband.

A mother-of-two who was allegedly stabbed to death at work by her ‘controlling’ husband predicted her death six months earlier in a statement to police, the Old Bailey heard today.

Call centre worker Thaker Ramanlal, 48, allegedly took revenge on his estranged wife, Varsha Champaclal, 43, by stabbing her at a high street store on Friday 13th, the court heard.

Ramanlal allegedly went with a knife to a Peacocks clothing store in Surrey where Mrs Champaclal worked as an assistant manager. He waited until she went into a staff area before he cut her throat and stabbed her, said Peter Finnegan QC, prosecuting, as reported by the Daily Mail.

She was found in a pool of blood in the storeroom of the shop in Mitcham, Surrey, in February.

Varsha Champaclal

Ramanlal, from Kingston, Surrey, denies murder but claims he should be found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Mr Finnigan told the court that Ramanlal was enraged when Mrs Champaclal and her two daughters aged 21 and 11 had started a new life without him.

He said: ‘After over 20 years of marriage during which she put up with his bullying, his abusive and controlling behaviour, Varsha Champaclal summoned up the courage to make a new life for herself and her two daughters.’

This had followed an

incident during which Ramanlal had chased his wife out of the house with a hammer, and the eldest daughter called police.

He was arrested and dealt with by the courts.

Mrs Champaclal got a non-molestation order against him, barring him from the house.

‘He deeply resented it,’ said Mr Finnigan. ‘He was bitter and angry. He was often seen to be weeping and self-pitying.’

Mrs Champaclal had prophesied her own death six months before when she said in a statement: ‘Without the non-molestation order, I am certain, me and my daughter’s lives will be in danger.

‘I am sure our next encounter with him will for sure be our deaths.’

Mr Finnigan said the defendant had no history of mental illness and had planned the attack.

‘He was upset and he was angry because he resented what Varsha had done and he wanted to punish her for it,’ he added. The trial continues.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

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CASTE WATCH UK targets South Asian population ANUJA PRASHAR The target group for CASTE WATCH UK (founded in 2004) is the population group labeled as South Asians. Although they appear to target all South Indian’s their focused emphasis is upon the Hindu religion and those of Indian origin. The website tells us that “Caste is associated primarily with cultures of the Indian sub-continent” and the stated aim for the organisation is “to raise awareness of Caste discrimination in the United Kingdom and to strive for appropriate legal, social and democratic remedies”. in the Quoted Economic Times,12th May 2009, South Hall member of Parliament and supporter of CASTE WATCH UK, Mr Virender Sharma has stated that “caste-based thinking is "built into the social fabric" of the estimated 3.5 million South Asians living in Britain.

Sharma says it is all the more important to bring in legislation on caste because of "fears" that the increasing number of private Indian companies now setting up in Britain may inadvertently import caste-based practices.

"There are more and more Indian companies coming here and they are bringing in senior managers who are in a position to recruit

- that's where the problem can arise. That's where the fear is”. Mr. Sharma’s statement is divisive and pointedly targets people of Indian origin in global businesses. Sharma is assuming that those of Indian origin will be unprofessional and bigoted because they are Indian..

According to Mr. Lakha, ex-mayor of Coventry and co-founder of CASTE WATCH UK, while speaking at the CASTE WATCH UK conference in March 2009 stated, “No matter where the Indian Culture exists, the problem of caste exists.

Hindus are no different from those who support the BNP. It is the concept of power struggle by using

the concept of superiority and inferiority on the basis of birth, race and religious inheritance which is a problem.” Mr. Lakha’s accusation, that all Hindus hold values similar to the BNP, is highly inflammatory and inciting religious hatred.

The conflation of concepts of Caste, South Indian and Hindu is very misleading and often deceptive. The interests of CASTE WATCH UK is for those they name Dalits, who are active in missionary activity for conversions to Christianity. CASTE WATCH UK tells us “It works alone and in partnership with a number of academic institutions, politicians, community

groups and organisations promoting the rights of those who are victims of caste discrimination in the UK, including the Dalit Solidarity Network (UK) and Voice of Dalit International to tackle Caste based Discrimination in the UK”.

Both Dalit Solidarity Network and Dalit International are Christian organisations supported by the globally acclaimed organisation, Christian Aid. I have written extensively on this subject elsewhere, including a piece titled, “Creation of Caste Wars” in Asian Voice, 2008.

The statistical table below, of Census Data for the South Asian population of the UK, shows that the populations of Indian origin have achieved a great level of integration into UK society, with levels of education, employment and economic success above the national average.

These statistics demonstrate that migration to the UK of those of Indian origin has been a positive factor for the economy of the UK. This information also contradicts the new erroneous racialised discourses being expressed by CASTE WATCH UK. Therefore, we now need to hold a serious and honest debate to expose the underlying networked connections of

race, faith and economics.

Anuja Prashar The CASTE WATCH UK website tells us that “Caste discrimination in the UK can be seen in temples, schools, places of higher education, community centers, social clubs, places of employment and services in the UK where people from Indian and Pakistani Diaspora are working, resulting in caste based bullying, leading to inferiority complex and low self esteem in victims.

This maltreatment prevents victims from achieving their full potential and making their due contribution to British society”.

The confusion and ambiguity of the use of terminology on the CASTE WATCH UK website is indeed perplexing. There are three glaring and obvious errors which highlight the superficial nature of the accusation of Caste discrimination.

On the website we are told that the word ‘caste’ is a Portuguese term meaning “pure stock” and not an Indian word. This is correct and we should now alos understand that the whole concept of Caste and it’s associated system of signification and conceptual framework is not Indian or Hindu. It is an Orientalist discourse of Hinduism, constructed in the English language and originating from Europe during the early 17th cen-

tury. Secondly, the explanation on the CASTE WATCH UK website of “Varna” (the Sanskrit word for social roles in ancient Indian society) to indicate ‘colour’ is incorrect. The “Varna’ system of signification and it’s associated conceptual framework is a philosophical paradigm based upon a metaphysical discourse of the universe, and reflects the meanings of ‘merit’ or ‘quality’ according to a specific Vedic epistemology in the Sanskrit language.

Thirdly, the extremely simplistic historical explanation of the ‘mingling’ of Races, across the Indian sub continent, leading to the establishment of a hierarchy of castes in ancient Indian society is completely baseless and essentially a myth that helps support the Orientalist discourse of Hinduism as understood by the west.

Despite these obvious errors and deceptive confusions, CASTE WATCH UK has managed to influence UK members of Parliament and even some European Union representatives. The conflation of the term South Asian, Indian with the term Hindu is very deceptive. The real target for all this political activity is the economically successful and socially well integrated Hindu population of the UK.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS - PROTECT YOUR BACKS may lead to very serious and crippling injuries.

38% of all injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are caused by lifting and carrying loads.

What the law requires

Rhaynukaa Soni Outreach Executive

Injuries to the back and other parts of the body are one of the main reasons for construction workers to leave the industry.

Lifting of heavy weights, especially if this needs to be done repeatedly, creates excessive stress and strain on the body which can cause damage to muscles and tendons.

In the long term this

The law which deals with this problem is called the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and applies to all construction work. Under these regulations employers have a legal duty to avoid the need for heavy lifting and carrying if there is a risk of injury for the worker. If lifting cannot be avoided the employer must assess the risk and attempt to reduce the risk of injury as low as reasonable. All construction workers

need to know that they have a right to work in an environment where their health is not threatened.

Handling kerbs

In the construction industry kerb laying is very common, especially in road building and repair.

Traditionally kerbs are made from concrete and can weigh 67kg – some are even heavier but there are also new lighter materials. Kerb laying by hand involves a serious risk of injury to the worker.

Employers must control the risk.

The best solutions solve all the main hazards: The weight of the kerb; How many times they need to be lifted; Poor posture by the

worker – usually there is lots of bending and twisting.

Controlling the risk

It is best to eliminate the need for heavy kerbs in the first place – but this the responsibility of the architect or designer.

The next best solution is to use machines to lift and move kerbs.

There are a number of machines that can be

used which lift the kerbs using a vacuum suction method or a system of mechanical clamps.

These machines eliminate the need for heavy lifting and protect the workers – they are also much quicker! They are now becoming common across the construction industry and HSE inspectors expect building contractors to use these machines if possible.

In rare cases where it is impossible to use these machines then short stretches of kerb may be lifted and laid by hand. In these cases the use of lighter material or smaller kerbs is best.

Where lifting is unavoidable all workers should be properly trained in good lifting techniques, especially in two-man or team lifting. There are

Helpline: 0207 556 2181 e-mail: desi@hse.gsi.gov.uk Website: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

also tools which allow two workers to lift loads much more safely.

But lifting by hand is a last resort. The law is clear. All lifting and carrying of heavy loads by hand creates a risk of serious injury for the worker. Employers must make sure that they reduce the risk as much as possible.

Remember: UK Health & Safety Law helps you even if you are working illegally in the UK. If your employer is not carrying out their legal health and safety duties, you can contact us in strictest confidence in English or Gujarati on 0207 556 2181 or you can email on desi@hse.gov.uk or for more information log on to www.hse.gov.uk/construction/gujarati

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MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Scrutator’s Bad news, it is said, travels faster than good. Why not reverse the order, for a change? The Press Trust of India and the Indian media as a whole have reported that the country's second quarter growth (July, August, September) had confounded the pundits: 7.9 per cent GDP is significantly higher than the predicted 5-6 per cent. If this upswing continues in the next two quarters (and there is no reason why it should not), the GDP for the 2009-10 fiscal could conceivably reach a healthy 78 per cent. All the more remarkable considering the country's erratic and deficit monsoon this summer.

Clearly the government's stimulus package has worked, with domestic consumer demand picking up substantially. The economic recovery has been ascribed by experts to the robust upturn in the manufacturing and service sectors. India is back on track as a high growth economy.

The Economist (November 5) produced an unusually upbeat report on “India's grand experiment with public works” as they enjoy “a moment in the sun.” India's National Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), “which guarantees 100 days of minimum wage employment on public works to every rural household.... is winning praise from unexpected quarters. One reason India weathered the financial crisis of the past year was the strength of rural demand, many economists argue, and one reason for that strength was the expansion of the act to every rural district in April 2008. Once dismissed as a reckless fiscal sop, the scheme is now lauded as a timely fiscal stimulus. Because it must accommodate anyone who demands work, it can expand naturally as the need arises.”

Catching on in West Surprise, surprise, “The idea,” The Economist continued, “has appeal even in rich countries. Paul Gregg of Bristol University and Richard Layard of the London School of Economics have

scheme....In India, wages under the NREGA often exceed the market rate.

State governments are free to raise the minimum wage, knowing that the central government will pick up the tab....In rich countries, workfare is meant to stop people living off the state rather

Bombay SE for listing According to James Fontenella-Khan's report in the Financial Times (November 25), the Bombay Stock Exchange was planning to “list its shares in a move that would make Asia's oldest bourse the first exchange to go public in India.

The decision to list is the most “important taken by the 37-year-old Madhu Kanan the bourse's youngest ever chief executive, since he was named in May to run one of India's most famous financial institutions.”

Mr Kannan explained: 'We want to transform this institution from what was essentially a single-product exchange to one which offers tradable products across all asset classes.”

Tata CEO profile Joe Leahy's profile of new Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO, 46-year-old N a t a r a j a n Chandrasekaran, in the Financial Times, (November16) was an absorbing read. In order to combat his diabetes, he had turned to marathon running, an exercise from which he claimed to have benefited.

Mr Chandrasekaran is in for the long haul.

The Delhi Metro in expansion mode

called on the British government to provide a 'job guarantee' to anyone out of work for more than18 months (and any youngster out of work for a year). In Britain, there is a thin dividing line between a job guarantee – providing work to anyone who needs it – and and workfare – denying benefits to anyone refusing it. Mr Gregg and Lord Layard are insistent that the government pay market wages for the jobs it provides under any such

than finding gainful employment. In rural India, where you can see brittle old women breaking the earth with pickaxes the poor do not have that option. Indolence and inertia is a problem with officials administering the payments, not the workers receiving them. In the country's worst-run districts, India's villagers will only enjoy the right to work when India's apathetic bureaucrats forfeit their right not to.”

Brilliant!

“He is taking over the helm of TCS at one of the most important junctures in the history of the company and India's wider outsourcing industry.

More than any other sector, India's IT industry, led

by TCS and its peers such as Infosys Technologies and Wipro, has helped drive the country's transformation from ox-cart economy to fast-growing, sophisticated Asian giant,” writes Mr Leahy.

Mr Chandrasekaran succeeds his formidable fellow Tamilian

Subramanian Ramadorai, who has stepped upstairs as deputy chairman of TCS.When Mr Ramadorai took over in 1996, TCS had $150 million in revenues and 7,000 employees. When he stepped down in October and handed over the reins to Mr Chandrasekaran these figures had risen to $6 billion and 140,000 respectively. This will be hard act to follow, but Mr Chandrasekaran had the necessary ability and the proven track record to climb the heights. He had ridden the “paradox of maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit of an organisation even as it grows into a behemoth,” remarked our scribe.

India's auto challenge Yale Global and the Delhibased Outlook magazine (November 27) published an arresting analysis of India's dynamic auto presence on the global market, written by US expert David J. Karl. He set the scene: “The wrenching restricting now underway in the global auto industry offers a sobering view of these challenges. India has come a long way.... in early 2008, India succeeded in capturing the auto industry's notice as the Tata Group.... delivered two major breakthroughs. The first was the introduction of the Nano, the hyperefficient but ultra low-cost minicar that has drawn much international fanfare. As Alan R. Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, notes, 'Literally, India is designing the small car for the world'.

“The second of Tata's breakthroughs was its purchase of Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover units, whose main markets are in the United Kingdom amd the United States....The acquisition was a moment of sublime irony. An iconic but money-haemorrhaging US corporate giant unloading European luxury brands to an Indian firm that only began making passenger vehicles a decade earlier and which, at the very moment, was launching the world's cheapest car.

The two episodes illuminate the strategic shifts radiating from Asia that are redrawing the world's economic landscape. The greater prominence of the exploding mega-markets of China and India in driving global consumer demand, combined with the emergence of both countries as world-class technology and manufacturing powers, are key factors that will shape global business and international politics in the coming decades.”

In just six years the export of cars from India (including Japanese, Korean and US brands) had risen from 72,000 to 330,000 units in the 2008-

“The silver lining has been the gradual transformation of the economy” into one that was increasingly service-oriented. IT and modern retail had opened

LtoR: Sri Kumar Banerjee taking over from Anil Kakodar as Secretary to the Indian Atomic Energy Commission

09 fiscal, said Mr Karl, who went on: “American firms have likewise turned to India even as they shed workers and unproductive units in their home market. GM recently invested $500 million to expand production in India. Its centre in technical Bangalore houses 1,000 employees engaged in research and development activities, and as the auto industry restructures the company could conceivably end up exporting Indian-built cars to the United States. Ford is doubling production capacity and has announced that India will be a key manufacturing hub in the future.”

the route to a larger women's segment in the national workforce. This was second to China among emerging economies. Nearly forty per cent of the enrollment in higher education were now women, hence the skills base was large and there should be no dearth of women in the sophisticated areas of the economy. The entire process was leading to women's empowerment, opined Mr Singhal.

Anti-Christian bias denied A Times of India report November 22) told of BJP opposition leader L.K, Advani's firm rebuttal of

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the new CEO at Tata Consultancy Services

Women in work Business Standard (India) produced a fascinating analysis of a demographic and economic shift that was bringing larger numbers of women into India's workforce (November 19).

Its author, Arvind Singhal, writes: “About 30-35 per cent of the estimated 480 million jobs are being performed by women, with a very large proportion in rural India.” This had led to exploitation, but change was now visible.

charges that his party was hostile to India's Christian community.

Describing this as “motivated propaganda,” Mr Advani recalled how the party's founder, Dr Shyma Prasad Mookerjee, in 1951, had appointed a Christian barrister V.K.John as party chief in the Madras state.

Mr Advani also spoke fondly of his time as a student in a Christian missionary school in Karachi in pre-partition India and of the debt he owed to his teachers. Well said.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

www.abplgroup.com

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice

13

UK keen on alliance with Gujarat SMEs 28 member UK trade delegation exploring possibilities of tie-ups

Dear Financial Voice Reader, I am interested in foreign stocks. What do you recommend I do?

Why should you miss out on owning some world-beating stocks producing exceptional returns just because we do not have the often ten of thousands of pounds needed for a private client account with a major investment bank that would allow us to access global markets? Online trading allows us to trade foreign stocks cheaply, efficiently, quickly and easily through American Depository Receipts (ADRs).

What are ADRs? ADRs are dollar denominated US securities backed by and related to the underlying company stock - which may for instance be UK listed shares. The price of the ADR and the underlying stock will generally move in tandem. A complete list of ADRs is available on the excellent free ADR.com by JP Morgan.

Why are ADRs more advantageous than direct trading?

Of course in place of trading ADRs we could always open multiple foreign online trading accounts with different brokers, holding them in different currencies - facing conversion costs and of course learn the language of each country since their e-broking sites often are not in English.

What about tax – urghhhhh?

We can also face the problems of double taxation on our gains in those companies. Or perhaps, for instance the Korean government has rules about how much currency you can convert from sterling to local currency and how long you have to keep it in the country. In any event, do you know of a cheap online broker through which you can buy Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras? The efficient solution then becomes ADRs which avoids all of these difficulties.

Why should I trade in foreign stocks at all?

The reasons for trading in foreign stocks are compelling.

Firstly, other global regions may be experiencing superior growth rates to our own economy. Trading their stocks could significantly improve our performance.

Secondly, I can have a more diversified portfolio exposed to a whole industry group I may find exciting but which is global rather than local. For instance if you are interested in the telecoms sector, and in particular the telecoms equipment and wireless telephony industries. ADRs allow me to take advantage of better growth affecting the whole industry by not being restricted to only US companies in the field.

The third reason I find ADRs are compelling proposition is that the choice provides me with a wider selection of companies from which to choose the very best. The wider the choice, then the greater the chance I will pick winners assuming my research remains diligent.

Are there anymore advantages to ADRs? Further advantages of trading ADRs are that they are traded like any other US security. You are only holding dollars, not numerous other currencies. You pay US online trading commissions, which can be very low, even to those of brokers in other developed markets like the UK. Is there any special risk to trading in ADRs? If you are residing in the UK, for example, trading on a UK account, investing in ADRs for emerging markets will of course mean that you need to open an ADR account with a US broker. And here, with the ADR you have the currency risk of holding dollars and the conversion costs involved.

But if you intend to put away for several months a pool of money for trading in dollar stocks and don't intend to convert back and forth those costs and risks can be minimised.

What are the practicalities of trading ADRs? The practicalities of trading ADRs are straightforward.

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Any other sites for ADR investors?

Free sites like Google Finance are outstanding too. Go on, go ahead – own a slice of the world.

With bright prospects for tie-ups in the fields of design capabilities and technology upgradation across various sectors, many UK companies are scouting for partnerships with small and medium enterprises in Gujarat. A 28 member trade delegation from UK was on a visit to Gujarat last week.

Sharon Bamford, CEO of UKIBC (UK India Business Council), interacting with media, said Ahmedabad is a preferred destination with our emerging cities programme.

The delegation also participated in an event titled ‘UK-India Partnership in Action,’ at

the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) highlighting interests and capabilities of UK companies to work with those from Ahmedabad.

Senior officials of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) conducted a workshop ‘The UK: Your Springboard To Global Growth’ in association with Gujarat Electrical & Software Industries Association (GESIA).

Vicki Treadell, British deputy high commissioner, western India said that there are large number of units working successfully in Gujarat and there are possibilities of tie-ups in the field of design capabil-

ity and technology upgradation across sectors.

“Many UK companies have expertise in design and production.

Technological collaboration with Indian SMEs would be win-win situation for industries in both countries. Besides, there are ample opportunities in the area of food processing and logistics,” she said.

Members of the delegation met over 200 representatives of different industries in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Vadodara to explore opportunities for joint collaboration in sectors like information technology and communication, finance, pharmaceu-

ticals, auto and aerospace, research and development, and environment technology, said Sharon Bamford, CEO of UK India Business Council (UKIBC). “The delegation is focusing on tier II cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Goa, Kochi, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Pune and Indore for business opportunities,” she said.

On describing Ahmedabad as a preferred destination, she added that “with the proposed infrastructure growth, the city is positioning itself as a centre of industrial excellence in a competitive global market”.

Heathrow, Manchester ground operations bought by Dubai company G0-Ahead Group also to sell-off operations at 11 other airports Dnata, a company owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai is to takeover the ground operations at London’s Heathrow airport as well as Manchester airport from Britain’s Go-Ahead Group PLC. The Dubai entity is owned by the Dubai government. It also owns the Emirates airlines as well as handles ground operations at 17 airports globally, including the Dubai airport. Other loca-

tions include Singapore, Australia, Philipines, Switzerland, Pakistan and China.

At present, the operations under the Go-Ahead Group PLC are making losses.

Go-Ahead also said that its ground services operations at another 11 British airports, including London’s Luton and Gatwick and Scotland’s Edinburgh and Glasgow, will be sold to France’s

Servisair. Both deals are expected to close at the end of January 2010.

The British company also runs the profitable bus and commuter train franchises in the London, is selling off the airports businesses in a bid to boost its books. It is retaining just a small number of activities at Heathrow, primarily to support remaining ground handling contracts at Terminal 1.

The Investment

Corporation of Dubai, which owns the Emirates airline and major aluminium and infrastructure industries, is the second of two state-owned companies alongside Dubai World - the company that kicked off last week’s stock market slump.

Analysts have suggested that the Investment Corporation of Dubai is emerging from the emirate’s crisis as the holder of good assets.

Corus likely to get the Tata identity The UK steel company closing Teeside plant Corus, the British steel maker now owned by the Indian industrial conglomerate of Tatas is preparing for a major rebranding initiative, which can result in the 11-year-old Corus badge being replaced with the Tata brand name. The £12-billion Corus’ legal identity was changed last November to Tata Steel Europe. Meanwhile, the Tatas have announced that Corus is going in for a shutdown of one of its plant in England, which may end up in job loss for almost 17,000 workers.

The change in the brand name can show up on the company’s loca-

tions, stationary and vehicles.

The rebranding process, if approved by the company, is expected to commence next summer.

Corus is yet to formally decide on the makeover.

According to sources in Tata Steel, the company had appointed in-house teams and external agencies to work out a proposal, which will have to be ratified by the management. The cost of this rebranding exercise is not known yet. “If approved, the implementation will be in a phased manner,” the sources said.

Corus, as an entity, was founded in 1999 with

the merger of British Steel and Koninklijke Hoogovens. In April 2007, Corus became a subsidiary of Tata Steel in a deal which cost the Indian steel maker $12 billion.

Corus is the single largest unit under the Tata Steel banner. It contributes nearly 70 per cent of the group’s 28-million-tonne crude steel production capacity and employs half of its 80,000-strong workforce. Tata Steel has rebranded Thailand’s Millennium Steel as Tata Steel Thailand. However, Singapore-based NatSteel, which was acquired in 2004, is yet to be rebranded.

Apart from Corus, the other major brands Tata owns in the UK are Tetley Tea and Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR).

Teesside closure TCP’s Redcar Blast Furnace, Lackenby Steelmaking and the South Bank Coke Ovens in North-East England will stop production, Corus said in a statement.

However, raw material processing operations, largely dependent on internal orders, including Redcar Wharf, Redcar Coke Ovens and some of the power generating capacity, will be kept open, the company said.

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14

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Travellers from outside the EU urged to abide by personal food import rules DANIEL MUTIBWA & GIRISH KATIRA The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), are running the so-called “Don't bring me back campaign”, which aims to remind passengers travelling from countries outside the European Union (EU) that it is illegal to bring meat and diary products into the UK. Similarly, there are also restrictions on amounts of certain other food products including fish, shellfish, honey, eggs and certain types of fruits and vegetables which may be brought into the UK. Passengers are also reminded that the same rules apply whether these food items are carried in traveller's baggage or sent in the post.

Community leaders are passing on the message about personal food import rules to black and minority ethnic groups encouraging them to check the rules before they travel or better still buy in the UK. Additionally, com-

munity leaders have cautioned members of their communities to refrain from bringing banned items into the UK and to resist carrying an amount greater than is allowed. In the event of defiance, these items will not only be seized by the UKBA and destroyed, but also the people bringing in these illegal products will face delays and possible prosecution.

In lending support to the “Don't bring me back campaign”, Food and Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said that “We need to ensure that every member of the public travelling to countries outside of the EU is aware that they could be breaking the law if they bring food items back into the UK”.

Mindful of the significance of diverse cultural foods, he added that “Although bringing food back is a cultural tradition, most of these foods are now available locally, so there is just no need to bring them in from abroad.”

Chris Pratt, the head of the UKBA anti-smuggling enforcement team at Heathrow airport remarked that “The

UKBA is actively enforcing the rules to prevent illegal food entering Britain. Although there are encouraging signs that travellers are becoming more aware that they should not be bringing certain foods into the country, we are still seizing a range of banned products. It is important to raise awareness even further through this campaign so travellers do not risk unnecessary delays or even prosecution and fines for breaking the law.”

According to the UKBA, a large number of seizures of illegal food products from travellers were made in the past year (April 2008 – March 2009) including: !

11,356 seizures of meat products totalling nearly 77 tones !

5,673 seizures of fish products totalling nearly 53 tonnes !

6,304 seizures of diary products totalling nearly 54 tonnes !

1,332 seizures of honey products totalling nearly 9 tonnes Also lending his voice to the campaign, Edmund Yeo, Chairman of the

India is top trading partner for UAE Oil aside, just the non-oil trade between UAE and India last year amounted to US$ 32.11 billion, according to data from UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This has put India as UAE’s top trading partner.

The balance of trade was favourable to India, as UAE imports were to the tune of US$ 16.87 billion, while exports from the gulf nations to India amounted to US$ 15.24 bn.

India's two-way non-

oil trade with the UAE jumped 53.45 per cent to USD 44.53 billion in India's fiscal year that ended March 2009, enabling the UAE to retain its status as India's largest trading partner.

China was India's second largest trading partner in 2008-09 with two-way trade valued at USD 40.61 billion. It was followed by the US with USD 38.98 billion, Singapore with USD 15.64 billion and Hong Kong with USD

13.07 billion, the data by the Indian embassy showed.

India's exports to the UAE comprise mainly petroleum products, finished precious and semiprecious jewellery, machinery, textiles, apparel and cereals. India's imports from the UAE consist primarily of crude oil, petroleum products, raw pearls, precious metals, electrical machinery and equipment and iron and steel.

Lakshmi Mittal to get £1 bn bonanza Carbon credit earnings by ArcelorMittal to add to his wealth Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal will get a £1 bn windfall from a European scheme to curb global warming under the “carbon credits” given to it.

His company ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel empire, where he is the chairman and chief executive, will make the gain on “carbon credits” given to it under the European emissions trading scheme (ETS).

The scheme grants companies permits to emit CO2 up to a specified “cap”. Beyond that they must buy extra permits.

An investigation has revealed that ArcelorMittal has been given far more carbon permits than it needs. It has the largest allocation of any organisation in Europe.

The company will have

Lakshmi Mittal

gained assets worth around £1 bn by 2012, according to a report.

The disclosure comes on the eve of the Copenhagen climate conference, whose main aim is to extend schemes such as the ETS into a global system for trading carbon.

Anna Pearson, an expert on the ETS who carried out the analysis said: "Between 2008 and 2012 ArcelorMittal stands to gain assets worth £1 bn at today’s prices for very

little effort.

ArcelorMittal, based in Luxembourg and with more than 80 steel plants around Europe, has confirmed Pearson’s figures.

The ETS covers 10,000 industrial installations, responsible for 40 per cent of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions.

ArcelorMittal was given the right to emit 90m tonnes of CO2 each year from its plants in the EU from 2008 to 2012.

However, the company emitted just 68m tonnes last year - partly due to recession.

A spokesman for the company said: “The surplus arose when actual steel production fell way below forecasts because of the unexpected global economic crisis.

As the world returns to growth, we expect to use them up.”

Chinese Information and Advice Centre and key community ambassador added that “We know from the seizure figures that although food is being brought in from all over the world, there are certain countries and communities that are leading in this activity. Ironically, it is also these communities that are the entrepreneurs in Britain, and have been acknowledged as having thriving and vibrant communities, foods and cultures. We need to ensure that we don't lose the heart of these successful and thriving communities by promoting our local importers, wholesalers and retailers.”

The overall campaign includes a public information film as well as posters and leaflets published by DEFRA and available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu. For further information on what food products can or cannot be brought back into the UK, call the DEFRA help-line on 08459 33 55 77 or visit w w w. d i r e c t . g o v. u k / foodimports

Wal-Mart to have Infosys, 2 other IT vendors The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc has selected 3 IT vendors for multi-year contracts worth over US$ 600 mn, reports last week suggested.

Cognizant Solutions and UST Global are the two other vendors, the report said citing an unidentified source close to the development.

Initially the three vendors are expected to earn $54 million-$65 million each annually, which will rise as Wal-Mart increases outsourcing more work.

Infosys and Cognizant, which will provide application development and support, are expected to get a larger share of the contract, the report said. UST will be responsible for testing these applications, it said.

"What is more important is that these three vendors have now got a ticket to be in the club of Wal-Mart's list of preferred vendors which will help them in growing this account in the long run," the paper quoted the source as saying.

"We do not comment on market speculation," a spokeswoman for Infosys said. Wal-Mart's media relations director, John Simley, said: "We have a large and growing business and productive relationship with many Indian companies. We do not comment on speculations about the nature of any business relationship."

Hindujas, ONGC pick up stake in Iranian gas field India to benefit with 60% of LNG supply In a major breakthrough, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) signed agreements to pick up stake in a giant gas field and an LNG plant in Iran, which also awarded the rights to develop a gas discovery it made in the Persian Gulf two years ago.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and Hinduja Group signed agreements to take 40% interest in the $7.5-billion, phase 12 of the gigantic South Pars gas field, Iran’s deputy oil minister and managing director of National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) Seifollah Jashnsaz said.

Also, the two, along with Petronet LNG, would get 20% of Iran LNG’s project that will convert gas from South Pars phase-12 (SP-12) into liquefied natural gas for exports. The Indians will get up to 6 million tonne or 60% of the liquefied gas that Iran LNG will produce in return.

Jashnsaz said, considering the “good work”

done by OVL in discovering a big gas field in the Farsi block, Iran has also decided to award it the right to develop the field.

OVL, along with Indian Oil and Oil India, will invest $5-5.5 billion in developing the Farzad-B gas field.

While ONGC chairman and managing director R S Sharma said the distribution of stake in SP12 between OVL and Hinduja Group was not decided, Hinduja Group co-chairman GP Hinduja said it would be split equally.

Hinduja said in the Iran LNG project his firm will have 10% and the remaining would be shared by ONGC/OVL and Petronet. Sources said, Iran was seeking $2 billion as advance money for the projects which ONGC flatly declined.

Instead, a securitisation mechanism was agreed to secure the investments made by Indian firms.

RIL lines up $10 bn war chest for LyondellBasell buy Reliance Industries (RIL) is in talks with more than a dozen banks to ready a $8-10 billion war chest for the acquisition of LyondellBasell, the world’s third-largest petrochemical company that has filed for bankruptcy in the US. Talks are underway with banks, including Standard Chartered, Barclays Capital, HSBC and some French banks, bankers privy to the discussions said.

JP Morgan, which is advising the company on the transaction along with boutique advisory firm Perella Weinberg Partners, is likely to emerge as the lead financier, one banker said, requesting anonymity. The banks declined to comment.

An RIL team is leaving for the US soon to meet LyondellBasell management next week, and one Mumbai-based banker familiar with the matter said the two sides were expected to hold discussions that would help RIL arrive at a fair valuation essential to put in a binding bid. RIL declined to comment.

Reliance had submitted an all-cash non-binding bid on November 21 to buy a controlling stake in the Dutch firm. The oil-toretail conglomerate is said to be offering around $12 billion for the stake.

Its offer is an alternative to a reorganisation plan put in by privateinvestment firms, including Apollo Management, Ares Management and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, that would hand

LyondellBasell to senior lenders in exchange for cancelling much of their debt. That plan includes a $2.5-billion rights offering to take the company out of bankruptcy, media reports have said.

LyondellBasell is present in 19 countries, with 63 manufacturing facilities and 25,000 employees. RIL will now seek to get reorganise the outstanding debt of the bankrupt company.

RIL is looking to raise a combination of shortterm and medium-term funds, another banker familiar with its financing plans said. The mediumterm finance is likely to have an average tenure of 2-3 years. A part of the required funds will be raised against the treasury stocks, the second banker said. RIL is sitting on cash reserves of $4 billion and treasury stocks worth $8 billion.

Bankers said the company would benefit from the lower spreads for Indian paper in the recent months. “In the past three to six months, globally spreads have come down.

If there is no major negative event, spreads are likely to fall more next year,” one banker said.

A few months ago, Bharti Airtel had lined up $5 billion in debt from a roster of international and local banks at 315 basis points over the six-month Libor to finance its planned acquisition of South Africa’s MTN, but the deal fell apart. Bankers said RIL was likely to get finer pricing, as spreads have since improved.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Bharat Forge shifts project from Bengal to Gujarat Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) one of the biggest and oldest auto components manufacturers in India also has preferred Gujarat over West Bengal for its power equipment manufacturing unit. BFL also had the same problems in Bengal – land acquisition.

When Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi flew with Baba Kalyani, CMD, Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), to Mundra Port and SEZ in Kutch district last week, one of India’s oldest automotive component companies initiated a metamorphosis for itself.

Modi, incidentally, is taking an uncharacteristic break from his annual ‘chintan shivir’ in the Kutch desert to lay the foundation for the pound 314.92 million power equipment manufacturing facility by BFL and its French partner Alstom, a

global leader in the sector.

The unit will come up on 120 acres in the 6,700-acre SEZ. Ironically, Modi’s counterpart in West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, was almost ready to provide BFL land for its captive steel plant at Panagarh. But the process has now been delayed because land acquisition (in Burdwan district) has hit administrative hurdles. Modi took only two months in providing land and has already earmarked another 700 acres for other BFL projects.

With Alstom, BFL will introduce the most technologically advanced turbines and generators to support India’s move towards environmentallyfriendly power generation.

With a manufacturing capacity of 5,000 MW per

annum, the venture will meet a quarter of the country’s foreseeable power equipment needs by 2012-13.

The pound 655.96 million metalforming company is going through unprecedented change.

From being India’s largest manufacturer and exporter of automotive component, it is now ambitiously moving into the fast moving capital goods business and gearing to become a predominantly non-automotive company in the next 24 months.

By 2014-15, more than 75% of BFL’s revenues will come from non-automotive businesses, especially through initiatives in power, oil and gas, marine transport, railways and aerospace sectors. “A double-digit growth for the Indian economy requires a major expansion of the

capital goods sector to effectively feed an industrial upsurge. We aim at contributing to the growth of the capital goods sector in India,” says Baba Kalyani, chairman, BFL. It has garnered its most expansive plans in power sector.

In another large venture in Gujarat (with French firm Areva), BFL is graduating to manufacture nuclear power plant components and equipment. A 14,000 tonne open-die press facility, the largest in this part of the world, will be established by 2012 representing a national capability, rolling out 550 tonne forging. A nuclear reactor needs 10-12 of such mammoth forging.

BFL, along with NTPC, is preparing to manufacture, large castings, high pressure piping, pumps and valves.

15

UK banks on dollar buying spree Indian rupee fell against the green back following the heavy purchase Forex dealers in Mumbai, India’s financial hub claimed that two UK banks were on a US dollar buying spree resulting in sharp drop in Indian rupee on Tuesday.

"There was a major outflow which is a one-off thing. Also, the dollar strengthened in G7. The dollar strengthened against the euro," said Madhusudan Somani, head of foreign exchange trading at Yes Bank.

Foreign Exchange dealers said a large UK bank bought $500 million to meet some outflows, and another bought around $150 million.

"There was no other trigger in the Indian mar-

ket," said another dealer at a foreign bank. Sentiment was further hit by a weaker opening to European markets, although some late gains in the local shares limited a sharp slide in the Indian unit, dealers said.

"The stock market rise doesn't necessarily mean that there were good flows.

So, it is not necessary that there is a one-to-one relation with stock and currency markets always," said a dealer. Foreign portfolio inflows of almost $16 billion into Indian equities this year up to early December have helped the rupee rise nearly 12 per cent from a record low of 52.2 in early March.

OVL, Mittal may set up World Bank President Zoellick fascinated by Nano It shows signs of the strength of India Inc. refinery in Nigeria months in a row since the growth levels of 9-10% World Bank Group presi-

ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, is in talks to set up a refinery in Nigeria, even as Indian companies look at sourcing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from African nations.

“In efforts to broadbase our activities, OVL is discussing setting up a greenfield refinery in Nigeria,” Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said at the second India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Though Deora did not give details, officials said he was referring to the proposal of OVL to build a 180,000-barrels per day refinery with steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, in return for oil blocks.

ONGC-Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL), the joint venture of OVL and Mittal Investment Sarl, landed two Nigerian blocks - OPL 285 and OPL 279 - in the 2006 round, in return for downstream commitments

either in power, rail or refining.

OMEL is the operator for the two blocks. OPL285 is a deep-water block, where OMEL, through OMEL Energy Nigeria, holds 64.33 per cent interest and operatorship. The other partners in the block are local Nigerian company EMO (10 per cent), and French company Total (25.67 per cent interest).

Deora said India was keen to expand import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Africa. “We are a stable, long-term and growing market for Africa’s natural gas. Our companies are interested in sourcing LNG as well as equity participation in existing and upcoming LNG terminals in Africa,” Deora said.

Indian companies are keen to participate in upcoming exploration and production opportunities in Angola, Ghana, Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda and Cote D’Ivoire.

RCom faces action for reporting less revenues to TRAI Reliance Communications and its subsidiaries face government action for reporting less revenue during 2006-07 and 200708. This under reporting was found following a special audit. There was an under reporting of Rs 10 bn to Rs 15 bn by the telecom firms, to avoid payment of licence fee, and the government may have lost about Rs 2.50 bn due to this, Telecom Minister A Raja said in the Indian parliament during question hour.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) had appointed special auditors to look into financial accounts of five leading

telecom companies for allegedly indulging in fudging of accounts and under-reporting of revenue to the telecom regulator TRAI during 200607 and 2007-08 to avoid payment of licence fee.

Out of five auditors the one for RCom has submitted the report, the Minister said.

"The auditor has observed that three companies -- RCom, Reliance Telecom and Reliance Communications Infrastructure Ltd (all belonging to Anil Ambani group) -- under reported their revenues to the TRAI during 2006-07 and 200708," the minister said.

dent Robert Zoellick has expressed his fascination for the world’s cheapest car the Tata Nano, even as he cited infrastructure as the major bottleneck for the country’s growth.

“I got into the car. I tried the back seats and the front seats, saw the engine. That’s a very impressive product,” he said about his encounter with the world’s cheapest car. The final day of his four-day visit to the country, Zoellick said he is amazed with the frugal manufacturing made possible by Indian companies and that it shows signs of the strength of India Inc. “The low end is selling

Robert Zoellick

for about $2,000. I mean, that’s a very well engineered product and that’s a sign of something,” he said. “Probably, most people in the car industry thought it couldn’t have been done,” he added. For a country that has been witnessing contraction in its exports for the past 13

fall of Lehman Brothers last year, small, fuel-efficient cars are among the few that are registering a rise in exports.

Even the recent turnaround in the $1.2-trillion economy with the second quarter GDP growth clocking 7.9% was led by the manufacturing sector that grew by 9.2% against 5.1% in the year-ago quarter.

The stumbling blocks that India faces from reaching its potential and a high growth rate are lack of infrastructure and a strong demand-generating global economy, Zoellick said.

“Moving to higher

probably requires healthy international economies... (and) to be able to not only generate domestic demand but also build a foundation for future growth for which the core area is infrastructure,” he said.

Zoellick said the World Bank could help in the success of the public-private models and its recognition.

Participation of private players does not only draw in private capital, but also brings in private operational experience and corporate governance with “a better chance of having better transparency”, he said.

Tata extends the ‘Nano’ concept to water purifiers TCS, Titan and Tata Chemicals design the £12 gadget The Tata group has taken the plunge to help resolve one of the crucial issues plaguing rural India access to clean drinking water. Tata Chemicals on Monday unveiled a water purifier named ‘Swach’ with a £12 price tag.

Given rural India’s potential and the cut-throat competition in the purifier market, the affordable ‘Swach’- manufactured using nanotechnology - is sure to create a buzz.

Studies show that 75% of the rural population doesn’t have access to pure drinking water leading to high incidence of water-borne diseases and the group is aiming to address this issue through Tata Swach. Group chairman Ratan Tata said, “The social cost of water contamination is already enormous and increases every year. I hope it (Tata Swach) makes a mark in controlling diseases.”

After taking a sip from a Swach unit, Tata on a

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata holds a glass of water as he stands next to The Tata Swach water purifier during its launch in Mumbai on Monday

lighter note said that he was delighted to know that “he was still standing”.

Tata Swach is a result of four years of research and development by Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Chemicals and Titan Industries. While the software company brought in nanotechnology, Tata Chemicals developed the concept using low cost ingredients like rice husk

ash and Titan designed the manufacturing process.

Priced at sub-pound 13.12 level, its USP is that it doesn’t need electricity - a vital challenge in rural India.

Interestingly, Tata Swach will compete with its pricier cousin, Aquaguard, from Eureka Forbes, owned by Shapoorji Pallonji group.

The constructions-to-consumer durable group is the single-largest shareholder in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. Tata Swach will face stiff competition from MNCs like HUL’s Pureit and Philips as well as some homegrown brands.

Tata Chemicals will be marketing the product using its vast distribution reach in hinterland besides tapping the network of the group’s philanthropic trusts and other NGOs. The initial rollout will be in three states Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh - and it

expects to sell a million units in the first year.

Although the group doesn’t have any immediate plans to market the product in the overseas market, it sees a potential to cater to the African continent, for instance.

“We at the Tata group always had a mission to enhance the quality of life for the people of India and drinking water is clearly at the foundation of this quest. We even toyed with the idea of truck-mounted water purification plants, which can purify water at a village level. But we are now able to provide a solution at the household level utilising hitherto unorthodox methods of filtration that make it available at an affordable cost,” Tata said in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Swiss watchmaker Swatch said that it had no problem with the name of the water purifier launched by the Tatas that is very similar to its own.

16

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Fiscal crisis warning for UK, France, Germany and the USA Moody's says it could last several years, no threat to their credit assessment International ratings agency Moody's warned on Tuesday that the USA and three front ranking European nations could face a “fiscal crisis” lasting several years. Britain, France and Germany are the three other countries, though the agency saw no immediate threat to their top AAA credit assessments.

Moody's said that although the financial crisis was nearing an end, AAA-rated nations will struggle to find the money to reduce huge public debts.

"The global macroeconomic and financial system crises may be close to an end, but the fiscal crisis in a number of AAA-rated countries will likely last for several years," Moody's Investors Service said in a key report.

"Among the challenges to major AAA-rated nations like the US, UK, France, and Germany will be the pace and sustainability of economic growth and future interest rate trends, both of which affect the countries' ability to manage the significant debt burdens they have assumed as a result of the crisis.

"Still, the rating agency stresses that it does not see an immediate threat to the ratings of any of the 17 nations it currently rates AAA," added Moody's.

The report gave indepth coverage of eight of its AAA-rated nations the others being Austria, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Many countries saw their public finances balloon in the face of a global financial crisis which

sparked a series of enormously expensive banking-sector bailouts - and a deep worldwide recession that slashed taxation revenues.

This sparked deep concern about potential downgrades to national credit ratings - which can make it more expensive for a country to borrow cash and finance deficits.

Moody's said that three major challenges faced the eight AAA-rated nations covered by the report - dealing with fiscal imbalance, helping to sustain recovery and a need to deal with higher interest rates in longer run.

"Some countries will struggle to deal with the very large fiscal imbalances and accumulated debt that have resulted from the global crisis," it said.

India to get US$ 8 bn from the World Bank over next 2 years India may get enhanced funding of $8 billion a year from the World Bank over the next two years. The bank has already committed $7 billion for the current fiscal and proposals for another $17 billion are in the pipeline. World Bank president Robert Zoellick said that he was looking at deepening the bank’s engagement with India and a major reason for his visit was to take a sense of the priority areas on which the government was working.

“The prime purpose of my visit is to talk with colleagues in the Indian government and assess how it is emerging from the economic crisis,” World Bank president Robert Zoellick said last week after meeting finance minister

Pranab Mukherjee.

“Our engagement with India involves extension of funds through the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Assistance (IDA) of $5-6 billion and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) assistance of $16 billion spaced over a three year period. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) would also be investing about $3.5 billion in private businesses in this time period,” Zoellick said.

While the finance minister conveyed his appreciation to the World Bank for increased lending in the wake of financial crisis, he also appreciated the personal contribution of Zoellick who was

Food inflation jumps over 17 per cent in India Food inflation in India surged to 17.47% in the third week of November, fuelled by expensive onions and other essentials, prompting experts to ask RBI to tighten its monetary stance.

RBI itself was in agreement that it would have to reassess the accommodative policy stance going forward, since the economy is on a rebound and prices were rising. While monetary policy does not have a direct bearing on bringing down prices of food products, the demand for tightening money supply is directed towards preventing food inflation from spreading to manufactured items.

Food inflation stood at 15.58% a week ago. On a weekly basis, onions

turned expensive by over 12%, while it surged by 30.89% on a yearly basis.

Pulses rose over 37% while rice, wheat, fruits and milk turned expensive by over 10% year on year.

But the rise in potato prices that have been surging, declined to 94.17% on yearly basis, against 100% rise a week ago. “Food prices must be controlled, otherwise they have a tendency to lead to manufacturing inflation...This will require monetary action by RBI, especially (money) supply management,” Prime Minister’s economic panel chairman C Rangarajan said.

RBI deputy governor Usha Thorat said, “It (accommodative policy) will have to be reassessed.”

instrumental in the approval, by the World Bank Board, of several loan packages to India amounting to $4.3 billion in one single day in September 2009.

Zoellick, on the other hand, sought India’s support in widening the capital base of the World Bank so that it can appropriately meet the needs of developmental finance.

The issue has already been raised by India in the G-20 world leaders meet.

Mukherjee also expressed India’s concern for expeditious completion of the process of voice and quota reforms in the institutions of the World Bank, so as to increase the effective representation of the emerging and developing economies.

Mumbai office space sold for £ 27 mn In what is being billed as the largest commercial property transaction of 2009, Mumbai-based developers Rustomjee have sold 1.42 lakh square feet of office space in Andheri east to public sector SBI Life insurance company for a whopping £27.68 million. The deal was even registered even between the two parties.

The building is located on the Western Express Highway and has been certified as a green building because of its energy efficient design. “The negotiations for purchase of the commercial space were on for past three to four months,’’ said a spokesperson for Rustomjee.

Quality for Community Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

Today we take a look at Standards Imagine a World without standards, majority of all operations would just stop functioning.

Business trade, transport, mobile phones and including your Ipod would just not operate; across every industry from finance to food, housing to health care, government to group of companies, cars to communities. There are many elements of the modern world which are dependent on standards.

Around the world today there are thousands of products, and systems dependent upon information, and without standards these would falter.

Many aspects of our lives are protected, and enriched by the positive contribution of standards. Standards ensure control of various characteristics of products, equipment, systems, and services we use within our community organizations. The importance of safety, reliability, ethical practice, operability, and sense of caring becomes apparent when products and services demonstrate poor quality, and malfunctioning.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) facilitates the development and coordination of global standards which are subsequently interpreted and transformed into local country content where applicable. Over 17,500 International Standards and 27,000 British Standards have been published to date covering nearly every industry sector. These are voluntary, and although standards compliment legislation, they do not impose any regulations, however they help regulations to act more efficiently. It is basically a means of quantifying the Quality rating on a Supplier.

Your community organization may be procuring products and services, for which certain standards could apply in areas such as for example, building design and construction, building materials, energy & environmental management of community halls, noise levels in halls, food management & hygiene, safety signs, electronic equipment, electrical safety, profes-

sional services e.g. legal, financial, medical, catering, etc. Knowing that applicable standards have been applied provides us with a greater level of assurance and confidence in the product and service being used.

Product labels often identify `manufactured in country A’. This should be viewed with caution as manufacturing operations are sometimes outsourced.

Therefore a product’s actual point of origin could be from an unapproved source which may not be adhering to recognised codes and standards.

You may notice products bearing the mark `CE’, which is a manufacturer’s declaration of their product meeting the requirements of an applicable European Directive. This mark also indicates that products are permitted to be legally sold within the European Union. CE marking provides a level of assurance of the product conforming to minimum standards and more importantly health and safety standards.

ArcelorMittal may get Karnataka approvals in December Steel giant Arcelor Mittal may have a different, rather pleasant experience, as Karnataka is going all out to speed up clearances for the project that Lakshmi Mittal wants to set up.

The state government has formed a special screening committee to expedite regulatory clearances and has targeted to give these approvals within this month.

“We welcome ArcelorMittal to set up their 6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) venture here in the state and will clear all necessary approvals in December," Karnataka Commissioner for Industrial Development Raj Khatri said.

ArcelorMittal has identified Karnataka as a possible location – Bellary region for their project, but is yet to disclose the

size of the project in terms of capacity or investment.

"A screening committee, constituted by Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa for expediting the proposals of the steel giant, has cleared the mining lease application of the ArcelorMittal and we will provide all necessary clearances to it this month," Khatri, who is also the Member Secretary of the Screening Committee, said.

Nissan to make India hub for auto components Japanese auto major Nissan, which is putting up a car manufacturing plant in Oragadam near Chennai, is drawing up ambitious plans to source auto components from India to feed its plants in Thailand, China and Japan.

Kiminobu Tokuyama, managing director & CEO of Nissan India Private Ltd, said that his company was planning to use Chennai as a hub for component exports, besides export hub of fully-built cars for European, the Middle East

and African markets.

“We will source components from our vendors and export them to Thailand, China and Japan which have manufacturing lines similar to the one coming up in Chennai.

To begin with (in 2010), we will ship $20 million worth of parts. It will double to $40 million in 2012,” Tokuyama said.

These parts would be over and above the after-sale spare parts which Nissan

would ship for its fullybuilt cars from India.

Nissan is also working on the shipping of cars from Chennai. “From the second half of FY2010 we will c o m m e n c e exports from the Ennore port. For the first full year we would ship 1.1 lakh cars which will gradually be stepped up to 1.8 lakh cars,” he said. In all, cars will be shipped to 100 countries, 30 of which will be in Europe.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

17

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

GOING, GOING, GONE! Last week we featured a four bedroom property in Camden, it’s located in the Borough of Camden, equal distance between Kentish Town and Caledonian Road.

The property was offered at £320,000 and we managed to secure it at £298,000. The property has now exchanged by one of our investors. We will be getting them a tenant that pays £2,506 per month or £578.50 per week.

Looking at the following cash flow will give you

an idea of the money generated by the property.

It’s worth remembering the cash flow is done without any consideration of capital growth. We have treated this as the cherry on the pie, and is a very sensible way of purchasing property. There is talk of a double dip recession, investing in this way means, even if there is a further drop in price - I’m not saying there will be – your investment will be insulated. The price only matters at the point you purchase and the point you sell, in between you are raking money in every month. There are huge regeneration plans for Camden, not least due to the Kings Cross redevelopment planned. This will certainly push the prices of the property upwards.

If you look at the plans for this property it can be seen this is a huge property, 1000 sq ft in total. The kitchen and the reception are too big from a rental yield perspective

MORTGAGE BROKER REQUIRED Are you an outstanding mortgage broker?

If so we want to hear from you!

The ideal candidate must be fully CeMap qualified and should have: mortgage broking experience, a genuine care about the needs and requirements of the client, integrity, professionalism and commitment. Excellent communication and time management skills are essential.

Email your CV to eana@sowandreap.co.uk with a covering letter explaining why you would be suitable for this role.

Mortgages Commercial Finance Gujarat Properties - Sale & Resale Property Sourcing

and not utilised in the best way possible.

Nowadays with lifestyles becoming more quicker and the break down of the family nucleus it is no longer necessary for large kitchens and receptions.

Therefore in order to best utilise this the reception can be split straight down the middle to turn this into two further bedrooms. We will need to have another shower and toilet to ensure the property can be liveable by this number of people.

However not many people may be looking for a Six bedroom flat unless they were a group of sharers. The other avenue you can go down is to rent the property out as an HMO with three bathrooms this is viable. With a large number of students in the

area this could be a viable option.

We would need to look at the market and get the council’s opinion whether they have a requirement for this kind of property prior to doing the work.

Strictly speaking the Freeholder may need to be informed of any internal works dependent

upon the lease details.

However in practise many leaseholders undertake this work and even manage to sell on properties without the change ever being flagged up. The worst case scenario is the freeholder can insist you convert the property back to its original state.

The Saga Continues...

The mews deal we have been working on has taken a twist, after being told we had to purchase it in conjunction with another less lucrative site due to cross guarantees, it has now gone full circle and coincidentally two days after we were sent a redemption statement the attached site had exchanged! Clearly there has been no under handed dealing here (!!!).

This now puts us in the original position of just looking at four mews houses to purchase, however at the higher price of £1.6m to compensate for the loss the bank has made on the other site, which is the difference between what has been lent which is £1m and what they got for the site which was £850,000. The extra £150,000 has been added to the amount outstanding on the mews deal which brings it up from £1.45m to £1.6m. Even at this price it is an excellent deal, though now

slightly less so. The bank has already had a serious offer of £1.7m for this site already. The build cost of the project will be £350,000 and the end value of the total properties will be £3m. In this location investors are happier to do deals with much less margin due to the underlying strength of the area. This ensures very small variation in prices even through harsh times such as what we have just gone through and very strong future growth of the properties.

Our proposal is that the current joint borrowers wish to redeem the mortgage as we are coming in as lenders .The bank cannot refuse anyone from remortgaging.

This is very new territory for the bank and they even took three days out to consider the position.

It can be argued they had no right to exchange on the other site when the borrower wanted to refinance. They are not in the business of selling

and profiting from property their role is to simply lend money and redeem the mortgage at the will of the borrower.

However with this not being such an open and shut case and we not really wanting to go down the route of litigation it may prove more effective to simply close the other part as soon as possible, and hunt for the next deal instead.

We are currently at the time of writing still in limbo and waiting for the bank to allow to redeem the mortgage. I guess this is the nature of the beast we are dealing with. It is not that every deal we look at will be closed. There are always variables which are outside of our control, and there is something called destiny. Sometimes it is simply not meant to be.

All we can do is to ensure we do all due diligence and follow our formula casting our nets again and again, of course some fish will slip away.

Sow & Reap Call On: 0207 706 0187 Email at: info@sowandreap.co.uk

Sow & Reap Properties Limited is trading as Sow & Reap.

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

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

BY

Natural hair loss remedy Hair loss is not a categorised disease but it is a syndrome that concerns anybody of any age and any gender. It can be embarrassing. Natural hair loss remedies are centuries old and these traditional treatments predate the man made chemical solutions by many years.

Communities all over the world have turned to these natural approaches with great success.

Hair loss can be devastating no matter what your age or gender. For those who suffer from hair loss, not much will stop them from seeking out a hair loss remedy.

While there has yet to be found an ultimate cure for hair loss, there are certain things that can help combat the effects.

Exercise - Another popular natural remedy is plain and simply aerobic exercise. Just like massaging, regular exercise is supposed to be able to help deliver the right nutrients to the scalp. This will help keep

these ingredients to help you restore your hair naturally, while helping to keep the rest and you healthy. Natural hair loss remedy has always been trusted by people because it sounds so pure, so it must be good, correct? However, while some treatments work well there is no telling which one will be the most suitable for you, as everyone possesses dif-

the scalp and hair healthy. Minerals such as Zinc and Magnesium also play an important role in having healthy hair, nails and skin. Just stick to the right dosage which should be under 50mg a day. These nutrients make for an effective natural hair loss remedy.

The very best and most effective natural hair loss remedy products should contain

ferent body chemistries.

Keep on your head for 20 minutes and wash once with a neutral shampoo (I used Johnson's Baby shampoo). Rub in the second egg yolk and wash off using only warm water.

After washing your hair with water, massage your scalp for about ten to fifteen minutes. This stimulates the blood to circulate and strengthen the hair follicles in the

Life style

SWATI BHAN

scalp.The best natural hair loss remedy is easily the Saw Palmetto extract. Studies have been conducted to prove the effectiveness of this extract in combating hair loss. This is because it fights the hormone DHT which chokes the hair follicles and causes baldness.

Zinc There have been recent studies conducted that have shown that there are certain formulations of the topical zinc that can actually inhibit DHT in the skin which is known to be leading to the actual reduction of oil as well as helping it to grow. You need to be careful so that you do not overdose that could accelerate your hair loss and it can also cause the loss as well.

Garlic is not just good for our body, but also for our hair.

Garlic extract can remove and destroy harmful toxins and stimulate blood circulation, important in the scalp for proper hair care and growth and prevent hair loss. Addition of garlic extract in shampoo helps to keep hair strong, preventing breakage and hair loss, while adding significant body and shine.

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

How to graciously ride through hardship Now and again life throws us in the deep end and tells us to swim. There is no choice but to fight. We find ourselves in overwhelming situations that we don’t know how to deal with. It could be anything, stress at home, death of a loved one, a personal illness or a case of serious depression. In this article you will find a few ways to deal with the pain and hardships that you will encounter in your life. I hope it inspires you to take the bull by its horns and be strong.

It is important to remember that pain and hardships are inevitable.

No one can escape them.

Every single one of us, at some point in our life, will experience pain, suffering and hardships of some form or another. The quicker that this is accepted the easier it is to be present and alert to what life throws at us.

Accepting this should inspire and liberate as you now have a chance to prepare for it. People who prepare are never as badly affected as those who don’t, this is a fact.

If you want to learn to deal with pain and hardship you need to realise that you have an amazing opportunity to grow as a person. You can prove to yourself that you are strong. You can show yourself that you have strength of character and will-power. The amazing thing about hardships and pain is that they present you with a rare opportunity to grow into a strong and decent human being.

If you always operate within your comfort, you will never develop and the world becomes a mundane place. If you dip your toes into the unknown you may feel slight discomfort for a little while, but if you get through this your comfort zone stretches out and you show yourself you have the strength to get through the hardship.

Remind yourself that pain and hardship is temporary. It is impermanent as nothing at all in this world lasts forever. Try to scale yourself out of the problem and take a macro perspective on life and the ‘issues’ it presents. Be mindful of your impact and know that like attracts like, so if you are positive, positive things will come.

The next time you are going through some pain or hardships you can remind yourself that it won’t last. You can look at everything in history and feel secure in knowing that, no matter how bad things seem now, the problems won’t last forever. What a wonderful thing! Like all things, suffering is also impermanent. Think back to times you thought you would never get through. Now think about exactly how you did. Reminding yourself of your resilience will pull you through even the most difficult issues.

Know that you are not alone and take power from knowing that other people are going through some sort of upset in their life. Sometimes when you

are down, you can feel isolated. Remember that you are not alone and you really don’t know what is happening in people’s life.

Seek council in a friend or someone you trust. When you pen up you will find you get a boost of some really powerful strength.

You get a sense of community and friendship.

Also, remember that you are a spiritual being.

So much time is spent on nurturing our bodies, pandering to a material world and generally focusing on things that are temporary. Remind yourself of your spiritual values.

Be in silence, alone, for a minimum of an hour.

Notice what is going on in your mind, what are you telling yourself. Decide what you are going to do with the voices, split your thoughts (after writing them down) into two categories: positive – helpful to me, negative – unhelpful to me. Focus your energy on the positive; make the most of these thoughts and the least on the negative. Scrub them out and realise that they are like a disease, carrying pollution that will definitely impact and cloud your mind.

‘Lastly, remember that time is a great healer, and if easier focus on the next 5 minutes at a time to make the healing easier.

Don’t worry too much about tomorrow and be focused on getting through as positively as you can with strength and grace, minute by minute.

Good Luck.

If you have any questions write to mamta@abplgroup.com

kitchen

Treats

Chicken Pakoda

Serves 4-5 adults

Ingredients • Boneless Chicken Pieces: 500 gm • Oil: 2 tbsp • Ground Cumin: 1 teaspoon • Salt: 1 1/2 teaspoon • Chopped Green Chillies (Jalapeno): 1-2 each • Chopped Onion: 1 • Ginger-Garlic paste: 1 teaspoon • Vinegar: 2 teaspoon • Curd: 1 cup • Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon Preparation • Put everything but chicken and batter in blender and blend till fine • Marinate the chicken pcs with the

resulting mixture • Keep in the fridge for 40 minutes.

• Put chicken in batter • Deep fry it until its colour changes to golden brown Condiments Serve with cilantro or mint chutney or tomato ketchup

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

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Aamir stretches his break for another year Wants to devote fully on his 3 home productions

Aamir Khan is known to work at his own pace, not working on more than a film at a time. But for more than a year now, he has refused to even go for a single movie for any other director or producer.

After Ghajini, he had decided to enjoy one full year off. Aamir wanted to rejuvenate himself, spend time with his family. He has done precisely that.

Yet, as 2009 is drawing to a close, according to

sources close to him, he may not take any new acting assignment for another year. The reason is that he has three home productions to look after, plus ‘3 Idiots’.

Aamir thinks the three will need his full attention.

He is off since the release of Ghajini in December 2008, Aamir has not signed on the dotted line for any project. Filmmakers who have approached him

with projects have been told that Aamir intends to take approximately one more year to supervise the post-production and final look of the three films that he has produced in 2009 - “Delhi Belly”, “The Falling” and wife Kiran Rao’s “Dhobi Ghat.”

Aamir feels, all three projects need serious fine-tuning and have been delayed because he has been busy finishing and promoting 3 Idiots.

Shahid Kapoor sculpted eight-pack abs Shahid Kapoor has done it better than Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh. Shahid will now show off eightpack abs in his forthcoming film "Chance Pe Dance".

Trainer Abbas Ali said they managed to achieve the new look in a very short time for

"Chance Pe Dance", directed by Ken Ghosh.

"Shahid had to look cosmetically presentable.

After 'Kaminey' we had only two months in hand to change his complete look. It's Shahid's sheer hard work, dedication and consistency that transformed him from what he used to look a couple of years ago to his present

look," Abbas said.

"His body in 'Chance Pe Dance' is better than all his previous films. Shahid told me that dancers are coming from abroad and he wants to look like god and move like god. I had to change the entire training to bring that look along with flexibility and muscle

endurance which was required for his dance per-

formance, " he said.

Shahid first started working on his body for Vishal Bharadwaj's "Kaminey" as he had to run with horses in a scene.

"Shahid didn't have a muscular body. I w a s training h i m

only for fitness.

Shahid didn't want a picture perfect body in 'Kaminey' because the film shows that he comes f r o m

street and doesn't workout in high-tech gym," said Abbas.

For "Chance Pe Dance" Shahid needed a sculpted body and practiced five days a week. He also had to work on his diet.

"Shahid is a vegetarian and he doesn't even takes egg so first class protein, which is required to build lean muscle, was not there. White carbohydrate was removed from his diet, like white potatoes and pasta. We added

brown carbohydrate like brown rice, sweet potato, oats instead.

"We didn't go for low carbohydrates because if you go for low carbohydrates your performance level goes down in real life. He has to dance so we couldn't go for low carbohydrates."

Akshay to go slow on the number films Akshay Kumar has been instrumental in bringing in approximately pound 104 - 130 million to the box office in the last five years, if the overseas market collections are included, say analysts.

Says Analyst Amod Mehra, "He runs an industry of his own where he has taken on the mighty Khans and is still standing.

Interestingly, he made it big after around 80 films.

You can see he has a great connect with the masses as even after his films did not do that well since Jumbo (end of 2008), when his latest release opened at the counters, it got a phenomenal opening. People love Akshay for the entertainment he brings them. He has brought crores to the industry and filled his pockets too.

Because of his appeal, he can demand astronomical figures and people pay him."

Akshay, who has never been a critics' favourite, says: "Everybody is doing their work.

They (critics) don't like my work but people like me.

I'm satisfied that I'm entertaining the people -- my job only demands me to do that."

And what is his lucky charm? "I have lived a charmed life. When I look around I can see so many who are much better actors than me, much better lookers and even much better dancers, but

Lady Luck has been by my side --maybe because of the hard work I have put in for years. I have four-five movies releasing every year, unlike others who have one or two. I

have to put in this much more because I don't think I'm very talented. But I know that by working harder, I can match them."

However, the Khiladi says that so much work is making him sense a burnout. "I'm passionate about what I'm doing and that has kept me going, but I feel that I shouldn't be doing so much any more. I have promised myself and my family that from 2011, I will only do maximum three films a year. I have reached a level where I can afford to enjoy life," he says.

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Marry me, Karan!

Film producer/director Karan Johar recently received a marriage proposal from an Uzbekistan fan. The fan proposed marriage to him in the mail along with a specially designed carpet with his image on it, thus dismissing the belief that it is only the lead actors and actresses who get marriage proposals in fan mail.

The parcel reached Karan on last week and he was pleased to see the carpet. The parcel also contained a love letter from a girl, Dilbahar, which carried a marriage proposal for Karan.

Although he was very touched that a fan had spent some time to write some nice things about him and had given him such a valuable present, he was also left a little embarrassed.

Rahman, Amjad Ali get Grammy nominations Music maestros A R Rahman and Amjad Ali Khan are in the race to win Grammy awards this year. While Rahman has been nominated in two Grammy categories for his music in “Slumdog Millionaire,” Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has received a nomination for his album, Ancient Sounds, in the traditional world music album category. Rahman, the ‘Mozart of Madras’, has been named in the best soundtrack for motion pictures, television or other visual media category and in the best song for motion picture, television and other visual media category for ‘Jai ho’, the official Grammy website said.

Written by lyricist Gulzar, ‘Jai ho’ has been sung

by Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vijay Prakash and Rahman himself. This are Rahman’s first Grammy nominations. He won two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire and the best original score award at the 2009 Golden Globe Award.

The album, Ancient Sounds, brings sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Iraqi-American oud player Rahim AlHaj together for the first time. The album, released by Times Music, has seven tracks composed and written by Khan, except for one track composed by AlHaj.

A drunk girl hugs and kisses Vivek Oberoi A drunk girl at a five-star hotel in Mumbai recently grabbed Vivek Oberoi and started kissing him.

According to an eye-witness, Vivek was at a suburban fivestar hotel for a friend's birthday party, when a young girl sprang out of nowhere and started kissing him. She appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. She just kept saying she was very excited to meet Vivek. First she gave him a huge hug and then she kissed him.

The entire episode left the Oberoi jr. totally red faced.

But before the situation could become more embarrassing, the security guards were called in. They asked her to leave but at Vivek's request, they let her be.

But a birdie tells us that his most embarrassing moment yet was when he got his butt-pinched by a group of girls in London.

"It was like being in a Mumbai local train. He thinks girls in London are very daring and bold. Vivek was completely in shock! It was the most unusual tryst with his fans in Vivek's life," he adds.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Saif only has only one film on hand!

Sonam Kapoor finds working with Abhay Deol easy

After “Kurbaan” Saif Ali Khan has not signed any film besides his home production “Agent Vinod” with Kareena Kapoor. So is he out or work after that? "Yes, I have no work after Agent Vinod. I am currently concentrating only on my home production," he says.

Saif states that “Agent Vinod” is an action thriller with "loads of adventure". "But, it will also be very real. My character is not going to be a wannabe James Bond. We are still developing the character and right now I am losing some weight for the movie," he said.

While Saif says that he loves taking on different roles, his experimentation with acting didn’t just happen.

"I was never meant to be an actor, but I have grown a lot as one while doing a lot of films. I developed my potential and I do think certain films tapped into my insides. After my role in Dil Chahta Hai, directors started looking at me differently," he says.

Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, who is playing the female lead in dad Anil Kapoor’s home production “Aisha”, says she and co-star Abhay Deol have similar acting styles, making it easier for her to give her best.

“It was great working with Abhay.

I feel we have very similar acting styles that made working with him so easy. It’s always nice to work with someone who has done the kind of work you would want to do,”

Sonam said.

Based on Jane Austen’s novel “Emma”, “Aisha” is being directed

by Rajshree Ojha and produced by Anil Kapoor and his younger daughter Rhea Kapoor. It is expected to be released in April next year.

Asked if she too would like to don the producer’s hat like her father and sister, Sonam said: “I don’t want to get into production or anything. I have left that for my sister and my father. I am a more creative person and thus acting is what is more suitable for me rather than the production side of a film.”

Madhur Bhandarkar turns to comedy now After making serious cinema, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has turned to his attention to comedy now.

'Yes, I'm starting a comedy, though not slapstick like 'De Dana Dan'.

It would be more like the comedies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee,' Bhandarkar, who is known for making films like 'Chandni Bar', 'Satta', 'Page 3' and 'Corporate', said.

In January next year, the director will launch five films under his banner Bhandarkar Films.

'Two of these will be

directed by me. Three others will be produced by me and directed by newcomers who I think deserve a

break,' he said.

The director will direct two films one after the other in the first few months of 2010. While one of them is a comedy, the other will be hard-hitting on women's subject.

'I'm not giving up my forte. I'm identified with a certain kind of cinema and I'll continue to make that kind of cinema.

Some people said 'Jail' was too grim. But I'm sat-

isfied with the end-product and it won't lose money for anyone. But first I need to spread some laughter,' he said.

Bhandarkar had a special screening of his recently released 'Jail' in Delhi for BJP leader L K Advani who came with his daughter Pratibha.

'They all loved the film.

Pratibha Advani said Jail was my best work to date.

After the screening, I asked Advaniji to call up Manoj Bajpai and Neil Nitin Mukesh since he liked their performances so much.'

Deepika gets another special someone After her break-up with Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone has moved on in life! The leggy lass has had many boyfriends and breakups but the actress doesn’t get affected and gets another one as soon as the earlier one departs.

Apart from nonceleb guys, she was linked to cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and then Yuvvraj Singh, with whom she broke off after Ranbir Kapoor dashed into her life.

And now after her much-hyped break up with Ranbir, she has got another special someone.

Now, the question is – who is he? It’s unbelievable but the actress is cur-

rently going around with rocking Farhan Akhtar. If sources are to be believed, Farhan happily lend his shoulder to the heartbroken girl during the making of ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ and the two got closer.

Call it the break-up effect or whatever but Deepika now relies completely on Farhan. A source said, "Deepika`s break-up with Ranbir happened while ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’ was still being made. Since Farhan is her co-star, the two really bonded well to the extent that it seems Farhan is the special person in Deepika`s life."

The actors are often spotted together, exchanging sweet-nothings.

Before embarking on an acting career, Sonam worked as an assistant with Sanjay Leela Bhansali during the making of “Black”. Later she made her big screen debut in Bhansali’s “Saawariya”.

Asked how she felt when people referred to her as the thinking actress, she said: “It’s nice that people think this way.

Every woman and artist would be happy if people think like that about her.

So am I. I think it’s because of the kind of work that I have done that this image has been created. It makes me happy.”

Kareena will do anything for mother Babita Kareena Kapoor will do anything to please her mother Babita. Recently she has agreed to do “3 Idiots” without reading the script to please her mother, who is a Sindhi like film's director Rajkumar Hirani.

Hirani amusingly revealed Kareena’s reaction when he called her up to discuss the film.

“When I called Kareena for ‘3 Idiots’ she got excited and immediately told me that she wants to do the film. She didn’t even read the script. Kareena’s mother is Sindhi and after having watched ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ told her, ‘there’s one Sindhi director who makes good films, work with him.’ I told her, 'Please read the script before signing this film. Don’t do this film because I’am Sindhi,” Hirani said.

Jiah ignored by co-stars!!

Even after having worked with biggies like Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, if an upcoming Jiah has to struggle to gain acceptability among the fellow actors, it sounds a bit amazing, yet it is true.

Jiah Khan was coldshouldered by Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta, as the three damsels were working together in Sajid Khan’s ‘Housefull’.

It seems, for Deepika and Lara, “Two’s company, three’s a crowd” was the mantra they followed.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

www.abplgroup.com

21

BollyKats

Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year

Amitabh’s compliment leaves Vidya blushing Amitabh Bachchan’s compliment has left Vidya Balan blushing. The senior Bachchan had said in a recent interview that Vidya "has the grace and beauty of Waheeda Rehman". He had further added that Vidya’s Indianness reminded him of the star with whom he worked in his

earlier films like “Trishul,” “Kabhie Kabhie” and “Adalat.”

A pal of Vidya’s reveals that Vidya is extremely delighted by the superstar’s compliments. "What more she could ask for. She is deeply humbled and at the same time dumbfounded.”

Vidya has stated in this regard, “It was very kind of him (Amitabh

Bachchan) to say something like that. Waheedaji was known for her beauty

and grace and being compared to her is like receiving a great award. Amitji has been generous with his compliments. I’m speechless.”

She further adds, “I got the opportunity to work with him and Abhishek and it has been a great experience. I sincerely wish I get more roles like this in the future.”

Celina wants a beauty pageant for eunuchs

A comedy flick from the Yash Raj Films banner, Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year is on the world of professionals in marketing.

Harpreet Singh Bedi has just graduated, and his marks are, well, let’s say a little embarrassing. But marks never stopped him from dreaming of an exciting and adventurous career, and they never will.

He takes a deep, positive breath and dives into the world of sales, rumoured to be an ultra cool career for all smart people blocked from entering medical, engineering or business schools by brainless entrance exams. It’s everything he dreamt of, with its smooth dressing, smoother talking men and women who can sell ice to an Eskimo, dreams to an insomniac, and a lifetime mobile connection to a dying man. But soon, his idea of success begins clashing with the strange ways of these ‘professionals’ and ‘bosses’ he looked up to.

“Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year” is the sometimes thoughtless, sometimes thoughtful story of a fresh graduate trying to find a balance between the maddening demands of the ‘professional’ way, and the way of his heart – and stumbling upon a crazy way which turned his world upside down, and his career right side up.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film is directed

by Shimit Amin, while Jaideep Sahni has the credits for story, screenplay, dialogues and lyrics. The cast of the film consists of Ranbir Kapoor, Shazahn Padamsee, Prem Chopra, Mukesh Bhatt, Gauhar Khan, D. Santosh, Naveen Kaushik and Manish Choudhary.

Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have composed the music. Salim along with Benny Dayal and Vishal Dadlani have lent their voice for the playback.

New Hindi movie releasing this week

which was held at Thane, Mumbai where Celina was the guest of honor.

Laxmi Narayan, the CEO of 12 Noon entertainment, and the organizer of the pageant confirmed the news and say, “Yes, we (12 Noon entertainment) along with a corporate house called VCare decided to dedicate a beauty pageant solely to eunuch community. And I feel extremely proud to have my friend Celina and Salman Khan, who could not make it today, to support us for this initiative.”

Celina too sounded very excited about the whole venture and says,

“Such initiatives prove that beauty is not just confined to skin show.

It’s the soul, which should be beautiful, and I am sure everyone who would be walking the ramp is a great soul. I wish my friend Laxmi luck and my support is always with her.”

The Grand Finale of Indian Super Queen pageant is to be organized in the month of January on the 30th at either New Delhi or Amsterdam. The semifinals for the same would be held at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.

I can’t go around asking for roles: Neha

Neha Dhupia has been around for more than six years now and has done films as diverse as “Mithya” and “Julie”. But she neither believes in boasting about her body of work nor is she keen to approach leading actors and filmmakers to rope her in for their films.

“This is the way I have been throughout my career. I am not the type who would go and tell everyone what I have done in the past,” Neha said.

After having debuted opposite Ajay Devgn in “Qayamat” (2003), she has worked in close to 30 movies.

“What’s the point in doing that when you have your work to speak for itself? This is not to say that I am less ambitious than

anyone. I work as hard as anyone else. It’s just that I can’t serve myself on a platter,” she said.

This is the reason why she is not complaining even if she is playing a supporting role in films like “Singh Is Kinng” and just released “De Dana Dan” with Katrina Kaif as the leading lady opposite Akshay Kumar.

“There is a thin distinction between lead and supporting roles today. You may not be a romantic lead in a film, but then you have to see the kind of value you bring to a film.

“For example, when Vipul approached me for ‘Singh Is Kinng’, I asked him why he was giving me that

role. When he told me that he could visualise only me to be doing that role, I took it as a backhanded compliment.”

“When it comes to commercial cinema, I have to thank people like Vipul, whose sensibilities I completely agree with, and Priyadarshan, with whom I have worked in ‘Chup Chup Ke’ and ‘Garam Masala’ earlier.

They have a l w a y s approached me whenever there is something good in the offing,” Neha said.

Lata Mangeshkar says she grows young with age

1. Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year

Top 4 Bollywood movies for the week ended 10th December No. Film

No. Last Week

1.

De Dana Dan

New

1

2.

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab 3

5

Kahani

Celina Jaitley is well known for her contribution towards the emancipation of marginalized sections of society and she has gone an extra mile recently. She gave her support to one of the best friends the Guru of Hijras Laxmi Narayan Tripathi for country’s first Eunuch beauty pageant called “Indian Super Queen’.

This news was disclosed at the World AIDS Day function,

Total weeks

3.

Kurbaan

1

2

4.

Tum Mile

4

3

The grand dame of Indian music, Lata Mangeshkar, who has been honoured with France's highest civilian award says she continues to grow young with age.

"I turned 81 on September last. But I am very young at heart. So I have reversed the order of the figure. I feel like an 18year-old," Lata said while accepting the honour at a function organised by the French government.

"France and India have always stood for values like fraternity, equality and liberty. I thank the French Government for

pagne famous world bestowing this over. I am a great highly prestifan of France." gious honour on "Besides other me," Lata said. things, I found The 'Legion peace, which I am d'Honneur looking for, in a (Legion of church there," said Honour) is the Lata, who was clad highest distincin her trademark tion that can be simple saree. conferred by the Lata, famous as French Republic the 'Nightingale of on a French citiIndia' also thanked zen as well as on her family and film a foreigner. industry.

Showering Lata Mangeshkar honoured with the "It is because of praise on France, 'Insignia of Officer de la Legion d'Honneur' them, what I am which she says is today. I consider a regular on her brave hearts as well as myself to be very lucky," travel itinerary, Lata said, beauty. So are its pershe said.

"France is the land of fumes, wine and cham-

22

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai may go under water by 2100

In divine light

Major Study Doubles Sea Level Rise Projections Days before the Copenhagen conference on climate change kicked off, a major study by a group of 100 international scientists has said that sea levels are likely to rise by as much as 1.4 metres (more than 4 feet) by the end of this century. That’s twice as much as previously predicted in IPCC’s fourth assessment report of 2007.

The report released by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is the first comprehensive review of the impact of global warming on Antarctica. The IPCC’s 2007 report had projected that sea levels could rise by 18cm to 59cm by 2099.

Subsequent studies of glacial melts in Greenland

and Antarctica had raised fears that sea rise could be much higher than that.

“We can see the west Antarctic glaciers are shrinking at a rate fast enough to contribute to a sea level rise of 1.4 m by 2100, but it will be no more than that,” SCAR executive director Colin Summerhayes told reporters at a media briefing in London.

If these projections come true, most areas in low-lying island nations like the Maldives would go under the sea. Based on earlier studies, the UN’s environmental panel has already warned that sea levels would be high enough to make the Maldives uninhabitable by

2100. The new study also significantly enhances the threat to the Indian coast — and cities like Mumbai, Chennai and the low-lying Kolkata.

“Anybody who lives in coastal cities needs to be slightly worried by projections of 1 metre or more,” Summerhayes said.

Since 1870, global sea level has risen by about 20cm at an average rate of 1.7 mm/year. But in recent decades, the rate has risen sharply to 2.5mm/year, according to the latest figures. The rise in sea level is mainly a result of thermal expansion of the ocean due to global warming as well as increased water inflows from melting glaciers and ice caps.

Attempt to murder case filed against Asaram Bapu, two others A complaint has been filed against Asaram Bapu and two others for allegedly attempting to murder a former follower of the religious guru here, police said on Monday.

The FIR has been lodged following an attack on Raju Chandak, who was shot at by two unknown persons in Ramnagar locality of

Asaram Bapu

Sabarmati late last night, they said.

According to the police, based on the statement of Chandak, recuperating in a private hospital in Ahmedabad, Asaram has been made the prime accused on whose alleged instance the two men fired at him while he was returning home on a motorcycle.

Gujarati language owes its origin to Jain writers Origin of Gujarati literature has been traced to 12 – 15th century Gujarati language emerged out of Jain tradition. Jain saints and the tradition of writing pioneered the development of Gujarati language and literature.

The first phase of Gujarati literature, generally claimed from the 12th century to the early 15th century, was dominated by Jain authors. The oldest ‘Ras’ poem of 1185 ‘Bharatesvara-bahubali Ras’ was by Shalibhadra Sur, a Jain saint. Sisir Kumar Das, a writer has claimed it in his book, published by the Sahitya Academy, Delhi.

Other prominent writers and scholars also subscribe to the theory.

“Rasa, originally a folk dance which slowly acquired the features of dramatic presentation, was adopted by Jain

authors in long narratives divided in short parts. The themes of the ‘rasas’ are legends associated with Jain saints. The period is dominated almost exclusively by the Jain poets,” wrote Sisir Kumar Das in ‘The History of Indian Literature 500-1399’, published by Sahitya Academy, Delhi. Another great influence on Gujarati language was Jain saint Hemchandracharya, whose writings are known as Gurjara Apabhramsa.

The specimens of the Apabhramsa are to be found in the Prakrit grammar of Hemchandracharya (1088-1172), the great Jain monk. He lived during the reign of Siddhraj and Kumarpal, both kings of Solanki dynasty.

“In Hemchandracharya’s great work, we can spot the Gujarati writings very

clearly.

In many ways the Jain saints were pioneers for Gujarati language,” says Kumarpal Desai, Jain scholar.

Hemchandracharya also collected many ‘dohas’ in ‘apabhramsa’ as illustrations of different forms of poetry which are generally considered as part of the protohistory of Gujarati literature.

“The Jain tradition of writing helps a lot in formation of Gujarati language. They were pioneers,” says eminent writer of Gujarati language and Padma Shri Bholabhai Patel. “Even today, Jain granths have manuscripts of more than 1400 writers. All manuscripts are kept in protected ‘bhandars’ as these are great source of knowledge,” adds Desai

Sarnath to have tallest Buddha statue

In memory of the centuries old Buddha statues which were pulled down in Bamiyan by Taliban, a private trust is setting up the tallest Lord Buddha statue in India at the pilgrimage centre of Sarnath.

The 90-feet-tall statue which is almost 80 per cent complete would be installed next year,

Mrigday Van Mahavihara society secretary Dharam Rashmi said.

The statue, estimated to cost around pound 2.62 lakh,is an effort by Buddhist followers to commemorate the destruction caused by the Taliban about eight years ago.

It will be installed in the Sarnath Thai temple, near Varanasi, Rashmi said.

BY RAJEN VAKIL

Duhshasana – the epitome of indiscipline and chaos D u h s h a s a n a , Duryodhana’s younger brother, worships the ground Duryodhana walks upon.

Duhshasana was the instrument of Duryodhana’s evil intentions, whether trying to poison and drown Bhima, or attempting to kill the Pandava clan in the palace of lac, or the disrobing (vastraharan) of Draupadi. He was the doer to Duryodhana’s desires, and as a consequence, is a much reviled character in the Mahabharata.

Patanjali begins the Yoga Sutra with ‘Atha Yoga Anushasanam’.

‘Shasa’ means a discipline and ‘Anushas’ means to follow a discipline. By extension, ‘shishya’ (or disciple) means one who follows a discipline. The disciple follows the disciplines of regulated sleep, food intake, the regularity of his practices, and in the way he approaches life itself. ‘Duhsh’ means corrupted or impure, therefore Duhshasana implies one whose discipline is impure or corrupted, or the one whose life energies are in total chaos. Once again, the key to the character is revealed in the name itself.

How does Duhshasana connect with us in our daily lives?

It does, in a most subtle, yet profound and effecting way.

As we go about our day, we perform many activities unconsciously.

Yet these actions show our consonance or dissonance with our inner being. One of the most compelling examples of this is our breathing. Our breathing variations clearly reflect our psychological indiscipline, changing with every thought and emotion. If we practice the threestep rhythmic breathing for all twenty-four hours, we will have taken a big step in the transformation from Duhshasana to yoga anushasana.

If our breathing is in an even rhythm, then our life-force or ‘prana’ is in rhythm; the mind is calm and peaceful, we are deeply relaxed and in tune with our original nature. Whatever we do to calm the mind and increase our levels of energy is anushasana, and anything we do that disturbs our energy is Duhshasana.

Yet we continue to

allow Duhshasana to rule us; unnecessary emotions like anger and irritation create chaos, trivial disappointments disturb us, we are upset when things do not go our way, we find things to worry about in almost anything, and in our brains we are chattering all the time. All this saps our energies and prana.

If Duryodhana is vanity then Duhshasana is the indiscipline that feeds vanity, convincing Duryodhana that he is always right and others are always wrong. In the M a h a b h a r a t a , Duhshasana supports Duryodhana at all times; he feeds his vanity with his praises, much the way our inner vanity is fed by our imagination of what we think ourselves to be.

Our undisciplined imagination creates images of us which may be the opposite of who we are, yet our vanity convinces us this image is the right one. We may imagine that we are kind, loving and generous but in reality are exactly the opposite. We may go through life, mildly successful and influential, confident that we have arrived, yet this may be a facade. Our falsified perceptions hypnotise us, and we may not be able to break the spell throughout our lives. If someone says something contrary to the picture or image we have of ourselves, we are easily offended and this is the cause of much violence, unhappiness and conflict. Spirituality means to be able to see our true nature for what it is and this is never possible when we have imaginary pictures about ourselves.

The most dramatic and visually forceful scene in the Mahabharata is the disrobing of Draupadi. The popular visualization of

the scene is thus: one end of her clothes is in the hand of Duhshasana trying to pull them off. As he pulls off one wrapped layer of garment, on the other side is the hand of Lord Krishna, wrapping her in a new covering.

Draupadi symbolizes sexual energy, the finest and most precious possession of humans. As we mention this, the visualization and significance of the disrobing scene becomes clear. On one hand, this sexual force is in the hands of the divine Lord Krishna, encapsulating us, protecting us.

On the other hand, it is in the hands of our own indiscipline and excitement, represented by Duhshasana.

This, then, is the fundamental choice we face in our lives: how we use our inner sexual force, the basic creative energy of life. If we waste it, we are Duhshasana, and if we work on this energy to send it back to its source, who is Lord Krishna, then we assimilate ourselves into our divine nature.

Draupadi is born of fire, and of fire we have two choices: will we be slaves to the flames of passion, or create and sustain the glow of austerity. We must control our slavishness to excitement, and our urge for something new all the time. Instead, we should try to view our world through the eyes of sensitivity. Sensitivity brings joy and will alter our perception of what is enduring and what is not, also balance and conserve our energies, leading it back to its source. If we are able to kill the Duhshasana within us, our hypnosis breaks, we experience everlasting bliss and wake up in this dream we call life.

(Edited by Anuj Sharma. Illustrations by Siddhartha Ramanuj)

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

TRS stalls Andhra assembly over Telangana row After a 48 hour bandh in Hyderabad and 9 districts of Telangana region, life was back to normal on Tuesday, but TRS members repeatedly interrupted the proceedings in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly, demanding a resolution be passed in the house about forming the separate Telangana state.

They had the support of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and all other parties except MIM. The Congress members said they would go by the decision of party president Sonia Gandhi.

Meanwhile, violence and a spate of suicides by people who want a separate state of Telangana has put the Congress into a spot, as they were surprised particularly at the involvement of students in the Telangana stir. The intensity of the agitation has also forced the Congress leadership to ponder over the options with the party.

TRS leader K Chandrasekhara Rao's fast-unto-death entered

the 10th day on Tuesday, when doctors attending on him said his condition is precarious. Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy had to adjourn the house twice as TRS legislators rushed to the podium after he rejected their adjournment motion. The TRS wanted the house to pass a resolution for a separate state of Telangana. There was also slogan shouting by the TRS members and counter shouting by the Congress members also.

TRS, the main opposition TDP and all other parties except Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen (MIM) are demanding that the house pass a resolution.

The parties expressed their views at an emergency all-party meeting convened by chief minister K. Rosaiah Monday night.

KC Rao’s health precarious, say doctors TRS leader K Chandrasekhara Rao's life is in danger, as per the medical team monitoring his health at the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences.

Speaking to reporters, NIMS director B Prasada Rao said that KCR was not cooperating with the doctors for his treatment and said if he doesn’t discontinue his hunger strike, his life would be in danger.

Cong top brass in a huddle Telangana on Monday remained on the boil and the 48-hour bandh called

by TRS demanding separate statehood saw five more suicides, forcing a worried Centre to review its options.

The suicides on Monday took the death toll to 17. Activists resorted to arson, destruction of public and private properties and demolition of cell phone towers. Train passengers were the worst hit as TRS activists stopped trains for over six hours at some stations.

A worried Congress leadership was forced to look at its options, with party chief Sonia Gandhi discussing the matter with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram and law minister Veerappa Moily.

Tamil parties to contest Lankan Prez election Continued from page 1 President Rajapakse and former military commander Sarath Fonseka were sending messengers seeking the support of all the Tamil MPs. They were also personally meeting TNA MPs for support, Sivaji Lingam said, asserting that Tamils would never support them. “We are ready to face any situation that may arise if we refused to support Sinhalese candidates. We are ready to sacrifice even our lives. If no one from TNA came forward to contest, I myself will contest,” he said.

UNP leader joins SLFP On Monday, Fonseka hopes received another jolt, as the Sri Lankan opposition lost one of its

senior leaders who switched sides to the ruling SLFP and declared support to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

S.B. Dissanayake, the

Continued from page 1

four new nuclear reactors would be set up by Russia in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and a site for the fifth one has been identified in West Bengal.

Mr Singh said the agreement on nuclear

fears that renegade Tamil fighters might target him during the election campaign. He said, "My security unit had 25 vehicles when I was in the army,

• Tamil National Alliance says they cannot support Rajapakse or Fonseka • Former Army chief says he fears attack on him during election campaign national organiser for the United National Party (UNP) and the opposition leader of the Central Provincial Council, at a hurriedly convened crowded news conference said the entry of the commander into politics was ‘dangerous’ for the UNP and the island nation.

Fonseka fears for his life Meanwhile, Fonseka himself has expressed

now it is reduced to two or three," he said. "But the risk is now even greater because I am contesting elections."

Presidential elections in Sri Lanka have often been violent. In 1994, the Tigers were accused of assassinating a top contender. In 1999, president Chandrika Kumaratunga survived a suicide bombing during her re-election bid.

Russia commits nuke fuel, 5 more reactors to India

The agreements were signed after talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin here, during which they discussed a whole range of issues, including terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

"Today we have signed an agreement that broadens the reach of our cooperation beyond supplies of nuclear reactors to areas of research and development and a whole range of areas in nuclear energy," Singh told a joint press conference with Medvedev.

Mr Singh said the agreement would deepen and strengthen the already existing nuclear cooperation between the two countries under which

Defence ties to be extended to 2020 cooperation was a major step forward and that both the leaders were satisfied over the agreement on nuclear power cooperation.

The two sides also signed agreements on extending their long term military cooperation programme for another 10 years till 2020, on the after sales and product support of the Russian origin military hardware and a protocol for the joint development and production of multi-role transport air-

craft for the armed forces.

Singh and Medvedev also discussed regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, in which both the countries have a stake and favoured a "stable and prosperous" Afghanistan.

India and Russia will intensify cooperation to meet the grave challenges of terrorism and religious extremism.

Noting that he was visiting Russia for the second time in six months, Singh said this reflected the close ties between the two countries. He said Russia is a major power and a factor of peace and stability in the international system.

"India accords highest priority in its relations with Russia and this relationship stands on a firm footing and is not influenced by relations with any other country," he said.

23

Candle lit vigil in London to highlight the plight of Tamils in Lanka Hindu and Tamil organisations from across the UK are to hold a candlelit vigil in front of the House of Parliament in London to highlight the humanitarian crisis facing the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.

The vigil will take place between 18.30 to 19.30 on Wednesday 9 December, 2009 on Parliament Square.

Up to a third of a million people have lost their homes and other moorings and forced to live in appalling, inhuman conditions in detention camps. The inmates, short of drinking water, food, and healthcare, living in the midst of filth, are prey to preventable illness, infection, malnutrition, depression and other psychological disorders, resulting in large numbers of inmates dying on a weekly basis.

The Hindu Community are urging the Sri Lankan Government to allow aid providing organisations to distribute humanitarian aid direct to the Internally Displaced people (IDP) and let a European Delegation including British Hindus access to the camps.

Representative British Hindu organisations, including Hindu Forum

of Britain, Hindu Council UK, National Council of Hindu Temples UK, Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK, National Hindu Students Forum, along with the Global Human Rights Defence and the British Tamil Forum are taking part in the campaign.

Bharti Tailor, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said: “We urge the community to come to the vigil and put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to alleviate the appalling suffering of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.

“The evidence is overwhelming and shows the magnitude of the problem facing the displaced Tamil community in Sri Lanka and it’s vital that the international community take urgent action to erase the suffering.”

Brij Mohan Gupta, joint secretary general of the Hindu Council UK, added: “Having seen the evidence of the sufferings of these innocent people, we are deeply moved by their plight. Despite the cessation of fighting, there is still a huge amount to work that needs to be done and we hope our campaign will galvanise action.”

Dr Girdhari Bhan president of Vishwa

Hindu Parishad UK said: “It is important that both the UK and Indian Governments persuade the Government of Sri Lanka to negotiate a political settlement with the Tamil community that guarantees their safety, security and dignity, and grants them their due political rights.

Nizaad Bissumbhar secretary of Global Human rights Defence said: “So far the Sri Lankan Government has refused access to outside agencies from providing aid. Sri Lanka must be persuaded to change its stance. It is vital to provide humanitarian aid to the Tamil IDPs as soon as possible and be distributed directly to them.”

Kajal Velani president of the National Hindu Students Forum said: “Most people are still ignorant about the ground reality in Sri Lanka and they need to wake up to the problems to avoid further human suffering and large scale loss of life.”

N Shanmuganathan of the Friends of Tamils, said: “It is imperative to persuade the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately release the IDPs from the camps in which they have been detained.”

24

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Walk with sharks & dolphins in Surat!

India’s 1st marine tunnel aquarium to come up soon The thrill of navigating through a see-through tunnel on a travelator with sharks, dolphins and other fish hovering over you will be a reality for Surtis and people of Gujarat, most of whom have seen this sight in places like Singapore.

A marine tunnel aquarium is what Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has planned and with all ground work having been done for the first of its kind in the country, the tunnel is likely to come up here in 18 to 24 months time. “We are looking at the possibility of a 66 or 100 metre long snake shaped tunnel,” said Mukesh Dalal, chairman, SMC standing committee.

“Central Marine Fish Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, has been appointed as consultant for the project and they have submitted the draft bids to SMC,” he added.

“All presentations are ready as conceptual permission is obtained from competent authority but

the allotment of the fund would be done in the coming year’s budget,” said mayor Ranjit Gilitwala.

Estimated cost of the project is Rs 15 crore and could go up if SMC opts for a longer tunnel, said DC Gandhi, in-charge engineer and garden cell project chief of SMC. SMC already has 25,722 sq mt space at Jagdishchandra Bose Udyan in Adajan where first phase of the proposed aquarium project is coming up. To be made up of imported acrylic sheets, the tunnel would be 4

metre broad.

“Bids for this would be invited from abroad as no one does this in India.

Also the size of the tunnel is yet to be decided and would depend on the cost factor and geographical conditions,” said Dalal.

“We saw such an aquarium in Singapore and were inspired by it,” said Gilitwala.

In the first phase, a shark pool will be constructed. It will be about 18 to 20 feet high, 40 feet long and 30 feet wide, said S Aparna, municipal commissioner.

With Dhaka’s help, fugitive Ulfa boss brought to Delhi United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa was flown to Delhi after he was pushed back to Tripura from Bangladesh, the two neighbours pulling off the biggest undeclared deportation of a most-wanted fugitive in recent memory. The stunning high-value transfer, which neither side would confirm on record because of the absence of an extradition treaty, is being seen as an unparalleled goodwill gesture before the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India on December 19.

Rajkhowa heads the political wing of the banned Ulfa that had been blamed for several terror strikes in Assam, including blasts last month in which at least eight people were killed. With the capture of Rajkhowa, one of the five founder leaders of Ulfa, its entire political leadership is now in custody, fuelling speculation that the cornered outfit could soon agree to hold talks without the usual

key condition of sovereignty” being on the agenda. India’s Union home minister P. Chidambaram, without making any mention of the detention of Rajkhowa, told the Rajya Sabha: “It is quite likely that the Ulfa leadership will make a political statement in a few days. If they wish to talk, we are ready, provided they formally abjure violence and drop the demand of sovereignty.”

The status of Rajkhowa is shrouded in mystery. In order to spare Bangladesh compulsions to explain the transfer, India could officially claim that the Ulfa leader crossed over and surrendered or turned up for talks. National security adviser M.K. Narayanan said: “I don’t think he (Rajkhowa) has been arrested. If at all it will happen, probably he may surrender.”

Along with Rajkhowa, Ulfa publicity secretary Apurba Baruah was flown to Delhi. Sources said the two were pushed across the Akhaura checkpoint, 6

km west of Agartala on the border, by Bangladesh.

The two were flown from Tripura by a special aircraft to Delhi and later transferred to a safe house.

Another mostwanted fugitive from the Northeast, Ranjan Daimary, has been detained in Bangladesh but not been transferred.

Daimary is the chief of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (antitalks faction).

The implications of the unofficial transfers are farreaching, not the least because Bangladeshi territory was being used as a staging post by assorted extremist groups, including some supported by Pakistan, to launch terror strikes on India. An interim military regime and subsequently Hasina, the India-friendly leader who won a landslide victory in the Bangladesh elections, had tried to crack down on such outfits.

Unprecedented cooperation from Bangladesh has led to a series of breakthroughs recently.

Decoding the Hackers JAY SHAH The term Hacker has many conventional and not so conventional meanings like a “Computer Geek”, “One Who Explores” or as most commonly known to public as an “Evil Genius”. These are some of the misconception regarding the hackers created by media and movies like “Live Free or Die Hard” or “Takedown” etc. There are certain amounts of mysteries surrounding the field of hacking in the mind of people’s who are not familiar with the field of computer science.

When ever “Mango People” (AamJanta) read the word hack or hacker or hacking the first single thought that comes to mind is something bad would have happened, may be our national security system must be compromised or a threat email for serial bombing or something on that line of thoughts, today I m going to debunk all the myths and rumors regarding hackers as being a hacker for years now I want to take you all to the path of light from ignorance.

Origin of hacking seems to be quite mysterious in general; People think hacking came after computer revolutions of mid or late 80’s. My studies and research tells me that we can trace it as back as 1300’s or may be time before it also.

Mathematician John Nash as a “Putdown” used the term. When he became a C.L.E Moore Instructor

at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1951, he brought this putdown with him. The term achieved widespread use in the 1960s and its meaning then evolved to a quick, elaborate solution students devised for a technical obstacle; it was used with hacker, meaning one who discovers and implements a hack. The word itself comes from the German word meaning "someone who makes furniture with an axe", implying a lack of delicacy in a "hack"; it is believed by many in the hacking community that the reason for this is because programs too large to run on the limited computer resources of the time had portions "chopped" or "hacked" out in order to be reduced to a more reasonable size.

The hacking community developed at MIT and some other universities in the 1960s and 1970s.

Hacking included a wide range of activities, from writing software, to practical jokes, to exploring the roofs and tunnels of the MIT campus. Other activities, performed far from MIT and far from computers, also fit hackers' idea of what hacking means: for instance, I think the controversial 1950s "musical piece" by John Cage, 4'33", which has no notes, is more of a hack than a musical composition. The palindromic three-part piece written by Guillaume de Machaut in the 1300s, "Ma Fin Est Mon Commencement"(My End Is My Beginning), was also a good hack, even

better because it also sounds good.

It is hard to write a simple definition of something as varied as hacking, but I think what these activities have in common is playfulness, cleverness, and exploration. Thus, hacking means exploring the limits of what is possible, in a spirit of playful cleverness. Activities that display playful cleverness have "hack value".

In today’s world, life without technology is very hard to imagine.

Technology has made life so simple and at a click of a button every things can be done, it brings lots of feel good factor to rat race run by billions of people’s across the globe, every thing in today’s world is operated by machines one way or the other that makes business, schools, colleges, banks etc operate at optimum performance level than its used to be, but it also shows our dependency on technology which may prove fateful in coming years as old saying’s says “With Every Good Things Bad Follows”. The naked truth of modern civilization is that nothing can be kept personal on cyberspace, if its online its within the

reach of a hacker.

There are two types of hackers in the field of computer’s which are commonly known as a good hacker and a bad hacker. Due to some courses advertised day in and out in newspapers and magazines, the term “Ethical Hacker” is also widespread now, but we in the computer world keep its very simple. Actually as simple that - possibly the citizen of first civilization on the face of earth can guess it. The Hackers in hacking community know by what they do, thus they are “White Hat Hacker” or “Black Hat Hacker” meanings are very selfexplanatory.

Hackers are generally curious people who stumble upon information they are not supposed to see or Hackers typically had little respect for the silly rules that administrators like to impose, so they look for ways around.

For instance, when computers at MIT started to have "security", some hackers found clever ways to bypass the security, partly so they could use the computers freely, and partly just for the sake of cleverness (hacking does not need to be useful). Around 1980, when the news media took notice of hackers, they fixated on one narrow aspect of real hacking: the security breaking which some hackers occasionally did.

They ignored all the rest of hacking, and took the term to mean breaking security, no more and no

less. The media have since spread that definition, disregarding our attempts to correct them. As a result, most people have a mistaken idea of what we hackers actually do and what we think. You can help correct the misunderstanding simply by making a distinction between security breaking and hacking—by using the term "cracking" for security breaking. The people who do it are "crackers".

Some of them may also be hackers, just as some of them may be chess players or golfers; most of them are not.

The “Black Hat Hackers (crackers)” as we call the bad guys in hacking community do all type of nasty stuff from cracking the security of Computers and Networks or Pirating the software or Stealing passwords or online accounts etc. and use them for there personal revenge or sell them for monetary value. Other things now a days include terrorist attack on websites or countries security etc. Terrorist use internet or cyberspace for there own benefits and can create a vast terrorist community hidden from naked eyes. Recent terrorist attacks are proof of their using net as a weapon.

Once, Warren Edward Buffet said “Fools and Greedy walk hand in hand”. Before giving any information to unknown person or deal with them on cyberspace (net), one must remember the golden rule given by Warren Buffet, It has been seen

throughout history that greed brings demise of mighty. Thus do not trust any E-mails or SMS which you get regarding winning a large sum of money.

Typically “White Hat Hackers” (Ethical Hackers) are the person who invent new technologies or say change the technology for better use or help to tightened securities and help to fight against security threads which arises day in and out. They are the kind of persons whose name we come across in media like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

Now a days Computer science has advanced so much that it can be used as evidence against Crackers by taking help of computer forensic experts or Cyber crime investigators as commonly known by public in the court of law. Any extracted evidence should have been done so by an approved analyst to be deemed an admissible source. If this is proven not to be the case, then the evidence is worthless and other sources will need to be found to support the case.

The field of computer forensics is vast and still in its initial stage of development.

Thus we now know that what hackers really do and who they really are, from where they have their origin and from whom we have to take precautions. I hope with this article most of the myth regarding hackers is debunked and we should always remember that “With Every Good Thing, Bad Follows”.

WORLD

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

112 killed in spate of Baghdad explosions Baghdad: Five powerful car bombs rocked Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 112 people, many of them students, wounding 182 and shattering a month of calm in the capital ahead of a general election.

Two car bombs exploded near the labour and interior ministries and a suicide attacker driving a car struck a police patrol in Dora, in southern Baghdad, causing 15 of the deaths, an interior ministry official said.

The first explosion in central Baghdad was heard at 10.25 am (0725 GMT) with a second blast within seconds and a third one minute later.

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An Iraqi soldier walks past burned vehicles at the site of a bomb attack in northern Baghdad on Tuesday

The two remaining car bombs targeted a criminal court building in Mansour, western Baghdad, and a market in Shorjah, in the centre of the city.

Violence across Iraq dropped dramatically last month, with the fewest

People evacuate the body of a victim killed by bomb attack at the site of a bomb attack near the new Finance Ministry

deaths in attacks since the US-led invasion of 2003.

Official figures showed a total of 122 people were killed in November.

The attacks, including truck bombings outside the finance, foreign and justice ministries, punc-

tured confidence in the Iraqi security forces.

"We believe that there will be an attempt to conduct more attacks between now and the election," General Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, said in November.

Leon says tiger sharks are not aggressive

Melbourne: Brave may just be the word for a conservationist who was snapped stroking the heads of tiger sharks that were feeding on the carcass of a dead whale in Perth, Western Australia.

Images of Leon Deschamps reaching out and patting a deadly tiger shark in the middle of a feeding frenzy while sitting on the whale were taken, hoping they would bust "myths" about the sharks being blood-thirsty, man-eating monsters.

"Tiger sharks are not aggressive and I thought

25

the most effective way to demonstrate that would be by throwing ourselves into

the middle of a feeding frenzy," News.com.au quoted Deschamps as say-

ing.

"They were so sedate in their movements and were far from aggressive despite it being a time when they are supposed to be at their most ferocious.

"I think they enjoyed the experience," Deschamps, who has been working with sharks for most of his 32-year life, added.

But a Department of Environment and Conservation spokesman warned: "This is highly irresponsible and dangerous behaviour and puts peoples lives at risk."

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India favours legally binding pact on climate change Copenhagen: India on Tuesday favoured a legally binding climate change agreement from the developed countries saying a political pact will not be "enforceable", even as it asserted that its voluntary reduction of carbon emission intensity was not announced under pressure.

Stressing the importance of a treaty at Copenhagen, Indian Prime Minister's Climate Change envoy Shyam Saran said it was too early to "preempt that the negotiations would fail to produce legally binding commitments and governments would have to settle

for a political agreement."

India decided to cut down its carbon emission intensity by 20-25 per cent by 2020 in the run up to the Copenhagen summit, shortly after a similar declaration by China.

Asked if the recent announcement on emission reduction indicated flexibility in India's position, Saran said: "We are not required by the convention to do this but we are doing this in order to facilitate and promote a successful outcome."

Saran highlighted the need to work towards "an agreed outcome" as was mandated by the Bali action plan.

ed that more than 8,000 people will attend this parliament.

The 2009 Parliament will take place December 3 through December 9.

The Melbourne Parliament will address issues of aboriginal reconciliation. The issues of sustainability and global climate change will be explored through the lens of indigenous spiritualities.

The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, suggests that the Melbourne Parliament will "educate participants for global peace and justice" facilitating cooperation between Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Bahai, Jain, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu communities; crafting new responses to religious extremism; and confronting home-

grown terrorism and violence. Chair person of the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions Professor Gary Bouma, has said that thousands of guests from 80 countries will attend the peace conference, making this the largest event in the world this year. The vision of the Council is of a just, peaceful and sustainable world in which Religious and spiritual communities can live in harmony and contribute to a better world.

One of the Key speakers in this event will be the Dalai Lama.

I was fortunate to have attended Chicago, Cape Town and Barcelona parliaments. I spoke on various Jain subjects in these gatherings. I would also be attending the Melbourne meet.

Parliament of the World’s Religions from Swami Vivekananda to Dalai Lama

DR VINOD KAPASHI It was the year 1893 when the first Parliament of the World’s Religions was held in Chicago, USA. This was the first attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths and was held from September 11 to September 27, 1893. This also marked the first formal gathering of representatives of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. Today it is recognised as the occasion of the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide.

The most notable speaker from the Indian subcontinent was Swami Vivekananda. He represented Hindu faith there.

His speech has been identified by many to mark the beginning of western interest in Hinduism not as merely an exotic eastern oddity, but as a vital religious and philosophical tradition that might actually have something important to teach the West. The opening line, "Sisters and Brothers of America...", was greeted by a three minute standing ovation from the audience of 7000. Vivekanand’s speech is a great source of inspiration to thousands of people world-wide. His legacy is fondly remembered in all subsequent parliament events. He proclaimed: "Sectarianism,

bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now."

Second Parliament: After the first Parliament of Religions in 1893, it seemed that everything was forgotten. However few individuals started the momentum and the second parliament was held again in Chicago in 1993, exactly one hundred years after the first event. This was held in the same locality of Chicago, ie the Palmer House hotel in Chicago. Over 8,000 people from all over the world, from many diverse religions, gathered to celebrate and dialog and explore how religious traditions can work together on the critical issues which confront us all. Dr Gerald Barney of the Millennium Institute gave the keynote address on the state of the environment.

This keynote and the introduction of the document, Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration, mainly drafted by Hans Küng, set the tone for the subsequent

ten days of discussion.

This global ethic was endorsed by many of the attending religious and spiritual leaders who were part of the Parliament Assembly.

Third Parliament: More than 7,000 individuals from over 80 countries attended 1999 Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa. The Parliament began with a showing of the International AIDS Quilt to highlight the epidemic of AIDS in South Africa, and of the role that religious and spiritual traditions play in facing the critical issues that face the world. The event continued with hundreds of panels, symposia and workshops, offerings of prayer and meditation, plenaries and performances. The programs emphasized issues of religious, spiritual, and cultural identity, approaches to interreligious dialogue, and the role of religion in response to the critical issues facing

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the world today. This was my chance to see Nelson Mandela on a stage from a very near distance and to hear him speaking on reconciliation and faiths.

Fourth Parliament: This was held in the beautiful city of Barcelona in Spain. More than 8,900 individuals attended the 2004 Parliament. Having created the declaration Towards a Global Ethic at the 1993 Parliament and attempted to engage guiding institutions at the 1999 Parliament, the 2004 Parliament concentrated on four pressing issues: mitigating religiously motivated violence, access to safe water, the fate of refugees worldwide, and the elimination of external debt in developing countries. Attendees were asked to make a commitment to a "simple and profound act" to work on one of these issues.

Fifth Parliament: This will be held in Melbourne, Australia and it is expect-

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26

WORLD

Roundup Myanmar's top court agrees to hear Suu Kyi appeal Yangon: Myanmar's supreme court agreed last week to hear an appeal against the extended house arrest of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, as the European Union said it wanted sustained dialogue with the ruling junta.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, 64, was ordered to spend another 18 months in detention in August after being convicted over an incident in which a US man swam to her house. A lower court rejected an initial appeal in October.

"The supreme court decided to hear Suu Kyi's request. Lawyers have to present arguments before the court on December 21," a Myanmar official said on condition of anonymity. The decision had been posted on the notice board of the court in the former capital Yangon, the official added.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), confirmed that the top court had agreed to hear the appeal but said he had no further details.

California girl is 28th Miss Indian American Washington: Priyanka Singha, an Indian-origin girl from California has been crowned as the 28th Miss Indian American, beating contestants from 25 cities across the USA. The beauty pageant, open for Indian-origin people was hosted on November 21 in Tampa, Florida.

Priyanka was crowned as the Miss Indian American by Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia in a glittering ceremony last weekend. Earlier last month, Priyanka won the title of Miss India Northern California.

She will represent the US in Miss India World Pageant, to be held on March 27, 2010 at Durban, South Africa.

Shivali Vyas, a resident of Tampa and a student at the University of South Florida was the first runner-up. Illinois-based Disha Patel was the secondrunner up. The beauty pageant was a part of the fifth Asian American Convenience Stores Association (AASCA) convention.

Africa Focus Somalis rally against Islamists and bombing Mogadishu: Hundreds of Somalis have taken to the streets of Mogadishu to protest against al-Shabab, the group held responsible for a deadly suicide attack last week. Protesters burned the group's flag in what analysts say is an unprecedented show of anger at the militants, who control large parts of the country.

Although al-Shabab has been widely blamed for the atrocity, the group has issued a statement denying involvement.

In the last week’s suicide attack, three government ministers were among some 22 people killed.

A suicide bomber disguised as a woman in a veil blew himself up at a graduation ceremony in the capital last Thursday. Most of those killed were medical students. More than 60 people were injured.

Protesters marching through Mogadishu on Monday chanted slogans including "down with alShabab" and "we don't need violence".

Nigerian President urged to step down Abuja: More than 50 Nigerian public figures have called on President Umaru Yar'Adua to resign, saying ill health has impaired his judgment. Several Nigerian newspapers carried a statement asking him to step down that was signed by senior political figures and democracy activists, among others. But ministers dismissed the statement, saying there was "no basis" for the president to leave office. Mr Yar'Adua is currently being treated in Saudi Arabia for a heart problem.

In a statement, Information Minister Dora Akunyili said the cabinet had met and had "unanimously resolved" that the president "has not been found incapable of discharging his functions". She said: "Council wishes to inform all Nigerians that all organs of government are functioning and that government will continue to deliver."

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Charges framed against Headley in Chicago court Chicago: Additional charges against Pakistanorigin terror suspect, David Coleman Headley were tabled in federal court in Chicago for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and conducting massive recce of the places targeted during the November 2008, Mumbai terror attacks.

Headley, who was arrested in October, through his lawyers, has authorized the Justice Department here to disclose that he is cooperating in the ongoing investigation of both the Danish and Mumbai terror plots.

David Coleman Headley

Headley, 49, has been charged in a 12-count criminal information with six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, to murder and maim persons in India and

Denmark, to provide material support to foreign terrorist plots, and to provide material support to LeT, and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.

I may be noted that over 170 people were killed, including six US citizens, in the ghastly terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 .

Another a criminal complaint was also unsealed in federal court here charging Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman), a retired major in the Pakistani military, with conspiracy in

planning attack against the Danish newspaper and its employees.

Commenting on the charges levelled against the two Pakistani-origin men, David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security said that the case highlights that terrorism is now a global threat and that there is a need of constant vigil to ward off the challenges.

According to the latest charges, Headley changed his name from Daood Gilani in February 2006, in Philadelphia, in order to present himself in India as an American.

Karzai gets ultimatum from US to show results Washington: In a those people. If stern message to those people Afghan President don't, then we will Hamid Karzai, the find people that United States has will," White House warned him to act spokesman Robert fast against corGibbs told ruption and goverreporters. nance failing As the Obama which it will find Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n someone else for was running Hamid Karzai the job. against time to "If those that are start the process of drawresponsible at their differdown and transition to ent level are providing the Afghans from July 2011, services that a government the White House indicated has to and needs to prothat this time Karzai vide its people, then we would not enjoy the kind will have a great relationof leverage it did during ship with working with the Bush Administration

and he would not get a second chance.

The White House even spoke of bypassing Karzai if his administration failed to fight against corruption and provide good governance to the people of his country.

Ready for talks with Taliban chief Meanwhile, Karzai said that he was willing to talk to Taliban chief in a bid to bring peace to the country if the move has the backing of the US and other international partners.

Karzai had previously

offered to talk with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, but the Bush administration opposed such contacts.

US President Obama has said the US must “open the door” to Taliban members who abandon violence.

The Afghan leader said he was not upset by the July 2011 date to begin US pullout because it would give an “impetus and a boost” for Afghans to work toward taking control of their own nation.

“We must talk to the Taliban as an Afghan necessity”, Karzai said.

Australia bars information on Haneef

In China you go for an HIV test and make money

Melbourne: Australia has refused to divulge some parts of a "potentially explosive diplomatic" cable from its high commission in New Delhi about India-born doctor Muhammad Haneef, who was mistakenly detained on terror charges, a media report said.

Haneef, a former Gold Coast registrar, was held in Australia for three weeks in July 2007 after being charged with supporting a terrorist organisation by "recklessly" giving his mobile phone SIM card to people planning

bomb attacks in Britain.

The charges against Haneef were eventually dropped and he returned to his family in Bangalore.

The communique is believed to have the details of the concern expressed by the Indian government over Haneef's detention.

The cable has been suppressed partially, according to The Australian newspaper, by the prime minister's department because of the apprehension that it would affect Australia's

international relations.

It was sent from the Australian high commission in New Delhi after then High Commissioner John McCarthy was summoned to the Indian external affairs ministry. The Australian envoy was summoned to express India's concern and also to emphasise that Haneef be treated fairly.

It is believed in the diplomatic circles that the Haneef episode along with recent attacks on the India students in Australia has strained Canberra's relations with New Delhi.

Major parties agree to end political deadlock in Nepal Kathmandu: In a move that could end the present political impasse, all three major political parties in Nepal last week reiterated their commitment to the peace process and formulation of the new constitution on time.

The commitment expressed by leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) at a programme organized by a private TV channel is seen as a big breakthrough.

The programme was attended by Executive Chairman of NC Sushil Koirala, Chairman of CPN (UML) Jhalanath Khanal,

Chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and a number of constitutional experts and intellectuals.

“Individual interests are hurting the national interest at present. We should forget about competition and think of cooperation to arrive at a consensus,” said Khanal while expressing the party’s commitment to the peace process and the issue of constitution formation.

He added that all parties should come to table to discuss contentious issues and there should be consensus on constitution formation, the type of government Nepal should have and the kind of election process that needs to

be implemented.

Reiterating NC’s commitment, Koirala stated that a high-level political mechanism should be formed at the earliest to ensure mutual trust and consensus among the major political players.

“We should think why there is an air of uncertainty at present. Although all parties are at fault, the UCPN-(Maoist) is more responsible for the political deadlock,” he said.

Quashing rumours about his party trying to dislodge the present government, Maoist chief Prachanda stated that UCPN-(Maoist) was ready for a consensus on taking the peace process forward and formation of the new constitution.

Tianjin (China): A young, boisterous crowd gathered in front of the Purple Tribe nightclub recently, but hardly anyone was interested in going inside.

Instead the men, most of them gay, waited their turn to duck into a dingy storage space next to the club. A needle prick and a wince later, they emerged with a triumphant grin, having exchanged a test tube of blood for a pocketful of cash. “This is my third time in two weeks,” Zhang Haoyun, an 18year-old store clerk said.

On any given night, in 14 cities around the country, hundreds of people flock to makeshift blood collection centers in bars, bathhouses and apartments where workers test for syphilis and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The ambitious testing initiative, started in 2007, is financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which will spend $50 million over five years in an effort to slow the spread of AIDS in China. So far, more than 110,000 people have been tested.

But the Gates HIV prevention program in China is unusual because it offers a financial incentive to those drawing the blood - about $9 per sample and an additional $44 for those that come back positive - which is shared with donors.

PAKISTAN

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Lahore HC rejects 26/11 mastermind’s plea Islamabad: Pakistanbased Lashkar-e-Toiba's operations chief and Mumbai attacks mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi last week failed to get any reprieve from the Lahore High Court, which disposed of his two petitions challenging his indictment for involvement in the 26/11 strikes.

While disposing of the petitions, a Rawalpindibased bench of the Lahore High Court only directed the anti-terrorism court, which had formally charged him along with six other suspects last month with involvement in the 26/11 strikes, to consider Lakhvi's objections against his indictment

under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Lakhvi's lawyer Khwaja Sultan Ahmed claimed during proceedings that the prosecution had no incriminating evidence against his client.

He also said the statement

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court last week took up legal challenges to a controversial amnesty decree which, if knocked down, could trigger political turmoil for embattled President Asif Ali Zardari.

The court has yet to rule whether the amnesty, granted to thousands of people, including Zardari and several government figures, against corruption and other charges is still valid after it lapsed last week.

Zardari, widower of assassinated former prime minster Benazir Bhutto, cannot be prosecuted because of presidential immunity. But criminal cases could be re-opened

against government officials, including the interior and defence ministers, if the court strikes down the 2007 decree.

The re-opening of politically charged cases could further weaken the increasingly unpopular president as the opposition steps up demands for government figures protected by the decree to resign.

Political wrangling would dismay the United States as it would divert attention in its nucleararmed ally from the fight against al Qaeda and Taliban militants at a time when President Barack Obama's administration is struggling to stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.

Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi

given to Indian authorities

by Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone attacker captured in Mumbai, is not admissible in the anti-terrorism court.

However, the judges told Ahmed such issues could be addressed only when the evidence, including Kasab's statement, is presented during the trial in the anti-terrorism court.

It is not possible for such matters to be addressed now, they indicated.

Lakhvi's counsel filed the petitions challenging his indictment in the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court last week.

In one petition, Lakhvi claimed there were no evidence and witnesses

against him except Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone attacker captured alive in Mumbai, and five policemen involved in a case registered in Pakistan.

The policemen cited as witnesses by the prosecution had only described Lakhvi as a commander of the LeT and accused him of training people for terrorist activities, he claimed.

Lakhvi pointed out that witnesses had not said anything about his involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

He had also claimed that Kasab's statement to Indian authorities was not admissible in a case registered in Islamabad.

Asif Ali Zardari

reporters outside the court. The hearing is likely to last for weeks. In the face of widespread opposition to the amnesty, a government lawyer told the Supreme Court the government would not attempt to defend it.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who is heading a 17-judge panel hearing the challenges, ordered the government to provide the court with full details of those who were protected by the amnesty. The case was then adjourned.

Zardari has been dogged by corruption accusations stemming from his wife's two terms as prime minister in the 1990s.

Pak SC to hear Zardari’s amnesty decree

The government last month was forced to abandon plans to get parliamentary approval for the amnesty in the face of objections from a coalition partner and the opposition.

"This is a law of the jungle," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, an Islamist party opposition leader, told

85 killed as terrorists strike at different Pak cities Islamabad: At least 85 people were killed and scores of others were injured in bomb attacks at different places in Pakistan. Two blasts devastated a busy market and engulfed it in flames killing at least 36 people in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, while in the northwest provincial capital of Peshawar a suicide bomber killed 10 people.

The popular Moon

Market in the centre of eastern Lahore city was transformed into a scene of flames and rubble as night fell on Monday, when two bombs exploded 30 seconds apart outside a police station and a bank, officials said.

39 killed in Rawalpindi mosque attack At least 39 people were killed when terrorists hurled hand grenades and the fired at Friday prayers

on a mosque near Pakistan’s military headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The mosque is frequented by military officials in Rawalpindi.

A helicopter hovered over the scene, apparently searching for terrorists who may have fled after the attack, which wounded more than 40.

"The mosque was attacked by terrorists during Friday prayers. There

was more than one attacker, for sure...," said military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.

15 militants killed in Swat Valley Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces killed 15 militants in separate clashes in northwestern Pakistan, officials said. A captured commander who led troops to a militant hide-out also was killed in the fighting.

27

Drastic cut in Gilani, Zardari’s privileges likely Islamabad: Pak cabinet is scheduled to meet soon and expected to approve the much postponed “austerity plan” that proposes drastic curtailment in perks and privileges of the president, the prime minister, governors, chief ministers, ministers and top bureaucracy, according to official documents.

A five-day working week to save scarce resources, especially energy, and improved efficiency are two basic components of the plan. In addition, the Finance Ministry has also proposed a reduc-

tion in defence expenditure and in the number of ministers and advisors, recovery of written-off loans, displayable income tax token for small shops and tax on the income of rich landlords. The two major expenditure items, straining the economy, are debt-servicing and nondevelopment expenditure.

"Systematically and gradually reducing defence expenditure and ensuring productive utilisation of resources", were cited by the sources as suggestions by the Finance Ministry for the austerity plan.

Washington: The US White House has authorised CIA to step up drone attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan, media reports said last week.

"The White House has authorised an expansion of the CIA's drone programme in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas,” The New York Times said in a report.

According to the daily, American officials are talking with Pakistan about the possibility of striking in Balochistan for the first time - a controversial

move since it is outside the tribal areas - because that is where Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to hide.

The NYT said that CIA officials consider it as a highly successful programme as drone attacks have been able to successfully eliminate a large number of terrorist leaders.

"One of Washington's worst-kept secrets, the drone programme is quietly hailed by counter-terrorism officials as a resounding success," it said.

US to step up drone attacks

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Pakistan’s nuclear arms under threat: Obama US President orders deployment of 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan

Washington: US President Barack Obama has spelt out America's new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan after holding a series of review meetings to discuss threadbare the situation in the region.

Announcing a surge of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, Obama said the stakes are even higher in Pakistan as its nuclear weapons are constantly in danger of falling into the hands of terror groups like the al-Qaeda.

Speaking at New York's Military Academy, President Obama said the cancer of terrorism has spread from Afghanistan to Pakistan and the entire region is now the epicen-

Barack Obama

tre of terror.

He also said that Headley and Rana, the two terror suspects who are in FBI custody, were sent from this region to commit new acts of terror.

US President Barack Obama said that the can-

cer of violent extremism has taken roots in the border region of Pakistan and argued the need for the US and its allies to successfully treat it.

"We are in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country. But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That is why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border," Obama said.

"In the past, there have been those in Pakistan who have argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommo-

dation with those who use violence," he said.

But in recent years, as innocents have been killed from Karachi to Islamabad, it has become clear that it is the Pakistani people who are the most endangered by extremism.

"The Pakistani Army has waged an offensive in Swat and South Waziristan. And there is no doubt that the United States and Pakistan share a common enemy," he argued.

Obama said the US was committed to a partnership with Pakistan that is built on a foundation of mutual interests, mutual respect, and mutual trust.

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Coming Events

28

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

This week meet Homeopathy doctor, Dr Gorania in live interview with CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Week commences 12th December 2009

For more information e-mail:

cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Don't miss !!!

Thursday 7pm to 8pm

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Brent gets ready for Jewish festival of light Residents in Brent are gearing up to celebrate the traditional Jewish festival of Chanukah.

A menorah, the traditional seven-branched candelabrum, will be lit at Brent Town Hall each evening at sunset between December 11 and December 18 as part of the festival.

Councillor Jim O'Sullivan, Mayor of Brent, is hosting a evening of entertainment on

Wednesday, December 16, at the town hall, featuring performances by beatboxer Daniel Brill, and the North West London Jewish School choir, and a Chanukah play by pupils from Michael Sobell Primary School.

The eight-day Jewish festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, involves eating traditional foods like doughnuts and potato cakes.

Police seek bar customers for investigation Police have issued a renewed witness appeal to a crash in Stanmore which left a teenager dead. Officers are investigating a crash in The Common on Sunday, November 8 in the early hours of the morning.

Two cars, a Honda and a Fiesta, collided while driving in the same direction along the country lane, causing the Fiesta to career into a ditch.

The driver of the Fiesta, Shenol Ahmet, 19, died in hospital a week after the crash, while his friend remains in critical condition in hospital. A third passenger in the Fiesta was injured in the crash but later discharged from

hospital.

Police have appealed for two women who were at Sahara lounge, in Stanmore Broadway, at around 4.30am on the morning of the crash, to come forward.

The women are thought to have left the shisha bar and got into a Silver Toyota Avensis mini-cab, which then drove off towards Stanmore Broadway.

Cops are also keen to speak to the mini-cab driver for further information.

The two women are described as being of Asian or Middle Eastern appearance, they are in their 20s, and both have long dark hair.

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Anne Hoose Deputy Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Email: surendra@abplgroup.com Accounts Executive: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka@abplgroup.com Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07957 694 909 Email: kishor@abplgroup.com Advertising Sales Executive: Girish Katira - Email: girish@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4011 Rovin John George - Email: rovin@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 Nikhil Gor - Email: nikhil@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4009 Business Development Managers: Urja Patel - Email: urja@abplgroup.com Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 - Email: george@abplgroup.com Design and Layout: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Saroj Patel Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad Tel: +9179 2646 Fax: +9179 6061

It's a time of slow and steady progress that can set the stage for a long time to come. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level. To get here you may have overcome obstacles by making important decision and choices. You will achieve a lot more, especially when you're motivated by your own desires.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

1. Sophusion launch exhibition: western fusion dresses and tunics, funky Indian sarees, gorgeous trouser suits, all at competitive prices Sun 13th Dec Best Western Cumberland Hotel, St Johns Road, Harrow, Middx, HA1 2EF. Contact: 07958959104 / 07967634124 or visit www.sophusion.com to find out more 2. Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street London W1K 1HF, Contact: 020 7491 3567 Thu 10th Dec 6:30pm Toy Train to the Clouds by Paul Whittle TD, Fri 11th Dec: Book Launch: Journey to Holy Land: A Pilgrim's Diary 4. Blue Ginger- 383 Kenton Road, Harrow HA3 0XS. Contact: 020 8909 0100 Christmas party 1pm-10:30pm New Year party 8pm till late 5. Blue Zenzer: Playgolf Northwick park Christams party booking- 280 Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3TZ Contact: 020 8864 2922 6. Sadlers Wells Spring 2010, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4TN Saturday 23 and Sunday 24th January: Playing Ensemble Again and Again Saturday 30 and Sunday 31st January: Sadlers Wells Sampled 7. Health and Welfare Day, 10th December, 10:30am-4pm Sangam Community Centre, Middx HA8 0AP.

To advertise in Asian Voice call 020 7749 4085 Amazing predictions Sneh Joshi, the UK’s leading Vedic astrologer, writer and TV personality can answer questions on: ! Health Problems ! Investments ! Married Life ! Children’s matters ! Marriage Compatibility ! Love Affairs ! Court Cases ! Any other problems

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Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people. If you know your ground and are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Give top priority to important written work, official matters and vital communications. This applies particularly to financial and commercial interests. If you can manage to get away from usual routines, this will not only prove to be highly enjoyable but it will have a decidedly beneficial effect on your physical and psychological well-being. Loved ones will be looking after you.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

Guard against being too impatient and restless.

You will need to exercise care in the use of credit. Extra energy and drive will serve you well in getting things accomplished, but try not to come on too strong when you deal with others.

There appears to be a more successful trend coming into effect.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 With Venus traversing your sign of leisure for some time to come, it will put you in the right mood if you intend to indulge your pleasure-loving instincts.

Venus, the planet of love and romance throws a pleasing light on affairs of the heart. Existing emotional differences can be easily sorted out now. Your creativity is riding high and you should make the most of this phase.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

You will have the distinct feeling that everything is moving ahead at a very satisfying pace. Indeed, you will be in a forward-looking mood, more inclined to reflect on the future and its potentials. There is a great deal to suggest that the power of destiny is very much in your own hand and that any major decision you make will have a profound effect on your future.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 It seems that the winds of change begin to gather momentum and put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak. Extra energy and drive will serve you well in getting things accomplished, but try not to come on too strong when you deal with others.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and much enjoyment is to be had simply from being in touch with other people.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 All close ties of love and affection will benefit from the gentle influence of Venus. If you are married or have a well-founded relationship, it seems that the pattern of events will somehow draw you closer together emotionally. Those who are not yet totally decided on what direction to take careerwise, this is a fine time to do some serious thinking.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 This week you will make your best progress by focusing your mental and physical energies on what you want to achieve. Intense focus is what is needed now. The underlying trend seems to be pulling you into a much wider social circle now. This is bound to enrich your life and give you a deeper sense of purpose. The prevailing pattern of planets gives you a marvellous opportunity - take advantage.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The transit of Mercury in your Solar 12th 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.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You should enjoy a very popular phase in your life where everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to close those lucrative deals. The more you live up to your own set of principles the more cash you’ll pull in.

TIME

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009 Down 1 Concrete 2 Revere 3 Pope after Sergius II 4 Start of a JFK line 5 Reed or Rawls 6 Selected 7 Bumpkins 8 Row, row, row your boat 9 Leisurely walks 10 Film critic 11 Chopped 12 ___ dixit 13 Memo 18 Sacred promise 24 Sniggler’s prey 26 Leopold’s cohort 28 Online greeting 29 Stole or cloak 30 VIP in a will 31 Vegas posting 32 Shrinking inland sea 33 Le Pew of cartoons 34 Engrossed 38 Begins anew 39 Author Angelou 41 Will proceedings 44 Actress Swit 46 Mineo of movies 49 Outcome 50 Break in the action 51 Oozed out 54 Formal response to ‘Who’s there?’

55 Swing a thurible 56 Destructive plant fungus 57 Oversupply 58 Hokkaido native 59 Advancement 61 Beret filler 65 Nova Scotia hrs.

C R O S S W O R D - 66 1

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23 Loyal 25 Cosmo competitor 27 Part 2 of quip 32 Mar. follower 35 ___ cit.

36 Blow a gasket 37 Get new weaponry 40 Dr. Dre’s genre 42 Interwoven locks 43 Earnest request 45 B & O and Reading 47 Telephone trio 48 Part 3 of quip 52 Infield protector

53 Glacier component 57 Blithering 60 Como ___ Usted?

62 Procrastinator’s word 63 Ananias, e.g.

64 End of quip 66 College credit 67 Schleps 68 Exxon, formerly 69 Wine casks 70 Bikini blast 71 ___ or Worms

SPELLATHON - 66 Today’s Ratings: 06-average |07-good | 09-outstanding How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only.

Each word must contain the central letter. There S should be at least one T L seven-letter word. Plurals, M foreign words and proper R names are not allowed.

Y British English Dictionary A is used as reference.

Solution of Spellathon - 65 ANSWER : flesh, flue, flush, fuel, fuse, huff, self, shelf, SHUFFLE

Solution of Crossword-65 C A B B A G E

I L L E G A L

I S O L A T E

O H M P A C S I G W C L I D O R E Y E

I E O L W F I A N N N O E R N I A M E A R E M A N A T E M A X E M I L E T

S E S A M E

E D H

N A T B O A R V O L O N E R I C A O D K E R S E D I E R T W B U N E A U A L P

O T H O

S T R E E U T S N S A E P S A D N Y K E

H E A D P I N

E S S T L L E E O N N E

S A N D M A N

O P U L E N T

P I M E N T O

Sudoku-66

WHATZIT? - 66

7

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

8 7

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Across 1 Hacienda room 5 Belt holders 10 Parade spoiler 14 Pindar products 15 Dizzying pictures 16 Trade show 17 Start of Kin Hubbard quip 19 Three-piece suit piece 20 Skater Slutskaya 21 NHL star Phil, to fans 22 Cannes conception

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Solution of - 65 : Shoot on sight

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MINDBENDER - 66 In which sport do winners move backwards and losers move forwards.

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Solution of sudoku-65 11

HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a sub-grid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each subgrid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution.

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American War of Independence II : British surrender The early part of the war had been concentrated in the north and went well for the British (C in C General Howe) with the capture of New York and Americans (C in C George Washington, pictured) retreating to Pennsylvania. However, their misconceived campaign in the Hudson Valley (N Y State) culminated in defeat at Saratoga in 1777. This defeat encouraged France (and later Spain and Holland) to join the American side. France had been looking for a revenge on Britain ever since its defeat in Canada in 1763. As a result, Britain, a great maritime power was outnumbered at sea and its naval supremacy threatened.

In the second phase the British began a campaign in the south (C in C Lord Cornwallis) which was at first successful leading to American defeat at Chester and Camden (South Carolina), but the push northwards into Virginia led to an army cut-off at Yorktown on Virginia coast with French fleet blocking the harbour preventing British reinforcement of troops and supplies by sea. On the land, Franco-American army under Washington placed Yorktown under siege bombarding the British forces for several days.

Although Cornwallis was a competent general, the exhausted British had no option but surrender in October 1781, ironically just 15 miles from the site of the first settlement at Jamestown in 1607.

Hostilities continued at sea until 1783 when Treaty of Paris finally recognised the independence of the 13 colonies which became the United States of America with

The numbers in the pink squares refer to the sums of the digits that you must fill into the empty spaces directly below or to the right of the pink square containing the number. For instance, in the given example, Solution of KAKURO - 65 the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits 4 23 11 11 22 7 that add upto 12, 4 6 whereas for 20, the 3 3 8 6 1 3 5 1 boxes places horizon13 15 1 6 2 21 5 8 7 9 6 tally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are 20 9 used here, only the 9 4 5 2 25 1 8 digits one through 16 nine.

4 3 7 2 6 Note: 4 1 3 26 9 4 A digit cannot appear more than 27 3 9 7 8 once in any particular 7 20 11 digit combination. For 22 6 4 2 8 1 9 4 instance in the exam5 26 5 ple, we cannot have 13 10 4 9 4 9 2 1 7 the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

3 11

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By Dr Anil Mehta

Washington as its first President and New York the first capital (afterwards Philadelphia and finally a newly built Washington in 1800).

Cornwallis on the other hand, was sent to India as Governor General.

Britain seemed never to have an overall military or political strategy for winning. Most troops and supplies had to be shipped across the ocean.

Fighting away from home, in a vast and unfamiliar territory, it faced problems of supply, manpower, divided command, slow communication, and

lack of experience in fighting guerrilla war with the enemy spread over a vast countryside.

Despite frequent victories, the British didn’t destroy American armies nor the American will.

People proved themselves willing to fight and die for equality, freedom, national pride and their rights.

America’s disadvantages on the other hand, were a lack of trained troops and generals, lack of sea power, a weak central authority and intercolonial rivalries. Due to a lack of finance Washington experienced great difficulty holding his troops together and keeping up their morale.

KAKURO - 66

12

7 8

Solution of 65 : It will still be 38o

PASS

2

9

President Obama in the eyes of Madame Tussauds

However, against all odds he managed to create and train the Continental Army which fought admirably alongside the state militias against redcoats. His tactic was to make use of his men’s knowledge of the country to wage a guerrilla war. The French alliance was, of course, crucial.

Their intervention gave Washington what he wanted – sea as well as land support.

America’s war was a global struggle for freedom in a way and not just an American one.

Its success has been depicted as influencing the French Revolution (1789), and subsequent revolutions in Europe and Latin America. On the home front the loss of America was a bitter pill for Britain to swallow.

Although the war precipitated financial crisis and the national debt, fortunately for Britain, the economic recovery was swift – thanks to Industrial Revolution and PM Pitt’s (younger) effective measures. Free of the costly American adventure, Britain was able to undertake the conquest and expansion of other territories in Africa, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, and the East particularly India to create what is called the second empire.

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HEALTH WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

Secret of long life: grow your own veggies An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but eating home-grown vegetables will make you live longer.

So say the residents of the sleepy English village of Montacute, who have just been found to have the longest life expectancy in Britain.

An analysis of more than three million pension records shows 65year-olds living in Montecute can expect to live for an average of 25 more years, taking them up to 90.

In contrast, 65-yearolds living in some other parts of England can expect an average of 17 more years.

Residents say the key to long life is growing your own vegetables, eating an onion a day, drinking locally-sourced spring water and walking.

Britain's state-funded healthcare system, which is free for the aged and the poor, also came in for praise.

All Montacute villagers have their own little allotments - garden patches - where they grow vegetables such as onions, potatoes, spinach and beans.

"People are happy. We were always happy -poor," said one resident, 90.

The study, carried

out by actuaries at the international business consultancy Watson Wyatt, focused on men only. The company said the evidence was that it would hold true for women too, who would

typically live two years longer than men.

The Guardian reported: "Bill Dufton, 83, was to be found on top of a ladder, restoring the window frames of his 500year-old home."

Biodiversity loss will unshackle deadlier infections Extinction of plant and animal species is likely to unshackle deadlier and nastier infections, says new research.

Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss, driven by deforestation, global transportation, encroaching cities, among others, can burden humans with more infectious diseases, says University of Ve r m o n t - M i c h i g a n (UVM) biologist Joe Roman. This is part of a global pattern, say Roman and Environment Protection Agency (EPA) scientist Montira Pongsiri, that links biodiversity loss

with infectious diseases.

'Lots of new diseases are emerging and diseases were once local are now global,' adds Roman, a wildlife expert. 'Diseases like West Nile Virus have spread around the world very quickly.'

This is not the first time humans have faced a raft of new diseases.

About 10,000 years ago, humans invented farming.

This move from hunting to agriculture brought permanent settlements, domestication of animals, and changes in diet. It also brought new infectious diseases, in what scien-

tists call an 'epidemiologic transition'.

Another of these transitions came with the Industrial Revolution.

Infectious diseases decreased in many places while cancer, allergies and birth defects shot up.

Now, it seems, another epidemiologic transition is upon us. A host of new infectious diseases - like West Nile Virus - have appeared. And infectious diseases thought to be in decline - like malaria have re-asserted themselves and spread.

'Ours is the first article to link the current epi-

demiological transition,' says Pongsiri, an environmental health expert in EPA Office of the Science Advisor, 'with biodiversity change, decline and extinction'.

'People have been working on this in individual diseases but no one has put all the studies together to compare them,' says Roman.

'We've reviewed all those studies and show that emergence or reemergence of many diseases is related to loss of biodiversity,' says Pongsiri, according to an UVM release.

Brahmi herb shows promise in treating Alzheimer's Researchers are coming by evidence that herbs like brahmi, associated with the ayurveda system of medicine, can help ward off Alzheimer's disease and preserve one's mental faculties.

Although what exactly causes Alzheimer's is not known, sufferers experience inflammation of the brain, deposits of beta amyloid, traces of heavy metals and signs of oxidative stress.

Brahmi, a semi-aquatic plant, acts on all of these, said Con Stough, director of the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) involved in trials underway at Swinburne University of Technology Brain Sciences Institute (BSI).

"It has an anti-inflammatory effect, is an antiox-

idant and collates and removes heavy metals and beta amyloid," he said.

Two trials with a brahmi extract called CDRI08, conducted over 90 days, have shown improvements in working memory, particularly spatial memory accuracy.

Pine bark, lemon balm, American ginseng, rosemary and brahmi, are some of the herbs showing promise in fending off Alzheimer's dementia, causing memory loss, depression and anxiety.

A 50-day trial of a particular pine bark extract supplement for men aged 50 to 65 years has also shown improved speed in spatial working memory

and immediate recognition tasks, along with lowering blood pressure.

Another trial is investigating the short-term calmative effects of a special lemon balm product, because anxiety and agita-

tion are major symptoms that Alzheimer sufferers experience.

Andrew Scholey, who heads BSI's Herbal and Nutritional Medicine Research Unit, said that historically the field of alternative medicine has struggled to gain scientific credibility. " H o w e v e r, Swinburne's trials are performed to standards that provide acceptance within the mainstream scientific community," added Scholey.

Consumer research indicates that more and more people are using some form of alternative health products as part of a proactive, preventative health strategy.

Forget aspirin, now you can have a nice cup of tea instead It is the traditional British solution for soothing away worries. But now it seems a nice cup of tea may have health benefits beyond stress relief.

Researchers from Newcastle University found that a certain type of mint tea, Brazilian Hyptis crenata, could be as effective as aspirin in relieving pain.

Brazilian healers have been using the tea as medicine for centuries but this is the first scientific proof of its healing properties albeit only in lab animals.

Traditional tea also has proven medicinal properties.

Its leaves, picked from the Camellia sinensis plant to produce black, green, or oolong tea, have a high concentration of flavonoids, which protect against heart disease, and polyphenols, which pro-

Cooling therapy protects brain after cardiac arrest Cooling therapy protects brain after cardiac arrestWashington, Dec 5 : Revival of the heart after it stops may save a patient's life, but it permanently damages the brain.

Cooling the patient for some time is known to mitigate this harmful effect and improve survival, under a procedure known as therapeutic hypothermia.

Cardiac arrest interrupts the blood supply, depriving cells of oxygen and causing the body to release toxic compounds, that can overwhelm the organs and result in longterm brain injury.

Therapeutic hypothermia slows the body's production of these compounds, reducing risk for brain injury. The therapy has been used successfully in adult cardiac arrest patients, and has been beneficial for newborns, who have received insufficient oxygen at birth.

Now, in the first largescale multicentre study, physician-scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the technique in infants and children.

"Cardiac arrest can occur in children either as a complication from a serious medical condition or due to an accident or sud-

Cellphones don't cause brain cancer It is official: cell phones don't increase the risk of brain cancer. A long-term study has found there is no link between brain tumor and the use of cell phones.

The study among Scandinavian people from 1974 and 2003 has found that the use of cell phones did not increase brain tumour risk among users.

"We did not observe (notice) an effect of mobile phones on the incidence of

brain tumours,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; study leader Isabelle Deltour of the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen told a Canadian television network here Thursday.

As part of this extensive study, 16 million people in Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were tracked for what happened to rates of glioma and meningioma brain tumours among them over

30 years.

But the researchers found that only 60,000 of them developed brain tumours. This rate of brain tumour was not higher than that seen before the use of cell phones began.

The study found that there was no increase in risk. If there was any increase in risk, it was too small to be observed or the period needed for cell phones to cause brain

tumours was longer than the period studied.

The Scandinavian study commenced just when cell phones were introduced.

"If there was a connection, we would have expected a sudden marked increase in the rates, especially among younger males, which were the first to use cells phones. We didn't see that,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Deltour told CTV.

tect against cancer.

The antioxidant properties help build defences against skin cancer and other cancers, and lower cholesterol. Decaffeinated teas are marginally less effective owing to the processing to remove caffeine.

Green tea has strong antiinflammatory properties: some studies have discovered that it can relieve arthritis pain.

Japanese researchers have found oolong tea may help prevent tooth decay and relieve itching.

Simon Gibbons, professor of phytochemistry at the University of School of London Pharmacy, says: 'You need to drink three cups a day to get the benefits. Let the tea steep for at least five minutes to allow the hot water to extract the plant material.'

However, the researchers stressed that more long-term studies are needed to prove that the use of cell phone does not raise the risk of brain cancer. They said they will continue monitoring to see if it takes longer to detect changes in tumour rates.

Another international study on the link between cell phone use and brain cancer is likely to come out next year.

den illness," warns Charles Schleien, paediatrician and anesthesiologist at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital.

"While arrest in children is rare, currently no therapies have been shown to improve their chances of recovering," adds Schleien, who is also the executive vice-chairman of paediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"In this new study, we aim to show that therapeutic hypothermia can give these children a better chance at survival and long-term quality of life," says Schleien.

Those receiving hypothermia will have their body temperature reduced to between 89.6 degrees and 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for two days, then slowly increased to a normal body temperature and maintained for another three days, says a New YorkPresbyterian release.

Co-led by Frank W. Moler at the University of Michigan C. S. Mott Children's Hospital and Michael Dean at the University of Utah, the sixyear study involves a total of 16 study sites in North America.

Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

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Sport in Action

British Asian boxer Khan knocks out opponent in 76 seconds Amir Khan, the British boxer of Asian origin began his conquest of America with a sensational 76-second knockout victory over New York-based Jewish Dmitriy Salita. Salita was outclassed thrice by Khan as he retained his WBA light-welterweight.

OZ play out a draw at Adelaide West Indies redeem some pride after Brisbane debacle Though the Caribbean team could not achieve the ultimate, had they been able, it would have been a terrible set back for hosts Australia. On Tuesday at the Adelaide Oval, Australia managed to hold their fort after a declaration by West Indies captain Chris Gayle in the morning sprang a challenge to the home team, to score 330 runs and try to win the second test.

Though Dwayne Bravo displayed a spirited bowling effort, it was

enough for the West Indies to run through the Australian bating in less than a day.

West Indies dominated the match but lost the Frank W o r r e l l Trophy.

Au s t r a l i a clung on for a draw that Chris Gayle gets in the swing after earned them reaching three figures the right to not enough, perhaps keep the trophy which is even the time was not with Cricket Australia

Tiger Woods to confess ‘all’ on Oprah Winfrey show

since Mark Taylor's men won it from Richie Richardson's side in the Caribbean in 1995. But following their three-day humiliation in Brisbane, this match was about more than the result for West Indies.

For Australia, the result is a relief as they could easily have crumbled on the final day. {Brief scores: OZ 438 and 5 for 212 (Clarke 61*, Bravo 3-37) drew with WI 451 and 317 (Gayle 165*, Johnson 5-103).

Ace golfer, Tiger Woods of the USA is likely to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show and confess all his affairs and liaisons in a bid to save his marriage and half of his £600 mn fortune. Tiger Woods has been offered an “enticing bait” to appear on the chat show. He wants his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren also to join him on the famous sofa.

Obviously trying to go for a damage repair move after sensational disclosures have dented his image of “Mr. Clean”, Tiger Woods is in a desperate situation as a numbers of babes have claimed to be having affairs with the golfer. Atleast 8 affairs have been disclosed by the babes Tiger is believed to have played love games with.

Mark Davies called up for England duty in SA

PCB case against ICC withdrawn

With two of their pace bowlers struggling with injuries, England have called up Mark Davies, the Durham player to do duty for England during their test series, as the first game is scheduled to start at the Centurion from 16th Dec. Davies becomes the third member of Durham’s Championship-winning seam attack to join the Test squad, following original call-ups for Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett.

Pak to get the hosting fee + compensation in an out of court settlement Having reached an out of court settlement with ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced officially that all cases that it had initiated or were to be initiated against the ICC and the 2011 WC organising committee over the host-

Jwala-Diju end runners-up, Saina lost in semi final India’s Jwala Gutta and V Diju finally stumbled at the last hurdle, losing to top seeds Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Camilla Pedersen of Denmark 2114 21-18 on Sunday at the elite World Super Series Masters Badminton Finals in Johor Bahru – Malaysia. Earlier, they had a sensational run at the tournament. They eventually ended as runners-up, still the best show by any Indian pair at this level. A day earlier, Saina Nehwal stumbled out of the tournament as she lost her semi-final match.

Top seeded Saina lost to Germany's Juliane Schenk 21-18, 21-18, ending her chances of having a shot at winning her second big title this year.

For the Indian mixed doubles pair, in fact, so dream-like was the run that even Diju found it hard to imagine that he and Jwala had actually reached the final.

Malaysia took three of the other four gold medals, with world No.1 Lee Chong Wei beating Korea's Park Sung Hwan 21-17 21-17 in the men's singles, Wong Mew Choo beating Germany's Juliane Schenk 21-15 21-7 in the women's singles and Wong Pei Ty and Chin Eei Hui taking the women's doubles over Kamilla Rytter-Juhl and Lena Frier Kristiansen of Denmark 21-17 21-14.

The men's doubles went Korea's way.

ing of World Cup Cricket tournament 2001 have been withdrawn.

The PCB had slapped a legal notice against the ICC after it was stripped of its rights to host the World Cup 2011 in the aftermath of the attack on Sri Lankan players in

Lahore in March. A case had also been filed against the move of the World Cup Secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai.

PCB's legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi said that all cases have been resolved through an outof-court settlement.

As per the agreement between the two parties in reached in Dubai earlier this year, it was decided that the PCB would retain its hosting fee of US$ 10.5 mn and receive payment as compensation for the loss of hosting rights.

Petersen, McLaren and Friedel de Wet are the new faces in SA team South Africa have lined up three new faces in their expanded 15 member team for the first test match against England, starting on 16th December in the Centurion. Opening batsman Imraan Khan and allrounder Albie Morkel have been dropped while Graeme Smith and Morne Morkel have made their way back into the team. Alviro Petersen, Ryan McLaren and Friedel de Wet are the new faces.

Team: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, Friedel de Wet, JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince and Dale Steyn.

It’s a complete comeback for Sreesanth Speedster also makes it to the T20s, first two ODIs For S Sreesanth, the speedster who had problems for his on-field antics, his comeback is complete. After being a successful on his return in team India for the test matches, Sree is also selected to for the Indian team to play the two T20 games this week and for the first two ODIs against the visiting Sri Lankans.

Three new faces have

been named for the T20 games – Ashok Dinda, Sudeep Tyagi and R Ashwin. Sudeep Tyagi has also managed to get into the ODI team.

T20 team: MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, Ashok Dinda,

Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma.

Team for first 2 ODIs: MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Sudeep Tyagi, Virat Kohli.

Pakistan cricketers out of IPL next year too Visas not obtained, even as the deadline expired IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has announced in New Delhi that no Pakistan players would be participating in the third edition of Indian Première League. He has said, the deadline for the Pakistan players to get their visas and inform their IPL franchises of their availability is ending on Tuesday.

PCB has said, it has issued NOC to the play-

ers and they have already submitted their papers for visas in time, but it was the Indian side which has not cleared the visas yet.

Modi said this while talking to a leading television news channel. “We have been informed by PCB that they have not been able to obtain the visas as of now. So we are not being able to extend the deadline. Today is the absolute deadline for con-

firmation of Pakistani players (to take part in IPL). The exchange window is day is closing on Thursday,” Modi said.

“Unfortunately, the Pakistani players are out and they will not be allowed to take part in the next IPL. We are informing the teams that they now can go for the replacement of the Pakistani players,” he told a news channel.

31

English Premier League Matches Saturday, 12 December Birmingham v/s West Ham St. Andrews Ground 15:00 Bolton v/s Man City Reebok Stadium 15:00 Burnley v/s Fulham Turf Moor 15:00 Chelsea v/s Everton Stamford Bridge 15:00 Hull v/s Blackburn Kingston Comms Stad 15:00 Man Utd v/s Aston Villa Old Trafford 17:30 Stoke v/s Wigan Britannia Stadium 12:45 Sunderland v/s Portsmouth Stadium of Light 15:00 Tottenham v/s Wolverhampton White Hart Lane 15:00 Sunday, 13 December Liverpool v/s Arsenal Anfield 16:00 Tuesday, 15 December Birmingham v/s Blackburn St. Andrews Ground 20:00 Bolton v/s West Ham Reebok Stadium 20:00 Man Utd v/s Wolverhampton Old Trafford 20:00 Sunderland v/s Aston Villa Stadium of Light 19:45 Wednesday, 16 December Burnley v/s Arsenal Turf Moor 19:45 Chelsea v/s Portsmouth Stamford Bridge 19:45 Liverpool v/s Wigan Anfield 20:00 Tottenham v/s Man City White Hart Lane 20:00

ICC mulling to move out of Dubai!

London on the radar, Mumbai also a possibility After having moved out of London in 2005, ICC – the world governing body of cricket is again thinking of shifting base from Dubai. Back to London is the strongest of the possibilities, though Mumbai also stands a chance.

Lord’s getting back the ICC perhaps has a major stumbling block of visa issues for Zimbabwe. ICC is firm that London only

stand a chance if Zimbabwe cricket officials are allowed to attend meetings there.

BCCI President Shashank Manohar had touched the issue at the October meeting of the ICC executive. The issue came under discussion as ICC is facing a shortfall in its revenues, projecting a budget deficit

of US$230,000.

Though the tax exemption that ICC enjoys in Dubai is substantial, the body has to look beyond that. The economy here has already stagnated.

“The board at its last meeting decided that they would like to move back to Lord’s from Dubai,” said David Morgan.

A return to London would, however, be dependent on the ability and willingness of the British govt to grant visas to the Zimbabwe delegation - president of ZC, Peter Chingoka, and the MD, Ozias Bvute, who are currently on EU blacklist.

“Unless we can guarantee visas it is unlikely to be London,” said Lorgat, “because our members

would specifically request that wherever we host the annual conference, all members can attend.”

An ECB spokesman said all discussions were entirely a matter for the ICC, but added that he had “no knowledge” of an alleged proposal from Giles Clarke, in which it is believed he has put Mumbai forward as an alternative base.

32

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Asian Voice - Saturday 12th December 2009

"#$% !"#$%&! !!!"#$%&'()*%"+),

India crush Lanka, ascend the summit Dhoni’s boys write history with the no. 1 in test cricket

Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara defied the Indian attack for a good part of the 4th day, but his century and defiance were perhaps not good enough to stave off a spirited attempt by Dhoni’s boys to ascend to the top of world rankings. On the final day morning, Indian spearhead Zaheer Khan bowled a perfect outswinger for the left handed centurion to draw him into edging the ball into Dhoni’s gloves. The main obstacle removed, it was just a matter of minutes before the Indian team were dancing with joy, having beaten Sri Lanka with an innings and 24 runs, taking the series 2 -0 and earning the no. 1 test ranking.

Zaheer Khan deservedly picked up his eighth five wicket haul, while Virender Sehwag walked away with the Man of the mathc and the series award. Kumar Sangakkara was complaining a bit, as he felt that had the ‘DRS’ (decision review system) been operational, they could have fared better.

This was the fourth time in the last four years that India had won two matches in a row; two of those braces came against Sri Lanka.

Sangakkara was yet to get his eye in again when Zaheer bowled the perfect left-armer's outswinger that took the edge. Later, Rangana Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara succumbed to sharp short deliveries from Zaheer, while Muttiah Muralitharan scored a quick 14 but edged Harbhajan Singh to MS Dhoni to kick off India's celebrations.

On the fourth day, although India were made to work hard for six wickets, they were still in control of the game. Their position was strengthened after a Sri Lankan middleorder collapse, kicked off

by Sreesanth, continued

by Zaheer Khan and finished by Pragyan Ojha, resulting in four wickets for 25 runs.

In the morning, Dilshan looked to play a game that was not his natural one. He fell to Harbhajan, an lbw decision that was not convinc-

The Indian team and management celebrate going No. 1 at Mumbai on Sunday

ing one. But thereafter, the turbanator made survival a challenging task for Sangakkara and Paranavitana. Dilshan’s wicket was the only success for India in the morning session.

Initially Paranavitana was more at ease than Sangakkara, who looked for the getaway sweep shot against Harbhajan and nearly got out twice. Even at 98kph, Harbhajan got sharp turn and, although he didn't bowl the doosra

much, he kept the batsmen guessing with topsinners from round the stumps.

Paranavitana was solid in defence and rarely played away from his body but he still played aggressive shots for release every now and then, especially against Pragyan Ojha, whom he lofted for three on-side boundaries. After lunch Paranavitana reached a well-deserved half-century, his second in the match, but was soon done in by a superb

outswinger from Sreesanth.

By then Sangakkara had settled in and Sri Lanka's challenge was to bat through scoreless periods without letting it affect them. The other two middle-order mainstays, though, couldn't match their skipper’s skill and patience. Zaheer followed Sreesanth's impressive spell with his best of the series. Zaheer tucked up Thilan Samaraweera as VVS Laxman took a sharp catch. Just before tea, Ojha spun one sharply across Angelo Mathews, giving Dhoni his 100th catch. Sri Lanka went into the break 189 runs behind. {Brief scores: Ind 726 for 9 dec (Sehwag 293, Dhoni 100*, Vijay 87, Dravid 74, Laxman 62, Tendulkar 52) beat SL 393 (Dilshan 109, Mathews 99, Harbhajan 4-112) and 309 (Sangakkara 137, Paranavitana 54, Zaheer 5-72) by an innings and 24 runs}.

England beat SA in ODI series

Durban game washed out; its 2-1 It was perhaps not the way England would have wished to create history in South Africa, but they were happy to be able to do it. On Friday last week at Durban, the weather ensured a no contest between the bat and the ball. It led to any hopes for the hosts that they had of squaring off the series to thwart England’s triumph.

It may be recalled that even the first of the ODI’s had been Andrew Strauss collects the washed out, and so was one-day series trophy the last one, leaving as England’s one of the England victorious with 2 best show in recent times.

– 1, they lost the third Reacting to the series win, ODI, while won the secEngland skipper Andrew ond and the fourth ones.

Strauss said, “It’s a big England’s success in step forward for the team taking the ODI trophy to be only the second one. was more significant, as To win out here is an South Africa have lost achievement to be proud only to Australia at home of. till now, in a bilateral I think the guys have series. Also, after the enjoyed having the shackdrubbing by the Aussies les taken off them to a cerjust about two months ago tain extent. A lot of our (OZ beat England 6 – 1), one-day cricket over the this victory was a sweet last few years has been one. played like men under a Even the 2 – 1 series lot of pressure”. victory can be described

FIFA World Cup draw: England lucky, hosts SA in a tough group England has got a favourable draw for the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is in Group C with the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

The hosts South Africa look to be in a tight Group Group Group Group Group Group Group Group The fixtures are as under: Friday, 11 June SA v/s Mex - Group A Uru v/s Frn, Group A Saturday, 12 June Arg v/s Nig - Group B Eng v/s USA - Group C SKor v/s Grc - Group B Sunday, 13 June Alg v/s Slov - Group C Ger v/s OZ - Group D Serb v/s Gha - Group D Monday, 14 June Ita v/s Par - Group F Jap v/s Cam - Group E Holl v/s Den - Group E Tuesday, 15 June Bzl v/s NKor - Group G IC v/s Port - Group G NZ v/s Slo - Group F Wednesday, 16 June Hon v/s Chile - Group H SA v/s Uru - Group A Spa v/s Swl Group H

15:00 19:30 15:00 19:30 12:30 12:30 19:30 15:00 19:30 15:00 12:30 19:30 15:00 12:30 12:30 19:30 15:00

spot as they have to face France, Mexico and Uruguay. The group A is considered one of the toughest groups of the eight. Group G sees Brazil face Portugal, Ivory Coast and

North Korea.

The Bafana face Mexico in the opening game of the tournament at Soccer City, Johannesburg, on June 11.

A: South Africa (SA), Mexico (Mex), Uruguay (Uru), France (Frn) B: Argentina (Arg), South Korea (SKor), Nigeria (Nig), Greece (Grc) C: England (Eng), USA, Algeria (Alg), Slovenia (Slov) D: Germany (Ger), Australia (OZ), Ghana (Gha), Serbia (Serb) E: Holland (Holl), Japan (Jap), Cameroon (Cam), Denmark (Den) F: Italy (Ita), New Zealand (NZ), Paraguay (Par), Slovakia (Slo) G: Brazil (Bzl), North Korea (NKor), Ivory Coast (IC), Portugal (Port) H: Spain (Spa), Honduras (Hon), Chile, Switzerland (Szl)

Thursday, 17 June Arg v/s SKor - Group B Frn v/s Mex - Group A Grc v/s Nig - Group B Friday, 18 June Engl v/s Alg - Group C Ger v/s Serb - Group D Slov v/s USA - Group C Saturday, 19 June Cam v/s Den - Group E Gha v/s OZ - Group D Holl v/s Jap - Group E Sunday, 20 June Bzl v/s IC - Group G Ita v/s NZ - Group F Slo v/s Par - Group F Monday, 21 June Chile v/s Szl - Group H Port v/s NKor - Group G Spa v/s Hon - Group H Tuesday, 22 June Frn v/s SA - Group A Grc v/s Arg – Group B Mex v/s Uru - Group A Nig v/s SKor - Group B

12:30 19:30 15:00 19:30 12:30 15:00 19:30 15:00 12:30 19:30 15:00 12:30 15:00 12:30 19:30 15:00 19:30 15:00 19:30

Wednesday, 23 June OZ v/s Serb - Group D 19:30 Gha v/s Ger - Group D 19:30 Slov v/s Eng - Group C 15:00 USA v Alg - Group C 15:00 Thursday, 24 June Cam v/s Holl - Group E 19:30 Den v/s Jap - Group E 19:30 Par v/s NZ - Group F 15:00 Slo v/s Ita - Group F 15:00 Friday, 25 June Chile v/s Spa - Group H 19:30 NKor v/s IC - Group G 15:00 Port v/s Bzl - Group G 15:00 Szl v/s Hon - Group H 19:30 Saturday, 26 June – Pre QF Wnr Group A v/s R-up Group B 15:00 Wnr Group C v/s R-up Group D 19:30 Sunday, 27 June - Pre QF Wnr Group B v/s R-up Group A 19:30 Wnr Group D v/s R-up Group C 15:00

Monday, 28 June – Pre QF Wnr Group E v/s R-up Group F 15:00 Wnr Group G v/s R-up Group H 19:30 Tuesday, 29 June – Pre QF Wnr Group F v/s R-up Group E 15:00 Wnr Group H v/s R-up Group G 19:30 Friday, 2 July Quarter Final 1 15:00 Quarter Final 2 19:30 Saturday, 3 July Quarter Final 3 15:00 Quarter Final 4 19:30 Tuesday, 6 July Semi Final - 1 19:30 Wednesday, 7 July Semi Final - 2 19:30 Saturday, 10 July Play off – Place 3 & 4 19:30 Sunday, 11 July Final 19:30