Asian Voice by Asian Business Publications Ltd

SEE INSIDE .... MPs support memorial for Tipu’s descendant Noor Inayat in UK................pg 2 Religious groups protest at plans for cremation fee rise...............................pg 9 Lord Mayor bans council meeting prayers.......pg 13 Osborne’s Unavoidable Budget.......................pg 14 Manmohan favours higher FDI in airlines......................pg 16

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Bollywood is the biggest export of India...........pg 20 Cabin crew shortage forces AI to cancel flights.........................pg 22 When Manmohan speaks, the world listens, says Obama.......................pg 26 LeT, ISI inseparable terror allies, says Headley......................pg 27 Saina defends Indonesia Open title...................pg 31

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Theresa May relents on immigration cap Anand Sharma reminds: India is second largest investor and biggest employer after UK Even as UK Home Secretary Theresa May announced on Monday a cap of 24,100 for this year and next year numbers to be decided later, her ministerial colleagues, London Mayor Borris Johnson, British business and industry as well as others expressed concerns about the immigration cap for non EU migrants. HSMP Forum, a body of professionals from mostly Asian countries also said the cap would not work and they plan to challenge it in courts. May had to

UK Prime Minister David Cameron (R) speaks to India's Trade Minister Anand Sharma during their meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday

relent, assuring ministers and businesses that wide consultations will be held

before decisions are taken. Meanwhile, concerns were voiced by Michael

Gove, David Willetts and Vince Cable about the cap affecting UK. Even Damian Green, immigration minister backed down, saying he had said of bringing down the number of immigrants by tens of thousands through the life of the current parliament. Reports in London media also suggest that Home secretary has agreed not to go for immediate ban for “intra-company transfers”. Continued on page 24

India need not worry about China, assures Rajapaksa Sri Lankan President says India’s role in the country is a permanent feature Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan President allayed concerns expressed by India about the growing Chinese influence in the island nation, as he said, “Chinese will come and go; Indians are here to stay”. Last week, he explained the difference in Sri Lanka’s relations with India and China in an interview with “The Times of India”. Rajapaksa said that engagement of other players in Sri Lanka was limited to commercial projects they execute. As the Sri Lankan President sought to allay Indian concerns, he said “Sri Lanka is a nonaligned country and

Mahinda Rajapaksa

India is its neighbour. Indians are our relations, our cultural ties are 2,500 years old. He said these ties cannot be broken, but at the same time, that also doesn’t mean we will not seek commercial benefits from others. Continued on page 24

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Pawan Srivastava, Entrepreneur Born in Lucknow, India, entrepreneur Pawan Srivastava spent much of his teens in Moscow during the final decade of the Soviet era. His father was based there, first in the diplomatic service and subsequently in private enterprise, before returning to India. Pawan spent his year abroad in the UK while attending University in Moscow. He returned here after graduating to take an MBA at Northumbria University’s Business School. It was here he met his future wife Magali Bechade, an exchange student from Avignon. After returning to India to help his father set up an IT training business, Pawan came back to the UK to work in sales in the IT sector, progressing rapidly to the role of business development manager. In 2004 he set up his own business helping UK universities attract students from overseas, and then in 2007 established a new venture specialising in teaching English or Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). This business, Training Connect, has trained over 20,000 students since launch, and established itself as a wellrespected leader in the ESOL field with branches in 17 towns and cities across the UK. 1) What are your proudest achievements? I am hugely proud of Training Connect – not just because we have built a very successful business – but because we have been able to make a positive difference to the lives of so many people who are looking to integrate themselves into UK society and build new lives for themselves here. 2) What are your long-term goals? Our main focus now is building on our success in the UK by expanding into new territories – continuing

the process of building community cohesion internationally. We recently established offices in China and are in the process of setting up operations in Europe and in the Middle East. 3) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career? Whenever you a trying to make a difference and to do something new, you are bound to come up against obstacles – some large some small. Some you can overcome; some you have to work around. Life would be pretty dull without them! I

see every challenge as a learning opportunity. 4) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? I would have to say: my parents. They have been an inspiration to me from an early age in their positive attitude to life and their tireless appetite for taking on new challenges. My parents have overcome many obstacles in life, and helped convince me that, with the right mental attitude, nothing is impossible. 5) What is the best thing about your current role? As a successful entrepreneur, I love being able to take creative business decisions, to plan and to put those plans

Dr Punit Shah wins Highly Commended Dentist of the Year On 23rd April 2010, Dr Punit Shah won the Highly Commended Dentist of the Year at the Dental Awards 2010 which were held at the luxurious Lancaster London Hotel. The awards showcased the very best in the Dental Profession and are somewhat regarded as the “Oscar’s” of dentistry. Dr Shah had been shortlisted as one of three finalists for the Dentist of the Year- South category. This was a special occasion for Dr Shah, 34, who was recovering after a very serious heart attack in November 2009. Dr Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya. During his school days in Kenya, he always tried to excel in everything he put his heart and mind to. He was the headboy at school and excelled in his studies at Oshwal High School. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 15 and he was also an exceptional swimmer at national level for Kenya representing both his swimming club and country several times too. Thereafter, he made his way to Manchester for his dental studies. He graduated with BSc

[Hons] BDS [Hons] in 2000. Even at this early stage in his career, he won the GlaxoSmithKline Award for his achievements in his final year at university. During his university days, he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy. In fact, he is also the first Oshwal to have been an Officer in the Royal Navy. Thereafter, he completed various hospital posts in different aspects of dentistry both at Leeds Dental Hospital and St. Georges Hospital, Tooting. He attained his MClinDent in Prosthodontics and MRD [Edin] in 2008 [Specialist Status in Prosthodontics]. This is the field of Dentistry that deals with the replacement of missing teeth and the restoration of broken, worn or decayed teeth. It encompasses all aspects of crowns, bridges, dentures and implants. In 2005, Dr Shah launched Alexandra Park Dental Practice and Referral Centre in Wood Green, London, a brand new dental centre with his wide Priya. This was a brave move since it was right in the middle of fun-

Dr Punit Shah with his wife Priya at the Dental Awards 2010

damental changes in the NHS. This was followed with the launching of Dazzle Dental Care in September 2009, a stateof-the-art boutique dental practice in Finchley, London, concentrating mainly on his speciality in the field of Prosthodontics. He has given lectures to colleagues both at meetings and as a guest speaker. Numerous dentists regularly refer their patients or approach him for advice in the management of their patients. He also mentors overseas qualified dentists so that they can be fully eligible to practice dentistry in this country. Dr Shah and his wife have two young sons, aged 6 and 4, and manages to still spend time with them despite his busy career.

into action. But, genuinely, the thing I value most is the sense of making a positive difference to people’s lives and helping build a more integrated, multifaceted and dynamic society here in the UK. 6) And the worst? This might sound like a cliché, but it can be frustrating when there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Realistically, you simply have to accept that sometimes it’s just not possible to move things forward as fast as you would wish, and that you can’t always give as much attention to people and projects as you would wish. 7) If you were Prime

Minister, what one thing would you change? I think the UK we need to take a mature look at the whole issue of economic immigration. As someone who was born outside the UK, I feel strongly that there is too little focus on the contribution new arrivals make, creating new sources of income and new jobs and, of course, paying taxes! 8) What do you think is the biggest issue facing education today? I don’t feel I’m qualified to make sweeping generalisations about the state of education, but I do think quality of teaching is crucial. In the specific area of English for Speakers of Other Languages, where we specialise, the standard of tuition on offer varies hugely. So I do think more rigourous regulation and accreditation has to be a priority. 9) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figures would you like to spend your time with and why? Someone like Ghandi is a huge inspiration. He is revered as a wise man and a liberator – but he was also a master tactician – proof of how of how powerful a combination idealism and pragmatism can be. Closer to the present day, I would love to spend some time with entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and with gamechanging politicians like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

People

■ Lord Khalid Hameed threw a party to celebrate the marriage of Dariya Choudhary and his new wife Corina. Among those present were Indian artist MF Hussein, the cosmetics Queen Shanaz, and many more. ■ Conservative MP for Ilford Lee Scott is expected to take over as the new Chair of the All Party Tamils Group with Croydon MP Gavin Barwell as the new Secretary. Simon Hughes and Lord Navnit Dholakia are expected to be returned as Vice Chairs.

■ Birmingham is set to get a new hotel thanks to the efforts of Tony Deep Wouhra MBE who has obtained planning permission for a new hotel and conference centre on the old HP Sauce site. Britain's second city looks like coming first.

MPs support memorial for Tipu’s descendant Noor Inayat in UK Lawmakers have come together to support setting up a memorial in London in honour of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, who served as a “Spy” during the Second World War. Twenty-two British members of parliament have consented to lend support for first memorial for an Asian woman in Britain. Noor was awarded the George Cross, Britain’s highest civilian honour for her crucial role as a secret agent during the Second World War. Valerie Vaz, the newly elected Labour MP, tabled a motion in the parliament on June 24, calling for the House to recognise the “extraordinary bravery” of Noor and back the proposal to install her bust in Gordon Square, near the house where she lived. A number of powerful Asian women including Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, Gurinder Chadha, filmmaker, Nasreen Munni Kabir, film-maker and historian, Lady Mohini Kent Noon, Zerbanoo Gifford, director of the Asha Centre, Shrabani Basu, biographer of Noor Inayat

Valerie Vaz Noor Inayat Khan

Khan, author Kusoom Vadgama, Rakhi Sarkar, director CIMA gallery and others signed a petition last week to have her bust installed. “Noor Inayat Khan sacrificed her life for this country. We cannot let her memory fade away,” said Shrabani Basu, author of ‘Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan’ said. “She believed in the principles of freedom and liberty and died for her adopted country. We owe this to her,” she added. Noor was recruited by the Special Operations Executive, the secret arm set up by the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as a secret agent in the Second World War to be infiltrated into occupied France under the codename of Madeleine. She played an important

role in the war effort helping the French Resistance. However, she was betrayed and captured by the Germans. Noor was brutally tortured and shot at Dachau Concentration Camp at the age of 30 by the Germans. Her contribution and sacrifice, however, has not gone in vein. People across the world still honour her for her bravery. In France, Noor Inayat Khan is known as the Resistance heroine. A leafy square has been named after Noor Inayat Khan in Paris. There is also a plaque outside her house in the city and every year a military band plays outside it on Bastille Day to honour her memory. There is also a plaque in her honour at Dachau Concentration camp, where she eventually died.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

COMMENT

Immigration: throwing out the baby with the bath water Immigration is once more a hot potato, a subject of animated if not always reasoned debate. Responding to public concern and an understandable desire to win public acclaim, votes and power the Conservative party promised the electorate that it would cap non-EU migration into the United Kingdom. It was a promise readily given, but its full implications are now causing some turbulence in the City and in the government itself. The City has pointed to the skills factor in immigration, in other words, to the skills and special knowledge needed in finance and technology sectors many non-EU migrants bring to this country, and the competitive strength this gives to the British economy, London's in particular. The capital has benefited most from inward migration. British companies need all the talent available in an increasingly competitive marketplace. A rigid cap on immigration would clearly be a loss to this city and to the City at its core. The message from business appears to be, think hard and think again. A senior Lib Dem politician told a newspaper ruefully: “We lost thousands of votes to the Tories because of this [immigration] policy – it was very popular. It's ironic to hear some of those [Tories] criticising it now for exactly the same reasons we criticised it during the election.” Power being an aphrodisiac, as Dr Henry Kissinger famously remarked, such things do happen

from time to time, but in the morning after the night before second thoughts in the cold light of day can be relied upon to supply a possible palliative. However, it should be acknowledged that public concern over immigration has much weight. Large numbers of immigrants, in the words of Defence Secretary Liam Fox, have arrived from “ broken 13th century societies,” where clan and religious loyalties are the governing values and democracy and the rule of law are perceived with uncomprehending hostility and contempt. These recent arrivals, with due respect, are a burden on the welfare state, whether it is in the NHS, in housing or the prison and overstretched security services. There should have been strict controls over their entry into the UK; it was political and administrative inertia that allowed such great numbers to come in. The migrants the UK needs most are technically equipped, law abiding people who share the best values and practices of this country. The bulk of such people have come principally from India, China, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. It would be a pity if their numbers – never very great, anyway – were to be now capped for no fault of theirs or their would-be employers. It could become a case of acting in haste and repenting at leisure.

Reseting the button of the Indo-British relationship The Queen's speech at the State opening of Parliament included a significant reference to a new Indo-British relationship in step with evolving 21st century realities. During the cold war and the different strategic interests and perspectives of Britain and India, diplomats and politicians from both countries were given to talking past each other, to quote Lord Hurd, a former foreign secretary in the Thatcher and Major governments. There was no fundamental change of attitude in Whitehall even as the cold war ended and new opportunities to take Indo-British relations to a higher level opened up. New Labour under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were wedded to the Anglo-American 'special relationship' to the exclusion of all else. Now Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague have set out their stall on broadening the parameters of British foreign policy, even as it remains anchored to the 'special relationship' with America. The cornerstone of this broader vision is to be a resetting of the Indo-British relationship appropriate to its true potential. This is indeed a refreshing initiative and is to be warmly welcomed as long overdue. Britain and India meet today as partners, but the partnership will be truly enduring if there is renewed awareness among the peoples of Britain and India of the depth of their shared history. Television documentaries are best equipped to bring home to ordinary Britons, particularly the younger generation, the sterling contribution to the Allied victory in two world wars of the hundreds of thousands of volunteer soldiers from

the Subcontinent, many thousands of whom lost their lives in the endeavour. Beyond this, there are ties of culture, language, commerce and education that bind Britain and India. They share a political system based on democracy and the rule of law. It is one thing for British politicians to pay ritual tribute to this, it is quite another to appreciate its true significance. The philosopher Bertrand Russell was moved to comment that Indian leaders had eschewed short cuts. To accept the difficulties of nurturing democracy on a low economic base and mass poverty was an epic undertaking which has started to repay the hope and trust of modern India's founding fathers. Time is of the essence in resetting the IndoBritish relationship. Jo Johnson, the Conservative MP and a former Financial Times correspondent in India, writes: “Worryingly, Britain is losing share of trade and foreign direct investment, as well as share of mind among opinion makers, in a country that will be one of the pillars of a new multipolar order. In a decade, the UK has gone from being India's fourth most important source of imports to the 18th largest last year. “But the new coalition government needs to give meaning to its commitment to an 'enhanced partnership' with India. With today's visit to London [June 28] of a high-ranking delegation of senior Indian businesspeople and politicians, there is an opportunity for change. But if the coalition fails now to deliver a new approach, New Delhi will zone out.” Hopefully this will not happen.

Soccer debacle in South Africa The intense disappointment of millions of British soccer fans and even those with a less passionate interest in football, is understandable. Soccer has long been the people's game, whose stars are icons to young and old alike. Their derring-do on football fields at home and abroad are the stuff of legend, and their private lives have become public affairs together with their Himalayan salaries in this an age of supposed austerity. The media hype was consistently at fever pitch. The national team had done well in the qualifying rounds to the World Cup in South Africa. Expectations were thus skyhigh. Understandably so. But it all started to unravel in the opening encounter with the United States. The following match against Algeria gave no cause for hope. And the long awaited game against Germany ended in a humiliating 4-1 English defeat. It was truly a sad spectacle.

But serious questions must now be asked. Is English football too money-crazed? Are tactics on the field too hidebound? Is the game's top-heavy administrative structure too cumbersome and badly in need of overhaul? There is little point making a scapegoat of the Italian coach Fabio Capello. A coach can only do so much, and Mr Capello's credentials are impeccable. Leading foreign sides like Brazil, Argentina and Holland, to name a few, appear energised when draped in national colours; in contrast, English players seem more inspired in club rather than national shirts. There is much to mull over and a great deal to do if England are to turn the tide and regain their once formidable reputation as a footballing power. With the necessary changes in place the shoots of recovery will surely become a familiar sight.

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Thought for the Week

Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along. - Paramahansa Yogananda

Gareth Thomas MP Labour MP for Harrow West

Budget will break manifesto promise George Osborne’s first Budget was a shocking mix of measures that will increase unemployment, hold back economic growth and damage vital public services. It was also striking for the wholesale breaking of manifesto promises made only weeks ago during the General Election. The Office of Budget Responsibility has said that economic growth both this year and next year will now be lower as a direct result of the measures included in this Budget compared to the Budget of the previous Government. Predictions for economic growth have now been revised down because of the harm measures contained in the Budget will bring. This new Quango has also forecasted as a result of this Budget the unemployment claimant count will be 100,000 higher for each of the next four years. Once again, a C o n s e r v a t i v e Government clearly thinks that higher unemployment is a price worth paying. They have axed a series of major initiatives to help economic growth. The Future Jobs Fund for example, which had helped thousands of young people get into work, has been cancelled. One of the most surprising measures in the Budget was the hike in VAT. This despite both sides of the Coalition Government campaigning in the last General Election that they would not raise VAT. David Cameron himself pointed out “it’s very regressive, it hits the poorest the hardest. It does, I absolutely promise you.” The Conservatives confirmed as recently as

5th April that they held no plans to put up VAT. The Liberal Democrats said during the General Election that a Tory Government would come up with “a secret VAT bombshell”, but as Harriet Harman said; the only secret appears now to be that the Liberal Democrats intended to vote for it when it was introduced. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies states, in its damning verdict on this Budget, the VAT rise will “hit the poorest hardest and … keep on hitting them more and more every year”. The Budget fails the fairness test. Disability benefits to some of the most vulnerable people in the UK will be cut. Some families will struggle to meet their mortgage interest payments, as help from the Government is reduced. Pensioners will be left empty handed. This Budget savages support for the poorest and most vulnerable. Child benefit will be cut, tax credits reduced for families on low and modest incomes. Support for families with very young children is also being axed. But this Budget is just the start, 25% cuts to Government Departmental spending are due to follow in the Autumn. We do not yet know what affect this will have on for example the number of our police officers, or on local Council funding. In short, this is a Budget that faced three key credibility tests – would it help economic growth, would it be in line with the manifesto promises of the Coalition Government and would it be fair? On all three of these tests people are entitled to feel that they have been let down.

YOUR VOICE

Acerbic Bitch We very well know the advantages of taking a constitution. The benefits of a walk taken regularly as a healthy exercise are well documented. It helps maintain the blood sugar levels under control, keeps heart disease at bay and gives a welcome boost to the digestive system. A brisk walk releases endorphins, a natural chemical which helps to increase your feeling of well being, in the body. Heart and lungs are exercised. All glands get a gentle pummelling. Pituitary, thyroid, para--thyroid and other glands are exercised and hormones are secreted more efficiently. So in these sunny and warm mornings, you will find me in Seven Kings Park walking at such a fast speed that I overtake other walkers taking a similar constitution. When I go past people, they enquire what makes me walk at such a fast speed. For the want of a suitable answer, I quote CB Patel’s words in one of his “Jivant Panth” columns In Gujarat Samachar where, while listing the benefits of a brisk walk, he had said that to get the maximum benefits you must walk as if a rabid dog was chasing you. So I tell people that there was an acerbic bitch at my heel.. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Hindu Persecution Ramesh Jhalla (A.V 26.06.10) was quick of the mark to denounce the words of Ramanbhai Parmar against the Indian government, maybe writing a whole article about the positive sides of the government Mr Jhalla forgot to express his own anguish on the original point, the plight of Hindus not only in Pakistan but world wide where we are being persecuted simply for being Hindu. There is no denying that India has come a very long way but what is the point of being so super advanced that hardships faced by her very own people, are over looked. I am sure that the overwhelming majority of readers would agree that India has no agenda of safeguarding Hindus, be it in India or abroad. This is very sad state of affairs and the lack of headlines about the forced conversion of Hindus in Pakistan is a sure sign that these news items are hushed up and very limited coverage is given if any at all. May Prabhu give strength to those Hindu Brothers and Sisters who find themselves in extreme circumstances. This I believe was the point Mr Parmar was making. Darshan Agravat Oldham

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.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Dolar Popat and Baroness Warsi are good role models for our youth Congratulation from my heart to Dolar Popat on becoming Lord in 2010. I am proud of Asian Voice publishing the good and powerful news in the paper. The article about Lord Dolar Popat is an example for the Asian people who are living in this country. Our young generation should be proud to accept this rising star, his contributions towards the community and his representation for the British Indians in the UK. He deserves honour and appreciation from all of us. I was very pleased to read in the Asian Voice dated 12.06.2010 a caption from Lord Popat " I am a proud British and a proud Hindu". Another remarkable leader Baroness Warsi. All the women are proud that an Asian woman has made History by becoming the first Asian woman in British Cabinet. A few months ago, Baroness Warsi made a visit with Southgates MP David Burrows to Naree Shakti's Drop in centre in Palmers Green. I spoke to her saying how this is a positive message to all woman to come up and develop their confidence in this country and should be very strong. I would like to take this oppertunity to congratulate Lord Dolar Popat & Baroness Warsi from Naree Shakti (Womens Strength) in Palmers Green, Enfield. God Bless you and keep up your high aspirations. We wish you the very best for the future. Mrs Vijey Rattan Chair person of Naree Shakti By email

Harsh spending cuts affect one and all Britain’s bold but harsh spending cuts is historic step taken by coalition government to discharge national debt, affecting all. The imbroglio is caused by globalisation, gambling with public funds - pulling Britiain into whirlpool of recession and depression. British public have to wish that cuts meet its target as predicted, with no mishap. Acording to this budget public is not a winner. Increases in benefits are clawed back, by increasing VAT to 20%, which will hit everyone hard via increase in gas, electric and petrol bills, to the tune of at least £40 per month for every family. I fail to understand why no duty is imposed on vices like alcohol and tobacco which cause many illnesses, thus straining NHS. Crimes and anti social behaviours are alcohol related. Increasing tax alcohol and cigarettes might have accorded double edged effect. Those who insist on drinking and smoking will fill nation’s coffers. Those who abstain can reduce strain on NHS, besides reducing crimes. The budget sends a message that it is OK to commit crime under influence of drink, and to fall sick by drinking and smoking, but is taxable sin to drive or use gas and electricity for survival.

Dismal England I have been watching world cup for a long time. But I have never seen such a gutless, depressing performance from an English national side. It was a disgrace. Yet they were one of the favourite to lift the cup that is if you believe hysteria created by our medial. Does any one believe this hype more than that Murray will be crowned Wimbledon champion? The way English football is structured, our team will no longer be a major force in football, on par with Welsh and Scottish teams. The premier league is dominated by foreign players and top teams like Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool routinely field teams with no English players and most have foreign managers as well who prefer to buy players from their own countries. Thus there is a glut of French, Spanish, Portuguese, South American and Africans players who use premiership as a stepping stone on the way to represent their own countries. No European country would tolerate such imbalance and countries like Germany, Italy and Spain have an unwritten law to field at least seven players who could represent their country. Moreover every major European team has a youth development policy that creates talented players for the nation, thus Germany has the youngest side while England has the oldest. No wonder when it comes to stamina, our lads are OAPs. When the playing careers of these players come to an end, I do not see any talented players to replace the likes of Lampard, Terry, Ashley and Joe Cole and the rest. Our league plays more matches than practically any European nation, to generate income to pay millions in wages. Thus our players are always injury prone, tired and jaded, unable to put their heart and soul for their country. Wake up FA before we become a third class nation at football, on par with Iceland, Cyprus and our own Wales and Scotland. Bhupendra M Gandhi By email

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Indian government’s dual citizenship plan The Government of Hon Dr Manmohan Singh has allowed dual citizenship for NRI's possessing citizenship of other countries (except Pakistan and Bangladesh), like the broadminded Britain. Those who have preserved their old cancelled Indian passports, easily obtain Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI). But those who have British passports with details of date and place of birth (Indian villages or cities) legitimately endorsed together with photo and passport number are refused. To obtain birth certificate for those born in India before independence, is next to impossible. Even if you succeed, they ask for domicile certificate ignoring birth rights. People who are citizens of USA are threatened to surrender their Indian passports and pay huge amounts of dollars. Some are living on a hand-to-mouth existence and can't afford to pay such unnecessary fines. Instead they should be given OCI passports in lieu of Indian passports with reasonable fees, after thorough checking. All people should not suffer because of some rogues like David Headley. Dr Ratibhai Patel Croydon

Clamping nightmare may end soon One piece of legislation that was introduced in haste is the clamping law that has become a charter for printing money for the criminals. We are all eagerly waiting to see the introduction of legislation that would end the cowboy clamping that has plagued the venerable members of the society, sick, disabled and mothers with young children, people who are least able to resist these thugs in disguise. Motoring organizations have been deluged with complaints about rogue clampers who lurk in the shadows and move stealthily on the unsuspecting motorists when least expected. There are nearly 2000 companies who are legally empowered to clamp vehicles and so often charge up to £900 to release vehicles, marching the confused and frightened motorists to the nearest cash point. Notices in car parks and private land are so often hidden in corners or behind trees and vegetation, out of sight from the motorists. With the change of government, political will now exist to outlaw these operators. Under new rules, only those who are contracted out by local authorities will be able to clamp cars, as a last resort, thus tightly regulating such firms with annual check before renewing their licences. It sounds fair but as corruption is ripe in some local authorities, let us hope that these crooks are not able to bribe and obtain licence to print money at our expense. Kumudini Valambia By email

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

(Off Coronet Street)

Cricket crazy Indians for the first time was seen so euphoric on Monday morning, as they expected a couple of Oscars. British Indians in the UK, Dharavi slums, the shanty township of Mumbai, a village in Uttar Pradesh and almost the entire Bollywood waited in expectation, glued to their TV sets. They burst into celebrations as one by one, their heroes, the actors of the British Indian film and the music maestro, A R Rahman bagged the top awards in the world of entertainment. British actress Kate Winslett also won the Oscar after having missed it almost five times earlier. ‘Smile Pinki’, a short documentary on a cleft-lipped Indian girl in Uttar Pradesh directed by American director Megan Mylan, won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short).

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

The picture is rosy and the time is ripe By Neha Parikh Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) in association with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Indian High Commission in London and the

Mr P Kishore, the MD of Everonn Education Ltd spoke of the immense potential the education sector holds in India. Demographically speaking, India is going to be one of the youngest countries in the world with 66% of our

respective heads. Dr Mohan Kaul, Director General of the Commonwealth Business Council spoke of strengthening the networking of professionals working in UK with their Indian counterparts and his projects of

Lord Karan Bilimoria with some of the attendees and prospective investors

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised an Investment cum Interactive meet in London on 21st June, 2010 at Bombay Brasserie.

Mike Dawe of City & Guilds

Needless to say, the event was an absolute success with a plethora of powerful who's who from the business and political world attending the event. The accomplished and knowledgeable business delegation that the OIFC and MOIA roped in for this special meet surely opened up many new avenues of investment for the Indian diaspora in UK. Their detailed industry knowledge and deep understanding of Indian markets had the audience swaying right along the eastward winds of economic optimism. Be it in the area of education, infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services or investment in skills development and training of the young Indians. The tone was inviting, positive and confident. And what set this meet apart was that it was not just lengthy yawn inspiring speeches, but a very management-esque approach to the eve. Every speaker supplied hard numbers to each point they made. And if we are to go by those numbers, well, its raining moolah (big ones) for every investor!

population falling in the 'under 35' age cohort. “One out of four youth stays in India...” sites this entrepreneur and adds further boost to his points by sharing the proud news of the Right to Education Bill having come into effect since 1st April, 2010 in India. This bill will mean provision of compulsory and free education for all children between six to fourteen years of age. All this is just the tip of the big iceberg of facts and figures one witnessed at the event. Each speaker was not given more than 10 minutes of podium time, but their truly “power” point presentations gave the prospective investors and others real fodder for

setting up college in Aurangabad and solar plant in Gujarat, about which he says, “Working in Gujarat is just a treat”. Lord Karan Bilimoria, President of UK India Business Council, who we all know, was just as charming in his speech and spoke highly of the “Pravasi Bhartiya Divas” and his inspiring and utterly quotable talk left us all smiling. Lord Diljit Rana emphasized the importance of increased cooperation between GOPIO International and the OIFC and CII for building a better and stronger platform for the next generation. Mr Ash Verma, Chairman of Gateway Asia started on the note of enterprise and entrepre-

R N Prasad, Deputy High Commissioner, High Commission of India (left) with an attendee

thought. Amongst other speakers were Mr Mike Dawe, Head of International Business Development from City&Guilds, Mr KVS Manian, Group HeadConsumer Bank from Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd and Mr Himanshu Mehta, Head-Corporate Banking at BNP Paribas. Mr Mehta a repatriate himself, instilled a very real confidence in the listeners with his own experience from both worlds, as a diaspora Indian and now otherwise. Concomitant with industry personnel were member of OIFC's partner organisations and their

neurship being the hallmark of immigrant Indian. Mr R N Prasad, the Deputy High Commissioner on behalf of the High Commission of India, London and Dr A Didar Singh, Secretary MOIA and Chairman OIFC, who had addressed the eager crowd with their opening speeches, also took part in the question and answer session towards the conclusion. Their approach seemed very bullish on what India has to offer and how their government and the facilitating body can build bridges the UK diaspora has been wanting since so long.

Oxfam and India: A match made in Bihar Not many relationships last for nearly six decades. Especially relationships that have undergone droughts, famines and other largescale emergencies. It’s just one of the reasons why the relationship between Oxfam and India is pretty special. To tell the story properly we need to start at the beginning. The year was 1951 and Britain was in turmoil following the Second World War; life was characterised by hardship and the economy was struggling to get back on its feet. Meanwhile in the Bihar province of India flooding and drought caused a severe famine that received international attention. This was when the seeds of partnership were sown between Oxfam and India. Oxfam placed adverts in the British press appealing for donations from the public to help the civilians in Bihar stricken by the effects of three years of bad harvests, succeeded by floods, droughts, epidemics, earthquakes and now famine Despite the hardship in Britain at the time, more than £3500 was raised, and sent to a Famine Relief Committee organized and run by the wife of the Bishop of Bhagalpur. This initial encounter set the pattern for the relationship throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Funds were raised overseas by Oxfam and then distributed by partners on the ground including organizations that are now Oxfam affiliates. A closer relationship

was forged in the 1960s through the appointment of a number of permanent field directors whose task was to empower staff on the ground and lessen the role of Oxfam’s headquarters in the UK. As a sign of this deeper commitment rooted in closer proximity, Oxfam established its first permanent office in the continent in Bangalore. Two of Oxfam’s specialist strengths were developed as a result of its commitment to India as its field directors prioritized the provision of village water supplies and sanitation facilities. The field directors also helped to pioneer an approach of direct contact and involvement with indigenous community groups, now adopted by many aid organizations around the world. When further famine hit Bihar in 1967, Oxfam was uniquely placed to support the affected population, and initiated its first major operational work in India. Through sending volunteers to help run a major food programme in a longterm emergency its operational presence in the continent became even more established. The relationship between Oxfam and India has come a long way since their initial encounter in 1951. Oxfam has since carried out long-term programmes to reduce regional poverty as well as implementing largescale relief operations to mitigate the consequences of emergencies such as the 1971 Indo-

Jonaid Jilani

Pak war which created a massive refugee flow. Today Oxfam India has the benefit of being a merger of the different Oxfam offices that have been operating in the continent as separate entities. Combining expertise and experience, Oxfam India now has offices in six cities with around 120 staff working with more than 200 local partners and allies to defeat poverty and injustice in the Indian subcontinent. Now much more than an organization that simply asks for donations and delivers them to remote agencies working in the area, Oxfam both fundraises and implements programmes through grassroots organizations. It also vigorously pursues linking grassroots programmes with policy advocacy, thereby emphasising a rights-based approach. This relationship has proven to be a true model for success. To help us celebrate sixty years of partnership between Oxfam and India, please consider lending your support. Working together we can end poverty in our lifetime. For more information about Oxfam and its India project or to donate please call 0300 200 1242

Bhanu Choudhrie to Chair Business Advisory Board for Commonwealth Games England Recently Commonwealth Games England today announced that entrepreneur Bhanu Choudhrie is to Chair the Business Advisory Board for Commonwealth Games England. Ahead of the much anticipated 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October, Bhanu will be working with a group of eminent and respected sports minded individuals, to rally support and secure funds to support England’s participation in Delhi. Born in Delhi, Bhanu has been the Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group Ltd since 2001 where the group has a vast portfolio of investments, ranging from award-winning spa hotels in India and Mauritius to a portfolio of hospitals and care homes in the UK. Bhanu has recently diversified

into Bollywood, launching a company in India involved in filming and distribution. His involvement follows on from last month’s announcement that CGE has raised over £100,000 through signing up SME’s to become an ‘Official Friend of the England Team’ for Delhi 2010. Bhanu Choudhrie commented, “I am really excited to come in as Chair of the Business Advisory Board and am fully focused on the success of Commonwealth Games England. The Team have over 400 of England’s top athletes heading to Delhi and we want to make sure they have everything in place to help make the Games a huge success”. Joanna Robinson, Development Director for Commonwealth Games England said: "It’s great to

Bhanu Choudhrie

have Bhanu on board. He is a hugely successful businessman whose experience and contacts, both in this country and in India will be invaluable to the success of the team. We are very focused on impeccable preparations in order to deliver one of England’s finest performances at the Games in Delhi this year”.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Kapil’s

‘Honour Their Good Work’: WZO’s 30th Anniversary Celebrations

KHICHADI by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com Summer of Discontent

Chief Guest Padma Vibhushan Soli Sorabjee presenting Jitendra Kumar First Secretary at the Indian High Commission with his award

To mark the 30th year of its existence, the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) celebrated, the contribution made by some of its honorary office bearers and volunteers for the social, economic and spiritual development of the community. Over 250 members and guests gathered at the Paddington Hilton, London on 5th June, to show their appreciation for the sustained effort of these individuals, over the decades, to create an organisation which is a unifying influence within the diaspora and addresses the issues that face our community worldwide. A brief overview of their achievements is given below. The Chief Guest, Padma Vibhushan Soli Sorabjee, past Attorney General of India, presided over the function. The Queen had sent her ‘warm good wishes to all concerned on this most special anniversary.’ The High Commissioner of India was represented by Mr Jitendra Kumar, First Secretary at the Indian High Commission. The function was entirely sponsored by several appreciative supporters and

raised generous donations for various charitable causes on the day. WZO’s Chairman, Darayus S Motivala, outlined the charitable work undertaken over the past 30 years. The most significant has been the £750,000 collected for the Gujarat Farmers project which has built 118 cottages, helped improve farming practice and given micro credit to 700 rural Zarthushties. The supervision of this work is voluntarily carried out by WZO Trust in India which is managed by Baachi and Dinshaw Tamboli. Currently, WZO supports 120 students and 360 indigent elderly people. Last year it disbursed £2,500 in medical expenses and £1,100 to mobeds. WZO runs two senior citizens’ homes and a sanatorium in Sanjan. It has, on behalf of a UK Bequest, distributed £220,000 to nonZoroastrian charities in India. It also funds Zoroastrian youth education and senior citizens’ projects in Iran. WZO takes a lead in disseminating the teachings of our faith and in supporting those who believe in the

WZO’s Chairman Darayus S Motivala

universal truth of Zarathushtra’s message. This means, said Darayus Motivala in his welcoming speech, that Zoroastrians should be defined not by ‘ethnic rules’ but by ‘ethical rules’, that is, by their thoughts, words and deeds. “WZO does not, in its charitable giving, differentiate between families where one or both parents are Zoroastrians,” he said. On this auspicious occasion, nine outstanding individuals were honoured. However, it is important to note that there are several more who have served WZO over the years and whose efforts have been recognised on previous occasions or who have yet to be felicitated. We salute them all!

Peers expenses cut to £300 a day Members of the House of Lords have had their allowances cut for the first time, following the parliamentary expenses scandal. In future, they will be able to claim a maximum of £300 a day, instead of the present £335.50, and will lose a range of perks. To combat the notorious practice of Lords leaving their car engines running while they nip into the Palace of Westminster to sign the attendance register, a new half-day rate of £150 is being brought for those who are not in Parliament for a full working day. Peers will also lose their right to claim separately for taxis, meals, office costs or hotel bills, all of which will have to come out of their daily allowance. It means the maximum any peer will be paid is £45,000 a year, assuming the House of

Lords sits for 150 days. The Senior Salaries Review Board had suggested that the attendance allowance be put up to £340, rather than being reduced. The new rates were announced by the Lords leader, Lord Strathclyde, who claimed the new system would be "cheaper to run, less bureaucratic to comply with, simpler to police and far, far harder to abuse". Until just over 50 years

ago, Lords were not paid to be in Parliament but the Conservative government recognised some aristocrats had become so impoverished during the years of post-war austerity that they could barely afford train fares to London. In July 1957, they introduced a daily allowance of three guineas, equivalent to just over £50 today. In 1979, peers were also granted the right to claim secretarial expenses.

A few weeks back I wrote about the summer of discontent, mainly in relation to the cuts the country was about to face post the emergency budget by the coalition. At the time of writing it was never in my thoughts that we would witness the total demolition of the England football team. On Sunday like me, millions tuned in to see if England could rise to the challenge and do the country proud. I think we can safely say our boys took a hell of a beating. It seems you pay the bankers huge amounts in bonuses and they will take you to the cleaners every time. You give the politicians your trust and they will make up their expenses as they go along. You get a few days of sunshine and suddenly there are rumours of water shortages in some parts of the country. You give the footballers your dreams, and they can’t even be bothered to get out of bed to kick a ball around for their country. And the great maestro, the fabulous Fabio will earn £6 million per year for the next two years regardless of performance. Now why can’t I get a deal like that? Summer was always going to be tough with the series of cuts highlighted in the recent budget. Since then further details coming out show that the Government might have actually gone further than what most analyst had predicted. In KK I did caution that it would be an error if the Government elects for aggressive cuts – I would not be too surprised if come October time we begin to see serious signs of the public turning against these austere measures. It is a dangerous game that is being played, more so since it depends on the goodwill of the LibDems who are now so far removed from their core principles that one wonders if there is any point for that party to exist. The latest poll results confirm this view since it places the Tories on 43%, Labour on 36% and the LibDems on 16%. That is a drop of more than 10% point for the LibDems. If this was to be repeated at the next election the LibDems would end up with less 20 seats, that is if they are lucky.

DC Clever or Lucky?

Every new Government and Prime Minister has about 100 days grace when the country gives its support and forgives errors of judgement as a product of inexperience. It could be argued that the Prime Minister has decided to give tough medicine now in the hope that in the last 18 months before the next election, he can turn round and start offering some great deals for everyone in the country. A great idea but it is dependent on one major assumption, that Britain will not go into a double dip recession in the mean time. Of all the people it was PM Manmohan Singh who said at the recent G20 meet that countries should not withdraw support for the economy given its fragility. One thing is for sure, David Cameron has found himself to be in an advantageous position. The whole global economy is so fragile that it allows him to get away with almost anything he might wish to do at present. Add to that the desire of the public to blame Gordon Brown and Labour for all the ills in society. Our new prime minister has a great opportunity whereby the constellations of right circumstance and luck have come together. He just might be clever and lucky after all.

Prejudice knows no colour District Judge Simon Cooper, sitting at Bristol Magistrates' Court, told the Liberal Democrat councillor Shirley Brown: "You made a mistake this time. You have

to accept responsibility." What you might find astonishing is that the lady in question is black and was guilty of calling an Asian Councillor, a Mrs Jay Jethwa a ‘coconut’. To those in the know you will be aware that if you are referred to as a ‘coconut’ then the accuser is alleging that you might be brown from the outside, but white on the inside. It is always a pity when prejudice of any type is used as a tool to further one’s own interest. As a community we must show our displeasure regardless of the ethnicity, race or faith of the person since it can never be right to tolerate any such inequality. This is even more important in light of the severity of economic circumstance that we all face. It will become all too easy to start blaming various minority communities in order to vent one’s anger. That would always be wrong and damaging to our country.

KK on Kili Last week I mentioned that the charity ‘Gift of Hope’ and its local partner in India ‘Food for Life Vrindavan’ had asked me to take part in their charity event to raise funds. The challenge is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in October 2010. I have decided to take part in this great event and try to raise as much as I can. I need the support of everyone and I ask the readership of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar to sponsor me to whatever amount that is within your comfort zone. The method of donations if fully transparent, please log on to the following site and follow the instructions: h t t p : / / w w w. v i r g i n moneygiving.com/Kapil Dudakia Before donating, I would encourage you all to take the time and visit their website which will show how funds raised are used to support the life chances of women and children. www.fflvrindavan.org

Mount Kilimanjaro

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Indian coffee and tea make their mark in a London show at Olympia By Rudy Otter India caused a stir at Caffe Culture, an annual event which highlights the growing cafe bar market worldwide. Representatives of the subcontinent’s tea and coffee operations were among the 300 international exhibitors displaying thousands of products and services at London’s Olympia from 23rd to 25th June. Chennai-based Unnamalai Thiagarajan, owner of Balmaadi company, was busy with her daughter Ruckmini answering questions from cafe bar and hospitalitybased organisations about their brand of organic coffee. The beans, said Ruckmini, are grown 6,500ft high in an area close to the famous hill station, Udhagamandalam, formerly known as Ootacamund. Her mother told Asian Voice: “We grow according to auspicious planetary movements involving the Earth,

Rudy Otter

Moon and Saturn and everything is totally organic. Our compost is made from cowdung, taken at the best time when cows are lactating, and put into cowhorns which we bulkpurchase. We bury the horns in the soil for up to six months and when dug up they are full of rich natural nutrients which we mix with water and apply across our 400-acre plantation twice a year.” Their which she coffee, described as “mediumbodied, full of flavour” is exported to various countries including United States, UK, Germany and Japan. Also dealing with a

stream of enquirers was Ashok Kuriyan, managing director of the Balanoor Plantation and Industrial company of Bangalore, south India, who was on the Coffee Board of India stand. He told Asian Voice: “Coffee is big business in India even though foreigners normally think of us as a tea-producing nation. The beans are grown in such states as Karnataka which accounts for 71 per cent of India’s coffee production, as well as in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and elsewhere. Among our biggest customers are Italy, Germany and Spain.” A swarm of enquirers lined up to speak to Shamir Shah, managing director of the East India Tea House based in Harrow, Middlesex, who at 30 has already chalked up some notable business awards, including reaching the finals of the 2005 Enterprising Young Brits Award. He set up the company seven years ago and told Asian Voice: “We sup-

ply over 100 different tea blends to top restaurants, cafes and hospitality groups as well as providing free training to trade customers on how to maximise sales.” Another family business, run by brother Jai Shah, opened three years ago. Called Enviropack, it provides eco-friendly packaging which is manufactured in Baroda and distributed worldwide.Their father, retired businessman Hasu Shah, who was born in Kenya and whose family originally hailed from Jamnager, Gujarat, was on hand to help. Among the many Asian taking part were companies such as Drink Me Chai which recently launched its iced chai latte in time to satisfy thirsts during the summer months. Smoothie drinks were also popular with visitors who relished the mango, pineapple and pomegranate flavours. Lectures, discussions and coffee-making competitions were also held.

BoB hold event to discuss the importance of accountancy for economic growth The UK (London) Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in association with Bank of Baroda UK organized a discussion on the ‘Role of Accounting Profession in Anchoring Economic Growth’ on Saturday, June 26 in London. The event was hosted in the honour of Mr Salman Khurshid, the Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs from the Government of India. In his welcome address, Mr Arvind Chopra, Chairman of ICAI (UK Chapter) welcomed all and acknowledged Bank of Baroda for their support. The event was a congregation of members of the UK

Chapter of ICAI who had gathered to be benefited by the wisdom and experience of industry leaders like Mr. Michael Izza CEO of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Mr. Prabhakar Kalavacherla, Member of International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Mr. RN Prasad, Dy. High Commissioner of India to UK said the relation between India and UK has become more robust and diversified with 600 Indian companies having offices in UK. Mr SS Mundra, Chief Executive of Bank of Baroda’s European Operations shared his insights on the subject from a banker’s perspec-

Mr Prabhakar, Member IASB, Hon'ble Minister Mr Salman Khursheed, Mr. SS Mundra CEO Bank of Baroda with Mr. RN Prasad, Dy.HC of India

tive. In his concluding remarks, the Honourable Minister complimented the accounting world for their growing contribution to the corporate world and com-

plimented Bank of Baroda for their continued support and contribution in promoting industry and to growth. The event was followed by a networking reception.

Summertime fun for all!

Marmalade Drops Think. Act. Vote. By Deepti V. Patel It would be hard for anyone to miss the global summer blockbuster that is Sex and the City II (SATC). Putting the dating and relationship angle to one side the other main thing that draws women to SATC is fashion. The choices that face women in relation to fashion in the last decade have spiralled. Amisha Ghadiali founder of the Think. Act. Vote. campaign set up her organisation as an answer to a political question about fashion: at what cost do our fashion choices affect the health and wellbeing of our world? Over a period of a few decades we have experienced a shift in the way we view the disposability of our clothes. Once it was simply a decision based upon wear and tear or outgrowing the garment. In the last five years alone we have seen the rise of high street low cost fashion outlets which have directly lead to the culture of the throw – away outfit. What’s wrong with that? They provide jobs in developing countries. They allow for the mass to have this season’s latest trends, at fraction of the cost of designer labels, allowing women to look and feel good about themselves. These are all some of the arguments which defend these short term, cheaper purchases. Let’s put the ethical discourse to one side, and focus on the economics of disposal fashion. Mere clothing is about utility, fashion is about style, design, a

form of self expression. There are some styles that are reoccurring and classic. There are some designs that are one off masterpieces. The other basic investment criteria in clothes are quality and endurance. Buying something made well at a slightly higher price tag, from a young or artisan designer directly, more often means that the purchaser will ensure that it will last as long as possible. This is the anti thesis to low cost fashion. When we buy low cost, we don’t think about will I wear this in a few years time, because either it’s too stylised to be retained, or due to poorer quality it won’t last. Low cost clothing is actually more expensive, you are spending more in the long-term. These clothes have a low percentage of retention due a lower standard of quality, on a depreciating purchase. The most important issue raised out of this debate is that women have a huge role as consumers to create change. A shift in their purchasing can indeed change the fates of millions. More thoughtful purchases not only lead to items which the owner will have an emotional connection to, but they are better for our collective environment. Each thing we do affects the quality of our future and fashion in this context has a huge role to play if we took more time to re think, act and vote each time we purchase something.

Harrow Police say fond farewell to Publicity Officer

Jenny Wilson (2nd from left) next to HPCCG Chair Sonoo Malkani at launch of Police Information Centre on 23 April

Pictured l to r: Event organisers Amrat Kerai, Nimu Jesani, Mavji Vekaria, Pravin Gajparia, VM Hirani, Mansukh Vekaria and Kanji Jesani with the winners

On what was one of the hottest days of the year so far, Shree Baladia Leva Patel Sarvodal continued with their 40th year in the UK celebrations with a scorcher of a Fun Day in Northolt on the 27 June 2010.

The crowds turned up and basked in the heat whilst playing five a side football, track and field events, team building for the generations which included building bridges from spaghetti, a treasure hunt, sumo

wrestling and a gladiator duel. To tantalise their appetites thereafter there was a barbeque on site and endlessly flowing candy floss for those that needed a sweet touch. If that was not enough

the Baladians watched on with specially setup screens to see England knocked out of the World Cup in South Africa by a fearless German team, no losers on the fun day though since all had a fantastic day.

Harrow Police and Community Consultative Group (HPCCG) said a fond farewell to Publicity Officer Jennifer Wilson who passed away in early June. Jenny was an integral part of the group for the last decade and was always there to welcome everyone as they arrived. She was a very concientious and dedi-

cated member of the small but tightly-knit management committee as well as being computer savvy, an excellent proof-reader and thorough in her dealings. She was a wonderful servant of the community, a dedicated wife, a loving mother, grandmother and friend to so many. She will be dearly missed!

www.abplgroup.com

Dee Katwa

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

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

First Asian ‘Queen’ to officially open Harborne Carnival Shirina Khanum has been crowned Carnival Queen after being chosen as the first Asian woman to lead Birmingham’s biggest street carnival. I caught up with her this week. “I’m absolutely over the moon,” said the 29year-old from Kings Heath in Birmingham. Shirina, pictured, was voted as the new Harborne Carnival Queen by a judging panel of business people and residents on the carnival committee. The event, now in its 12th year, which this year will have an American theme, is among the largest of its kind in Britain and is second only to London’s Notting Hill. Shirina, who is

engaged to fiancé Anthony Winders, runs Card Express gift shop and works part-time at the White Horse pub, both in Harborne. She said: “I’m extremely pleased and it feels even more special to be the first Asian queen.” She added: “I spend a lot of time in Harborne so it’s nice for people to have a queen they know.” Event organiser Paul Burrows described Shirina “a worthy winner”, adding, “she’s a very bubbly person, well known in the

Pope visit Taxpayers will help pay for Pope Benedict’s visit to Birmingham, the Catholic Church has admitted. Pope Benedict XVI will hold an open air mass at Cofton Park in Rubery on September 19. The Vatican will contribute £5 million towards the entire UK trip, with the government also chipping in.

Folks fined for truant son A Solihull mum and dad have been fined for their son’s school absences. Solihull Magistrates’ Court heard how the 13-year-old had attended 19 out of a possible 124 sessions between January 4 and April 26 this year. The couple were each fined £100, ordered to pay £120 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Living with a learning disability A free event promoting equal healthcare for people with learning disabilities was held at the New Bingley Hall in Hockley, Birmingham, last Thursday, as part of National Learning Disability Week. According to experts, people with a learning disability are 58 times more likely to die before their 50th birthday than other people.

Grow up, eradicate caste A thought-provoking conference examining the origins of the caste system in the Indian context and how it was used as a ploy to dominate Indians was held in Birmingham last Saturday. The seminar, Working Towards a Caste-Free Society, organised by the Sikh Education Forum, included presentations and workshops. The impact and effect of inter-caste marriages on young British Asians was also discussed and debated.

United we Stand West Midlands Faith Forum held its annual conference in Birmingham last Thursday. The all-day, two-part event, entitled ‘ Faith Relations Whose Agenda? Drivers, Action, Inspiration and Motivation in Today’s Inter-Faith Landscape, was held at the headquarters of West Midlands Fire Service. Keynote speaker was Paul Weller, Professor of Inter-Religious Relations at Derby University. To find out more visit www.wmfaithsforum.org.uk

area too.” Shirina, a born and bred Brummie, and a former Golden Hillock School pupil, is one of four siblings whose ancestral roots lie in Bangladesh. Shirina will

open the Harborne Carnival this weekend and will spend all day at the carnival and accompany the civic party. She will also be given the rare opportunity to switch on Harborne’s Christmas lights and will also attend a handful of other ceremonies in her new ‘Royal’ role. Harborne is among the most affluent areas of Birmingham and has a 24,000 population of which around 22 per cent are from ethnic minority communities. Harborne Carnival will take place this Sunday (July 4) from 9.45am onwards in Harborne High Street. Free to attend, all welcome.

Bishop - in the bobby seat again West Midlands Police Authority has appointed Bishop Derek Webley to chair the authority for another year. Councillors Judy Foster and Diana Holl-Allen were appointed vice-chairs. Three new councillors, Mohammed Arif, Malcolm Cornish and Ernie Hendricks also joined the authority. Describing his re-appointment “a great honour”, Bishop Webley, pictured, said: “These are challenging times for policing, as we face significant financial challenges and other reforms. Only by working together with communities will we be able to steer a safe path through the issues that lie ahead.”

Just Married Congratulations to Sheetal, daughter of Naliniben and Ramniklal Nathalal Parmar, who tied the knot to Kapil, son of Vanitaben and Devjibhai Ravji Patel (Kerai), at the Kadwa Patidar Samaj hall in Harrow, London, last Sunday. This lavish occasion was an opportunity for many guests, among hundreds, to rewind back decades and share fond memories of an East African coastal town, Mombasa, native to Sheetal’s parents.

Cohabiting set to rise Ironically, and still on nuptials, the number of unmarried couples living together will rise dramatically over the next 25 years, according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of co-habiting couples currently stands at 2.3 million and is expected to reach 3.8 million in 2033. Since 1978, more and more couples have decided against tying the knot.

News in Brief Bank wins online battle Birmingham-based Islamic Bank of Britain has won a battle to prevent its online banking web address being put up for auction. The bank, which has its national headquarters in Edgbaston, was forced to turn to the World Intellectual Property Organisation to gain control of the domain name Islamic-bank.com where its main website is located and where customers can log on to check their accounts. As of the end of last year, the bank had deposits of £186.6 million and just under 50,000 customers.

Expanding in India Jonathan Keeling, CEO of Birmingham stockbroker Arden Partners, has stepped down to start a new job expanding the firm in India. “I love going to India, I love doing business with the people there,” said Mr Keeling. He will become the firm’s deputy chairman.

Sickness in pregnancy The first-ever national conference on sickness in pregnancy was held at Warwick University this week. Keynote speaker Dr Brian Swallow, from the University of Lincoln, said: “At least 70 per cent of women experience nausea and sickness in pregnancy.”

Think Green, Go Green Apathetic Brummies are among the nation’s least eco-conscious citizens, new research has found. A study commissioned by EDF Energy has shown the Welsh are the “greenest” people, with 60 per cent of citizens saying they are concerned about climate change, compared to a meagre 12 per cent of West Midland natives.

Keshi, off to China Well done to ambitious teenager Keshi Chouhan, pictured, who has been selected to go on a British Council-sponsored educational trip to China later this month as part of the Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship 2010 programme. In September, Keshi, 18, daughter of Mukesh and Meena Chouhan from Leicester, will begin her BSc in Economics and Management at Aston Business School, Birmingham.

Encouraging youth to go self-employed A new initiative aimed at reducing youth unemployment and creating up to 5,000 new young entrepreneurs has been unveiled in Birmingham. The ‘three per cent campaign’, which is being led by the Young People’s Enterprise Centre of Expertise, or YPECOE, will look to provide a support package to help the region raise the number of Under-25s in self employment.

Violinist, 14, scoops cash prize A defibrillator - what’s that? A budding Midland violinist has become one of only 90 teenagers across the country to be recognised for her musical talents as part of a new grants scheme. Holly Randhawa, 14, a pupil at Perryfields High School in Sandwell, who impressed judges at recent auditions at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, has been given £200 by Awards For Young Musicians to fund her future training.

Chapel to turn into Mosque Plans to turn the old Bethel Chapel in Wilenhall Road, Wolverhampton, into a mosque have been submitted to council bosses. The Chapel, which dates back to 1890,was bought at auction for £93,000 by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, which has over 80 local branches in the UK.

The British Heart Foundation wants to install a defibrillator – the electrical devices used to restart hearts during cardiac arrest – in any office or public area that has to deal with 1,000 or more people a day. But the issue is this: can anyone use them? One in 25 people from India and other south Asian countries carries a mutated gene that causes heart failure, according to a new study. Carriers have about a 90 per cent chance of developing heart failure after the age of 45. About 60 million people worldwide, including about 40 million Indians, carry the mutation.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

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

Religious groups protest at plans for cremation fee rise Leicester's Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities could be hardest hit by plans to raise cremation prices in the city, it has been claimed. The fee charged at Gilroes Crematorium will increase from £500 to £610 if plans by Leicester City Council get the go-ahead later this year. A £110-a-time "environmental levy" will help to offset the city council's plan to replace the four cremators installed in 2000 and to increase chapel seating capacity. The new equipment will

Parmjit Singh Gill

reduce mercury emissions, which come from the tooth fillings of those cremated. The full cost of the improvements has been put

at £4.2 million. There are fears that because cremation is required in the Hindu and Jain religions, and preferred by Sikhs, their communities will be disproportionately affected. Parmjit Singh Gill, who is a city councillor and a Sikh, said: "There hasn't been enough consultation on this price rise. I do think that some faith groups will be particularly affected by these rises." Mukesh Naker, from Leicester-based pressure group British Hindu Voice,

Police act to help jewellers 'living in fear' of robberies Police are to step up patrols in Leicester's Golden Mile and help its crime-hit jewellery shops improve their security. Officers and senior council officials visited Belgrave after two businesses were hit – one by a robbery gang and another by burglars – within a few days of each other earlier this month. The current high market price of gold is thought to be fuelling attacks on jewellers across the UK. As a result of the visit, some shops are to be offered devices which can be activated in emergencies to spray intruders with a fine mist of SmartWater. The near-invisible chemical liquid, which glows under ultraviolet light, helps identify stolen goods and can link offenders to specific crimes. Leicester City Council is also to consider installing bollards on some sections of pavement to prevent ram-raid attacks. The area's beat officers are currently based at Keyham Lane police station but will be transferred to Melton Road station – which has housed specialist teams, but not neighbourhood officers for several years. Businesses will also hold regular meetings with their officers. Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, head of police in the city, visited the victims of two recent attacks, Alankar and Bipin jewellers, both in Belgrave Road. He was joined by city council leader Veejay Patel, chairman of the Belgrave Business Association Dharmesh Lakhani and Inspector Steve Riley, commander at Keyham Lane police station. Chief Supt Nixon said: "I wanted to meet the owners of the businesses affected to reassure them that police in the city are

Cllr Veejay Patel, Dharmesh Lakhani & Ch/Supt Rob Nixon meet with Bihesh Pala of Alankar Jewellers

taking these incidents very seriously." Bihesh Pala, owner of Alankar Jewellers, which was robbed on Tuesday, June 8, said: "We are impressed with the way that things are happening. To get local officers stationed back in Belgrave will be amazing." Councillor Patel said: "Leicester is very proud of the Golden Mile and we are committed to supporting local businesses to make them, their customers and residents feel safe."

Dharmesh Lakhani, chairman of Belgrave Business Association and owner of Bobby's restaurant in Belgrave Road, said businesses were happy with police progress on the two cases. Police will also work with businesses to raise crime-prevention awareness among the jewellers' customers, including being careful when wearing jewellery in public, storing it securely at home and photographing items to help police in the event of a theft.

said: "Cremation rites are an important and integral part of Hindu, Sikh and Jain custom so such a proposal would have a massive impact on these communities. Despite several pledges by city councillors and officers to consult Leicester's vast Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, it now appears that a decision to push through the proposals without a formal consultation has been made. Hindus, Jains and Sikhs have consistently made a positive contribution to Leicester's econom-

A popular event made a welcome return after a one year absence, bringing a taste of Asia to Loughborough. The annual celebration of the town's Asian culture took place over the weekend. Last year the Loughborough Mela was cancelled because its organisers did not have the staff or cash to run it. Yesterday the mela, which this year moved to a new location in the Market Place, drew large crowds to enjoy live music and dance. Varsha Parmar, from Human Rights and Equalities Charnwood,

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charging a levy on each funeral is fairer than using the council's capital reserves, because the crematorium serves more than just the city. The cost of cremation is already cheaper in two other East Midlands cities. In Nottingham it costs £388 for a city resident and £474 for a non-city resident, while in Derby it costs £460. The Government recently issued legislation on the need to cut crematorium mercury emissions in half by 2012.

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ic and social well-being. We feel extremely let down by the council. While we welcome improvement works to the crematorium, we feel we should not be ignored on this issue." The council's lead member for culture and leisure, Councillor Robert Wann, said the consultation was continuing. A city council spokesman said: "No decision has been made on the cremation charges. They are due to be considered by cabinet in August." The council says that

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Dhindsa and Irfan Khan, Bollywood dancing by Screenidolz and traditional stick dancing and drumming from the Maher Community Ras Group. There was also a host of other Asian inspired events.

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

East India company artwork exhibition opens in London By Spriha Srivastava

An artist with style Magazine-2010 & Women are born to was published. be great at multi Following are some of tasking. It is amazmy solo painting exhiing how they can bitions that were held take care of several in London:responsibilities and Nehru Centre London deal with them in June-2010 ; M P Birla such a smooth manMillennium Art ner. Every time I see Gallery, The Bhavan my mother take care Center, Institute Of of both the houseIndian Art and culhold as well as her ture London Julycareer, I am over2008. awed with a sense of respect and admira- Parinita Khond with Monica Mohta, How will you of classiDirector, The Nehru Centre fy your paintings? tion for her. Women I can classify my paintare designed in such Mahavidyalya, Nagpur ings broadly into Modern a fashion I guess. And University. Contemporary. I explore today if we look at young What attracted you to be girls we can see that they a range of subjects an artist? are very nicely balancing including Figurative, My passion for Art is Landscape and Abstract both their career and inborn & it’s a God gift. I works reminiscent of the their passion. feel alive with creativity. I rich and vibrant diversity Parinita Khond is a got the hobby of paint.I practices a range of difyoung MBA student at ings since my childhood ferent mediums including Coventry University in and received lots of Soft pastels, Oil, Acrylics London. A lot of us appreciations which and water colors. I conmight ask the question, encouraged me towards centrate on the female “So, what’s special about art more & more. Art for figure paintings which it?” Well, the special part me is day-long obsession, suggest narrative; a poris not her MBA course joy, happiness and satistrayal of women’s role. but the fact that apart faction. The diverse and lively from her hectic academic Tell us in brief about collection of my paintcareer, she is also a very your achievements as an ings encompasses both talented artist who has artist? traditional and been appreciatcontemporary ed for her work ever since she approaches was six year old. towards visual Recently she culture. exhibited There are difher ferent shades work at The women’s life Nehru Centre, and personality located in the in your paintposh neighbourings. What hood of Mayfair. does that signiOne of the most fy? distinct aspects Concentrating about her painton the female ing was the fact figure my paintthat many of her ings suggest p a i n t i n g s narrative; a revolve around portrayal of the portrayal of w o m e n ’ s women – shades ro l e . w o m e n ' s of a women’s tenderness, personality. She w o m e n ' s said she greatly m i n d s , admired a women’s beauwoman’s role, ty and women's her tenderness, points of view towards her beauty and that led My first drawing a carthe life. Natural sensitiviher to showcasing shades toon character was pubty as a woman and desire of a woman’s personality lished in Diwali to step towards tradition in her work. Magazine -‘Maja’ when I made me focus on the Here are some was in class 3rd – This lives of women. excerpts from a recent was my first achieveYou are also a MBA stuconversation I had with ment. I have been awarddent. How do you manthe artist herself – ed the following:age both these aspects so Parinita Khond. Pragnya Pratibha Award well? from Journalist I keep a balance between Tell us about your backAssociation Hyderabadday to day management ground? 09 ; 66th All India Art studies and my art & tryCurrently I am pursuing Exhibition 07 HCing to achieve aesthetic MBA from Coventry Award for Paintings ; artistic aims by putting University, London. Prior Govt. Award for the some extra efforts. to taking up the MBA Literacy Poster ; Best Who is your role model course in London I used Photographic Award for as an artist and why? to work as Visualiser & the Campaign Mental Picasso, Monet, Degas, IT Recruiter in Retardation ; Award for Raja Ravi Verma, Hyderabad. Basically I the PosterGirl Hussian are the Artists I am an arts graduate & Adoption. One of my like and admire a lot. have done BFA -Bachelor paintings was selected as Their Style & impresof Fine Arts (Applied cover page design for sionism is a great motivaArts) from Government Maharashtra Mandal C h i t r a k a l a tion for any artist. London Diwali

Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at spriha@abplgroup.com

Priyal Sanghavi While the bigger London museums draw in millions of visitors each year, there are others scattered across London with smaller niche exhibits but nevertheless boast magnificent finds. One such museum is the National Army Museum at Chelsea which is currently hosting an exhibition on Indian Armies during the early rule of the British- a first of its kind. Titled Indian Armies, Indian Art: Soldiers, collectors and artists 1780 – 1880, the exhibition is a collection of paintings by Indian artists of the East India Company rule. The company ruled most of India till 1858, when it was dissolved. Many paintings were commissioned while others were sold in bazaars during the era, before photography came about. The exhibition which boasts of no borrowed paintings began to take shape when

The Durbar at Tanjore

viewer to distinguish and appreciate regional differences in art and soldier depiction. The first thing one notices in the section with the earliest era paintings is that along with the climatically unsuitable woollen coats, many soldiers wore shorts. The Madras paintings sported soldiers in different uniforms according to rank implying the mass availability of the paintings. “The technique also suggests that it was a family of artists rather than different persons and these paintings were commonplace.”

The soldiers of Madras

curator Pip Dodds was rummaging through the Army's collection. He says, “I found the picture of the Tanjore Durbar and was instantly fascinated. We had a lot of material donated by ex-British officers when the museum was founded in the 50s. But no one had grouped these paintings together before.” The exhibition is divided region-wise allowing the

The Punjab section featured larger-built turbaned soldiers as well as Maharajah Ranjit Singh. There is a larger slightly amateurish watercolour painting showing the war between the Sikhs and the East India company. It is more colourful lacking the sharp strokes of the Madras painters. Undoubtedly the pride and the most famous part

of the collection are the Skinner portraits. Colonel James Skinner whose father was Scottish and mother a Rajput, commissioned a series of painting recording his exploits. There are painting showing Skinner marching with his regiment, holding a durbar and some with cavalry maneuvers. While the top of the paintings have an English title, there are tiny golden Urdu inscriptions which are the names of the people depicted. This exhibition is the first attempt to bring together the collection. Other interesting finds include the left-to-right watercolour pieces showing the King of Burma giving up his Kingdom and being taken away by the British army. A stunning ivory chess set shows the British on one side who have strangely, two rhinoceroses and Indian Kings on the other hand with their turbans. The collection also features a tiger taken from the palace of Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam when he lost the Mysore War in 1799. Mr Dodds considers the exhibition an important historical find. “This is the biggest collection of East India company. We have no names for local artists sadly. Other museums keep borrowing paintings for their exhibitions. There is an interesting chronology which document an era where there is little known.

Reality show elevates Bollywood semifinalists to fame Priyal Sanghavi Their energetic dance moves, bright costumes and adrenaline-charged performance set the stage on fire at reality show Britain's Got Talent (BGT). Bollywood dance group Threebee made it to the semifinals for the show becoming the first of its genre to do so. Although they did not win, the show skyrocketed them to fame leading to a busier schedule than before. Choreographer and group leader Shweta Aggarwal is still in shock and yet to digest the fame. “Although Threebee dance company has been there for six years, we slowly built the team for BGT from four to twenty-five

dancers. We wanted to try once and definitely go through, ” she says. Threebee got approval from all three judges to in the first round itself when they performed to Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire. Shweta says, “Piers Morgan knew a lot about Bollywood but Simon Cowell had only heard Slumdog Millionaire which is a film on India but not Bollywood. I wanted to show the

Bollywood of today hence I kept the romance and the beauty but made the choreography contemporary.” The dance group are diverse coming from all parts of London and the age group being from 18 to 31 years. Currently the group has a packed month with back-to-back shows. Shweta says,“We are booked for events, weddings and even melas. Our dream is to have our own musical someday.”

Condolences Mr Chotubhai Virchand Mehta, of Sherwood Agencies Ltd, passed away at the age of 71 on June 24, 2010 in Manchester after a prolonged illness. He is survived by one son, three daughters and seven grandchildren. Contact: Mrs Champaben Mehta 01614860821

EDUCATION/COUNCIL

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

“Our London”

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

CIIr Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

“Snouts in trough” London Tories in action In the post-election period it would appear that principle (if there is one) of ‘anything goes’ applies and as a consequence there is a direct attack on the very values of democratic mandate and process. This certainly is the case at the City Hall driven gerrymandering of seats and manipulation in respect of London fire Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA - which is responsible for London’s fire brigade). Normally London’s Fire Brigade does not make news headlines attracting public attention like the work and issues related to London’s policing do. But, the recent events at LFEPA do require wider attention and scrutiny so that Londoner’s know how Tory politicians are blatantly manipulating rules and practices for their own personal advantages. After the recent elections London’s Mayor has manipulated the democratic process and given his Tory chums an additional seat on LFEPA and taken away a Labour seat. The justification of this move, which does not follow the accepted rules of proportionality of seats, is to make LFEPA “stronger” by scandalously grabbing control of the authority. In reality this is a total and utter garbage. Nothing more than a nasty

way of power grabbing. Let’s examine how the Tories have exercised the newly gained control of the Fire Brigade. As we all know, the Chancellor and the coalition government in their budget have proposed a pay freeze for public sector workers for the next two years. Both the Chairman and the chair of Finance committee of LFEPA too have been strongly advocating a pay freeze for the employees of fire services not just in London but all over the nation. But, last week when it came to their own pay it turned out to be a different story altogether. They rejected my proposal for a pay freeze for all elected members and voted in substantially increased allowances for Councillors and Assembly Members on the Authority. As a result the Chairman will now get a rise of about 9% and the basic allowances for members have gone up significantly too. The message from Tories is loud and clear to the fire fighters who on a daily basis risk their lives to keep us safe. “You take the financial hit but we will fill our pockets”. Snouts in trough is the expression that comes to my mind for such a behaviour and approach! The fact is that there was no justification for any increase at all becuase

allowances as per an independent review were agreed by all members until March 2012. Furthermore a recent report at the London Assembly actually concluded that the Chairman of the Authority was overpaid. However, in the guise of ‘fairness and economic package’ substantial increases have been railroaded through for personal gains of members. The meeting also voted through proposals for changes in the constitution of the Fire Brigade resulting in gagging public deputations, authority members and trade unions. The question one must repeatedly pose is - will the dictatorial and cynical moves engineered by the London’s Mayor in collusion with the Tory Chairman strengthen the fire authority? In reality the changes by Tories would create an atmosphere of intimidation, divisions and industrial unrest. I have no doubt that Mayor’s manipulation of rules amounts to the death of democratic principle and accountability. The current actions by the Mayor and his Tory chums have brought disrepute to the London Fire Emergency Planning Authority and they should be ashamed of their conduct.

Mela brings cultures of the world to the Links Scotland’s foremost celebration of cultural diversity through arts and culture returns this year with a packed programme, a new permanent home, and another quality world premiere. The Edinburgh Mela Festival, taking place August 6 to 8, has moved to Leith Links for its three-day spectacle. This year features the premiere of CARGO, a Scottish Government funded largescale outdoor performance on the theme of migration, which will run throughout August. Funded and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Arts Council, the Mela will also feature live performances, dance, theatre, music and multimedia activities, along with a full programme of family and children events. This year the Mela will also be at the Royal Botanic Gardens with Naturally, Inspired, new

work inspired by Scotland’s landscapes and commissioned by the Mela. Naturally, Inspired, is a collaboration between the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival, the Mela and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Naturally, Inspired, features theatre, storytelling, music, dance and song. Highlights of the programme include: n UK Asian Music Awards Best newcomer 2010 win-

ner Punjabi singer Jaz Dhami, Punjabi rapper and songwriter duo Bonafideand Asian pop sensation Taz from Stereo Nation. n The Mela Fashion show catwalk will play host to a selection of Scottish saris, designed for the show by local designers and made from tweed donated by Harris Tweed Textiles. Day passes, giving unlimited access; cost £2 each in advance, or £2.50 on the door. Under-12s go free.

By Jishnu Soni, Public Relations, NHSF (UK)

‘I AM THE ‘I’ IN INDIA’ I have learnt more about India by working with NHSF (UK) than I ever did when I went to school in Gujarat. It’s been three years since I joined the organisation and being a 21st century Indian living in the UK, some of my experiences here pushed me to wonder what exactly the term ‘India’ evoked. From experience, it seems that there are two main views: India as an IT superpower or India as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. On the first view, it is true that many major multinational companies have their IT departments outsourced to India or typically have Indians working in similar departments. In fact, it is not just IT- wherever intelligence is required, Indians are also present. Despite this, the second view seems to stigmatise India as a poor and corrupt country- as was portrayed in the film. Why is this? When speaking to different people and debating issues concerning India, I realised that

it’s not just “outsiders” but in fact we, Indians, that also have a part to play in propelling this bad reputation about our motherland. Without knowing the truth or without experiencing a different side of the world, we have always made judgements by word of mouth. These judgements keep passing from generation to generation and spread to people outside our culture. They then become misconceptions, which lead to stigma created by our own people and forced by other cultures. Former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam once asked: why are we so negative? India has long list of achievements which some nations can only dream of, yet we always speak of inefficiency and unsuccessfulness. These achievements, amongst numerous others, include: being the first country in the world to develop techniques in milk production and remote sensing satel-

lites; being the second largest producer of wheat and rice globally; and hailing as the largest democracy in the world. Despite this, we often consider India to be an underdeveloped or backward country, instead of a developing- almost developed- one. A quote that really inspired me on this topic was from Times of India which read: “I am the ‘I’ in INDIA; everything that’s wrong with this country starts with me and will soon end with me. I am India and India is me.” How many of us really understand this in a population of more than a billion, no too mention the Indian diaspora? It is time that we educated ourselves and others about our great nation to remove any false ideas people may hold. A nation is not perfect but its people make it perfect. It’s not about what India does to us but it’s about what we can do for India. JAI HIND!

Councillor Shirley Brown found guilty over racial 'coconut'slur BRISTOL city councillor Shirley Brown has been found guilty of racially insulting a rival by calling her "a coconut" during a hotly contested meeting in the council chamber. The Liberal Democrat was Monday given a 12month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £620 costs at Bristol Magistrates' Court after being convicted of directing the slur at Conservative Jay Jethwa. Both women broke down in tears as they gave evidence during the trial into the remark made by Brown during a heated debate about funding for ethnic minority groups in February last year. The court heard Brown had used the term "coconut" to suggest Mrs Jethwa, who grew up in India, was "brown on the outside but white on the inside" and had betrayed her cultural roots by calling for the annual £250,000 grant to be abolished. District Judge Simon Cook concluded Brown had made a calculated effort to upset her rival by using the insult. Of the remark, he said: "It was pretty gratuitous and was not concerned with the political aspects of your debate. I'm sure she meant distress to councillor Jethwa and I'm satisfied there was a risk to public disorder and

Bristol City councillor Shirley Brown

Conservative councillor Jay Jethwa

stimulation of racial hatred. It's an unusual case and unfortunate it's come to court. At first sight you must think you have been punished enough but you have to take responsibility for this offence." Following the trial, Mrs Jethwa said she was "very satisfied" with the verdict. She said: "It vindicates the decision to prosecute. I believe this sends a powerful message that such calculated insults will not be tolerated from any quarter. I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this case forward." Brown, who has pledged to appeal the verdict, has already been disciplined by Bristol City Council for her remark, which was captured on camera for a webcast and has been watched by thousands of people on the internet. An internal investigation found she broke

council rules, although her comment was not deemed to be racist. The 49-year-old, who is from a Jamaican background and represents Ashley ward, was initially handed a four-week suspension but the punishment was withdrawn on appeal. Criminal charges were brought against Brown following a complaint made to police by Christopher Windows, a Conservative supporter became distressed by the comment after watching the debate from the public gallery at the council chamber on February 24 last year. Brown launched the attack on Mrs Jethwa after she had made a speech calling for a cut in the grant dished out to the Legacy Commission, which supports ethnic minority groups as part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the end of the slave trade.

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Scrutator’s “India-Israel: A Robust Strategic Partnership” is the title of a fascinating article by Brijesh Khemlani in the Journal of the Royal United Services Institution (RUSI), a notable right-ofcentre London-based think-tank. This closet relationship is given a public airing, and we are the wiser fot it. Here are its opening lines: “In a state visit to Israel in February 2010, Indian Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jyotiradithya Scindhia, hailed the relationship between India and Israel as a 'relationship between two souls,' based on shared morals and principles. In return, Israeli President Shimon Peres offered complete co-operation in India's war against terror, stating 'India's security is as important to Israel as its own.'... Relations between the two democracies have assumed a whole new dynamic....Today, India and Israel have deepening strategic ties with full diplomatic ties, flourishing bilateral trade and robust military-to-military and intelligence co-operation.” This is how it is, but this is how it should have been many moons ago. But for the myopia of successive Indian government this surely would have been the case. The blinkered Indian view was brought home in the aftermath of the Islamist terror attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001. Mr Peres, then a senior member of the Israeli cabinet, rushed Delhi to express his country's solidarity with India. He was interviewed on NDTV, India's prime English-language channel, by loquacious anchor-woman Barkha Dutt, who engaged her guest in fatuous small talk on Israeli coalition politics. No acknowledgement was made of the reasons for his presence, no reference was made to Indo-Israeli relations. Instead, she treated her audience to a snooty display of secular rectitude, a performance as shameful as it was shoddy and brainless.

Defence exchanges To return, however, to the RUSI article. “With defence deals totalling $9 billion by 2009, India is the largest customer of Israeli military equipment, and Israel is India's second-largest supplier after Russia. Total bilateral trade, excluding defence, grew to $4.1 billion last year. Other areas of co-operation include science and technology, and space ventures.” An eagerly awaited Indo-Israeli free trade agreement looms ever nearer. However, India's 150 million Muslim population and the coun-

tems such as the MiG fighter aircraft, T-72 tanks etc, India has purchased 100 unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Israeli Searcher-II and Heron, as well as a number of Harpy 'killer' drones designed to detect and destroy enemy radars as well as Tavor 21 assault rifles and Gail sniper rifles, in addition to varied nightvision, laser range-finding and targeting equipment, all for use in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and elsewhere. India has acquired PHALCON (Awacs) force multipliers fitted on Russian-built Ilyushin76 heavy lift aircraft and has con-

New Russian-built frigate for the Indian Navy

try's need to keep the Arabs sweet because of energy supplies “constrain this vibrant strategic partnership,” writes the author. “India's quest for cutting-edge military hardware....complemented Israel's need to broaden its market products....The chief of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy chief, and the chief of the Indian Air Force have been regular visitors to Israel. These visits have been followed by the exchange of high-level Israeli defence ministry officials and top executives from several major armaments manufacturers.

Israeli sales

Apart from major upgrades of India's Soviet-era weapon sys-

tracted a joint production deal for Israel's Barak II missile system.

Space ventures Indo-Israeli space co-operation is also on a high, says Brijesh Khemlani. “India's expertise in low-cost satellite launching capabilities into polar orbit has been an asset for Israel. Israel's premier spy satellite, TecSAR, was launched by India in January 2008 with the ability to transmit high quality pictures in adverse weather and night conditions. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, India launched the RISAT-2 satellite, built with Israeli assistance, to monitor its borders as part of anti-infiltration

anti-terrorist operations. Like the TecSAR, RISAT is equipped with synthetic aperture radar, giving it a day-night all-weather snooping capability.”

Anti-terror co-operation Facing common terror threats and low-intensity conflicts, India and Israel developed back-channel security collaboration well before the establishment of diplomatic relations. This has burgeoned in the open political architecture that exists today. India's cross-border surveillance has benefitted significantly from the Israeli experience. India and Israel exchange crucial intelligence on Islamist terrorist groups, and Israel renders critical inputs in Kashmir by providing India with important logistic support such as specialised surveillance equipment, co-operation in intelligence gathering, joint exercises, and co-operation to stop money laundering and terrorist funding. Israel's Major General Avi Mizrahi, on a visit to Kashmir, September 2008, spoke with India's military brass on a proposed agreement to dispatch highly trained commandos to train their Indian soldiers in counter-insurgency tactics, urban warfare, and fighting in guerilla settings. The Indo-Israeli relationship looks very promising indeed.

India, Russia investment Reporting for The Hindu (June 20) from Moscow, Vladimir Radyuhin, quoted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as telling visiting Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma, that Russia wanted a “strong Indian presence” in the country in the energy, pharmaceutical and IT sectors. Receiving the Indian Minister at the weekend in his private residence outside the capital. Mr Putin “promised to support India's bid for a stake in the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project in the Russian Far East and invited Indian companies to invest in Russia, notably in the pharmaceutical and IT industries. The Russian Premier also assured his support for long-term supplies of Russian oil and gas to India, Mr Sharma said.” Indian experts will soon visit Russia to discuss Indian participation in tapping the huge natural gas fields in the Yamal Peninsula in northwestern Siberia. Mr Sharma said that Indian pharmaceutical companies were prepared to set up production facilities in Russia. A delegation of senior executives were scheduled to visit Russia to discuss specific projects for the manufacture of generic drugs as per the list submitted by the Russian side. The Radyuhin report concluded: “Mr Putin hailed the robust growth in Indo-Russian trade, which surged 26 per cent in the first quarter of this quarter...after increasing 7 per cent last year. During a 70-minute meeting, Messrs Putin and Sharma discussed the full range of bilateral economic relations. The meeting

and its duration shows just how keen Russia is to expand trade and economic ties with India, diplomatic sources said.”

Economic Forum Accompanied by a high-powered delegation, Mr Sharma attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum and interacted with the Russian leadership. He met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin, the cochair the Indo-Russian Inter-governmental Commission, and Trade and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko. “For the first

tion was I. Prabhakara Rao, CEO, Airport Development, at GMR, the company that built the Hyderabad airport. “On July 3 the new Terminal 3 ((T3) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be unveiled and those who have routinely termed the airport as the among worst in the world will be happy to visit again. There couldn't be a greater contrast between the old and the new. At 5,02,000 square metres, T3 will be the eighth largest terminal in the world....It was completed in a record time of 37 months from the date of the concept being approved by the gov-

Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3

time, an India-Russia Business Dialogue was organised within the framework of the St Petersburg Forum. The Confederation of Indian Industry signed a protocol with the Russian Business Council on cooperation with India,” said Vladimir Radyuhin Russia has delivered the second of three Krivak III class (known as Talwar class in India) guided missile frigates for induction into the Indian Navy. The ceremonial launch at the Kaliningrad shipyard was attended by senior Russian and Indian military and civilian officials. The frigates will carry eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, a Stil surface-to-air missile system, two Kashtan air/defence gun/missile, two twin 533mm torpedo launchers, and an anti-submarine warfare helicopter. The first of the contracted frigates was handed over to India last November, and delivery of the third is scheduled for 2011/12.

ernment - an impressive record considering 0that Singapore's Changi Airport's Terminal 3 took 76 months for completion and Heathrow's new Termin al 5 took 60 months.”

Gurgaon to Delhi Meanwhile, in the satellite city of Gurgaon a 14ss.47 kilometre metro line has been opened to link with Delhi's Central Secretariat station as part of the capital's wider network, much to the delight of locals for whom travel within Gurgaon's confines was far from easy. Meanwhile, far away in Mumbai, the city's first monorail project is nearing completion. The four-car train was inaugurated by Ratnakar Gaikwad, Metropolitan Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region

Airport Metro India's infrastructure projects are making significant strides. “The Future has Landed” was the catchy title Gurgaon Metro links city to Delhi network of India Today magazine's Development Authority on behalf report hailing the forthcoming of the Maharashtra chief minister opening, in July, of Terminal 3 in at the Scomi Group's manufacDelhi's Indira Gandhi turing facility in North Kuala International Airport. The author Lumpur, Malaysia, which is a of the report Nandini Vaish tells leading provider of urban transhow an irate foreign passenger port systems across the globe, said to the Indian sitting next to The Mumbai monorail projhim, “Why can't the the people at ect, which will be completed by the Delhi airport learn a lesson or 2011, is a 20-kilometre route two from the folks at between Jacob Circle in central Hyderabad?” The Indian co-pasMumbai and the north central senger replied: “Come to Delhi in suburb of Chembur. This green July sir, you will see an airport project will save 200 tonnes of among the best in the world.” CO2 and accommodate 300,000 This exchange must be placed passengers daily. (see Domainin context to appreciate its thrust. b.com) Hyderabad has been voted the India is moving - and pretty finest airport in the world, and fast. the Indian co-passenger in ques-

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Four jailed for £1m drugs plot

Krishnan Rai

Edwin Kapoor

Paul Metten

Four men have been jailed at Kingston Crown Court for a total of more than 12 years for their roles in a £1 million drugs conspiracy. Krishnan Rai (38), Edwin Kapoor (36), Paul Metten (35) and Wesley Browne (29) all pleaded guilty on 21 June to their various roles in a conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. The men were part of a mid-market drugs gang, cutting and distributing cocaine

and cannabis through a network of safe houses in north-west London. Monday’s sentencing was the result of a wider proactive operation by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Central Task Force called Operation Safeco, to combat illegal drugs supply in the Ealing and Southall areas of London. Officers tracked the gang over a number of months, leading to four arrests and a cocaine seizure at a safe house in

Kingshill Avenue, Northholt. Detective Inspector Stephen Ellen, from the Central Task Force, said: "The Met works tirelessly to remove drugs from the streets of the capital and keep the public safe. Experience shows us that drug dealing can fuel other local forms of crime, so removing mid-market dealers such as these, is a great result for Ealing and Southall."

Fugitive tobacco smuggler captured Former Leicestershire resident Anis Vohora, who fled the country in a bid to escape a four year jail term for tobacco smuggling, has been extradited to the UK from the United States. He was arrested at Heathrow airport this morning by officers from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and will appear at Leicester Crown Court tomorrow, 30 June 2010. Anis Vohora and codefendant Mohmed Safi Patel, were sentenced to a total of ten years in October 2008 after an investigation by HMRC. After a two week trial they were found guilty of smuggling 27 million smuggled cigarettes and four tonnes of hand rolling tobacco. The revenue loss to the

nation was around £4 million. Vohora absconded in 2007 prior to his trial and was sentenced in his absence to four years in prison. An international arrest warrant was issued and Vohara was detained in Chicago, Illinois, by US Marshalls on 8 May 2010. Gary Lampon, Assistant Chief Investigation Officer for HMRC said: “This is an outstanding example of co-operation between HMRC and the US Marshalls. Vohara attempted to steal from public funds then fled the country when he was found out and brought to account for his part in the crime. This sends a robust message to people who

Anis Vohora

commit this kind of fraud that they will be pursued to the full extent of the law, wherever they try to hide. Tobacco smugglers cheat the country of vital revenue needed to fund public services. Smuggling also has a devastating impact on honest retailers forced to compete with the shadow economy.”

South Asians could be missing out on life saving care New statistics released Tuesday by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) reveal the true extent of the burden of heart disease upon ethnic minorities in the UK. They suggest whilst the South Asian population suffer the highest rates of heart disease many could be missing out on life saving care. The Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease 2010 publication compiled by the BHF Health Promotion Research Group at the University of Oxford shows that heart disease rates are about 50% higher in South Asians than in white people. Despite this, white patients are twice as likely as South Asian patients to receive angioplasty or a heart bypass procedure. For every 100 hospital cases of heart disease in white people, there are around 10 such procedures, whereas for every 100 hospital cases for

heart disease in South Asian people there are just four. Gaps in data collection also suggest there is a ‘lost group’ of patients admitted for treatment but ethnicity isn’t recorded. Since 2001 there has been a requirement for the NHS to collect ethnicity data yet around 15% of admissions still aren’t coded. This means the number of South Asian people who aren’t accessing the treatments they need could be worse than current data show. Qaim Zaidi, Ethnic Strategy Co-ordinator at the BHF said: “South Asians may face a number of barriers when trying to access vital treatments which could prolong their lives. They could encounter language difficulties, services may not be culturally appropriate or they may not be aware of the services that are available to them. All new government policies and

services should be subject to impact assessments requiring policymakers and service providers to take health inequalities into account. We also need full ethnicity coding of health data to understand the experiences of different patients. Inequality of access and treatment is a major hurdle we need to overcome to ensure every patient is given the care and treatment they deserve regardless of race, colour or class.” The BHF offers a range of resources for the South Asian population in English and five South Asian languages (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu). They include advice about how to look after your heart health and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. There is also information for heart patients about how to manage their condition. To find out more visit bhf.org.uk/southasian

Lord Mayor bans council meeting prayers A city's new Lord Mayor has banned Christian prayers at the start of council meetings, branding the practice "outdated, unnecessary and intrusive". Colin Hall, the new Lord Mayor of Leicester, said religion has no role to play in the conduct of council business. Prayers have been said before Leicester City Council meetings since 1997, apart from 2005-06 when another mayor discontinued them. Writing in this month's edition of the Leicester Secularist - the journal of the city's Secular Society Mr Hall, who will serve as Lord Mayor for the 2010-11 municipal year, said he is also abolishing the practice. He wrote: "Contrary to the myths that certain organisations like to promote, the practice of observing prayers at the start of council meetings is a relatively recent one. During my first spell as a council member between 1991 and 1996 I cannot recall a single meeting where prayers were said. However, they were introduced in 1997 and have remained in place more or less ever since, apart from 2005-06 when Councillor Mary Draycott, to her credit, discontinued them for her year of office. I am delighted to confirm that I too will be exercising my discretion as Lord Mayor to abolish the outdated, unnecessary and intrusive practice. I personally consider that religion, in

whatever shape or form, has no role to play at all in the conduct of council business. This particularly applies in Leicester where the majority of council members, myself included, do not regularly attend any particular faith service." Asian Voice spoke to some religious representatives. Anil Bhanot, Vice Chair of the Council of Dharmic Faiths, said: "Prayer in public institutions is meant to remind the officials of their duties to look after the interests of their constituents, the public, before they set off to start their day's work. Of course with the multi-faith environment prevalent everywhere nowadays and with Leicester championing that cause, I find the Mayor's decision not to have any prayers at all somewhat regressive. Usually, we need to reform some of the older practices but not to do away with them altogether. A better way would be for the Mayor to allow a 3 minute silence within which everyone can say their prayers in their own minds, rather than say aloud, as can the secularists focus on their wordly duties." Jehangir Sarosh, Z o r o a s t r i a n Representative/co-moderator of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) commented: “For the Lord Mayor to suggest “majority” are not practicing Christians, is an arrogant

Colin Hall

assumption. If the Lord Mayor is basing his assumption on the fact that many do not attend church or their place of worship; he needs to be reminded that people practice their religion in their daily life by the way they behave. I would also like to remind him that at the last census some 75 percent of Leicester population stated allegiance to a religion, and only 17percent stated no religion. Therefore it needs to be remembered that the Humanist /Secularist are the minority. And as such the Lord Mayor ought to respect the majority. I personally do not consider it democratic for one individual, albeit the Lord Mayor to decide and abolishes what so many others may consider a good practice. A prayer offers an opportunity to concentrate the mind, it does not dictate the council business. If the Lord Mayor wishes to “respect all faiths” then rotate the daily prayers among the religions of Leicester or offer interfaith prayers, and if necessary, have a day when there are no prayers for those without a religion.”

BUDGET 2010

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Osborne’s Unavoidable Budget George Osborne, in his first Budget, set the scene by stating that “the country has overspent, it has not been overtaxed….” As a result, he described his first Budget as “the unavoidable Budget” in which he managed to deliver a Budget in which spending cuts outweighed tax increases within a ratio of 77% spending cuts to 23% tax increases. The Capital Gains Tax changes were less harsh than many feared. A new top rate of 28% was introduced. However this is much less than the 40% or 50% rates that had been threatened in the run up to the Budget and it was a relief that the annual exemption remained at £10,100. An unexpected increase in the lifetime limit for Entrepreneurs Relief from £2m to £5m will definitely be a welcome move by business owners. A planned reduction in the Corporation Tax rates over the next 4 years had been well trialled, while the cuts in capital allowances were substantially less than had been predicted. On pension tax relief, the Government is reviewing complex provisions that were to limit higher rate tax relief for people with high incomes from April 2011 and seems to be considering reducing the annual allowance from £255,000 to between £30,000 and £45,000. The Government will also abolish the current rules that effectively force people to buy annuities with their pension funds at age 75 and will consult on the details. The biggest revenue raiser will be the VAT increase in the New Year. However, the main

make regulations to amend when and how a tax payer other than a company should report income tax deducted from payments of interest, patent royalties and other annual payments. Individual savings accounts (ISAs)

Kiran D. Patel

part of the package, the spending cuts, will be announced in the Autumn.

For the tax year starting on 6 April 2011, the annual ISA investment limits will increase each year in line with inflation. The new limit will be based on the annual retail price index increase in the previous September and rounded to a multiple of £120. Child trust fund

Income tax bands and personal allowances The personal allowance for those under 65 will rise by £1,000 to £7,475 for 2011/2012. The basic rate band limit for 2011/2012 will be reduced, so that higher rate tax payers will not benefit from the increase in the personal allowance. National Insurance rates and bands National Insurance contribution (NIC) rates will rise by 1% in 2011/2012 as has been previously announced. The Employer’s NIC (secondary) threshold will rise by £21 a week more than indexation to reduce the impact of this increase.

As announced on 24 May 2010, Government contributions to child trust funds will be reduced to a basic £50 from 1 August 2010 and then the contributions will stop completely from 1 January 2011. Income tax relief for shared lives carers Shared lives carers, including adults, placement carers, staying put carers and certain kinship carers will qualify for the same income tax relief as foster carers. The new relief, to be widely known as Qualifying Care Relief, will have effect from 6 April 2010 and was announced in the 2009 Pre-Budget Report. Tax credits

Deduction of income tax at source HM Revenue & Customs are to be given additional powers to

From April 2011, the income threshold for the withdrawal of the family element of the child

PERSONAL AND TRUST TAXATION Income tax allowances and reliefs and credits Personal (basic) Personal allowance reduced by 50% of income over Personal (age 65-74) Personal (age 75 & over) Married/civil partners (minimum) at 10%* Married/civil partners (age 75 & over) at 10% Age-related relief reduced by 50% of income over Child Tax Credit (CTC) - family element - family element baby addition CTC usually reduced by 6.67% of joint income Childcare and childcare vouchers (weekly tax-free limit) Blind persons Rent-a-room tax-free income Venture Capital Trust (VCT) at 30% Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) at 20% EIS eligible for capital gains tax re-investment relief Registered Pension Scheme - annual allowance - lifetime allowance - special annual allowance applies minimum where relevant income is £130,000 maximum or more - Special annual allowance

2010/11 £6,475 £100,000 £9,490 £9,640 £2,670 £6,965 £22,900

2009/10 £6,475 N/A £9,490 £9,640 £2,670 £6,965 £22,900

£545 £545 £50,000 £55 £1,890 £4,250 £200,000 £500,000 No limit

£255,000 £1,800,000 £20,000 0 £30,000 20%-30%

£245,000 £1,750,000 £20,000 £30,000 20%

*Where at least one spouse/civil partner was born before 6 April 1935

Income tax rates Starting rate band of 10% on savings income up to Basic rate of 20% on income up to Higher rate of 40% on income Additional rate of 50% on income over Dividends for: - basic rate taxpayers - higher rate taxpayers - additional rate taxpayers Pre-owned assets tax (charged as income) minimum taxable Trusts: - standard rate band generally - dividends (rate applicable to trusts) - other income (rate applicable to trusts)

2010/11 £2,440 £37,400 £37,401-£150,000 £150,000

2009/10 £2,440 £37,400 £7,401and over N/A

10% 32.5% 42.5% £5,000

10% 32.5% N/A £5,000

£1,000 42.5% 50%

£1,000 32.5% 40%

George Osborne

tax credits will be reduced from £50,000 to £40,000 and the withdrawal rate will be increased from 6.67% to 41%. The baby element of the CTC will be scrapped from April 2011 and the planned 2012 increase for 1 and 2 year olds announced in the March 2010 Budget will not be introduced. From 2012, the 50 plus element will be removed from the working tax credit. The withdrawal rate for the other tax credits will rise to 41% (from 39%) and the income discharge will drop from £25,000 to £10,000 from April 2011. Furnished holiday lettings The plans to repeal the furnished holiday lettings provisions have been scrapped. However, the Government will undertake a consultation with the view to changing the existing tax treatment of furnished holiday lettings from April 2011. Changes expected include an increase in the number of days on which the properties are either available for letting on a commercial basis or are actually let. There may also be restrictions on the use of loss relief. CAPITAL GAINS TAX Rates and annual exemption A new rate of CGT of 28% has been introduced from 23 June 2010. For individuals, the rate of CGT remains at 18% where taxable gains and taxable income are less than the income tax basic rate limit, currently £37,400. The 28% rate applies to gains or parts of gains that exceed that limit. Trustees and personal representatives of deceased persons are subject to the 28% rate rather than 18% rate on all taxable gains. Gains on disposals before 23 June 2010 continue to be liable to CGT at 18% and will not be taken into account in calculating the rates that apply to gains realised from that date. The annual exempt amount, £10,100 will remain at £10,100 and will continue to be indexed in the future year. In calculating the CGT that is payable, tax payers will be able to deduct losses and the annual exempt amount in the way that will minimise the tax due.

Entrepreneurs Relief The lifetime limit for Entrepreneurs Relief has been increased from £2m to £5m for disposals after 22 June 2010. Entrepreneurs Relief applies to the disposal of qualifying business assets by individuals in certain trusts. Gains that qualify for the relief are subject to a tax rate of 10%. BUSINESS TAX Corporation tax rates It is proposed to cut the main corporation tax rate to 24% and thereafter reducing the rate by 1% over a 4 year period. The relevant limits for corporation tax are reduced proportionately where a company is associated with other companies. The definition of an associated company will be simplified from April 2011. Annual investment allowance and writing down allowance The 100% annual investment allowance limit will be reduced from £100,000 to £25,000 from April 2012. The rates for writing down allowance for new and unrelieved expenditure on plant and machinery will be reduced from April 2012, to 18% (currently 20%) on all main pool plant and machinery expenditure, and to 8% (currently 10%) on special pool expenditure. From April 2010, business expenditure on new unused zero emission goods vehicles qualifies for a 100% first year allowance. The 100% allowance applies for 5 years to April 2015 and is capped at a total qualifying expenditure of €85m over this period per undertaking or group. NIC exemption for new regional businesses During a 3 year qualifying period, new businesses that start up in a target area outside London, the South East and the East of England will get a reduction in their employer’s NIC. These employers will not have to pay the first £5,000 of class 1 employer’s NIC that would otherwise be due in the first 12 months of employment. This will apply for each of the first 10 employees hired in the first year of business. This scheme is intended to

BUDGET 2010 start no later than September 2010. Any new business set up from 22 June 2010 that meets the criteria to be announced will benefit from the scheme.

The increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20% from next January will cost approximately £450 a year for a family with 2 income earners earning a total of £75,000 per annum.

VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)

Long term savers

Change of the standard rate

Those who have savings in shares and in investment funds outside of ISAs saw the rate of CGT rise to a top rate of 28%. This represents and increase of 10% on gains after 23 June 2010. It is widely believed that this is the start of a systematic and programmed increase in tax rates for savers and investors which will eventually lead to the CGT rates being equivalent to income tax rates.

The standard rate of VAT will increase from 17.5% to 20% from 4 January 2011. The goods and services that are currently exempt from VAT or subject to VAT at zero or 5% rates will not be affected by this change. Anti-avoidance schemes are being set up in order to ensure that traders do not invoice or pay in advance of the change in the rate.

Second home owners MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES Retirement age and state pensions The state pension age from which individuals can receive a state pension, is currently 65 for men and is rising to 65 for women. Legislation is already in place to increase the state pension age to 66 for everyone from the year 2026, however, the current Chancellor wishes to bring this date forward. The Government is in consultation and will be seeking to phase out the default retirement age from April 2011. From April 2011, the state pension will increase each year by the rise in earnings, or prices, or 2.5% whichever is highest. The consumer price index will be used as the measure of the prices in the standard minimum income guarantee and basic state pension. Insurance premium tax (IPT) The standard rate of IPT will increase from 5% to 6% and the higher rate will increase from 17.5% to 20% on 4 January 2011, in line with the increase in the standard rate of VAT. WHO ARE THE LOSERS? In the run up to the Budget, there were constant reminders that the country has overspent. Whichever way this is considered, it was obviously a lead into the fact that the Government were looking to “fill the gap”, and do it as quickly as possible. This is obviously going to be painful and there will be certain losers. Although this is not an exhaustive list, some of these are considered below: Middle income families Families where the household income starts to go into the higher rate tax band of 40% are likely to lose out as a result of the following:NIC for everyone earning more than £20,000 will rise by 1% by next April, however, the higher rate tax band earners start to pay the additional 1% earlier and they will also lose their tax credits. The child element of the child tax credit (worth £2,300 per child) is paid to households on an income of less than £16,190 per annum. This will start to disappear at a rate of 39p in every pound earned above this limit, until it disappears when earnings reach more than £22,000. After reaching £22,000, families continue to receive the flat £535 family element of the tax credit until their earnings reach £50,000, at which point it starts to taper away at a rate of 6.67p for every pound earned above this until it disappears at approximately £58,000.

As a result of the change in the CGT rates, investors who bought buy to let properties or second homes are likely to be penalised substantially. For example, an individual who acquired a property in 1987 for, say, £100,000, and sells it today for £500,000 is likely to incur capital gains tax of approximately £109,000 since 23 June 2010. If the property was disposed of prior to that date, the CGT payable would have amounted to approximately £70,000. This represents an increase of approximately £39,000 (being 55% of the original amount payable).

erty then you can designate the second property as your principal primary residence prior to its eventual disposal. The designation of your second property will enable it to be qualified as your main residence and the gain relating to the final 3 years of ownership are not taken into account for CGT purposes, even if you have not lived in that property for 3 years. Reduce income For higher rate tax payers, with sufficient cash reserves, you could effectively reduce your liability to income tax and CGT by investing in a personal pension, as contributions to the personal pension attract tax relief. Contributions to a personal pension enables the basic rate tax band to be increased by the amount of the contribution, this means that any disposals that are made will not be subject to the higher rate of CGT as they will be within the lower rate bands. Sell assets gradually If you are considering disposing of assets such as stocks and shares or property, you should consider utilising the annual allowance for CGT purposes each year as if this is not used, it is lost and there are no facilities to carry it forward against future gains. Use your spouse

Public sector workers As a result of the announcement made last week for the freezing of all pay to public sector workers, and the measures to link pensions to CPI and not RPI, those earning more than £21,000 will have a pay freeze for 2 years. This effectively amounts to a reduction in real terms of pay by approximately 10% in just 10 years. WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE BUDGET

Where one spouse has substantial income and the other spouse has no or little income, you should consider transferring an income earning asset to the lower earning spouse’s name. This will enable you to take advantage of the lower rate tax band for the low earning staff and at the same time reduce the tax liability for the higher rate earning. Make large purchases now

There are a number of ways in which you can act now in order to deal with the changes that were outlined in with the Chancellor’s Budget, in order to avoid any increases in tax rates, or at the very least, mitigate your potential liabilities. The following are some of the ways in which tax payers can mitigate their overall tax liability:-

If you are considering acquiring assets or improving your home, then it is better to consider carrying out the work or acquiring the assets now in order to avoid the increase in VAT that will come into effect from 4 January 2011. On a typical net purchase of £100,000 this is likely to save you £2,500.

Set up a company

Although not much was mentioned on this tax, all individuals with substantial assets must always consider the implications of their assets being taxed under IHT, and ensure that sufficient planning has been achieved in order to avoid this. In the year of assessment 2010/2011, the IHT rate applicable to assets over £325,000 is 40%. There are many other ways in which you can avoid the increases in the taxes announced in the latest Budget, however, the important aspect is to act as quickly as possible to avoid the rises. Before taking any action in relation to any aspect contained in this article, you need to ensure that many factors that need careful additional consideration and research by you and your professional advisers are considered as in doing so, this could pay handsome dividends for you. The above information should not be relied upon on its own.

The small companies rate of corporation tax is 20% from next April, therefore, the self employed, who could pay up to 50% on earnings of more than £150,000, should consider incorporating their business. Taking profits from a limited combination of dividends and salaries could result in substantial savings in tax. Further savings could be achieved if a company is formed with your spouse and the income is divided between husband and wife who both own shares in the company, from which they receive dividend income. A company structure could also be used in order to house buy to let properties. Disposal of the second home Your main residence which is known as the principal primary residence is not subject to CGT. However, if you have more than one residence, then all but one of the properties will be subject to capital gains tax on their eventual disposal. If you are intending to sell the prop-

Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning

Kiran D Patel FCA is a partner at Weston Kay Chartered Accountants. For specific advice, please contact Kiran D Patel on 020 7636 7493 or email him at k.patel@westonkay.com.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Alpesh Patel Consultant Editor Financial Voice Dear Asian Voice Reader, I went into some detail last week about the Queen’s speech and reference to India. So let’s add some financial meat on the bone so that Asian Voice readers get a head start before everyone else piles into the country! Never before has any country outside the US had as many of its corporate leaders in the Forbes Rich List top 10 as India has today. Not even Japan in its heyday or China matches the feat. To make the case for opportunities in India would seem self-evident then. After all, if a nation’s own people, who know the country the best, can make fortunes to compete with the world’s largest economy, then surely outside investors too can do very well there. Yet, misperception still obstructs many investment decisions concerning India. Let’s eradicate them. Meeting a California Silicon Valley billionaire who has re-emigrated back to India is perhaps one of the more striking proofs of India’s potential. These, the most successful of Indians, who moved to the US in the 1960s from an opportunity-shorn India, return today with their millionaire colleagues, to capture the types of opportunities few, if any places on earth can match. After, all, no other major capitalist economy will even come close to matching India’s growth for decades. Imagine a business person with a time machine. They would probably choose to go back to the beginning of last century to the US to make their fortune – the time of Rockefeller and Getty. Consider during that century, the Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497. This gain, though it appears huge, shrinks to 5.3% when compounded annually. And that nevertheless was the American century – the century when the US became a super power. Consider that that growth rate transformed a backward nation from the horse and carriage to one which freely sent man to the moon. Yet India today exceeds and is projected to exceed for our working life times that return-rate of 5%. The baton of Rockefeller and Getty is truly carried by Ambani and Tata. If your investment options were binary: US, the world’s largest economy, or India, think now about this century. For investors to merely match that 5.3% market-value gain, the Dow – recently below 10,000 – would need to close at about 2,000,000 on December 31, 2099. We are nearly a decade into this century, and we have racked up none of the 1,990,000 Dow points the market needed to travel in this hundred years to equal the 5.3% of the last. Whereas, India, with the real economy targeting 8% for the foreseeable future is far more likely to provide the types of returns to match the transformation the United States had since 1900. Where would you invest?

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Thinking Twice Maria Fernandes maria@abplgroup.com

Victory for Points Based Applicants: The Court of Appeal expresses its concern The Court of Appeal in a judgment delivered on the 23rd June 2010 has hopefully laid to rest the problems experienced by many applicants under the Points Based System. Numerous applicant have been refused leave to enter or remain on the basis of criteria laid down in the UK Border Agency’s guidance often for trivial reasons. The regulations made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department are in the form of Immigration Rules which are laid before Parliament for approval. These Rules have the force of law. The UKBA issued a separate set of guidance notes which supplemented these Rules and in doing so introduced additional criteria. One of these was the requirement that a person has to have sufficient funds(£800) for at least 3 months. Lord Justice Sedley stated the force of law requires such rules to be certain. The Secretary of State must lay the rules by which she proposes to manage immigration and the courts will expect such rules to be those that have Parliament’s approval. The objection is that this hybrid guidance is placed outside Parliament’s scrutiny and in the words of the judge” left to the unfettered judgment of the rule maker”. On the fact of it Lord Justice Sedley acknowledged that it appeared to be a trivial point but in view of the fact that

the use of such “guidance” which has not been put before Parliament is of constitutional importance. Such hybrid provisions can be introduced through the back door without sufficient scrutiny and abandon a constitutional principle “which for four centuries has stood as a pillar of the separation of powers in what is today a democracy under the rule of law.” This case decided that it was sufficient to have funds of £800 at the date of the application as this was within the contemplation of the Rules but that the 3 month period was an additional requirement and was unlawful. He also expressly re-iterated that the extent and quality of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights must be evaluated by the Secretary of State and suggested that the Home Office has to exercise common sense to avoid disproportionately denying rights to those who are settled in every way. His parting shot was to remind the Home Secretary that if she “wishes the rules to be black letter law [their phrase] she needs to achieve this by an established legislative route.” Maria Fernandes is a principal of Fernandes Vaz solicitors who specialise in immigration and nationality law. She has substantial experience of immigration and is an accredited member of the Immigration Law Panel.

Servosteel acquired by Essar group of India Essar, another of leading India based industrial house has acquired Servosteel of UK. Servosteel is UK’s largest steel processor, with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes per annum. Essar made the announcement of the buyout in India earlier this week, though the value of the deal has not been disclosed. Essar Steel in their statement said the acquisition is in line with their distribution strategy. Servosteel has the capaci-

ty of processing hot rolled coils, cold rolled coils, hot rolled pickled, galvanized and colour coated products. Servosteel’s plant at Dudley is a running plant and has a loyal customer base. Location wise also, it is in a major steel consuming hub in UK. Essar Steel, with a global steel production capacity of 8.6 million tonnes per annum has service centres in Canada and Indonesia too. The company said there are no further talks for takeovers

in the UK market, but it is open to any such potential deals. Kandil Steel of Egypt also on Essar radar Reports in Middle East media also suggest that Essar is also eyeing Kandil Steel of Egypt for a takeover. A formal proposal to Kandil management is likely in near future. The Indian group has already announced plans for setting up a 250,000 tonne processing and service centre in the Jebel Ali Free Zone of Dubai.

The comic strip Calvin and Hobbes has a nice quote – Calvin, “Sometimes when I'm talking, my words can't keep up with my thoughts. I wonder why we think faster than we can speak?” Hobbes, “Probably so we can think twice.” We often say things we do not mean, most of the time with little consequence. But what about when it really matters? When others are looking to us for motivation, guidance or solace - how much value do we really attach to our words? Do we always say what we think? Do we always think about what we say? Since the Gulf oil disaster, BP has spared no resource in trying to fix the damage. They are so desperate to be seen as a 'caring and considerate' company that they even spent over $50 million on an ad campaign to portray themselves in this manner. Then came Tony Hayward’s (the CEO

of BP) infamous response to a question about the Gulf oil leak disaster. "We're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused to their lives," Hayward said. "There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I'd like my life back.” Not the most 'caring and considerate' remark after 11 workers died in the disaster. The mistake of saying something without thinking is one we have all made. However, when a leader makes this mistake the implications can be considerable, as Gordon Brown discovered in Rochdale. Good communication skills are essential for all leaders and managers. A message must be constructed so that the listener can understand it. To do so, you must be clear what you expect to achieve before communicating it. Use language and examples that make sense to the audience and build the message from their point of view, not

Now, India to fly in Mahindra made planes Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M), one of India’s major automobile manufacturers’ have announced their ambitious plans to build small civil aircrafts for India’s general aviation market. M&M had recently acquired a plane making Australian company, Gippsland Aeronautics (GA) of Victoria. Mahindra group will start with turboprop planes of 2 to 20 seat capacities at the GA facility and market them in India. The market there is set to witness a boom in coming few years. Mahindra Aerospace is also setting up a plant at Malur, near Bangalore in Karnataka. In about three years, the company

expects the plant will be certified and start production. Mahindras have plans to build multi-utility aircrafts for various civil aviation needs. Mahindra Aerospace acquired majority stake (75.1 percent) in GippsAero and Aerostaff Australia for Rs 1.75 bn ($38 million) in December 2009 jointly with Kotak Private Equity. Aerostaff is a 20-yearold manufacturer of aerospace components and assemblies for global aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) at Port Melbourne in Victoria.

By Amit Patel

your own. Great leaders have the ability to not only describe their vision but to make people believe in it too. Gandhiji led India to freedom; Jobs revived Apple to profit; who knows, perhaps Capello can inspire England to victory? Saying the right thing at the right time is vital the credibility of a person or a business can take years to build and be lost in a moment. The Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “First learn the meaning of what you want to say, and then speak.” If you don't mean it, don't say it and if you do mean it, say it thoughtfully. After all, as Hobbes said, we can think twice.

Older style £20 Note withdrawn

The older style £20 notes that show a portrait of Sir Edward Elgar stand withdrawn by the Bank of England (BoE) with effect from 01 July, 2010. Most of the banks, building societies and Post Offices will however, at their discretion, continue to accept the said notes from customers when presented for deposit to their accounts as well as for other transactions. The BoE will always exchange its old notes. Notes may be presented for payment either in person or sent by post (at the sender's risk) to: Dept NEX, Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH.

No tax on overseas Manmohan favours higher FDI in airlines Prepared to allow foreign carriers have a say in managements capital inflows in India

Foreign funds need not worry about investing in India, as Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday ruled out tax on capital flows in the country from abroad. He said in India at present, the situation does not warrant that. Nobel laureate James Tobin is credited with the original idea and hence such a Tax is called Tobin Tax. Such a tax is levied on especially speculative capital investments to discourage it; as such capital flow tends to have a destablising effect on the domestic financial systems of the countries concerned. Speaking to newsmen on board the special air-

craft on his return journey from Canada, Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “I think capital inflows into our country, both by way of direct investment and by way of portfolio investment, have been at reasonable levels. Tobin Tax has merit in particular situations but as far as India is concerned we have not reached a stage where capital flows have become a problem”. “We don't face situations of the kind now which would require an imposition of Tobin Tax." Dr. Singh also added that there would be no legislation imposing a compulsion of social services on corporates.

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is in favour of allowing higher Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Indian careers, even allowing foreign airlines to pick up stake and giving them significant say in management of the airlines they invest in. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the civil aviation ministry to support Indian airline companies’ plans for rapid fleet and route expansion with such a policy action. The PMO has specifically told the ministry to promptly include the proposal on the agenda of the group of ministers (GoM) on aviation, official sources indicated.

The move is expected to lead domestic airlines to adopt global best practices, besides opening new funding vistas at a time when air traffic growth has peaked. The PMO initiative also coincides with the improved liquidity position of many foreign airlines which went through a bad patch during the economic downturn of the last two years. In India at present, FDI up to 49% is allowed in domestic aviation, but foreign airlines are not allowed to invest in careers here. The latest proposal as pushed by PMO is to allow at least 26% FDI by foreign airlines, which would entail their presence

on the airlines’ boards. Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel had even indicated of possible divestment in Air India. The sector is divided, as Jet Airways is opposed to allow foreign airlines investing in Indian carriers, while Kingfisher has done some hard lobbying for allowing equity infusion from foreign airlines. The move is significant since the aviation ministry had earlier opposed any relaxation in FDI rules for foreign carriers, arguing it would not be in the interest of domestic airlines. After taking a protectionist stand for several years, the ministry only in August 2009 proposed to

allow investment up to 20% in local airlines. Buffeted by soaring fuel price, weak demand and irrational pricing, airlines have only now started to recover from one of the worst liquidity crunches to hit the sector. Industry analysts also favoured foreign airlines investing and having a major say in India carriers. “In Europe, there are several cases where the airline of one country has acquired the carrier of another country. German carrier Lufthansa acquired Swiss International Airlines. Air France bought Dutch carrier KLM,” Some analysts said, citing examples.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

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

Bullet Proof The budget as expected has increased taxation in every sphere of anything that we earn and spend, this it claims was to clear up the mess that Labour left behind. From a property perspective three things concern us: the capital gains tax, income tax – for those of us who are fortunate enough to have a taxable income from property, and thirdly the ceiling placed on the rental paid by the government. A very simple way to dispense with capital gains tax is simply not to sell. Capital gains tax is only applicable on the sale of a property. Therefore realise your growth through refinancing, you can still refinance up to 80% of the property value. Why would you want to sell and pay 1828% tax? The income tax from property can be treated and allocated to those members of the family who have no income, this could be done via a properly executed trust deed. As long as it is treated consistently year after year with the Inland Revenue there should not be any issues. Of course the precise situation would need to be looked at carefully by someone who advises on tax before being entered into but these are valid and simple ways our current landlords use to mitigate tax. The one which has caused us most botheration is the cap the government has placed on housing allowance. This particularly affects those properties in prime locations such as Westminster. Leading up to this cap the newspaper have often run stories of extortionate rents being paid for families out of the tax payers purse in areas such as Kensington. We have had a personal experience of showing a DSS claimant a 5 bedroom property with 3 ensuite bathrooms for £1800pw in W1, he didn’t take it as he felt he could get a better property for his or rather the tax payer’s money!

Benefit rules to change after former asylum seeker gets £1.8million home Below is an article which was published in the Evening standard. Stylish living: Bashir Aden’s wife Nasra Warsame was housed by Westminster council.

anywhere near Central London but you do in Manchester, Leeds etc. Nonetheless the cap the government has introduced will have an effect on the property prices particularly in prime locations. A sector of landlords has mushroomed up due to the superior yields. This sector will now have to look to the open market for their rental and when it comes to resale the market again will be slightly dampened. The change in rental policy by the government does not affect the property itself. The location is still superior, open market rentals are still high and void periods low. The fundamentals are still solid for central London property. Simply the cherry has been removed, the pie is still a good one. It is very difficult to see how this policy will be implemented. It is one thing to make a show of righteously cutting costs in a budget but an altogether different challenge on how to implement this policy in practise. There are many one parent families who are staying in three bedroom accommodation paying £700pw. Their children go to local schools, their doctors and hospitals are close by as will be their friends and relatives. An inside contact of ours at Westminster Council said the following:

Benefit rules which left the taxpayer footing the £1,600-a-week rent for a former asylum seeker and her family to live in a £1.8million flat are to be changed, the Government announced today. It emerged last month that Nasra Warsame was living with seven of her children and her mother in a £1.8 million property off Edgware Road. The rent was paid by Westminster council. Ms Warsame and her husband Bashir Aden fled Somalia in 1991. With press like this it was clear it was only a matter of time before this situation comes to an end. This situation could not carry on indefinatly especially as everyone else in the country is being squeezed. The cap of £400pw will now mean people who want property with more than one room will not find it in the borough of Westminster. This is because the average rental of a two bedroom property

in Westminster goes for £450pw privately. The only reason why so many landlords were giving to the council was they were paying up to £500. Many investors have been focusing on this sector of the market in Westminster due to the higher yields available as well the property being in one of the prime locations in the UK. Through the credit crunch the word amongst agents were there was not enough stock to sell, there were still plenty of buyers. I remember a property we were selling last year December for £312,000, the investor purchasing it noticed the property had just been bought 1 and ½ years back for £240,000. Naturally he queried as to why he was paying more when we have just been through a credit crunch. This is the actual situation on the ground with Central London properties, this is why you do not see developers selling with 25% discounts

“As far as I have been advised any tenancies started or renewed up until March 11 will get the higher rates and anything after that the lower rates, so in some case it will be March 2012 before the capped rents will affect some landlords. However, the general view is that the rents were way too high in the first place so the caps will bring the rents in line with what they really should be.” Two points can be deduced from here, first rents will continue to stay at these levels until March 2011. The second, not all landlords will be affected. I suspect this means existing tenants will have their contracts renewed at current or at least similar rates. It would have a very destabilising influence on communities for this drastic policy, drastic from where rents were at, to be put in place in one step. The only way this will work is in step by step phases.

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

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fInanCIaL voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Quality for Community Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

Customer Satisfaction - Part 1 The continued healthy, and wealthy growth of a C o m m u n i t y Organization stems from sustained members; Members that applaud and appreciate an organization’s events and services, additionally members that recommend the C o m m u n i t y Organization to new prospective members. Building and monitoring satisfaction of members is a way to continuously improve the C o m m u n i t y Organization in all aspects of every activity. More importantly it is a process of building a mutually beneficial relationship of loyalty, and trust between members and the organization. During the measurement of Customer Satisfaction, (which in this context we can say Member Satisfaction) the key element being measured is the members’ perception. Their perception is seen as the reality of the situation, but it may not reflect the reality as seen by the organization. Historical evidence shows that only satisfied members will remain loyal, and go the extra mile to continually support the organization. Community organizations generally compete on their reputation, Quality of service, reliability, price of tickets,

and delivery. The key element to building a good reputation is the way by which an organization understands the needs of its members and measures how well it is meeting these needs. With the ever growing diversity in Communities, the influence of members on the success of an organization is growing. Being member focused is becoming strategically imperative. What members are mainly interested in, is the end result, so that means no matter how good your events are, if a competitor organization comes up with a better and more reasonably priced event, then members could be lost. Price is normally the choice by default, but if your C o m m u n i t y Organization can persuade members that you are offering a service or event tailored to suit their needs, then you will have a much more loyal and dedicated membership. Trying to figure out the needs of members is not an easy task, and therefore to become member orientated, C o m m u n i t y Organizations should consider pursuing activities such as: ● Gather information on member’s requirements; ● Ask members for their

ideas and suggestions; ● Learn about their possible dislikes towards the C o m m u n i t y Organization; ● Communicate the information throughout the Community Organization; ● Use that information to improve the services being offered amongst others Focusing on these activities allows you to establish your members’ current needs and the reasons why. This will allow you to predict what your members want next, and pro-actively be ahead of the game at every event. The internal practices are the key link between the promises a C o m m u n i t y Organization makes to its members and the experience those members get. The process is very simple; thorough understanding of members + effective & efficient working practices + motivated community members = Member Satisfaction. A primary objective of every Community Organization should be the attraction and retention of members. The levels of Members satisfaction can be measured using survey techniques, and questionnaires which we shall look at in a future edition.

RCOM hives off the tower biz to GTL Infra One of India’s largest domestic M & A deal sealed last week The Reliance group is back into mega business deals. The latest is the Reliance Infratel; the telecom towers arm of Reliance Communications (RCOM) merger with a smaller rival, GTL Infrastructure. Post merger, GTL would be one of the world’s largest independent telecom tower companies. GTL will be an 80,000 towers giant with an estimated enterprise value of Rs. 500 billion. A flurry of deals have been announced by both the groups after Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani patched up recently. Mukesh Ambani led RIL announced investing into a US shale gas company, while the RIL and RNRL signed a revised gas supply agreement as per the directives of the Supreme Court. Mukesh Ambani also announced

his entry into the telecom sector through an acquisition. R C O M announced the deal on Sunday, 27th June. As per the deal, GTL would pay cash and also exchange shares with RCOM shareholders in consideration of the assets of Reliance Infratel. The exact amount of money and the shares to be given by GTL will be determined later with the help of independent valuers and advisors. The transaction is expected to be closed in six months. Anil Ambani is likely to get at least 26% stake in the enlarged GTL, while other share holders of RCOM would get 24% stake. Under the terms of the deal, GTL, controlled by Indian businessman Manoj Tirodkar, is expect-

ed to retain the biggest stake in the merged entity. In January this year, GTL bought the mobile towers of Indian mobile operator, Aircel. Aircel owned a total of 32,500 towers. The deal with Reliance Communications will increase this to 80,000 towers with 125,000 tenancies, including most of the main mobile companies operating in India. RIL-RNRL sign revised gas supply agreement Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries and his younger brother Anilled RNRL last week signed a revised gas supply agreement, a development that paves the way for government to allocate gas to Anil Ambani group's power plants. It did not disclose the terms of the new pact.

Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: Immigrants – who needs ‘em? When I consider the G8 meeting representing the world’s largest economies – it’s interesting their relationships with immigrants. Take the US – the largest of the G8 – a land of immigrants – the great melting pot. Or even the Germans – just look at the number of Turks in their team! Hmmm….maybe England could do with a few more. Or Canada – pleading for more immigrants. But Britain is limiting the number of skilled migrants. Now thankfully in the detail this excluded entrepreneurs. But the message in the international press does not read like that. It reads like Britain is closed. That’s the exact opposite message the Government wants to send. It’s won the election. Why is it playing to its internal audience of 60m Britons when the global audience of businesses it needs are the ones it needs to convince to help Britain out of its recession? Over 1m people travel between the UK and India annually – those are largely tourists and not affected by this policy change. Almost 2m people of Indian origin

live in the UK. But more troubling for India is that given that 700 out of 1200 Indian firms in the EU operate in the UK – how will they be served with the policy change? Will India bypass the UK when it comes to acquisitions? After all big acquisitions for India globally involve the UK: tae the £8bn Tata acquisition of Corus. Moreover there are over 40,000 Indian students in Higher Education in the UK. As a former University Governor I know how important their fees are. Is the door closed to them going forward? The entrepreneurs from India that I deal with are concerned the message this sends. More importantly they are concerned if they should set up in the UK. After all will they be assured their skilled workers who made their India operations successful can come to the UK to train the locals to make the UK operations a success? Fundamental to the migration issue is an understanding of whether migration leads to economic growth and its impact on cohesion. The problem with the EU is that it’s citizens

get a free pass whereas those from India who may well be the lowest users of public services and the greatest contributors to taxation and employment and probably the least disruptive to cohesion in the UK given how many are already here – get no recognition at the policy level. This is why when I was a Board Member of the UK India Roundtable my recommendation was that migration policy should be a little like University entrance. If all things are equal then those from schools (countries) with a track record of delivering outstanding entrants should be preferred. Indeed that would put an obligation on those here to ensure their behaviour and contribution to the country is outstanding as it will affect their fellow nationals. When I was non-exec Chairman of Aranca the Indian outsourcing company I gave a speech to all 250 of our staff pointing out that the work they do in their rooms in India brands all of India. And so it should be with a fair immigration policy. Alpesh.patel@tradermind.com

Tata Motors on fund mobilising drive Rs. 47 bn to be raised after shareholders’ approval around Rs 25 billion to meet its capital expenditure, which is largely being met by cash flows. A large portion of the debt was to finance its $2.3 billion acquisition of British brands JaguarLand Rover (JLR) in 2008 from Ford Motor. Tata Motors also needs money as it wants to spend around £600 million in this financial year for expansion of JLR.

Tata Motors, the giant Indian automobile makers have finalised plans to raise huge funds to carry out expansion projects and also cut debts. Rs. 47 billion could be the company’s target and they will raise the amount through equity offering as well as through convertible bonds, debentures and warrants. The company will seek approval for the fund raising from share-

holders, while the timing will be decided later. Money could be raised in India and also from abroad. Tata Motors, which had net debt of around Rs 188 billion on its books at the end of March 2010, has reduced its debt-toequity ratio to 2.05 from 4 in March 2009. The company intends to cut its debt-equity ratio further, to 1 in the next 18 months. It also needs

India, UK have more millionaires even in the 2009 recession

Invest for a Life in the US

Even the countries were reeling under the global meltdown, India, UK and China along with some other countries saw a rise in the number of millionaires in 2009. A Merrill Lynch and Capgemini survery said the number of millionaires in India was 126,756 in 2009. It was a rise of 50% over the previous year. UK registered an increase of 24% as the millionaires club membership stood at 448,100.

The United States of America, often referred to as the land of opportunity, has been taking in immigrants at the rate of more than one million every year for over a century. Unfortunately, because it is so popular, it has become progressively harder to secure a visa for those who wish to live and work there on a permanent basis. Most visas are either difficult to obtain or unsuitable, because they need to be reapplied for, which carries risks. Noone wants to emigrate

only to lose their visa after a year or so. The most popular choice, for those in a position to invest $500,000, is the EB-5 investment visa. In 2003 the US Government reintroduced the Regional Center program. Investments into an approved Regional Center qualify an investor, spouse and all children under 21 to Green Cards (Permanent Residency). Citizenship can be obtained after 5 years. For information, visit eb5-visa.net.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Foreign Exchange Sponsored by

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China to Invade Europe After what is probably the biggest recession in the history of the world’s major economic powers, economists are now trying to predict what needs to be done to bring things back on an even keel and ensure that the world’s leading economies are on track for recovery. With China apparently still performing well throughout the duration of all the turmoil, many are predicting that the Chinese government are now ready to really break out of their shell and aggressively venture further afield for future investment opportunities. It has been well documented that China have a massive U.S. Dollar reserve, a reserve so large that if they decided to switch from dollars to any other currencies or commodities it would have major repercussions in the world financial markets and the ultimately the value of the greenback. China’s manufacturing industry has thrived in recent years and their economic growth has accelerated while other major economies have faltered. They have recently eased their stance on the market value of the Rimimbi to

hopefully assist their highly valued export market. China are awash with funds and with Sterling and the Euro currencies being under a cloud of uncertainty this could be a good time for the Chinese to invest in the European market. The UK has experienced this scenario before, most recently during the 1980’s with Japan investing heavily in some of Britain’s most prized assets. Recently we have seen

some of the oil-rich countries looking for similar investments such as the Qatar backed purchase of Harrods, as well as middle eastern oil barons and the newly rich Russians taking major shares in British football clubs. China have already shown their intentions to look for similar overseas ventures with considerable investments in the Australian and Pacificrim commodity markets, assuring that the Australian com-

modity and currency markets have out-performed in difficult markets. The Chinese seem to be on the verge of a similar assault with mainland Europe offering really good investment value. The Euro zone in general, in and in particular the members of the single currency have had huge problems in the recent recession and with growth predicted to be exceptionally slow in the near term means they are vulnerable to a Chinese investment invasion. If China decide to go down this route it could lead to the Euro performing well against other currencies and producing some much needed confidence in the single currency, which would be welcomed by the largest Euro economies of Germany and France. The Euro almost went into freefall after the recent Greek tragedy, and some other smaller members of the union not far behind them. Chinese investment would surely restore credibility to the still, relatively young, Euro. Analysts will be watching keenly for any signs of this kind of investment happening and the financial markets are sure to react.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 29th June 2010 @ 12midday GBP - INR = 70.05 USD - INR = 46.26 EUR - INR = 56.74 GBP - USD = 1.50 GBP - EUR = 1.23 EUR - USD = 1.2190 GBP - AED = 5.5276 GBP - CAD = 1.575 GBP - NZD = 2.1603 GBP - AUD = 1.7544 GBP - ZAR = 11.5028 GBP - HUF = 354.40

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

garammasala

Asian Voice Saturday 3rd July 2010

Salman Khan turns film critic Selvaraghavan resumes Dhanush-Andrea project! Good News for all fans of ace director Selvaraghavan, one of the most creative brains in Kollywood. He has restarted the shoot of his Malai Nerathu Mayakkam in Chennai. The title of the film is likely to change. A delighted and visibly happy Selvaraghavan told sify.com: “ The shoot has started and it is my eighth film, fourth with Dhanush. I’m still nervous like a beginner. We had earlier shot for 14 days and now the shoot has resumed with Dhanush and Andrea in the lead. GV Prakash is the music

director while Ramji is the cinematographer.” Added Dhanush: “First day, first shot with Selva, it feels like going back to school again! A new film, a new role and when it is Selva, it is a new Avatar for me.”

Sonia Agarwal returns to films

have split from hubby Actress Sonia Agarwal may ms with acting for her forqual no has she Selvaraghavan, but ’s film. Raja ri mer father-in-law director Kasthoo Sonia, who is in her e, evin grap d woo Kolly According to the Kasthoori Raja for by ed come back mode, has been approach ,” rasu Pera a his next film “Paandiy which was announced recently. Though the film features biggies like Prakash Raj, Prabhu, Ramya Krishnan and Raj Kiran, the director felt Sonia’s presence for an important role would make all the difference to the casting. It is said Sonia is seriously considering a comeback into films and is in the process of trimming down. She is also listening to various scripts and wants to choose the best. If the script inspires her, remuneration being secondary, Sonia would sign Perarasu. Paadiya Meanwhile, Kasthoori Raja has commenced his new project, a quickie - Asura Kulam which will be completed in four months.

Karthi likes Kajal more than Tamannaah! Young stars of Kollywood seem to be taking the Bollywood route to create hype around a film. During the release of “Paiyaa,” grapevine had it that Karthi and Tamannaah the lead pair in the film were seeing each other. The film turned out to be a hit and their on screen chemistry sizzled. Now it looks like the whole incident was blown out of proportion by the PR guys, to make it work with the audiences. The latest PR made romance blooming is the one between Karthi and Kajal Aggarwal, on the eve of the release of their “Susindran” directed Naan Mahaan Alla (NMA). At the press meet of NMA, Karthi turned up, minus his heroine Kajal who was to attend the meet. The official reason for her absence was that “she had come to the Hyderabad airport to board her flight to Chennai but suddenly she developed stomach pain and decided to cancel her trip.”

To make up for the photo opportunity between the hero and the heroine, Karthi was asked at the press meet“Which of the two, Tammu or Kajal is more beautiful?” Karthi did not duck the question instead went on the back foot and hooked it beautifully for a six! Karthi’s answer without blinking an eyelid was- “Kajal is much taller than Tammu and has large beautiful eyes.” It left the media stumped. Is there something brewing between the two lanky and good looking actors as NMA?

Apart from tweeting incessantly about his home production “Dabbang” directed by Abhinav Kashyap, over the last couple of months, Salman Khan has also turned into a movie critic. Recently, after watching a special screening of Pooja Shetty-Deora’s Tere Bin Laden, Khan put up a picture of Deora, Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar and himself and tweeted, “Ali Zafar, me and Pooja Shetty, after Tere Bin Laden screening. I loved it! Must watch on July 16.” Khan also put up a picture of Zafar and tweeted, “That's Ali Zafar guys! Watch him on July 16th. Super film!” Not too long ago, Khan had some sweet things to say about the Imran Khan-Sonam Kapoor’s soon-torelease movie I Hate Luv Storys: “Want to see IHLS, Imraan is shona dude. Seeing promos and loving it, all the best dude, think this is a big one.

Happy for you shona!” The Wanted star only gushes about actors and movies of those close to him. Since Hrithik Roshan is a friend, Khan recently wanted to know the

fate of Kites. He had tweeted, “Who saw Kites? Is the movie good? Hope it is.” A month ago, while sharing his opinion on movie criticism, Khan had said, “Sab (reviews) bakwaas hai (everything is nonsense)”. He quoted the example of his former protégé Himesh Reshammiya’s movie, Karzzzz, that received 5-star ratings but was an evening’s entertainment that he wouldn’t recommend. It’s a well-known fact that the singer-composeractor and Khan had fallen out sometime ago. For the benefit of the aam janta (common man), Khan informs that his brother Sohail and nephew Nirvaan saw the Jackie Chan-Jaden Smith starrer, The Karate Kid, and says they both loved the movie.

‘Bollywood is the biggest export of India’ Priyal Sanghavi

1980 cars and costumes and shot at the Gurudwara, Jalebee Junction, Glassy Junction and main Southall Broadway. The title Patiala House is the name of the 4 houses joined as one.

With his debut film Kal Ho Na Ho breaking box office records and his last venture Chandni Chowk to China being a major dud, director Nikhil Advani hopes to move ahead with Patiala House- a film on the British Asian community of Southall. We have a candid chat with him where he talks film school, research on script and gratitude for Akshay Kumar You have been in UK for quite while. I went to India for ten days in the middle, otherwise I have been here for five months. The unit has been in UK since May 7. We shot all over the place. My favourite was Nottingham. It is a student town reminding me of Pune where I would hang around the film school campus. Do you have formal film school training and is it important to be a Bollywood director? I didn't go to film school because I was told not to, at the time. It is important to have any kind of schooling. Not only does it help you understand basics, but helps you interact with other film-makers and hear their experiences. Film schools make you watch the correct films from past masters, Indian and international. It makes you talk about them and interact with people who have opinions on films. How were your early years as an assistant director? They were the best years of my life. As an AD you are not bothered about whether the shot is working and whether people would like it but you still enjoy the experience and meeting people. I had a lot of support from people like Yash Chopra, Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra and they understood what I was trying to bring- making film-making more professional. That would mean spending more money but a better system in working. How did Patiala House come about? While we were working on

Nikhil Advani

Chandni Chowk to China, Akshay Kumar told me about an article he read that says Monty Panesar's mother does not go out to buy groceries when he is playing against India, because she felt she was betraying India. That interested me and I read more about Southall and British Asians. They are now a community forced to reckon with in UK. I loved the whole struggle and decided to make a film about it. I also wanted to talk about second chances. Before I knew it, I had written 30 pages. How did you research for the movie? I looked up online first. Then I went to Southall- the gurudwara and met people. We are also making a serious documentary about Southall. We will have Patiala House which is a lighter more Bollywoodised take but you also have a serious documentary. I felt I could not say enough in my film because of trappings of Bollywood- song dance etc but I felt it is a serious enough issue for documentary.

The other big sports film on Punjabis in London was Bend it like Beckham. Do we see similarities? I hope it makes as much money as Bend it like Beckham because I loved the film and unconsciously there may be similarities. It is a full tribute to Gurinder Chaddha. But it is not a cricket. You can replace cricket with dance, football or even love, but the film will still hold. You have a heavyweight starcast. Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia surprise me. I don't want to make a film without Rishi Kapoor. He is such a professional and positive on set. He wants to talk to assistant directors and wants to take them all home. I love talking to him, he is extremely well read in cinema. Akshay is the guy who gave me a second chance.

What is your take on the song-and-dance routine in traditional Bollywood? I love song and dance. At weddings and at funerals there is always music. It is part of our culture and inherently part of blood. We should not run away from it but it needs to be done correctly.

How did it feel when your last film Chandni Chowk to China flopped? It was a bad phase and it lasted 12 hours after Akshay said he will do my next film without any script. I got scared but he was insistent and I am very grateful to him. He did not let me cry over it. When you are only trying to survive as a filmmaker, the dishonesty is seen on screen and that was my mistake with Chandni Chowk to China. With Patiala House, I am in my comfort zone of rona-dhona, big Bollywood film etc but I have done things I haven't done before. Akshay speaks ten sentences in the first half, Rishi Kapoor dominates it. There is a rise in Akshay's character. I can give interviews for Patiala House which I did not for for Chandni Chowk to China.

Did you recreate Southall in Mumbai? The interior of the house but we shot extensively in Southall. We shut it down on June 20 completely for six hours. We had

Will Patiala House have a London premiere? Yes it will have a London premiere but will it be in Southall? Let's see, Bollywood is the biggest export India has.

bollykats

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Mallika demands Rs 100 mn to endorse brand

I Hate Luv Storys

According to the buzz in the industry, Mallika Sherawat asked a jewellery brand for Rs 100 million, when the officials approached her to sign up as their brand ambassador.

Mallika apparently believes that she has made a mark internationally over the past two years, having spent a lot of time in the US. The brand she endorses will benefit from that and so Mallika believes she is right in asking for a sum that will catapult her to the top of the brand endorsement charts. Indications are that the jewellery brand are seriously considering her demands. Mallika has two films coming up and both are interna-

tional projects. One is “Hisss,” in which she plays a snake woman, costarring Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta and directed by Jennifer Lynch. The other one is the romantic comedy “Love, Barack” in which she plays a Democrat election campaigner who falls in love with her Republican counterpart during the 2008 presidential elections.

Kareena tries her hands at stunts too A Dharma Productions flick, ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ is a comedy and romance film shot at exotic locales. It is a film about people working in the film industry and their lives. The flick is a maxim Jay lives by. Though, as an assistant director to Veer, the most famous romantic filmmaker of Indian Film Industry, Jay has little option but to live with larger than life, glossy, cinematic love on an everyday basis. Things only get worse when he is made to work under the new production designer on the film… Simran, with whom he shares the strangest first encounter! Simran loves luv storys; So much so that even her life has begun to resemble one. With her ideal job and the perfect boyfriend - Raj, she lives a blissful, dreamy life, though it is rudely interrupted by Jay's cynicism. The turmoil's of Jay and Simran's life, is ironically interweaved with the Luv Story that they are working on. Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Ronnie Screwvala are the producers of the film, while Punit Malhotra has directed ‘I Hate Luv Storys’. He has also written the story, screenplay and dialogues of the film. The lead cast of the film includes Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sammir Dattani, Sameer Soni, Kavin Dave, Khusboo Shroff, Bruna Abdullah, Pooja Ghai, Ketaki Dave, Anju Mahendru and Shirish Sharma. Aamir Ali has a special. Anvita Dutt, Kumaar and Vishal Dadlani have penned the lyrics, while Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani have scored the music. Vishal Dadlani, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sona Mohaptra, Suraj Jagan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Shekhar Ravjiani and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan have rendered the play back.

Inspired by daring actors like Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor tried her hands at stunts too. Recently, Bebo has performed a stunt herself in the entry scene of “Golmaal 3.” She had to stand on the bonnet of a car in motion for that particular sequence. According to an eye witness on the sets, “For this scene, Kareena was

Aishwarya Rai has recently refused a Hollywood film, featuring Brad Pitt. She is in high demand among the Hollywood filmmakers but the lady has her hands full with Bollywood projects now.

1. I Hate Luv Storys

Top 5 Bollywood movies for the week 1 2 3 4 5

Raavan Raajneeti Kites Badmaash Company Housefull

No. Last Week New 1 2 3 4

Total weeks 1 3 4 7 8

However, she clarified the reason behind her rejection. Aishwarya said, “I was not showing attitude or anything; it is just for the lack of time. My time will be taken up by my Bollywood projects which mean that I cannot do justice to any project in

Katrina wants only Farah to direct her in airline ad After acting in Farah Khan's home production “Tees Maar Khan,” Katrina Kaif will be flying down to Abu Dhabi for a day to be directed by her favourite director for an ad for Etihad Airways. Says a source, "Katrina is the brand ambassador of the airlines. They have signed her recently and this is her first endorsement of an airlines. It was Katrina who insisted that Farah direct her in the ad. Earlier Farah has directed many stars from Shah Rukh to Kareena. Kat is thrilled with the sexy, glamorous way Farah has

shooting experience was absolutely thrilling. Rohit explained to me in detail about my entry sequence, which was planned this way. I am not worried when he is around. The shoot looks wonderful in the final take.” Well, Kareena has managed to do her job wonderfully, without getting hurt. This act of the lady may inspire other leading ladies to perform their own stunts too.

Aishwarya has no time for Hollywood

New Hindi movies releasing this week

No. Film

required to keep her expressions right while maintaining her balance on the bonnet of the car.” Kareena insisted on doing the stunt herself as long as the director, Rohit Shetty drove the car. She was strapped with a harness and had a support but it was not that easy as the car was taking turns. It was a very difficult stunt indeed.” On her stunt performance, Kareena said, “The

presented her in “Tees Maar Khan.’ When the airlines asked her who she wanted her to direct for the ad Katrina said she wanted only Farah." Farah says, "Yes I am directing Katrina for the airlines. She's not playing an airhostess but we will be shooting it at their airport lounge in Abu Dhabi. Katrina is flying down for just one day from Spain where she's shooting for Zoya's “Zindagi Na Milenge Dobara” to shoot for the ad.”

Hollywood right now.” Earlier also, the actress has rejected the film “Troy” with Brad Pitt. However, the reason was quite different then. At that time, Aishwarya had said, “I am not comfortable doing those intimate scenes with Brad Pitt. There are lots of kisses

and explicit lovemaking scenes. I am not comfortable at all.” Aishwarya had also refused doing other Hollywood projects like “Hancock” and “Seven Pounds.” In fact, the Hollywood director Brett Ratner wanted to cast her in “Rush Hour.”

Speaking about her international projects, the actress quipped, “In a press conference in India, Michael Douglas confessed that he had brought a script for me. Will Smith was also generous enough to persuade me twice for Hancock and Seven Pounds.”

InDIa

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

BJP - JD (U) to fight Bihar polls as alliance 2005 seat sharing formula stays after recent acrimony With all kinds or reports doing rounds, BJP and JD(U) put an end to speculations as they finalised the seat sharing formula for Bihar elections. Relations between the two key members of the NDA were hanging on a thread after the acrimony of Gujarat Chief Minister trying to impose his influence in the state and Nitish Kumar having a spat, returning the flood relief aid and ordering investigations in the advertisements. Sources close to the BJP president, Mr Nitin Gadkari, said the party was earlier planning to ask for two more seats this time, including Muzaffarpur, from its alliance partner. That however had to shelved after the Narendra Modi – Nitish Kumar snub games. “The alliance is finally on track in Bihar now.

Another Maoists attack in Chhattisgarh, 26 killed

After a brief lull, Chhattisgarh witnessed another massacre by the Maoists on Tuesday. An ambush on a CRPF team in Narayanpur district of the Bastar region was reported. Special DG of the force said 26 jawans were killed and 5 were injured. He said the toll could go up, as these are initial reports. A road opening party, "nearly the size of a company with 70 men" was ambushed by Maoists, 3 kilometres from Dhaudai in Narayanpur district around 1pm, Dua said. The Maoists opened fire from a hilltop when the paramilitary men were returning from road opening duty on foot, CRPF chief Vikram Srivastava said in New Delhi.

Now, any demand for more seats by BJP will only end up straining the ties and at this moment no one wants it. Right now, it will be feasible for the BJP to go with the old seat sharing formula,” said a senior party functionary. During the last Assembly elections in the state, JD(U) had contested 139 and BJP 102 Assembly seats. Both had fielded Independent candidates on the remaining two seats. there are 243 Assembly constituencies in the state. On the issue of seat sharing formula, party general secretary Ananth Kumar said “the seat-sharing formula would remain the same.” Party sources disclosed some minor changes may be made keeping in mind the new demography of some constituencies postdelimitation.

When asked if Gujarat CM Narendra Modi would campaign for BJP in Bihar, Ananth Kumar said the decision lay with the party and no one else. Bihar CM had objected to advertisements depicting him holding hands with Mr Modi. This had led to speculations that JD(U) may demand that Narendra Modi, BJP star campaigner, would not be sent to Bihar. But Mr Ananth Kumar insisted that BJP would have a free hand in who it fields to campaign for the party in Bihar. However, in constituencies where a joint campaign is launched, the campaigners would be jointly chosen by the two parties, he said. “Gadkari had clarified this issue. The decision on which leader would go for campaigning would be taken by our party,” Mr Kumar insisted.

Cabin crew shortage forces AI to cancel flights The Indian flag carrier has been forced to resort to cancellation of flights on both – the international and the domestic – sectors as they are facing an acute crunch of cabin crew. Air India had to withdraw 12 flights across its network as the constraints on the cabin crew front persisted, according to sources in Air India. It may be recalled that the now derecognised ACEU (Air Corporation Employees Union) had as recently as March this year, just about 3 months

ago warned about the manpower crunch, demanded fresh recruitment of cabin crew and even threatened to go on strike. Among the flights cancelled previously or those still continued to remain cancelled include Delhi – Kabul – Delhi and Chennai – Kuala Lumpur – Chennai. The later one is to remain cancelled till 15th July. On the domestic sector, two daily flights between Delhi – Mumbai – Delhi are among those cancelled.

Jaswant Singh back to BJP Jaswant Singh returned to BJP ten months after he was shunted out of the party unceremoniously over his book on Jinnah. Jashwant and L K Advani both said they share the happiness and relief. Welcoming the Rajasthan leader back in the party fold, president Nitin Gadkari said, “It’s a day of great happiness for all of us. I look forward to his attendance at every party meeting.” LK Advani in his response said, "With happiness, there is a sense of relief."

"It is good to be back among familiar faces," said Jaswant Singh. "I express my great gratitude to Advani who took the initiative some months back. He telephoned me and asked if I would speak to him...I was humbled by that...then he asked if I would meet with him...he said we would treat this chapter as closed,” he added. Jaswant also said that the "humiliation" he suffered when he was expelled was compensated for by the extreme graciousness shown by Advani.

Varun set to overtake Rahul, ready to tie the nuptial knot The Gandhi family of India will have an occasion to celebrate, in 2010 itself. Varun Gandhi, the BJP leader and MP, it seems has decided to marry his Bengali girl friend, Yamini. Rahul, the Congress MP and Varun’s cousin are in close touch as family and will be possibly seen meeting at the wedding. Yamini

graduated from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College, and pursued a fashion designing course at a university in France. She hails from Shanti Niketan in West Bengal. Family sources said the marriage is slated for December. Varun has known Yamini for a few years.

The marriage promises to be a major event in the political calendar given the probability of Sonia Gandhi attending the nuptials along with Rahul and Priyanka. Despite Maneka’s strained relations with Sonia, Varun is known to have maintained close ties with the Gandhi family all along.

In divine light The Vrishni Dynasty: Sri Krishna’s lineage

By Rajen Vakil

One day King Revanta, a great friend of Indra, went to Vaikunth riding Indra’s horse Ucchayhsravas. Here, Mahalaxmi was sitting at Lord Vishnu’s feet. When she saw the beautiful and handsome Revanta, she got attracted to him and her attention was seduced away from Vishnu. Seeing this, Vishnu got angry and laid a curse on her; she would have to be born as a mare on Earth. Mahalaxmi, realising her folly, agonisingly begged Vishnu to free her of the curse. Lord Vishnu, taking pity, consoled her that she would have to undergo the curse, albeit only till she gave birth to a son. Further, Lord Vishnu then blessed Mahalaxmi saying that the son born to her would be equal in glory to Lord Vishnu himself. Mahalaxmi came to Earth as a mare and started penance at the confluence of the rivers Kalindi and Tamasa. She meditated on Lord Shiva. One day Lord Shiva appeared to her and asked her what she wanted. Mahalaxmi explained how Lord Vishnu had cursed her and the only way for her to be free from this curse was to give birth to a son. She asked Lord Shiva to find her a worthy match. Lord Shiva promised to help her. Shiva went to Vaikunth and sent Vishnu down to earth as a horse. So Mahavishnu and Mahalaxmi lived together as horse and mare. A son was born to them whom they left at the banks of the confluence and returned to Vaikunth. Since the boy was born from the union of a horse and a mare, he was known as Haihaya. Satyajit, the great grandson of Yayati was doing penance at the confluence of the two rivers too. He wanted to obtain a child. One night a vidyadhara named Champak, accompanied by a vidyadhari named Madalsa, seeing the helpless infant and recognizing him as the son of Vishnu and Mahalaxmi, picked him up and placed him near to where Satyajit was performing his austerities. Indra appeared to Satyajit and asked him to look after the boy. Satyajit was very pleased

to receive the child and took him to his palace and brought him up as his own son. When Ekavira (named by Satyajit) came of age, he was crowned as king. Satyajit, along with his queen, then went away into the forest to lead the life of a hermit. One day Ekavira was enjoying himself at the banks of River Ganga

when he happened to observe a beautiful damsel weeping. Ekavira went to her and asked her the reason for her grief. She explained that she was a very close friend of Yashovati. Yashovati was the daughter of the neighbouring king Raviua and his queen Rukmarekha. They had obtained Yashovati after having performed the putra kamesty yagna. The damsel described how Yashovati and she had grown up together and had been best friends. A demon by the name of Kalaketu had kidnapped Yashovati and had taken her to Patala (the underworld). King Ekavira decided to help her and went into the Patala, defeated the demon, and brought Yashovati back. She then became his queen. Yashovati gave birth to Kartaviryarjuna. He became the founder the Vrishni dynasty in which Sri Krishna was born. The scriptures tell us that any event that happens in life is a combination of three forces. These are the active, passive, and neutralising or (in Sanskrit) rajas, tamas, and satva respectively. In today’s story, we can see how initially there were only two forces and how then the third force manifested. Vishnu represents sat or truth and his energy (or Mahalaxmi) is satva or the quality of truth. She is born out of Vishnu and to fulfil the needs of worldly manifestations, her attention has to be

seduced away from Vishnu and this is done when she is attracted to the king Revanta. Thus, Vishnu curses her to be born as a mare. She was born where the two rivers Tamasa (or passive force) and Kalindi (or active force) met. A horse is the symbol of time. Her being born as a feminine horse depicts that the third force or satva is beyond the laws of time. An interesting aspect of this story is that it shows to us that there are no straight lines in existence. Whatever we say to another person always comes back to us in some form or the other and none is free from this law. Lord Vishnu cursed Mahalaxmi to be born as a mare but eventually he had to come as a horse too to provide her company. Satyajit means one who has conquered Sat or truth. After the experience of truth comes the knowledge of how to apply and spread that truth in the world. The Vidyadhara and Vidyadhari are the bearers of knowledge. They bring the child of Vishnu and Mahalaxmi to Satyajit. This is symbolic of the fruit of truth being borne to the world by knowledge. Satyajit looks after this child and makes him king. His new name is Ekavira or a string of pearls, so from him a great lineage of kings is born. For truth to spread, the child must marry Yashovati or fame, who has been held by the demon Kalaketu, or time. Fame grows with time. So it has to be freed from the demon of time. This demon lies in our unconscious minds or patala. Fame does not mean that we become famous but that the fragrance of our essence or truth spreads like a perfume. Our unconscious minds are dark and are full of patterns or samskaras that bind and blind us. Here, Ekavira goes into the unconscious and frees fame from these patterns. Then only is a great lineage of kings born, all having fame and prosperity; the epitome being Sri Krishna. (Edited by Chintu Gandhi. Illustration by Siddharth Ramanuj.) The author can be reached by emailing 3srb@live.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

David Cameron to visit India this month Accepting an intivation by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister David Cameron made an instant decision to visit India in July. The British and the Indian premiers met at Toronta during the just concluded G20 summit. It was the first meeting between the two leaders last week.

Cameron had earlier visited India in 2006 as leader of the opposition and he fondly recalled that visit. He said he was looking forward to visiting India again," Vishnu Prakash, official spokesperson for the Indian external affairs minister, told reporters in Toronto.

Role of Tamil ethos in Indian identity and progress hailed Five day World Classical Tamil Conference held at Coimbatore The first World Classical Tamil Conference got off to a rousing start in Coimbatore last week in the presence of a large gathering. Distinguished speakers, led by President Pratibha Patil, hailed Tamil, which has the oldest literature among the living languages of the world. Inaugurating the fiveday event, the President said that many concepts intrinsic to India's society and critical to its polity were found in Tamil discourse over the millennia. The message of peace, universality and the spirit of equality was propounded in a Sangam poem more than 2000 years ago, she said, referring to a poem in Purananooru. She presented the Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award to Asko Parpola, renowned Indologist, for his work on the Dravidian hypothesis in the interpretation of the Indus script. He said old Tamil was best preserved

Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil inaugurates the World Classical Tamil Conference in Coimbatore on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala and Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi are also seen.

in Dravidian linguistic traditions. The next generation of Tamils must anchor as well as equip themselves with knowledge of Tamil culture, literature and values, the President said. Presiding over the inauguration, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said there was a worldwide consensus that Tamil possessed greater merits than the 11 parameters laid down for declaring a language classical.

“Tamil is not only an international language; it is like a mother for all the languages of the world,” he said. Noting that the roots of Tamil words were present in many languages of the world, Mr. Karunanidhi said such words differed only in form but retained the meaning. Quoting extensively from works such as the Valmiki Ramayana, Arthasastra and Purananooru, he stressed that the Tamil people had

UAE Punjabis raise ‘Blood money’ to save 17 youth from death sentence Rs. 6.2 million collected, deal finalised with the family of dead Pakistani man Seventeen Punjabi youth facing the death sentence in Sharjah on the charge of murdering a Pakistani national may escape death as Indian expatriates in UAE have raised a fund of over Rs 6.2 million to help them to pay blood money. Meanwhile, the Sharjah court adjourned the case for further hearing on July 14. Dubai-based Punjabi society is finalising a deal with the victim’s family, which has agreed to accept blood money in exchange for forgiveness. Indian Business and Professional Council, Sharjah and Indian Golfers Society-UAE, raised a sum of 500,000 dirhams (Rs 6.2 million) at a golf tournament dinner to create a fund. 17 youth of Punjab origin were awarded death sentence on March 29 this year for murdering Pakistan national Mishri Khan following a fight between two gangs dealing in illegal sale of liquor. Under Shariah law, blood money is the compensation amount paid by an offender to the relatives of the victim. Founding member of the Indian Punjabi Society (IPS) SP Singh Oberoi

blood money and sign a document agreeing to a compromise with all 17 accused. Once this was done, the death sentence would be revoked immediately, he added.

told media that the society had got in touch with the victim’s family at Bhalwal village in Sargodha district in Pakistan. He said the victim’s family had agreed to take

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an ancient origin and a hoary past. Though the demand to classify Tamil as a classical language was made over a hundred years ago, it was the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre that granted the status [in October 2004] to the language. It was after the declaration that such a meet was being organised for the first time, he added. Lankan speakers feel ignored Sri Lanka’s Tamilspeakers, who are the second largest linguistic group in the island nation, feel ignored by the organisers of the World Classical Tamil Conference. A. H. M. Azwer, a veteran Muslim leader with a passion for Tamil, said that though Prof. K Sivathamby had been given a major role at the Coimbatore conclave, top leaders of Lanka’s Tamilspeaking communities were not invited.

Bengal police adopts a novel way to counter Maoist influence Village Youth being trained in football, best player to train at Bayern Munich A talented young footballer from West Bengal's Maoist-hit West Midnapore district may soon find himself in Germany, training with the famed Bayern Munich club, thanks to a police initiative to lure away the youth of the area from the rebels. The lucky youngster would be chosen from among tribal teams set to represent various rebelaffected areas in a clublevel soccer tourney at Lalgarh next month. The tournament's best player would be sent to Bayern Munich, with the state police bearing the entire cost, said Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh. The decision was taken to dissuade the youth from falling prey to the Maoists' attempts to induct them in their militant wing - the Peoples' Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). Unemployed youth are getting drawn to the rebels not for any ideological reasons, but for the monthly Rs 3,000 offered to them, Singh said.

"The tournament will begin sometime next month with eight local clubs participating. The tournament's best footballer will be sent to Germany for training at Bayern Munich club," the police chief said. "The Superintendent of police, West Midapore will arrange the tournament. The clubs slated to participate and the grounds for holding the matches have been identified," Singh said. A senior police officer of West Midnapore said that last year, a football tournament was held among tribal youth in the area. A picnic for the participating teams and police personnel was also arranged after the final. The tournament was organised by the police to win the hearts of tribal youth and gain their confidence. This year, the tournament will be organised on a bigger scale. The prize money will go up and several measures will be taken to popularise the game among the tribal youth.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Kadapa district to be named after Rajasekhar Reddy After building temples and renaming government schemes in his memory, it is now the turn of a district to be named after former Chief Minister, the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. His native Kadapa district will be rechristened ‘YSR District’. The Congress government has been on a renaming spree with several welfare programmes being named in the memory of YSR, a charismatic leader who died in a

helicopter cra sh in September last year. However, this has triggered similar demands from different parts of the state to pay tributes to those who had shaped Andhra Pradesh’s history. The main Opposition, Telugu Desam Party, came up with a proposal to rename Srikakulam district after freedom fighter Gowthu Lachanna and Vizianagaram district after its erstwhile ruler PVG Raju.

Tatas’ traditions of philanthropy Honours are coming thick and fast for Ratan Tata, and deservedly so. As Chairman of the Tata Group, Mr Tata has presided over an astonishing expansion of the business in a variety of fields, from steel, trucks, cars and IT services. Corus, the UK's largest steel manufacturer, is a Tata company, the luxury Jaguar car is Tata-owned. Both have weathered the recent global financial crisis and are now on course for robust recovery. Tata has become India's first global brand, and the group will surely climb more peaks in the years ahead. Cambridge University has conferred an honorary degree of doctor of law on Ratan Tata. The citation read out in Latin by uni-

that he received his honoris causa in person. From Corpus Christi College, where he attended a reception with seven other honorands, Ratan Tata joined a procession led by the Duke of Ratan Tata with Senator George Mitchell, Edinburgh, the the US special envoy for West Asia Chancellor of the versity orator Dr Rupert University, Dr Alison Thomson, referred to the Richard, the Vice Nano car in the following Chancellor and other digwords: “Indeed, buying a nitaries to the Senate car was once an expensive House. affair, which the majority After the ceremony, Mr in India could scarcely Tata spent the entire day imagine. But then our talking to students and honorand came along and teachers. He called at the produced the Tata Nano, Institue of Manufacturing the cheapest car ever where he met its head, built.” Professor Mike Gregory; he It was perhaps indicalater visited the Centre of tive of Mr Tata's pleasure Advanced Photonics and

Electronics. Outlining the group's philosophy, Ratan Tata said: “We have always tried to help people in need. One of the tenets of the Tata family has been you acquire wealth to distribute it. So 65 per cent of dividends of our holding company go to charitable trusts which distribute that, so we have been doing it for a hundred years.” The Tata visit could lead to enhanced collaboration with scientists engaged in cutting-edge research in Cambridge. Other Indians who have been similarly honoured with an honoris causa were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2006) and the Economics Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen (2009), both former students of the university.

UN award for Narendra Modi’s pet project ‘Swagat’ Yet another Gujarat project has earned global recognition and appreciation. Chief minister Narendra Modi’s favourite project, State-Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (Swagat) under which the CM office makes online intervention to solve people’s grievances, was recently awarded United Nations Public Service Award at a formal ceremony in Barcelona, Spain. The award was given for “improving transparency, accountability and

responsiveness in the public service”. Appreciating the CMO initiative, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which instituted the award, said Swagat allows citizens to “air their grievances regarding government’s provision of public services” after having “direct access to meet the chief minister personally to present their cases”. It added, “Administrators are held accountable for responding to both the citizen and chief minister. This open and transparent system allows citizens to

derive satisfaction from the fairness of the process, even if the decision is not in their favour.” Modi’s secretary AK Sharma, who is the brain behind Swagat, received the award in Barcelona. Swagat is one of the 10 awardees, who received second prize at the Barcelona ceremony. Apart from Swagat, initiatives from Albania, Australia, Bahrain, Italy, Japan, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania also received second prize. Initiatives from Australia, Bahrain,

Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia received first prize. A statement issued by the state government said the award has come “as a result of the hard work of the administration at all levels, state, district and taluka”. In 2009, the UN Public Service Award went to Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (Wasmo) for “fostering participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms”.

Chinese attempt to patent ‘pudina’ foiled India provides details of mint plant being used for centuries A major bio-piracy attempt by China was thwarted by India recently. China had filed an application for a patent on ‘pudina’ (mint) and ‘kalamegha’ (andrographis) for treatment of H5N1 – Avian flu or bird flu. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), with the help of India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, dug out formulations from ancient Ayurveda and Unani texts, like ‘Cakradattah’, ‘Bhaisajya Ratnavali’, ‘Kitaab-al-Haawi-fil-Tibb’ and ‘Qaraabaadeen Azam wa Akmal’, dating back to the 9th century, to show that both ‘pudina’ and ‘kalamegha’ have been

widely used in India since ages for influenza and epidemic fevers. After receiving exhaustive evidences from CSIR that confirmed India’s stand, the European Patent Office (EPO) on June 10 cancelled the decision to grant patent to Livzon, a major Chinese pharmaceutical company, on the medicinal properties of ‘pudina’ and ‘kalamegha’ for treating bird flu. It all began when Livzon, on January 19, 2007 filed a patent application at EPO claiming usefulness of ‘pudina’ and ‘kalamegha’ for the treatment of bird flu to be novel. On June 10, the panel decided to cancel the Chinese patent claim.

India need not worry about China, assures Rajapaksa Continued from page 1 His assurances are to be seen in the light of China executing significant infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. This has left may leading policy analysists wondering if Colombo is helping strategic interests of China. Further, the proposed ‘Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement’ (CEPA) with India is yet to progress much further after several

rounds of negotiations. He said he does not intend to delay the CEPA, but would like to first see Sri Lanka’s interests, then come India’s interests. The island nation is now focused on developing Hambantota, a town in the South as a major city. Sri Lanka has invited India to set up a diplomatic mission there. The city may also get the country’s second international airport after Colombo.

Theresa May relents on immigration cap Continued from page 1 An Indian delegation from trade and industry, headed by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is on a visit to London. Anand Sharma asserted that the developed countries should not adopt a protectionist attitude towards emerging economies. Reacting to Britain's decision to impose a cap on immigration from the non-EU countries, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said "developed countries cannot have protectionist attitude toward emerging economies anymore". Home Secretary Theresa May Monday announced an annual limit of 24,100 for nonEuropean Union professionals to be allowed into the UK until April 2011. It could hit thousands of highly skilled Indian professionals who will not be able to take up jobs in Britain after the government announced a limit of

24,100 for non-European Union professionals to be allowed into the country. India is the second largest investor in the UK after the US. There are 500 Indian companies in the country and is the biggest employer after the UK. Sharma wanted the UK to bear this in mind. The minister also met Prime Minister David Cameron, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Business Secretary Vince Cable and raised the issue. Indian professionals are among the highest non-EU groups who migrate to Britain to take up jobs in IT, medicine, services and education sectors. Details of how the final limit will be delivered will be agreed following a 12-week consultation with trade and industry. An influential group representing professionals from India and other nonEuropean Union states said the annual cap on migration from non-EU countries will be "unworkable" and subject to chal-

lenge in courts. “We do not think any sort of cap would work out. It would be unworkable,” said Amit Kapadia, executive director of the Highly Skilled Migrant

the interest of the Indian concerns would be looked after. Sharma also indicated that during the impending visit of David Cameron to India later in July, both the

London Mayor says city would be affected dramatically •••••••••••••••••••••• Ministers too echoed concerns of UK business and industry Programme (HSMP) Forum. The chief of HSMP Forum, which campaigns for non-EU immigrants, said most non-EU migrants came to the UK to fill shortage of skills that could not be found locally. India assured about their interests Sharma also said that these concerns were raised in his meetings with Prime Minister David Cameron, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Business Secretary Vince Cable and he has been assured that

countries would take forward their economic agendas. "During his (David Cameron's) visit we will be able to take forward what has been discussed in the three meetings on Monday, particularly the economic engagement and also the two countries working together in multilateral forum which was conveyed very forcefully first by Foreign Secretary William Hague. They have expressed support to India for the permanent membership of UN Security

Council," he added. Meanwhile, Business Secretary Vince Cable, said: "The coalition Government is committed to an enhanced partnership with India. I am delighted to welcome Mr Sharma and to open a very positive dialogue on a range of important issues with the Indian government. Vince Cable also greeted a delegation of top Indian business leaders from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) who are accompanying Sharma on his visit. The delegates included: Hari S Bhartia, President of CII and Managing Director of Jubilant Organosys Limited, B Muthuraman, the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Vice President of CII, and Vikram Mehta, Chairman of Shell India. HSMP Forum to challenge the cap; London Mayor, British business and industry also concerned An influential group representing professionals and highly skilled workers

are planning to challenge the temporary annual UK immigration cap. Director of Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) Forum, Amit Kapadia, said the group will oppose and lobby against any illogical UK immigration cap number. Indians have been among the largest group of professionals recruited in the IT, medicine, education and services sector every year, and are the group most likely to be drastically affected by the cap. The UK immigration cap has been opposed by British business and industry, with London Mayor Boris Johnson expressing concerns that the cap would affect the City dramatically. "A crude cap could be very detrimental to the free movement of the talented, creative and enterprising people who have enabled London to be such a dominant global force," a spokesperson for the Mayor said.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Akshay Kumar is Canada tourism’s ambassador for India Vancouver: Bollywood hero Akshay Kumar’s bond with Canada got stronger as he was appointed as Canada Tourism’s ambassador for India. With hit films like ‘Namastay London’ and ‘Singh is Kinng’, Akki is a very popular name in Canada. He was also honoured this year as Canada asked him to carry the Olympic torch in the country during the torch relay this year.

Michele McKenzie, President and CEO of Canadian Tourism announced Akshay Kumar’s appointment earlier this week. He added that they were thrilled as Akki agreed to become ambassador. He has enjoyed a strong relationship with Canada since his first visit in 1995. Akshay Kumar will act as the Canadian Tourism's ambassador for India till summer 2012.

Stimulus to continue for a while, agree G-20 leaders Deficits to go down by at least 50 per cent by 2013

Toronto: Leaders of the G20 group of nations decided against immediate withdrawal of economic stimulus, strongly pushed for by India, to preserve the "fragile" global recovery, while agreeing that countries should themselves decide on the contentious financial levies. Meeting against the backdrop of Eurozone crisis arising from government debts, which was compounded by the 2008 financial crisis, the Summit struck a balance by allowing advanced economies to adopt fiscal

World leaders belonging to the G-20 pose for their ‘Family Photo’ in Toronto on June 27

plans to at least halve deficits by 2013 and gradual unwinding of stimulus. It will also help stabilise or reduce government debtto-GDP ratio. Reflecting India's concerns, articulated by Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh that any immediate exit from stimulus could lead to double-dip depression, the Toronto Declaration said: "To sustain recovery, we need to follow through on delivering existing stimulus plans, while working to

create the conditions for robust private demand. Addressing the G-20 Summit here, Singh warned that simultaneous withdrawal of fiscal stimuli by many countries could provoke a doubledip recession, which could have “very negative effects” on developing countries. As the global recovery is “still fragile” due to the slack private demand in the developed world, primacy should be given at this juncture to consolidating the recovery, Singh asserted.

India, Canada sign civil nuclear deal Manmohan asks Harper to check activities of Sikh extremists

Toronto: India and Canada on Sunday signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper hailed the signature of the nuclear agreement after their one-onone and delegation level talks that will provide for cooperation in civil nuclear energy including import of uranium and equipment from Canada. Meanwhile, raising India's concern over Sikh extremism in this country with Harper, Manmohan Singh said he hoped Canada would not allow

Dr Jayant Patel convicted in Australia Sydney: Indiab o r n American surgeon Jayant Patel has been convicted of Dr. Jayant manslaPatel ughter in the deaths of three former patients in Australia. A jury returned a guilty verdict on Tuesday against the Indian-born doctor and US citizen who worked in an Australian hospital between 2003 and 2005. Patel, 60, had pleaded innocent to three counts of manslaughter and one count of causing grievous bodily harm to four patients he treated while working as director of surgery between 2003 and 2005 at a state-run hospital in Queensland state. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

limitations on his government, it is "fully alive to its responsibilities to do the right thing. Kanishka anniversary The two Prime Ministers solemnly observed the occasion of the 25th anniversary of bombing of Air India flight 182 ’Kanishka’ on June 23, 1985 that killed 329 people on board.

Stephen Harper (R) shakes hands with Manmohan Singh during a bilateral meeting in Toronto on June 27

use of its soil for antiIndia activities. Answering a question at a media conference after inking the nuclear deal, Manmohan Singh said, "I have discussed

with the PM the need to ensure that Canadian soil is not used to promote extremism.'' He said though the Canadian prime minister pointed to laws which put

UK born Julia Gillard is new Australian PM

Canberra (Australia): Julia Gillard made history in more than one ways last week. The UK born political leader became the first female Prime Minister of Australia after ruling Labour Party MPs thought Kevin Rudd would not be able to lead the party to victory in elections that are just a few months away. Gillard was deputy Prime Minister to Kevin Rudd and was a part of Rudd’s circle of four advisors. She was born in Barry, Wales but had her education in Australia as her parents migrated to Australia in 1966. Julia studied law and won her first parliament elections in 1998. Kevin Rudd stepped down during an emergency caucus meeting after he failed to get enough MPs to support his continued stay as prime minister. At least 75 of the 115 Labour MPs supported Julia Gillard as

6-year-old Indian- American girl on US terror list Washington: Santhosh Thomas, an Indian-American doctor, is at a loss to understand how his six-year-old daughter Alyssa turned up on the US government's terror watch-list or how to get her off it. The worst thing Alyssa has ever done is probably threatening her sister and that the doctor from Westlake, Ohio, says he's sure it is not enough to land her on the no-fly list of suspected terrorists. "She may have threatened her sister, but I don't think that constitutes Homeland Security triggers," Thomas said. An airline ticket agent informed the family of their predicament when they embarked on recent trip from Cleveland to Minneapolis. "They said, 'Well, she's on the list.' We're like, okay, what's the story? What do we have to do to get off the list? This isn't exactly the list we want to be on," Thomas was quoted as saying.

Indian - American Nikki Haley wins Republican nomination South Carolina: Indian American Nikki Haley has created history by winning the Republican nomination for the gubernatorial elections to be held in November, placing her within one step of being elected this fall as the state's first female governor in South Carolina. Haley is the first Republican woman picked for the post bypassing all allegations of marital infidelity and an ethnic slur against her during her election campaign. "South Carolina just showed the rest of the country what we're made of," the Fox News quoted Nikki Haley as saying after her victory. "We want a conservative government, and we want a government that is accountable to the people," she added. Besides Haley, an African American Tim Scott secured a Republican nomination for Congressional District after he defeated Paul Thurmond.

Lanka denies visas to UN panel on rights abuse Colombo: The Sri Lankan government last week went back on the commitment it made to the UN on human rights accountability when it declared that it would refuse visas for UN panel members appointed to investigate alleged human rights abuses during the civil war against Tamil rebels. “We will not allow them to enter Sri Lanka,” reports from Colombo

quoting external affairs minister G L Peiris said. “This exercise is not helpful and the timing is questionable,” Mr Peiris said of the investigation. “We have our own commission. Setting a separate UN panel will only complicate matters for our commission.” The UN took the decision to send a team following outrage over rights abuses during the war.

The war, which pitted government forces against the LTTE - who were seeking an independent homeland in the country’s north and east - ended last May. More than 65,000 people died in the strife. The UN has been concerned about accountability issues related to the military defeat of the rebels, including alleged “war crimes” by troops and rebels - allegations both deny.

Swami Ramdevji visits UK Julia Gillard

Prime Minister, as they feel she is a more voterfriendly leader. Unmarried Julia says she has learnt the values of hard work, respect and doing your bit for the community from her parents. Gillard for limiting immigration Meanwhile, Gillard on Sunday vetoed Kevin Rudd's idea of a 'big Australia', indicating a slowdown in immigration to the nation where Indians constitute one of the largest chunk of immigrants.

Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust is pleased to inform you of the forthcoming visit to the UK of world renowned Hindu Spiritual Leader & Yoga Guru- His Holiness Swami Ramdevji. As part of his World Tour, which will see him visit USA and Canada, Swami Ramdevji is coming to the UK on Friday 9th July till Sunday 11th July 2010. Itenary - Friday 9th July 6pm - 8pm, Hariben Bachubhai Nagrecha Hall, 198-202 Leyton Road, London, E15 1DT Saturday 10th July , 9 am - 11 am , 5.30pm till 7.30pm Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Avenue, Junction with The

Avenue, Wembley Park, Middlesex, HA9 9PE Sunday 11th July, 9am till 11am , Special audience with Param Pujya Swami Ramdevji for the Nepalese Community and Gurkha soldiers. Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Avenue, Junction with The Avenue, Wembley Park, Middlesex, HA9 9PE

Sunday 11th July 2010, 3.30pm-5.30 Shree Guru Ravidass Community Centre, 181 Dudley Road, Wolverhampton, WV2 3RD All events are Free. Entry is on first comefirst seated basis. For further information please Contact: Sanjay Jagatia Tel: 07805 054776 Email: sanjay.jagatia @ntlworld.com Darshanlal Sohal Tel: 07803 149781 E m a i l : dlsohal@pranyog.co.uk Muna Chauhan Tel: 07974 320202 Email: muna.chauhan@ ntlworld.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Iceland has world’s first gay PM London: As the new law came into force on Sunday, 27th June, Iceland Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir became the first person to take the benefit and become world’s first openly acknowledged gay head of government. The law that came into being legalises same sex marriages in Iceland. According to a RUV broadcaster, Johanna and her partner, Jonina are living

together for many years. Jonina, in her f ifties and a writer, entered a civil union in 2002. Johanna, the 68-year-old PM and Jonina Leosdottir submitted a demand for their civil union to be converted into matrimony. The Parliament of Iceland collectively adopted legislation permitting same sex marriage, in a law that came into force on Sunday.

When Manmohan speaks, the world listens, says Obama

Toronto: US president Barack Obama and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh share a wonderful chemistry, almost to the point of being a mutual admiration society. This was once again evident in Toronto on Monday when Obama lavished praise on Singh during their meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. "Whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him," Obama told reporters. The US president

called the Indian premier a "good friend" and said the "extraordinary leadership" provided by Singh not just to India, but to the world, "has helped us navigate through some very difficult times." "Prime minister, thank you so much for your friendship, and we look forward to working with you in the months to come, leading up to the (India) visit, so that we know that we're going to have a very productive stay when we're in India," Obama said.

Barack Obama shakes hands with Manmohan Singh in Toronto on June 27

Both the leaders are meeting for the second time in two months. In an earlier meeting in

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London, the US president had said Singh has been doing a wonderful job in guiding India

along the path of extraordinary economic growth. "That is a marvel, I think," he had said. On his part, Singh told Obama that he was a role model to millions and millions of people all over the world. "Your life history is a history which inspires millions of people everywhere where there are people who have risen by the sheer depth of their austerity, of their hard work, and their commitment to the values on which you have worked and you've stood for," he said.

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European Union Agency takes note after a Hindu Forum representation Nevada(USA): The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has “taken note” of Hindus’ concern about equality of religions in Malta. In a response to the communiqué of Bhavna Shinde of Forum for Hindu Awakening, FRA wrote: Thank you very much for drawing our attention to the Maltese Criminal Code, which you report as making one liable to imprisonment up to 6 months for publicly vilifying "Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion", while committing such an act against "any cult tolerated by law" makes one liable to imprisonment only up to 3 months. The Fundamental Rights Agency does investigate issues such as the ones you mentioned, as part of our data collection. We have taken note of your concern and, if applicable, we will report in next year's annual report. On this issue, Hindus recently approached various bodies of European Union (EU), Council of Europe, European Parliament; European and Malta Ombudsman; Malta President and other government offices; and even Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta urging them to “ensure that Malta treats all religions and denominations equally in front of the law”. Meanwhile, in the recent past, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA, in a statement on this issue, said that it seemed to imply that except Roman Catholic, other religions and denominations including Hinduism and Judaism were just one of the cults in the eyes of Malta. Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich, argued that it was perturbing to note that a country of Europe, which prided itself for its human rights initiatives, apparently treated crimes against religious sentiment of “other” religions/denominations as less serious than against majority religion and described religions/denominations other than majority religion as cults. Maltese islands were first settled reportedly in 5,200 BCE. Few European countries have such concentrated architecture, history, and beaches in so small an area as Malta. An advisory body of the EU, Vienna (Austria) based FRA focuses on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU and its 27 Member States (which includes Malta). Morten Kjaerum (Denmark) is the Director while Ilze Brands Kehris (Latvia) is Executive Board Chairperson.

2 Pakistanis held in Zimbabwe for terror acts

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Harare: Zimbabwe police say they have contacted Pakistan's security agencies for information on two men arrested in the southern African nation and who are suspected of links to November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India. Zimbabwean state media, citing unnamed sources, reported that Imran Muhammad, 33, was wanted in Pakistan for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. The second man was identified as Chaudry Parvez Ahmed.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Not bound to follow US laws on Iran, says Gilani Islamabad: Pakistan’s prime minister backtracked last week from a statement that Islamabad would abide by US sanctions on Iran that could affect a $7.6 billion Pakistani-Iranian gas pipeline project. Gilani said Pakistan would respect US sanctions that are expected to be put into law shortly, part of Washington’s

opposition to an Iranian nuclear programme it suspects is being used for weapons. Gilani said, however, he wanted to clarify and “get it right”. “As far as the US is concerned, we’re not bound to follow it,” he said while speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad. “If these are UN (sanctions) then according to international laws, we’ll consider them.”

LeT, ISI inseparable terror allies, says Headley In focuS

Islamabad/New Delhi: In a chilling disclosure with serious ramifications for India, Pakistan and the international community, 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley has told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India that Lashkar-e-Taiba and ISI were virtually inseparable as far as the pan-Islamic terror agenda was concerned. Based on an NIA dossier containing details of Headley’s disclosures establishing a virtual closing of ranks between LeT and ISI in chalking out a pan-Islamic terror plan implemented in various countries, India’s home minister P Chidambaram drove home his point for stringent measures against terror groups that still

David Coleman Headley

operate with impunity from Pakistani soil. This warning emanating from the NIA dossier clearly pointed towards a perception that LeT and ISI were acting independent of the government posing a threat to the fabric of governance in Pakistan. Headley, after two days of persuasion, gave a go-by to his right to silence under

US law and detailed every meeting he had with his LeT handlers, including Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Mir, and ISI officials at Muzzaffarabad and Lahore prior to 26/11 attacks. Headley, sources said, told the NIA team comprising officials - Loknath Behera, Swayamprakash Pani and Sajid Shapoo and special prosecutor Dayan Krishnan that his reconnaissance missions and its results were closely and jointly monitored by the LeT and ISI before giving him fresh instructions. The 11th dossier, which India handed over to Pakistan on June 18, contained every single narrative of Headley who spoke for 7 to 8 hours everyday continuously for 8 days.

The only time the questioning was stopped was for lunch and tea breaks as also loo breaks. Sources said Headley agreed to answer every question from the NIA once he was assured that there was no magistrate in the team, for his lawyers feared that presence of a magistrate could make his statements akin to a confession recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code making it admissible evidence before Indian courts. Headley broke into Hindi several times while answering questions taking by surprise the three US federal attorneys, two lawyers of Headley and the five sleuths from FBI who were present.

India, Pakistan agree to share intelligence report Islamabad: On a two-day visit to Pakistan to attend the SAARC summit, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram held crucial meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi here. Coming out of denial, Pakistan said on Saturday that it would act against the Taliban and terror groups based in its Punjab province. In an interview, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that his meeting with Chidambaram was positive. He said that both sides have agreed to the meeting

ples of those who India accuses of perpetrating the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. "If there is a special request, we will consider it," Qureshi said. He also added that the atmosphere has been Rehman Malik (L) chats with completely Chidambaram in Islamabad on June 26 changed for the between the Intelligence India-Pakistan ties. chiefs of the two countries Meanwhile, the trial of and that it was a positive seven suspects accused of development. involvement in the Other than that, Mumbai terror attacks, Qureshi also said that including Lashker-e-Taiba Pakistan has no problem commander Zakiur handing over voice samRehman Lakhvi, has been

adjourned for a week. The next hearing is scheduled for July 3 now. Reports say this has been done apparently due to concerns that any adverse developments in the proceedings could impact ongoing talks with India. The official explanation though is that Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan is on leave. Chidambaram got a gracious welcome from the hosts, but that didn't stop him from talking tough on terror and demanding immediate action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Terror must not derail talks: India, Pakistan Islamabad/New Delhi: India and Pakistan last week agreed that dialogue was "the best way forward" and should not be allowed to be derailed by "terrorist elements". "We must deny terrorist elements any opportunity to derail prospects to improve the relationship," India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said after holding delegation level talks with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Islamabad. "We believe that dialogue is the best way forward," Rao said at a packed press conference. She clearly indicated

that the talks were the harbinger of closer dialogue between India and Pakistan in the coming months. "During our discussions, we have accepted the modalities for restoring trust and confidence for comprehensive sustained and meaningful dialogue," added Rao. However, she demurred from statNirupama Rao (L) and Salman ing that this was a Bashir in Islamabad on June 24 resumption of the 2008. Comprehensive Dialogue, "You must focus that which India had suspenddialogue is the best option ed after the Mumbai terror for deepening relationattacks in November

ship. It is not an issue of nomenclature," said Rao. At the same time, India's "core concern about terrorism (was) also articulated" at the discussion and Pakistan reminded about Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani's commitment that its soil will not be used against India. "We believe that is an important commitment," said Rao. She was referring to the "commitment" made at the meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gilani in Thimpu on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in April this year.

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5 Americans convicted for terrorism Islamabad: A Pakistani court last week sentenced five Americans to 10 years each in prison on terrorism charges, a state attorney said. All five men, ages 19 to 25, were arrested in December in Sargodha, a town in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, days after they had arrived from the eastern US state of Virginia. 'The court found them guilty of plotting terrorist attacks, and each one of them has been given a sentence of 10 years,' state attorney Nadeem Akram Cheema said. Cheema said all the defendants were also convicted of treason and sentenced to five years each on that charge as well as being ordered to pay a 70,000-rupee ($800) fine. It was not immediately clear whether the two sentences would be served concurrently or consecutively. The verdict was announced by an anti-terrorism court in Sargodha. Two of the five Americans accused are of Pakistani origin, and the three others are of Egyptian, Yemeni and Eritrean descent.

Pakistan 10th most failed state in the world Washington: Just three places below Afghanistan, Pakistan has been ranked the 10th most failed state in the 2010 according to Failed State Index released by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine last week. The list is topped by Somalia, followed by Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Chad. India is ranked 87 in a list of 177 countries. In India's immediate neighbourhood, Burma has been placed at 13, Sri Lanka (22) and Nepal 25. China is ranked at 57th place. Norway is ranked at the bottom of the list. "Shattered Somalia has been the No.1 failed state for three years running, and none of the current top 10 has shown much improvement, if any, since Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace began publishing the index in 2005," it said.

PAF chief says no restriction on use of F-16s Islamabad: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman has said that the PAF would utilise all its assets, including the newly inducted F-16 fighter aircraft, against all 'external and internal' threats. "Our mission is to maintain peace with honour in the region but should this primary effort of maintaining peace fails, the PAF will employ all its assets, including these aircraft, to defend the country against external and internal security threats," Suleman said while speaking during the induction ceremony of the first three of the 18 F-16 C/D Block 52 aircrafts that the US would be providing to Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that Washington had put up stiff conditions on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, stipulating that they cannot be used against India in any future conflict.

Court orders ban on Google, MSN, Yahoo Islamabad: A Pakistani court has reportedly ordered a ban on nine leading websites, including Google and Hotmail, for allegedly posting blasphemous material though officials said they had not received any instruction to block the sites. Media reports said the Bahawalpur bench of the Lahore high court last week directed the Pakistan telecommunication authority to immediately block nine websites, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, YouTube, Bing and Amazon, for publishing and promoting sacrilegious and blasphemous material. Justice Mazher Iqbal Sidhu issued the order while hearing a petition filed by a man named Muhammad Sidiq who claimed these websites were publishing sacrilegious material. The judge also ordered the PTA chairman to appear in court with relevant materials. Sidiq, in his petition, sought a ban on the websites for publishing blasphemous materials and twisting facts about the Quran.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

This week on CB Live, CB speaks to Sheela Bhatt, the editor of India's biggest and oldest website Rediff.com. She writes on diplomacy, politics, terrorism, current affairs and has also been pens weekly commentary in New York-based India Abroad. She is joined by well-known Gujarati comedian Jitubhai Dwarkawala. If you do not have a tv, go to www.tvunetworks.com and watch CB Live on TVU Player Channel 75203

Sneh Joshi - 020 8518 5500

To ask questions please call on: 020 8963 1001

For more information e-mail: cblive_matv@yahoo.co.uk

Don't miss !!!

Only on CB Live - MATV Sky 793 - Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Our Guest- Sheela Bhatt Women rights leader visits UK

Sheela Bhatt, editor of India's biggest and oldest website www.rediff.com is currently based in New Delhi. She writes on diplomacy, politics, terrorism and current affairs. She, also, regularly writes on internal dynamics of Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party. Since last seven years she writes weekly commentary in New York-based India Abroad on variety of subjects including India's relations with America, China and Pakistan. She covers Indian parlament regularly. Currently, her job requires her to manage stories and columns for rediff.com and India Abroad that compels her to keep track of all the current events of South Asia. In last 30 years, she has written extensively on issues related to HinduMuslim relation, crime world in Mumbai, stress of Urban life in India, economic offenses and on Gujarat riots of 2002. She started her career in Gujarati journalism. Her first big break came when she successfully

Sheela Bhatt

edited weekly magazine Abhiyaan with help of her writer- husband Kanti Bhatt. She has studied organic farming and has extensively covered issues related to Gujarati immigrants in 80s and 90s. In 1993, she won Chameli Devi Jain award given to Indian women journalists. She has been associated with Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar newsweeklies and Asian Business Publications Limited for nearly 30 years. She is visiting UK for a few days. Contact: Kokilaben Patel 07875 229 177 (M) CB Patel 020 7749 4080 (O) 07799 331 891 (M)

Photographer - Charlie Carter

British Asian Theatre Group wins award

Sudha Bhuchar

British Asian theatre producers Tamasha have won the prestigious First Women Awards. Co-founders and directors Sudha Bhuchar and Kristine Landon-Smith won in the Tourism and Leisure category. For 21 years, they have brought contemporary work of Asian influence on stage promoting British Asian talent.

Coming Events l The Attorney General, the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP, will host a dinner at Member's Dining Room, the House of Commons to raise awareness and funds for the Heart and Stroke Research Campaign.On Friday, 9th July 2010 at 7 pm. Contact Jayshree Shah 0208 869 3284. l Meditation Retreat conducted by Anandmurti Gurumaa involving yoga, meditation, japa and other activities. Residential retreat- Boarding and Lodging included. July 16-21 at Oldwinsford Hospital School, Heath Lane, Stourbridge, DY8 1QX Contact AK Basra 07977 201 226. l A Gujarati and Rajasthani-themed evening organised by International Siddhashram Shakti Centre brings music and dance performances. Venue is transformed into traditional village settings. Dinner is served. On July 9 and 10 at Harrow Leisure Centre (Byron Hall), Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD. For tickets, contact S Champaneri 020 8426 0678.

Asian Voice Main Office Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080, Fax: 020 7749 4081 www.abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

Asian Voice switchboard: 020 7749 4000 Gujarat Samachar switchboard: 020 7749 4080

The Chairman of Gujarat State Social Welfare and former MP Bhavnaben Kardam Dave is currently visiting UK. She was the first woman mayor of Ahmedabad. With a political career spanning last 22 years with the Bharatiya Janta Party, she was the head of Gujarat Mahila Morcha. She currently runs an Shakti Mahila Sanstha. Contact: Dr Harendra Shukla, Llanelli, Wales 01554 770 128

Bhavnaben K. Dave

Indian Minister visits UK June 28 and 29 witnessed successful conferences on ‘India's Growth Outlook and the Business Opportunity’ at London School of Economics and 'UK India Trade and Investments' at the Nash Room at Institute of Directors. These were organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The events were a success especially in light of revived importance that UK – India relations are gaining in the new government's regime. The keynote address at the London School of Economics was given by

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. The power of destiny is very much in your own hand and any major decision you make will have a profound effect on your future.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life in a more fulfilling direction. Saturn in Virgo, the sign of efficiency, will help you organize your priorities and systematically put them into practice. People entering your life now will encourage you to move beyond your established boundaries of safety. GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Your social graces will serve you well careerwise. Mixing business with pleasure will bring you benefits. You will achieve a lot by being responsible and diplomatic. Ego confrontations with family members are possible now, to handle this do your best to strengthen your relationship with your family and your home base.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 The need to push ahead with personal interests and to assert yourself with added force will take precedence over everything else for some time to come. Mentally you will be in top form, perhaps feeling quite passionate about expressing your ideas and views. It is certainly a good time to get involved in lively debate. LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Creativity, romance and leisure all receive a tonic. A far more personally enlivening period when you should set out to show the world just who you are. The 'I want' factor seems pretty strong; do avoid making hasty purchases and expensive investments. Assertive and 'ego' powers are pretty powerful too. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 You’re likely to be doing a lot of thinking about both new and existing partnerships, and maybe toing and froing in one relationship in particular. Home and family duties and responsibilities may weigh heavy on you. In effect, you’re building a new foundation, so the work you put in now will pay off in the future.

Anand Sharma

Hon. Anand Sharma, the Minister for Commerce and Industry, India. Next week, Asian Voice will be featuring a detailed article on the proceedings of the two days.

Win! My Name is Khan DVDs! Five DVDs of the blockbuster film My Name is Khan are up for grabs. Simply answer the question below. What is Kajol's name in the movie? a) Anjali b) Mandira c) Nysa Send in your answers by email to aveditorial@abplgroup.com clearly marking 'My Name is Khan contest' on the subject line, or by post at Asian Voice, Asian Business Publications Ltd, Karma Yoga House, 12, Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street), London N1 6HW. Winners will be announced in next issue. Deadline Monday 5 July 2010.

D Win DV

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Jupiter, the planet of abundance, is transiting your partnership sector. You have plenty of romantic options. At work you will experience a relaxed atmosphere and this will help you to get on with everyone around you. The focus is on finances this week, find new and improved ways to boost your earning potential. SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 The Sun illuminates your ninth house. After a period of “nesting”, you are coming out of your shell, ready to express yourself creatively. You are feeling inspired and romantically you express your feelings quite openly now. You instinctively know how to place yourself in the best light in order to make a good impression on others. SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You often suppress your emotions and this can manifest as irrational moods that others find hard to understand. Strengthen close ties of affection, sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to anyone who may have caused you pain in recent months. At home, try not to upset anyone around you. CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 Domestic and family matters are very much to the fore indicating increased harmony and feeling of contentment in your home life. At a more practical level, property matters are under a highly encouraging trend, making this one of the best times for pushing ahead with buying, selling or renovating your property. AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Fortune smiles on the romantically inclined with Venus transiting your relationship sign. You are likely to experience a highly satisfying phase in respect of amorous desires but you may even find yourself in the flattering position of having more than one admirer. For those who are single, do something positive now. PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You will experience some tension in close relationships - take careful stock of things, especially your own attitude. Developments during this week are likely to make you feel rather restless, perhaps because you have allowed yourself to fall into a routine that is now becoming jaded.

time

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

C R O s s W O R D - 94 1

20 23

Across 1 6 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23

Time for a shower? Some NCOs Small town Spyri heroine Debatable Jacob’s twin Eve of ‘Grease’ Spicy stew Stark naked Start of a quip Money-managing exec.

26 27 28 32 33 34 38 39 40 41 42

Final: abbr. Tyrant Part 2 of quip Bologna neighbour Mischievous kid Upholstery nail “Common Sense” writer Part 3 of quip Shepherdess in Virgil’s “Eclogues” Editorial notation B’way theater sign

sCRAMBLE - 58

Rearrange the letters in the four word jumbles, one letter to each square/circle, to make four ordinary words VEERs

How to play

Now arrange the letters in the circles to form the answer to the riddle or to fill in the missing word as indicated

AFsIT ADssNT EILsPV

To rule one’s anger is well; to _____ ___ is still better. (7, 2)

solution of scramble - 57

21 22 23 24 25 29 30 31 34 35 36 37 39 40

43 Burr and Spelling 44 Part 4 of quip 46 Entertainer 50 Dissemblance 51 Morgue letters 52 End of quip 56 Earthenware pot 57 Sea eagles 58 Lawn cutter 62 Gas of elec. 63 Small monkey 64 Type of alcohol 65 Dieter’s word 66 External layer 67 Pumps, e.g. Down 1 Exclamation of truimph 2 A pop 3 Disencumber 4 Novel thouoght 5 Pasta choice 6 Make even 7 Fort Knox fill 8 Labor 9 Rose 10 Elaine of ‘Seinfeld’ 11 Stage a coup 12 Marconi’s medium 13 Invitee

42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 53 54 55 59 60 61

Gymnast Korbut Harden Bivouacs Parade entry Classic tune Monthly payment Second cosmonaut Oceannography deg. School period Spoken ___ de Mayo Buckwheat groats NYC subway line Mornings and afternoons Frozen desserts St. Louis sight Keanu in “The Matrix” Orders out Run ___ of the law More than one: pref. Dark Like old bread Bruhn of ballet Nonconformist Fluttery flyer Personal question? Check out “Kidnapped” auth.

Solution of Crossword-93 P

S O

U M

Words: Eerie, rolls, cohere, sparks.

sPELLATHON -94 A s L

Y C

I U

How many words of four or more letters can you make from the letters shown in today’s puzzle? In making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each word must contain the central letter. There should be at least one seven-letter word. Plurals, foreign words and proper names are not allowed. British English Dictionary is used as reference.

solution of spellathon - 93 : aloof, ALLOFLY, fall, flay, foal, folly, fool, loaf 20

LOOP THE LOOP - 58

MINDBENDER - 94 I don’t have eyes, But once I did see. Once I had thoughts, But now I’m white and empty. What am i? solution of 93 : 230 revolutions

Find the familiar phrase, saying or name in this arrangement of letters.

Today’s Ratings: 04-average | 05-good | 06-outstanding

Sollution-93: Upset the balance of nature

sudoku-94 1

Example

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, the 2 boxes below 12 must contain 2 digits that add upto 12, whereas for 20, the 3 boxes places horizontally next to it must add upto 20. No zeroes are used here, only the digits one through nine.

solution of KAKURO - 93

KAKURO - 94

Rules Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal lines, creating a single loop. (Fig A). Crossovers or branches are not allowed 3 2 3 3 3 (As shown by dotted lines in Fig B). 3 0 Numbers in the puzzle indicate the 2 2 number of lines that should 2 1 2 2 surround it, while empty cells may 1 2 be surrounded by any number of 3 3 2 1 lines. You can’t draw lines arround 1 2 3 zeroes. Each puzzle has just one unique solution. How to begin: Example (Fig A) - Begin with the zero next to 3. Since no lines can be drawn around zero, mark crosses around it, as shown. Now there is a cross in one space around 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three spaces. Next these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, using the same Solution of LTL No. 57 logic. x x x Hints: Keep elim3 3 3 3 3 inating possibilix x x x ties by marking x x 1 x x 1 x x 2 crosses in x spaces between x x 2 x x x 3 3 x dots where a line x x isn’t possible, x 1 x x 2 x i.e., if you have x x x x x already completx x ed required lines 1 x 3 2 3 x x x x or where a line x extension may 1 x 0 x2 x 2 x x x x x create a branch or cause a dead2 3 3 3 3 x x x end (Fig B)

WHATZIT? - 94

Answer: If winning isn’t everything why do they keep score?

pass

7 8

solution of sudoku-93 HOW TO PLAY Each row, column and square 3x3 box is a subgrid of 9 cells. Fill in the grid so that each sub-grid contains the digits 1 to 9. Every puzzle has one solution. Note:

A digit cannot appear more than once in any particular digit combination. For instance in the example, we cannot have the combination of 8+4+8 for 20.

www.abplgroup.com

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Any que stio

De-addiction treatment

Getting addicted is easier than getting deaddicted. But one need not loose heart, Treatment depends on how serious and long-standing the addiction is. For milder addictions, such as a recent smoking habit, the person may simply be able to stop. But if a chronic alcoholic suddenly stops drinking, it creates alcohol withdrawal syndrome that is difficult to deal with. Cleansing To effectively handle the problem of addiction, it is important to do panchakarma, an effective Ayurvedic cleansing and detox program. There are herbal products like Triphala capsules or Vara Churna, Aloe vera Juice, Yakrit Plihantak Churna which are useful for cleansing and preventing liver damage due to alcohol. Yakrit Plihantak Churna Yakrit Plihantak Churna is a herbal mixture of rare herbs to improve liver function and remove toxins from within the body. It is one of the best detox remedies. It is useful even in many complicated diseases of liver, like liver cirrhosis. It is also useful in many skin problems as all the skin problems are related to liver disorder. Skin problems like Acne, eczema, Psoriasis, etc. respond very well to this formulation. Other herbal formulations like Kumari Saar, Kaishore Guggul, Neem capsules can be used along with this to get immediate results. It helps the liver in clearing away the toxins. It regenerates the liver cells and prevents liver failure. It is useful in liver cirrhosis, jaundice, liver damage due to alcohol, toxins and infection.

Here are how different herbs in Yakrit Plihantak Churna helps to restore liver function. The herb Katuki increases the bile production whereas Makoye, Bhringraj and Kalmegh improve liver function. Punarnava and Bhumi amla regenerate liver cells and are useful in liver enlargement and inflammation. Giloy is immunomodulator and corrects liver metabolism. The combination of herbs is a wonderful remedy for all liver problems and 'pitta' disorders.

aged liver. Use along with Yakrit Plihantak Churna as suggested above. The same applies to tobacco. For a person who is addicted to nicotine, remove one third to one-half of the tobacco from each cigarette (at the end you light), and fill the paper with a mixture of rose petals, brahmi, and jatamamsi (equal proportions). Smoke it until the tobacco starts burning. The mo¬ment the tobacco starts, put out the cigarette and discard it.

Dose Reduction

Nasal Medicine: Doing nasya with brahmi ghee will also reduce the toxicity of nicotine.

Along with this cleansing program, slowly decrease the dose of addictive substance. According to Ayurveda unless some strong medications are available to deal with withdrawal, it is not good to completely stop using the addictive sub stance all at once, or a stressful withdraw~ syndrome will probably occur. With nicotine toxicity (which affect the lungs and cardiovascular system) and alcohol toxicity which affects the liver we have to strengthen the affected organs. For alcohol toxicity, use this formula: Take 1/2 teaspoon of these herbs, with tablespoons of Aloe vera Juice (Kumari Saar), 3 limes a day. Ayurveda suggests a bitter wine made of Aloe vera juice. In place of hard liquor or other alcoholic drinks, the person who is addicted to alcohol can take small amounts of this light, dry wine. Try 4 teaspoons diluted with an equal amount of water. Then gradually reduce the amount of herbal wine in the dose, while at the same time using the above herbal formula to strengthen the dam-

Exercise: Most of the time, whenever there is the desire to drink or to smoke, the per¬son should go out for a walk in the fresh air, or do some other exercise, or go for a swim. Appetite Stimulation: Some people drink because they have a low appetite. Unless they have a drink, they never feel hungry. In such cases, instead of alcohol, they can have some ginger tea to stimulate their appetite (see also "Appetite, Low"). Or try this recipe for a tea to stimulate agni, the digestive fire: Yoga Asanas Some yoga exercises will also be beneficial. Sun Salutations Should be included, and some Alternate Nostril breathing. So Hum Meditation will also be helpful. These all are the natural ways to combat addiction, drug addiction natural treatment, Remedies for Addiction, Drug Addiction Alternative Remedies.

Life style

ns wri te to mam ta@abplgroup.com

By Mamta Bhatia, Psychologist

Stop being harsh and Start to love who you are (Part 2) The next few weeks’ articles are going to focus on how you can change your attitude towards yourself so that you can start to embrace life and who you are. When you realise you have more control then you think you can become proactive and self directed rather then negative and down on yourself. What you must understand is that if you are consumed, self deprecating and reactive, you limit your growth and any potential whatsoever for a brighter, happier life. Take note of the points below so that you can get into the driving seat of your life and start to very quickly love and accept who you are. Firstly, Let go of worrying as it often makes things worse, The more you think about something bad and negative the more likely it is to happen. When you constantly meditate on unconstructive thoughts you send out these vibrations and energy. Remember like attracts like and you naturally invite trouble into your life if you dwell on the negative’s. Also, stop confirming the unknown truth to yourself and others. Often individuals feel as though they can predict the ‘worse to come’ and share this with those near and dear. Remember there is no such thing as ‘truth’ it is purely subjec-

tive perception. When you worry ask yourself if your thoughts are unhelpful or helpful, then decide whether you want to encourage this sort of thinking of stop it immediately. You have the control to do this, it is a choice that you can make. Secondly, take note of your inner critic. Judging yourself and putting yourself down is pointless. Judging others is half-witted. Whatever you achieve, someone else will always do better. However bad you are, others are worse. Since you can tell neither what’s best nor what’s worst, how can you place yourself correctly between them? Judging others is foolish since you cannot know all the facts, cannot create a reliable or objective scale, have no means of knowing whether your criteria match anyone else’s, and cannot have more than a limited and extremely partial view of the other person. You must ask yourself if people care about your opinion anyway, or is it better to no speak if you haven’t got anything good to say. Lastly, give up on feeling guilty. Guilt changes nothing. It may make you feel like you’re accepting responsibility, but it can’t produce anything new in your life. If you feel guilty about

something you’ve done, either do something to put it right or accept that you made a mess of things and try not to do so again. Always reflect on your day and learn how you would avoid such behaviours in the future, then let it go. If you absorb someone else’s grief ask yourself if you want to create conditions of high stress and anxiety in your body. If the answer is no, let go of feeling guilty and start being proactive and positive about how you can grow to be stronger and better. Ultimately, you should respect yourself and your feelings. Remember that all is within your control however at times you may benefit from sound advice and direction. Think Spa is running another seminar on Saturday the 31st July in London. Spaces are limited as workshops are always intimate. To get an early bird discount and secure your place please contact mamta@thinkspalondon.com today. Remember if you do as you have always done, you will get what you have always got! There is always a positive way forward and you are the only one that can help yourself to change your life and circumstances for the better. I send you energy and peace.

Hot Mango Chutney Ingredients • 3 large sweet mangoes, slightly ripened • 1 tsp lemon rind, minced finely • 1 tsp lemon juice • 10 green chillies • 1/2" piece ginger, minced finely • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 1/2 tsp saunf (fennel) seeds • 1 tsp coriander seeds • 1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds • 1 tsp mustard seeds • A pinch of hing (asoefetida) • Salt to taste • 6 tsp cooking oil Method • Peel the mango and

cut it into small chunks. • Heat about 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry the chunks till they turn mushy. • Drain, mash well and set aside. • Roast the methi, saunf, cumin and corianderseeds and crush coarsely using a mortar and pestle. • This is how powders are traditionally made. • But if you are of the impatient kind, go ahead and use the coffee grinder but make sure that the powder is a little coarse. • Set aside. • Heat the remaining oil and add the hing and mustard. • When the mustard crackles, add the ginger and green chillies and fry for about 1-2 minutes. • Add the mango, powdered masala, salt to

• • • •

•

taste, lime rinds and lime juice. Bring to a boil on a low flame. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. If boiled and cooled well, since no water is used in making this dish, it should keep well for more than a week. Store it in airtight containers in the fridge.

Sport world

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Saina defends Indonesia Open title Rises to world no. 3 before the hat trick feat

Continuing her winning streak, Saina Nehwal celebrated her rise in world ranking with a third straight title in as many weeks, as she defended her Indonesia Open Super Series title on Sunday at Jakarta, beating Japan’s Sayaka Sato 21-19, 13-21, 21-11. The encounter lasted 45 minutes. Saina has also

Yuvi back for Sri Lanka test series

Yuvraj Singh, who was dropped for the recently concluded Asia Cup, has been recalled to India's squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka starting July 18. For Suresh Raina, it is for the first time that he has made it to the team on his performance. As expected, the selectors went back to Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth to partner Zaheer Khan in the pace department, while Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha were picked up to accompany Harbhajan Singh in the spin attack. Wriddhiman Saha too has made it as the second wicket keeper in the 16 member team. As expected, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman too have kept their place. Suresh Raina deserved a chance, and he has earned it. Team: MS Dhoni (wk & capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (vice-capt.), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Murali Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Wriddhiman Saha (wk).

Saina Nehwal waves with her gold medal at Jakarta

remained unbeaten for the past three weeks. She was the top seed for the tournament. Her unseeded rival gave her a tough fight. The victorious Indian, jubilant with her conquest, let out a huge scream as she also added $18,750 to her riches. Earlier, last week she took the Singapore title

and the Indian Open Grand Prix a week before. She scaled up her world rankings last week, as she jumped to World no. 3, a rise of three places. Indian trio of Chetan Anand, P Kashyap and Arvind Bhatt moved up a rung to the 16th, 27th and 28th spots in the men’s rankings.

India rout Sri Lanka, clinch Asia Cup India ended the drought of titles last week, as they reversed the poor show of Tuesday to beat Sri Lanka when it mattered the most. On Thursday, the hosts and defending champions were beaten comprehensively by 81 runs in the finals of the Asia Cup Cricket. The unpredictable, most of the times unimpressive Indian pace attack came good at Dambulla. All the three – Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra bowled to a target, extracted bounce and movement and picked up wickets, as even a modest, gettable target of 269 runs was made tough for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka perhaps gave away about 30 runs more in their attempt to try and attack more vigourously. India also could have added almost the same amount of runs more than the 268 they scored, had Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni not thrown away their wickets.

Ashish Nehra leads the victorius Indian team off after they clinched the Asia Cup at Dambulla

But that part over, the Indian seamers made their presence felt and had the home team on the back foot almost throughout their innings. Ashish Nehra proved to be the most unplayable of the lot, as he picked up four wickets. It all started with Praveen Kumer, as he accounted for the formidable Tillakaratne Dilshan in the first over itself. Upul Tharanga made a wrong decision to leave alone a Zaheer Khan delivery that swung in and struck the off stump. Before they reached 50

on the board, Sri Lanka had lost the third wicket. The first half of the match was more even, almost in the entire innings. After Gautam Gambhir wasted a decent start and two lives behind the wicket with a lazy runout, Karthik wrested the initiative. Sangakkara surprisingly chose his lucky parttimers over peppering Suresh Raina and Rohit with bouncers. {Brief scores: India 268 for 6 (Karthik 66) beat SL 187 (Kapugedera 55*, Nehra 4-40) by 81 runs}.

IAF honorary post for Sachin Tendlukar The present day little master of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is all set to add another feather to his crown of glory. Indian Air Force (IAF) is keen to confer an honorary post of Group Captain on the cricketing genius. An IAF official said last week, “IAF has proposed to honour Sachin Tendulkar by granting him the honorary rank of Group Captain. We have sent the proposal to the Defence Ministry and it is under consideration at the ministry level. In his comments on the proposal, Sachin said, “It is indeed a great hon-

our that I have been considered for group captain of Indian Air Force, I am very proud to be associated with very dynamic force and shall do my very best to be brand ambassador of India Air Force. I once again salute the IFA for this great honour owed to me.” Earlier, in 2008, India's World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev had received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Army. Tendulkar is arguably the best batsman in the history of cricket, having amassed some 31,000-plus

runs in Test and ODI cricket with a staggering 93 international centuries under his belt. The 37-year-old is hailed as perhaps the most complete batsman in the history of the game with no real chink in armour. One of India's most decorated sportspersons, Tendulkar has won the country's highest sports honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- and the Padma Vibhushan award. The IAF had earlier conferred the honorary rank of air commodore on industrialist and aviation enthusiast Vijaypat Singhania.

Longest ever tennis match record at Wimbledon John Isner of US is the winner of the 11.05 hour marathon Wimbledon last week stood witness to the longest ever tennis match, as American John Isner and Nicolas Mahut got their names itched on the record with an 11.05 hour marathon encounter in the first round of men’s singles. The game started on Tuesday and ended on Thursday, as Isner beat Mahut 70 – 68 in the his-

Nicolas Mahut of France reacts during his match against America’s John Isner at Wimbledon last week

toric final set. The two embraced at the net after the marathon match finally ended. The All England Club gave both the players and the match umpire a special memento to mark the occasion. They posed for a photograph by the scoreboard alongside

the umpire. They started on Tuesday and completed the first four sets before bad light stopped play for the first time around. The previous longest match ever played was at the French Open in 2004. It clocked 06.33 hours. Tennis legend John McEnroe was among those in the crowd.

Sharad Pawar is the new ICC President Sharad Pawar, the former chief of Indian cricket board takes over as the President of the International Cricket Conference, the apex body governing the game this week. After Jagmohan Dalmiya, he is the second person from India to ascend to the top post of the now Dubai based body. The ICC annual conference is Sharad Pawar being held in Singapore. While David Morgan is stepping down as his term is over, John Howard, former Australian Prime Minister is likely to become the next Vice President of ICC, the post that Sharad Pawar will vacate. It has been customary at ICC that vice president later goes on to take over as President. There is however some problem with the nomination of John Howard, as South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are against the former Australian premier, while Sharad Pawar, the newly crowned President is trying to play down the row over Howard. He has expressed confidence that ICC would be able to get over the row and resolve the issue amicably.

Ross Taylor to lead NZ in Lanka tri-series Vettori, McCullum rested for the August encounters New Zealand have named a 15 man team for the tri-series to be played in Sri Lanka. Captain Daniel Vettori and B r e n d o n McCullum have been rested, as both had also asked for leave Ross Taylor for having a new addition to their family. Ross Taylor has been named to lead the team that will have Kane Williamson as the new face. He was the skipper of New Zealand team in the U-19 World Cup in 2008, played in Malaysia. Kylie Mills has been selected as Taylor’s deputy. Mark Greatbatch, the chairman of selectors, said the tour would be an opportunity for Taylor to sharpen his leadership skills in Vettori's absence. Returning to the squad after injury lay-offs are allrounder Grant Elliott and batsman Jesse Ryder. The tri-series is scheduled between August 10 and 28. The same teams contested a tri-series in Sri Lanka last year but New Zealand failed to make the final. Team: Ross Taylor (capt), Kyle Mills (vice-capt), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

West Indies draw 2nd test with South Africa After a high scoring game for four days at St Kitts, the result was a foregone conclusion. It was after a long time that West Indies outplayed and outscored against a formidable rival in a test match. Responding to a mamooth 543 for 6 declared by South Africa, the home team went on to score 546 runs. Despite the result, or the lack of it, West Indies had more to gain. Their batting was a shambles in Trinidad and perhaps a flat wicket in St Kitts was the best thing for them to get their confidence back. In overhauling South Africa's 543, they gained a moral victory. {Brief scores: 2nd Test - SA 543 for 6 dec (Smith 132, de Villiers 135*, Kallis 110) and 235 for 3 (Kallis 62*, Smith 46) drew with WI 546 (Chanderpaul 166, Nash 114, Morkel 4-116). 1st Test - SA 352 and 206 for 4 dec (Smith 90, Benn 3-74) beat WI 102 and 293 (Gayle 73, Steyn 3-65) by 163 runs}.

Asian Voice - Saturday 3rd July 2010

Police guards for ‘blunder referees’ in the England Germany match Fans and even players were upset, enraged as Jorge Larrionda’s assistant Mauricio Espinosa disallowed a goal for England on Sunday in their match against Germany. England finally lost the match, but before that, the two officials were even booed as they left the ground at the half time break. Later, South African Police said were under Police guard to ensure no untoward incident happens to the officials. Fans have even voiced that like Cricket and Tennis, FIFA should allow use of technology to help referees. South African Police has said match referee Jorge Larrionda and his assistant Mauricio Espinosa are under police guard to avoid any untoward incident. Police officers would ensure that no member of the public could get close to the two referees. The officials will be protected by a team of elite close protection officers.

A defeated England back home Cameron too asks for use of technology The World Cup 2010 had perhaps the most of controversial referring, leading to FIFA chief make a climb down and agree to consider use of TV replays to try and eliminate referee errors on Tuesday. This was after British Prime Minister David Cameron also joined the chorus of fans demanding use of goalline technology as England were denied a goal scored by Frank Lampard. Had that goal been allowed, the result could have been different. Cameron took off time from the G20 meeting on Sunday and watched the match in Toronto. England were one of the teams that suffered as one of the goals scored by them against Germany was disallowed by referees. Mexico was the other victim, as they too lost to Argentina. So vociferous was the demand for FIFA to come of age and use technology like Cricket, Tennis,

Germany's midfielder Thomas Mueller (C) celebrates as he scores Germany's third goal past England's defender Matthew Upson (R) and England's goalkeeper David James (L) at Bloemfontein on Sunday

Hockey that Sepp Blatter, FIFA president was forced to apologise to the two teams and also promise to look again about introducing goalline technology. “It is obvious that after the experiences so far at this World Cup it would be a nonsense not to re-open the file on goalline technology,” Blatter said at a briefing with selected media on Tuesday. England were outplayed by strong opponents Germany to oust one of the

title hopefuls on Sunday. Germany beat England 4 – 1 on Sunday, as the winners set up a quarterfinal clash with Argentina. The two will play on Saturday. Other teams to make it to the last eight (as on Tuesday noon) are Brazil, The Netherlands, Ghana and Uruguay. Two more teams will qualify for the last eight stage from the two matches left for the last 16 stage. They could be Japan or Paraguay and Spain or Portugal.

Queen’s Baton for CWG reaches India Grand welcome at Wagah border with a colourful function A colourful function was held at the Wagah border near Amritsar on Friday last week. It was to mark the arrival of the Queen’s Baton for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi in October. It also coincided with the start of the countdown of 100 days for the CWG. Pakistan Olympic Association president Syed Arif Hassan handed over the baton to Indian counterpart and Commonwealth Games organising committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi, as thousands of people on both sides of the border celebrated the occasion with great fanfare. ‘Friendship through sports' was the theme of the celebration, and the

Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell (2L) hand over the Queen's Baton for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit (C) as Indian Olympics Association President Suresh Kalmadi (L) looks on at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border near Amritsar on June 25

mood on either side was befittingly upbeat, a positive sign for both the countries on the heels of the Foreign Secretary-level talks in Islamabad. Folk artistes from Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh performed to set the mood for

the occasion, while Amritsar's famous Wadali brothers and well-known Pakistani vocalist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan enthralled the audience with their soulful renderings to celebrate the arrival of the Queen's baton to the host country.

“This is a big day for India and Pakistan. This will encourage friendship through sports...It is a turning point for Olympic sports in the country,” Mr. Kalmadi said. A large number of dignitaries were present on the occasion from Punjab, Delhi and the central government too. As Vijender Singh and M C Mary Kom started the joint-relay with the baton, huge crowds cheered them up. The baton will cover 20,000 km during its relay through 28 States and seven Union Territories before reaching Delhi on September 30. The journey will culminate with the baton entering the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, venue of the Games' opening ceremony, on October 3.

England crush OZ in ODI series Three victories in a row seal it 3 – 0 at home Andrew Strauss continued his victory march as England under him sealed the 5 match ODI series against arch rivals Australia with an unbeatable 3 – 0 lead on Sunday at Old Trafford. Having won the first two matches impressively by an identical margin of 4 wickets, England did fumble, but in the end, just scampered home with the a one wicket win. That the cricket team gave England fans something to rejoice on a day when their footballers were thrashed out of the World Cup in South Africa, again by arch rivals Germany became even more sweet. England had the game under their grasp well 41 overs in their innings after Graeme Swann ensured that the off colour Australians did not get a challenging total. Swann captured 4 wickets for 37 runs, as Australia could not even occupy the crease for their full quota of 50 overs. After being put into bat, the visitors

folded up at 212 runs in 46 overs. The opening batsmen were the best pair as they added 75 runs before Swann struck. Chasing 213, England had problems right from the beginning, but at 3 for 185 in the 42nd over, they were comfortably placed to clinch, before the OZ struck. The England collapse was fashioned by Shaun Tait, the OZ comeback man, as he sent back Kevin Pietersen with a sharp catch of his own bowling and later scalped Michael Yardy to rock the England boat. {Brief scores: 3rd ODI - Eng 214 for 9 (Strauss 87, Bollinger 3-20, Tait 328) beat OZ 212 (Watson 61, Swann 4-37, Anderson 3-22) by 1 wicket. 2nd ODI - Eng 243 for 6 (Morgan 52, Strauss 51, Bollinger 3-46) beat OZ 239 for 7 (White 86*, Watson 57, Broad 4-44) by 4 wickets. 1st ODI Eng 268 for 6 (Morgan 103*, Harris 3-42) beat OZ 267 for 7 (Clarke 87*) by 4 wickets}.

Ban overturned, yet Younis not selected for England tour Even though the ban on him was overturned, former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan did not find favour with selectors for Pakistan’s tour to England, where they play Australia and England too. Fast bowler Umar Gul has recovered from his shoulder injury and makes a comeback after missing the ICC World T20 and the Asia Cup. Alongwith Younis, Shoaib Malik too got his ban lifted. Malik was lucky enough to be picked up for the Asia Cup and the England tour. Shoaib Akhtar is only picked up for T20 team. Shahid Afridi, the captain, had said that he didn't think Shoaib was ready for a Test return.

Pakistan will first play Australia in two T20 internationals and two Tests, followed by four Tests, two T20s and five ODIs against England. T20: Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Fawad Alam. Test: Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Zulqarnain Haider, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal.