Av 4th January 2014

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Hindus and Sikhs launch petition against 'Asian' label in grooming cases.

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

See Page 6

Well-worthy Asians top New Year's Honours List.

Women outnumber men.

See Page 13

A glimpse into the much talked-about Asian Achievers Awards.

See Page 15-17

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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4th January to 10th January 2014

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Common man Arvind Kejriwal becomes Delhi Chief Minister

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi's seventh and youngest chief minister ever in an unconventional ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday, marking a paradigm shift in the capital's, and perhaps, India's politics from control to empowerment of the people. AAP formed the government after Congress offered support to Kejriwal.

After his swearing-in ceremony, the action shifted to the Delhi secretariat where he immediately assumed office and called a meeting of his cabinet to execute the first of the many decisions to come.

The AAP-led government stripped its ministers and bureaucrats of beacon-fitted cars, personal security and escort cars. Kejriwal said the decisions on cheaper power and water would be taken next week.

Earlier in the day, right after he took oath, he announced an anti-corruption helpline on which people could register complaints against corrupt officers and bureaucrats of the Delhi government. "If someone asks you for a bribe, please do not say no. But call the helpline

A political shot in the arm for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi came as the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court rejected the protest petition of Zakia Jafri challenging a clean chit given by the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to Gujarat Chief Minister and 59 others in nine major cases pertaining to

Wishing everybody a Happy New Year 2014

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Riots case verdict: A shot in arm for Narendra Modi

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Craig Donaldson

England and lacked confidence in myself. The belief and confidence that others had in me during the early part of my career really opened my eyes to what I could achieve if I believed in myself.

Chief Executive Officer As CEO of Metro Bank, Craig Donaldson is responsible for providing executive leadership to the bank’s rapidly expanding team.

He is chartered with guiding the bank’s evolution from fresh, new entrant in retail banking to trusted financial services partner to millions of UK customers.

From helping define Metro Bank’s brand values, to hiring its inaugural employees and ensuring that the bank’s staff deliver daily customer delight; Craig has been instrumental to Metro Bank from day one.

Craig has more experience in the banking industry than he can remember. His prior roles included Managing Director of retail products at RBS, as well as senior roles with Barclays and HBOS. He has a degree in management and technology from the University of Bradford.

Craig is a keen supporter of Sunderland AFC and is lucky enough to have a young family to enjoy.

1) Please tell me about your current position?

I’m the CEO of Metro Bank, which is the first new high street bank in over 100 years.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

My 3 children: Bryn, 6 years old, Megan, 4 years old, and Metro Bank, 3 and a half years

old.

3) What inspires you?

It’s really important to me that I’m always proud of what I’m doing, and this drives me to always reflect on how things can be improved. I’m a firm believer that things can always be delivered in a better way and my job is to ensure we are

always looking to do that.

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

Myself - I grew up in a pit village in the North East of

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

There are so many amazing things about my current role. Metro Bank is improving banking for thousands of customers and to date it has created jobs and opportunities for more than 1000 peo-

Migrants have to prove eligibility before receiving treatment in A&E

Keith Vaz could become next Speaker of the House of Commons

Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Home Affairs select committee, has surfaced as a surprise prospect for the Speaker position in the House of Commons. MPs confirmed rumours that the Labour MP could be the possible replacement for current Speaker John Bercow, who is due to stand down in the middle of the next Parliament.

If Keith becomes Speaker, he will be the first Asian speaker in Commons history.

Labour MP for Leicester East since 1987 and lawyer, Keith was appointed as a member of the Privy Council in June 2006. He has been named among the most influential Asians in Britain.

It is reported that Keith has been a strong contender for a few months now but he will have to work hard to build support among Tory MPs. In his current position, Keith has tried to remain a fair minded chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Yet despite the rumours, the terms and conditions are that the next Speaker always has to come from the Government benches. This means that Keith can only become Speaker if Labour win the 2015 general election. He also faces Lyndsay Hoyle, a highly regarded Labour MP, who is the current joint deputy speaker.

The Coalition government in a bizarre bid to cut down costs, has proposed that the A&E patients will have to prove that they are not migrants before receiving treatment under plans to charge foreigners to use the National Health Service, a report has claimed.

Hospitals will also be required to identify patients who are not eligible for NHS care and make foreigners pay for advanced medical treatment under new plans by the government to recoup what it calls the half a billion pounds spent by the NHS every year treating patients who are not eligible.

Patients will be asked to provide an NHS number or present their passport when they are admitted or once they have been "stabilized" at A&E. Specific details about the new scheme is expected to be announced in the New Year.

According to the Department of Health “lifesaving treatment” would still be free but all follow-up care would be charged for.

“If you came into A&E

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

My wife, Liz, for her constant support and challenge, and Metro Bank founder and chairman Vernon Hill, for his constant challenge and support.

with a blood clot or heart attack you would be stabilised for free but you would be expected to pay for subsequent care,” a spokeswoman told the Independent.

“If you came in with a broken bone and could communicate you might be asked for payment upfront.

But if, for example, you did not have your wallet you would still be treated and the NHS would try and recoup the cost down the line.”

But the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned that the cost of implementing such a scheme, including the inherent paperwork that that would involve, would end up costing more than the savings.

Under the changes to the NHS charging regime announced by the Government today, GP and nurse consultations will remain free for foreign visitors – but other primary care services such as minor surgery and physiotherapy referred through a GP will be charged for.

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ple. I’m genuinely building something that I am proud of and believe in.

7) And the worst?

This is difficult to answer because even on days when I face challenges in my current role, I know that I’m happier doing what I’m doing now than I ever have been before.

8) What are your long term goals?

To continue building Metro Bank into a household name, known for providing the very best in service and convenience to its customers.

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

I think there should be more emphasis on investment in education in order to drive improvements in core educational standards within the UK. 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

Nelson Mandela because I would love to hear his story, in his words. What an inspiration.

Surgeon Abbas Khan is laid to rest Mourners gathered on Boxing Day to say their last words to loving husband, doting father and son Abbas Khan, pictured, at Regent's Park mosque in London. The family paid moving tributes to their 'star', who died while being held in custody in Syria.

32-years-old Dr Khan was only days away from being released when his family were informed that their son had passed away.

The Syrian regime claimed that it was a suicide yet his family claim he was murdered.

Dr Abbas Khan was an orthopaedic surgeon from London who travelled to Aleppo, Syria, to help victims of hospital bombings.

He was being held in custody in Syria since November last year. He passed away on December 17. His brother Shahnawaz Khan spoke of ‘the evil that has taken him from us so cruelly’ and said the family had been through ‘one of the most difficult times we have ever seen’.

Dr Abbas leaves behind wife Hanna, 30, son Abdullah, six, and daughter, Rurayya, seven.

During the traditional Christmas Day broadcast the Queen reflected on the birth of her greatgrandson Prince George.

She said the arrival of a new baby gave people the chance to think about the future with "renewed hope".

And she had a message for new parents, saying that for them "life will never be the same

again".

The Queen also talked about the 60th anniversary of her coronation, the role of the Commonwealth and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The message, broadcast on both television and radio, was recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace, in the blue drawing room.

Queen speaks about the upcoming Commonwealth games

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

COMMENT

Untying the Indo-US Gordian knot

To say that the hyped Indo-US relationship is in troubled waters is to put it mildly. The Devyani Khobragade affair aroused Indian public opinion to fever pitch when news broke of the scandalous treatment out to India’s Vice Consul in New York (See Media Watch,page12). President Obama’s dream of the defining Indo-US relationship fit for 21st century purpose had turned into a living 21st century nightmare. Tempers in India have since cooled, but the memory of what transpired is not likely to be forgotten in a hurry. The charge levelled against 39-year-old Ms Khobragade by the US Prosecutor Preet Bharara is that she had paid her Indian maid less than the statutory wage under US law. This surely was something that could have been dealt with through the normal diplomatic channels, since it wasn’t a case of murder, terrorist conspiracy, drug smuggling or some similar felony.

There was also the question of diplomatic immunity that should have been considered. Mr Bharara’s office must have consulted the US State Department before taking action against a foreign diplomat. But what was Mr Bharara trying to prove, anyway? That he’s tough on crime? He hasn’t moved against even one of the big bankers whose banks were responsible for the 2008 Wall Street crash. Some banks have paid hefty fines alight, but such are their financial assets that these sums were little more than paltry. It is said Mr Bharara has political ambitions and is burnishing his image as the squeaky clean sheriff one is accustomed to seeing on Hollywood screens. Being of Indian ancestry, “Uncle Tom to Uncle Sam, as one Indian newspaper somewhat unkindly put it. Mr Bharara is perhaps making doubly sure that his

political future is secure.

This said, there have been a number of unsavoury incidents involving Indian citizens. The former Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, was strip-searched at an airport in America’s south because of the sari she was wearing. Her status made no difference to the police.

Nor did the age of Kritika Biswas, a high school student, handcuffed on February 8, 2011, and taken from school for alleged “cyber bullying.” She spent 28 hours in jail. That her father, Debashish Biswas, was the Indian vice consul in New York and had diplomatic immunity fell on deaf ears.

Returning to the present Khobragade case, US Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned to his Indian counterpart, Salman Khurshid, and expressed “regret” at the incident and hoped it would not disturb the closeness in Indo-US ties.

The vast majority of Indians well understand the importance of their country’s relationship with the US, hence are not given easily given to demonstrating against the US on the slightest pretext as some America’s Third World allies are prone to do.

There is anger and hurt in India. The ball is very much in America’s court.

A final word on the issue of payments by Indian diplomats to their Indian maids, whose medical expenses, travel on metros and other incidental needs are met by their employers, and represent a tidy sum. They live with their employer, therefore hence do not pay rent. Their salaries are well above those in similar employment back in India. These issues should be discussed quietly and responsibly so that a fair settlement is reached without too much fuss and bother.

Linking British enterprise to the projected 1,000kilometre Bangalore-Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC) has immense promise of a future going forward. It is something the Cameron government has set its sights on as an opportunity not to be missed in an expanding market. The decision to be part of the scheme join India’s IT and technological centre to the country’s financial hub, on the lines of Japan’s commitment to the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, is something that will surely enrich all the parties and be a game-changer for India. Along this route will arise a series of manufacturing and commercial hubs and urban conurbations that are expected to cater to the demands of a vast market stretching deep into the hinterland of southern and western India with a population of many millions.

The job and investment opportunities will be on grand scale. The tender for the feasibility report was issued early in December, with a deadline for submission on December 25. Indian sources, say media reports, have pronounced the progress made so far as “remarkable” for a project of this size and complexity – clear sign of the determination of both the UK and India to make the project an outstanding success. An “exciting flagship for wider collaboration on infrastructure,” is how Barry Lowen, Director, UK Trade Investment (India) described the project to a leading Indian newspaper. “The UK has experience on innovative ways to raise funding and promote green technologies in promoting infrastructure,” said Mr Lowen.

The vision for the Bangalore-Mumbai Economic Corridor in the published feasibility

report, of December 25, is of a “global exemplar both for commercially viable sustainable economic development with green technology and regional industrial and urban agglomeration, diffusing the regional population along the length of the corridor;” the BMEC will boost “regional industry agglomeration ….attracting companies in the value added chain of existing companies to the corridor, attracting particular industries where the corridor has geographical advantages or has advanced infrastructure for such industries.”

While the vision statement bulges with promise it would be well to recognize the formidable hurdles that will have to be addressed before the dream becomes reality. The first is the forthcoming general election in May 2014 and a possible change of regime. This may lead to changes to the planned corridor based on political considerations. Land acquisition will be another problem. With prices likely to sky rocket, land sharks will come into their own and things are likely to be far from easy.

Finally, unlike the Delhi-Mumbai corridor, the one between Bangalore and Mumbai will pass through areas with virtually no industrial development, hence funding will require greater adroitness and innovation. Also, State laws and central government regulations will have to be harmonized for the work to progress. But there is enough on the table to warrant hope. Nobody has suggested that a project of this size and scope can be implemented with a wave of some magic wand. However, a clear head and a firm hand should eventually make the difference between success and failure.

West Bengal’s feisty Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, seems at last to be coming to grips with the fine art of government. An unshakeable populist who, to her immense credit, helped generate a mass movement to ride the State of an incompetent and barnacled Communist-led Left Front regime, she was wedded to inebriating slogans which promised more than they could deliver. Industrial progress has been slow, as opposed to impressive rural development. Ms Banerjee has realized, at long last, that to bring about lasting social change, her government would have to attract investors and industrialists to restore life to an ailing urban economy that is providing fewer jobs than was once expected. Administrative and regulatory bottlenecks have impeded the movement of capital into a State that was once the most industrialized in the country. Ms Banerjee made a highly publicized trip to Mumbai to meet the captains of Indian industry and reassure them that her government good intent. Canny businessmen are more convinced by deeds rather than words. Her Industry Minister,

Partha Chatterjee, a former middle ranking executive at a well known Kolkata firm, before he entered politics, was adept at issuing bromides on the second coming of industry, without any sign of the promised epiphany. Performance will now be the benchmark.

A good leader, with her nose to the ground, Chief Minister Banerjee decided that a major cabinet reshuffle was necessary to re-energize her government. Mr Chatterjee, hitherto the number two in the administration, was removed from the ministry handling industry and commerce and given responsibility as Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Information Technology. His place as Industry and Commerce Minister has been given to Dr Amit Mitra, a professional economist with wide experience in industrial management and wise to ways of the business community. His appointment is a signal to investors that West Bengal is ready for business, and that this, for them, was place to be. The omens look good, now for the performance.

Linking the UK to India’s IT hub

Learning the fine art of government

3 Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime -Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central

Dangerous Journeys If you happened to be walking over Westminster Bridge on a windy Wednesday afternoon in mid-December and glanced down at the river below, you may have caught sight of a rather small, worn out boat that looked slightly out of place alongside the bulky passenger ferries and pleasure boats.

And it looked out of place for good reason.

Not so long ago, this particular boat could have been seen crewed by fishermen off the coast of North Africa.

That is until it made a rather unusual journey which ended up with it sailing past the Houses of Parliament in London.

This journey started in March 2012 when this little fishing boat, now in the hands of human traffickers, set off from North Africa heading towards the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean.

Crammed on board were 36 migrants, including three children and a heavily pregnant woman.

Once it got close to the coast of Lampedusa, the boat was seized by local officials and its passengers were taken ashore to be processed.

A British artist who had been living on the island, Lucy Wood, managed to get hold of the boat before sailing 4,000 miles to London to raise awareness of the experiences and dangerous journeys that migrants have to go through.

The passengers onboard the boat when it made its journey from North Africa to Lampedusa arrived at their destination traumatised, hungry and extremely tired. But many other migrants who made journeys during 2013 suffered a much worse fate.

2013 was the worst

year on record for migrants dying as they cross international borders. At least 2,360 migrants died in this way – many more will have drowned at sea or succumbed to the heat of the desert without ever being reported.

This includes more than 360 men, women and children who died in October 2013 when the fishing boat they were on boat sank off of the coast of Lampedusa. Only the strongest swimmers survived.

And that’s why, if you had been on Westminster Bridge on 18 December – United Nations’ International Migrants Day – you may have seen Lucy’s boat sailing past the Houses of Parliament. Its passengers on this occasion were a mixture of politicians and religious leaders, including myself.

We did this in an act of solidarity with those who make dangerous journeys in search of a better life, and with those who never make it.

Although we only travelled a few hundred metres, it was clear to us just how terrifying travelling on this boat across the open sea would have been.

Even on the relatively calm Thames, the boat rose and fell with just the smallest of waves and I am sure I would have felt seasick on a longer journey. Due to health and safety regulations along the river, we were only allowed 7 passengers on board. It’s hard to imagine how 36 people managed to fit on this tiny boat, let alone cope with the journey.

For me, my short time on the boat gave me some insight into just how desperate anybody who makes this type of journey must be.

Continued on page 6

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MIDLANDS VOICE

Brum restaurant serves chicken to life-long vegetarian An Indian-origin woman who has been a lifelong vegetarian has been left traumatised after mistakenly being served chicken by a UK restaurant.

Roshni Barot, a resident of Tividale in the West Midlands region, ordered a grilled halloumi cheese pitta at the local outlet of Nando's and had already eaten most of her meal when she realised to her horror that she was actually eating chicken.

Speaking to Birmingham Mail she said: "I was in shock and started crying in the restaurant. I cried all

Roshni Barot

night and couldn't sleep.”

The 28-year-old, who works as a placements officer at the University of Birmingham, was raised in a strict Hindu home in

the UK. She even tried unsuccessfully to make herself sick when she got home to get rid of the meal from her body.

"I can feel it sitting there in my stomach. I feel like it's not my body anymore. They took away my choice about what to put in my body and now I can't ever say that I have never eaten meat. I have devoted myself to this for 28 years and someone has taken this away from me," she said.

The manager of the restaurant apologised and offered her vouchers for another meal, which she

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

refused.

A Nando's spokesperson said: "We deeply regret that a customer was mistakenly served a chicken pitta instead of the halloumi pitta ordered. Nando's has the utmost respect for all our customers' eating choices and this was an honest and extremely rare mistake which the restaurant are extremely sorry about.

We are currently in contact with the customer and have offered our sincere apologies and are investigating how this has happened to ensure it doesn't happen again."

Asian schoolboy, 13, ranked in top1% of UK’s brightest Birmingham schoolboy Niraj Kumar might only be 13 but already has the brains to rival Albert Einstein and Bill Gates.

To add to his achievements the talented teen has been welcomed into Mensa after scoring 160 in the high IQ society’s test which puts him in the top one per cent of the UK’s brightest people and six points above brainbox Carol Vorderman.

According to Mensa, the average adult IQ score is 100 – and those topping 140 are considered to be geniuses.

“I was really happy when I found out I had been accepted. It is a great honour. I enjoy school and my favourite lesson is maths. I want to go to Oxford University but I

haven’t decided what to study yet. There are so many options,” Niraj said.

Niraj will now join the glittering ranks of the high IQ society, whose highprofile members include director Quentin Tarantino, actress Goldie Hawn and Shakira.

Mum Sejal said she had always know her son, who attends King Edward VI School in Edgbaston, was “special”.

The youngster was already showing signs of his genius at the tender age of three when he would help his mum and dad, Sandeep, run the Lichfield Road News shop in Aston.

“You couldn’t stop him helping. He used to hand over the change to customers and everything. He

Niraj Kumar with dad Sundeep and mum Sejal

has always been very bright since he was very young. I always thought he was special but I didn’t know just how much. He had two IQ tests and they said it put him on a par with Albert Einstein and Bill Gates,” Sejal remembered.

When he’s not hitting the books, the Year 9 pupil enjoys playing chess. He has entered countless tournaments as a member of the English Chess Federation and even received a certificate of excellence at Gold Level for his performance.

Central Mosque and Al Yusra raise over £30,000 for Syria Members of Central Mosque, Rochdale and Al Yusra have raised over £30,000 for Syria.

The groups have raised the money over two days and will now send it to two UK charities who will use it to help people in Syria.

Project leader Akhtar Hussein said: “I am so proud of the Rochdale community for the donations that they have given.

I have to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated. It has been amazing.”

To raise the money, the groups had a collection after prayers and organised a car wash. The collecting took place between Friday 27 December and Saturday 28 December. By

Monday 29 December over £27,000 had been raised but with money still coming in and donations still being collected, Akhtar is confident that the grand total will be more than £30,000.

Donations to the cause have included one man giving £1,000 and the owner of Shish Café in Rochdale saying he will donate his takings from yesterday (Sunday 29 December) and Wednesday 1 January to the total.

“I think once everything is collected we will have about £31,000, which is fantastic When we first started this, I said I would be happy if we got £4,000 but on the Friday I was told we had raised

Girl, 13, saves sari clad grandmother A grandmother badly burned when her clothes caught fire was saved when her granddaughter snapped into action with techniques she learned in school.

The 13-year-old girl prevented further injury by rolling her 55-year-old grandmother on the ground to smother the flames. The woman was cleaning in Cedar Crescent, Chadderton,

when her sari brushed against a gas fire.

The grandmother, who has not been named, was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital with burns on her back and upper thighs.

Sarah Keaveny, a Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman, said: “The key thing in this incident was that the girl knew what to do. She didn’t panic and took control.”

Obituary

End of an Era: Kamleshben “Maa” Patel

Dhiren Katwa

A Birmingham citizen Indian origin, of Kamleshben Manibhai Patel, who won the hearts and minds of scores of people of all ages and backgrounds across many parts of the world has died.

She was 96.

Kamleshben, pictured with Ryan, 5, one of her six greatgrandchildren, had devoted her life to helping people. She always put the interests of others ahead of her own, thus was affectionately known as Maa, or mother.

Born in Karamsad, India, she moved to Nairobi, post marriage, where she was a primary school teacher. Here she founded the Din Bandhu Samaj, a food bank based in the local temple. She personally went doorknocking and assisted with the distribution of parcels.

In 1982, following the death of her husband, she moved to, and settled in Birmingham. Here she helped set up the Anand Milan Kendra, an elderly day centre. She was brave, courageous, fearless and supported members in determining their legal rights as well as providing advice and guidance on personal and domestic matters.

Maa’s social work extended beyond Anand Milan Kendra. She organised sari parcels to orphanages in India, provided medicine for the

sick, provided emotional and mediation support to people going through domestic disputes – just a tip of the iceberg of all that she did. In 1998, she won the Home Office’s Whitbread Award for UK Social Worker of the Year.

In addition, she was also a recipient of an Asian Achiever’s Award.

Her personality radiated a saintly glow and she gave love and affection to all. To Maa, life had always been about ‘sewa’ helping others, and a belief that to serve the poor and needy was to serve God. Maa found great fulfilment in sewa and her tireless work in the name of humanity meant that her love and kindness touched the lives of people all over the world.

Since her death on December 20, tributes in all forms have been pouring in. She leaves behind daughter Naina, son-inlaw Bharatbhai, sons Prakash and Avinash and five grandchildren.

Former Leicester hospital chosen for Sikh school Car wash held to raise money for Syria

£14,000 and I couldn’t believe it,” said Akhtar.

The car wash included the help of 40 volunteers and was set up at 9am on Saturday and cars were driving in from 9:30.

The car wash proved so popular that it had to stay open an extra few

hours to accommodate all the cars still arriving.

Central Mosque, Rochdale was set up in 1974 by the local Muslim community and is located on Mere Street, Rochdale.

The charity car wash was held at the car park of the mosque.

A terrified taxi driver feared for his life after three men stoned his car after refusing to pay a £2 fare. Five cabbies from Premier Cars in Shaw Road went on strike on Christmas Eve in support of their diabetic colleague Raja Mehmood, who was driven off the road at the busiest time of the year by damage including a smashed windscreen, three other broken windows and large dents to the bodywork.

Company boss Taheed Sadiq is to talk to police to highlight the dangers facing

drivers. Customers at the Carrion Crow pub in Huddersfield Road helped Mr Mehmood, but the cabbie now faces an uncertain future: “I don’t know what I am going to do. I have no money to buy a car or to fix it,” he admitted.

Mr Sadiq said police had failed to act on similar incidents: “It is not just us.

It has happened to Delta Cars and Radio Cars. The same thing happened a few weeks ago in Limeside. We report it to the police and they do nothing.”

Taxi driver car stoned

Part of a former mental health hospital has been chosen as the site of the first Sikh free school in Leicester.

Falcons Primary School is expected to open in September 2014, taking children from all faiths.

The school aims to supply the demand for a Sikh education in Leicester, which it says is not currently met by the city's existing schools.

Planning applications have been submitted to use part of the Towers Hospital site in Gipsy Lane.

A school spokesperson said the Sikh faith was not represented "in the Leicester family of schools" which parents who wished their children

to have an education "in a faith environment are at a disadvantage".

Towers Hospital, an institution for people with mental illness, closed its beds in 2000 and saw its last outpatients in 2013.

George Hine House, a Grade II listed building on the site, was later used as the headquarters of Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust.

Architects propose converting George Hine House into the school but the outside of the building would mainly remain the same.

Ward blocks behind the George Hine Building would be demolished.

Some parts of the site have already been developed into apartments.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

5

UK

Clockwise from top left: Abdul Rauf, Abdul Aziz, Girl E, Mohammed Amin, Abdul Qayyum, Adil Khan, Mohammed Sajid, Hamid Safi, Kabeer Hassan

The British Hindus and Sikhs have severely criticised the use of a bracket term “Asian” in connection with child sex grooming by gangs of men who are mostly of Pakistani Muslim origin.

Four leading religious groups in Britain- the Hindu Council UK, the Network of Sikh Organisations, the Sikh Media Monitoring Group and the Sikh Awareness Society — have sponsored an online petition calling on politicians and the media to stop using vague terms that 'defame' their communities.

In December 2013 on BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Simon Danczuk MP for Rochdale said there was “no doubt” ethnicity was a factor in grooming cases. He said "We still need a breakthrough, I think, in terms of the Asian community."

Simon Danczuk’s use of the term ‘Asian’ in this context was held grossly insulting by the Hindu and Sikh communities.

However, Mr Danczuk recently said, “I was asked specifically about problems in Rochdale and I’m mystified as to why they should think I was talking about any other community.”

Those convicted in Simon Danczuk's constituency for grooming of white British girls in May 2012, included 8 men of Pakistani origin and one from Afghanistan. Judge Gerald Clifton who sentenced the men said they treated the girls "as though they were worthless and beyond respect” he added “one of the factors leading to that was the fact that they were not part of your community or religion.”

The Sikh and Hindu

leaders said, “In order to help find a solution to the problem, we need to be clear on the identity of those involved. We will not be able to do this if we mask the identity based on misguided views of protecting a vulnerable community of perpetrators and not looking at the vulnerable community of victims.

Political correctness by some of our elected representatives is stifling an important debate.”

In the petition, the Hindus and Sikhs clearly state that revealing the actual identity is important because: l Use of the word ‘Asian’ is unfair to Sikhs, Hindus and other communities who are of Asian origin and have not been involved in the emerging pattern of convictions for sexual grooming. l The reported convictions of men for sexual grooming of white British girls, almost always involve men of Pakistani origin. l There is reluctance by both government and media to discuss the disproportionate representation of Muslims in such cases. l Victims are almost always non-Muslim girls l The Hindu and Sikh communities have been complaining about targeting of their girls by Muslim men for decades l In August 2013, Muslim men were amongst those convicted for the sex grooming of a Sikh girl in Leicester. l Communities who themselves fall victim of this emerging pattern of criminality, should not be 'besmirched' by the vague terminology ‘Asian’. l In order to help find a solution to the problem, one needs to be clear on

the identity of those involved. One will not be able to do this if the identity is masked based on misguided views of protecting a vulnerable community of perpetrators and not looking at the vulnerable community of victims. l Political correctness by some of the elected representatives is stifling an important debate. l In this case the government itself is sanctioning the use of term Asian as a way of clouding responsibility.

More than 600 people have signed the “ipetition” so far.

In September, The Times revealed that outrage over hidden patterns of sex grooming had allegedly triggered a mob attack on a restaurant and fears of escalating tension between Sikh and Muslim communities. The restaurant, in Leicester, was apparently loosely connected to the abuse of a 16-year-old Sikh girl by a group of Muslim men.

Lord Singh of Wimbledon, director of the Network of Sikh Organisations, complained in 2012 to the BBC about the word Asian being used “in an unhelpful, misleading and insensitive way”.

His complaint was not upheld because the BBC said it was used in the relevant broadcast “to refer to the ethnicity of those involved, rather than their religion”.

However, the BBC did acknowledge his concerns.

If you want to sign the petition please go to: h t t p : / / w w w. i p e t i tions.com/petition/wethe-undersigneddemand-that-politicians

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

The Price of Freedom

He was a soldier. Just walking in London.

They put a knife to his throat. They said he would die for his crimes as a soldier – for those he and his fellow army comrades killed. They said this was revenge in the name of their religion. This was 2013.

No, not Lee Rigby. But a retired Indian General in London attacked by pro-Khalistan Sikhs.

Anyone who has visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, as I have, cannot help but feel it is a most sacred and holy place – and no soldier in any circumstances should set foot in there. That Indian General, Brar, paid the price for the orders of Indira Gandhi.

On the arrest and jailing of the General’s attackers posts on Facebook included ‘As we sleep in our houses tonight, please spare a thought and a prayer for these soormay as they begin sentences of upto 14 years in prison.

Their actions were for the Panth. God bless them.’ ‘Brar should be stoned to death.’ ‘Shud have finished the job properly, on the harami brar’.

There are those British voices posting happily on Facebook and naively presume they are not being monitored.

Naively assuming that laws of incitement

to hatred or murder do not apply to them in Britain.

But this is the not the Sikh faith I was taught of. I was taught Sikhs defended India to their deaths, that the bravest of Hindu allies are the Sikhs. Proud, strong.

And that so beloved in India are they that 98% of India which is not Sikh, raises no issue with a Sikh Prime Minister.

Yet in Britain, on social media, I keep reading the dislike of Hindus by Sikhs voices. When I worked in US Congress, I would happily intercept letters to my Congressmen which attempted to promote the Khalistan cause – but that was 1994. Even in 1994, when the internet was barely more than text, we were monitoring them. How much easier it is to do it now, but why does this antiHindu, anti-India sentiment even exist today by those who made India – the Sikh nation – and why in Britain?

Yes, were my holiest places attacked, my blood would boil, but I would make allies with Goliath, not attack him, not distance him, and have him help me.

Foolish minds from bravehearts.

I do hope in 2014 sanity returns to those attacking soldiers fighting for our democratic way of life, whether British soldiers of Indian soldiers.

BNP's 'White Christmas card' criticised of being racist Image courtesy: Independent.co.uk

Hindus and Sikhs launch petition against 'Asian' label in grooming cases

6

According to the BNP website, recipients include those officially signed up to the party, as well as “various people in the media, bishops and opposition politicians”.

Also allegedly there has been an email that was sent across that con-

tained the link to the card and had information about the BNP’s “Operation White Vote” campaign and a large red “donate now!” button.

Many Twitter users have reacted angrily to the card, accusing it of being racist.

As the highly controversial 'doors' finally opened for Bulgarians and Romanians to enter Britain on January 1, the focus has now shifted to observing the consequences of such a decision, particularly after the Asian community can relate so strongly to this period of time. The UK had imposed a seven-year restriction on Romania and Bulgaria when they joined the EU in 2007 –

allowing citizens a visa only if they were selfemployed, had a job offer, or were given a specialist role. That time is now up and they are free to enter the UK. The impact of immigration on the economy and public services has been heavily debated over the past year and many have contested the government’s decision.

Romanians and Bulgarians could prove beneficial to social fabric

Far right political party the BNP has come under severe criticism for sending out a festive greetings card featuring the words ‘Wishing you a White Christmas’.

The slogan appears next to the image of a blonde-haired Caucasian girl holding a white box wrapped in a red ribbon, reminiscent of the St George’s flag. The gift is also tagged with a heartshaped BNP logo.

The image on the card is a child model featured on the front cover of the December issue of NY Parenting- a popular American magazine.

After being alerted to this fact, NY Parenting took to its Twitter and Facebook pages to distance itself from the BNP, explaining that the picture of the girl was a stock image and clarifying that anyone could in fact purchase the rights to it.

Mr Griffin has attempted to change the BNP’s image from an allegedly racist party since he became its leader in 1999.

Continued on page 30

Dangerous Journeys

Continued from page 3

It is not a journey anyone would choose to take, but a decision made when there are no other choices.

These deaths are tragedies and although they happen many miles away from the UK, we have our part to play in ensuring that fewer people are forced to make these journeys. This includes making sure that migrants have safe and legal ways of being able to enter Britain, as well as the rest of Europe, rather than creating an increasing number

of barriers as is currently the case.

People come to our shores for a number of reasons. They might be fleeing war or persecution; they may have been victims of domestic violence; or they might be searching for a way to support their family. Whatever the reasons, it is clear that people need safe and legal routes into the UK. Without them, we will never be able to prevent the tragedies such as the one off the coast of Lampedusa from happening again.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

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8

UK

As I See It

The politics in India has entered a very warm if not outright hot phase. India is also in the threshold of the elements like here in Britain. The weather is playing cupid with people of both the countries – as well as some other countries around the globe. In Delhi it’s getting cooler.

Rain is also falling frequently. It is foggy far more than normally expected. It is also becoming politically more and foggier, sometimes dangerous for drivers.

Very often the visibility is very low and hazardous for driving!!! It is more on the political front, especially in the capital Delhi.

In the aftermath of the Congress party’s defeat in the four states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi and onslaught on the party leadership, especially that of the anointed future Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi is becoming indefinable.

Whatever others might say the performance of Aam Adami Party (AAP) is praise worthy. It is also the party of democratic process that a political outfit not even one year old has acquired reins of power of Delhi state. Congress, in the broader scheme, to ensure its future advantage has decided to support AAP from outside.

One wonders how long this co-operation will last. The outside support of Congress party to at least four former Prime Ministers of India has not been very durable or dignified. One can remember what happened to Charan Singh, Chandrasekhar, Devegowda and IK Gujaral.

The Congress party in those bygone days used political engineering to topple an ongoing government at different points of time. Promising support from outside and subsequently, suddenly withdrawing it. The party destroyed Morarji Desai’s Janata Dal government and snatch VP Singh’s premiership. It is very difficult to predict that Congress could and would support AAP for full five years.

Arvind Kejriwal

Besides the track record of the Congress of the yesteryears the basic fundamentals of Congress and AAP are poles apart. One would wish that this government last longer and Congress would accept if not tolerate the manifesto promises of AAP. One is not too sure. But whatever other pundits speak about the advent of AAP, it is not totally new phenomenon for India.

Arvind Kejriwal came on the political platform primarily through his campaign against corruption and with the demand of Jan Lokpal bill. He was supported enormously by Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and several other clean and trusted public figures in the last 2 to 2.5 years. Anna did not approve the formation of a political party, whereas Kejariwal and others realized that a mere Andolan (Agitation) is not adequate to get rid of ills in the Indian body politic.

According to Kejriwal, the Congress and the BJP as political parties as well as others are involved in corrupt practices.

Though, Kejariwal’s campaign was specifically against the Congress and in particular against Sheila Dixit, the Congress decided to support AAP government. There are fundamental questions the economics of AAP. One need not denounce Arvind Kejariwal or AAP for acquiring power as it is not an ignoble thing. Nothing happens without power at your disposal. It depends how wisely you use the power in realizing the aims and objects of your manifest. There may be serious problems at some subsequent stage. But out of the protest a campaign develop which took the shape of AAP. Just look back in to history, perhaps there is a message. Indian National Congress was established on 28th December 1885. The aim was justice, equality, opportunity and progress of India, which was not available in the

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Arvind Kejriwal

Imperial rule. Till 1915 the Congress party depended on petitions and resolutions to the India Office in London and the Viceroy in New Delhi.

During this period Mahatma Gandhi had started protests faraway in South Africa on color discrimination and other injustices in that country. Gandhi’s refined weapon of non-violence and peaceful resistance had drawn global attention. AAP entered into various new initiatives, sometimes portrayed as gimmicks, like Gandhi cap on top with AAP message, the broom and simplicity as economic ideology and many other things. I am not attempting to compare Kejriwal with Mahatma Gandhi at all.

But let’s be fair. Kejriwal has also brilliant and successful background. He is also talking to serve the nation keeping aside caste, religion and region. His emphasis is on good governance and result oriented corruption free government.

Before Gandhi became active in the Congress post 1915, the Congress was not in the protest mode. It was Gandhi who started protest against revenue collection regime and other issues.

Eventually the Congress party was able to reach to Aam Adami (Common man).

AAP has also evolved out of the protest movement. The comparison between the two parties definitely has some significance. In that context I would like to cite some paragraphs from the article of N.V. Subramanian a writer on politics and strategic affairs as well as an editor of www.newsinsight.net.

Subramanian has written, “Between India and anarchy stands Narendra Modi, and the Congress party, its political partners, Western powers, China and Pakistan are determined to remove him from the way. In pursuit of his own ambition, Arvind Kejariwal of the Aam Adami Party is prepared to play his game.”

He further writes, “In an attempt to halt Modi in his tracks, the Congress is prepared calculatedly to hurt itself, as it has done in Delhi by propping up Arvind Kejariwal. Sheila Dixit and Co. perhaps is presently expendable for Sonia-Rahul Gandhi high command, but the dynasty seems prepared to make further sacrifices to keep Narendra Modi at bay.

Reconciled to losing 2014 election badly, the dynasty appears keen to buttress Kejariwal to neutralize Modi.”

“Kejriwal may be a clean man, but most men, if not all, have a price.

Against Anna Hazare’s explicit wishes, Kejriwal entered politics. So his claim that Hazare remains his guru is humbug and base opportunism,” writes the editor of a news portal citing ‘All things truly wicked,’ Ernest Hemingway wrote in a Marvel Feast, ‘start from an innocence’.

He says anyone who could betray a good man like Hzare cannot be expected to live up to the highest ideals for long.

The editor says Arvind Kejriwal can no longer claim similar immunity because he became Chief Minister of Delhi strictly courtesy Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, with Ahmed Patel making all the theatrical arrangements for the deception, all with a single-point agenda to stop Narendra Modi.

Are they really lobbying for Human Rights?

Ever since the riots of 2002, one man is being targeted by a particular set of people – Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi – now, BJP’s Prime Ministerial nominee. Literally, they haven’t left a single stone unturned to malign his image or to make him responsible for what happened after even bloodiest incident at Godhra railway station, where 59 Hindu pilgrims were killed by Muslim fanatics.

On December 26, 2013 a verdict was given by a magisterial court in Ahmedabad giving clean chit to Narendra Modi in nine different cases pertaining to 2002 Gujarat riots.

Interestingly, an investigation closely monitored by the Supreme Court was challenged, simply because it was in favour of Gujarat Chief Minister.

Modi is being attacked from various quarters ranging from rival political parties, within his own party, NGOs and so called human rights activists. Call it luck or Modi’s guts, every time when he is locked into trouble – may it be political, legal or related to international strategies – he comes out even stronger.

Lots of hype was created before the verdict. His opponents didn’t leave a single chance to bombard on him. However, the judgment came as a political shot in the arm for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and left some people disappointed.

Swapan Dasgupta writes in his column related to the verdict published in Delhi based newspaper The Pioneer, “In this case the disappointment was particularly pronounced because the attempt to rule Modi out of active politics through a judicial pronouncement had the fulsome backing of some of the most powerful and influential individuals throughout the world.”

According to Dasgupta even Modi’s worst detractors will not deny that the

Hindu mob in the Gulberg society case.

Jafri’s widow with the support of Setalvad accusing Modi and 61 others for hatching a conspiracy to kill Muslims.

Uday Mahurkar, associate editor of ‘India Today’ writes in his article titled as ‘Inhuman RIGHTS’ published on April 5, 2010 how so called human rights activists tried to malign Modi’s image by developing false storing pertaining to post Godhra riots.

Citing the Naroda Patiya case where 94 persons were killed Mahurkar has

written in his article that soon after the riots the human rights activists and the Muslim witnesses had alleged that a pregnant woman Kausarbanu’s womb was ripped open by rioters and the foetus was flung out at the point of a sword.

“However, eight years after the alleged incident Dr. JS Kanoria, who conducted the post-mortem on her body on March 2, 2002, denied that any such incident had ever happened.

Continued on page 26

Credibility Gap given by India Today as on April 5, 2010

Narendra Modi

post-Godhra riots have not been repeated in a state where rioting was endemic throughout the 1980s and 1990s since last 12 years. But such riots have been endemic in Uttar Pradesh where Akilesh Yadav practices the most perverse variant of secular-communalism, he writes adding that contrast the prevailing social equilibrium in Gujarat with the simmering tensions that are being observed in States such as Assam, West Bengal and Bihar.

Social activist Teesta Setalvad, who runs an NGO Citizen for Justice & Peace (CJP), supported Ehsan Jafri’s widow Zakia to file case against Narendra Modi.

She and her NGO is already under suspicion following her former employee Rais Khan blamed her for misappropriation of money received as funding in the names of Muslim victims of Gujarat riots. She is one of those human rights activists who called for the prosecution of Modi for his alleged involvement in riots.

Congress leader Ehsan Jafri was among 69 people killed by a riotous

THEN

In his petition beforethe SC Nanumiya Malek, a key witness in the Naroda Gam case, says that a married woman called Madina had been raped byrioters.

NOW

Malek later told the SIT that Madina’s rape was an accusation put forth at the behest of Teesta Setalvad. Madina also denied the charge.

THEN

For the past eight years, human rights activists and Naroda Patiya victims have alleged that the rioters ripped open the womb of the pregnant Kausarbanu.

NOW

NOW

The Muslim witnesses refused to video tape their statements. The statements that are recorded by the SIT do not match the readymade statements.

THEN

Imtiaz Pathan, a key witness in the Gulberg case tells the special court that Ehsan Jafri was abused by Modi when Jafri called the latter seeking his help during the riots.

NOW

The SIT has not been able to find any evidence or a record of Ehsan Jafri making a phone call to Narendra Modi.

THEN

Dr. J.S. Kanoria, who conducted a postmortem on Kausarbanu’s body, says she died of burns during the riots and that her womb was intact.

In their 2003 SC petition, Muslim witnesses accused the rioters of raping women. As a result, the trials of nine major cases were stalled for over six years.

While reinvestigating the Gulberg Case, the SIT Comes across nearly 20 witnesses who came with their readymade, typed statements to which the SIT objects.

In their statements made before the SC appointed SIT, the witnesses haven’t accused the rioters of raping women.

THEN

NOW

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

A Bengali Leading the Media Charge at Election Time Swadesh Roy is a popular columnist in Bangladesh and a senior figure in the country’s journalism. He is known as a political analyst but he also writes on economics, sociology and literature. He started writing poetry early in his career and like many Bangladeshis, still adores poetry.

Swadesh started as a trainee reporter, after that he worked in all areas of newspaper media including management. Now he is the executive editor of a renowned Bengali daily newspaper in Bangladesh.

Swadesh Roy is also the author of more than 25 books. He writes novels, short stories, and poems,

both for adults as well as for children. Some of his books are on history and politics. He likes reporting on disaster issues like cyclones and floods . One of his areas is elections and economic reporting.

Recently Swadesh Roy started writing in English.

He writes political and economic analyses in most Bangladeshi English newspapers and he writes for many Asian newspapers and portals. He also writes poems and short stories in English.

Since I am in Dhaka, Bangladesh, my editor Rupanajna and I agreed that a few of my Leading Lights would be leading Bengalis. Swadesh is high-

Swadesh Roy

ly respected and is a fountain of information and contacts for me in country.

He has been working as a journalist for the last 33 years. Swadesh started

Downing Street threatens 25 hate clerics with 'Asbos'

Haitham al-Haddad, a London-based Islamic scholar, is amongst 24 other hate clerics who may face being silenced under anti-extremism “Asbos” demanded by Downing Street.

Security officials have identified a network of 25 hate clerics and hope to stop them from spreading ideological hatred at universities, mosques and other public places.

The laws, which could be put in place in the next few months, would be similar to antisocial behaviour orders used by police and local councils to stop gangs.

“The intention is to explore legislation that might curtail their activities and stop people skirting around the current law and engaging in activity which in effect incites

Haitham al-Haddad

terrorism without breaking the law,” said a senior official.

Whitehall sources have revealed that one of the clerics are Haitham alHaddad, a controversial London-based Islamic scholar of Palestinian origin. He lauded Osama bin Laden after his death in 2011, saying he would enter paradise.

“He died as a Muslim and it is an established part of our Islamic creed that every Muslim, unlike

the disbelievers, will eventually enter paradise,” Haddad wrote in May 2011, in an article entitled Advice to Muslims on the Death of Osama bin Laden.

The restrictions on hate clerics was brought to attention following the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby, who was stabbed to death outside Woolwich barracks in south London in May. His killers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, were convicted of his murder at the Old Bailey last week.

“There are 25 we know about that operate as an informal network that know each other and collect and co-ordinate around some institutions, Islamist study centres and go to universities to talk,” said the official.

Jimi Mistry marries Strictly Come Dancing partner Flavia Cacace 40-year-old actor Jimi Mistry, who is widely known for his roles in Eastenders and East is East, married his Strictly Come Dancing partner Flavia Cacace on Sunday 29th December at ondon's St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

Mistry was paired with the professional dancer in the 2010 edition of the BBC One ballroom competition. The 34-year-old danced shared some intimate snaps from the wedding on Twitter, which she captioned: 'Had the most amazing day with family & friends @StPancrasRen xxx (sic).' As well as posting the message, Flavia changed her surname on Twitter from Cacace to CacaceMistry.

9

as an apprentice reporter, and from that position he built himself up as a reporter, sub editor, editorial assistant, staff writer, and then assistant editor.

Now that he is an executive editor. though, he still tries to work hard and loves gleaning knowledge from books or anywhere else he can get it from.

Swadesh’s newspaper is considered, he opines, to the best liberal opinion creator newspaper of the country.

I asked him to compare the media in my homeland, the UK, to that of Swadesh’s, Bangladesh.

“Media of UK is more matured and responsible and they have more freedom,” he told me. “ We are censored by religion, the conservatism of society and long suppressed mental make up. But it is a growing media.”

I wanted to know what it was like working in Bangladesh in the current climate, to which Swadesh gave a diplomatic answer.

“I cannot not give my best for lots of limitations.

But I enjoy my work in any conditions, and try to give my best for journalism and for the people of my country.”

Now that the general election is on in this country, there is a somewhat febrile atmosphere I noticed. There is also an increased police presence on the road with bombs and killings on the street.

So how does that affect my journalist colleague here in Dhaka?

“We have grown accustomed to it for a long time.

But now I am in little bit danger because I always write against Islamic fundamentalists who are now attacking here frequently.”

Of course no look at Bangladesh can ever ignore Indo-Bangla relations so I asked Swadesh for his opinion on that topic.

“It is a natural relationship; no one can deny it. if Bangladesh and India can reach a goal that they will be able to open transit; then this relationship will have a real result. Because North East India and Bangladesh

can jointly develop a tremendous economy if they so choose. India and Bangladesh have a common heritage bond so wherever you live, it is not possible to deny the other party.”

I am sitting writing this Leading Light profile in my room just six days away from a general election, in which the governing Awami League party is standing unopposed by the leading opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Already, The Awami League has won over 150 seats since the candidates for those seats have had a walkover. So what is Swadesh’s comment on the situation that is at the top of everyone’s mind? “ The elections of Bangladesh will not get total legitimacy but it will help Bangladesh along with South Asia as well as the World to decrease Islamic fundamentalism.”

In times of political action, we turn to the wise sages of the print media for a reality check and a glimpse of how things look from their perspective.

M&S customers threatened to boycott Marks and Spencer last week after it allowed Muslim checkout staff to refuse to serve customers wanting to pay for alcohol or pork.

Managers at the London-based store informed staff that they had the right to ask customers trying to buy the items to go to another till.

Furious customers vented their anger immediately, with one shopper saying, 'I was taken aback. I've never come across that before'.

M&S were quick to respond, citing that the advice was given in an

error and was not consistent with its national policy. Yet customers took to social media to complain,

handle, we work closely with our member of staff to place them in a suitable role, such as in our clothing department or bakery.

'We regret that in the case highlighted today we were not following our own policy.

'As a secular business we have an inclusive policy that welcomes all religious beliefs.

'This policy has been in place for many years, and when followed correctly, we do not believe that it should compromise our ability to offer the highest level of customer service. We apologise that this policy was not followed in the case reported.'

M&S faces boycott after allowing Muslim staff to refuse to sell alcohol or pork

while another site was set up calling on shoppers to boycott the store.

An M&S spokesman said: 'Customer service is our priority. Where we have an employee whose religious beliefs restrict food or drink they can

JAIN VISHWA BHARATI Vacancy for full time Jain Religious workers/guide

Jain Vishwa Bharati (London) is a part of JVB Ladnun, India which is a centre of excellence in the field of Jain studies. JVB (London) is dedicated for the propagation of Jain Philosophy, Preksha Meditation and Science of Living.

Primary Location – London. However, this role involves extensive travel within United Kingdom and Europe.

Renumeration – Negotiable Opportunity: full time contract vacancies for Two Jain Religious workers/guide. Responsibilities will include: • Conduct Jain religious festivals • Give discourses on Jain philosophy, Yoga and Preksha meditation • To coach children and adults in Jain philosophy • Represent Jains during interfaith discussions • Work with other organisations, communities and Jain centres to conduct religious or other cultural sessions • Provide counselling and Jain social support e.g. birth and marriage ceremonies, socio-family issues, bereavement, last rites, etc.

• Hold workshops for spiritual and personal development Requirements: • At least Master’s level degree in Jainology & Comparative Studies, Sanskrit or Prakrit.

• In depth knowledge of Jain scriptures • Ideally a monk or nun who adheres to the Jain vows of celibacy, non-possession and follows the strict Jain diet • Extensive experience of providing Jain discourses, yoga and Preksha meditation training and community support.

• Fluent in Hindi. Knowledge of other Indian dialects (e.g. Gujrati, Marwadi) preferable and working knowledge of English.

Contact details – jvb.london1@gmail.com Closing Date of Application: 13 January 2014

10

YOUR VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Indian envoy’s arrest sparks diplomatic row

Tax evasion: Sounds familiar?

Migrants from Romania and Bulgaria

Modi’s spiritual wisdom v/s Rahul’s commercial exploitation

There is no doubt that Indian envoy’s arrest in America on allegations by employee, Sangeeta Richards, is an arrogant act of stupidity. India’s anger/ loud protest is justified because the diplomat was treated with criminal procedure when charges were of civil nature.

India’s anger is surprising when, it had negotiated peacefully with Pakistan over border violations and butchering of Indian soldiers; leniently when Sri Lanka assaulted Indian fishermen; welcomed illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

In fact an attorney must be allowed after arrest; victim can refuse to answer or face further action by police. If no attorney was allowed to represent the diplomat, the whole affair falls to pieces and charges/ procedure till now disappears in thin air.

Minimum wage arguments staggers, if pay scale to USA embassy staff in India has to be calibrated against minimum wage scale of India.

America, sheltering Ms. Richard, evacuating her husband/ child to America, smacks of conspiracy and an insult to India. Rumours are rife that nanny might have been either employed as a mole or groomed/trained to spy on diplomat lady. Thus, nanny may have been asked to disappear and seek shelter?

It is believed that arrest of diplomat and resultant standoff, is tit for tat against detention of US ship MV Seaman Guard Ohio and incarceration of captain and 34 crew members, at Tuticorin-Tamil Nadu, 11th October 2013.

Blaming prosecutor Preet Harara is futile as he is doing his job as an employee. He has successfully prosecuted many non Indians too.

Since the pro-business Tory party won the general election in May 2010, they have concentrated on benefit cheats and welfare benefits cuts like a blood hound; but they have not shown the zeal of even a watch dog as far as tax avoidance, tax evasion and tax fraud is concerned.

The benefit cheats evade tax but so do many small businesses and several medium and large businesses who use dubious ways, non-domicile rules, off shore accounts, transfer pricing, money laundering, fraud, deliberate under declaration of income, etc to pay no tax or little tax. When a pro-business political party becomes the party of government, their loyalties should change from pro-business to being neutral to business and anti-business when it is obvious that a vast number of businesses and another substantial percentage of high net worth individuals pay far less tax than the correct amount of tax due on the correct amount of income earned.

I believe the £10,000 personal allowance should be abolished and even the poorest should pay some tax, say 1% on the first £1 to £10,000 income band.

So there is an accurate picture of every one of the 22 million households cumulative earnings and wealth accumulation during their life time.

My Xmas message is that there is an urgent need for taxation policies that redistribute accumulated wealth and a more progressive taxation system to ensure that one full time wage and one part wage is sufficient to maintain a decent standard of living, supplemented by welfare benefits where needed. A work life balance is fundamental to keep the mind and body happy in a warm home.

Keeping people employed is more important than keeping triple A credit rating.

From the first of January next year, migrants from Romania and Bulgaria will be allowed to come to the UK. How is this going to affect the people already living here, especially us Asians? The arrival of these eastern Europeans may adversely affect the Asians as these people are stronger and much hard working and will have much energy and dynamism. They will be prepared to do any kind of available work and may take away jobs in the building industry from the Asians.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, wants to put an cap of 75,000 on the numbers to be allowed in but Nick clegg, the deputy prime minister, says he will block any attempt to curb the numbers.

Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev has also attacked British Prime Minister’s plan to tighten immigration rules for Bulgarians and Romanians, saying it will damage London’s global standing for the sake of short-term political gain. Mr. Cameron also faces a threat from the UK Independence Party, which wants stricter immigrations controls and has been warning about the influx of eastern Europeans coming into Britain in the New Year. However, there is little which can be done as restriction on the free movement of people is against the principle of the European Union.

On a different note, I would like to thank the ABPL Group for the very useful calendar which gives the dates of all Hindu, Jain, Muslim and Christian festivals. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish the readres of AV and GS a very happy and prosperous new year.

The bold step BJP implemented in announcing Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate if NDA win the election in May 2014, is paying handsome dividend at ballot boxes, sweeping four states, either dislodging Congress or retaining their grip on power with increased majority. It was a personal, unprecedented triumph for Modi, so maligned by Congress and Western controlled Indian media.

Now even the Court has given Modi a clean bill in the aftermath of Godhra carnage. Perhaps Congress can now concentrate on real issues of rampant corruption, terrorism, inflation and economic decline that is so damaging for the future of this great nation.

Rahul’s performance in comparison to Modi’s was dismal, losing every State where he campaigned. He has suddenly become a liability with dynastic charm, family attraction in decline. For thousands of years, India was ruled, subjugated, exploited and looted by Moghuls and British, with the connive of Rajput kings.

Now it is the turn of Italians with the help of Indian voters to continue this loot mentality. Perhaps the next election may read the last rights for Gandhi/Nehru clan who has turned Congress, once a citadel of national pride, patriotism oozed out of their leaders like Gandhi, Sardar and Bose but now personal citadel of one family who has heaped so much misery on India, hopefully voters giving them a one way ticket to Italy.

Modi is the poorest leading politician, especially when he is the Chief Minister of one of the most economically dynamic State in the Indian Union.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Thank you Madiba

As a former South African, I distinctly recall in 1994 in my penultimate year at University the immense sense of pride that I felt as I waited in a line for 4 hours to cast my vote for Mandela and the African National Congress. Growing up in an apartheid South Africa meant that I attended an Indians only school, lived in an Indian segregated racial area. The time had come to progress to a truly democratic society.

Later on, in my University hall of residence, it was only when I saw black, Indian, coloured and white students all jointly supporting the once White South African rugby team and the impact that Madiba had, did I fully appreciate the impact of what living in a truly democratic society meant in an era of forgiveness and reconciliation. An unforgettable, surreal time in South Africa’s history.

Thank you Madiba for touching my life in this manner and making my home a better place.

Nagindas Khajuria London

Has India become a punch bag of the world?

In recent times we have witnessed too many incidents of punches to India.

Indian diplomat Devyani was strip searched and poked in every cavity of her body and three Indian citizens (called Richards) were whisked away from India to a foreign land under the nose of Indian Government, just like R&AW spy Rabinder Singh. It is a routine scene of Indian soldiers trampled upon and beheaded by neighbours. Not only are Indian fishermen from international waters kidnapped and jailed by foreign governments but they are also gun down at their own shores by foreigners. Foreign agents are dropping arms from space and touting floating armouries at Indian coastlines. Indian oil tankers are held by foreign governments.

How long will India remain the punch bag of the world? Is there a way out? The answers ought to be “not a minute longer” and “yes” respectively. First of all, (so called) India should denounce its

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Free Hindu School

In opposing the Hindu free school at the Teachers Centre, Councillor Hall supported local concerns and agreed that the proposals were “concerning”.

She said, “I am terribly concerned about the location, because there’s going to be poor access to the school making the traffic situation an absolute nightmare”: ‘New free school will cause ‘disastrous’ traffic’: Harrow Times on 28/6/12.

But now her minority administration has instigated a similar initiative – what hypocrisy!

Pravin Shah Via Email name given to it by foreigners and call itself by the name Bharat as stated in their constitution. This will close the door on all the negative connotations associated with the name. Next thing is to progress like its next door neighbour at a rate of 15% per annum. Within two decades, with these prescribed remedies, Bharat will be in the top League of Nations and Bharatis will be respected by others. Nobody will dare to strip, poke, behead or jail a Bharati.

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Media influence by Congress Party

I do not know exact time but perhaps during time of Indira Gandhi, the Congress party started to appoint certain members to high post, whose sole job is to make untrue statement or highlight trivial matters relating to opposition leaders or other people who raise voice against them. During last few years we have heard several obnoxious statements made by congress members like Digvijay Singh and Manish Tiwari against BJP and also leaders like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. The congress party leaders ignore such out bursts by their party members knowing full well that media will pick this and broadcast. Currently Narendra Modi is their target. At the same time any comments made by opposition or other people against Nehru/Gandhi family, however true and important, is generally given low profile by media.

Clearly a double standard by media in India and perhaps because owners of media empire see their benefit in maintaining congress government.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

COUNCIL

Ex-mayor Bhupendra Patel told to resign over benefit fraud

A council leader has called for the resignation of a former mayor who admitted benefit fraud, the BBC has reported.

Wellingborough councillor Bhupendra Patel, pictured, was given a suspended jail sentence by magistrates, last week.

The councillor admitted failing to disclose his councillor allowance while receiving incapacity benefit.

The council said Patel had resigned the Conservative whip but remained a councillor.

Patel, who received an eight-week suspended sentence, confirmed he was not going to resign, but did not want to comment further.

He pleaded guilty to failing to promptly notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change of circumstances between 14 June 2009 and 1 May 2013. A figure for the amount of benefit he fraudulently received was unobtainable from the court and the DWP. He is still in post as an independent councillor, a council spokesman said.

Council chief executive John Campbell reportedly said that under the Local Government Act 1972,

the conviction of a councillor which results in a prison sentence of less than three months does not disqualify them from being a member of a borough council.

Conservative council leader Mr Bell reportedly said he would still "strongly urge him to resign as a borough councillor".

"We are legally unable to remove him from the council, and as an independent member he will be entitled to sit on committees and take part in debates and decision," he said.

"This, to me, is a com-

pletely unworkable situation.

"Clearly Bhupendra Patel has breached that trust and confidence, and I can't see how he can continue as a councillor.

"There is no excuse for benefit fraud and someone holding public office and responsible for public money knows that as much as anyone.

"I am appalled that we find ourselves in this situation.

"As leader of the council, I strongly condemn the actions of Bhupendra Patel and call on him to resign with immediate effect."

A man who cheated Harrow Council out of thousands of pounds in benefits by pretending he was a “paying guest” in his own house, has been ordered to pay all the money back and carry out community work.

Hiren Patel, 32, of Graham Road, Wealdstone, spent nearly 4 years pretending he didn’t know his own mother.

To maintain the charade, he even provided a signed letter claiming the two weren’t related.

But all along Mr Patel was a joint mortgage holder on the 3-bedroom house – living there with both his parents, his

brother and another guest.

The Council’s fraud team launched an investigation after becoming suspicious that Mr Patel knew his landlord.

Record searches not only revealed that Mr Patel was paying rent to his mother, but that the two jointly owned the residence. During the investigation, Mr Patel claimed that he was compelled to support his mother and his wife at different residences, as the two “were not getting on”. He admitted fraudulently claiming housing benefit when he appeared at Willesden Magistrates Court on

December 17.

He was given a Community Order of 150 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to repay £5,353 compensation, pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs, and a £60 victim surcharge.

Cllr Susan Hall, Leader of Harrow Council, said: “This is a disgraceful example of a dishonest man deliberately stealing valuable resources from people who really need them. We are determined to root out this criminal behaviour, on behalf of the taxpayers of Harrow, and the residents who legitimately need these benefits.”

Benefit cheat caught claiming rent on own house

Ban parents from smacking kids

Parents should be banned from smacking children, the children's commissioner for England has told The Independent.

Maggie Atkinson said it was her personal view that the current law gives pets and adults more rights to be protected from violence than children. Under current legislation parents can hit a child if it constitutes "reasonable chastisement" and does not leave a serious mark. While the four children's commissioners in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern

Ireland do not have a published position on the issue, Atkinson used an interview with The Independent to reveal that she is in favour of a total ban —which would see parents face criminal action for corporal punishment. Atkinson, who has two adult step-children, said that despite her strong feelings about the issue, her office was not planning to fight for a ban in 2014 because in the current climate such a move would be "running up a blind alley".

UK

11

Takeaway pizza pair jailed for £600k VAT scam Two Hampshire businessmen who ran pizza franchises in the south of England have been jailed for a £600,000 VAT fraud.

Mukesh Patel, 55, and Harishchandra Desai, 61, were franchisees of Pizza Hut UK Ltd and operated four takeaway restaurant outlets in Southampton, Poole and Bournemouth.

The men traded as Pizza Delivery Services Ltd from October 2002 to September 2011.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators discovered that, although the company was registered for VAT, the men only declared takings from three of their four outlets. Figures for the Poole restaurant were not included on VAT returns.

HMRC criminal investigators worked closely with Pizza Hut UK Ltd to analyse sales data, and records revealed that Pizza Delivery Services Ltd suppressed the turnover figures from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2010.

There were differences between data supplied by the men to HMRC and that supplied to Pizza Hut UK Ltd, resulting in a VAT shortfall of almost £200,000. The pair failed to supply VAT returns for

An earlier civil investigation by HMRC into P i z z a Delivery Services Ltd found the men had submitted nine false VAT Mukesh Patel Harishchandra Desai purchase any of the restaurants to HMRC invoices from July 2010 to between April 2005 and September 2011, resulting July 2007 to reduce the in a further VAT debt of amount of VAT due. over £400,000.

The men pleaded John Cooper, HMRC’s guilty at Southampton Assistant Director of Crown Court on 8 Criminal Investigation, October 2013 to cheating said: the public revenue of “Desai and Patel ran £598,415 in VAT. They four lucrative pizza franwere sentenced at chises, but greed and a Southampton Crown desire to fund their comCourt on 20 December fortable lifestyles and 2013. other business ventures Both men were senled them to commit calcutenced to 18 months in lated VAT fraud over a jail, and will serve half in number of years. We custody. would like to thank Pizza The men both used the Hut for their assistance proceeds of their crimes to and co-operation in bringenhance their lifestyles ing these men to justice. and business interests.

“Our message to crimBoth men own Mercedes inals is clear - it is simply motor vehicles. Desai not acceptable to steal spent a great deal of from the tax system and, money on the interior ultimately, every honest design of his home near person in the UK. Anyone the New Forest. with information about Confiscation proceedVAT fraud should contact ings and a review of the the Customs Hotline on men holding company 0800 59 5000.” directorships will follow.

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MEDIA WATCH

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

The old year disappeared in a blitz of media headlines, ranging from the fraught case of Devyani Khobragade, the Indian Vice Consul General in New York, who was arrested by the police, publicly handcuffed, as she was collecting her daughter from school, held in prison for a day with common criminals and drug addicts, strip-searched, before being released on bail. Ms Khobragade was charged with making a false statement on the visa application for her Indian maid, who, it is alleged, was paid a salary below the minimum wage required under US law.

If there was a case to answered, there were surely better ways to go about it. It was the treatment meted out to a senior Indian woman diplomat that aroused the ire of an entire nation.

Government and Opposition alike were, for once, on the same page. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Look Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and Congress Party Vice President Rahul Gandhi cancelled their meetings with a delegation of visiting US legislators. “India can’t be treated like a banana republic,” fumed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath. Mr Menon described the treatment of Ms Khobragade as “despicable and barbaric.” A number of privileges accorded to US diplomats in India and to US mission in the country have been withdrawn. Indo-US ties have clearly been struck taken a major blow, and it will be awhile before relations are restored to their former warmth and cordiality. (See page 3 for comment)

Kejriwal empowered

changing its spots Ethiopian his skin.

or

Suzuki to spread its global wings Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation is to shift its entire export operations for the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia to India by the end of the next fiscal (2014-15), said R.C. Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

Agreement (FTA) with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) negotiated in Jakarta by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The agreement on goods and services is the culmination of a series of steps over the past decade and is aimed at boosting the movement of Indian professionals to an area consisting 10-member

Tejas inducted into IAF

the

BJP broadsides

Meanwhile, the top brass of the BJP have fired a succession of broadsides at Mr Kejriwal for taking power with Congress support. BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley accused him of “political opportunism” of a rather low brand, forgetting in his haste to defame, his party’s decision to vote with the Communists in Parliament to nullify the landmark Indo-US accord on civilian nuclear cooperation, which was a vital cog in India’s power programme, and hence in the national interest.

Rahul Gandhi, Anna Hazare

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, wrote a warm letter of thanks to Anna Hazare for his

also gave the green signal for two other projects, the first involving the manufacture of 16 anti-submarine warships capable of operating in shallow waters, and two diving support vessels designed to rescue sailors from disabled submarines. Also on the list of purchases are 41 Dhruv advanced helicopters, designed and manufactured in India.

Suzukiu Maruti headquarters in India

“Suzuki’s overseas marketing division functions on a territorial basis. All of them will shift to India with export headquarters being set up at our office in Vasant Kunj,” New Delhi, he explained. The export headquarters will report to Maruti Suzuki. Suzuki Motor owns 56 per cent of Maruti Suzuki.

Rising salaries and an ageing population in Japan have lost the company its competitive edge.

Overseas helpline

A rise in exports to emerging Arvind Kejriwal, Pied Piper of markets has the Aam Aadmi movement, havbecome someing been empowered by his folthing of a comfort lowers to take the reins of govzone for motor ernment in Delhi, was duly manufacturers in sworn in as its Chief Minister at India, facing stagthe weekend. Lacking an overall nant domestic majority in the State Assembly, demand. Sales in he will be reliant on eight Europe and North Congress legislators to carry America have also through his promised proslowed, hence gramme. Such support from the Renault-Nissan, outside is far from a done deal.

Hyundai and Ford Any major reversal of the previare focusing their ous Congress-led Sheila Dikshit efforts on making government’s plans already in India their export Anna Hazare and Rahul Gandhi the pipeline will end that suphub. The depreciport, as Ms Dikshit has made ation of the rupee against the support to the Union Government abundantly clear. Mr Kejriwal, dollar has been a further incenon its Lokpal Bill, where Mr proclaimed a Times of India tive behind this decision since it Hazare only two years and more headline, is “to wear crown of has boosted exports, which have ago, was denounced for his thorns,” an oblique reference to more than doubled in 2012-13.

“Sedan and Utility Vehicles have been showing a rising trend.

Manufacturers have ramped up their capacity for these vehicles due to expanding domestic demand and have also concurrently started focusing to optimally utilize their capacities,” said Ajay Srinivasan, Director CRISIL Research. In Suzuki’s case, India has been a remarkable success story. The company has adapted well to the Indian market and to the psyche of Indian customers. The experience should stand it in good stead in Africa, Latin America etc. India’s is strategic location in relation to the Middle East, Arvind Kejriwal’s swearing-in ceremony South and East Africa and South-East Asia (Mint, Hindu Christ’s crucifixion. The paper, December 18, 23) attempts to get this on the statute noted for its robust belief in the book through mass civic action. virtues of the free market, ASEAN trade deal Mr Hazare, for his part, expressed advised the new messiah, in its his appreciation to Congress and confirmed editorial, to forsake his economother parties, barring Mulayam ic populism, but that, surely, is Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Dal, for The Indian Cabinet has no more likely than a leopard supporting the bill. approved the Free Trade

India’s fourth-generation Tejas (Mark-I) warplane has been formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF), with most its warfare systems in place. The aircraft’s Mark-II version, with its more powerful engine and more advanced weapons suite is cexpected to be fully operational by 2017-18. Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, ,who retired as air chief on December 31, has been

countries. The Agreement on Investment is aimed to promote, protect and increase investment flows into India and its partner countries (Hindu December 20)

Net direct tax collection up

Net direct tax collections from April-December 20 registered a rise of 13.7 per cent, of which corporate tax collections rose by 10.2 per cent. Personal income tax collections have shown surprisingly good growth of 20.5 per cent. However, the government’s overall tax collection target of 19 per cent for the current fiscal, which ends on March 31, 2014, is still to be achieved.

Finance Minister Chidambaram’s goal of keeping the fiscal deficit to 4.8 per cent of GDP becomes tougher unless the tax collection in the last quarter of the 2013-14 rises appreciably. Finance Minister Chidambaram has insisted that he will not allow the targeted 4.8 per cent fiscal deficit to be breached – which means further cuts in government spending must follow (Hindu December 22)

Kishenganga green signal

The Hague-based International Court of Arbitration has judged that India can go ahead with the construction of the 330MW Kishenganga hydro-electric project in south Kashmir, which Pakistan had opposed on the ground that it violated its rights as a riparian state. The court upheld India’s right under the Indo-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 to divert water from the Kishenganga river for power generation in Jammu and Kashmir. The court, however, made provision for a minimum flow of nine cubic metres per second into Pakistan’s Neelam river at all times. TheNeelam is situated south of the project area (Hindu December 22)

Barak missile done deal

India’s Defence Ministry has approved the acquisition of 262 Israeli Barak-1 missiles for the country’s navy. The ministry

Air Chief Marshals NAK Browne (retired)

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha

succeeded by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. Meanwhile, India’s 3000-kilometre Agni III ballistic missile – which is capable of carrying a one tonne nuclear warhead - was fired successfully from a mobile launcher as part of a series of routine tests.

LeT terrorists held, killed

Three leaders of the Lashkar-eToiba organization were arrested in a large security operation in the Kashmir capital, Srinagar, last week following an intelligence tip-off. A subsequent battle involving the paramilitary Rashtriya Rifles and the Special Forces unit of the Indian Army and the Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT) resulted in the death of top Pakistani-based LeT commander, Omar, when his hideout in Huhroo village, in Budgam district, was destroyed. His body was recovered together arms and explosives. The encounter lasted an entire day (Times of India, Hindu December 27).

UK

13

Well-worthy Asians top New Year’s Honours List

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

First time ever since 1917, women have outnumbered men

Tanveer Mann

The annual Honours List was revealed on New Year’s Eve and brought with it a lot of anticipation.

Every year, a select few well-worthy Britons are bestowed honours by the Queen, both on her birthday and at the start of the new year, to mark the extraordinary achievements and contributions Britons make to our society.

This year, a total number of 1195 people were recommended to the Queen for an award. From this, 2 candidates were awarded Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour, 22 were honoured as Knights, 16 were honoured as Dames, 104 candidates received CBEs, 241 received OBEs, 469 received MBEs, and 329 received BEMs. Out of the total number, 74% of recipients have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity. There has been

a wider representation of women and ethnic communities in the list, due to more determined efforts this year to engage minority communities. For the first time since the Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917, women have outnumbered men, representing 51% of the total whilst 5% of the successful candidates come from ethnic minority communities including South Asians (list as below).

There was wide speculation that sports stars David Beckham and Andy

Murray would be receiving knighthoods yet it seems they have missed out this year, due to sources citing that the stars should wait longer before receiving more awards. Instead, honours have been awarded to hundreds of 'everyday heroes' including Jasvir Jassal, Vice-Chair and Coach of Concorde Rangers Football Club which works to engage with the BME community providing avenues of development for young people, who was brought to the attention of the Queen.

COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (CBE)

Professor Ash Amin, FBA Professor of Geography, University of Cambridge. For services to Social Science.

KNIGHT/DAME

Asha Khemka OBE Principal and Chief Executive, West Nottinghamshire College. For services to Further Education.

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (OBE)

Mahmood Ahmed Chair, Birmingham City Labour Party. For voluntary political service.

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh For services to Business and to the Asian community in Scotland.

Harjagbir Bal Headteacher, Wembley High Technology College, London Borough of Brent. For services to Education.

Shahed Ahmed Battiwala Headteacher, Elmhurst Primary School, Newham. For services to Education.

Asim Hafiz Religious adviser and Imam, HM Armed Forces. For services to Defence, especially in support of Afghan Operations.

Sofia Aktar Motin Islam Headteacher, Stanton Bridge Primary School, Coventry.

For services to Education.

Miss Priya Lakhani Entrepreneur. For services to Business, community and Voluntary Initiatives.

Muhammad Khawar Amin Mann Founding Member and Chair, Mosaic. For voluntary and charitable service.

Professor Abhay Rane Consultant Urological Surgeon, East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, Surrey. For services to laparoscopic Surgery.

Ashok Soni Pharmacist, Croydon and Founding Member, NHS Future Form, Surrey. For services to Community Pharmacy and the NHS.

MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (MBE)

Mr Raj Kumar Bali – 78 yrs old – Derby For Services to Inter-faith Relations in Derby and the East Midlands

Dr Satbir Singh Jassal – 52years old – Loughborough General Practitioner and medical Director, Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People. For services to Palliative Care for Children and Young People.

Dr Sadhu Singh Gakhal – 67 yrs old – Wolverhampton Vice Chair, British Sikh Consultative Forum. For Services to the Sikh Community.

Asha Khemka

Ashok Soni

Priya Lakhani

Mrs Ranjana Bell – 63 yrs old – Newcastle upon Tyne Chair, Strategic Independent Advisory Group, Northumbria Police. For services to Minority Ethnic Groups in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.

Brij-Mohan Gupta - London Lately President National Council of Hindu Temples. For services to Inter-faith cohesion.

Mrs Zaidah Parveen Ahmed JP – 44 yrs old – Rotherham, South Yorkshire Schools Community Engagement and Cohesion lead, Rotherham Borough Council. For services to the community in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Mr Fathir Khan – 75 years old – Sheffield, South Yorkshire For services to the Asian community in Sheffield, South Yorkshire Miss Zanib Rasool – 51 years old – Rotherham, South Yorkshire For services to the community in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Mr Mahammed Ameenuddin Hussain – 71 years old – Welling, Kent Manager, Asian Resource Centre, Greenwich. For services to Adult Education and to the community in Greenwich.

Mr Gulam Siddiquie – 71 yrs old – Motherwell, Lanarkshire General Secretary, Lanarkshire Muslim Welfare Society.

For services to Cultural Integration and to the community in Lanarkshire

Dr Arnab Basu Chief Executive Officer, Kromek Limited. For services to Regional Development and International Trade.

Dr Davinder Kumar Kapur – Antrim For services to Healthcare in Northern Ireland and Abroad.

Faiza Khan - London Deputy Chief Executive, National Council for Voluntary Youth services. For services to Young People.

Yasmin Shabir – Shipley, West Yorkshire Administrative Officer, Personal Tax, Bradford, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Equality and Diversity.

Tapshum Pattni - Birmingham Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, Birmingham Social Services. For Services to Social Care.

Veda Poon – London Deputy Director, G8 Policy, European and Global Issues Secretariat, Cabinet Office. For services to the UK Presidency of the GS in 2013.

Prof Ash Amin

Brij-Mohan Gupta

Dr Satbir Singh Jassal

Salim Sidat – Blackburn, Lancashire For services to the community and Policing in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Mrs Bisakha Sarker - Liverpool, Merseyside For services to South Asian Dance in Merseyside.

DIPLOMATIC SERVICE AND OVERSEAS LIST

MBE

Anil Parbhu Patel – Second Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

For services to British diplomacy.

QUEEN'S POLICE MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICES

John Ahmed Anwar – Police Constable from Derbyshire Constabulary

Akra Mullah Khan – Chief Superintendent from Nottinghamshire Police

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL (BEM)

Amarjit Kaur, Mrs Bakhshi - London For services to the community in Hounslow

Mr Jasvir Jassal – 48 years old – Southall, Middlesex Vice-Chair and Coach, Concorde Rangers Football Club and Charity Campaigner. For voluntary service to Community Football in Middlesex.

Jasvir Jassal told Asian Voice:

“I work with and I am ViceChair and Coach of Concorde Rangers Football Club, which aims to engage with the BME community providing avenues of development for young people, not just to play football but also within the coaching system and referee system providing education.

I've supported a lot of young people in their endeavours and also in my past, I have supported charities which engage with a lot of people, helping people get of the streets and giving them thickness and healthier opportunities.

I'm very proud to receive this honour and I'm very passionate about helping young people and I'll continue to support the club and I'll also continue to support the grassroots community as well.”

This is not an exhaustive list.

For more information, see: www.gov.uk

14

UK

3 Indians named Royal Pharmaceutical Society Fellows

Last week the Royal Pharmaceutical Society released the names of their new Fellows - one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon Society Members.

It recognises the distinction RPS Members have attained in a particular aspect or aspects of their pharmacy career.

As Fellowships are based on nominations from Members, it also signifies the esteem in which members are held by their peers, and as such is a mark of achievement which all Members should aspire to.

In 2013 the Panel of Fellows appointed 44 new Society Fellows, 27 of these were appointed in November and consisted of three Indians.

They are: Raj Aggarwal, Umesh Patel and Bharat Shah.

Raj Aggarwal, is a Community Pharmacist

Raj Aggarwal

in Cardiff and Managing Director of Aggarwal Group and was in senior management with Boots plc until 1983, managing large stores throughout the country. He is a Board Member of National Pharmacy Association, Community Pharmacy Wales and Chairman of the South East region. Raj has freely given of his time for philanthropic activity and is Chairman of Kidney Wales Foundation and was awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to pharmacy,

Many congratulations to Meera and Ravi, daughter of Dr Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia and son of Mr Jagdish and Mrs Shyama Kotecha for their wedding on 28 November 2013

Umesh Patel

the Asian community and charitable services.

Umesh Patel, who hails from Bhadran, lives in Sunderland and is an NPA nominee on PSNC as well as owning two independent community pharmacies and representing the North East region on the NPA board. He works tirelessly to represent pharmacies both in his area and beyond and he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2011 New Year Honours List, recognising his services to in healthcare

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Bharat Shah

Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.

Bharat Shah, the managing director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, has led Sigma, a licensed pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor of generic and branded medicines which he set up over 25 years ago, through a challenging recession. He has also tirelessly campaigned for action to solve the drugs shortage on behalf of independent community pharmacists and patients across the UK.

On 1st December 2013, the Nagrecha family and friends of North London Lohana community honoured Dr Sudhir Ruparelia at the Edgware VIP Lounge. In this pic, L-R: Jagdish Nagrecha, Naresh Nagrecha, Lord Dolar Popat, Dipak Jatania, Jagdish Kotecha, Dr Sudhir Ruparelia and Janu Kotecha. Meera and Ravi (left pic) were also invited at this celebration.

Police reveals anti-Muslim hate crimes rising in Britain

Islamophobic hate crimes across Britain have risen dramatically this year, new figures have reportedly revealed.

Hundreds of offences were perpetrated against the country's Muslim population in 2013, with the Metropolitan police alone Britain's largest force recording 500 Islamophobic crimes, compared with 336 incidents in 2012 and 318 in 2011.

A large number of forces across the country reported a particular surge in the number of antiMuslim hate crimes following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby by two Islamic extremists in Woolwich, south-east London.

In May, the month in which Fusilier Rigby was killed, Scotland Yard recorded 104 anti-Muslim hate crimes, followed by a further 108 in June.

The figures were obtained by the Press Association which sent

Freedom of Information requests to every police force in England and Wales.

However of the 43 forces, just 24 provided figures on the number of antiMuslim crimes and incidents recorded- with some forces admitting they do not always record the faith of a religious hate crime victim. It is therefore likely that the actual numbers of incidents of hate crimes against Muslims perpetrated in 2013 was much higher.

Tell Mama, a group which monitors antiMuslim incidents, said it has dealt with some 840 cases since just April- with the number expected to rise to more than 1,000 by the end of March.

This compared with 582 anti-Islam cases it dealt with from March 2012 to March 2013.

Superintendent Paul Giannasi, Acpo's spokesman on hate crime,

said: "The police service is committed to reducing the harm caused by hate crime and it is vital that we encourage more victims who suffer crimes to report them to the police or through third party reporting facilities such as Tell Mama.

"We would obviously want overall crime levels to reduce and to see fewer victims, but we welcome increases in reported hate crime, as long as they are a sign of increased confidence of victims to report.

"We are working with local police forces, to help improve the way we respond to hate crime and to provide robust and transparent hate crime data."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "These are despicable crimes that devastate lives and communities.

The courts already hand out tougher punishments where race or religion are found to be

aggravating factors."

"The number of people receiving a custodial sentence for these appalling crimes is higher than ever before."

Cemeteries with graves of Indian soldiers receive £5 million grant

Cemeteries where brave Indian soldiers who died fighting for Britain in World War I have been buried, have now received a £5 million grant that will help conserve, repair and protect these burial sites.

While visiting Flanders as part of UK's massive plans to mark the centenary of the First World War in 2014, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced this funding.

Soldiers from India who sacrificed their lives for Britain will be honoured and remembered during UK's four-yearlong roster to commemorate the centenary of the great battle.

Around 1.2 million

soldiers from the undivided India fought for the British Empire during the war, of which 74,000 died.

Cameron said "the new funding will help conserve, repair and protect memorials and burial sites across the UK and overseas where British and Commonwealth servicemen and women are buried".

The money- £5 million to be spread over the 4 years of the First World War centenary - will also fund new educational materials including downloadable guides, to help explain the importance of sites and honour the sacrifice of those buried or commemorated there.

Musharaf Asghar

Mishal Husain

On Friday 27th December, Telegraph writers presented a list of who, they feel, are the top 10 Britons of the year. Proudly amongst those are two Asians who should be duly praised for their hard work and achievements.

Mr Burton is an extremely gifted English teacher at Thornhill Community Academy near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Having featured on Channel 4’s documentary series filmed at Thornhill called Educating Yorkshire, Burton proved that he genuinely cared for his pupils, managing to motivate them into doing

far better in exams than they thought possible.

Most notably, he was able to teach Musharaf Asghar, a student who couldn’t utter a word until meeting Mr Burton, was able to read a speech to his school, by practicing with headphones with music playing that would drown out his own voice.

Mishal Husain is the new voice of Radio 4’s Today programme. The daughter of Pakistani parents, she worked her way up the ladder of success.

Previously, she was an Olympic anchor and BBC Washington correspondent after 9/11.

Asians mentioned in Top 10 Britons of the Year

Inspector reveals Police manipulate crime data Her Winsor, Tom Chief Majesty’s of Inspector Constabulary, has told Affairs Home the Select Committee that he is “almost certain that some manipulation is going on” when police officers record crime statistics. He continued: “in anything that gets measured” there is an “incentive, resisted by many, the manipulate to process to make your own performance look good”.

Mr Winsor, who is the first chief inspector of constabulary to come nona from policing background, dis-

agreed with evidence given by the chief of the Police, Metropolitan C o m m i s s i o n e r Sir Bernard HoganHowe, who claimed inspectors praised the police force's crime data as “competent and reliable”. by asked When Committee chair Keith Vaz MP if there is manipulation occurring, Mr Winsor, a former rail regulator and lawyer, said: “It is almost certain that some manipulation is going on. The question is where, how much and how severe.” had he Earlier said,“the fact is in any-

thing that gets measured, once those who being are measured, whose performance are being measured, work out how the system works, there’s an incentive, resisted by many, to manipulate the process as to make your own performance look good.”

Mr Vaz said Sir Bernard and Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), the told not had earlier Committee this month that they believe fiddling of statistics is currently occurring.

SPECIAL

AAA: a reputation of inspiring and excellence...

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

The Asian Achievers Awards recognises the outstanding work from individuals from across all businesses and professions within the Asian community and acknowledges the accomplishments of the finest in the UK’s Asian community.

Hosted by Asian Business Publications Ltd (ABPL) publishers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, the event is now into its 13th year and is consistently favoured by the Asian community as the most prestigious and highly respected awards on the calendar.

Over the years the Asian community has made a significant contribution to the UK economy and to the rich cultural diversity of British society. British Asians are said to contribute 6% to the UK GDP, whilst making up only 4% of the population. Asians have continued consistently to scale the pinnacles of success and today occupy positions of authority and influence. Asian women too are at the fore-

WINNERS of 2006 Professional of the Year

Winner: Capt. Ashvini Sharma, Regional Director AirIndia, UK

Shortlisted Nominees Jiva Odedra Reena Ramesh Shah Parm Sandhu

Woman of the Year

Winner: Jasuben Seghani, Shop Owner

Shortlisted Nominees Shahin Badar Shashi Kiran Gossain Honey Kalaria

Achievement in Community Service Winner: Chandubhai Kanani

Shortlisted Nominees Vijay Ratan Manubhai Makwana Gopalbhai Popat and Induben Mehta

New Market Entrant

Winner: Majoj Ladwa and Vikas Pota – F o u n d e r s Saffron Chase

Shortlisted Nominees Suresh Vagjiani Suresh Kotecha Jes Kaur Raj Bakrania

Lifetime Achievement

Winner: Arjan Vekaria

Shortlisted Nominees K.B Shankar Yogesh Mehta Dr Mohan Kaul

Achievement in Media, Arts & Culture

Winner: Dr Avatar Lit, founder of Sunrise Radio Shortlisted Nominees Mira Trivedi Rakhi Sood Ashish Joshi

front of this success story, playing an increasingly important role in various walks of life. Sports, media, arts, culture and community services now boast Asian achievers at the highest level. It is against this background that the Asian Achievers Awards salute individuals who are singularly responsible for bringing the Asian community to the centre stage of British life. Exceptional and exemplary achievements of individuals that are truly inspirational.

AAA has evolved remarkably over the years and its most recent evening was by far one of the best. Littered with an impressive array of high net worth individuals, industry captains, high-level decision makers, Parliamentarians, community leaders and senior professionals, the Awards continues to surpass its own standard.

Though many Award ceremonies exist, the Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) is rather unique. Instead of a few individuals deciding who the award winner is, a truly

Business in Community

Winner: Manish Shah, Partner at Sigma Pharmaceuticals PLC Shortlisted Nominees Mr. DK Kewalramani Pramod Thakkar

Achievement in Sports

Winner: Hunisha Bharat Patel, Martial Arts Shortlisted Nominees Monty Panesar Sajid Mahmood Prince Naseem Ahmed

Business Person of the Year

Winner: Nadir Lalani, Founder of 99p Stores

Shortlisted Nominees Kantesh (Ken) Popat Ravi Gill Arvind Halai

Innovation in Business

Winner: Arvind Malhotra, Owner of GapGuru

Shortlisted Nominees Shashi Gossain Nikunj Shah

Woman of the Year

Winner: Dr Usha Menon, Lecturer at UCL, Head of Gynecological Cancer Research Centre

Shortlisted Nominees Dipa Jethwa Manisha Tank CII Anjana Patel

Achievement in Community Service

Winner: Viral Acharya, Founder of Pratham USA & Pratham UK Shortlisted Nominees Raj Loomba Shaunaka Rishi Das Vinod Kapashi

independent panel of judges are given total freedom to select a shortlist and then the winner in each category. Not only the subscribers and the readers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar but also the wider community is invited to nominate in various categories of the award, as it is publicised through radio, television, internet and various events. Every year we receive a record number of nominations and the calibre of the candidates are always very impressive.

Last year's coveted Asian Achievers Awards 2013 took place on Friday 6th September amid the fitting grandeur of Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1. The event paid particular homage to the achievements of women from Asian communities and across all spheres of professional life. Chief Guest was Cherie Blair CBE, QC; Special Guest, American civil rights leader, Rev Jesse Jackson; and Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, whilst the panel of judges was chaired by Rt Hon, Lord Dholakia OBE DL, Deputy

WINNERS of 2007

Business Community Award

Leader of the Liberal Democrats and hosts were Sky News presenter, Ashish Joshi, and comedian Shazia Mirza.

In the past, the Awards have been graced by a number of dignitaries including Vince Cable, Gregory Barker, Tony Blair, Jack Straw, David Blunkett, Patricia Hewitt, Ruth Kelly, Valarie Amos, Peter Hain, Eddie George, Yvette Cooper, Willie Whitelaw, Hema Malini amongst others.

The Awards have also shown continued support for underprivileged segments of society.

The proceedings of the evening, typically collected through an auction, are donated to the sponsored charity of the year. In the past, the Awards have supported Food For Life Vrindavan, Devadaya, Oxfam, St Luke’s, Silver Star, Sarvam, Lily Foundation. So far, we have raised around half a million in the past 13 years. We would like to invite charities interested in being a part of the forthcoming Asian Achievers Awards.

Interested charities, please email George at aaa@abplgroup.com.

Achievement in Media, Arts & Culture Renu Winner: Performing Arts

Winner: Nat Puri, Purico Group of Companies

Shortlisted Nominees Janak Ondhia Kishor Patel Pradeep Pandya

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner: Firoz Kassam, Entrepreneur, Hotels and B&Bs

Woman of the Year

Winner: Shriti Vadera, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development Shortlisted Nominees Mrs Deepakben Patel Gita Jobanputra Nilam Patel

WINNERS of 2008 Professional of the Year

Winner: Nishma Gosrani, Consultant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Shortlisted Nominees Bobby Grewal Bhanumati Piparia Chandrakalaben Patel

Sports Personality of the Year

Winner: Monty Panesar, Cricketer

Shortlisted Nominees Owais Shah Saima Hussain Kiran Matharu

Professional of the Year

Winner: Naynesh Desai, Solicitor

Shortlisted Nominees Puneet Arora Ritu Sethi Dr Satya Narayan Agarwal

Achievement in Community Service

Winner: Rati Shah, Fund Raiser Social Service Shortlisted Nominees Dr Ramesh Gandhi, Mahendra Jadeja Madat Ahame,

Patel,

Shortlisted Nominees Honey Kalaria Mira Kakad Ravi Sharma

Winner: Dalip Kumar, Founder Travelin Style Shortlisted Nominees Sanjay Vadera Shamir Shah Vikkas Puri

15

Shortlisted Nominees Anuj Chande Raj Joshi Dr Akbar Ali Malik

Business Person of the Year

Winner: Yogesh Mehta, Managing Director of Amertrans Shipping

Dolar Popat

Shortlisted Nominees Bemal Patel Hasmukhbhai Patel

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Suraj Gokani

Winner: Kuljinder S. Bahia, Director of Southall Travel t Shortlisted Nominees Rajesh Agarwal Devin Chawda

Woman of the Year

Winner: Kamal Hothi, Lloyds TSB Shortlisted nominees Manula Sood Sangeeta Patel Anita Chopra Salima Mawji

16

SPECIAL

Achievement in Healthcare and Education

Business in Community

Winner: Narendra Patel

Winner: Dr Dak Patel, Director London SAM Shortlisted Nominees Dr Reshma Ramesh Gandecha Arun Patel Dr Satyanarayan Agarwal

Achievement in Community Service

Winner: Dr Rami Ranger, Chairman of India, PAK, UK Friendship Forum

Shortlisted Nominees Vinod Kapashi Bharesh Trivedi Gordhandas S Patel

Shortlisted Nominees P.S. Kang Naynesh Desai Satish Parekh

Professional of the Year

Winner: Manjul K Vasant MBE

Shortlisted Nominees Cheryl Dhillon Zafar Siddique Mohammad Asghar

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner: Rishi Lakhani

Sports Personality of the Year

Winner: Maiyuran Ratneswaran, Fencing

Shortlisted nominees Shivam Shah Rashmi Yadave Manjit Singh

Achievement in Media, Art and Culture

Winner: Ravi Sharma, Radio Ambassador India & UK

Shortlisted Nominees Jay Kumar Nikita Thakrar Paresh Shah

Uniformed and Civil Services

Winner: PC Mebs Ahmed, Chairman of Lancashire, Black Police Association Shortlisted Nominees Supt. Raj Kohli Dr. Kadaba S V DL Ajit Patel

WINNERS of 2009 Woman of the Year

Winner: Uma A Mehta

Shortlisted Nominees Dr Monika Khanna Parveen Hassant Honey Kalaria

Civil Service and Uniform

Winner: Capt. Sandip Patel

Shortlisted Nominees Natubhai Somabhai Patel Shilpa Solanki Bhimji Vekaria

Business Person of the Year

Winner: Anil Maneklal Solanki

Shortlisted nominees Kirit Patel Thariq Mohammed Koolesh Shah

Shortlisted Nominees Snahal Patel Nina Kabra Bhavisha Patel

Media, Arts and Culture Winner: Chaman

Chamanlal

Shortlisted nominees Jasvinder Singh Bal Ashish Amrit Kotak JeetsScreen Idolz

Achievement in Community Services

Winner: Vraj Pankhania

Chauhan

Shortlisted Nominees Madhurikaben R. Patel Chhotalal Maganlal Limbachia Chhotalal Narottambhai

Sports Personality of the Year Winner: Rajeev Bagga

Shortlisted Nominees Ashwin Bhatt Shivam Shah Samit Patel

Excellence & Innovation

Winner: Frank Khalid

WINNERS of 2010 Professional of the Year Winner: Vijay Goel

S h o r t l i s t e d Nominees Prof S Homer Vanniasinka Dr Nora Vyas Dr Sandeep Mane

Media, Arts and Culture

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Achievement in Community Services Winner: Ranjan Manek, OBE

Shortlisted nominees Cllr Filly Maravala Darshan lal Kalhan Maneck A Dalal, OBE Sanjay Jagatia

Woman of the Year

Winner: Pavani Reddy

Shortlisted Nominees Jasuben Mistry Shalina Alabaksh Shashi Kiran Gossain

Business Person of the Year

Winner: Arun Panchariya

Shortlisted Nominees Dr Vijay Patel and Dr Bhikhu Patel Hemang Shah Raj K. Aggarwal OBE

Sports Personality of the Year Winner: Ravi Bopara

Shortlisted Nominees Ashpal Kaur Bhogal Michael Chopra Zesh Rehman

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner: Riz Navsarka

Shortlisted Nominees Abhishek Varma Jason and Dennis Singh Digwa Sujan Shah

Business in Community

Winner: Sukhpal Singh Ahluwalia

Shortlisted Nominees Sanjiv Mehta Subir Patel Anil Sehgal

Uniformed and Civil Services Winner: Bala Mehndran

Shortlisted Nominees Aliya Rashid Aswin Rana Zaheer Ahmad

Asian Voice Special Award for Ingenuity in Business Sanjiv Mehta

Overall Business Performance and Innovation

Dr Vijay patel and Dr Bhikhu Patel

Young Business person demonstrating sustained business growth Amit Patel

Best Overall Enterprise Subaskaran Allirajah

Leadership in Professions Bobby Karia

Achievement in Health Care Dr Nora Vyas

WINNERS of 2011 Professional of the Year Winner: Jasani

Bhupendra

Shortlisted Nominees Anuj Chande Dalip Puri Sujata Sharma

Achievement in Media, Arts & Culture Winner: Bobby Singh

Shortlisted nominees Nasif Ali Shiamak Davar Surjit Singh Ghuman

Sports Personality of the Year Winner: Rajiv Ouseph

Shortlisted Nominees Ashpal Kaur Bhogal Isa Gunha Manjit Singh

Achievement in Community Service

Winner: Major Tikendra Dal Dewan

Winner: Anjali Bulley

Shortlisted nominees Bujor J Avari Mark Sumariwalla Rajini Vaidyanathan

D.

Editor's award for Vision and Enterprise

Jason and Dennis Singh Digwa

Shortlisted Nominees Fauzia and Nooruddin Aftab Kamleshben Patel Anjum Anwar

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner: Mitesh Patel

Shortlisted Nominees Shazia Awan Nina Kabra Abhishek Varma

Uniformed & Civil Services Winner: Shindo Barquer

Shortlisted Nominees Dalwardin Babu PC Asif Sadiq Hitesh Oza

Woman of the year

Winner: Ruby McGregor – Smith

Shortlisted Nominees Cllr Mimi Harker OBE Yashmin Mistry Devi Kolli

Business in Community

Winner: Shernaz Engineer

Shortlisted Nominees Mandeep Atwal Manoj Patel Nish Kotecha

Business Person of the Year

Winner: Dr Rami Ranger

Shortlisted Nominees Rajan Amin Ruby McGregor-Smith Ali Kurji

Editor's Award for Vision & Enterprise

Dinesh Patel & S a v i t a b e n (Cofresh)

Editor's Award for Research and Compilation Dr Kusoom Vadgama

WINNERS of 2012 Professional of the Year Winner: Shah

Prof.

Sunil

Shortlisted Nominees Abhishek Sahdev Rajay Naik Dr Minaxi S. Desai CBE Prof. Alimuddin Zumla

Media, Arts and Culture Winner: Gunawardene

Nileeka

Shortlisted nominees Ray Panthaki Rishi Rich Dr Sathi Ludhianvi

Lifetime Achievement Winner: Lord Noon, MBE

Gulam

Shortlisted Nominees Baroness Shreela Flather Sir Anwar Pervex Nadir Lalani

Achievement in Community Services

Winner: Kishan Devani

Shortlisted Nominees Chelliah Yogamoorthy MBE Asif Iqbal Param Singh

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner: Shamir Shah

Special Editor's Award for Outstanding Services Through Legal Profession

HH Judge Sir Mota Singh QC

Editors Award for Vision & Enterprise Samrat Bhandari

AAA 2012 Talent Hunt

Woman of the Year

Winner: Shahnaz Hussain

Shortlisted Nominees Urvasi Naidoo Mishal Husain Dr Sonal Minocha

Business Person of the Year Winner: Allirajah

Subaskaran

Shortlisted Nominees Ashok Rabheru Mansoor Popat Dr Diwan Rahul Nanda

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Uniformed and Civil Services

Winner: Amjad Mazhar Hussain

Shortlisted Nominees Tejinder Ajimal Gurcharan Singh Dhesi MBE Darra Singh Lt Bhavna Parmar

International Personality of the Year Smt Hema Malini MP

International Personality of the Year Kevin Pietersen MBE

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Winner: Rajeeb Day

Shortlisted Nominees Aruna Seth Faiza Seth Nick Madhavji Rajeeb Dey

Business Person of the Year Winner: Firoz Tejani

Shortlisted Nominees Dilesh Mehta T h e m b a l a t h Ramachandran Mumtaz Khan

Woman of the Year

Winner: Farida Gibbs

Lifetime Achievement Award

Sports Personality of the Year Shortlisted Nominees Netan Sansara Mandip Sehmi Bulbul Hussain Gaz Choudhry

17

Shortlisted Nominees Meena Pathak OBE Kamal Basran Baljinder Boparan

Shortlisted Nominees Ishil Mehta Zima Parmar Priyesh Rawal

Winner: Akaash Bhatia

SPECIAL

Winners: Meera Tailor and Nisha Halai with Dr Merul Patel, Director, ABPL

WINNERS of 2013

Achievement in Media, Art and Culture Winner: Seeta Indrani

Shortlisted Nominees Navin Kundra Kiran Shah Amol Rajan

Achievement in Community

Winner: Professor Naina Patel, OBE Shortlisted Nominees Charan Kanwal Sekhon Dorab Erach Mistry OBE Piara Singh Aulakh MBE

Sports Personality of the Year

Winner: Ruqsana Begum

Shortlisted Nominees Kiran Matharu Saddiqa Shan Vishal Ladwa

Uniformed & Civil Services Winner: Chief Surjeet Manku

Supt

Shortlisted Nominees Shami Chakrabarti CBE Satya Minhas Ravi Chand CBE

Professional of the Year

Winner: Nandita Parshad

Shortlisted Nominees Arun Batia Professor Soraya Dhillon MBE Dr Ajay Gupta

Winner: Srichand Hinduja & Gopichand Hinduja

Shortlisted Nominees Fauja Singh Anil Agarwal Nasser Hussain OBE

Editor's Award

Anita Choudhrie

Lawyer of the Year Mitesh Patel

18

FINANCIAL VOICE Financial Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Low liquidity in the currency markets allows majors to rally versus the Dollar, but will it last when the new year comes?

The significantly low trading volume and very thin liquidity caused by the absence of most market participants have allowed the Euro to explode from 1.3750 to nearly 1.3900 and back to 1.3740 in the same day making it almost impossible to trade it. The Pound was in a similar mood climbing to 1.6570 only to give back its gains within the day and close near the 1.6470 area.

I would like to mention that the Holidays' season is not the best time to trust the market's moves as even the slightest of trades gets magnified by the lack of opposing demand and these overextended rallies reverse as easily as they are created. It is important to mention that even though the Dollar has been devaluated at the ending of last week nothing has changed to cause this and no news-related development has occurred thus this rally should be regarded of low significance.

I believe that once the new year begins and market participants return to their desks the US Dollar will receive significant demand across the board. Fed's decision to taper its asset purchases program came in late this year and pretty close to the Holidays' season and even though it seems that investors had pretty much priced in this development I don't think we've seen the end of their reaction. I think that the Euro will get pressured by the expected demand for Dollars and this will send the European currency significantly lower.

On the case of the Pound I am pretty eager to find out how the UK currency will fare versus the rising Dollar during the first weeks of the new year. The domestic economy is going from strength to strength and this will undoubtedly cause some friction to the Cable pair that will most probably experience proDollar and pro-Pound flows at the same time. Only time will show which will prevail but I think there's money to be made by taking advantage of the extreme levels that the currency pair will reach.

I am pretty certain that the week ahead of us will continue to feature extremely low trading volume and very thin liquidity and this could make for either very low volatility or extremely wide swings as we witnessed recently. In either case if you would like to trade these days I strongly suggest that you do it with caution and not trust the current price actions in the same way you would do any other day of the year.

Indian firms garner Rs 453 bn via public equity markets

Helped by the offer for sale (OFS) route, a whopping Rs 453 billion was mobilised through public equity markets in 2013, a growth of 25 per cent over last year, according to Prime Database.

"The year could have been much better but for the continuous deferment of several PSU offerings and the volatility in the secondary market through most of the year," said Prithvi Haldea, MD Prime Database.

During 2013, Rs 453.72 billion was raised through public equity markets higher than Rs 362.53 billion garnered in 2012.

It, however, fell substantially short of Rs 990.22 billion, the highest amount ever raised in 2010.

PSUs dominated the year, raising Rs 253.54 billion or 56 per cent of the total amount. This was much higher than Rs 196.79 billion raised in 2012.

According to Prime Database, fund raising in 2013 was substantially

achieved through 84 OFS route - the share sale method allowed by market regulator Sebi to comply with regulatory requirement of minimum 25 per cent public shareholding.

These offers accounted for 53 per cent of the total amount mobilised during the year. They are largely viewed as safe investments as they are by the companies that are already listed companies and carry at a discount to the market price.

However, the proceeds from such sales do not go to the company but to the selling shareholders.

Haldea said OFSes were in the limelight, especially in the AprilJune quarter with companies having to meet the June 2013 MPS compliance deadline given by Sebi.

Another new instrument allowed by Sebi, institutional placement programme (IPP), primarily for the same purpose, saw 12 companies raking in Rs 48.23 billion.

Inflation limiting RBI's ability to boost growth: Rajan

Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan said the challenge of containing inflation is limiting the central bank's ability to boost economic growth, while urging the government to continue with fiscal consolidation to support the economy.

The comments were included in the foreword of the central bank's financial stability report published on Monday, which comes after the RBI surprised investors by keeping interest rates unchanged this month after raising them by a total of 50 basis points in September and in October.

Analysts say the RBI

could resume tightening monetary policy by early next year should inflation remain high, even as the economy is growing below the decade low of 5 per cent posted in the fiscal year ending in March.

The report also reiterated the RBI's previously

stated concerns about the level of bad assets in the banking sector, while noting a corporate "failure" could trigger contagion in the interlinked banking system.

"The outlook for the economy has improved, with export growth regaining momentum, but growth is still weak," Rajan wrote.

"The challenges of containing inflationary pressures limit what monetary policy can do."

The RBI report also called the "fall in domestic savings and relatively high fiscal deficit" as other key concerns for the Indian economy.

The government is expected to slash spending to meet a fiscal deficit target of 4.8 per cent of gross domestic product for the year ending in March.

Rajan urged the government to continue to push through policy reforms and fiscal consolidation, while noting the prospect of a divided verdict in general elections due by May was creating investor uncertainty.

"Policy certainty is something investors look for in the current environment," Rajan wrote in his foreword.

"A stable new government would be positive for the economy," he added.

vey, India's e-commerce market, which stood at $2.5 billion in 2009, reached $8.5 billion in 2012 and rose 88% to touch $16 billion in 2013.

The survey estimates the country's e-commerce market to reach $56 billion by 2023, driven by rising online retail.

As per responses by 3,500 traders and organised retailers in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata who participated in the survey, online shopping grew at a rapid pace in 2013 due to

aggressive online discounts, rising fuel prices and availability of abundant online options.

Among the cities, Mumbai topped the list of online shoppers followed

by Delhi, while Kolkata ranked third, the survey found.

The age-wise analysis revealed that 35% of online shoppers are aged between 18 years and 25 years, 55% between 26 years and 35 years, 8% in the age group of 36-45 years, while only 2% are in the age group of 45-60 years. Besides, 65% of online shoppers are male while 35% are female.

To make the most of increasing online shopping trends, more companies are collaborating with daily deal and discount sites, the survey pointed out.

The Indian finance ministry has invited service tax from all citizens who haven't paid their dues since 2007, and has warned that stern action will be taken against tax evaders after the payment scheme finishes on January 1, 2014.

Advertising it as the final call to 'come clean', the Customs and Federal Excise department started a 'Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme' (VCES) for service tax defaulters.

While addressing a news conference, revenue secretary, Sumit Bose, said after the last due date of the scheme on December 31, service tax evaders would be subject to arrest and prosecution.

Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) fiasco and a soothing solution for the cheated investors still seems far away.

Saradha scam, perpetrated in the garb of chit funds, began unravelling in April before political ripples forced the governments, both at the Centre and in West Bengal, to swing into action.

Though there are no official figures, estimates peg the total amount involved

in Saradha scam at about Rs 300 billion.

Adding to the list, NSEL's Rs 56 billion payment crisis has not only dragged the exchange but also its promoter Financial Technologies and other group firms.

Many of the frauds targeting investors' hardearned money have striking similarity to 'ponzi' schemes, while there are also cases of promoters and top management personnel allegedly siphoning off money from their respective companies for personal gains.

Ponzi schemes involve collection of money from public investors with promises of huge returns that are paid from deposits made

by new investors. In one case, a company ‘Beetal Livestock & Farm’ came under Sebi scanner for promising hefty returns on investments for rearing goats. While the size of individual ponzi schemes that came to light in India this year is relatively smaller, there are many cases and their cumulative size could easily run into billions.

Some notable instances include Sebi action against Alchemist group entities, where the money involved in fraudulent activities was around Rs 15 billion. The government has ordered SFIO probes against 76 companies so far this fiscal - the highest count in three years.

Raghuram Rajan

Indian e-commerce market up 88% in 2013

India's e-commerce market grew at a staggering 88% in 2013 to $16 billion, riding on booming online retail trends and defying slower economic growth and spiralling inflation, according to a survey by industry body Assocham.

"The increasing internet penetration and availability of more payment options boosted the ecommerce industry in 2013," Assocham secretary general DS Rawat said.

"Besides electronics gadgets, apparel and jewellery, home and kitchen appliances, lifestyle accessories like watches, books, beauty products and perfumes, baby products witnessed significant upward movement in last one year," Rawat said.

According to the sur-

Service tax evaders in India warned

Indian investors lost Rs 400 bn in 2013 ponzi schemes

From illegal money pooling to siphoning off funds, a multitude of frauds together worth at least Rs 400 billion have come to light in 2013, even as government agencies and rejuvenated legislations promise to curb this spiralling menace.

With enticing promises of unrealistic returns, a large majority of these frauds revolve around unauthorised money raising activities or ponzi schemes targeting general public. Not just greed, corporate governance lapses and regulatory loopholes also provided scamsters leeway this year. If it was Saradha scam in the first half of the year, the latter part of 2013 witnessed National

FINANCIAL VOICE

Time to get of the fence

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

It is that time of year when everyone recaps on 2013 and makes predications as to which way the housing market will go in the coming year.

The past year has been a strong one and a very busy one for us, we are gearing up for a busier coming year with properties breaking ceilings, this sentiment has also been echoed by Allsops, the largest auctioneer in the UK, which recorded a massive £58m total at its final UK residential sale of the year on 18th December at a period which is traditionally a slow time for property. This has been the largest December residential sale on record since 2007 giving a success rate of 87%.

Commenting on the day, auctioneer Gary Murphy said “this has been one of the most exciting sales that I can remember.

Prices were staggering, particularly for London property.

Bidders were not holding back and it’s apparent that there’s a high level of confidence in the market. Purchasers are very comfortable competing for the larger lots. In all 10 lots were sold for more than £1m contributing £17.51m to the total. 2014 is going to be a great year for the residential auction market I think”.

UK house prices are set to rise by up to 8% in 2014, building on the surprise gains made in 2013, according to the most bullish forecasts by economists and property professionals.

A round-up of seven surveys by banks, surveyors and estate agents shows widespread forecasts of further growth, with gains in all parts of the country, not just London and the south-east.

Government initiatives to boost mortgage lending have restored confidence to the property market and driven demand.

The most optimistic forecasters are predicting an 8% rise in prices next year, which would add almost £20,000, or £1,600 a month, to the most recent Office for National Statistics average house price of £247,000.

The normally pessimistic Capital Economics said it expected house prices to rise by 5% next year, and even admitted that could be an underestimate.

The further rollout of Help to Buy in early 2014, which will see major lenders such as Santander and Barclays offer 95% loans, is set to bring new borrowers into the market as it will open up more options for those with just 5% to put down as a deposit.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is forecasting 11% increases in London, but said it expected the east of England and east Midlands to record rises of 10%. Knight Frank is forecasting a rise of 8.4% in London, and 7.6% in the wider south-east and in the south-west. Looking further forward, Savills has said it expects the wider south-east to outperform London over the next five years, with Bournemouth, Brighton and Windsor among the towns expected to see average prices soar by 32% while London records gains of 24.4%, just behind a national average of 25%.

As you can see, most predictions are based on the whole of the housing market in the UK, some at best divide the UK up into a few segments.

However even when dividing it up into segments the property market should not be viewed so simply. Even when you consider central London alone there is much variation in this

patch. There are areas which will rise higher than the central London market as a whole, others which will ride with the natural rise of the market and others which will lag behind. This is how statics are calculated, the prices which lag behind are compensated by the high rising properties.

Even in this small patch there exists a lot of variations from street to street; 100 yards can make a lot of difference here. For example one of the areas I believe will rise very strongly in the next couple of years is the area closely in and around Queensway and Bayswater. The reason being the royal family of Brunei has purchased 75% of the properties on this street including the ice rink, it has big plans for this location, it has been reported £500m has been injected into this location.

Some other areas and segments of the market which I believe are under valued currently are buildings with commercial elements on the ground floors close to the cross rail stations on Oxford Street. The reason is the commercial parts are currently difficult to rent out to new tenants and existing ones are suffering due to the drop in passing trade. You will get a sub market rent until the stations open, then the these properties will command a superior rent, rents will rise higher than what they were previously. The real money as always will be made on the capital value of these properties, they will spike in value.

Generally the market tends to be short sighted and many do not want to wait to cash in.

There are two ways of purchasing a good deal, one is to buy instantly below market value, the other is to predict where the price of the property will go in the future. Buying a discounted property means you have gained from day one, it's a bird in hand. However it is not easy to find properties with a good level of discount in these locations.The other method, is something not everyone will see, in fact very few will be able to read and predict accurately where the market will go.

It's easy most of the time to see a below market priced property but not always, the reasons being sometimes, especially in the current environment, the prices which you see on the net are outdated. They do not reflect what's going on on the ground.

The stats online of sold properties are likely to be 3 to 6 months old. These in turn would have probably been agreed 3 months prior to the deal finally completing, this means the figures cannot always be relied upon. Areas like Shepherd's Bush and Ealing are heating up almost on a weekly basis. With local unbiased knowledge you can figure out whether you're purchasing a deal or not.

However to purchase something based on research and vision is another less used way and this may yield you even greater profits, as not many people are able to see trends and have the foresight necessary to see where the market will go. aWe are looking at a market which will be buoyant in the coming year, so if you have been sitting on the fence in regards to investing in property now is the time to call us.

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19

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l An excellent way to exploit the riding property market is to use the government help to buy scheme, this will allow you to purchase a £600k property for only £30k deposit.

l Don't get carried away with buying BMV properties, remember to see what's happening in the local area as well.

20

FINANCIAL VOICE

Vodafone, Tesco proposals get FIPB nod

maria@abplgroup.com

Hardened Hearts

Maria Fernandes

As 2013 draws to a close a sense of nostalgia is lacking in terms of immigration debate and Government policy. The clergy have spoken of a deliberate attempt by politicians to harden our hearts in all areas; chiefly among them in immigration. The debate has often ranged from xenophobic to pure hysteria.

The immigrants that are raged about are faceless and having an existence that is of huge numbers racing into the country taking jobs away from local people. When anyone tries to disagree with these policies, most recently the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, pure bile is exchanged in an attempt to rubbish his views. The reality is that he is right.

I would like to end this year by telling you a real tale of a person and thereby providing a face to the faceless.

A young couple left India to come to the UK as visitors, leaving behind their very young daughter in the care of relatives and with the intention of remaining in the UK to earn a living.

No doubt they believed that the pavements were paved with gold. They had a child who was born with severe disabilities.The child is malnourished. The husband caught TB as they were living in poor conditions and for a long time was unable to access medical facilities.

Eventually, when he was treated his kidneys were damaged. The NHS wanted him to pay for treatment and, as he could not afford the costs, his health wors-

ened to the point that now his kidney function is only 10% of what it should be. Whatever money he was able to gather has been spent on lawyers’ fees and his inability to work means that he is unable to afford further costs.

More importantly if he does not get treatment he is likely to die. He has already been through the court system and has been turned down as there was not medical evidence proving these facts.

The law on these cases is fairly tough. The courts have said that the UK is not the “world’s hospital” and that if treatment is available, regardless of affordability, applicants should return to their country.

Only exceptional cases, where death is imminent, are spared.

In terms of the hardened heart argument, he came here and remained illegally and therefore must bear the consequences. Secondly the courts are right –wecannot support everyone who comes over needing treatment. However the humanitarian bone in us should consider the facts. Put yourself in the decision maker’s shoes and decide, knowing that at some stage we will be at the pearly gates having to answer for our actions to the Almighty. The faceless have faces - they have blood running through their veins too.

What would you decide to do in these circumstances?

On this sombre note may 2014 be a good year for all my readers. Thank you for your comments throughout the year.

Vedanta resumes operations at Karnataka iron ore mine

Vedanta Resources Plc, a London-based mining conglomerate that has most of its assets in India, said it had resumed mining iron ore in Karnataka on Monday following clearance from a court-appointed panel.

Vedanta's Sesa Sterlite unit had been given the go-ahead by a committee appointed by the Supreme Court to restart operations at its mines in Karnataka, under certain conditions.

Vedanta, controlled by metals tycoon Anil Agarwal, has been hurt by the ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka and Goa over the last few

quarters.

India was the world's third-largest exporter of iron ore, shipping out ore worth more than $7 billion per year before the mining restrictions slashed the country's output and exports.

Iron ore production in Karnataka is expected to rise to 22.18 million tonnes in the year ending March 2015, according to a state government petition with the country's top court seeking to relax an annual mining cap of 30 million tonnes. Sesa Sterlite, formerly called Sesa Goa, is India's top private-sector mining company.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on Monday approved Vodafone’s proposal to acquire shares from Ajay Piramal and Analjit Singh for over Rs 100 billion, making the British telecom company among the largest foreign investors in India, while also allowing Tesco to set up the country’s first multi-brand retail chain with overseas funds.

Vodafone had first spent $11.1 billion to acquire a 67% economic interest in Hutch Essar and then got Essar to offload its 33% shares for almost $5.5 billion.

Through the latest transaction, which was approved by FIPB, the Vodafone will convert the Indian company into a wholly-owned entity.

Piramal holds almost 11% stake in India's second largest telecom company by subscribers, while Singh, who is Vodafone India’s non-executive chairman, has a 24.65% holding. Vodafone Group will pay Analjit Singh Rs 12.41 billion and Piramal

Ratings agency Crisil said government would overshoot its 4.8 per cent fiscal deficit target by 0.40 per cent this fiscal and suggested state-run companies should dip into their cash reserves to narrow the gap by paying extra dividends.

Given the current scenario, wherein the front loading of expenditure has resulted in 84.4 per cent of the budgeted fiscal deficit target being hit by November, Crisil said it expected the fiscal deficit to touch 5.2 per cent.

"The Centre can reduce its fiscal deficit by as much as Rs 200 billion this fiscal by using cash reserves of public sector units," its research wing said in the note. It said the top 20 public sector undertakings will have a cash reserve of Rs 1,600 billion by March 2014 and are "comfortably

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Enterprises Rs 89 billion for their stakes in Vodafone India as part of the transaction.

“We are pleased to have obtained FIPB approval to increase our stake in Vodafone India.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs still has to endorse this decision before either transaction can take place,” Vodafone said in a statement. All foreign investment proposals of over Rs 12 billion have to be approved by CCEA. A green light to Vodafone is the first instance of a telecom company being owned entirely by a foreign investor after the government recently allowed 100% FDI in a

sector that has faced security concerns in the past.

S i m i l a r l y, an approval for Tesco is the first case of a foreign multibrand retail chain being allowed to set up shop in the country. The British retailer is buying 50% stake in Tata Group’s Trent Hypermarkets and intends to invest $110 million initially to open stores in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The investment comes even as several global players, led by the world’s largest retailer Walmart, have postponed their plans to enter India, citing rigid rules that require foreign companies to invest in creating backend infrastructure and also source 30% goods from local players.

“This (FIPB approval) will now allow us to work on the practicalities of setting up the joint venture with Trent. Any such announcement will be

made in the usual way,” a Tesco spokesperson said in a statement.

The FIPB has also approved foreign investment proposals of Johnson & Johnson. A decision on HDFC Bank’s proposal to raise more equity from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) was, however, postponed.

Meanwhile, Vodafone has been asked to give the final reply on the government’s proposal for a nonbinding conciliation to settle the Rs 112 billion tax dispute, finance minister P Chidambaram has said.

“The conciliation has not started. Why has it not started? As the CEO of Vodafone told me they have multiple legal advisors and they do not seem to know which is the correct legal advice. “We have written to them recalling the promise made by the CEO when he met me that they will give a final answer in about 2-3 weeks. I think we have told them to give us the final answer,” Chidambaram said in a TV interview.

placed" to pay a special dividend. "We estimate these companies are well placed to distribute 40 per cent of the corpus (Rs 640 billion) as dividend without impacting growth plans," it said.

This amount will be Rs 270 billion more than the dividend paid by the companies in last year and after calculating the stake of the government in the companies, will result in an excess revenue of Rs 200 billion.

"The Rs 200 billion additional income would approximate 20 basis points of the fiscal deficit, which can help the government reach closer to its stated fiscal deficit target of 4.8 per cent," it said. On the fiscal deficit front, its president for research flagged concerns over the revenue collections from the taxation front.

The year 2013 has confounded pundits and laymen alike. The rupee and stock markets recovered from historic lows fairly quickly and stocks went on to touch all-time highs despite a sluggish economy and rising interest rates. The much-feared tapering came and went and Indian markets have so far shrugged it off as just another event. The doomsday predictions appear to have been postponed to another day.

FII flows, normally sluggish or moderate in December, have also surprised. So far this month, offshore funds have invested Rs148.07 billion, the second highest figure in the past 10 years. By the end of the year, inflows are likely to top Rs 150 billion though it is unlikely to reach anywhere close to last year's record of Rs

240.39 billion. "There is buoyancy in terms of foreign fund flows into the country, as many foreign investors expect stable and strong government at the centre post general elections next year," said U R Bhat, managing director at Dalton Capital Advisors.

Foreign investment flows into the stock market have surged after the global financial crisis as continuous stimulus measures from the US Federal Reserve opened the liquidity taps and sent money gushing into emerging markets. The biggest annual FII investment into India did not happen in 2006 or 2007, the boom years, but in 2010 and 2012. This year seems to end on a high again but all bets are off if the pace of tapering is stepped up and investors get jittery about emerging market bubbles.

nessmen.

Manyere described claims he had demanded a $45m fee from Zimbabwe’s largest miner, Zimplats, after handling the sale of a majority stake in the company to a group of local businessmen and employees as “completely

unfounded”.

The Harare-based investment banker and former World Bank official has worked on the indigenisation programme through his advisory and investment firm, Brainworks Capital Management, which was hired by the government to oversee the scheme.

Local press reports have claimed Manyere demanded the fee from Zimplats, which was controlled by Australian mining company Impala Platinum (Implats), as

part of the sale of a 51pc holding in the business for $971m. “When there is a major deal in a small economy like Zimbabwe, you have some people getting jealous. But reports of his fees is incorrect, when we finish we will get paid,” Manyere said. Manyere said he was not “hungry for money”, he just wanted a good deal for Africa.

Following the deal, the Zimbabwean government separately said it would “acquire compulsorily” 28,000 hectares owned by Zimplats, around half of the company’s mining land.

Crisil says India’s fiscal deficit Indian FII inflows in Dec to touch 5.2 pc in FY14 second highest in 10 years

Bob Diamond aide denies Zimbabwe claim

A key adviser to Bob Diamond’s new African investment fund has dismissed allegations over his involvement in the controversial Zimbabwean “indigenisation” scheme to seize assets from foreign companies.

George Manyere, a member of Diamond’s “founder network” for his $325m (£197m) Atlas Mara investment vehicle, has faced claims of profiteering on the back of the programme that has seen international businesses obliged to give up control of operations in the troubled country to local busi-

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

21

Foreign Exchange

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

GBP on the road to recovery The Pound rallied against the USD and Euro over the festive period. Following positive data in the UK and mixed data out of the US and Eurozone for the week beginning December 2013.

Earlier in the week we had UK GDP figures. These came in very strong when compared with last year. Coming in at 1.9%, far above the expected 1.5% growth economists had predicted. This positive data provided the impetus for a strong pound during the course of the week.

GDP figures were also strong in the US pointing towards a positive outlook for the US and global economy.

Annualized figures for the third quarter revealed the US economy had grown by 4.1% far exceeding expectations and 1.6% higher than the same time last year. Unexpectedly this lead to a US dollar sell off as the positive figured fuelled investor appetite for risker assets in other countries.

Disappointing personal consumption figures in the US came in below analysts’ expec-

tations, further weakening the currency against most of its trading partners. Given that consumer spending accounts for almost 70% of US economy these figures disappointed the market and pushed the dollar weaker.

In contrast to the US there was further positive news in the UK as mortgage approvals increased to a four year high of 45,000 in November surpassing expectations of a rise of 44,500.

Gross mortgage borrowing jumped to £10.3bn 37% higher

than the previous year. Policies such as the governments ‘Help to Buy’ scheme coupled with historically low interest rates were catalysts for these strong figures.

The Eurozone continued to produce disappointing data from some of its troubled economies. GDP in France contracted .1% as consumer spending slowed and exports dropped.

This sparked fear that France my dip back into recession and as a result the euro weakened off. Earlier in the week con-

sumer confidence the entire Eurozone was also lower than expected.

On Friday the pound rose to the highest since August 2011 as confidence in Britain’s economic recovery was boosted by an anticipated revival in the housing market and falling unemployment. Britain’s government bonds fell, pushing 10year yields above 3 percent for the first time since September as the Treasury said it’s considering making it easier for new banks and alternative finance providers to lend to smaller companies.

The euro also surged to a two-year high against the US dollar on Friday after an official at the European Central Bank cautioned against ultra-loose monetary policy.

Jens Weidmann stated that, low interest rates do not justify ultra-loose monetary policy, something the ECB has been considering over the past several months. He said the ECB “must take care to raise interest rates again in a timely manner should inflation pressures build”

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 31st December 2014 @ 10.30am GBP - INR = 102.13 USD - INR = 61.82 EUR - INR = 85.10 GBP - USD = 1.65 GBP - EUR = 1.20

EUR - USD = 1.38 GBP - AED = 6.07

GBP - CAD = 1.76

GBP - NZD = 2.01

GBP - AUD = 1.85

GBP - ZAR = 17.35

GBP - HUF = 356.37

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.

22

WORLD

In Focus

Dhaka cut off to prevent opposition march

Dhaka: Bangladesh's capital was effectively cut off from the rest of the country on Monday, with transport services into Dhaka halted in a bid to thwart the second day of a march against next week's elections. Bus, ferry and train services were suspended for a third day as authorities resumed efforts to stop thousands of people travelling to Dhaka for the opposition march, banned by police fearing violence. "We restarted Dhaka-bound bus services after Sunday afternoon. But all the buses were turned back by the government authorities as the opposition extended the march to Monday," Faruq Talukdar, owner of the country largest bus service, Sohag Motors, said.

Bobby Jindal likely to join White House race in 2016

Washington: Louisiana's Indian-American governor Bobby Jindal may well be keeping his political cards close to his chest, but the State’s Republican Senator David Vitter believes Jindal will join the 2016 White House race. “I think that’s very obvious to everybody who has been paying attention,” Vitter commented on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” on Sunday, when asked if he thought Jindal would throw his hat into the presidential ring in 2016. “I do think he’ll run. I think he’s been running. And I think he’ll be a significant candidate,” the Senator added.

OZ treatment of refugees is 'cruel and mean-spirited’

Melbourne: One of Australia’s most prized novelists, British-born Alex Miller, has denounced his adopted country over its treatment of refugees, saying that his original experience of Australians as welcoming and generous “doesn’t seem to be true any more” Sixty years after he left his home and family in London, aged 16, to work on a cattle station in outback Australia Miller has decried his adopted nation as cruel, intolerant and mean-spirited.

52 Indians deported from Singapore

Singapore: Fifty-two Indians were deported from Singapore for alleged involvement in the worst street violence here in 40 years, and four more are in the line. The process of deporting 53 men - 52 Indians and one Bangladeshi - began on Thursday even as authorities were pressing criminal charges against 28 Indians for their role in the December 8 rampage in Little India, a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most South Asian workers take their Sunday break. The four Indians to be repatriated were among seven persons charged earlier in court but they had their charges withdrawn subsequently, police commissioner Ng Joo Hee told reporters.

Lanka to probe mass grave in former war zone

Colombo: Sri Lanka will launch a magisterial inquiry into a suspected mass grave found in a former conflict zone where the army battled Tamil Tiger rebels. The suspected mass grave in the North-East district of Mannar is the first one found after the end of the military campaign against the LTTE four years ago. “A magisterial inquiry will begin on Monday after the discovery of four more skulls,” said Senior Superintendent Ajith Rohana, a police spokesman.

Nepal’s Maoists agree to join Constituent Assembly

Kathmandu: Nepal’s sulking Maoist party on Tuesday agreed to join the recently elected Constituent Assembly, ending months of political turmoil and paving the way for a new Government and drafting of a fresh Constitution. The Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) have agreed on a four-point accord, including the formation of a parliamentary panel to look into alleged rigging, NC leader Prakash Man Singh said.

US to proceed with Khobragade’s prosecution

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Washington: The United States will not withdraw the visa fraud case against former Indian Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade, sources said on Monday.

January 13 has reportedly been fixed as the deadline for her indictment, for which the US is said to be gathering more evidence. However, the sources conceded that if Khobragade gets UN immunity, she cannot be prosecuted or brought to court for the period of immunity.

But, if she returns to India and then comes back to the US, the charges will stand and she could face arrest, they added. The sources said an apology from the US was out of question, adding that everything in the case “was done by the book”. The US Diplomatic Security Service had on December 12 arrested Khobragade for allegedly underpaying her domestic help visa - vis American law, and misrepresenting the pay information in visa documents. She was released on bail the same day, but the

arrest - and her claim that she was subjected to a strip- and cavity- search - kicked up a diplomatic row between India and the US. A fallout of the stand- off has been India bringing the lot of Indian employees at the US Embassy and diplomatic missions in India, and the human resource policies they follow, under intense scrutiny.

Employees working with American missions in India have revealed how many of them earn far less than what

their American counterparts do for doing the same job and working similar hours.

In fact, in the case of some semiskilled staff, the wages are below those prescribed under India’s Minimum Wages Act. Lift charges: India Close on the heels of New Delhi’s sudden discovery that Devyani Khobragade enjoyed full diplomatic immunity at the time of her arrest and humiliating strip-search in New York a fortnight ago,

India’s new ambassador S. Jaishankar has met with senior US officials and reportedly sought immediate withdrawal of charges against her.

Hours after disclosure in New Delhi about Khobragade’s wrongful arrest for alleged visa fraud despite the immunity shield, Jaishankar took up the issue with two senior State Department officials - Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy.

While no immediate details were available from the Indian Embassy, the State Department said the matter raised by the Government of India was being looked into.

“We have been advised by the Government of India that Khobragade was notified to the United Nations as a member of India’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in September. We are currently looking into the matter,” said Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf.

Melbourne: In yet another incident of crime against Indians in Australia, a young student has been left in an induced coma after a brutal attack in Melobourne.

Manriajwinder Singh, the 20-year-old Indian was repeatedly kicked and punched until a friend came to his rescue. Two cellphones were stolen from him and his friend.

CCTV footage released by police shows Singh standing near the footpath with another friend at Birrarung Marr park, about 50 metres from St Kilda Road, when the trio were approached by eight men of African appearance and one fair-skinned woman about 4.15 am on Sunday, as reported by Australian web-

site Theage.com.

Yadwinder Singh, the brother of the student who was brutally bashed and robbed in an inner-city park is pleading for justice. Singh has said that he wants the thugs who beat his younger brother to be "caught and punished so innocent people like him and his friend don't get bashed like this".

Detective Senior Constable Adam Foley said that after a brief conversation between the group and the two victims, one of the offenders kicked Singh in the jaw, causing him to fall, unconscious, to the ground.

Meanwhile, the others "set upon the other victim, punching and kicking him" before knocking him to the ground.

Islamabad: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf said he wanted to be forgiven for any mistakes he made during the years he spent as Pakistan’s military ruler, in his first interview since being arrested on a string of charges.

The retired general is due to appear before a special court to be tried for treason, the first time in the country’s history that a former head of the army has faced such accusations.

Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in March. The home he built on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad for his retirement has been turned into a prison, and he has spent the past eight months

under house arrest.

“Whatever I did, I did it for the country,” he said in a television interview. “It could be wrong but there was no bad intention in it. Even then, if someone thinks that I have committed a mistake, I seek forgiveness for it.”

Treason carries the death penalty although Pakistan has a moratorium on capital punishment.

Musharraf, now 70, seized power in 1999 taking control of a country buffeted by multiple economic crises and riddled with corruption.

The treason charge relates not to that coup – which was bloodless and broadly popular – but to his later attempts at clinging to power.

President Barack Obama has called "odious," must now receive final approval from Yoweri Museveni, the Ugandan president. As in many African countries, gay men and women in Uganda face harassment, violence and death threats.

Frank Mugisha, one of Uganda's most prominent gay activists, said that there is "panic" within the country's gay and lesbian community.

"I'm outraged that members of parliament have

passed this bill in a very uninformed way. It has been rushed. It has not been scrutinised," Mugisha said. "I am worried about my community."

Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law, but Bahati argued that tougher penalties were needed to counter the influence of gay people from Western countries.

"This is a victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against evil," Bahati, a member of Uganda's ruling party, said.

"Because we are a Godfearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks."

Rebecca Kadaga, the parliamentary speaker, promised last year that the bill would be passed as a "Christmas gift" to Ugandans.

The European Court of Justice ruled in November that fear of imprisonment for homosexuality in African countries, including Uganda, is grounds for asylum in EU countries.

In 2011, prominent gay rights activist David Kato was bludgeoned to death at his home in Kampala after a newspaper published photos and names of gays in Uganda on the front page next to the headline "Hang Them".

The law outlaws anything that "shows sexual parts of a person such as breasts, thighs, buttocks", as well as "any erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement or any indecent act or behaviour tending to corrupt morals," according to the Monitor daily.

Indian student in coma after Musharraf seeks forgiveness brutal attack in Melbourne as treason trial looms in

Gay men, women face harassment in Uganda

Johannesburg: Uganda's parliament has passed an antigay bill that imposes harsher punishments for homosexual sex acts, including life in prison for some offenders.

David Bahati, a lawmaker behind the private member's bill, hailed its adoption as a victory against "evil" in Uganda, a deeply religious country where many have embraced American-style evangelical Christianity.

The bill does not include the death penalty, as it did for "aggravated homosexual acts" when first tabled in 2009.

Instead, those caught engaging in homosexual acts for a second time, as well as for gay sex where one partner is a minor or is infected with HIV, will face life in prison.

A proposal for a reduced 14-year sentence was reportedly rejected by MPs, who instead upheld the penalty of life imprisonment.

The bill, which US

INDIA

Passed through inner turmoil due to Gujarat riots: Modi

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

AV Correspondent

A day after an Ahmedabad metropolitan court’s verdict rejecting a plea protesting closure report of the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), giving clean chit to him in the 2002 Gujarat riots, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi expressed his feelings elaborately on his blog and said that he passed through unimaginable inner turmoil and shock of being accused of the death and misery of his own loved ones, which literally shattered him.

The Gujarat Chief Minister, preferred social

media platform over direct interaction with media to share his thoughts with the nation at large. “The judgment culminated a process of unprecedented scrutiny closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honorable Supreme Court of India.

Gujarat’s 12 years of trial by the fire have finally drawn to an end. I feel liberated and at peace,” said Modi maintaining that right from the day one as the Gujarat CM his emphasis was always been on development and unity with widely used concept of ‘My Five crore Gujarati brothers and sisters’.

Hitting back on his detractors, including rival

23

political parties, Modi said that for so many years, they incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned, adding, “What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends, they ended up maligning my entire state and country. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds that we were sincerely trying to heal. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for. Maybe they did not realize how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people.”

Modi said that when

he took over as Gujarat CM, the state was passing through traumatic times, the devastating earthquake of 2001 had plunged Gujarat into the gloom of death, destruction and sheer helplessness. “Within a mere five months the mindless violence of 2002 had dealt us another unexpected blow.

Innocents were killed. It was a crippling blow to an already shattered and hurting Gujarat. I was shaken to the core.

‘Grief’, ‘Sadness’, ‘Misery’, ‘Pain’, ‘Anguish’, ‘Agony’ – mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity, he asserts

adding that burying the pain and agony he was personally wracked with, he single mindedly focused on the task of peace & justice as well as rehabilitation.

Showing his spiritual side, Modi confessed that often he recollects wisdom in our scriptures during such challenging times. “I did exactly the same.

Those seating in positions of power did not have the right to share their own pain and anguish. They had to suffer it in solitude.

I pray to god that never again should such cruelly unfortunate days come in the lives of any other person, society, state or nation,” he said.

He confessed that on the day of the Godhra train burning itself he fervently urged people for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk. “I also reiterated the same during daily interactions with the media in those fateful days. These deep emotions reflected in ‘Sadbhavana’ fasts too.”

Replying those who criticized his government’s role during riots, Modi said that his government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots not only in Gujarat but in whole country.

and BJP for a long time.

And was also remained vice president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

In a question on Keshubhai Patel intends to join BJP, he smartly avoided answer and said that he is the right person to solve the query rather the question should be asked to him (Keshubhai).

On political differences between Keshubhai and Modi, he said that in democratic society two persons can have difference of opinions.

Replying a query of Keshubhai’s return in BJP fold, Gujarat BJP president RC Faldu said that if he returns in BJP, it would be win-win situation for his as well as BJP. “Keshubhai is an honorable leader and has spent almost entire life for the development of the party in Gujarat. None in party can have negative opinion about him”.

Over the past three years, Arvind Kejriwal has emerged as the angry young man of Indian politics – an impassioned campaigner who has relentlessly attacked the political establishment for corruption and bemoaned the failure of the country’s representative democracy.

On Saturday the former Indian tax official rejoins the establishment, being sworn in as the chief minister of the New Delhi state government after a stunning electoral upset this month by his year-old Aam Aadmi party, which won 28 of the 70 seats in the legislative assembly.

Kejriwal’s challenge now is to prove that the AAP – its name means “Common Man” party – was more than just a protest vote for New Delhi residents and can actually provide credible governance of India’s congested capital city and its 12 million people.

The party’s performance will be closely watched across India as the country gears up for a fierce parliamentary election battle between the ruling Congress party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata party.

“The opportunity is to demonstrate, even if briefly, even if as a window, what an Aam Aadmi government can look like to the rest of the country,” says Yogendra Yadav, a respected psephologist and one of the main leaders of the fledgling party.

Analysts say that with its strong performance in New Delhi’s state assembly polls, the AAP has emerged as a wild card in parliamentary polls, due

by May, offering an alternative to voters fed up with the incumbent Congress party but uncomfortable with the BJP and its prime ministerial aspirant, Narendra Modi.

“The Aam Aadmi party victory in Delhi shows that when there is an alternative, voters are likely to vote for it,” says Prem

Shankar Jha, author of India & China: The Battle between Soft and Hard Power. “Many who are angry with Congress don’t want to vote for the BJP . . . They will vote for the Aam Aadmi party because it is there – because they hate the others.”

Yet Kejriwal faces a formidable task as he seeks to move the AAP past combative rhetoric to something more constructive. “The task of delivering the goods in a sprawling and unwieldy city like Delhi is monumental,” the Hindustan Times said in an editorial. “Here, the AAP has little experience and will have to learn on the job.”

This is a big revolt against corruption, and also the arrogance of the ruling politicians The party will be running the city administration with a minority government, dependent for its survival on the outside support of the Congress party, whose past misdeeds – including alleged corruption during the 2010 Commonwealth Games – the AAP has vowed to zealously prosecute.

It’s hardly a recipe for stability, as AAP leaders readily admit. “If the rug is pulled from under our feet – if our government collapses on that ground, it collapses,” Yadav says.

“We are ready for that on day one.”

Analysts say that Congress support for the AAP is likely to be withdrawn within a few

months, forcing a rerun of the New Delhi state election at the same time as the 2014 parliamentary polls.

Implementing the AAP’s populist agenda itself poses difficulties.

The party has promised to provide 700 litres of free water daily to every family in Delhi and to halve their power bills, which Kejriwal, an engineer, has long claimed were inflated by the private power providers.

It is also seeking to radically reshape how business is done in the Indian capital – changes Kejriwal says are necessary to tackle deep-seated corruption. “The system will soon overpower us and we will get sucked into it. So we will have to change the system completely,” Mr Kejriwal said in a recent interview.

The AAP envisions a significant devolution of power to about 2,720 neighbourhood councils, authorising them to decide on development in their areas as well as clear payments for public works, such as road repairs. It is unclear how this would work in practice.

At its core, the AAP’s political programme and its stunning electoral success are a reaction to India’s political elites, who court voters once every five years in the polls then retreat to their colonial-era government bungalows, treating their electoral victory as a blank cheque in the absence of a system to hold them accountable.

Keshubhai Patel's son joins BJP Kejriwal faces formidable challenge

AV Correspondent

In a major political development, former Gujarat Chief Minister and Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) founder President Keshubhai Patel’s youngest son Bharat Patel rejoined saffron brigade that too with his father’s blessings.

Joining of Bharat Patel in BJP means the Party further strengthens its position in Gujarat. It would help BJP leadership to secure all 26 Lok Sabha seats in favour of party to achieve magical tally of 272 in the upcoming election. Keshubhai Patel is having sway in at least five to seven parliamentary constituencies in Gujarat situated in Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions, where Leuva Patel’s are in large numbers – the community Keshubhai belongs to. The second advantage would be weakening of Keshubhai’s political out-

Bharat Patel

fit GPP, as now there would be lots of confusion over Keshubhai's stance towards BJP. After joining BJP Bharat Patel said that he elaborately discussed his decision to join BJP with his illustrious father and he gave permission to go ahead. Patel also clarified that though he had left BJP following his father’s exit, he had never joined any other party in the meantime. He said he has been associated with RSS

Chidambaram wants Congress to name its PM candidate

Amid continuing uncertainty over whether Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi could be formally named as prime ministerial candidate ahead of LS polls, finance minister P Chidambaram said the party should announce its PM choice as voters are increasingly expecting clarity on leadership.

In an interview to a TV channel, Chidambaram said the Congress may need to think of projecting a leader as voters are tending to ask the question (on leadership) in parliamentary and state elections and some assembly polls becoming personality-driven contests.

Even as there is as yet no decision on a formal projection of Rahul, the finance minister said, "I am only giving my opinion. I think in today's parliamentary as well as

P Chidambaram

state elections, voters tend to ask who the leader is?"

The minister added, "Many state elections have become a direct contest between chief minister candidates of party A or party B...Therefore in my view the party should project a person as the leader of the party who will become prime minister if the party forms the government. That is my

view, but it is for the party to decide."

The debate over Rahul's projection is heating up and while Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently said a decision on a PM candidate will be taken at the "right time", there is no indication as to when that may be.

Party sources indicated that Rahul is sure to lead party's campaign and will be, by dint of that role, seen as the candidate for the top job, but a formal announcement may not be forthcoming before the polls.

Congress sources said there is no ambiguity about who the party choice for PM is and Rahul's increasing assertiveness in party matters as also governance issues like legislation have dispelled the image of a reluctant leader.

24

INDIA

South

AAP eyes Bangalore, CongressBJP in jittery

The spectacular victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi seems to have rattled the ruling Congress and the BJP in Bangalore city and rest of Karnataka. The IT city has three Lok Sabha seats and all three are currently held by the BJP. The ruling Congress is trying to wrest all three from BJP. A political analyst observes that thousands of AAP volunteers from Karnataka had worked for the party during Delhi elections. According to local AAP leaders Bangalore South is the most fertile ground for them.

Jaya govt’s Pongal gift to ration card holders

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced that Rs 100 in cash and 1kg each of rice and sugar would be distributed to 18.4-million ration card holders in the state to help them celebrate Pongal, the harvest festival. In a statement, Jayalalithaa said: "A special Pongal pack containing one kilo of raw rice worth Rs 20, one kilo of sugar worth Rs 40 and a cash of Rs 100 will be given to 18.4 million ration card holders."

Sri Lankan navy arrests 18 more Indian fishermen

Sri Lankan Navy on Monday arrested 18 Indian fishermen while fishing between Katchativu and Dhanushkodi. The fishermen from Pamban near Rameswaram were arrested along with their three country boats for allegedly fishing in that country's territorial water, sources said. The arrests had come as a shock to the fishermen's association members here especially after assurance from Prime Minister to the fishermen's representatives on December 28 that steps would be taken to release the 200 fishermen lodged in Lankan prisons. The navy had on Sunday arrested 22 fishermen from Jagadapattinam and remanded them to judicial custody.

Punjab

Beant Singh killer released on parole

The hunger strike by former militant Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa seems to have helped the Sikh detainees with a militant convicted in former chief minister Beant Singh’s murder case in 1995 being released on parole from Burail jail. Gurmeet Singh was released from the high security jail for a four-week parole, officials said. Singh, facing life term in connection with Beant Singh’s murder case, was received by activists of radical outfits, including Dal Khalsa outside the jail premises after his release. The other two convicts Lakhwinder Singh and Shamsher Singh – are also expected to be released soon.

Manmohan lays foundation of cancer hospital in Punjab

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday laid the foundation of the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Mullanpur in Punjab. Speaking on the occasion, Singh described it as a happy and satsifying moment for him. Praising the Government of Punjab, chief minister Prakash Singh Badal and the people of the state for providing the land for the cancer hospital and research centre, Singh further said that they had contributed significantly to the welfare and progress of India.

Chautala grandson threatens hunger strike over HCS row

Dushyant Chautala, the great grand son of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal and son of jailed Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Ajay Singh Chautala, has threatened to go on hunger strike from January 19 if irregularities in selection process of Haryana Civil Services (HCS) examination were not addressed. Dushyant said he was planning to sit on fast at Rohtak - hometown of Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda - and has applied for permission from the district administration for the venue.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Andhra leaders meet President Mukherjee over bifurcation

Leaders of various political and non-political groups in Andhra Pradesh made a beeline to meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday to argue their case for and against formation of a separate Telangana state.

Leaders queued up at Rashtrapati Nilayam to call on the president, who was on southern sojourn. Those from Telangana urged Mukherjee to expedite the process for formation of separate state while the leaders from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) wanted him to keep Andhra Pradesh united.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), which comprises several political

Asking the Centre to take a strong line and prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to end "unprovoked" attacks and arrests of Indian fishermen, Tamil Nadu has said such "unabated" attacks "will not make for a congenial atmosphere" for proposed talks between representatives of fishing community of two sides next month.

Chief minister J Jayalalithaa told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that at a time when her government was taking a "conciliatory approach" to help facilitate talks between the fishermen of India and Sri Lanka, it was "unfortunate" that "instances of attack and abduction of our fishermen continue unabated."

"The continuance of such attacks and abductions will not make for a congenial

and non-political organizations, appealed to the President to ensure that hurdles being created in carving out Telangana state were removed.

About 40 leaders of JAC led by its chairman M Kodandaram met Mukherjee and submitted a memorandum, urging him to expedite the process.

Kodandaram told reporters after the meeting that the political parties which agreed for formation of Telangana state during various meetings called by the central government during last four years were adopting undemocratic attitude in opposing the bill sent by the President to the state assembly for its views.

He said they informed the President that Seemandhra legislators were stalling debate on the bill in the assembly and requested him

to ensure that the hurdles were removed at the earliest for carving out the separate state.

Senior Congress leader D Srinivas also met the President to apprise him of the attempts being made by certain people to stall the bill in the assembly. The former state unit chief said Mukherjee had full knowledge of Telangana as he had also headed a committee to go into the issue.

Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers' Association, which represents government employees of Seemandhra, were to meet the president later in the day to oppose bifurcation of the state.

atmosphere for any meaningful talks even at the level of fishermen associations of the two countries. Hence, I would like to reiterate that the government of India must take a strong line and prevail upon Sri Lankan government to end such unprovoked attacks and arrests," she told Singh in a letter. The state government's proposal for talks between fishermen representatives from India and Sri Lanka on January 20 was reportedly "agreeable" to Centre also, she said, adding, a formal confirmation was awaited from New Delhi. Referring to the arrest of 40 fishermen from Puthukottai and Ramanathapuram districts on December 28 and 29 by the Lankan navy, she said such instances have sent shock waves across the fishermen community in the state.

The BJP in Karnataka has bought rights for a movie that depicts alleged ill-effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on small businesses.

The part has bought the rights of 'Bharath Stores' for six months for an undisclosed amount.

BJP state president Prahlad Joshi said the party wants to create awareness about FDI by screening the movie in major cities.

According to co-treasurer of the state BJP S Keshava Prasad, the award-winning movie directed by P Sheshadri has been screened in Uma theatre and Jagannath Bhavana in Bangalore for three days.

"We plan to screen the movie at all district headquarters over the next six months.

We have a number of cells, morchas and committees. All our members are invited. We

thought it was better to screen the movie instead of giving speeches on the ill-effects of FDI,'' he said. Prasad said the BJP will make 1,000 DVDs of the movie. K Jagadish, organizer of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch in Karnataka, said, "We plan to hold 50 screenings of the movie. We will invite traders and social workers."

Producer Basantkumar Patil clarified he doesn't belong to any party. "Prahlad Joshi and BJP general secretary H N Ananth Kumar saw the movie in Uma theatre and appreciated it. I think they are planning 200 shows in six months. I am happy the movie which won the national award for Best Regional Movie (Kannada) has been appreciated by political leaders. Our purpose of spreading the message on FDI has been served,'' he added.

Singh, in a car bombing.

They were sentenced to life in prison.

The others were convicted under a draconian antiterror law that has since been repealed, civil rights lawyer H.S. Phoolka said.

"It is not unusual to set lifers free after they have served 14 years in prison," Phoolka said. "These prisoners should also be freed, as normalcy returned to Punjab long ago and they should be joining the mainstream now."

International rights groups have accused both the Sikh separatists and Indian forces of serious violations during the insurgency.

The six Sikh inmates are lodged in the jails of the federally-administered territory of Chandigarh and in Punjab, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

It's now common knowledge that Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gurgaon cadre was instrumental in setting up a successful campaign that prefaced the party's victory in Delhi. Gurgaon has been home to AAP's core group, composed of full-time volunteers from various social and professional backgrounds.

And the next challenge for this 500-strong bunch lies much closer to home.

Gurgaon figures prominently on AAP's election-campaign agenda for Haryana, a state which goes to polls for its 90-member legislative assembly around the same time as the general elections next year. A day after Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as the chief minister in Delhi, AAP members in Gurgaon were busy getting back in poll mode.

At a meeting for volunteers held here on Sunday, it was decided to set up new AAP units throughout the city. "Our aim is to have an AAP office in every ward of Gurgaon," said an AAP representative.

As of today, 12 volunteer units for AAP, in as many localities, have been finalized.

"Ten more such units will be coming up very soon. We will have covered the whole district by the time the elections are held. The support we have got has been overwhelming.

Now, we have over 5,000 members here," he added.

The party has also begun search for general election candidates in the region. In keeping with its oft-advertised motto - 'today Delhi, tomorrow the country' - the party brass is going all guns blazing in Haryana, with plans to contest all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"We'll contest all 10 seats.

Our anti-corruption agenda has resonated with people across the country. Here too we'll fight the elections on the same issues as in Delhi, and we'll win," said Ramesh Yadav, a national council member of the party who is stationed in Gurgaon.

Yadav said the residents of Gurgaon have offered 'full support' to his party's political vision. "People here are really fed up. They are fed up of the government, and of what goes on in every government department. Our offer is clean governance, and a corruptionfree society," he said.

Pranab Mukherjee

Jaya writes to Manmohan BJP in Karnataka buys anti-FDI over attacks on fishermen film’s rights, to screen it for free

Sikh farmer on hunger strike for prisoners' release

A Sikh farmer in India has been on hunger strike for more than a month, demanding the release of six men from his community jailed since the 1990s during a period of a deadly Sikh separatist movement.

Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, 48, began his protest on November 14, his aide, Harpal Singh Cheema, said. His hunger strike brings attention to the fates of Sikhs who were arrested and convicted for their actions during the separatist movement, but who, unlike others, have not had their sentences shortened.

Those who support Khalsa's hunger strike say it is long overdue that the cases of those Sikhs be reviewed.

An armed Sikh rebellion operated in Punjab from the 1980s to the early 1990s, when it was crushed.

Many political leaders were assassinated during the insurgency.

Three of the six convicts whose freedom Khalsa is fighting for were arrested in 1995 for their alleged role in the assassination of Punjab's then-Chief Minister, Beant

AAP fever spreads, 5,000 join party in Gurgaon

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Mount Girnar climbing competition attracts tourists

Mayuri Dave

the ‘country of gods’

Situated on the Indo-Tibetan border in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Lahaul is as remote as it gets.

Straddling the Leh-Manali bus route, Lahaul boasts of scenic mountain villages, pristine mountain rivers and medieval monasteries.

Lahaul, along with its twin valley Spiti jointly form a district in Himachal Pradesh with Keylong as the administrative centre. The Lahaul Valley region is rightly called as the Barren Splendour of Himachal Pradesh.

The word ‘Lahaul’ is derived from the Tibetan word Lho-yul meaning 'Country in the south' or of Lhahi-yul meaning 'Country of the gods'. The Lahaul Valley is nourished by the twin rivers Chandra and Bhaga which originate on either side of the Baralacha La or Baralacha Pass.

The snow-covered mountains, lush green fields, milky white rivers and streams, placid lakes and mountain passes, make for a picture perfect location.

The Lahaul plateau is surrounded by the Great Himalayas to the North, the Pir Panjal to the South and the Spiti and Chandra to the East. The Bara Shigri, Chota Sigri, Samundari and Sonapani glaciers are also located near Lahaul.

Lahaul Valley is a thriving centre of Tibetan Buddhism and home to several Buddhist monasteries which are repositories of culture and art. Lahaul Valley is perfect for hiking, trekking and adventure drives. Lahaul Valley has been attracting tourists because of its simple rustic charm, festivals, folk dances and culture.

Tips: If planning to travel to Lahaul towards the season end, check the status of the passes.

You might be stuck for the winter once the snow arrives.

History: The power of the feudal lords in Lahaul increased after the central power in India declined around the 7th-8th centuries AD. During this period the four landlord families of Lolong, Gumrang, Ghondla and Barbog controlled a major chunk of Lahaul. The tract was under the overlordship of the Raja of Spiti and later became a part of Ladakh. It is also believed that some parts of Lahaul were under the control of the Raja of Chamba.

From the 7th century to about the middle of the 17th century, there were feuds between Chamba, Kullu and Ladakh, as a result of which Lahaul was subjected to a number of attacks.

25

A traditional competition testing the fitness of participants to climb Gujarat’s tallest mountain – Mount Girnar - in Junagadh is the flavour of Saurashtra region. The event in which more than 1,000 participants try to ascend and descend in minimum time has generated lots of interest amongst tourists. The event is being projected as adventure tourism clubbed with lion safari in Gir.

LAHAUL

xtraordinary, primeval and untouched by mass tourism, it seems E time has come to a standstill in Lahaul.

INDIA - TRAVEL

In the second half of 17th century with the fragmentation of Ladakh kingdom, Lahaul passed into the hands of the Kulu chief. In 1840, Maharaja Ranjit Singh took over Lahaul along with Kulu and ruled over it till 1846 when the region came under the British control.

From 1846 to 1940, Lahaul became a part of the Kulu sub-division of Kangra district and was administered by the local thakurs. One of the thakurs was appointed as vizier of Lahaul and was granted judicial and executive powers.

Another thakur was given the powers of a Revenue Officer. Later the influence of the vizier of Lahaul, gradually started declining. As a result of this, the Government, in 1941, formed a separate sub-tehsil comprising Lahaul & Spiti which was administered by a naib-tehsildar who was posted at Keylong thereby divesting the thakurs of their powers.

In June, 1960, the district of LahaulSpiti was formed, with its headquarters at Keylong.

Culture: People of Lahaul belong to mixed race of Indo-Aryans and Tibetans.

The Bhotias share cultural and linguistic traits similar to those of the Tibetans.

Hospitality of the locals and their unique costumes are a quick draw with tourists.

A prominent dance form in Lahaul is the Shunto dance. The dance comprises vigorous and highly energetic steps and is an ode to Lord Buddha.

The Lahaul Spiti dance is one of the ancient dance forms of the region. Most of the dance and songs of the region are composed in praise of Lord Buddha. The Lahaul Spiti dance forms an integral part of any festive occasion and fairs.

Shopping: The market at Keylong, the sub-divisional headquarters, has some of the best shawls, caps and carpets. Bargaining is acceptable so don’t be shy and use your skills well. The place also has excellent outlets selling shawls made of local pure wool, mufflers, stoles, ponchos, caps, and readymade garments in Merino wool, Angoora and Pashmina.

Other items worth buying include pullas (bedroom slippers made of grass), woolen jackets as well as silver jewellery, etc.

Where to stay: Don’t expect luxury or deluxe accommodation options. The places to stay are located at Keylong where one can find State Tourism Department and PWD bungalows besides several private hotels. You can also find rooms in the local monasteries.

Tented accommodation with reasonably good facilities, are also available in summer.

Gujarat government’s efforts to promote tourism in the state by roping in Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador is paying rich dividends. A large number of tourists, including NRIs and foreigners, are thronging to places like Kutch’s white desert, Gir sanctuary, Somnath and others.

Those coming to Gujarat know very little about the unique annual Mount

in Saurashtra peninsula.

The event has become famous in the last few years to put mountain town Junagadh on national tourism map.

The thrilling competition has become popular in Indian states as well as in other countries too.

Earlier participants used to come only from Saurashtra region but since last one decade, more cosmopolitan crowd is participating from other Gujarat cities as

ship, discipline and adventurous spirit.

All precautionary measures are being taken by the government, such as police, medical help, blood bank and guides are being deployed on the way to render services to the competitors in emergency. Competitors are also served with glucose, lemon etc during the event. Ambaji temple point is the highest summit of Girnar at 3,600 ft from sea level for the par-

Girnar ascendingdescending competition.

Those who witnessed or taken part in the competition are coming back to enjoy the electrifying moment and to explore the natural beauty of Mount Girnar and exotic heritage places in Junagadh – a town ruled by erstwhile Babi Nawabs.

The Girnar climbing competition was started almost four decade ago in 1971 and continued till 1979. Then it was discontinued. All efforts to revive the competition by various institutes and organizations remain u n s u c c e s s f u l .

Fortunately, after the Gujarat government became the host, the competition has been regularly organized since 1996. Now it has become annual event during winter – peak tourist season

well as states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, some Southern states and few NRIs too.

For NRIs and foreigners coming to Gujarat right from October to February end, they have events like longest dance festival Navratri, kite-flying festival –Uttarayanand now Girnar climbing competition along with exotic tourist destinations.

This competition provides extra-ordinary skill of adventure to the youth.

It also provides an incentive to the youths in the form of cultural sportsmanship. More and more enthusiastic participants are taking part for this adventurous sport. This competition gives chance to tracking and scaling to the youth of Gujarat and other states, to exhibit their daringness and helps to maintain and develop their sportsman-

ticipants.

However, female participants need to climb lesser height.

The female participants will be required to climb these steps and get down in 75 minutes while the male contestants will have to complete the exercise in 120 minutes.

Authorities have also clarified that only those who are successful in completing the task will be eligible for the certificate and other prizes. The current record in the men’s category is less than 50 minutes.

This year, the event is slated on January 5, 2013 and nearly 1,000 participants are expected to participate. Already, hotels and community based accommodations have been booked to witness the thrilling competition.

Interestingly, female participants outnumber men in the competition.

26

INDIA

Are they really lobbying for Human Rights?

Continued from page 8 Instead he told the court that he found foetus intact and he had written in the PM report itself,” says the India Today report.

Uday Mahurkar further writes, “Modi will also have reasons to smile at the affidavits filed by the Muslim witnesses in the Supreme Court in 2003 at the behest of Citizen for Justice & Peace and Teesta Setalvad on the basis of which the trial in nine cases were stalled for six long years. One of them Nanumiya Malek said on May 5, 2009, in his statement before Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the apex court that he had wrongly claimed that Madina (a Muslim woman) had been raped and he made the charges because of Teesta Setalvad’s pressure.

In fact Nanumiya kept on telling her not to include that charge in his affidavit, yet it was included. Even Madina, who has married now, said on May 20, 2008 that she wasn’t rape.

The India Today report revealed that many others also blamed in the affidavits that they had filed at the behest of Setalvad and in the presence of her then co-activist Rais Khan.

“Soon after the Gulberg massacre in which Ehsan Jafri was killed, nearly a dozen Muslim witnesses told the

police that Jafri had fired in self-defense, killed a rioter and injured 14 others. They also said that this led the mob to resort to violence and attack Muslims in Gulberg with vengeance. But almost half of them who deposed before the special court has retracted from this statement,” writes Mahurkar.

“A statement of Imtiaz Pathan in the Gulberg trial also raises eyebrows. He told the special court that before being killed, Jafri told him that Narendra Modi abused him (Jafri) on phone when he sought protection during a mob attack. Incidentally, there is no record available of Jafri having made any call to Modi. Pathan didn’t name Modi in the first police statement he made soon after the riots. Interestingly, he has also identified as many as 27 individual attackers from a mob of thousands of rioters.”

In my column in December 21 issue of Asian Voice I referred to a publication ‘The Other Side’ – a magazine published for the last 26 years.

In their November 2013 issue there is an eleven page long report, “The Godhra Riots: Shifting Fact from Fiction” by Nicole Elfi. She reported that how biased was Indian English Media right from Godhra train carnage to post Godhra riots. She

termed the novelist Arundhati Roy’s article vitriolic published in Outlook magazine on 6 May, 2002 in which she (Roy) described Gulberg society massacre falsely.

Such venom against Modi is not limited within India. Turner prize winning artist Anish Kapoor has also called on the government to block Modi from speaking in parliament over claims that he failed to stop the 2002 riots. The London based artist called on David Cameron and Ed Milliband to provide ethical leadership and urge those responsible for the invitation to Modi to rescind it immediately.

Besides all these, after the verdict Modi spoke through social media on his blog almost 12 years after the Godhra riots and said that he passed through unimaginable inner turmoil and shock of being accused of the death and misery of his own loved ones, which literally shattered him.

“The judgment culminated a process of unprecedented scrutiny closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court of India. Gujarat’s 12 years of trial by the fire have finally drawn to an end. I feel liberated and at peace,” said Gujarat Chief Minister maintaining that right from the day one as

the Gujarat CM his emphasis was always been on development and unity with widely used concept of ‘My Five crore Gujarati brothers and sisters’.

On his detractors (including activists) Modi said that for so many years, they incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned adding, “What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends, they ended up maligning my entire state and country. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds that we were sincerely trying to heal. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for. Maybe they did not realize how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people.”

He confirmed that on the day of the Godhra train burning itself he fervently urged people for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk. “I also reiterated the same during daily interactions with the media in those fateful days. Narendra Modi said that his government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots not only in Gujarat but in whole country.”

- CB

widow of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the infamous Gulbarg Society massacre in Ahmedabad in post Godhra riots.

Zakia Jafri approached the Supreme Court in 2008 alleging that Modi and others were involved in a larger conspiracy behind one of the worst communal riots in the country.

Subsequently the apex court had directed a Special Investigation Team headed by former CBI director R K Raghavan to look into these allegations. The SIT summoned the chief minister in 2010 and interrogated him for nearly 10 hours.

But, notwithstanding this, the SIT took a fouryear long investigation to give a clean chit to the

Gujarat Chief Minister. As approved by the Supreme Court, Jafri filed a protest petition that went on for five months in the court of Ahmedabad metropolitan magistrate B J Ganatra, who has fixed his order for Thursday after the verdict was deferred twice on October 28 and December 2 this year.

A host of Jafri’s counsels contended, providing official and governmental evidence allegedly ignored by the SIT, that Modi had failed to uphold his constitutional duty and colluded with the rioters. “The state government, led by the Chief Minister, had deliberately ignored the warnings issued by the state intelligence bureau about the return of the kar sevaks

(from Ayodhya). Also, the Intelligence inputs on the build-up of rioters in several parts of the state following the Godhra carnage were ignored,’’ the counsel argued. In all there were 15 major charges against Narendra Modi.

Zakia to challenge order in higher court Talking to media after the rejection of her petition by a magisterial court in Ahmedabad, Zakia Jafri said that she was saddened by the court order but not disheartened and would again prepare to take fight further and challenge the order in higher court.

Tanveer Jafri, son of Ehsan Jafri termed the verdict as temporary setback to his camp and opined that the court should not reject the

plea filed by his mother.

Counsel of Jafri family, Mihir Desai also reiterated that hierarchy of courts has been there to correct the lower court’s order. “Once we get copy of the judgment, we would analyze it and challenged it in the court – may be in the High Court,” he said. Answering a query on relief to Modi, he said, “I promised you, he would not have relief for more than 20 days as we would go into another court as early as possible.” Social activist Teesta Setalvad representing Citizen for Justice & Peace (CJP), an NGO which is supporting Jafri said that she was hugely disappointed by the verdict but would 100 per cent challenge it in the shortest possible period of time.

Continued from page 1 and get him caught redhanded," he said in his first speech as chief minister.

In an emotional and extempore address to a crowd of around 40,000 people, who had gathered to watch the common man be crowned king, Kejriwal said his party's electoral win and an AAP-led government in the capital was nothing but the victory of the aam

aadmi.

Reiterating his promise to usher in participative democracy he said: "My cabinet ministers and I alone cannot run this government. This is not a ceremony where only I have taken oath, every person present here has also taken an oath to fight corruption. We need the help of people of this city to cleanse the system of corruption and run this government." He ended

by singing a Manna Dey song on brotherhood from the 1959 film “Paighaam.”

Although Anna Hazare did not attend the oath-taking ceremony, he congratulated his onetime protege and his cabinet ministers in a letter sent to Kejriwal on Saturday.

"We have worked together for many years.... I congratulate you for taking the oath of chief minister today. I

also congratulate others taking oath with you today," he told reporters at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also called Kejriwal in the day to congratulate him on his new assignment.

On the first day of his new job, Kejriwal held a series of meetings with senior officials from Delhi Jal Board, departments of power and

Riots case verdict: A shot in arm for Narendra Modi

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Happy 7th Birthday

Louis Eden Patel

D.O.B.: 02/01/2007 Mother: Dr Sarah Patel Father: Dr Merul Patel Sister: Amber Place: Brighton Wishing you a Happy 7th Birthday!

Lots of love from Mummy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Baas, Dada, Foi, Fua & all cousine, friends & family. You are a wonderful son and lovely precious grandson. May all the love and pride we feel keep growing year by year.

We all wish you very bright future ahead.

May God Bless You.

26 burnt to death as train catches fire in Andhra

At least 26 passengers were killed and 15 injured as two coaches of the Bangalore-Nanded Express caught fire in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh early Saturday, officials said. The disaster took place between 3.20 and 3.30 a.m. near Kothacheruvu railway station in Anantapur district bordering Karnataka, a police official said.

The fire broke out in the AC coach of the train proceeding from Bangalore to Nanded in Maharashtra and spread to the adjoining coach, about two km from the railway station. Rescue workers retrieved the bodies that were burnt beyond recognition. The bodies were shifted to Bangalore, where DNA tests would be conducted to establish the identity of victims.

Team Kejriwal

DELHI'S NEW MINISTERS AND THEIR PORTFOLIOS

Arvind Keirlwal, Home, Finance, Vigilance, Services, Planning, Power and all other unallocated depts.

Manish Sisodla Education, Higher Education, PWD, Urban Development, Local Bodies, Land and Building Revenue

Somnath Bharti Administrative Reforms, Law, Tourism, Art and Culture Girish Soni SC./ST, Deveioprnent, Employment, Skills mission anct Labour Saurabh Bharadwai Food and Supply, Transport, Environment, General Administration Satender Jain Health, Industries, Gurudwara Rakhl Birla Women and Child development, Social Welfare, Languages

Common man Arvind Kejriwal becomes Delhi Chief Minister transport and also the Delhi Police Commissioner. The newly appointed CM also decided to keep some of the key portfolios such as home, finance, vigilance and power with himself.

The AAP-led government is expected to hold a special session of the Delhi assembly in the first week of January to prove its majority on the floor of the House.

Cong to support AAP

for 5 years At the time when stakes of newly formed Aam Admi Partry (AAP)Congress alliance are really low, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh affirmed that the Congress would continue to support the AAP Government in Delhi for five years. Interestingly, it was Singh who had challenged Kejriwal to win elections to prove his mettle last year.

Yoga for stress relief

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014 he word ‘Yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit T word ‘yuj’ which trans-

lates to ‘union’ – a union of body and mind. The great sage Patanjali described yoga as a means to ‘calm the fluctuations of mind’. The mind connects the physical aspect to the spiritual aspect and thus a clear mind alone can reflect the soul.

Therefore, this unification of mind, body and soul will result in leaving us refreshed and energised while still being calm.

Thus Yoga helps an individual to cope with stress and makes them ready to take on the world with ease.

Yoga philosophy helps an individual to turn away from the material world to a spiritual world. This aspect is important because practising yoga makes an individual feel content and happy ‘no matter what’ which is otherwise a very difficult goal to achieve in today’s chaotic and stressful world. Thus the feeling of hopelessness or helplessness would never bother an individual practising yoga.

The mind, body and soul are not distinct areas as described by some of the scientific systems but need to be treated as a whole. Therefore, while performing yoga asanas, it is important not to treat them as mere physical movements but to treat them as a unification of mind, body and soul in order to reap the full benefits of the practice.

Yoga has eight limbs (ashtanga yoga) and there

are several styles of yoga.

They may appear to be slightly different from each other but it is important to note that they all nevertheless lead to the same goal. Hence, for the purpose of this article, I shall just touch upon only simple pranayamas, asanas and dhyana.

Getting started: It is useful to have a warm water shower before you start yoga. This aids flexibility in the muscles. One should wait for at least three hours after a large meal and at least 2 hours after a light meal. It is ideal to wear loose clothing.

Pranayama: This is a process of breath control which aids in mental calmness and soothes the nervous system thus making the mind fit for concentration. This involves exhalation (rechaka), inhalation (puraka) and retention (kumbhaka). I would now discuss anulom viloma and brahmari pranayama.

Anulom Viloma

pranayama: Seated position - Closing the right nostril with thumb, inhale through the left nostril.

Now close the left nostril with ring finger, release the thumb from the right nostril and exhale through the right. Repeat this procedure other way round by closing the left nostril with thumb this time around. This is one round.

Practice 5-6 rounds. This pranayama increases clarity of thought and is good for those engaged in mental work. It also helps purify the blood.

Brahmari pranayama: Seated position – Inhale through both nostrils.

Close the ears with index fingers. With teeth apart and mouth closed, exhale completely by producing a humming sound. Practice around 6-10 rounds. This pranayama helps in alleviating tension/anxiety, relieves headaches and provides good sleep pattern. All of this will help you to be more energetic

HEALTH WATCH

About the Author

27

Dr. Rohini Vijaygopal was introduced to yoga right from her childhood. However, she started practising yoga more meticulously since 2004. She has been trained traditionally in India by her Guru from Yoga Vidyapeetam. Later she trained from The British School of Yoga in the UK and obtained a Diploma in Yoga Teacher course. She has also attended various other yoga Shibirs to add to her existing knowledge on yoga and meditation, the latest one being conducted by Baba Ramdev. Her current interest is to do another PhD to establish the relationship between yoga and intellect by studying the effects of yoga on the specific centres in the brain.

and positive in life.

Asana: Asanas are physical postures that bring stability to the body along with poise to the mind (due to correct breathing).

Practicing asanas will provide good health, mobility and immunity from diseases or stresses. Since asanas connect breath with poses, they improve physical and mental power thus providing dual benefits. I shall discuss a few simple and helpful asanas such as tadasana (the palm tree), ardha matsyendrasana (the half spinal twist), bhujangasana (the cobra) and shavasana (the corpse).

Tadasana: Stand erect and interlocking the fingers, inhale and stretch the arms above your head while also rising up on your toes. Stretch the whole body from top to bottom. Exhale and lower the arms and heels to the original position. This asana improves posture and energises the whole body.

Ardha matsyendrasana: Sit with legs stretched in front. Lift and place the left foot on the outside of the right knee. Bring the right shoulder against the outside of the left knee while also placing the right palm under the folded left

knee. Inhale and slowly turn the entire upper torso along with turning the head towards the left side. Breathe deeply for 57 breaths and come back to the original position by exhaling. Repeat on the opposite side. In this pose, the abdominal organs are massaged and the secretion of adrenaline and bile are regulated.

Also, the spinal nerves are attended to.

Bhujangasana: Lie on stomach with legs straight and feet together. Place the palms to the sides of the shoulder facing downwards. Place the weight on the palms and inhale while raising your head, neck and shoulders away from the floor. Raise the chin and arch the back as much as possible. Hold the breath in and then exhale and come back to the original position. This pose is good for the back, neck and keeping the spine supple. It stimulates appetite and relieves constipation. It also tones the female reproductive organs. Opening the chest helps lift the spirits and thus can help in depression and to calm an agitated state of mind.

Shavasana: Lie on your back with legs stretched out in front.

Place your arms on the side slightly away from

your torso. Progressively and consciously relax every part of your body with eyes closed but mind alert yet calm. Breathe naturally becoming aware of your breath for at least 21 rounds. You could incorporate dhyana (meditation) within the corpse pose itself by focusing on the breath and keeping out unwanted thoughts.

This type of deep relaxation and meditation allows you to let go, forget yourself and thus eventually helps you discover yourself.

This asana brings about deep peace and rejuvenates the whole body as well as mind thus relieving fatigue and depression in a very easy manner. Ten minutes of shavasana is equivalent to two hours of restful sleep and therefore very useful to those who are sleep deprived.

Yoga practice is wonderful because it helps us to be happy and content in life irrespective of what is happening around us. It also helps us to take control of our lives and provides us with all the techniques to become the best version of ourselves.

When practised with discipline and dedication, Yoga becomes a journey of a lifetime – a life which is calm, content and composed - yet full of soul.

not dying accidentally, from disease or from lifestyle factors.

The researchers set out to expand on a 2004 study

by Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Prof.

Elizabeth Blackburn, which suggested that emotional stress causes the shortening of the telomeres characteristic of aging, presumably by generating free radicals in the cells.

The researchers grew

yeast cells in conditions that generate free radicals to test the effect on telomere length. They were surprised to find that the length did not change.

They went on to expose the yeast cells to 12 other environmental stressors. Most of the stressors - from temperature and pH changes to various drugs and chemicals - had no effect on telomere length.

But a low concentration of caffeine, similar to the amount found in a shot of espresso, shortened telomeres, and exposure to a 5-to-7 per cent ethanol solution lengthened telomeres.

Why heart attacks happen in morning Beer for a long life, coffee for a short one!

esearchers have found that the interR nal body clock may con-

tribute to the morning peak in heart attacks and ischemic strokes.

Frank A.J.L. Scheer, PhD, director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), said that their findings suggest that the circadian system, or the internal body clock, contributes to the increased risk for cardiovascular events in the morning.

The researchers studied 12 healthy adult volunteers in the intensive physiological monitoring laboratories at BWH. Participants were assessed throughout a two-week laboratory protocol designed to desynchronize daily behavioral

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

esearchers have claimed that caffeine R shortens and alcohol

and environmental rhythms from internal circadian rhythms.

Researchers specifically evaluated the role of Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), which inhibits the breakdown of blood clots and is thus a risk factor for blood clotting, one of the major contributors to heart attack and ischemic stroke.

The researchers sought out to test whether this morning peak in PAI-1 is caused by the internal circadian system or by behaviors that typically occur in the morning,

such as altered posture and physical activity.

The researchers found a robust circadian rhythm in circulating PAI-1 with a peak corresponding to approximately 6:30 a.m. in a regular sleep/wake cycle.

Co-author Steven Shea, PhD, director of the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, sad that their findings indicate that the human circadian system causes a morning peak in circulating levels of PAI1, independent of any behavioral or environmental influences.

lengthens telomeres - the end points of chromosomal DNA, implicated in ageing and cancer.

Now Prof. Martin Kupiec said that for the first time they have identified a few environmental factors that alter telomere length, and they have shown how they do it.

Telomeres, made of DNA and proteins, mark the ends of the strands of DNA in our chromosomes. They are essential to ensuring that the DNA strands are repaired and copied correctly.

Every time a cell duplicates, the chromosomes are copied into the new cell with slightly shorter telomeres. Eventually, the telomeres become too short, and the cell dies.

Only fetal and cancer cells have mechanisms to avoid this fate; they go on reproducing forever.

An earlier study had revealed that the longer your telomeres are, the longer you will live dependent, of course, on

28

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Performance of Salman and Elli

ctor Salman Khan will perform with A Swedish-Greek actress

Elli Avram at the grand finale of the popular reality TV show Bigg Boss-Saath 7. They will perform to the song Mashallah. Elli, who made her Bollywood debut with Mickey Virus, was one of Salman's favourite contestants on the show. He often referred to her as paanch saal pehle ki Katrina Kaif.

John Abraham plans a film on motorcycle racing

ohn Abraham, for his Jloveknown for the

bikes, is currently planning a film on motorcycle racing.

The Hindi film star, who made a whole new style statement in Bollywood with his biking acts in action movie 'Dhoom', announced his plan on Twitter "We need a serious film on motorcycle racing... Am planning one!!! Need feedback," 41-year-old start posted on Twitter.

Bollywood's love affair with bikes

or stunts and actions, Bollywood F doesn’t depend on cars

alone. Bikes, too, have a big part in action movies. If you have watched Dhoom 3, you will easily understand it means. Known as Mr. Perfectionist, Aamir Khan managed to woo biker chick Rani Mukerji in his own way in Ghulam a decade and a half ago. With Dhoom 3, he moves on to some serious action. His bike slide under a big truck is designed as comic book stuff.

Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh passes away

eteran Bollywood actor Farooq V Sheikh, who was last

seen in the film "Club 60", passed away following a heart attack in Dubai. He was 65. The "Chashme Baddoor" actor along with his family was in Dubai for the year-end holiday. In his film career spanning 40 years, Sheikh has worked with some wellknown directors including Satyajit Ray, Muzaffar Ali and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

He started his film career in 1973 with film "Garam Hawa". He also worked in Satyajit Ray's “Shatranj Ke Khiladi” which was released in 1977, “Noorie” released in 1979, “Chashme Baddoor,” which became a cult classic film in 1981, “Umrao Jaan” with Rekha in 1981 and “Kissi Se Na Kehna” in 1983.

Birthday Gift to Tamannah Bhatia On the occasion of Tamannah Bhatia's birthday, the makers of upcoming Telugu-Tamil period drama 'Baahubali' announced that she has joined the rest of the cast and is paired opposite Prabhas Varma in the film. Tamannah Bhatia turned 23 on December 21. "We are glad to welcome Tamannah Bhatia on board. She will be donning the role of

T

Avanthika in the film and is paired opposite Baahubali, played by Prabhas.

We will soon start shooting with her," said the producer. The film, which is being directed by S.S. Rajamouli, also features an ensemble cast of Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj. Slated to release in 2015, 'Baahubali' is currently on floors and the film's unit is shooting some important battle scenes. The film is titled 'Mahabali' in Tamil.

Trisha in Kannada remake of 'Dookudu'

risha Krishnan, who has predominantly worked in Telugu and Tamil films, is making her Kannada movie debut. She will be seen in yet-untitled Kannada remake of Telugu film 'Dookudu'. "We have zeroed in on Trisha for the leading lady's role. I have seen her work and since she hasn't worked in Kannada film industry so far, I was even more interested to cast her. She instantly agreed to be a part of the film when I approached her," the film's director Madesh said. Mahesh Babustarrer 'Dookudu' catapulted the image of Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Madesh hopes that the same happens for Trisha with the remake.

"I'm hoping that with this role, Trisha will find a strong foothold in Kannada industry as well.

Our audiences are quite familiar with Trisha's work as most of her films from other

languages have released here and have been appreciated," he said.

Trisha is paired with superstar Puneeth Rajkumar in the remake, which will also introduce composer S.S. Thaman, who composed the tunes for 'Dookudu', to Kannada film industry.

Etcetera: Debuting with a crime thriller D

irector V. M. Mohan still can't believe that his first film is ready for release.

When he decided to take the plunge into Kollywood, Mohan was a greenhorn in the true sense of the word. “I had no expe-

rience, no theoretical or practical knowledge of making a film; all I was the drive to make one. That's how Bhuvanakkadu happened. I have not only produced and directed it, but also written the story, screenplay, dialogue and lyrics. At the end of it all, I think I have learnt a lot, and it has given me the confidence to get on with my next project.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Suneel Darshan's ‘Karle Pyar Karle’ launches his son Shiv Darshan

B

ollywood Superstar, Akshay Kumar, tweets his support for Shiv Darshan's screen debut Having worked on numerous film projects with Suneel Darshan, Bollywood actor, Akshay Kumar, has taken to Twitter to show his support for the screen debut of the acclaimed filmmaker's son, Shiv Darshan, in the upcoming film release, “Karle Pyar Karle.” The superstar tweeted, "Looking forward to seeing the boy who literally grew up in front of me, Shiv

Darshan in ‘Karle Pyar Karle’ releasing in January, produced by my director of many films, Suneel Darshan.

Wishing the father-son duo all the best."

Bollywood newcomer, Shiv Darshan, who makes his screen debut in the upcoming release, filmed with a real tiger at the tiger temple in Bangkok.

Speaking about the experience he said, "To be honest, I was scared as just before taking the shot, the tiger trainer told me, 'Please stay behind the tiger and avoid coming in his

direct view as there is a possibility that he may then attack you.' I was really scared as I had somehow assumed that the tiger had been sedated for this shot. So I had to look like this bad-ass,

Shreya Ghoshal’s UK tour

though I was really scared from inside."

Presented by Shree Krishna International and distributed in the UK by B4U, the film releases on 17th January 2014.

Rock On Music brings back the mesmerising Shreya Ghoshal in May for her UK Tour 2014. The songstress will be performing once again at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester on 24th May, Royal Albert Hall in London on 25th of May and at the NIA in Birmingham on 26th May 2014.

S

hreya is one of the most prolific singers today, music writers have hailed her as the 'Queen Bee of Playback' as well as the bridge between Lata Mangeshkar and the future generation. Her endless list of Bollywood hits keeps getting longer with songs like, ‘Nagada Sang Dhol' from the movie `Ramleela', 'Chikni Chameli', `Balma', Ooh La La Ooh La La' ,'Teri Men' , 'Saans', 'Sum Raha Hai', `Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' Following is a brief interview with Shreya Ghoshal.

You were born in a Bengali family and brought up in Rajasthan, but you still have a very clear Hindi diction.

How did you manage that?

Though, I am born in a Bengali family, but have never really lived in Kolkata. When I was 2 months old we moved and I was brought up in Rajasthan, and then when I turned 13 I came to Mumbai. So the mix of 3 different regions in my life helped me to learn more about the culture of the country and Rajasthan makes anyone learn very good Hindi.

Who are your all time favorite singers?

I am one of the biggest fans of Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar) and Ashaji (Asha Bhosle). They are my ultimate idols. Lataji's voice, music and songs definitely make everyday worth it. I start my days listening to her songs, not just me but my entire family is all big fans of Lataji and Ashaji. Their songs and their renditions of each of those gems are a school in itself. For film music, commercial Indian film rendition emotional and perfected way for rendering for films, this is the school and every singer must

'

learn what they have done. They are my ultimate idols.

How do you feel about the upcoming UK Tour 2014, and what can we expect to see from you?

I am really excited about this tour.

A lot of hard work is going behind the organization of these events and thanks to Rock On Music. It's going to be a big variety of songs, from my starting days, Devdas onwards till today's newer versions of me like, `Chinkni Chameli', 'Oo La La', 'Nagada Sang Dhol' and many more.

What is the best part about performing live on stage?

Performing Live is exactly the opposite of singing in solitude in the studio. When I am in the studio I am singing, imaging an audience listening to the song and enjoying it and giving me appreciation. That's where I am imagining my work being appreciated, but singing live is exactly that happening for real. Singing on stage for a live audience, who are music lovers, who love music and the artist is very important. To please them is the biggest joy, not just for me but for any artist. It gives the highest of the highs.

Any final message to your UK fans?

I would just like to say, to all my listeners, audiences and music lovers for the UK. You all have given me so much love over the years and made every song of mine and every effort of mine from me, my composers and cosingers, so much appreciated and it time that I am coming to you to perform these songs live for you all in the UK I hope that all of you make it to the concerts and we are going to have a blast. Every song of mine that you have heard and have liked, you are going to listen to it in a different take, so I hope you all enjoy, and dance and sing along to it. So see you there.

Kareena declares herself immune to success & failure

ot Hindi film actress Kareena Kapoor’s H last film 'Gori Tere Pyaar

Mein' did not do well at the box office. However, known as Bebo in her close circles said that she isn't dejected by the failure of the movie. Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor made the audience fall in love with them with their first outing 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu'. The two teamed up again for Karan Johar's home production but the romantic comedy which released last month failed to create magic at the box office. "I think because 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu' was a lovely film so there were expectations from this film 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein'. I think the script let us down in a very bad way. That (script) is the most important factor of a film. In 'Ek Main Aur Ek Tu' it was lovely script, fantastic story. After achieving so much success in Bollywood the failure of a film at this point of her career doesn't bother Kareena.

Sherlyn’s 'Kamasutra 3D' is not a soft porn: Paul

herlyn Chopra starrer ‘Kamasutra 3D’ is misread as S a B grade soft porn but on con-

trary it is the best ever epic story, said director Rupesh Paul.'

Kamasutra 3D' is in contention for the 86th Academy Awards in categories of best motion picture, original score and original songs.

The nominations will be announced live on January 16, 2014 and the award ceremony will take place on March 2. "The movie has been underestimated or even misread as a B-grade soft porn after casting Sherlyn Chopra in a major role.

Shahid Kapoor had 18 film offers

ctor Shahid Kapoor says that though sometimes A even a hit film may not bring

in more offers, in his case, despite the failure of his dream project 'Mausam' at the box office in 2011, he had got 18 new projects. "I went through a phase before 'Vivah', when I had no film offers for six months. That is the only time (when I was out of work). After I did 'Mausam', I had 18 film offers. I was very shocked," said Shahid.

T

Kangana in ‘Queen’

he trailer of Kangana Ranaut's upcoming film 'Queen' has finally been revealed. It begins with Kangana, who plays the character of Rani, wailing loudly as her friend played by Lisa Haydon consoles her and tries to cheer her up by offering her a drink. Next, we see Rani dancing and having the time of her life, exclaiming how she can hardly believe that she is getting married the next day.But alas, the poor thing is next shown travelling abroad for her honeymoon alone.

She recalls being wooed by a young man played by none other than Rajkumar Yadav of 'Kai Po Che' fame.

However, why they are not together on their honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam remains a mystery.

30

UK

Romanians and Bulgarians could prove beneficial to social fabric

Continued from page 6 When Asians came to Britain from Uganda in 1972, they had faced similar backlash from the majority of the non-Asian population. Four decades later, Asians are dominating in all fields, their culture can be seen everywhere and, not to mention, the cuisine, which has become the true British favourite.

Having an anti-immigrant attitude is perhaps not cumbersome in a country where immigrants are not only topping the rich list (like Lakshmi Mittal) but also providing jobs to thousands.

However, the fears of more and more people coming to this tiny island perhaps are not irrational.

As many papers have reported, with the increasing pressure on NHS and schools, a vast majority of Britons stated their concern very early. According to the Sunday Telegraph, 72% of all those surveyed were against lifting the restrictions and wanted to see greater control over the way migration takes place and stronger efforts

taken to limit its burden on the taxpayer. Claims that recruitment agencies are offering bulgarian migrants practical tips and advice on how to exploit the benefits system in the UK, have also fanned the fire.

As Asian Voice went to press, Labour MP Keith Vaz, the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, told MPs that he intended to turn up at Luton airport with fellow committee member Mark Reckless early on January 1st morning to see how many people turn up "just to be sure".

Whilst the Romanian ambassador suggested to The Huffington Post UK, the "vilification" of his country needed to stop. He insisted that it was likely fewer Romanians would actually decide to move to the UK in 2014 than in previous years.

Britons are once again anxious to see what will be the consequences of opening up borders to immigrants, but they may just bring a beneficial surprise to Britain's social fabric.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Indian doctor investigated for female circumcision A doctor of Indian origin is being investigated by Scotland Yard for carrying out a female genital mutilation (FGM) procedure on a patient. The general p r a c t i t i o n e r Suresh Kumar Pandya, from London, conducted the surgery involving female circumcision, which is illegal in Britain. It is typically carried out for cultural and religious reasons to reduce a woman's libido and discourage sexual activity before marriage.

Pandya carried out a labia reduction on the woman on March 8,

2012. It was brought to attention after complaints were made against him to the General Medical Council (GMC) after the patient was examined by another doctor. GMC confirmed it was a procedure for female genital mutilation. This case adds to more than 20,000 girls under 15 who are at risk of female genital mutilation in the UK each year, and 66,000 women have undergone the procedure.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing will begin early 2014.

Coming Event

l Shree Jalaram JYOT Mandir, Repton Avenue, Sudbury, Wembley HA0 3DW organises Jalaram Bhajans every Thursday from 7.00pm till 9.15pm, Aarti at 7.45pm followed by prasad and Hanuman Chalisa every Saturday from 11.00am till 1.30pm followed by prasad. Buses: 18/92/245. Contact: 0208 902 8885/ 07958 275222

ter argued that she should be given anonymity to ensure that honest evidence was given. Initially the judge agreed with this argument, but two days later, following a challenge from media lawyers, he lifted the restrictions.

The Court was told that Mohammed Khan was detected by a speed camera on Jesmond Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, on August 14, 2010, while driving his daughter’s BMW. All three are due to be sentenced early next year.

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You will have plenty of energy and drive to improve your status and at the same time achieve financial prosperity - you must make good use of the energy that is flowing, by channelling it positively!

Creativity, romance and leisure all receive a tonic.

However, you will need to focus on what is most important in your life, otherwise mistakes will be made.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Relationships continue to be challenged and tested by Saturn in your 7th house. You will enjoy very good communications, so make the most by networking and persuading others to your way of thinking. Pluto in the 9th represents a period of questioning and deep thinking. Your most intense and life-changing experiences may come through travel abroad.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Things get a little easier now and you can relax. It's been a hectic time as you've tried to accomplish a great deal. It is a good time to consolidate your gains. You need to settle down and remember patience brings happiness. Relationships need to be re-assessed, though a positive outcome is indicated.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

During this period you are planning for your future and become excited about an idea that promises much greener pastures for you. You are very positive and optimistic but you should not get carried away by your enthusiasm. Keep both your feet firmly on the ground to realise your goals.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The transit of Jupiter in your Solar 12th House indicates that experience will put you in a deeply reflective mood. This is a favourable time for getting away from usual routines and seeking a retreat for a few days. Meditation, yoga and therapies will help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Muslim Lawyers given anonymity in trial for cultural reasons Two lawyers were granted anonymity during a criminal trial after a judge accepted that, due to cultural sensitivities, they would find it difficult to give evidence. Asha Khan and her brother Kashif were both charged with perverting the course of justice after their father, Mohammed Khan, was caught speeding when he did not have a driving licence.

In the first trial, which took place at Carlisle Crown Court in late 2012, Miss Khan’s barris-

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

Siva Kaneswaran of the British boy band The Wanted visited his favourite Indian restaurant Chak89. The half Sri Lankan Tamil and half Irish celebrity is a big Bollywood fan, with Shahrukh Khan as his favourite actor.

Now is the time to cultivate an easier relationship with life, get out and about, explore fresh possibilities and make new friends. Any effort to enrich your life by making changes is almost certain to work in your favour and you will be surprised how circumstances help you once you make the initial move.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Disruptions in your home bring a new outlook with a search for security. There will be opportunities through partnerships either within a marriage or a business partnership. It is time to team up with others with the same desires and goals. It is time to take your plans to the next level with focus and planning.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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You will continue to be in a restless mood for some time to come. This makes you impatient with restrictions and even more determined to cut your own path. Do not get over-anxious if everything seems to be in slow motion - it is time to pull a few strings. You are likely to experience some tension in close relationships.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 There is an element of disruption or stress which may be hard to avoid, but it appears that there is a strong sense of purpose in the background. A certain amount of sheer hard graft will be necessary for a short while, but the final result will be extremely pleasing. An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 It is certainly going to be a fortunate time for those already married or in an established relationship.

The keynote is emotional enrichment through close interaction with a loved one. Facets of your life that have been a source of restriction and dissatisfaction will begin to loosen their hold.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Much enthusiasm goes into professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. Circumstances will make you more determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Far-reaching change begins to gather momentum.

An inspiring boost to matters of communication but make sure your curiosity on a range of topics does not lead to a scattering of mental energy. With a surge of energy and enthusiasm, this is a favourable time to make fresh starts. Personal relationships may be more intense.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

SPORT WORLD

SA win by 10 wickets over India, clinch series

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

South Africa won the second and final cricket Test in Durban on Monday by 10 wickets. A 59-run quick fire opening partnership between Graeme Smith (27) and Alviro Petersen (31) ensured that the Proteas won the Test, and the series, in just 11.4 overs after the start of the posttea session.

Earlier, chasing 58 for a win, South Africa were placed at 19 for no loss in their second innings at the tea-break after India were bowled out for 223 runs in their second innings on a bright and sunny final day of the tour.

This was after Dale Steyn (3/47) and Robin Peterson (4/74) shared six wickets between them to leave the Proteas needing only 58 runs for victory in Jacque Kallis’ farewell Test at the Kingsmead.

age, Vernon Philander (3/43) chipped in and Morne Morkel (0/34) provided able support as the Indians lost five wickets for 105 runs in the morning session.

Starting at 173 for 7 after lunch, all that was left for Rahane and Zaheer

Khan to do was delay the inevitable as long as possible. And they did it for nearly 10 overs, as Rahane started farming the strike.

With the Proteas pacers unable to get the breakthrough and the second new ball fast approaching, Peterson was brought on in the 76th over and the move paid off two overs later, with Zaheer being trapped LBW. He scored three runs, but faced 41 balls, and put up 35 runs with Rahane.

Rahane then brought out his shots in order to get to his maiden Test hundred, as he raced to the 90s. At the other end, Steyn got Ishant Sharma (1) in the 85th over and celebrated his 350th Test wicket with vigour. And in the very next over, Rahane was bowled by Philander, a huge swipe gunning for glory missing and the stumps shattered.

called time on his career after suffering poor run of form with the bat for a long period. He scored just 32 runs in his last five innings.

India's Tendulkar also had to face a lot of criticism before eventually bowing out following his 200th Test. He retired from limited-overs cricket towards the end of 2012, and looked keen on extending his time in white kits. However, poor form against England at home did not strengthen his cause and put excessive

pressure on him. Hence, a two-match Test series against the West Indies at home was tailor-made for the batting maestro.

Although he quit the international stage after a fluent 74 in his final innings at the Wankhede stadium amid a lot of fanfare and emotions, the fact that it came against a lowly-ranked West Indies in favourable conditions took a bit of shine away from his otherwise sparkling career.

South Africa's Jacques Kallis on the other hand, has truly outperformed two of his contemporaries by scoring a ton on a Durban wicket against an Indian side that is currently ranked second in the world.

While talking about the greatest batsmen of the modern-day game, Kallis perhaps, is not given enough credit for his workman-like efforts. However, the big South African veteran prepares to walk away from the game with what can be deemed as the mother of all farewells.

Graeme Smith

Ajinkya Rahane played a fine rearguard innings scoring 96 runs off 157 balls (11 fours, two sixes), a lone hand with none of the frontline batsmen making an important contribution in order to save the match.

After Steyn and Peterson did the early dam-

A perfect farewell for Jacques Kallis

South African legend Jacques Kallis outsmarted two other champions of the game - Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting - by scoring a ton in his final Test against India at Durban. He scored 115, eventually becoming Ravindra Jadeja's fifth victim in the innings but his efforts helped him become the third-highest Test scorer (13,289 runs) - finishing one run ahead of Rahul Dravid.

Walking in at the fall of Hashim Amla's wicket, he was welcomed with a guard of honour from the Indian side, led by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

What followed was a typical Kallis knock, making most fans wonder if he really needed to retire at the moment. Kallis unleashed a few crunching cover drives coupled with powerful back foot strokes, showing that there was still a lot of fire left in his belly, despite turning 38 just a couple of months ago. It is true that he struggled with bat for

the entire year, but his sublime touch in this innings paints a different picture.

Kallis was unbeaten on 78 with Dale Steyn for company when run cut short play on Day 3. In the first session on Day 4, he reached his 45th ton in Test cricket, flicking Ravindra Jadeja towards deep midwicket. It is also his seventh century against India.

Following the home series against South Africa in late 2012, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting

BCCI vows to keep defiant Lalit Modi out

India's cricket chiefs on Saturday vowed to enforce a life-long ban on Lalit Modi after the disgraced Indian Premier League founder contested elections for a state association in absentia.

Modi, who lives in self-exile in London with his passport revoked by the Indian government on corruption charges, had contested for the post of president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) on December 19. Results for the Supreme Court-monitored elections will be declared by the apex court on January 6, but the Modi faction has already claimed support of 25 of the 33 district units in the state.The elections had angered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which in September had banned Modi for life from holding any cricket post after finding him guilty of "serious" acts of indiscipline and misconduct.

Chris Gayle, Shane Watson seek a hefty hike in IPL pay

West Indies opener Chris Gayle wants to defy his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's attempt to retain him as their top player while another top foreign cricketer Shane Watson is game to stay with the Rajasthan Royals, but unhappy with the money offered to him. Those in the know say that hectic negotiations have kept the IPL franchises busy no sooner had the league's governing council made players' regulation public. With a reputation of hitting sixes at will in the richest T20 league in the world, insiders say that Gayle is asking for a hefty fee and also contemplating the option of listing his name in the February 14 auction next year if RCB doesn't match his expectations. The Vijay Mallya-owned franchise, one understands, is also willing to make Gayle its top player in the team ahead of their skipper Virat Kohli, but the West Indies cricketer is caught in two minds. As per the IPL regulations, the top cricketer is supposed to get a salary of Rs 125 million. But the teams who are retaining their top players can pay more or can also shell out less money as per the understanding between the teams and the players. But a sum of Rs 125 million will be deducted from the actual purse of Rs 600 million.

Schumacher battles for life after ski fall

Seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher was fighting for his life on Monday after suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps resort of Meribel, doctors said.

"We can say that his condition is life-threatening," Jean-Francois Payen, head anaesthetician at the CHU hospital in the eastern French city of Grenoble, told a news conference.

"For the moment we cannot say what Michael Schumacher's future is," he added. "We are working round the clock - we are trying to win time."

The retired motor racing great, 44, slammed his

head on a rock while skiing off-piste on Sunday morning in the French Alpine resort where he has a vacation home.

"His helmet did of course protect him at

least partly. Someone who had suffered a similar accident without a helmet would not have made it here (to the hospital)," Payen said.

Schumacher was ini-

tially conscious as he was transported to a local hospital in Moutiers and then to Grenoble.

However, his condition deteriorated sharply afterwards.

Neurosurgeon S t e p h a n Chabardes said an emergency brain scan carried out on Schumacher had revealed internal bleeding and injuries including contusions and lesions. He said they had operated to treat the internal bleeding.

Doctors said Schumacher had been placed in an artificial

31

coma but, contrary to an earlier French media report, said they had not carried out a second operation during the night and were not planning any further interventions at this stage.

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was shocked to hear the news.

"We hope that he overcomes his injuries and can recover," the spokesman told a regular briefing in Berlin.

Hopes and prayers In Germany, Schumacher's accident topped news bulletins, with the bestselling tabloid newspaper Bild reporting on its website:

"Schumi fighting for his life".

Schumacher was under the care of Professor Gerard Saillant, a brain and spinal injury expert who is also president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Institute. Saillant told the news conference he was there as "a friend" and gave no further details on his condition.

Bild reporters said Ross Brawn, the Briton who worked with Schumacher at Ferrari and Mercedes as technical director and team principal respectively, had arrived in Grenoble.

Leading names in motor racing reacted with shock on Twitter.

32

SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th January 2014

Australia power to 8-wicket victory over England

Melbourne: Chris Rogers struck a sparkling century to fire Australia to a dominant eight-wicket win in the fourth Ashes Test on Sunday, leaving an insipid England staring down the barrel of a humiliating series whitewash.

The victory, completed before tea on day four, pushed Australia to a 4-0 series lead and the prospect of sweeping England in the fifth and final Test in Sydney seven years after Ricky Ponting's team whitewashed the tourists in 2006-07.

Needing quick wickets to have any chance of salvaging pride at Melbourne, England were let down badly by their captain Alastair Cook, who put down two catches at first slip in the first half-hour to reprieve Rogers on 19 and his opening partner David Warner for 22.

Though Warner lasted only three more runs, Rogers combined with No.3 Shane Watson to flog a demoralised attack, their carefree partnership of 136 putting the hosts within 31 runs of victory before the opener succumbed for 116.

Australia captain Michael Clarke (6 not out) joined Watson (83 not out) to administer the last rites for England, who played out the final sessions with a deflating weariness that allowed the hosts to mow through the 231 runs required for victory without breaking sweat.

Watson whipped a boundary square to secure the win in style, and charged down the sun-bathed pitch with arms raised as a crowd of more than 38,000 roared their approval.

“We've had our ups and downs. There's no doubt that the winning feeling is back in our camp,” Clarke said after his team finished a tough year that started with nine straight tests without a win on a high.

“Today could have went one or two ways. We could have just got over the line but I think because the boys just have so much confidence in their own ability and in the work that they've been putting in, we ended up winning quite convincing today.”

Having started the day needing 201 runs for victory, Rogers added only one run before nicking a Stuart Broad delivery behind but wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, replacement for the dropped Matt Prior, teamed up with Cook to make an absolute mess of the chance.

Bairstow stuck barnacle like to his mark rather than take the catch that was rightfully his, leaving a late-moving Cook to put down the ball after lunging to his right with one hand. England heads dropped further when Cook fluffed the simplest of chances shortly after, with Warner driving recklessly at a Ben Stokes delivery to send the nick straight into the skipper's lap.

Mercifully for Cook, Warner was out for 25 slashing at another Stokes ball to be snaffled by Bairstow, but Rogers marched on.

He rode his luck to his half century, moving to 49 when an inside edge whistled past the stumps and beat the ’keeper to run for four, but brought up the milestone with a lovely cut through the covers for two.

Cook calls on seniors to avoid Ashes whitewash

Alastair Cook is calling on his seniors to pull out something special for England to avoid the ignominy of an Ashes whitewash against Australia.

The rampant Australians strolled to a convincing eightwicket victory over the beleaguered tourists in Sunday's fourth Melbourne Test to lead the series 4-0 and stand on the brink of a 5-0 series rout in this week's final Sydney Test. Somehow the dispirited tourists, who gave up the Ashes in 14 playing days, have to find a way to stop the Australian juggernaut from repeating the 5-0 clean sweep of the 2006-07 series Down Under.

Cook, whose position as captain looks shaky after his team has been comprehensively outplayed by the Australians, has defended his players who crumbled under pressure after holding a 51run innings lead only to be bowled out for 179 in their second innings.

"We've some very good players in our dressing room.

We've some record-breaking players who will have some fantastic days left in an England shirt," Cook said in the wake of Melbourne trouncing.

"I know that for sure. And we'll be praising them when they do that.

"We need that coming out of us now, in Sydney, and I think that is what we need in

Warner recall puts power into Australia ODI squad

Australia recalled Ashes destroyer David Warner and Test captain Michael Clarke, adding power and class to the one-day squad unveiled on Tuesday to face England in the first three of five matches. "David Warner has won back his place in the Australia ODI squad with his outstanding recent form," said national selector John Inverarity. "Michael Clarke, Shaun Marsh and James Pattinson have been included after being unavailable through injury for the series against India in October." "There are three outstanding players in Clarke, Warner and Marsh coming back and we believe their inclusion provides the squad with several batting options," Inverarity said. "Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh are exciting prospects at the top of the order with the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup only 14 months away." Fast-bowler James Pattinson also returns from a long-term back injury. "Pattinson has worked hard to get back to full fitness and will be looking to regain his best form," the selector said with an eye on Australia's Test tour to South Africa in February and March.

Australia v England schedule: Jan 12: Melbourne, Jan 17: Brisbane, Jan 19: Sydney, Jan 24: Perth, Jan 26: Adelaide Squad for the first three matches: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey (vice-capt), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, David Warner, Shane Watson.

India too good for Nepal in U-19 Cup

Sydney now: we need an outstanding 100 or an outstanding five-for (wickets) and then everyone jumping on the back of that. "That's what turns around a team that is struggling like we are at the moment to put in a good performance."

Cook and fellow senior batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell have far from imposed themselves in this series: Cook averaging 29, Pietersen 35.62 and Bell 31.00. The English have only scored one century in eight innings with rookie Ben Stokes's 120 in Perth, while the Australians have totted up eight tons.

While Stuart Broad has captured 17 wickets, his newball partner Jimmy Anderson has only 11 victims compared to Mitchell Johnson's 31, Ryan Harris (14) and Peter Siddle (13).

Pietersen said during the

Melbourne Test that his teammates were "mentally fragile" from playing in backto-back Ashes series, but Cook said England would not use that as an excuse for their poor performances.

"I think 10 back-to-back Test matches is a big ask," he said.

"But the bottom line is it's the same for both sides, and one side has handled it a lot better than the other side.

They are playing some better cricket now than we are.

"To use that as an excuse would be wrong."

Cook said England would continue to work hard in training and hope the rewards will come in the Sydney Test starting Friday.

"I know all the guys out there are trying as hard (as they can)," he said.

"Come to any of our training sessions, and you can see the work we're doing.

"We're not getting the rewards yet. We know that a lot of hard work is the only way you get rewards, so it will turn around eventually.

"We hope we can do it this coming week."

England have some selection issues to work through with the positions of spinner Monty Panesar, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and seamer Tim Bresnan likely to come under discussion.

Kent offspinner James Tredwell, who was added to the England Test squad with leg-spinner Scott Borthwick following the sudden retirement of Graeme Swann, is being linked with a start.

Bairstow, who replaced 75-Test veteran Matt Prior in the wake of the Ashes loss, revealed some technical flaws behind the stumps and England may be forced to recall Prior after dropping him.

Akhil Herwadkar and skipper Vijay Zol struck half centuries to power India to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Nepal in the U-19 Asia Cup, at Dubai on Sunday.

India, who had thrashed UAE by 189 runs in their opening match on Saturday, proved quite a handful for the Nepal side as leftarm spinner Kuldeep Yadav wrecked havoc with a five for 31 haul.

Nepal skipper Bhuvan Karki won the toss and decided to bat first but his openers couldn't give the start he envisioned. Yadav got rid of A Shreshta (2) with just 12 on the board and left-arm seamer CV Milind sent back S Dhamala (16) to make it 26 for two.

Nepal were soon reduced to 61 for five as Yadav struck three telling blows. Yadav got rid of R Rijal (6), S Lohani (0) and skipper Karki (0) with the addition of just five to the total.

Bibhatsu Thapa and Aarif Sheikh steadied the innings with a 64-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Thapa (47; 105b, 3x4, 1x6) became Yadav's fifth victim.

Sheik (40; 62b, 3x4, 1x6) fell soon after and Nepal folded up for 136.

India openers had no problem in negotiating the Nepal attack as they added 133 for the first wicket.

Akhil Herwadkar, who had made 101 against UAE, made 71 before falling to Karki. The left-handed Herwadkar faced 67 balls and struck eight fours and a six as he toyed with the rival attack.

Zol, who played a more sedate knock, remained unbeaten on 61 (82b; 9x4, 1x6) as India reached 137 for one in 25.1 overs.