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VOL 43. ISSUE 45

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

4th April to 10th April 2015

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Kejriwal tightens grip over Aam Aadmi Party

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Dissident leaders sacked from party's national executive The month-long internecine war between Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejriwal and dissident leaders, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan came to a head last week with the duo being expelled from the party's national executive for sabotaging the organisation.

The founder-members, who were ousted in a 2478 vote at the 311-member National Council meeting - marred by protests and chaos - termed the decision a "farce and illegal", saying they might seek legal recourse.

They also hinted at floating another party if

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited to unveil Basaveshwara Statue in London The statue of 12th century Indian Philosopher “Basaveshwara� who pioneered the idea of democracy is to be shortly erected on the bank of River Thames, in the London borough of Lambeth.

Continued on page 12

Former Mayor of London Borough of Lambeth Dr Neeraj Patil pictured with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

EXCLUSIVE - Highest Earning Authors on Page 20

16 killed in Kashmir flood, landslide Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan

required. An AAP source said their expulsion from the party was imminent since their case will be referred to the disciplinary committee. Ever since the AAP came to power in the

national capital by winning 67 of its 70 assembly seats, the party has been embroiled in an internal crisis that has pitted Bhushan and Yadav Continued on page 26

Sixteen people have been killed in mudslides and hundreds of people have left their homes in Kashmir after heavy rain over the weekend caused flooding in the Valley. There has been no rain since Monday, but the weather department has predicted heavy showers in the coming

Continued on page 26

UK

2

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Mahmood Ahmadu new challenges from different directions in our vast international and multi-faceted operations. The ability to make decisions, while doggedly and tenaciously seek the appropriate solutions to the various challenges.

Mr. Mahmood Ahmadu (OON), is recognized as one of the foremost business titans to hail from Africa. His high level entrepreneurial successes encompass 25 years in private sector business.

He is the CEO of Online Integrated Solutions Services, Limited (OIS Services), SW Global Limited and NewWorks Solution Investment Limited. A recipient of the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), he is a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) and ECOWAS Ambassador of Peace. Mahmood is happily married and blessed with four wonderful children.

1) What is your current position?

CEO & Chairman 2) What are your proudest achievements?

My proudest will have to be my children first, and secondly the opportunity to develop a truly global business that is helping to improve the quality of human lives every day.

3) What inspires you?

People who think outside the box, big picture thinkers who built something out of nothing and sometimes with the worst possible start to life. People

who never accept no for answer, people are possibility thinkers and who believe there is always a way. And finally people who have a respect for human dignity.

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

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

My mother has been the singular and most important influence both in my life and career.

6) What is the best aspect

8) What are your long term goals?

about your current role?

The fact that every day presents

To establish a profitable organisation/business that is innovative with a strong focus on

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

I would encourage more Corporate Social Responsibility 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

Helmult Kohl the former Chancellor of Germany. He had the fortitude, courage, skill and diplomacy required for the unification of Germany at a very important time in history. I would be interested in learning how he was able to steer Germany in a very difficult moment in her history. The lessons would be very useful in exporting to the less developed countries that are still held back by distrust and lack of the required information and education. There are serious potential for development and eradication of poverty in a lot of these countries.

Asian Voice attends sponsored evening for Gurkhas

By Rani Singh

Wednesday 25th March there was a sponsored event in the Disraeli Room of the luxurious Carlton Club, home to Conservatives. The atmosphere was cosy and warm and the Disraeli Room saw animated networking among the insolvency community of London.

The invitation was from “The Best Gapp Restructuring and Recovery Networking Club,” named after one of the event’s sponsors. The other sponsor was Vigilance Properties.

The opening speakers were from Best Gapp and Vigilance Properties, two companies that support each other in the insolvency space. There was a sizeable Vigilance representation; Ian Lyons, Commercial Director, John Lennon, Director, and Seb Mackenzie-Wilson, former Times newspaper journalist-turned Chief Operating Officer. Seb was fascinating to talk to and has great affection for India.

There was a neat segue into the Gurkhas because Gukhas are trusted the

Srisat Guru Uday Singh Ji. Police said Mr Singh’s brave intervention saved the life of His Holiness, who received a broken arm and a cut to his nose in the attack.

Led by Mr Singh, who is secretary to His Holiness at the headquarters of the Sri Bhaini Sahib, in Punjab, the group managed to disarm the man, who was later convicted of attempted murder and was jailed for 17 years.

Ranjit Singh Flora, of the Namdhari Sikh community in Leicester, said: “Baldev was the first person to get up and defend His Holiness. He is a very brave man.”

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None. I enjoy what I do tremendously and I see everything as a learning curve and challenge to be overcome.

Being told NO, or it is not possible by people!

Police honour brave officers and life-savers A man who thwarted an attempt to assassinate a spiritual leader and a doctor who calmed a woman who was armed with a knife have been honoured by police.

Baldev Singh and Dr Lucy Pearson were among police officers, staff and other members of the public who have gone “the extra mile” to be handed awards this week by Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole.

The people who were awarded honours included officers who had brought serial criminals to justice or tackled dangerous armed men, as well as members of the public who put themselves in harm’s way.

Mr Singh, pictured, 51, travelled from India to receive a commendation for his life-saving efforts.

He was at the forefront of a group of worshippers at the Namdhari Sikh Gurdwara, in Linden Street, Spinney Hills, Leicester, in August 2013 when a man took out an axe and attempted to assassinate His Holiness

7) And worst?

social responsibility

world over to protect premises whether they are empty or full and functioning.

Best Gapp and Vigilance trust Gurkhas for their properties.

Indeed, Vigilance has three senior Gurkhas as part of its management team. All three were present, and Laxman Pun was the Guest Speaker. He is Head of Operations at Vigilance.

A former captain in the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, Laxman commanded over 150 men.

His reputation is as a highly skilled communications, logistics and security officer. He is responsible for coordinating all day-today company operations, both on the ground and administratively at head office.

He spoke movingly of being a boy from a Nepali village and seemed surprised to find himself guest of honour at The Carlton Club. He spoke briefly about his career and wonderful journey.

In a nice squaring of the circle, the two sponsoring firms, Vigilance and Best Gapp are working with the Gurkha Welfare

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Trust to raise money to build a school in Laxman’s remote Nepali village. A figure of about 45,000 that needed raising was heard at one point. Piers Lawson, Major Donor and Partnerships Officer of the GWT was on hand. 2015 marks the bicentennial of loyal Gurkha service to the British Crown. In honour of these renowned soldiers various commemorative events will be held throughout the year.

Som Chochangi is Personnel Manager at Vigilance. A senior warrant officer of Queen’s Gurkha Signals, Som oversaw regimental security both in barracks and on operations, most recently

in Afghanistan when a successful tour was concluded without loss.

Gagan Thapa is Resources Manager. He was a senior staff sergeant of Queen’s Gurkha Signals, with broad leadership experience across hostile and remote locations worldwide.

SC cleared and expert in secure communications, he was also privileged to perform ceremonial duties at the Royal Palaces for Her Majesty the Queen.

Prashant Kunwar, Business Development Manager of Khukuri Beer was also present; he is supportive of GWT and was the beer sponsor for the last IJA annual dinner.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

COMMENT

The real election game begins now On Monday David Cameron went to Buckingham Palace and sought the formal approval to dissolve parliament from Her Majesty the Queen. This is rather a different type of seeking the royal approval simply because the Parliament had approved an act for a full term Government unlike in the past the Prime Minister of the day has lost (at least for the time being) his perogative to go for an election. In a way this fixed term parliament is helpful for both the policy makers and the people who are governed. Besides removing that suspence and drama of a snap election, such fixed term parliaments could also make probably a lame parliament or the government in the ultimate analysis.

In the new Parliament one wonders what will be the shape and size of the Parties. As of now there are so many options, permutations and combinations depending on the number of seats in the new House of Commons for the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, SNP and UKIP. The other players are Green, Respect, DUP, Plaid Cymru, Sinn Fein, Alliance Party and the SDLP. The issues are also being mentioned but not thoroughly, honestly or convincingly explored as of now. If David Cameron talks about £12 billion savings he can not convincingly quantify how that will happen.

Similarly with five years onslaught on cost control or severe budget slashing, the dangers are that some services like law and order, NHS, immigration service itself and others could become inefficient or really very weak because of the man power reduction.

The Labour Party’s alternatives for more merciful cuts are also being listened to very carefully. In what ever way you look, the situation appears to be flux and the crucial number of voter - undecided voters - needs to be convinced. In the next five weeks or so, perhaps after three weeks, the opinion polls might be able to reflect more realistic intensions.

The BBC poll of polls on Sunday put Labour ahead by 6%. Tuesday, the times put Tories ahead by 2%. You take your pick. Each according to his or her inner instincts.

Suffice is to say at the moment this election and the results could be the most surprising since the last war.

Lib Dem is believed to be doing very badly. Some say that UKIP popularity is waning very fast. Inspite of severe criticism of Lib Dem it is generally perceived that their participation in the coalition government, surely supress some of the dogmatic policies of the Conversative party.

There is another factor to consider. A common British voter has his or her unique sense of taking more realistic view. Sometimes we have called it the self-corrective mechanism in the politi and society. From such an optimistic view point the SNP and the UKIP parties will not do as well as they are expecting and the Lib Dems could end up slightly better than general belief held now, and much better than the worst apprehension in some quarters.

Asian Voice has been devoting vast amounts of space since mid-January on the forthcoming election and we have discussed some important issues of particular interest to the ethnic minorities, especially Asians.

We hope to have much more indepth look on issues like immigration, education, jobs for our younger generation, need of our senior citizens and women and economic wellbeing of the nation. Not only the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dem are hyperactive to reach out to the ethnic minorities but look at the number of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates from UKIP and other such parties.

This is turning out to be a very interesting election and we have repeatedly called on our readers to ensure that they have been registered to vote and without fail do their duty on 7th May.

Lessons to learn from Aam Aadmi Party infighting The electorate in Delhi gave the Aam Aadmi Party a huge majority in the hope that they will be different from other parties and deliver the goods. But once they gained power instead of working for the fulfilment of their election promises, internal turmoil has taken over the party. It will be let down to the aspirations of the people. Its last stint in government in Delhi collapsed in 49 days but the stories it left behind, some real, others imagined, of the differences it made, contributed to the party's sweep of Delhi this year. AAP's victory showed that 49 days is not a short time in politics, and government.

As Kejriwal's second government heads for that milestone, therefore, the question could well be, what does it have to show for it? If Delhi chief minister looks for an answer, he will find that this time his government has been completely overtaken and overwhelmed by its party, more specifically by the dissensions within.

The AAP's renewed bid to establish itself as a party of governance is threatened not because of the inability of its government but by the incapacity of the party. For the AAP this time, governance needs to begin at home.

The unchecked clash of egos and factions, the inter party stings and conspiracies and the complete lack of any mediating and tempering processes and structures that have been exposed within AAP in the last few days and weeks show that victory, even of the magnitude of

67 MLAs out of 70, is not enough.

It must be underlined that a party is more than its individual members. There are very few models for it in India's political system, but it is all too obvious that the AAP is yet to make the transition from an often chaotic and cacophonous platform glued together only by a personality cult to a bounded political party that allows debate and dissent and has the maturity and the institutions to deal with both.

Dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan - who did not help their own cause by repeatedly airing and projecting their dissent outside party forums - have been unceremoniously removed from the party's political affairs committee and now from the national executive as well, but this episode is not yet over. It will not be closed till Kejriwal's party figures out a response to this question- what happens next time someone disagrees with the party line and persists with it. The AAP will have to work out where to draw the lines so that it becomes more stable and less fragile.

It is good, even refreshing for a political part in India to have a lively and contentious inner life but it is counterproductive if the inability to give it a shape of resolution paralyses the party and the government. Now that the party has shown the door to the dissident leaders it is time for them to concentrate on fulfilling their election promises to the people.

Saina Nehwal makes India proud Saina Nehwal has made history by becoming the first Indian woman to secure the World No. 1 position in badminton. She bagged the top spot after the reigning champion Carolina Marin from Spain was beaten by third-seed Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand in the first semifinal of the Indian Open Super Series in Delhi. The champion from Hyderabad has won 14 international titles, and she recently reached the finals of the prestigious All England Championship, but lost out to Marin.

"Everybody dreams of winning the Olympics or the World Championships. I'm one of them. But I want to be relaxed, enjoy my game. Becoming No.1 is a good thing. If it's in my destiny, it will happen," she said before her top spot was confirmed. In a cricket-crazy country, she has done what no other Indian woman could do.

Thirty-five years after Prakash Padukone won the crown, this is for the second time that an Indian has won the world number one ranking. A few years back, after three back-to-back tournament wins that put her in the world No 3 slot, she said, “I am not perfect, but if I can be world number 3, I can become world number 1 as well.” She did not focussed on numbers game. She stayed focussing on her game. The philosophy of every sportsperson should be to focus on your game and work

hard and the other things will fall in place.

However, it was not easy for the shuttler to reach the pinnacle of the game while she was ranked world number 9. When the rankings list does become official next week, Saina will be the first non-Chinese player since Denmark’s Tine Baun in 2010 to hold the number one spot in the women’s category. In the men’s category, Prakash Padukone had held that position 35 years ago.

Nehwal was ranked at number 2 back in 2010 and has been a top-10 player since 2009.

Saina shows the way for other sportspersons that perseverance and hard work are the only way to success. Failure is not the end of one's career. You learn from your shortcomings and overcome it. Ultimately it will take you to great heights. Other sportspersons should also emulate her philosophy - never say never again. Failure and success are the two sides of the same coin. If you are focused and work hard success will definitely follow. So never dishearten by the failures. This is also a lesson for our cricketers. They should not lose hope in failures and success should not make you complacent but concentrate on your game. In a team game failure of the one should not deter you much but there should be others to fill the gap, so that the team can achieve success.

3

Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.

- Napoleon Bonaparte

Why Politics is like dangerously like the stock market

Here are some honest truths. David Cameron looked more Prime Ministerial in the TV debates. David Miliband looked like he was going to cry, when Paxman asked him ‘are you alright Ed?’ off camera.

The biggest problem in any political campaign is you see things as you want to see them to bolster your pre-existing views. When I lectured on Behavioural Finance at Oxford (that bit of Finance which explains why the credit crunch actually happened – because of human nature) I would warn investors of picking from the news those bits which supported their preexisting investments. It’s the same in politics.

The problem is, and just ask Neil Kinnock in 1992 at the Sheffield rally, you start believing your own hype. It leads to complacency, even arrogance and you lose sight of objectivity. So here are some objective tips to the parties: 1.

Conservatives are weak on the Labour attack of ‘business uncertainty over a referendum’ – they need to counter this quick, not because business owners may switch to Labour, but because people may think their jobs are in danger. The counter is business owners saying the Tories are better for jobs. Its jobs that win marginals.

2.

Conservatives need to be careful how they position ‘Labour would spend more’ – there are many people who will

see that as a windfall for them, many people who may not be Labour voters, for instance employees of big public service contractors. And this is the card Labour are playing.

3.

The SNP are right to swing to their extreme wing – they need to win as many seats as possible to have influence and know this is the way to do it.

Labour know they will turn to the SNP in a coalition and will not put up any serious fight or resources in Scotland.

4.

The Tories in the last election needed to win twice as many seats as in 1979 from Labour, and that was their largest swing from Labour in history – and they nearly did it. This time, they need to win 23 marginals from Labour (and keep all they have). That is the battleground and the 23 weakest seats just under that.

5.

In each election there are a few key moments. In the US it was ‘You are no Kennedy’; ‘Read my lips, no new taxes’, in Britain it has been ‘Labour isn’t working’. That knock out punch will be on the economy – that under the Conservatives – more money in working family’s pockets and not more money for the biggest banks and the richest individuals (the banks don’t have a vote, and rich are two few to matter). That is the mood of the nation.

Then you just keep repeating it.

Alpesh Patel, www.politicalanimal.me

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications www.abplgroup.com AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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MIDLANDS VOICE

Vic Sethi appointed as Acting Ambassador for Leicester Cathedral Vic Sethi, a Leicester based Businessman has been appointed as the Acting Ambassador for Leicester Cathedral, the cathedral church of St Martin. The cathedral is located in the heart of the city. It has been encapsulated in the public, economic, cultural as well as religious life of the community.

Reverend David Monteith was established as Dean of Leicester in 2013. The Dean met Vic and apprised him on the King Richard III project.

Sethi said, “It was great meeting Revd David Monteith a true gentleman and a humble personality.

I am so impressed with him that I would go out of my way to support him.”

Vic Sethi’s name appears in the Founding and Donors list of the King Richard III’s appeal.

On Thursday 26th of March Vic Sethi, pictured, along with his wife Dimple Sethi were invited to the reinterment of King Richard III, followed by a reception.

Vic Sethi shared his views on being honoured to receive this virtuous role. “It is an honour to be appointed as the Acting Ambassador for Leicester Cathedral. I feel honoured to be looked upon as a Cultural Ambassador to demonstrate and spread the mission and vision of the Cathedral to the wider community. From a very young age, I was taught by my parents to respect every faith and that there should be no barriers of religion, colour or faith as we are all the children of the One Supreme Powerthe Almighty. We are a part of his large family “The Human Race”, so it is our duty to get involved in community projects and help in any way we can.”

Plans for two-week Diwali Leicester festival being drawn up Officials are drawing up plans for a fortnight long "Diwali Leicester" festival in November.

The idea has been revealed in documents published by Leicester City Council seeking sponsorship for events to mark the Festival of Light.

It describes the proposal as part of "innovations" planned for 2015 to around the religious occasion celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

The festival would run from the planned switch on of the Diwali lights on The Golden Mile on Sunday November 1, to Diwali Day itself on Wednesday November 11 and then on to November 15.

Both the illuminations

Yousaf Jewellers in Small Heath fined £6,500 for selling illegal gold A jewellery firm has been fined thousands of pounds for the illegal sale of unhallmarked gold following a probe by Birmingham consumer watchdogs.

Yousaf Jewellers in Coventry Road, Small Heath, was ordered to pay a £6,500 fine and prosecution costs of £1,738 after it admitted 13 charges of breaching the Hallmarking Act. B i r m i n g h a m Magistrates’ Court heard how officers from Birmingham City Council’s Trading Standards team seized more than a dozen pieces of unhallmarked jewellery – including rings and bangles – from the store following a raid in February last year.

Jacqui Kennedy, the council’s head of regulation and enforcement, said: “People should be

able to have confidence when they are buying valuable goods, like gold jewellery, that they are of the quality they purport to be. It’s important for Trading Standards to take action and bring cases like this to the public’s attention.”

She said Birmingham is famous for its jewellery trade, but rogues were threatening to damage the city’s reputation by flogging gold that is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Trading Standards has spent the last five years

working to stop the con merchants who have been caught red-handed selling unhallmarked jewellery.

The team’s work has included swoops on dozens of stores in Alum Rock, Saltley, Sparkbrook, Sparkhill, Washwood Heath, Bordesley Green and Handsworth.

The crackdown has been such a success that Trading Standards won the first ever Touchstone Award from the British Hallmarking Council in recognition for its work protecting consumers.

Ladypool Road restaurant worker battered by three masked men with a baseball bat in vicious attack

switch on and the closing fireworks displays have been arranged by the city council since the 1980s and usually to attract between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors each.

A spokesman for the council's arts and museums service said the aim

was to link the two showpiece events with other events arranged by community groups or temples.

The council is putting £88,000 into the 2015 Diwali celebration and is seeking private sponsorship as it has in previous years.

Robber jailed after carrying out two knife-point raids The DrIvIng Force To your DIvorce!

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A robber who was high on drugs and drink when he carried out two knife-point raids has been jailed for five years.

A b d i s a l a n Mohamud, 24, kicked his way into the locked reception of student accommodation, in the tower block on Leicester's St George's way, and brandished a seven-inch blade. He swung it towards a terrified member of night security staff before helping himself to a walkie-talkie.

Mohamud was arrested nearby, but was later released on bail.

Police have released a shocking image of a restaurant worker left with a bleed on the brain after he was attacked by three masked men with a baseball bat in a busy Birmingham street.

Detectives issued the photo of 27-year-old Jamil Ahmed’s injuries following the assault in the hope it will persuade someone to speak out.

The restaurant worker was walking along Ladypool Road, Sparkbrook, when he was set upon by three people in masks.

Jamil, from Sparkbrook, needed hos-

pital treatment for more than two weeks before finally being discharged on New Year’s Eve. A police investigation has so far been unable to identify those responsible or confirm a motive for the

beating.

Jamil, pictured, who’s been unable to return to his job because of his injuries, was in Ladypool Road at about 6pm on December 15 when the attack happened.

A police trawl of local CCTV cameras reveals one offender wearing a black face covering, gloves, a long-sleeved grey top, and grey Adidas tracksuit bottoms with light blue stripes on the side of the legs.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det Con Akers on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Sparkhill-based Mushtaqs food firm fined £24k over 'filthy' premises One of Birmingham’s best-known food firms has been fined £24,000 over its “filthy” premises.

Mushtaqs Ltd, of Stratford Road, Sparkhill, was preparing products in “disgusting and dirty” conditions, Birmingham Magistrates Court heard.

A judge was told of a string of problems at the venue, which offers sweet and savoury products and had a cafe.

Environmental health officer Rebecca Callender said conditions were “poor” and dirt and debris had built up.

The floor was dirty

beneath equipment while there was a build-up of grease on canopies and extraction units in the main production area.

Shelves where food was being stored and prepared were in a deteriorating condition and hand soap dispensers, mop buckets and floor brushes were dirty, the court heard.

The interior of a chiller was dirty with food debris, while lighting in a number of areas was poor.

A cracked and chipped plate was used in the cafe kitchen and storage boxes were damaged in the cake

preparation area.

The officer said food, including samosas, was being prepared at the time.

Simon Davis, prosecuting, said council environmental health officers had visited the site in March 2013 and served improvement notices.

But when they returned two months later, Mushtaqs had failed to comply with 17 of 24 hygiene matters.

The company, convicted of seven breaches of food hygiene regulations, was fined £24,000 and was also ordered to pay £7,249 costs.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Cameron Pledges 'Seven Day NHS' by 2020 For his pledge for the 2015 election, Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to make NHS accessible 7 days a week by 2020.

Cameron mentioned that it has become extremely difficult to access the NHS “out of hours”. He stated, “For years it's been too hard to access the NHS out of hours. But illness doesn't respect working hours. Heart attacks, major accidents, babiesthese things don't just come from nine to five."

David Cameron would also want GPs to be open for up to 12 hours every day to alleviate the burden on hospitals and also giving access to working people to a doctor at the weekends. He further stressed, "Already millions more people can see a GP seven days a week but by 2020 I want this for every-

one, with hospitals properly staffed especially for urgent and emergency care, so that everyone will have access to the NHS services they need seven days a week by 2020- the first country in the world to make this happen."

In response to the Prime Minister's pledge, the BMA (British Medical Association) conferred that, “patients should have access to the same high quality of care, seven days a week. Doctors across the country already lead the delivery of this care in our GP surgeries and hospitals.”

However, they also believed that these were promises made which will not be fulfilled, as there are no resourceful plans which would help the NHS and its staff members. “Without a detailed,

fully-costed plan to provide the staff and resources needed to deliver more seven-day services, this is at best an empty pledge and at worst shameless political game playing with the NHS ahead of the election...

Rather than electioneering and political game playing with the NHS, we need an open and honest public debate on seven-day services and what the NHS can deliver in the face of a £30bn funding gap.”

Tories are favourites among bookies The Labour Party have made a surprise gain of four points in the polls.

However, it is believed that the Conservatives are firm favourites to get the most seats, according to betting shop, Ladbrokes, who further stated of the odds of ½ as the campaigns commence.

On the other hand,

Labour's odds have lessened from 7/4 to 13/8, while UKIP gets 100/1.

Liberal Democrats and The Green Party endure the discourtesy of odds of 500/1.

If we go by what the bookies predict, it may just be another hung parliament; the odds of no overall majority are at a paltry 1/5.

The odds also supports a Labour minority government at 2/1, with a Conservative proportionate at 5/2. It has been claimed that gamblers are expected to propel £100 million on the elections.

Ladbrokes further added that the election is about to become the biggest non-sporting event in history.

Clegg promises improvements to mental health care Pregnant women and mothers dealing with depression would be given specialist treatment in 40 new community outreach centres, under plans to be included in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

Nick Clegg declared that the party would be dedicated to spending £3.5 billion more, over the next parliament on mental health care in England.

This includes £250 million for eight new mother and baby units, accommodating inpatient care for pregnant women and new

mothers, as well as 40 new community services helping them adjust to life at home with their baby.

The Lib-Dems would also propose the first waiting time standards for people suffering from mental health conditions.

The waiting time standard from referral would be no more than six weeks for anxiety or depression therapy and a two-week waiting time standard for all young people who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis.

While launching this manifesto, Nick Clegg stated that many were refused “happy, fulfilling lives because of mental health. “One in four of us will experience mental health problems. And yet for decades health services have been neglected.”

Miliband receives threats of revolt over cuts The Labour leader, Ed Miliband has been told that his efforts to cut public spending and clear the deficit will be undermined by his own members of parliament after the general election. He was told that around “30 to 40 left MPs” were preparing to dispute any attempt to make cuts.

It is proposed that the threat from the leader of the Socialist Campaign

Group, John McDonnell, raises the likelihood that left-wing Labour MPs will collaborate with Scottish Nationalists to challenge the first budget of a Labour government.

However, David Cameron and George Osborne are seeking to focus on the economy, pledging that two million jobs would be created under a Conservative government in the next elec-

tion. Cameron states, “We will be fighting for every man and woman who wants to work and earn a wage.”

Sikh man attacked while crowd watches Horrifying footage of a Sikh man being battered in a conjectured race hate attack has been seized by the police, after it was uploaded onto the internet.

In the footage, the victim is seen desperately trying to cover his face, as

an attacker punches and kicks him during a brutal attack in Birmingham.

The video also shows a crowd gathered around the victim, however, no one attempts to him hi. In the video a crowd is gathered around the man, but no-one tries to help him.

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In Conversation with Pat McFadden MP

Reshma Trilochun

MP Pat McFadden is a very prominent figure in the Wolverhampton community, not only as an MP, but as an advocator of racial equality within society. He very proudly takes part in the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi and encourages many others to do so as well.

“Vaisakhi is a major part of the cultural calender in Wolverhampton. We've got a very big Sikh, broader Punjabi community in Wolverhampton and Vaisakhi is celebrated throughout the city.”

He goes on to say, “I have hosted the parliamentary celebrations of Vaisakhi, which over the years have been attended by all three party leaders.

Both in the constituency and in the parliament have always been pleased to take part in Vaisakhi celebrations.”

MP McFadden commemorates the Sikh community in Wolverhampton and their achievements in the UK. “I think the Sikh community is slightly successful.

I think it is a great story of a community that have come here over the decades, have worked very hard, has good values, both of enterprise but of community and putting something back.

Sikh community in my constituency values education strongly, something very close to my own heart too. I think, broadly speak, it is a successful community.”

However, he does not deny the lack of ethnic minorities in politics, especially the lack of Sikh representatives and role models. “In politics,

MP Pat McFadden

I would like to see more Sikh representation. The truth is we had a number of Sikh MPs and members of the House of Lords and over the last 56 years, a number of them have died. So through no one's specific fault, we've gone backwards in terms of Sikh representation. We have one Sikh MP in the House of Commons, my parliamentary neighbour, Paul Uppal. We've got one Sikh MEP, who's a Labour MEP, Neena Gill, who's also from this region, from the West Midlands. But I would like to see us having more than one Sikh MP and more than one Sikh MEP, in terms of representation.”

MP Pat McFadden does not feel that the budget will be beneficial for many in the coming future. “I don't think this budget is going to make a huge amount of difference to the election debate. I think as it was, it will still be a debate about the effect of economy recovery and who's getting the benefit of recovery. And many people, whatever we read about the GDP numbers are not feeling recovery in their pockets and in

their household budgets and feel worse off than they did five years ago.”

In order to make a substantial change, MP McFadden believes that the youth of the country ought to make full use of their votes; their opinions matter and their voice should be heard. “I would like to see more young people voting. The older you are the more likely it is for you to vote.

I think it's a shame that quite a lot of young people don't use their votes, so for young readers of Asian Voice in particular and hope that they would use their vote because in election, there's a big democratic choice. It is important to make your voice heard so I'm hoping for much participation in the election as possible.”

MP Pat McFadden also been concerned regarding the government's plans to slash many foreign languages from the A level qualification; languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Polish among many others. MP McFadden stated, “I believe the Government’s plans to axe these qualifications are a huge mistake. Many of my constituents speak Punjabi and Gujarati and these languages are important to parts of the community.

Furthermore, as Britain’s population becomes more diverse it is economically important to make the most of our global links. Axing language qualifications is short sighted for a major trading economy like ours. I believe it is vital to keep open the option to take these qualifications right up to A level standard.”

No third term for Cameron Prime Minister, David Cameron has stated that he will serve a full second term if he is reelected in the general elections in May. However, he is not seeking third term as a Prime Minister.

David Cameron mentioned to the BBC that it would be “time for new leadership” after he completes a second five-year stint. He even went on to humorously say that "terms

are like Shredded Wheat: two are wonderful but three might just be too many."

Tony Blair, Cameron's predecessor was Prime Minister for 10 years before stepping down halfway through his third term.

David Cameron became the Prime Minister in 2010 and has been the head of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Polls have suggested that there may possibly be another coalition, however, Cameron is hoping the Conservative Party will win by a majority on 7th May. David Cameron has also gone on to state the potentiality of the Home Secretary, Theresa May, Treasury Chief, George Osborne and London Mayor, Boris Johnson of becoming the possible successors.

Students becoming sex workers for bills and curiosity A new research conducted

by Swansea University has revealed that one in 20 students are turning to the sex trade to pay for their University and basic living cost- that is more than 100,000 students across the country. These jobs include prostitution, exotic dancing and stripping. The research also suggests that men are more likely to do so than women.

Researchers have called on to universities to provide

more support for the students who are involved in the trade.

The study involved 6,750 students. 5% of men and 3.5% of women revealed that they had worked in the sex industry, while approximately 22% overall said they had considered doing so. Around 2/3 involved stated that their motivation to get into this trade was to fund a particular lifestyle. 56% said it was to pay basic living

costs, while the remaining 2/5 wanted to reduce their debts at the end of their course. However, what may come across as shocking is that 3/5 thought they would enjoy it; 54% mentioned that they were curious and 44% pointed out sexual pleasure as their motivation. Significantly, up to a quarter stated that they had found it difficult to leave the sex trade, while a further quarter did not feel safe doing sex work.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Asian Voice attends Yoga Day Launch at the Indian High Commission Spriha Srivastava

Ringing in children’s empowerment Last week the bells of London Stock Exchange rang at their normal time to open trading but the person ringing them was a ten-year old child named Nia AddoQuentyne. Nia helped launch a new programme that will teach children of all ages financial literacy, enterprise and social skills.

She was joined by Nadhim Zahawi MP, representatives from the financial sector, entrepreneurs and education professionals as well as officials from the Dutch Embassy.

The programme, which shows the combination of social and financial education as the basis for a child’s successful future, is being brought to the UK by Aflatoun and UK partners Empowering Kids & Youth (EKY) with support from University College London (UCL).

It sees the worldwide scheme come together for the first time.

Aflatoun is a global organisation that currently works in over 100 countries. It was founded in Amsterdam in 2005.

S e r i a l entrepreneur Nadhim Zahawi MP said at the launch, “I remember when I was at school we had ‘Young Enterprise’ and I think that’s where I got the flavour for starting a business.

“It is a brilliant thing that Aflatoun and all of the partner organisations do to make children think about becoming entrepreneurs, think about numeracy, think about what it means to set up a business and what it means to make a profit at the end of the day, especially at such a young age. I wish you all the best of luck and hope to come back one day when you [Nia and her classmates] are floating your own business here.”

Nia helped launch the programme at the London Stock Exchange today after winning a school competition in which she had to submit a business proposal. Her winning idea, a company that makes children’s tshirts with motivational slogans, will soon be a real business trading in her primary school.

As part of the programme, the first community project will be launched at Walterton and Elgin Community Homes community cen-

Baroness Sandeep Verma

By Rani Singh

Ten-year-old Nia is joined by Nadhim Zahawi MP and international NGO Aflatoun to launch a campaign for social and financial education

tre in Westminster, with a further six schools and colleges receiving training in the programme by the summer.

Diana Toleikyte, Aflatoun Deputy E x e c u t i v e Director, helped Nia ring the bell and said: “The opening of the market at the London Stock Exchange is the perfect place to launch a programme about financial education in young people as it is the hub of the global financial world.”

She also said that the organisation has already helped around three million children each year and have seen over £11m total savings banked by Children.

“We believe that a child’s financial education needs to start long before secondary school.

Ours and others studies have proven that the earlier a child begins to learn about finance the more successful their approach to finances will be in later life - the basis for social and financial behaviour is formed by approx. 13 years of age.

We can’t wait to see what results we can achieve with our UK partners,” she added.

It is an extremely unique project and one that Aflatoun specialised in. One can see that the company has a very different way to doing things and this is extremely impressive especially as they are ready to launch new projects to empower children.

The company has been working since 2005 with children between aged 3 to 18 years old. It was founded by social entrepreneur Jeroo Billimoria and believes that equipping children with social entrepreneur skills will help eradicate some of the UK’s most prevalent problems – low confidence, poor social and emotional skills, youth offending, troubled families and social mobility.

The company has already achieved quite a lot since 2005 and has a very hardworking team behind these innovative projects. So far the Aflatoun programme has delivered over £11 million total savings banked by children. It currently runs in 100 countries and has works with over 3 million children a year in inculcating finance and enterprise knowledge to them.

However, the most interest of them all is the fact that the company has 19.494 financial enterprises that was started by children worldwide. It also has 13,704 social enterprises started by children and Aflatoun encourages more and more children to come up with their own ideas – now that’s called empowering children.

Empowering Kids & Youth (EKY) is expected to grow the Aflatoun programme in the UK to give British children and young people the best start in life.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

High Commissioner HE Mr Ranjan Mathai

Sister Jaymini of Brahma Kumaris

On Tuesday 24th March the Indian High Commissioner, H.E. Mr Ranjan Mathai invited yoga exponents to India House in order to discuss plans for the first United Nations International Yoga Day on June 21st 2015. It will be celebrated in India and round the world.

Indian Prime Minister Members of the audience Narendra Modi suggested the concept of the day to Docklands. There will also that the All Party the United Nations and it be a giant yoga class in Parliamentary Group on was endorsed by an Parliament Square.

Traditional Sciences was unprecedented 177 The High going to host an event at nations.

Commissioner extended a Parliament.

Mr Mathai spoke about request to the public to Baroness Sandeep a flagship event that will provide it with a list of as Verma and Lord Nasir take place at Raj Ghat in many related events as Ahmed were present, Delhi, memorial to possible that can be along with DHC Dr Mahatma Gandhi, in the arranged around the counVirander Paul, Minister morning. He said that try. He said that there will Press and Information and events in the UK could be an international linking Head of Chancery, Mr start (as is common with of all yoga events worldPrashant Pise (presiding), yoga) in the morning. He wide on the day. There Minister Mr Sidhu and said that there will be a should be a good response, First Secretary Mr Pritam logo to go with the event, since 200 million practise Lal. Dr Nanda Kumara, and that an instructional yoga round the world. the Bhavan’s Executive DVD will be circuVerma said Director, was Indian PM part of the pro- thatBaroness lated. The High daily yoga practise Modi Commission will had reduced her husband’s ceedings. circulate a video suggested diabetes and cholesterol There is going message from PM the concept to a large free and said she planned to Modi. There will have Victoria Park in yoga show at be a special edi- of the day to A l e x a n d e r Leicester used for the day. tion of the free the United Palace, and the Sister Jaymini of the government UK’s Brahma Kumaris is Shivananda Yoga Nations newsletter India taking a lead role in the Group is conDigest. organisation of the day as ducting a yoga themed ride The High the BKs have consultative on the Thames River, travCommissioner mentioned status with the UN. elling from Putney to

King Richard's tomb revealed to the public The sealed tomb of King Richard III has been unveiled in Leicester Cathedral. The king's coffin was lowered into a vault below the cathedral floor during a reinterment service last Thursday.

The two-tonne block of pale Swaledale fossil limestone bears a deeply incised cross, while the darker plinth has his name, dates, motto and coat of arms.

About 35,000 people saw a procession on Sunday which took the remains to parts of the county associated with Richard's last days, and more than 20,000 people queued to see the coffin in the cathedral.

The tomb plinth bears the king's motto "Loyalty binds me" The service contained traditional hymns and prayers and also a dance performance from the

nearby Curve theatre.

Phil Stone, chair of the Richard III Society, said: "The tomb is something else. I had been worried about the design - the depth of the cross incised within it. But when you look at it, the stone is very special. I think for a medieval king reburied in the 21st Century, it's a fitting place."

The Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Jennifer Gretton, said: "We have had three wonderful services and to end on a service like that is fantastic. This was more of a celebration and every

service has caught the spirit that we needed at that time."

The redesigning of the cathedral's interior, along with the various events, were budgeted at £2.5m, with fundraising continuing.

Tim Stevens, the outgoing Bishop of Leicester, said: "It has been a wonderful week for Leicester Cathedral but more importantly it has been a wonderful week for the city and county. I feel like we have been touched by God and I hope and believe the area will make the most of the opportunity."

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As I See It

How and why we behave so differently!

Last Saturday was unusually busy. In a coffee shop in the South Bank I had some exchange of views with some British journalists.

The attack from the Sunni dominated countries on the Shia supported Huthi rebels in Yemen was the main concern.

These journalists, none of them Muslim, are, like every other compassionate person, were deeply worried about the death, destruction and more permanent divide between the Shias and Sunnis. This regional warfare is more likely to spread in other countries causing more agony and pain.

At one stage a journalist asked me what was happening within the Hindu community, both in Britain and abroad especially in India in view of several gods and goddesses in the Hindu faith. The average understanding of the intricacies of the Hindu philosophy, rituals and how the adherents follow the faith in their day to day life is surely confusing for most non hindus. I am not a religious scholar and my knowledge of my own faith is very limited indeed.

I told these journalists that befitting one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continuous faith tradition, Hinduism has evolved over a long time.

For a very long time there is no internal violence within the various Hindu sects and the credit goes to the teachings and the cardinal message of the Sanatan Dharma (universal faith) what is commonly known as Hinduism.

I told these friends that I was attending an important gathering of Hindus at the Neasden Swaminarayan Temple that evening to celebrate the birthday of Lord Rama as well as that of the founder of the Swaminarayan movement (please see report page 14).

I also referred to some simple but profound important quotes from the Hindu scriptures: ‘Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti’. These five words from Adhya Sankaracharya simply mean ‘Truth is one, wise man and sages call it by various names’.

There are a number of sects in Hinduism and there has never been a religious conflict amongst them. This most secular (plural) outlook forms the very core of Hindu thinking. With such religious upbring-

ing and extreme tolerance, even agnostics and atheists have been accepted into the Hindu fold. Hindus, thus, can never be fundamentalists.

The second quote I used was: ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah, Sarve Bhadrani Pashyantu, Ma KashciDuhkha-Bhag-Bhavet’.

Simply put: ‘let all be happy, let all be healthy, let all be free from afflictions and achieve all round welfare and never experience sorrow’. Such values imbibe the greatness and glory of the Hindu thought.

India, a country of 1.25 billion, includes some 170 million Muslims and 20% of them are Shiates and the others are Sunnis. My journalist friends wondered how the Shias and Sunnis coexisted so peacefully in India whereas in neighbouring Pakistan the story is much more tragic and becoming more so day by day.

As a Hindu, I can only assume that Indian Muslims, not only have their roots in Hinduism but over such a long period they have observed and perhaps are inspired by the tolerance amongst various sects of Hindusim.

I genuinely believe that the Indian Independence struggle was, by and large, based on Gandhian principles of non-violence. It has ingrained the importance of non-violence and coexistence within the minds of an average Indian both at home in india, as well as abroad.

I also told these journalist friends that amongst 1.5 million British Indians there is substantial number of followers of Islam. I believe that very seldom do we hear about an Indian Muslim being involved in extremism or violence in Britain.

Why? Muslims are all Muslims. Why are some Muslims more involved in hatred and violence? I am not qualified to comment more than this but the quintessential Indian culture is surely playing some part in this positive situation.

My friends and I thought how America and its western allies can condone these aggressions by powerful Sunni states on predominantly Shia Muslims. It is easy to start a war but the important problem is when and how it could end. Afghanistan and Iraq should have taught

us simple lessons.

The morality also is of crucial importance.

The means and end have a definite relationship.

We really were pained that America and its allies are giving logistic and other support to the aggression in the middle east. Where it will lead?

Later on I saw the play - Dara - at the National Theatre in London. It is a captivating experience.

Based in 1659 Mughal India the play is centred around the imperial court, a place of opulence and excess; music, drugs, eunuchs and harems. Two brothers, whose mother’s death inspired the building of the Taj Mahal, are heirs to this Muslim empire.

Now they fight ferociously for succession.

Dara, the crown prince, has the love of the people – and of his emperor father – but younger brother Aurangzeb holds a different vision for India’s future. Islam inspires poetry within Dara whilst puritanical rigour rules in Aurangzeb.

Can Jahanara, their beloved sister, assuage Aurangzeb’s resolve to seize the Peacock Throne and purge the empire? Tanya Ronder’s adaptation of Shahid Nadeem’s Dara spans the princes’ lives from cradle to grave. An intense domestic drama of global consequence – for India then and for our world now. (See page 14 for a full review.)

It is deeply worrying to look back at the history of the Mughal empire as well as the Muslim Sultans in Delhi where siblings not only quarrel for power but torture and kill their own brothers or sisters and even their fathers. This play was written by a Pakistani Muslim and was originally performed by the Ajoka Theatre in Pakistan. I wonder what lessons or messages the audience there or elsewhere received out of this historical fact.

Later on after two such sessions of painful reminiscencing I spent some three hours at the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden (see page 14 for full report). I did my darshan, met some sadhus, watched some inspiring childrens programme, listened to beautiful bhajans and coming back by public transport nearer to midnight I really felt relieved that I belong to a faith tradition which is so inclusive, so peaceful and so much to be proud of.

Lycamobile and Chance To Shine Street Collaborate

Ravi Bopara and participants at the Lycamobile and Chance to Shine Street Partnership Launch

Lycamobile and Chance to Shine Street collaborated on 25th March 2015, at the Kia Oval. They came together to aid some of the most underprivileged children off the streets and into playing cricket. The launch was hosted by the BBC sports presenter, Manish Bhasin.

The Chance to Shine Street Awards' headline sponsor is Lycamobile.

The award rewards and recognises players and coaches involved in the programme. This innovative initiative was launch in 2008 in order to bring cricket to young people in urban areas, where there are few green spaces and fewer traditional cricket clubs. The charity also uses the game to promote social adherence, as well as connect young people from diverse backgrounds in varied communities.

Youth projects are cur-

rently taking place nationally in Birmingham, London, Bristol, Dewsbury, Leicester, Hull, Manchester and Liverpool. The charity recognises towns and cities that are absent of cricket provision, as well as areas within them that are socially destitute, or had high levels of crimes and anti-social behaviour.

The England and Essex all-rounder, Ravi Bopara was also at the launch at the Kia Oval. At the event, Bopara spoke about the impact Chance to Shine can have for children willing to learn cricket. “Chance to Shine Street can help massively by giving kids access to somewhere to play cricket.

They just want a place to play cricket, they don’t care how it’s done and sometimes those kids don’t have the opportunity in inner-cities. Tape-ball

Manish Bhasin

cricket is so simple: get a tennis ball, tape it up, let’s play cricket. It speeds up the game, it’s exciting and I used to love it as a kid.”

Bopara further backed the initiative by Lycamobile for backing the street cricket programme. “It’s brilliant from Lycamobile to back the street programme, it’s very kind and I’m sure they’ll benefit from the partnership.”

Seminar on Radicalisation of UK Youth

L to R: Haras Rafiq, Managing Director of the Quilliam Foundation; Ambassador Ambassador Kanwal Sibal; Sir Peter Luff MP; Rupert Sutton of the Henry Jackson Society

By Rani Singh

On Tuesday 24th March former Indian Foreign Secretary was chief guest at a seminar titled “The Radicalisation of Youth in the UK & Beyond: Causes and Effects” in the House of Commons.

The seminar was organised by The Democracy Forum and the Centre for the Response to Radicalisation and Terrorism at the Henry Jackson Society.

Sir Peter Luff, chair of the Democracy Forum, opened proceedings before Secretary Sibal spoke on “Liberal Life, violent ideologies: the anomalies of Europe’s youth being attracted to extremist dogma.”

Mr Sibal said that the way in which some UK young people have been attracted to extremism

“Baffles an outsider when the ideology is anti-modern, anti-progress and anti-women. The ideology is backward, and does not offer any vision for society.”

He mentioned that the basis for the ideology is Salafi or Wahabi and the Islamist view is that democracy is responsible for all ills in the 21st century. He said that young Muslims join because they feel part of an online community, and that most that join up were and are not living in their countries of birth so there is an element of displacement. Mr Sibal pointed out that Iraqis and Palestinians were not so common in ISIS and that there were only 18 cases of Indians joining the group.

Mr Sibal added that Saudi Arabia is being targeted by the Islamic State

not for religious but for political reasons.

Haras Rafiq, managing director of the Quilliam Foundation followed with a talk titled “Prevent Strategy & the common pathways to Islamist radicalisation: the importance of challenging Islamist ideas of nonviolent extremism & promoting the values of our Liberal Secular Democracy.” He said that radicalisation can occur within one and a half weeks but more generally three and a half months or years.

Rupert Sutton of the Henry Jackson Society spoke on “Campus Extremism: speakers, material and the problems faced by students trying to challenge this.”

In the audience were Sir Mota Singh, Indian DHC Dr Virander Paul, and Lord Nasir Ahmed.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The New CII UK Director, Shuchita Sonalika, Making Waves Shuchita Sonalika is the Director and Head of the Confederation of Indian Industry UK. For this week only, we have changed our normal format to a Q and A with Shuchita.

AV: What ambitions did you have when you did your first degree, what area did you feel you would go into?

SS: “While doing my first degree in international business at the Smith School of Business at University of Maryland, I was drawn to the cultural aspects of international marketing and branding strategies since I’ve always been a rather creative person. I then pursued a Masters’ in Public Policy and quickly realized the limitless potential of leveraging international business to fuel socio-economic development. Of course, at the time, I wasn’t too sure of where these paths would lead. And somehow, when I started my career at in the International Division of the Confederation of Indian Industry, business,

policy and creativity came together!”

AV: What do you find re the US business world and India? What areas did you go into in your work in Washington?

SS: “Business ties between US and India have been at the core of

the larger bilateral relationship. While issues remain to be resolved, two-way trade has touched $100 billion, US investments in India have grown at a consistent pace and India has emerged among the fastest growing investors in the US econo-

£100,000 trial mum changes plea The trial of an Oldham mother-of-five alleged to have accepted more than £100,000 in benefit payments, was dramatically halted when she changed her plea to guilty.

A jury at Manchester Crown Court heard evidence that 38-year-old Nazma Hoque had wrongly claimed Income Support and housing and council tax benefits from Oldham Council for 10 years. She repeatedly

claimed her husband Shafiqul had deserted her, even though he was living at the family home in Sherwood Street, Oldham.

On the day her defence case was due to begin she told the court she was pleading guilty to two counts of failing to declare changes in her personal circumstances. The jury was formally discharged from considering verdicts on the three remaining

counts of making false representation to obtain benefits. She will be sentenced on the two counts of failing to declare changes in her circumstances on May 6.

The jury was told Hoque had every opportunity to come clean during the 10 years she was claiming, but continued to confirm her situation was unchanged - despite warnings she risked prosecution by lying.

Jeremy Clarkson- a hero, a victim, or a glorified perpetrator?

There has been an uproar due to Jeremy Clarkson being shown the door by the BBC. And what for?

For punching his producer on set of Top Gear over catering arrangements.

Jeremy Clarkson has an avid fan following who cannot associate the show without him. There have been many demands by angry fans who will not take no for an answer and demand for Top Gear to resume with Clarkson.

Tony Hall, the BBC's Director- General has been receiving death threats from many Top Gear and Clarkson fans, so much so that he had to seek protection from bodyguards and alerted the police.

Agreed that Jeremy Clarkson has been enter-

taining us all for many years and Top Gear cannot be thought about without the thought of Clarkson springing to mind; but do you think it would be right for him to be taken back onboard? Jeremy Clarkson physically abused a colleague; do you feel he should be forgiven?

There will be several people who will still side with Clarkson's behaviour (reasons which may be beyond us). However, to think of it in hindsighthad this happened at your workplace, would the employee who physically abused another colleague in full sense be reemployed by the company?

There is no question about provocation here.

Is it fair for Jeremy Clarkson to be getting so

much adulation from the public even though he used violence? Why has he been portrayed as a hero of some sort or the victim in the whole fiasco?

Does the general public really believe that he was not at fault? Or is it merely the blinded fans who advocate in his defence?

Let us know what you think? Would you have tolerated violence at your place of work?

my. CII’s work at the US office has been very multifaceted, ranging from collaborations in agriculture to defence, green-build infrastructure to financing, and business ethics to women’s empowerment.”

AV: What do you intend to address re your CII work in London?

SS: “I’m currently reviewing our strategy of engagement for CII’s work in the whole of United Kingdom, not just in London. And actually, that’s exactly the point.

Indian companies have quite a strong presence in and around London – and we will continue to focus our attention in this financial megahub and the multicultural business hotpot – but we will simultaneously work on a subnational engagement strategy, helping Indian companies explore all regions of England, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We’re launching an initiative called “RoadtripUK” where we will travel with CII’s India Business Forum members around UK and interact with the business and academic community to build collaborative partnerships.

Similarly, since CII works very closely at the State-level in India, we will assist State governments and their business delegations make business connections here and explore the larger UK hin-

terland.

Our approach will be to focus on sectors of high potential. We already play a strong role leading a working group on Advanced Manufacturing and Technology under the aegis of the official India-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee dialogue. We will further build linkages in other opportunities such as financial services, smart cities, infrastructure, and skills development. In addition, we will also start to look at emerging sectors of collaboration like the creative industries, sports, water etc.

“I’m currently reviewing our strategy of engagement for CII’s work in the whole of United Kingdom, not just in London.”

Strategically, we will also look at the India-UK relationship in the context of the Commonwealth and how we can have an impact there. The larger India-EU relationship is also very important to businesses in UK, so that would be another strand of our work.”

AV: What changes and importance can CII make and have in the India-UK economic landscape?

SS: “CII represents the power of Indian business.

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We have membership of the largest corporates that fuel India Inc. and drive its nearly $2 trillion economy. At the same time, we also represent the smaller and mid-scale companies that are increasingly becoming more global in their outlook.

We can help these companies drive up their global competitiveness, strategically look at international markets, export to UK, invest in UK, while maintaining world-class quality. We need to build international linkages with UK institutions that can help in delivering such capacity building and training.

In India, we have the largest network with government bodies and local businesses through our 65 offices and Centres of Excellence around the country.

Because we know India well, we can also help British companies look at investment opportunities in India.”

AV: What are you doing, if you’re not working?

SS: “You would probably catch me with my vintage camera looking for the highest vantage point to get a good shot of London, or hunting for the best veggie fare in the city! I also love traveling exploring the expanse of the world’s national forests and sandy beaches by the warm ocean - so every chance I will get, I will escape to the tropics!”

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NDA government

Antidiscrimination laws

Descent to destruction

Ever since the NDA government has taken over our country, Christians are being targeted and nuns are being molested. The government should be aware that today they are ruling the country is just because of the minority communities (Christians and Muslims) who willingly supported them.

Also the police in India possess vast powers, but they are supposed to use it to help the public and not falsely implicate and arrest them like they did to the two Palghar girls, Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan for posting a comment on Facebook in the wake of Bal Thackeray’s death in November 2012.

Scrapping the draconian Section 66A makes perfect sense. If politicians can say and write what they want, why can’t we?

I fully agree with Nigel Farage that there are too many ‘irrelevant’ anti-discrimination laws and some of them need to be removed. As Farage says we should reexamine the laws.

Farage was asked whether there would be a law against discrimination on the basis of race, or colour under UKIP, Farage said ‘No. We take the view we are colour-blind. We, as a party, are colourblind’. And the party is honest to accept this fact.

Unless there is a change in the mind set of people we not going to eliminate discrimination on the basis of colour.

Farage has not given any solution to get rid of race discrimination in employment.

It is also true the race relation industry has not helped much to fight against discrimination in employment especially in the NHS who are the largest employer in public sector where 30 per cent of the employees are blacks and asians and the majority of them are employed in low paid jobs. The creation of the Commission for Racial Equaliy (CRE) helped people like Trevor Philips and others in his community to get high paid jobs.

I fully agree with Nigel Farage that discrimination pertaining to religion or country of origin is totally irrelevant for the employment of people.

Yet another air disaster! Germanwings flight 4U9525 crashed during its route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf when it suddenly descended on the mountains of the French Alps. This is the fourth such disaster which has happened in the last couple of years of aviation history.

We first read about the Alps plane crash in Asian Voice on my smart phone while on holidays in Sharm el Sheikh last week.

I am glad to say that while I am away, I do not miss my favourite Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar newsweeklies.

I log into the ABPL website in my Nokia’s browser and can then get up to speed on what is happening in England and around the world by reading the two papers on the ABPL website.

It is a great relief and reassurance that the e-editions of these papers are providing me with the facility to read Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar even from abroad.

In addition, now that I have registered with Gujarat Samachar, I receive a brief version of that paper emailed to me every week as well.

I wonder whether a similar facility is available to readers of other papers. I also wonder however that if people could read the papers online like this then there is little incentive to subscribe to them or to purchase them at the news agents.

Having said this, I will state most categorically that there is no comparison with the hard copies of the actual full sized versions.

However, I must confess that I always pre-empt the arrival of the papers through the post by first having a glimpse on the website a day or so before!

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai, India

Use of language

'Remember, there stands a statue of Gujarati on Parliament Square ' wrote Alpesh Patel in his regular column Political Sketchbook of Asian Voice last week.

It sounds better, mature and correct to say it was statue of an Indian than describing it as Gujarati.

If a similar event was organised by say Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar than the word Gujarati would be fine.

I myself am a proud Gujarati but prefer India/Indian word is used more often.

Bhupendra Dattani Watford

GE2015-Mathematics

I liked the above Khichadi and it's becoming tastier with better and better ingredients!

I know the Labour party doesn't care and is indifferent towards Indian and Hindus while the Conservatives want to establish stronger economic, political and cultural ties with India. Swami's Galore of last July showed that MPs like Bob Blackman, Alok Sharma and other religious leaders care for Hinduism and India.

After Shri Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India William Hague and George Osborne went to India for the Investment in Britain seminar and in turn promised to erect a statue of Gandhiji in London’s Parliament Square.

Also hitherto David Cameron, British Prime Minister went to India a couple of times for business and investment opportunities and recently displayed zeal and initiative in unveiling Gandhiji's statue.

He too gave the diaspora special position of MP to Priti Patel in his cabinet. I have high regards for David Cameron. He is a Real Gentleman!

In consequence, now there are more chances of Indian becoming conservative Mps in the ensuing May General Election.

In the election both Tory and Labour parties will be nearly neck and neck and if the Indian MPs support David Cameron, there is more chance of another Tory win. Thus Indians are holding the

Arun Vaidyanathan By email

International Women’s Day

I thought it was ironic that 1,400 women were celebrating International Women's Day at Neasden Temple.

Swaminarayan belief system is the only one amongst the various belief systems in India where the Swamis, the priests, do not allow women in their presence.

Sometimes Neasden Temple is called a Hindu temple. It certainly is not a Hindu temple as they do not believe in the same gods and goddesses as the Hindus since their founder was the Ultimate man, Purushotum.

Hindus on the contrary revere women since they are the mothers and the first gurus of the child.

Baroness Flather By email balance of power. Also we have more Lords like Lord Dolarbhai Popat, Lord Meghnad Desai and Lord Bhikhu Parekh in the House of Lords as well.

This is the unique and valuable maths of Kapilbhai's Khichadi. Next time may I request Kapil's Khichadi (Hotch Potch) with some papad, brinjal bhartu, yogurt and of course sprinkled with green spring onion, please!!!

Upendra Kapadia By email

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Navin Shah, AM speaks for us all through his piece “Unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue in Parliament Square” in last week’s AV. Undoubtedly Gandhi is “The Personality” of 20th Century, likes of him are born but once in our lifetime.

Indian diaspora’s desire to unveil Gandhi’s statue outside Parliament Square, mother of modern democracy was dream come true due to hard work and dedication on part of Lord Desai whose immense contribution was richly rewarded.

As usual, Gandhi has his fiduciary, subservient distractors in our own community. Then even Lord Rama, Jesus Christ, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa were not immune to such envy.

Fortunately it is no more than water on duck’s back, moment of madness that has no relevance in ocean of hope, faith and freedom.

One name Navinbhai forgot to mention is that of luminary Late Kavi Dayabhai Patel, who established Gandhi Memorial Society and wrote poem encompassing Gandhi’s life that stretches to several volumes. I am sure he is looking down on Gandhi’s statue with pride and satisfaction, his mission accomplished in his absence!

This was indeed truly momentous occasion that will remain cherished memory for millions who either attended inauguration ceremony or watched it on TV. I hope this will inspire our politicians to follow into Gandhi’s footsteps to serve nobly people of this country, as ossified politicians have such low esteem in people’s heart due to kidology, plutocracy and vote-bank politics.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

India still safe for women

Referring to Jubel D’Cruz’s letter dated 28/3/2015, it is evident that India was once a safe place for women but I do not believe that its not safe for them any more as the similar situation prevails in all the other countries of the world due to abuse of individual freedom and immoral lessons learnt from some uncivilised films etc. In the past even a slight exposure of ladies’ legs were not allowed to be filmed by the Indian film censorship board.

The rate of rape crimes in India’s 1.25 billion of population is comparatively low. Indians have a profound understanding about dignity and honour of a woman in the social fabric.

After a fatal gang rape of ‘Nirbhaya’ in Delhi on the basis of the Justice Verma

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Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email Committee’s report made after the wide consultation and references to laws and research from around the world the new strict law about rape has already been passed by the Indian government which became the toughest on crimes against women.

The repetition of the crime is now dealt with by a different legal avenue resulting in the death penalty.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Free nursery places 'make no academic difference' Sending three year old children to nursery may not make any difference to their academic results later on, suggest researchers. ÂŁ800m has been spent annually on free places for three-yearolds since 1998.

Researchers say the main benefit has been to make childcare cheaper for families with young children. The studies were carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Essex and Sussex universities.

Since 1998 all three and four-year-olds in England have been entitled to 12.5 free hours of early education a week.

This has now been expanded to cover disad-

vantaged two-year-olds, and raised to 15 hours a week.

The hope was to achieve a "double-dividend" - improving children's school readiness and their mothers' employment prospects, the researchers said.

The studies show that between 1999 and 2007, there was a 50% increase in the proportion of threeyear-olds in England benefiting from a free nursery place, rising from 37% to 88%.

The policy lead to a 2% increase in the proportion of mothers in paid work, the researchers found.

Among those who did not also have another child under the age of

three, there was a 3% increase in the numbers in jobs.

Although there is modest evidence that free places had more impact on poorer children and those learning English as a second language, there is no evidence that it helped disadvantaged youngsters to catch up, the researchers conclude.

They also found no evidence of educational benefit at the age of seven and at 11.

Ignore rules on promoting British values, teachers urged Teachers should ignore rules on promoting "fundamental British values", a teachers' union conference has heard.

Such values are illdefined and vulnerable to misinterpretation, argued Southend head teacher, Robin Bevan.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) voted to monitor the policing of the requirement, introduced in England by the government last year.

Mr Bevan said he had concerns about how the values "might be interpreted by a future right-wing government".

"When it comes to the new requirement of promoting fundamental British values, including the role of law, here is one law that I would actively encourage you to disengage from", Mr Bevan, head of Southend High School for Boys, urged the union's annual conference in Liverpool.

The government brought in the requirement in the wake of the Trojan Horse allegations, which suggested there had been attempts by groups of hardline Muslims to take over schools in Birmingham.

Earlier this month a committee of MPs said that apart from one incident in one school "no evidence of extremism or radicalisation was found by any of the inquiries in any of the schools involved".

EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

11

Hindus are the highest educated group in Scotland

According to a Scottish Government report published on 26th March 2015, Hindus have the highest qualifications in Scotland and are most likely to be in full-time education.

The reports are from the Analysis of Equality Results from the 2011 census. It states, “Hindus were most likely to be employed in the top two occupational groups.� In other words, Hindus are more likely to be managers, directors, senior officials and professional.

In a statement from Nevada, USA, the President of Universal

Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed, congratulated the Hindu community in Scotland for continuing with the traditional values of stress on education, hard work, higher morals, sanctity of marriage plus many more, amongst so many distractions.

Rajan Zed also went on to advice Hindus to stay pure, focus on inner search, stay away from greed and always keep God in your life.

The report further suggests that People with “no religion� are the highest in Scotland; followed by the Church of Scotland adherents, Roan Catholics, reli-

President of Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed

gion not stated, other Christians, Muslims, Hindus, other religions, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jews.

By-election to be held in Northfield ward Following the resignation of Conservative Councillor Mark Reen, a by-election has been called for Northfield ward, Ealing on Thursday, 7 May. The by-election will be held on the same day as the parliamentary election also taking place. Voters living within the ward will be given two polling cards – one for the parliamentary election and one to elect a third councillor to represent them on Ealing

Council.

People wishing to stand for election will need to declare their candidacy by 4pm on Thursday, 9 April. A Notice of Election has been posted outside Ealing Town Hall and on the council’s website http://www.ealing.gov.uk/ downloads/download/358 5/notice_of_by-electionnorthfield_ward Residents have until Monday, 20 April to register their details in time to

vote.

Until recently, every household was asked to register to vote on one form with one adult taking responsibility for returning information for all the eligible people at one address.

To find out more about the changes go to www.gov.uk/yourvotematters Or to register to vote go to www.gov.uk/registerto-vote

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited to unveil Basaveshwara Statue in London

Speaker of British Parliament Hon John Bercow

Continued from page 1 The Former Mayor of London Borough of Lambeth Dr Neeraj Patil met the Hon Prime Minister on 24th March 2015 and extended the invitation on behalf of the British Indian community to unveil the statue during his next visit to London.

The Hon Prime minister expressed his special tributes to the 12th century philosopher and said he is a great admirer of Basaveshwara and his teachings. He thanked the British Indian community for their efforts to get the planning approval for the Basaveshwara statue in the backdrop of Big Ben bell and British Parliament.

The Hon Prime Minister of India Sri Narendra Modi was requested to unveil the statue during his next visit to London, which is expected to happen in June/July 2015 after the British General elections in May 2015.

Basaveshwara, 11341168 was a 12th century Indian Philosopher, social reformer, and statesmen who attempted to create a casteless society and fought against caste and religious discrimination.

In an attempt to create a casteless society and eradicate caste discrimination and untouchability he

Prime Minister Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee

solicited the marriage of an upper caste bride with a lower caste bridegroom.

He paid a heavy price for this. He created a model Parliament called as “Anubhava Mantap” that had equal proportion of men and women, people from all socio-economic backgrounds and encouraged people to debate and discuss on various issues.

The Government of India recognized Basaveshwara as one of the pioneer of democracy and a statue to mark of his commemoration was installed in the Indian Parliament in 2002, during the period of tenure of Prime Minister Sri Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The Government of India has also released a coin and a postal stamp as a mark of respect for Basaveshwara and his contribution to Indian society. A deputation to erect the statue was heard by the full council on 19th Jan 2010 by Lambeth Asian community and subsequently approved by the planning department of the The London Borough of Lambeth on 4th April 2012.

As per the Statue’s act of 1854 of United Kingdom an approval from the Cabinet Minister for culture is mandatory.

Considering the conceptual relationship between United Kingdom

Cabinet MInister for Culture Jon Penrose

and Basaveshwara the British Cabinet Minister for Culture Jon Penrose approved the planning application to install the statue of Basaveshwara along the bank of River Thames on 3rd July 2012.

Basaveshwara shares a conceptual relationship with Britain because he preached British values of Democracy, freedom of speech, equality of opportunity and tolerance way back in the 12th century and the Speaker of British Parliament Hon John Bercow paid tribute to Basaveshwara in the British Parliament and said, Its amazing and extraordinary that Basaveshwara professed, campaigned and advocated genuine democracy, human rights, gender equality way back in the 11th century even before anyone in United Kingdom had even thought about it. (Rt Hon John Bercow on Basaveshwara, 21st of Jan 2013.)

Basaveswara’s statue will be the second Indian statue approved on the basis of conceptual relationship to Britain after Buddha. The other Indian leaders statues that have been approved and installed in London are that of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore.

Vatayan commemorates Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Keats House

L to R: Vibha Mehdiretta, author Reginald Massey, Lord Meghnad Desai, Mrs Virendra

Sandhu, Divyaben Mathur and Lalit Mohan Joshi ence about Vatayan's activMehdiretta, Second Vatayan: Poetry on South ities and dedicated this Secretary (Culture), High Bank organised a special eventto veteran journalist Commission of India event to commemorate the Late Joe Nathan, (Deputy Director, The Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Editor of Confluence, for Nehru Centre, London) Keats House in his abiding commitment, and Professor Lord Desai Hampstead. determination and selfless of St Clement Danes (well The established author, service. Lalit Mohan Joshi, known economist, Labour Reginald Massey's new Director, South Asian politician and a celebrated book, Shaheed Bhagat Cinema Foundation, author), who also chaired Singh and the forgotten briefly but effectively introthe event.

Indian martyrs, was duced Reginald Massey Welcoming the guests, released by Mrs Virendra and his new book.

Divya Mathur, founder of Sandhu (niece of Bhagat Mrs Virendra Sandhu, Vatayan, briefed the audiSingh), Mrs Vibha

A Rare Honour for Lord Parekh

By Urja Patel

As usual on such occasions, the evening began with a panel discussion of the book. It was chaired by Lord Giddens, one of Britain’s most distinguished sociologists and ex-Director of the London School of Economics. The panellists included Baroness Onora O’Neill, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and past president of the British Academy, Professor John Dunn, an internationally celebrated Professor of political philosophy in the University of Cambridge, and Professor Michael Kenny of the Queen Mary College of the University of London whose work on cultural diversity is widely acclaimed. Each of

them highlighted different aspects of Parekh’s work, showing why it deserves to be honoured as well as where it needed to be taken further.

The dinner that followed included not only eminent political philosophers but also Lord Morgan, Lord Grocott, Lady Gavron, Baroness Royall, Lord Raymond Plant and Lord Noon.

In his speech Professor Parekh said that he would not claim that he deserved the honour, as that would be both arrogant and wrong, or that he did not deserve, it as that would question the judgement and wisdom of those who had edited and written for the volume. All he could do was to accept the honour with humility and deepest gratitude.

He began by expressing his profound gratitude to Dr Uberoi and Professor Modood for initiating the volume and seeing it through its various stages. They, especially Uberoi, had done far more than could be expected of any editor.

He also thanked those who had written for the volume, and many others who had shaped and guided his intellectual life.

He particularly thanked those who had critically commented on his work over the years and contributed to his intellectual growth, In the Indian tradition, he said, one owed a great debt to one’s critics for forcing one to define one’s views clearly and testing one’s commitment to them.

A debt of gratitude was owed also to one’s enemies, for precisely the same reasons, who therefore at the deepest level were no longer seen as enemies. His life, he said, had been a struggle,

beginning in a small Indian village with a poorly equipped school and a family in which no one had completed high School education. He had learnt important lesson, which he shared with the audience, and warned against equating career with life. He narrated his associations with great British intellectuals. In particular he remembered Sir Isaiah Berlin who said to Parekh after his return from India that he was struck by the fact that no two Indian faces looked alike and that some such as Nehru’s had Roman features.

In his reply Lord Raymond Plant, an internationally acclaimed Professor of Philosophy and Jurisprudence at Kings College, London who had done his doctoral research under Parekh’s supervision, saluted him as a scholar, a teacher and a fine human being. Parekh, he said, had a wonderfully acute mind and great human warmth and had shaped his capacity for analytical and critical thinking.

Lord Parekh is the only Indian political philosopher and one of the very few Indian academics to receive such a remarkable distinction.

Professor Modood, a distinguished professor of sociology at Bristol University and internationally recognised for his great contribution to the study of ethnicity and religion, explained why he and Uberoi had planned the volume.

Parekh was a remarkable political philosopher who had published major books on several great philosophers and concepts and contributed greatly to political philosophy including a theory of multiculturalism.

Parekh was also an excellent example of public service and intellectual public engagement. He had been a member of several government and non-government commission and influenced the ideas of ordinary citizens, policy makers and intellectuals. He had been a guide and inspiration to many, which is why so many eminent scholars from different parts of the world had so readily agreed to contribute to the volume.

who is a renowned author of an authentic biography of her uncle Bhagat Singh and his ancestors, overwhelmed the audience with several anecdotes of Bhagat Singh and his amily. Prof Lord Desai spoke briefly on the book and congratulated Reginald Massey for the timely and informative book on Shaheed Singh.

The second session was presented considerable flair and panache by

Chaand Chazelle, filmmaker, actor and author. It consisted of poems commemorating Indian martyrs (in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu) by well known poets - India Russell, Chaman Lal Chaman, Diana Mavroleon, Dr Hilal Fareed, Sathi Ludhianvi, Ila Kumar Ayub Aulia and Jai Verma. A soulful musical rendition of Ram Prasad Bismil’s famous patriotic poem, Sarfaroshi

ki tamanna abhamarey dil mei hai, by young and upcoming singer, Uttara Sukanya Joshi, was a high point of the evening and so was the recitation by the 8year old Neel Doherty.

In her Vote of Thanks, Dr Kusum Pant Joshi, social historian, thanked the Big Lottery Fund for partly funding Vatayan's activities, participating speakers and poets, chief guests and volunteers of Vatayan.

The highest distinction every scholar aspires to achieve, and only a few succeed in achieving, is a public acknowledgement and discussion of their intellectual achievements by the topmost scholars in their field.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh acquired that distinction last week. At a prestigious meeting and dinner in the Attlee Room of the House of Lords on 24 March, a volume of 14 essays written by eminent political philosophers from all over the world was presented to him.

The elegant volume of nearly 400 pages titled Multiculturalism Rethought is edited by Dr Varun Uberoi and Professor Tariq Modood and published by Edinburgh University Press. The essays in it discuss Parekh’s life and work and salute his contribution as a political philosopher and public intellectual.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

By Dipti Vyas Executive Committee, City Hindus Network

Uma Kumaran visits Stanmore Temple The Labour candidate for Harrow East, Uma Kumaran visited Stanmore Temple on 31st March 2015, along with Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt.

Members and devotees at the temple expressed their concerns about the government's decision of removing Gujarati as a GCSE syllabus. The temple has been active in teaching Gujarati to pupils since 2006.

Uma Kumaran stated, “Language qualifications are an important way of helping Harrow’s multiethnic community pre-

Networking dinner

Above: Uma Kumaran and Tristram Hunt pictured with Navin Shah, GLA Member for Brent and Harrow, at Stanmore Temple

serve their culture and teach the next generation valuable language skills.”

She further added, “Not only does it help young people communicate with their grandparents back home, it’s a beneficial life skill for competing in a global job market.”

Left: Uma Kumaran and Tristram Hunt speaking to members and devotees of the temple

Court clears release of Prince Charles' letters The Supreme Court (UK) has ruled on 30th March 2015 that the 27 highly sensitive letters written by Prince Charles to the government can be published, in a potential hindrance for the future king.

The court was asked to judge whether the UK Attorney General's office acted unjustifiably when it restricted their publication back in 2012.

The Guardian Newspaper solicited impartation disclosure of the letters written to government departments between 2004 and 2005.

Clarence House, the office of the Prince stated that it was "disappointed the principle of privacy had not been upheld.”

It has been debated that the publication of these “black spider memos' with the Prince's

13

handwriting would sabotage his equable political status as heir to Britain's throne.

The Black spider memos are a string of letters and memos written by the Prince of Wales to the British government, ministers and politicians.

Former Attorney General, Dominic Grieve stated that any acumen Prince Charles disagreed with the then Labour government in 2004/2005 "would be seriously damaging to his role as future monarch because if he forfeits his position of political neutrality as heir to the throne, he cannot easily recover it when he is King".

The verdict from the Supreme Court is the latest move in a bold 10-year legal battle.

Previously, judges at

the Court of Appeal established that the Attorney General, on behalf of the government had “no good reason” to stop the 27 letters from being publicised.

However, in a hindmost pursuit to prevent their publication, the government has turned to the Supreme Court to ask them to invert that verdict.

The City Hindus Network (“CHN”) held its first Networking Dinner of 2015 at Bombay Palace restaurant in the heart of London’s West End on Thursday, 19 March in partnership with the charity, Women In Need (“WIN”).

The evening commenced with networking, with CHN members from a range of professions, including finance, law, medicine and media, mingling over refreshments. The event formally started with a brief welcome by CHN Chairman, Prinal Nathwani, who expressed his sincere gratitude to WIN for partnering with CHN on the event, to Bombay Palace for its steadfast assistance in hosting CHN’s Networking Dinners over the past few years and to the present CHN members for supporting CHN in this worthy endeavour. He then invited Leah Pattison of WIN to provide the eager audience with further information about the charity’s work.

Leah outlined that WIN, a charity co-founded by herself, a fine arts graduate from the United Kingdom, and Usha Patil, an Indian woman affected by leprosy from the age of 10, currently operates from Nagpur, India, and aims to aid women who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

She explained that the suffering experienced by the women was the result of ignorance, poverty, sex discrimination and social

CHN Chairman Prinal Nathwani with Leah Pattison of WIN

conditioning, proceeding to narrate heart-wrenching incidents about the organisation’s relentless efforts over the past 14 years to aid women suffering from the physical and social scars of leprosy, rape and abuse, and conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and mental illness. She also revealed that the NGO offers the following at no charge: (a) Shelter, food, clothing and all basic needs; (b) Free medical support, including consultations, diagnostic tests, surgery and treatment; (c) Counselling and health education; (d) Legal aid; (e) Vocational training and small business loans; and/or (f) Social events organised to combat isolation and to promote better mental and physical health.

Leah articulated that WIN’s plan for the future is to become a major contributor towards creating significant socio-economic and medical changes for marginalized women. She concluded by showing a touching photo presentation, which gave attendees a deeper insight into

WIN’s commendable service to deprived women in India.

The evening ended with an exquisite vegetarian dinner catered by Bombay Palace, during which attendees had the opportunity to network further with representatives from WIN and with other guests.

The feedback following the Networking Dinner has been extremely positive, with many delegates commenting in particular on the eye-opening and moving presentation by Leah Pattison, as well as on CHN’s efforts in bringing such worthy causes to its members.

We at CHN ardently endorse WIN’s noble vision of assisting and empowering discriminated women through implementing key changes in society and recommend that our members use their best efforts to wholeheartedly support this worthwhile charity.

To find out more about WIN, please visit w w w. w o m e n - i n need.co.uk/, and to sign up to become a member of CHN and engage positively in creating change, visit www.cityhindusnetwork.org.uk.

Muslim scholar visits Leicester to address extremism A Muslim scholar has visited Leicester to discuss and share ideas about how to address extremism.

The Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Sheikh Abdulatif Deryan, spent Tuesday in the city visiting faith leaders and members of the community before heading to London for a

couple of days.

The Grand Mufti is the highest official of religious law in a Sunni Muslim country.

Mufti Deryan said: "My visit to the UK was an opportunity to have discussions about the threat of extremism in the name of religion and the threat it

has on security, and on people who want to live in peace and tranquility.

"My stance on this is clear. It is forbidden to use violence in the name of Islam or any religion because religion is here for people, their wellbeing and prosperity."

14

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Anand Mela - best choice for a family day out Anand Mela is an extravagant 2 day occasion where you and your family can shop, dance, eat and get entertained under one roof. There will be different stalls, ranging from beauty, fashion and wedding, property and investment, health and wellbeing, as well as food and drinks, plus many more.

The Anand Mela attracts around 5000 visitors and is scouted as the best choice for a family day out. The event will be held at Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD on 6th & 7th June 2015, from 10am to 7pm.

There will be ample free parking for visitors and easy access for goods.

The event will be covered by the press.

St Luke's Hospice will be the Charity Partner with Asian Voice for the Anand Mela; WorldRemit are the headline sponsors

St Luke's Hospice

for this event.

WorldRemit is a leading global online money remittance company that lets people send money to friends and family living abroad. It is a convenient, low-cost alternative to traditional money transfer companies that use high street agents and charge unreasonable fees.

St Luke’s Hospice cares for people with incurable illnesses so that they can live well, know that their family and carers are supported, and

when the time comes, die with dignity in the place of their choice.

St Luke's offer all there services completely free of charge. They rely on the generosity of the community for 70% of their funding; the Anand Mela event will be a great opportunity to raise money for such a noble cause.

Whatever sales made from the ticket proceedings of the Anand Mela will go to the St Luke's Hospice.

Swaminarayan Jayanti and Rama Navmi Celebrations at Neasden The festivals of Swaminarayan Jayanti and Rama Navmi were joyously celebrated with a variety of devotional activities on Saturday 28 March 2015 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.

The festivities began from the morning on Chaitra sud 9 the actual birthdate of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Bhagwan Rama according to the Hindu calendar. An annakut (traditional ceremonial offering of food) was artistically arranged in the shrines before the murtis.

Sadhus performed a special arti at noon to commemorate the birth of Shri Ramachandraji.

Youths also sang bhajans to the accompaniment of musical instruments extolling the glory of

Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Bhagwan Rama.

Later in the evening, devotees gathered in the assembly hall to celebrate Swaminarayan Jayanti with a special programme.

Titled Mala-na Manaka , it focussed on the high spiritual calibre of devo-

Katrina Kaif reveals her new wax figure at Madame Tussauds Bollywood at Madame Tussauds London is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and to mark the occasion the attraction has created a new setting for its Indian film stars, officially opened when actress Katrina Kaif revealed her brand new wax figure.

The star becomes the seventh Bollywood actor to be honoured with a figure at Madame Tussauds

Katrina Kaif with her wax work model

London after she was voted for by fans, just as Amitabh Bachcahn was in

2000.

The wax model of Katrina is portrayed in a dancing pose wearing a sequined white, silver and gold, two piece outfit by Manish Malhorta. The model took four months to create, and cost £150,000.

Other Bollywood stars at the attraction include Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan.

Dara- The Captivating Experience

Reshma Trilochun

The National Theatre at South Bank played host to the magnificent play, Dara. Dara is a play has been adapted by Tanya Ronder from Shahid Nadeem's play, which was originally performed by Ajoka Theatre, Pakistan.

The play takes you back to Mughal India in 1659, depicting Dara Shikoh's life from childhood to death. It is a tale of two regal brothers, Prince Dara and Prince Aurangzeb, the sons of Emperor Shah Jahan. It depicts the dark and gruesome animosity between family members to become the next emperor, to the extent of being thirsty of your own kin's blood.

The music used in this play is not merely used to fill up empty space or for

Sibling rivalry: Sargon Yelda as Aurangzeb (left) and Zubin Varla as Dara (centre) Photo: Alastair Muir

glamour purposes; it is used to bring the narrative forward and it helps assert the feeling of being in 17th century India.

Each and every person involved in this play deserves a massive round of applaud, be it the cast, the crew backstage or the director of the play.

Evidently amazed and in

awe of the performances, the audience did not shy away from explicitly expressing their contentment with the play by thunderously applauding during the interval and the ending. Each cast member gave a powerpacked performance, engaging us, enthralling us into an alien world

tees Bhagwan Swaminarayan had nurtured during his life.

The celebrations began with devotional singing followed by an enthralling production which took the audience back in time as the hall transformed into a scene from the era of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Performers expertly enacted inspiring accounts of Bhagwan Swaminarayan s devotees who had shown remarkable courage in remaining steadfast to their faith and religious observances.

The drama was supported by enlightening discourses from sadhus and lively bhajans that further elaborated upon the theme of the programme.

The historical journey was brought to a conclusion with reference to modernday devotees who have demonstrated the same values by the guidance and inspiration of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

As the finale drew near, youths performed a vibrant and colourful dance welcoming the murti of Harikrishna Maharaj inside the assembly hall amid a grand procession.

Aspiring athlete raises money for the visually impaired An aspiring athlete, Idris Mansoor (40), from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire is hoping to raise funds for a noble cause by participating in the 2015 London Marathon.

Mansoor will join several other runners on 26th April 2015 to support the charity Visually Impaired Children Taking Action (VICTA). This charity supports blind and partially-sighted children, young people and their families across the UK. Idris Mansoor's roots

lie in Gujarat, India. When asked what prompted him to take part in the marathon, he replied, “I

which no longer seems incongruous.

Zubin Varla played the powerful character of Dara, the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan. One memorable scene of his was the court scene and his defence to the claims of prosecutor Talib, portrayed by Prasanna Puwanarajah.

Another noted element, among many was the chemistry between Aurangzeb and a Hindu dancing girl, Hira bai.

Their love and passion for one another resonates throughout the auditorium, making our hearts go out to the unrequited lovers who were not destined to be one.

Another performance worth mentioning is of Chook Sibtain, who portrayed the imperial eunuch, Itbar. The scene where he meets his parents after several years will give you cold shivers, as he gives an anguish

account to how he was sold by his parents to the royals, who then castrated him into a eunuch. The angered, turbulent emotions were excellently enacted by Chook Sibtain.

Time Out gave Dara four stars and reviewed it as “a magnificently ambitious project, beautifully acted, and visually sumptuous, that throws both light and darkness on a crucial moment in world history.”

The Financial Times also gave it four stars, stating, “‘Visually ravish-

Idris Mansoor

love to challenge myself, push the boundaries of the human body and see what it is capable of. Plus I want to beat my last year's time of 3 hours 52 seconds.”

Mansoor has already raised his fundraising target, yet he is keen to go the extra mile. He stated, “I 'm hugely grateful to everyone who has sponsored me so far.”

Anyone wishing to support Idris Mansoor should visit: www.UK.virginmoneygiving.com/idris mansoor

ing. Nadia Fall's beautiful, silken production balances clarity and fluency.”

I would go a step further and give it five stars, for engaging and captivating me throughout the 2 hours and 50 minutes duration of the play, and even more so after having left the theatre. Dara is one play that will stay with you for a very long time. It is certainly not something to be missed.

Regardless of your preference in genres and entertainment, Dara will definitely not disappoint.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 28th March 2015

A Gangster Film with Cultural Edge

Neerja Naik on new release ‘Hackney’s Finest’ Sunetra Senior

Vivacious and upfront, actress Neerja Naik seems to have imbibed the spirit of her latest endeavour, British gangster film Hackney’s Finest – in cinemas April 3rd. “I’ve never seen anything like it” she told us. “It’s centred on a family of Afghan descent who smuggle heroin, and I play the cousin Pari. That’s really what attracts me to the acting: scripts that present three-dimensional characters and give you experiences you would never usually be exposed to”. With yet another zeitgeist role in upcoming feature-film ‘Sold’, a narrative which chronicles the life of a young girl who is the victim of sex-trafficking in India, Naik is exactly where she is needed in the burgeoning line-up of 2015: “My favourite performances always have a powerful element of truth” she asserted. “I love the reality in the acting”.

W

e can then see a perfect marriage of the actress to the medium in the paradoxically titled Hackney’s Finest. Naik’s ability to find the emotional reality of her stylised character reflects the depth of a drama that only flaunts guns, drugs and profanities on the surface: “Pari is a gangster with a lot of swagger. She rides around on a motorbike and wields a gun, but there is a strength and independence to her too. She has a strong moral centre.” So do the gang of multicultural rebels who find themselves as much as product of their society as delinquent by choice. The plot follows a day in the life of protagonist Sirus (Nathaneal Wiseman) with his “Motley Crue of drug-dealers and users, who get in trouble with a couple of corrupt cops and spend the 24 hours trying to get out of it.” Sirus’ last lines belie both the disillusionment and resolve from realising their wider social conflict with metropolitan authority. With bigoted white cops and work colleagues who wield every racial slur in the anachronistic book – ‘Wog’ finds its way in there too – we can see that he and his gang are no worse for what they do, and in fact could win a gold medal at survival. In this alternative ironic light then, they are internally ‘Hackney’s Finest’.

“The movie does turn the typical on its head” Naik continued to tell us about her role. “It’s not that Pari has a gangster life and her family disagree. She’s actually caught in the middle. Her family exports heroin into the UK, and it’s about her views on what they do. She is conflicted between her own ideals and staying loyal to the household.” Indeed with a tagline that reads: ‘a new power is rising in the East End’ the film is subversive in more ways than one. As the eloquent Naik touched upon with Pari’s inverse position, ‘Hackney’s Finest’ also transcends the personal to give us a cultural revolution.

At a time when Islamophobia and antiimmigration sentiment are high, national politics are at its borders. The climax scene unravels at a “cold cold warehouse”, a place of perpetually shifted goods, and encapsulates the twofaced power-play tension of the current international landscape. Naik’s stoic character has a beautifully evocative line here: ‘Do you remember playing in the poppy fields when we were four years old? I had no idea it was something people in big shin-

'My motto is simply perseverance'.

ing cities would fight over.’ The lines are delivered in the regional tongue of Pashto which Naik explained was taught to the actors by an accent and language coach: “he had also trained soldiers going out to Afghanistan”.

country’s ethnic minorities.

Naik has also endorsed women’s rights by raising awareness about the sex-trade in India, both through her acclaimed film ‘Sold’, which premiered at the London Indian Film Festival in summer, and associated charity ‘TaughtnotTrafficked’ with Childreach International. Naik elaborates on what she learnt through her role as Anita, ‘a fellow survivor’, ‘who befriends Lakshmi, a young girl of thirteen who is trafficked from her mountain village in Nepal to an Indian brothel’, in a lyrical yet hard-hitting piece to the ‘New Statesman’.

However, “I also like roles that are humorous in certain ways” she pointed out, “such as Cate Blanchett’s performance in the Woody Allen film ‘Blue Jasmine”, and the personalities in ‘Hackney’s Finest’: “Though Pari is quite serious, it is an entertaining film overall. It actually won an award for the sound-track at the East-End film festival and what we heard from the audience was that the movie was a funride. It’s definitely an original.” Infused with its own vernacular, ‘Hackney’s Finest’ certainly retains the steely wit of its genre.

When one of the mercenary policemen greets Sirus with a patronising ‘Good Evening’, he retorts ‘a good evening for who mate?’

This together with a largely uplifting ending, and the focus split across ‘WelshJamaican drug-dealers and Russians’ as well as the Afghani family, returns a sense of power lost to a multicultural Britain through homage on the big screen: “It was so exciting to work on an action plot where all these different sub-cultures were represented” Naik emphasised. We also second her commendation of co-stars Enoch Frost who plays Sirus’ Jamaican accomplice and Rajan Sharma her smug'The film gler cousin. Frost’s conturns the tribution to the ending for example, snapshottypical on its ted in rural Wales, puts the final unabashed bow head' on the validity of our

“So you see there was a lot of fun inherent in the script”, Naik continued, “and the other thing is these are quite hyperbolic char-

acters so it was even funnier if someone tripped up. Like in the first shot, I’m supposed to be all mysterious, stopping my motorbike and taking off the helmet, but I couldn’t really see anything through it and I just smashed right into the side.

And I wasn’t the only one, cops were falling down etc. It’s great when you can get a balance of the drama and the humour. It was also great to be able to immerse myself in another (Pari’s) world, and make it honest. You get a lot from the physicality: the style of your hair, the way you sit on the motorbike, and for me too, I learnt how to hold a hand-gun!

When would I ever do that in real life? But that was nothing compared to the other guys. They all had to handle massive crazy firearms.”

The pre-requisite of an actor’s profession is to draw from the instinctive, but Naik’s naturally laid back attitude seems to have cemented her success: “I have a degree in economics, but loved to act since I was little. I went into banking, doing some theatre on the side, and realised how much I missed it. You only live once, or of you believe in reincarnation you only remember that you live once, so I went for it and applied to the prestigious Drama Centre London, which was really hard to get into, and got in! The desire to act has always been there. You do it because you love it. It was really organic and already incorporated in my life. It was just about taking the decision to pursue it; that’s the biggest step.” The optimism stretches to the place of women in the industry: “I also have an affinity with the depth of Blanchett’s character” as well as, we feel, her incredible cheekbones – “because she’s effeminate with a lot of energy and realness. It was an interesting female character, and those don’t come around as often as they should. So I think there can be more developed and original roles for women, but that change is already happening. Pari is a good example, and Grey’s Anatomy has a lot of expansion in terms of women’s characters.” With those closing words of wisdom, Naik bid us farewell, amped up for the release of her new film this week: “It’s so soon! I’m excited!” facebook.com/HackneysFinestTheMovie

twitter.com/neerjanaik

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SPECIAL

Good Friday and Easter celebrations around the world

For Christians around the world, this is Holy Week, which includes numerous activities and celebrations that precede Easter Sunday. Common activities include performing the Stations of the Cross, which revisits Jesus’ crucifixion, Seder meals to recall the Last Supper, washing of the feet, which Jesus did for his disciples, and processions on Good Friday, the day Jesus died.

But some cultures take these celebrations beyond mere remembrances. Here are some of the more extreme Good Friday celebrations around the world: Iztapalapa, Mexico: Residents of this Mexico City suburb perform a realistic “Passion Play,” a dramatic representation of Christ’s crucifixion and death. While not sanctioned by the Catholic Church, it is sponsored by the area government, which has designated it an “intangible cultural heritage” of Mexico City - a UNESCO designation that focuses on intangible elements of a culture.

During the play, 4,000 local actors re-enact Christ’s walk to his death on Calvary. The individual who portrays Jesus, chosen for his moral character and physical strength, endures wearing a crown of thorns and being flogged as he carries a 200pound cross. He is then

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated every year by the people in India to commemorate the birth of Hindu Lord, Hanuman. It is celebrated annually in the Hindi month of Chaitra (Chaitra Pournima) on 15th day of the Shukla Paksha. This year it will be celebrated on 4th April.

How and when to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti Lord Hanuman, a dedicated disciple of the Lord Rama, is worshipped all over the India by the people for his deep devotion to Lord Rama. On the day of Hanuman Jayanti, all the Hanuman temples become full of devotees as people start puja from early morning after a holy bath.

People worship Lord Hanuman as a symbol of devotion, magical powers, strength and energy. People read Hanuman Chalisa as it has ability to conquer the evil spirits and provide peace to the mind. They apply red tilak (vermillion) to the foreheads of Hanuman idol, read Hanuman Chalisa, offer Prasad of laddoo, do Aarti by chanting mantras and Aarti songs, make round of the temple and so many rituals. As Lord Hanuman was born to the Vanara

tied to it in a re-enactment of the crucifixion.

P a m p a n g a , Philippines: In the Philippines, there is no tying to the cross. Instead, participants are actually nailed - hands and feet - to a cross just as Jesus Christ was 2,000 years ago. The San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites in Pampanga have taken place on Good Friday after a two-hour street play every year since 1962.

At least three, and as many as 12, individuals are nailed to a cross on a makeshift Calvary. Each person remains on the cross until he “feels cleansed of his sin,” while others flog themselves with bamboo sticks tied to a rope. One man has been nailed to the cross 22 times.

Trafalgar Square,

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

London: This realistic interpretation of Jesus’ death is not as graphic as Pampanga’s, but it’s still not advised for young children. The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square involves more than 100 participants from the Wintershall Players, as well as horses, doves and donkeys.

Some 20,000 spectators attend the event, which has free 90-minute performances at noon and 3.15 pm on Good Friday, as well as big screens to ensure everyone can watch.

San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Spain: Participants dressed in white habits flog themselves at the “Los Picaos” procession in the Rioja Village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra in northern Spain. Using esparto grass

ropes, they whip their backs in a graphic display for 20 minutes. This method of penance, used in many places through the 18th century, has managed to survive to modern times in this Spanish village.

Bensheim, Germany: Germany’s take on the suffering of Jesus is a bit tamer. The charming southwestern town of Bensheim, which just celebrated its 1,250th anniversary, has hosted an annual Good Friday procession presented by local Italian families since 1982.

Crowds gather for the theatrical performance, which begins with Judas’ famous kiss of betrayal and includes Jesus’ appearance before the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate sentencing him to death and Jesus’ scourging, car-

rying of the cross and death.

Religious Easter traditions: For Christians, Easter is the holiest and oldest of all traditions, and it's related to the even more ancient Jewish festival of Passover, which is described in the Old Testament. Both holidays are celebrated at the same time of year, often (but not always) in the same week.

Passover takes place over one week in remembrance of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

For Christians, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion.

Christians throughout India celebrate Easter with special church services and prayers. "Most homes will have a special gettogether with family and close friends. The celebration is mainly spiritual and not too elaborate."

Families in India may keep a small box or earthen pot as a place to put money aside regularly as an offering. On Easter Day, some families donate this sum to the local church, an orphanage, or people in need.

In Austria, there's a unique twist to the religious observance of Easter. "Between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday morning mass, you won't hear any church bells ringing, because

December and January) in the belief that Lord Hanuman was born to the amavasya in the Margazhi month. In Odisha, it is celebrated on 1st day in the month of Baisakha (in April). In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated on 10th day of Vaishaka month in the Krishna Paksha. It is a 41day long celebration in the Andhra Pradesh which starts from the Chaitra Purnima and ends at 10th days of the Krishna Paksha of Vaishakha

month.

Significance of Hanuman Jayanti celebration Hanuman Jayanti celebration indicates the balanced coexistence of the whole human fraternity with the nature’s incredible creature, Lord Hanuman from Vanara community. People from the Hindu religion worship Lord Hanuman as a divine creature. This celebration has lots of importance to all. However, Brahmacharis, wrestlers and body builders are specially inclined towards this celebration. There are many names through which Lord Hanuman is famous among his devotees like Bajrangabali, Pavanasuta, Pavankumar, Mahavira, Balibima, Marutsuta, Anjanisut, Sankat Mochan, Anjaneya, Maruti, Rudra and many more.

Hanuman avatar is considered as the 11th Rudra avatar of the Lord Siva with great devotion, strength, knowledge, divine power, bravery, intelligence, spirit for selfless service etc. He has devoted his life only for his Lord Rama and Mata Sita and never shows his brav-

ery and intelligence without any purpose. The devotees of the Lord Hanuman always pray him for getting blessed with the same for their bright future. He is worshipped in many ways by his devotees; some meditates by repeating his name many times to get power, fame, success etc in life whereas some reads the Hanuman Chalisa to get the same.

History behind the celebration Once, a great saint named Angira went to visit the heaven king, Indra and welcomed there through the dance presented by a damsel named, Punjiksthala. However, saint was not used of that type dance and started meditating on his God. After the end of dance, he was asked by Indra about the performance of dance.

He was silent and said, “I was in deep meditation to my Almighty because I have no interest in such dance. It was very shameful to Indra and damsel; she started disappointing the saint and then cursed by the Angira that “Behold!

You shall degrade to earth from Swarg. You will be born as a female monkey in the

Hanuman Jayanti celebrations

community having reddish orange colour body, that’s why it is seen to all the Hanuman temples having reddish orange coloured Hanuman idol.

In the Maharashtra, it is commemorated to the Purnima in the Hindu Lunar month of Chaitra.

However, according to other Hindu calendar, it falls on 14th day (chaturdashi) of Ashvin month in the dark fortnight.

In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is celebrated in Margazhi month (between

according to religious lore, they all fly to Rome," says Ilse Eichinger, editor of BabyCenter Austria.

"Instead, the 'Ratschenbuben' (altar boys with rattles) go to work, making a lot of noise with their 'Ratschen' (wooden rattles), saying prayers, and singing rhymes."

Pagan Easter traditions: Many things about Easter are neither Jewish nor Christian in origin.

For example, the English name "Easter" and the German name "Ostern" are both derived from old Germanic roots. Also, the traditions of having an Easter eve bonfire or burning Easter wheels and then pushing them downhill come from Germanic and Celtic heliolatry, or sun worship. Even the popular colourful Easter egg has its origins in another pagan belief: It was considered a symbol of fertility in Egypt.

Today, eggs are nearly synonymous with Easter in many countries, including Germany, Austria, India, and Switzerland. At the end of Lent, hardboiled eggs are colored, Easter trees or bouquets are decorated with little wooden figurines and hollowed-out painted eggs, and people buy or bake special sweet Easter breads, often bursting with raisins.

mountain forests”.

She then felt sorry and regretted her curse and a merciful saint supported her through blessings like, “A great devotee of Paramatma will be born to you. He will forever serve Paramatma.” She became the daughter of Kunjar (king of the monkeys on earth) and got married to the Kapiraj Kesari of the Mount Sumeru. She gave birth to the Hanuman with the help of five divine factors such as curse and blessings of the saint Angira, her prayers, blessings of Lord Shiva, blessings of Vayu Deva and Putreshti Yagna’s fruit. It is considered that Lord Shiva had to rebirth as a human being on the earth in his 11th Rudra avatar in the form of Hanuman as He could not serve to the Lord Rama by being in His real form.

The whole Vanara community, including all the human fraternity, was happy and celebrated his birthday with great enthusiasm and joy by dancing, singing and lots of activities. From then, it was started celebrating as a Hanuman Jayanti by his devotees to get strength and wisdom like him.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Dear Financial Voice Reader, So you want to save money by getting your health care in India? Sounds like a good idea in theory, lots of well qualified medics, dentists, no NHS waiting lists, private care and a trip to the mother country, same language – all important considerations, especially if you are elderly.

So what went wrong with the case of Dhirubhai Davda, who contacted me some months ago, an elderly gentleman in agonising pain after dental surgery in India – and what are the key lessons for anyone thinking of saving money by taking medical treatment in India?

Mr Davda wrote to me a heartfelt letter detailing how he visited Sahaj Dental Clinic Rajkot, Gujarat (www.sahajdentalclinic.com). He explained ‘The treatment I received resulted in a number of extremely painful complications which require costly, painful and time consuming remedial treatment in England.’

His key allegations which many will be able to relate to: ‘I received dental implant and bridge treatments from the Sahaj Dental Clinic in December 2012. I had already had the first part of the implant procedure (metal screw fitting) undertaken by another dentist from my previous trip to Bangalore. I asked Sahaj Clinic to fit a crown thereto. The crowns they had were incompatible with the metal screw so they tried to cut and modify the screw to force the crown to fit the screw. Subsequently I have had severe and painful problems with the bridge resulting in bad infections, massive swellings and considerable trauma. Upon my return to the UK I started having problems in the form of swelling and bleeding with the implant at the end of January 2013. I consulted my Dentist the renowned Professor Mark Woolford of Guys Hospital, London. He concluded that the force used, and the way Sahaj had fixed the crown had made the situation irreversible.’

Tapan Shah from the Sahaj Clinic replied to my email and denied all wrong-doing and negligence.

So what is my advice to others?

1. From what I have heard, the NHS does not look sympathetically on those getting bad treatment abroad and then wanting correction in the UK. I know this is frustrating and if I was PM, I would make things different as my first piece of legislation.

2. Do not get treatment from multiple different clinics, hospitals. If you go abroad, stick to one place, that will make things easier.

3. Media threats of bad publicity don’t bother such medics or other professionals. Either they are conmen, in which they don’t care, or they are professionals and so have a complaints procedure. But the fights worth it – throw a punch – you’ll feel better, that you did something.

4. Do keep all records and documents meticulously filed to make your own life easier and then complain to any and all parties including regulators, and of course journalists. Be ready, you will be accused of extortion by the other party! That’s the sad truth. If you can afford it – sue.

5. If you really want to get aggressive, take the gloves off, rather than just be fuming, be vocal, be powerful – then contact every one of their friends on Facebook and LinkedIn. But be prepared to be counter-sued and a visit from the police!

India to enact new Foreign Trade Policy

India will announce its new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) on Wednesday, which will chart out ways to increase and enhance exports, specifically in the services sector. "Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 to be unveiled on April 1, 2015," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted.

The foreign trade policy, which is usually announced in April, provides guidelines for enhancing exports with the overall objective of pushing economic growth

and generating employment.

The government gives fiscal incentives to exporters under different promotion schemes like the Market Access Initiative, Marketing Development Assistance, Vishesh Krishi and Gram Udyog Yojana and the Focus Market Scheme.

Declining for the straight third month, India's exports fell by over 15 per cent to $21.54 billion in February, even as trade deficit narrowed to $6.85 billion.

Vedanta slaps claims notice on Indian govt

London-listed Vedanta group of NRI tycoon Anil Agarwal has slapped a `notice of claims' against the government of India, challenging the Rs 204.97billion tax claim against its Indian subsidiary, Cairn India, using retrospective law.

This is the second claim being filed against the government over the tax notice. Earlier, Cairn Energy Plc, which had in 2011 sold a majority stake in Cairn India to Vedanta group for $8.67 billion, sought compensation for the loss in value it suffered due to an “unfair and arbitrary” demand for Rs 102.47 billion.

Vedanta filed the notice against the income tax department's move to impose Rs 204.97 billion in taxes and penalties on Cairn India for allegedly failing to deduct tax on capital gains made by its former parent, Cairn

Energy Plc, while doing a business reorganization seven years ago.

Cairn Energy had in 2006-07 transferred its India assets, including the Barmer oilfields in Rajasthan, to a new company - Cairn India - and listed it on the stock exchanges. Finance ministry sources said this was a legacy issue it had inherited from the UPA regime, which imposed the retrospective law in 2012 to tax share transfers, and no new notices were being

issued under this law.

Vedanta said it would take “all necessary steps” to protect its interest against the tax notice on Cairn India. “Vedanta's board of directors has instructed counsel to file a notice of claim against the Government of India under the UK-India bilateral investment treaty (BIT) in order to protect its legal position and shareholder interests,” Vedanta said in a filing to the London Stock Exchange. Cairn India too has informed the bourses of the filing by Vedanta.

“If enforced, such tax demand would have serious consequences for Cairn India and therefore Vedanta's investment in Cairn India,” the company said. Vedanta said the claim notice was the first step required prior to commencement of international arbitration pursuant to the BIT. “Vedanta and

Cairn India will continue to take all necessary steps to protect their interest and the interest of their shareholders.“The government has also made a parallel tax demand on Cairn UK Holdings, for which the Edinburgh-based company has sought arbitration and is seeking compensation under the UKIndia investment treaty.

The company has been advised by leading international counsel that the retrospective tax legislation passed is a violation of protections accorded to investors under the BIT and constitutes a serious impairment of the treaty rights of Vedanta, it said.

Cairn Energy of the UK also recently sought compensation from the Government of India for the loss in value it suffered due to an “unfair and arbitrary” Rs 102.47 billion tax demand raised using a retrospective tax law.

Modi has indicated that the Tamil Nadu-based Nokia plant, which shut down a few months ago, is likely to start functioning again.

The inter-ministerial panel set up in this regard included Department of Revenue, Department of Industrial and Policy Promotion (DIPP) and Department of Electronics and IT. CBDT was part of the discussions.

The assets of Nokia's Chennai plant have been

frozen by the Income Tax Department and the next hearing in the Nokia tax case is on April 6, when the resolution will be placed before the Supreme Court, the source said. "There are three buyers who have shown interest in the plant but the deal can be finalised only after the court allows its sale," the source said.

The I-T Department says Nokia India and Nokia Corporation owe Rs 211.53 billion as total tax liability, including penalty, for the seven-year period from 2006 to 2013.

US software giant

Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile devices business for about USD 7.5 billion but kept the factory out of this deal due to tax dispute with Indian authorities. The factory continued making handset under contract from Microsoft for a year after which the US firm terminated the manufacturing agreement following which Nokia suspended operation at the plant from November 1, 2014.

The mobile phone export from India crashed by 70 per cent to Rs 24.50 billion in 2014, from Rs 118.50 billion in 2013 due to production getting affected at Nokia's Chennai plant as per a report of Indian Cellular Association.

construction of the first plant is already underway.

The 125 km-long belt Sanand, Vithalapur, Hansalpur in Ahmedabad district, Manadal and Bahucharaji in Mehsana district - is emerging as an ideal location for the automobile sector.

Gujarat, which had plants of companies such as General Motors, Atul Auto and AMW, has in recent years seen auto makers such as Tata Motors Limited, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Ford, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) Pvt Ltd, Honda Cars India and Hero Moto Corp setting up their projects.

With the launch of Ford's new plant, the installed capacity in state has increased to 6,98,000 units per annum. With slew of mega projects either planned or under construction, the capacity is likely to go up to 46,33,000 units per annum.

Anil Agarwal

India may allow Nokia to sell Chennai mobile plant

The Indian government may allow Finnish telecom firm Nokia to sell its Chennai plant with a condition that the money realised will be kept in escrow account till final verdict is out on its Rs 210 billion tax dispute. "The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) took initiative to resolve Nokia factory issue so that mobile manufacturing can be restarted in its Chennai plant," a source said.

An inter-ministerial panel was formed in this regard and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has agreed to the proposal of allowing sale of plant and deposit realised amount in escrow account, the source added.

On March 3 in Parliament,

Ford opens its manufacturing unit at Sanand

US auto major Ford Motors Company last week opened its integrated manufacturing facility at Sanand, which is already a home to Tata Motors Ltd's Nano project. With the commissioning of this plant, Ford India will have a total installed capacity of rolling out 440,000 vehicles and 610,000 engines every year. Ford is the second US auto giant to have set up its manufacturing facility in Gujarat.

General Motors already has plant at Halol near Vadodara.

Ford will manufacture its new concept sedan `Figo Aspire' at the Sanand facility. Around 19 suppliers have already set

up their shops at the vendor park in Sanand.

Japanese auto giant Suzuki Motor Corporation plans to invest Rs 85 billion over the next few years to set up three plants at Hansalpur with a total annual capacity of 7,50,000 vehicles. The

18

BUSINESS

India raises $17.6 bn from telecom airwaves auction

India raised a record $17.6 billion from the sale of mobile phone airwaves in its latest telecom spectrum auction after 19 days of fierce bidding, telecoms minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Prasad said the government received bids worth almost 1.10 trillion rupees ($17.6 billion), topping the 1.06 trillion rupees it raised in 2010. The amount is a third higher than the government expected to raise.

Victorious bidders need to pay a quarter to a third of the winning price initially, and the rest by

One more airline gets approval in India

Air Pegasus, India’s ninth airline carrier got Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s approval to commence its operations. The airline is based in Bengaluru and is the third new airline in a year to take off in the Indian skies after AirAsia India and Vistara Airways.

"We have received an Air Operators Permit from the DGCA, and plan to launch our ticketing system soon and launch operations in two weeks. We already have two ATR-72 aircraft in our fleet that is sufficient to operate the three sectors we plan to start flights with," Shyson Thomas, managing director of Air Pegasus, said.

The airline will initially start its operation from three sectors- Trivandrum, Hubli and Cochin, and expand its fleet to other low-cost sectors over time.

"We, however, do not plan to operate to Delhi and Mumbai airports, as these are expensive airports and will only increase our cost of operations," said Thomas. Talking about the ticket pricing, Thomas said, "Like many other airlines, we will not be selling tickets below our cost. A ticket between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,500 would be a comfortable situation for us and we do not intend to sell below that price. But we will be providing food (some snack and juice) to all our fliers."

The airline will also induct a third aircraft in its fleet soon. "We also have plans to connect Tuticorin, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Kadapa and Rajahmundry in the southern part of India later on," he said.

The new airline, promoted by groundhandling services provider Decor Aviation, will see an initial investment of Rs 1 billion.

Decor Aviation currently provides ground handling services to domestic and international carriers across 11 airports in India.

2027. Spectrum revenue is key for the government to plug its fiscal deficit.

However, the government's payday could be delayed as the final allocations to operators will take place after the Supreme Court issues its ruling on multiple cases questioning

the auction guidelines and criteria.

The government did not disclose winning bidders and the regions in which they had won spectrum, but the country's top operators - Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Group Plc's India unit and Idea Cellular Ltd - are expected to have bought the major chunk of the 20-year licences on offer.

The bidding underscores the fierce competition in India's mobile phone market and the operators' big bet on the potential for mobile data

in the world's fastest growing smartphone market. "(The) competitive landscape in the telecom sector is becoming favourable for large telecom companies as they have consolidated their leadership over the last few years," Morningstar analyst Piyush Jain said in a note.

Cash-rich conglomerate Reliance Industries is also among bidders expected to spend big on airwaves as it looks to roll out pan-India 4G services, five years after buying its licence.

Rescue plan for Sahara in doubt as BBVA denies loan

A rescue plan for Sahara was thrown into disarray, when Spanish bank BBVA SA denied offering a credit line to the bank, scuppering the conglomerate's claims it would use it to help secure bail for its jailed boss.

Sahara, once one of India's most high-profile firms, told the Supreme Court this week that it had secured a 900 million euro ($985 million) line of credit from BBVA, one of several financial deals it said it had struck.

Sahara founder and boss Subrata Roy has been held in jail for more than a year, after Sahara failed to comply with a court order to refund billions of dollars to investors in a bond programme that was ruled

Subrata Roy

illegal.

The court has set Roy's bail at $1.6 billion, a product of the cost of the bond programme, estimated by regulators to be as much as $7 billion. Sahara has said it has paid most of the dues to the bondholders, but the Securities and Exchange Board of India disputes that.

"We have no credit exposure or any relation with Sahara," a spokesman for BBVA said. A senior executive at BBVA separately said that

the bank was never in talks with Sahara for a loan and that the mention of its name in the court proceedings was a "surprise".

Sahara had submitted a letter in the court written on BBVA notepaper and signed by bank executive Jose Ramon Vizmanos, taking responsibility for the credit it was giving Sahara. But later Vizmanos said that he had no knowledge of the letter.

"I have never worked with any Indian company ... The only thing I know about Sahara is the desert in Africa," Vizmanos said by phone. A Sahara spokesman did not immediately respond to an email and phone call requesting comment.

Modi govt puts brakes on India's universal health plan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked for a drastic cutback of an ambitious health care plan after cost estimates came in at $18.5 billion over five years, several government sources said, delaying a promise made in his election manifesto.

Modi has had to make difficult choices to boost economic growth - his government's first full annual budget, announced last month, ramped up infrastructure spending, leaving less federal funding immediately available for social sectors.

The health ministry developed a draft policy on universal health care in coordination with the Prime Minister's office last year. The National Health Assurance Mission aims to provide free drugs, diagnostic services and insurance for serious ailments for India's 1.2 billion people.

The health ministry proposed rolling out the system from April 2015, and in October projected its cost as $25.5 billion over four years. By the

Narendra Modi

time the project was presented to Modi in January the costs had been pared to 1.16 trillion rupees ($18.5 billion) over five years.

That was still too much. The programme was not approved, three health ministry officials and two other government sources said. Three officials said the health ministry has been asked to revamp the policy, but work is yet to start.

"The constraint on India's financial resources was conveyed to health officials, and even to those from other ministries," said one government official who is not from the health ministry but attended the meeting where Modi was present.

The meeting was held in January and the discussions were not made public. All of the sources declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Officials at the prime minister's office and the finance ministry, as well as the health ministry, did not respond to requests seeking comment.

Modi's manifesto ahead of the election that brought him to power last year accorded "high priority" to the health sector and promised a universal health assurance plan. The manifesto said previous public health schemes, that have been mired in payment delays recently, had failed to meet the growing medical needs of public.

So health experts were dismayed when the union budget for the full-year starting April raised the allocation for the country's main health department only by about 2 per cent from the previous year, less than inflation. The meagre increase dimmed prospects for the massive health plan, they said.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Sensex climbs 25% in fiscal 2014-15

India's benchmark Sensex on Tuesday inched lower by about 18 points to close at 27,957.49, wrapping up 2014-15 with hefty 25 per cent gain - its best performance in six fiscal years - buoyed by foreign investments after the Narendra Modi-led government took charge.

After jumping 205 points in early trade, the 30-share index frittered away gains on emergence of profit-booking at the fag-end and ended with a marginal fall of 18.37 points or 0.07 per cent.

However, the mid-cap and small-cap indices outperformed the broader markets, ending with a rise of 0.31 per cent and 0.88 per cent, respectively, the brokers said.

The NSE Nifty also succumbed to selling pressure and closed 1.30 points down at 8,491. It gained about 27 per cent for the fiscal year. "Amid volatility, equity markets closed almost unchanged on last trading session of the financial year," said Jayant Manglik, president-retail distribution, Religare Securities.

Brokers said higher levels could not be sustained as participants

turned cautious and indulged in profit-booking.

Besides, a mixed closing at other Asian markets and a weak opening in Europe also cast a shadow here, they added. Bucking the trend, stocks of Tata Power gained the most among Sensex constituents by rising 3.42 per cent. GAIL with a rise of 2.37 per cent, followed by Dr Reddy's 1.91 per cent and Tata Motors 1.85 per cent.

Sectorally, the BSE banking index suffered the most by falling 0.81 per cent, capital goods index by 0.49 per cent, IT index by 0.20 per cent and FMCG index by 0.19 per cent.

During the fiscal 2014-15, Sensex has gone up by 5,571.22 points, or 24.88 per cent to 27,957.49 from 22,386.27 on March 31, 2014. The gauge had touched all-time high of 30,024.74 on March 4 this year. On similar lines, the NSE's Nifty zoomed by 1,786.80 points, or 26.65 per cent, to settle the fiscal at 8,491 after scaling lifetime high of 9,119.20 on March 4 this year.

India to pip China in growth: ADB

India is all set to overtake China's growth rate by clocking 7.8% GDP in 2015-16 and 8.2% during the following fiscal on the back of structural reforms and government's “proinvestment” attitude, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said. In case of China, the GDP is expected to decelerate to 7.2% and 7%, respectively. In the current fiscal, both the economies are expected to clock a 7.4% growth rate.

“India is expected to grow faster than China in the next few years,” ADB chief economist Shang-Jin Wei said while releasing the bank's annual publication Asian Development

Outlook, 2015.

The Indian government's pro-investment attitude, improvement in the fiscal as well as current account deficit situation, and some forward movement on resolving structural bottlenecks have helped improve the business climate, making India attractive again to both domestic and foreign investors, he added.

The Indian government however, expects the growth rate to accelerate from 7.4% to 8-8.5% in 2015-16.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a growth rate of 7.5% for next fiscal.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

REAL ESTATE VOICE

The one that got away

19

This morning we were hoping to grab a property in Kilburn for a client who has bought and sold from us several times over many years.

The property in question is Lot 1 at the Savills auction. This property is a lower ground property consisting of approx 800 sq. ft.

This information was not on the auction details, we got this from the EPC which is by no means accurate but does give an approximate figure.

He is the perfect client. He has already purchased one from us on the same road. The property he bought was purchased about ten doors down from this one. The property was purchased in September 2009 for £300,000. The client had attended one of our seminars and agreed to buy it there and then, blind. At this time the property was a one bedroom and since being purchased it has been converted to a two bedroom and is currently getting a rent of £1,600pm which gives a healthy yield of 6.66%.

The b ulk of the money has be en made in capital growth; the property has risen strongly it is now worth £585k, ne arly doubling in value in only thre e and a half years. This is more than the client has sav ed ove r this period of time and certainly more than his business has made over this period.

Originally the first transaction we had done with this client was a little flat in Luton which was purchased for £38k from memory. It was cheap to buy and gave a good double figure rental yield; this was many many years ago, pre credit crunch times when you could get 85% LTV, meaning on a transaction like this you only needed to put £6k into the deal.

We originally purchased several of these flats in the same block, attracted by two things, one was the ability to pull out whatever money we put into the deal plus a little more straight away, and the other was the cash flow was positive. So even after all the money had been extracted from the deal you were left with a positive cash flow.

This meant he had to put very little into the deal.

There was a time when the client’s main business was not doing too well and he wanted to sell the property to cash in and again purchase another property and do the same again.

We advised him not to do so, if he sold there was little chance he would have been able to purchase another property at that time.

The mortgage environment was getting tougher and to take out a new mortgage in his name would not have been easy. Furthermore the costs of coming in and out of a deal, even of this size, isn’t cheap it’s roughly in the region of £20 – £30k.

However initial looks we re deceptive . The type of re nters this prope rty attrac te d w as just unbelie vable. There’s a saying: if you give out peanuts you get monke ys. The hassle factor involved in owning the se types of properties is not worth it even if these properties were given free of charge.

There is no b lanket rule to whether it is better to resell or hold on, you w ould need to look at your personal situation and t he env ironment as well. In this situation the adv ice we felt was correct as the property is in a location whic h is being lifted as a conseque nc e of its proximity to Hampstead and St John’s Wood as w ell is the ripple effect from the West End. A s prices rise in the c entre of town, this rise is rippled outwards. Though Kilburn looks like a rundown area, due to its location pric es of £850 per sq. ft. are being ac hieved and they are still rising.

We however coached him through all the issues he was having as we were facing the same, and he disposed of the property a short time down the line at a price similar to what he paid. It was good riddance.

Though the deal wasn’t the best experience, the client knew our intention was good, even though at the time in retrospect perhaps a little naive.

The next property he purchased with us was in Kilburn which was discounted from the market value. The mortgage rate we got for him at the time was better than what was generally available on a BTL basis, we managed to secure a 85% LTV mortgage at 3%.

Whilst looking at this client’s financials (as it’s prudent to check prior to bidding), we discovered his income isn’t quite what he had thought. Many lenders require a minimum income in order to obtain a mortgage. This wasn’t the first time we have come across this. Many self-employed are confused about how much they actually earn. Some think what their company earns is what they earn, others think a dividend is a salary. So it was no surprise when we looked at the source paper work we discovered the paperwork didn’t quite match the perception of the client.

The property we were looking to purchase also was in a rundown condition, which meant it wasn’t lettable and therefore it wasn’t mortgageable. We had little option except to go for a bridging loan. This meant we had to reduce our bidding level accordingly. We reduced it from £525k by £25k to take into account six months of bridging costs.

This was a slight blockage but certainly not a deal breaker, it does mean time becomes expensive and so if the project is not tightly controlled it could spiral out of proportion. Work should start on the property at the point of exchange. Many things can be arranged prior to completion, including applications for any permissions required. The monthly cost on a bridge for this would be £3,150.

This can be saved by using this time to prepare.

On this occasion we were not successful as the price went to £506k and looked like it was going to go even higher. However the preparation to get to this point is valuable and leaves the client poised to strike at another deal as the ground work has been done.

The Real Deal

Probate in NW6 £2.5M l Freehold l 4,500 sq. ft. l Potential to add another 1,500 sq. ft. l Only 0.5% stamp duty l Probate sale l Property on same road on the market for £2.5m with only 2,500 sq. ft.

Call us now to secure this deal!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l There are two ways to source a good property investment, one is to buy a 'Below Market Value' property, the other is to foresee the trend and buy at market value. Buying in a strong location reduces the risk.

l Normally the best buy and sell opportunities are on the top of the pyramid, i.e. priced at £2m and above. If you don't have the required cash, you can join hands with others and start investing.

HIGHEST EARNING INDIAN WRITERS

20

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

1. SALMAN RUSHDIE $15 million

Reshma Trilochun

After the enthusiastic reception to the Asian Voice GLOBAL INDIA RICH LIST, here is further insight into the highest earning celebrities in five different walks of life starting with writers.

Over the next four weeks, Asian Voice will bring you highest earners in other fields. So watch this space!

2. V S NAIPAUL $7 million

Salman Rushdie (born in 1947) is the only author in the Indian diaspora who figures in a list of the world's Top 50 highest earning writers.

Salman Rushdie is one of the most successful yet controversial authors, having many acclaimed books to his credit, as well as fatwas and death threats from many communities as well.

Some of his successful novels include Midnight's Children (1981), for which he received the Booker Prize, The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999) and The Enchantress of Florence 2008). His novel, The Satanic Verses(1988) was extremely controversial, having angered many Muslims globally. The novel was banned in many countries with large Muslim communi-

ties, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and Singapore, to name a few.

Salman Rushdie adapted Midnight's Children into a play. It was also made into a movie by the same titled, starring the likes of Shabana Azmi and Irrfan Khan, directed by Deepa Mehta and released in 2012.

Rushdie has received many awards, including the Whitbread Prize twice for the Best Novel, the Budapest Grand Prize for Best Literature as well as the London International Writers' Award. He holds honorary doctorates and fellowships at six European and six American universities and in 2007, he received a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

3. VIKRAM SETH $5 million

Vidhiadhar Surajprasad (V.S) Naipaul (born in 1932) is of Indian descent, born in Trinidad. He is estimated to have earned a few million over the years and is ranked 72 in a list of 100 best-selling novels in the 20th century.

Some of Naipaul's best known work include A Bend in the River (1979), A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) and A Way in the World (1994). In 2001, Naipaul was honoured with the Nobel Prize for the novel Half a Life, which is a story about an Indian immigrant to England and Africa.

V.S Naipaul was knighted in 1989. In 1993, he was awarded the David Cohen British Literature Prize by the Art Council of England, the Booker Prize Award for Fiction in 1971 for In a Free State and the Somerset Maugham Award in 1961, for the novel Miguel Street (1959). Naipaul also hold honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University, New York, as well as honorary degrees from the universities of, London, Oxford and Cambridge.

4. KIRAN DESAI

$3 million

Kiran Desai (born in 1971) is an eminent novelist and is also the daughter of novelist, Anita Desai.

Kiran Desai was born in India and moved to England at the age of 14. She left Columbia University in the US to complete her first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998). The novel is a progressive, fresh look at life in a lethargic provincial town of Shahkot in India. This novel won her the Betty Trask Award in 1998.

A f t e r extensively focussing on her next novel for more than seven years, Kiran Desai published her second novel,The Inheritance of Loss (2006). For her second novel, Desai received the Man Booker Prize for Fiction (2006) and the British Book Awards Decibel Writer of the Year (2007), plus many more.

Kiran Desai's mother, Anita Desai's work include, Fasting, Feasting, (1990), In Custody (1984) and Clear Light of Day (1980), for which she was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

Vikram Seth (born in 1952), who shot to prominence with A Suitable Boy (1993), has probably done better by attracting advances in excess of $5 million.

Vikram Seth was born in Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), and has travelled extensively. Seth studied at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, Stanford University and Nanjing University. He has lived in Britain, China, India as well as California.

Some of the work by the Indian novelist and poet include All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990), An Equal Music (1999) and Two Lives (2005).

Seth has received several awards, including the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1994, as well as the Irish Times International Fiction Prize in 1993 for A Suitable Boy. An enraged Vikram Seth came into the forefront in 2013 to express his disappointment with the Indian Government for criminalising gay sex. He appeared dishevelled and angry on the cover of India Today, holding a blackboard which read, “Not a criminal.�

This was a contrast to Seth's usual poised persona.

5. CHETAN BHAGAT $1.3 million Chetan Bhagat in one of the most popular writers in mainstream India. Chetan Bhagat has six blockbuster books to his credit and four of his novels have been adapted into successful Bollywood films. His 2014 released Half Girlfriend is currently in the process of being made into a Bollywood film as well.

Some of his novels include, 2 States: The Story of My Marriage (2009), Five Point Someone: What Not to do at IIT (2004) and The Three Mistakes of My Life (2008). He has also worked on the screenplay for the film, Kick (2014), 2 States (2014) and Hello (2008).

Chetan Bhagat received the Society's Young Achiever's Award in 2004 as well as the Publisher's Recognition Award in 2005.

Bhagat used to have a career in Investment Banking in Hong Kong before moving to Mumbai, India in 2009 to pursue his passion in writing.

Chetan Bhagat was embroiled in controversy over his claim that the filmmakers of the film, 3 Idiots (2009), did not give him his due credit for the film, considering the film was based on his novel, Five Point Someone: What Not to do at IIT.

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Inflation expected to turn negative Currency Specialists.

British retail sales rose at the fastest pace in three months in February, beating expectations and suggesting Britain's consumer-led economic recovery remains strong ahead of national elections in May. Retail sales rose 0.7 percent last month, their best growth since November and up from 0.1 percent in January, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday.

Falling shop prices declined at the fastest rate since at least 1997 encouraged Britons to hit the shops in February, with furniture selling particularly well. A separate Confederation of British Industry survey showed retail sales grew at a solid pace this month as well, which will cheer Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party ahead of a closely-fought election on May 7.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) said Britain recorded zero inflation in February for the first time since the 1960s. It is widely expected to turn negative in the coming months amid lower energy amid falling food and oil prices.

Recently a number of Bank of England officials have publicly dampened any concerns about

deflation. This comes as they prepare to enter a period of silence ahead of the general election in May next week.

In the US consumer prices rebounded last month as petrol prices rose for the first time since June, official figures show.

The Consumer Price Index rose by 0.2% in February, but remained unchanged from a year earlier. The monthly rise follows three consecutive months of declines, including a 0.7% drop in January.

Petrol prices rose 2.4% in February, after falling by 18.7% in January. Economists expect the strong dollar to keep inflation low in the coming months as it will make imported goods cheaper for consumers. The dollar has risen sharply in value in the past year against the euro

and the yen, as the US economy has grown more quickly than those of Europe and Japan.

Job growth in the US has been robust and the economy is steadily expanding.

Typically, that would lead the Fed to raise interest rates from near zero, where they have been since December 2008. But the CPI is far below the 2% target set by the Federal Reserve and this is complicating the Fed's decision on when to raise interest rates.

The us economy was also boosted by another impressive jobs figure after fewer Americans than forecast filed applications for unemployment benefits last week as improved weather conditions ushered in labour market stabilisation.

Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 282,000 in the seven days ended March 21, the lowest level since mid-February.

In Europe Last week Mario Draghi spoke at the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee where he gave a more positive outlook for the Eurozone. Draghi mentioned

that although the ECB expects inflation in the Euro Area to remain very low or negative in the months ahead due to volatile energy prices, with inflation rates increasing gradually towards the end of the year. This will be supported by the impact of the lower exchange rate and the recovery of oil prices from their current troughs. The latest ECB projections foresee inflation at 0% in 2015, rising to 1.5% in 2016 and 1.8% in 2017.

Business output in Europe also grew at its fastest rate in nearly four years in March, the Markit composite purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 54.1 compared with 53.3 a month earlier the highest level in 46 months.

The improvement in business output was the result of growth in new orders that had increased at their fastest rate since 2011. Employment also grew at its fastest rate since August 2011. Job creation in the service sector held steady near February's four year high, while in the manufacturing sector it grew at its quickest pace since April last year. Crucially, the survey showed that deflationary pressures eased in March with prices falling at the slowest rate since July.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 31th March 2015 @ 4.30pm

GBP - INR = 92.64

USD - INR = 62.42 EUR - INR =67.01

GBP - USD = 1.48 GBP - EUR = 1.38

EUR - USD = 1.07 GBP - AED = 5.45

GBP - CAD = 1.88

GBP - NZD = 1.98

GBP - AUD = 1.94

GBP - ZAR = 17.98

GBP - HUF = 414.18

www.rationalfx.com

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

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WORLD

22

Prince Charles announces fundraiser for elephant family

London: On 3rd November 2015, 30 colourfully decked auto rickshaws will erratically race 500 kilometres; starting from Khajurao to Kipling Camp, Kanha, India, in the quest to be the first to reach an elephant named Tara. By doing so, they will raise £1 million for the purpose of arresting the diminishing population of elephants.

Approximately 90% of the world's Asian elephants have been obliterated.

This fundraising event was announced by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, at a reception at their Clarence House residence in London on 26th March 2015. Also present at the reception was the Indian High Commissioner, Ranjan Mathai, accompanied by his wife, Geeta.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are joint presidents of the Elephant Family charity. The charity was established by the

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall

Duchess' late brother Mark Shand in 2002, who rescued the elephant Tara in India. He consequently wrote the bestselling book about it called, Travels on my Elephant.

Elephant Family was founded to save Asian elephants, in particular elephants in India from extinction.

Simon Reuben, who is also ranked 8th in the recently published, Global India Rich List is among the charity's patrons, as well as Cyrus and Priya Vandrevala and Gaurav Burman. In June, the rickshaws that will participate

Media Sales Representative

We are looking for a highly motivated Media Sales Representative with or without previous experience for selling space in the most popular and largest selling Asian publications - Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

Other than the Newsweeklies we also publish various theme based magazines covering key topics such as Health, Property, Finance-Banking-Insurance, Diwali, which gives us the leading edge within the UK’s ethnic press.

Responsibilities • Research and gain prospective clients • • • • •

Maintain positive relationships with clients Meet with prospective clients Conduct follow-up meetings with clients Coordinate Artwork delivery and proofs Communicate with team on progress and ad sales

LOCATION:

Central London

START DATE:

Immediate

JOB TYPE:

Permanent

Selected candidates will receive a competitive salary and commissions.

Send your CV with a covering letter to: L George Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House 12 Hoxton Market (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW or email: george@abplgroup.com

500 Kms race in Madhya Pradesh, India to save elephants

in the contest will travel around and on 28th June, the vehicle will be auctioned at Sotheby’s to racers, back-

ers and drivers.

The money raised from the auto rickshaw race will go to the Elephant Family.

SFO fined after sending documents to wrong person

London: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) were fined £180,000 after thousands of private documents from a notable bribery investigation were erroneously sent to the wrong person. There were papers from an investigation into BAE Systems deal; they comprised of evidence relating to 64 people. The Information Commissioner's Office states that the information were feebly sent to a witness in the case in a startling blunder.

The SFO said it had "substantially overhauled its procedures".

The leaked documents included bank statements, hospital invoices and pass-

port details related to the SFO's investigation into allegations that executives at BAE received payments as part of an arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

Accusations of corruption and bribery led to an SFO probe in 2004, however, it was closed in 2006 on grounds of public interest, over concerns that relations with Saudi Arabia were being marred.

After the case closed, the SFO sent more than 2,000 bags of evidence to the witness between November 2011 and February 2013.

This is the first time that the SFO were fined by the UK's privacy regulator.

London: The owner of a string of award-winning Indian restaurants in the UK has been charged with the manslaughter of a 38year-old customer who died following a severe allergic reaction after eating a curry that contained peanuts.

Paul Wilson was killed by anaphylactic shock after eating the curry from a takeaway which is believed to have contained the nuts. The restaurant owner Mohammed Khalique Zaman, 52, was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence over the tragedy. It is the first time that a restaurant owner has faced such a charge.

Wilson, who lived near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, bought the meal from The Indian Garden, in nearby Easingwold, in January 2014 just months before the introduction of a law requiring food businesses to provide allergy information on all unpackaged food. Wilson, who had recently been promoted to deputy manager at the

Oak Tree pub in Helperby, was found collapsed in his bathroom.

Although allergies are increasingly common, only around 10 people die annually in the UK from reactions to food. Trading Standards has recently begun clamping down on restaurants who use ground peanuts instead of ground almonds because they are cheaper, but do not disclose the ingredient. Most consumers would be unable to tell the difference, but for those suffering from a peanut allergy, eating the mislabelled food could prove fatal. Zaman has run several restaurants across North Yorkshire and York for more than 25 years, including the Jaipur Spice chain, which won the Best In Yorkshire award at the Bangladeshi Catering Association Awards in 2012 and 2013. Zaman has also been charged with perverting the course of justice and an employment offence under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Indian eatery owner charged for allergy death

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

In Brief

Teachers seek restoration of term holidays

London: The teachers union has called for an end to the ban on children being taken out of school for term-time breaks. The union says that the ban is unfair for working parents, especially those with lower incomes. The parents who defy the ban can be fined £60 each. If they refuse to pay, they face a criminal prosecution. The motion says that the head teachers should be more flexible in how they enforce the rules to allow some parents to take their children out of school for a week-long family holiday.

Extra students putting pressure on school budget

London: A think tank has warned that schools would face financial squeeze as they face extra pressure to cope with a large number of students caused by soaring immigration and higher birth rates. A projected 7 per cent increase in student numbers is set to put pressures on spending, according to Luke Sibieta, programme director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and author of a new study.

Call to free grandparents from babysitting

London: Celia Imrie, actress and author, seeks to free grandparents from babysitting. Imrie, star of “Calendar Girls” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” said she was "shocked" by the demands placed on her retired friends, with an increasing pressure on the older generation to pick up childcare. The actress, who has just written her first novel, said she had been left upset by witnessing "exhausted" friends who felt obliged to help their adult children. Lamenting a new generation of "putupon" grandparents, she disclosed she could "not believe her ears" at some of the conversations she had been party to, including - increasingly discussions about future inheritance. Condemning the trend as "absolutely revolting” she added: "In my day you never, ever talked about your inheritance and what you're going to get when your parents died. I'm not a grandmother yet, but it rather upsets me when I see dear friends of mine who are of an age and are absolutely exhausted. But they never say it because they are thrilled to help and they don't know how to say no. But they are exhausted."

Conservationist calls for bridge over Serengeti to save wildlife

Nairobi: Famous Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey said that unless a bridge was built across Serengeti national park, “the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet” could disappear within 20 years. He said that plans to bisect the park with a dual carriageway would jeopardise the annual migration of 1.5 million wildebeest from the Masai Mara in Kenya unless a 22-mile section was elevated.

Leakey said it was sad to sacrifice the wilderness, but said that Tanzania needed to improve its infrastructure, and that a bridge was the only way for people and wildlife to live in harmony. “In 10 to 15 years there is a very real possibility that the wildlife won’t be able to cross the Mara,” he said.

“We cannot afford to lose the greatest wildlife migration in the world because some fool doesn’t believe the Tanzanians don’t need to move traffic.”

He said that the bridge would cost less than $1 billion, which was an acceptable price to save the migration.

Indian-American siblings get $9 mn compensation in assault case

New York: An Indian-American brother-sister duo has been awarded record $9 million in damages for severe injuries sustained when they were attacked with metal bats during a brawl with two men in a night club here in 2005. Anuj Sapra and Arti Sapra won the judgment in the Manhattan Supreme Court for the incident at the city club when the two men misbehaved with them and later beat them up with baseball bats. The siblings' Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said that the case "represents the serious fallout of New York clubs regularly serving under-age children excessive amounts of liquor, and such drunken state coupled with immature judgment, becoming a violent trigger for serious injury, or worse, near-death." The court ruled against firm Ten's Cabaret, which owned the club, and awarded compensatory and punitive damages of over USD 8 million for Anuj Sapra and over USD 640,000 for his sister. Batra said the Sapras were harassed and assaulted by Mohammad Abdul-Shakoor and Mohammad Asif who were "under-age" but were still "illegally" served liquor by the club.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

In Brief

Number of Indian students in Oz rises

Sydney: There are 13,730 Indian students enrolled in Australian colleges in 2014 - an increase from 10,168 in 2013, according to the latest international student data released by the Australian Trade Commission.

The numbers in 2014 made Indian students the third largest group of international student enrolments in New South Wales. A decade earlier, Indian students were the fourth largest group. In 2012, the number of Indian students who enrolled in an Australian university was 11,239. The increase of nearly 3,562 students in just one year could be due to the dip in the numbers visiting Britain. Controversy over post work visa in Britain has seen a major dip. Data revealed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) shows the number of Indian students fell from 18,535 in 2010-11 to 13,250 in 2011-12 and further to 10,235 in 2012-13.

3 Lankan navy personnel arrested over Tamil lawmaker's killing

Colombo: Sri Lankan police have arrested three navy personnel over an ethnic Tamil lawmaker's assassination that had been blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that the three men are suspected in the killing of Nadaraja Raviraj, who was shot dead in his car in 2006 during the country's civil war. Raviraj was outspoken on greater self-rule for minority ethnic Tamils and explained the Tamil perspective of the conflict in Sinhala, the language of the majority. The government of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa blamed the killing on the now-defeated Tamil rebels, but Raviraj's supporters suspected a government hand. Rajapaksa's government was accused of operating paramilitary groups to kill and abduct rebel suspects and dissidents. The new government of President Maithripala Sirisena has promised accountability for wartime abuses.

Another blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh

Dhaka: Another blogger was hacked to death in the Bangladesh capital on Monday, in the latest brutal attack on the country's independent writers, a senior officer said. Police have arrested two people over the murder which comes just weeks after an American atheist blogger was also hacked to death in Dhaka, a crime that triggered international outrage, the officer said. Police said they were unsure whether the victim, Washiqur Rahman, 27, was also an atheist blogger but another social media writer said that he was known to write "against religious fundamentalism". "It appeared Rahman used to write using a pen name Kutshit Hasher Chhana (Ugly Duckling)," Imran Sarker, head of Blogger and Online Activists Network in Bangladesh, said. "He was a progressive free thinker and was against religious fundamentalism," he said.

Police have also arrested a suspect over the killing in February of American atheist writer and blogger Avijit Roy.

Indian-origin banker jailed for voyeurism in Singapore

Singapore: A 32-year-old Indian banker in Singapore has been jailed for eight weeks on charges of voyeurism, including taking upskirt videos of women for over two years. Maha Vignesh Velippan, a former executive at State Bank of India, admitted to 19 charges of insulting modesty and one ofhaving 596 obscene films from last August. Another 75 charges were considered during sentencing. The court heard that during lunchtime on June 7, 2011, a 27-year old business relationship manager was on an escalator in the Standard Chartered Bank building in the central business district (CBD) when she felt something brush against her legs. She turned around and saw Maha standing beside her with a paper bag containing his phone whose camera lens was pointed at her. The woman asked for his phone and found an upskirt video of herself and then called the police. The offences took place between 2008 and 2011. Maha's lawyer said his client suffered from voyeurism and sex addiction but was making good progress in his psychiatric treatment.

Lanka orders release of 54 Indian fishermen

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ordered the release of 54 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu arrested by its Navy for allegedly poaching in the country’s waters. Sirisena’s order to release the fishermen came just ahead of the two-day India-Sri Lanka fishermen-level talks being held in Chennai. Sri Lankan Navy had arrested the 54 fishermen along with their 10 boats on March 21 when they were allegedly poaching in island’s waters.

WORLD

FBI to track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus, Arabs

Washington: Six US lawmakers along with leading advocacy groups have welcomed the inclusion of Sikh, Hindu, and Arab American communities in the Department of Justice's hate crimes tracking effort. This is the final step in the long-fought effort to encourage the US federal government to finally begin tracking and quantifying hate crimes against these at-risk communities, the lawmakers said at an event on Capitol Hill.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently updated its hate crimes database and FBI training manual in order to start tracking hate crimes committed against these groups - that system is now fully operational.

Ami Bera, the lone IndianAmerican member of the US House of Representatives, along with fellow House members Joe Crowley, Bill Pascrell, Mike Honda, Grace Meng and John Garamendi attended the event. These lawmakers led a Congressional effort to encourage the Department of Justice and FBI to document hate crimes against Sikh, Hindu, and Arab Americans.

They wrote numerous

US indicts ex-cop for assaulting Indian

Washington: A federal grand jury has indicted the Alabama police office who violently threw to the ground an Indian grandfather visiting his son in the town of Madison, saying he used “unreasonable force“ while acting in uniform.

The victim, Sureshbhai Patel (57), was partially paralyzed and had to spend several weeks in hospital, and has only now resumed walking with the aid of a walker.

The one-count indictment filed in the US district court charges that Eric Sloan Parker (26), while acting in his official capacity as a police officer on February 6, injured Patel by slamming him to the ground.

Parker's actions deprived Patel of his right under the US constitution to be secure from unreasonable seizures, which includes the right to be free from unreasonable force by someone acting under colour of law, according to the indictment.

The indictment carries a penalty of 10 years in prison if proved in a court of law. Parker's attorney said he expects his client, who has been fired from the Madison police force, to plead not guilty.

letters to the DOJ and FBI and introduced a Congressional resolution in the wake of the tragic August 2012 massacre in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and submitting testimony urging action on hate crimes.

In 2011, two elderly Sikh Americans, Gurmej Atwal and Surinder Singh, were shot and killed while out for a walk in Elk Grove, California, a part of Bera's constituency, in a suspected hate crime that is still unsolved. "Since the September 11th attacks, too many Americans, especially Sikh, Hindu and Arab-Americans, have been wrongfully subjected to hate crimes and discrimination, including the shooting of two Sikh Americans in my own city," Bera said.

"Religious tolerance is a fundamental value of our nation and we must do everything we can to prevent these crimes motivated by bias against a victim's religious beliefs," he said. "Until now, AntiSikh hate crimes were not recognized by the FBI," said Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law and Policy at the Sikh Coalition.

"Year after year, Sikh Americans were being targeted for harassment and violence because of their distinct identity. "For the first time, the FBI now officially acknowledges that Sikhs are targeted for being Sikhs. While refinements are needed to the agency's tracking system and training standards, we are making progress," he said.

23

Punjab govt told to decide on Lakhvi's detention

Lahore: A Pakistani court directed the Punjab government to decide "within five days" the detention of LeT operations commander and 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Lahore High Court justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa ordered the home department of the Punjab government to decide the detention matter at the earliest. Lakhvi filed a contempt of court petition in the LHC seeking a direction for the state government to decide his detention matter in the light of an order passed by Islamabad High Court (IHC). The IHC on March 13 had suspended the government's detention order for Lakhvi and ordered his immediate release. Just before his release next day, the Punjab government issued a detention order for Lakhvi for another 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order. "After hearing the arguments from the Lakhvi's counsel and a law officer, justice Bajwa disposed off the petition with a direction to the home department (Punjab government) to decide the detention matter of the petitioner within five days," a court official said.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Andhra capital to be named Amaravati

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has zeroed in on Amaravati as the name of the new capital of the state. The CM will make the announcement at an auspicious moment, said sources.

According to the sources, Naidu finalized Amaravati as the name of his upcoming capital on the banks of river Krishna on the rationale that in one stroke, a new modern capital can be linked to history dating back to at least 2,000 years when the small town of Amaravati, which is about 32 km away from the core capital region, was a

Chandrababu Naidu

major Buddhist centre.

Since Amaravati is also associated with Telugu heritage dating back to the Satavahana kingdom, Naidu felt that it would be the most appropriate name for the AP capital. It was also felt that the name Amaravati will ele-

SC allows Karnataka HC to give verdict in Jaya case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has refused to restrain the Karnataka high court from passing its verdict on the appeal filed by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and others in a disproportionate assets case.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and R Banumathi turned down DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan's plea that the HC should be directed not to pass its verdict till the apex court decides his plea challenging continuance of special public prosecutor Bhavani Singh in the appeal before the HC. The HC had on March 11 reserved its order after wrapping up hearing in the case. Senior advocate T R Andhyarujina, appearing for Anbazhagan, alleged that the prosecutor was “handin-glove“ with the accused and his continuance would cause “perversion of justice.” He said the prosecu-

J Jayalalithaa tor did not oppose Jayalalithaa's plea for suspension of sentence and bail during hearing.

He added it was the state's duty, where a matter was transferred, to appoint the prosecutor. Since the Karnataka government did not appoint Singh, the TN government notified his appointment. “The appeal is vitiated because of this man's presence. The public prosecutor has no authority to argue in the case,” Andhyarujina told the bench.

Haryana govt not helping in Dera case: CBI

Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the alleged castration of some followers at the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) headed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, alleged that the Haryana government was not cooperating with it.

In a statement made before the Punjab and Haryana high court, the CBI informed that it had not received the required logistical support from the state government. It stated that the agency had written a letter on January 8 in this regard to the Haryana chief secretary, but its response was still awaited. These submissions were made by the premier investigation agency while submitting a status report in a sealed cover about the probe. However, the counsel for Haryana government assured the agency and HC of doing the needful.

On December 23, 2014, the HC had ordered a CBI probe into charges of forced castration of Gurmeet Ram Rahim's followers inside the dera after hearing a petition filed by Hans Raj Chauhan, a

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

former disciple. The HC also appointed senior advocate R S Cheema as amicus curiae to assist it on the issue. The case has been fixed for further hearing on July 1 when the CBI will submit another status report on the matter.

Earlier, while directing a CBI probe into the matter, the HC had appointed noted lawyer Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae to bring to light the high points and deficiencies in the reports and help the court formulate appropriate guidelines through the investigation for smooth trial if the probe led to that.

vate the status of the new capital and will be embraced by all Telugus.

The sources said many in the government and the TDP had suggested that the capital be named after NTR, but Naidu had shot it down.

"The chief minister preferred the historical importance of the region to the parochial sentiments expressed by some of his colleagues," a minister, who revealed Naidu's decision to name the capital as Amaravati, said.

Naidu was to announce the name of the new capital while taking part in the Ugadi festivities

in Tullur village revcently.

"Before leaving Hyderabad, he told us that the name Amaravati would be announced on Ugadi and carried with him all the necessary historical reports about the political and spiritual importance of Amaravati. However, the CM later decided to make the announcement on an exclusive occasion," the minister said. The sources said Naidu did not want the capital name announcement to be mired in any controversy as the model election code of conduct was in place for the legislative council polls.

Writer attacked for opposing Karnataka govt plan

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, an 81- year -old historian and scholar was attacked by a group of people inside Banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha for objecting government move over birth anniversary celebrations of a mythological person. Scuffle took place before chief minister Siddaramaiah, who was the chief guest, and timely intervention by police averted the possible ruckus.

Trouble begun soon after historian M Chidananda Murthy and others objected government decision to celebrate birth anniversary of Devara Dasimaiah, a staunch devotee of lord Shiva, saying the celebrations should be made in the name of Jedara Dasimaiaha, who was a great devotee as well as Vachanakara.

Chidananda Murthy argued that Devara Dasimaiah was not at all a 'Vachanakara' (Vachana writer). ''So, it is not right on the part of the government to

celebrate his birth anniversary. In fact, he was a bachelor. Jedara Dasimayya was a 'Vachanakara' and as per records, he had penned 60-70 vachanas. Jedara Dasimaiah and Devara Dasimaiah are two different persons. So I object to the government celebrating Devara Dasimayya's birth anniversary considering him as a 'Vachanakara,'' the writer said. ''When I came to know of the celebrations, I along with like minded people met Kannada and culture minister Umashri about 15 days back and convinced her that it is wrong on the part of the government to celebrate Devara Dasimaiah's birth anniversary as he was not at all a 'Vachanakara.'” he said.

"That day, Umashri just noded to our appeal but did nothing. So today, we went to the function and decided to give a pamphlet to CM about the issue. At that time some people pulled me around and the police took us outside,'' he said.

PM Modi pays tributes to martyrs, visits Golden Temple

Amritsar: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week paid tributes to freedom fighters and martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and visited the historic Golden Temple on a day-long visit to Punjab.

Soon after his arrival, Modi went straight to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district by a helicopter where he paid tributes to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at the National Martyrs Memorial on the anniversary of their martyrdom. He later visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial and paid floral tributes at the memorial, where British troops opened fire and killed hundreds of unarmed Indians in April 1919.

He stopped by the Martyr's Well which stands testimony to the brutal killing of people, many of whom had no way to save themselves but to jump in it.

The Prime Minister ended his day-long visit to Punjab by spending about 40 minutes at the Golden Temple.

This was his first visit to the complex after becoming Prime Minister.

South Brief

7 killed in Visakhapatnam firecracker factory blast

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): Seven people were killed and five others injured when an explosion took place at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Visakhapatnam. Six people died on the spot while another died while shifting a hospital. The reason behind blast is yet to be ascertained. The entire building went up in flames and people were trapped under the debris. District revenue officer K Nageswara Rao said that investigation was underway and further details were awaited. He also ruled out that the factory was illegal. "He is having a license, a valid license, now we have verified at the office records,” said Nageswara. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu announced a compensation of Rs 200,000 for the families of the victims.

KCR gets a jolt, BJP wins Telangana council seat

Hyderabad: K Chandrasekhar Rao-led government in Telangana received a jolt with the opposition BJP-TDP alliance bagging one of the two seats of the legislative council that went to polls last week. BJP's Ramachandra Rao won the election from Hyderabad-Ranga Reddy-Mahabubnagar graduates' constituency, defeating his nearest rival Devi Prasad of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) by 13,318 votes. Rao polled 53,881 votes while Prasad secured 40,563 votes. The main opposition Congress got only 2,856 votes. According to the Election Commission, of the 296,318 electors, about 39 per cent exercised their franchise in Hyderabad-Ranga ReddyMahabubnagar graduates' constituency.

TDP MLAs stopped from entering Telangana Assembly

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed in the premises of Telangana Legislative Assembly last week when the security personnel stopped legislators of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from entering the building. Ten lawmakers, who were already suspended from the House for the entire budget session, faced embarrassing situation when the security staff did not allow them to enter the building.

North Brief

AAP holds cycle rally to protest VIP culture

Ludhiana: The Aam Aadmi Party organised a cycle rally from Ludhiana to Chandigarh to lodge a protest against the money being spent on VIPs. "We are going to take this rally till Chandigarh. A lot of government`s money is being wasted on VIP," said senior lawyer and AAP member HS Phoolka. "On the other hand they don`t have money to pay their staff, teachers and college professors have not been paid since the past one year," he added.

New cancer hospital in Punjab

Modi undertook the parikrama of the Harmandir Sahib and paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum, where he was offered a 'Siropa' (robe of honour) by the priest. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, were among those who accompanied the Prime Minister.

Modi also mingled with the crowd of devotees inside the temple complex and interacted with the SGPC officials. He wrote in the visitor book of of the Golden Temple: "Guru Ashirwad bana rahey. Pavittar Pranam.

Narendra Modi (May the Blessings of the Guru Always remain.)"

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has signed an MoU with Tata Memorial Centre Mumbai for setting up Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital at Sangrur. As per the pact, which seeks to work in the direction of both preventing and curing cancer, the facility would be set up at Civil Hospital, Sangrur and would act as an outreach facility to the upcoming Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital Research Centre at Mohali. The facility in District Civil Hospital, Sangrur will be catering the population of the Sangrur and other adjoining districts of the Malwa region.

2 Pak smugglers shot dead

Amritsar: A day after one Pakistani intruder was gunned down while smuggling a sizeable quantity of contraband, two suspected Pakistani intruders were shot dead by security personnel as they were trying to smuggle in heroin worth Rs 600 million into India. Confirming the killing, Border Security Force DIG R P S Jaswal said that an AK-47 assault rifle, too, was recovered from the intruders along with 12-kg of heroin. Jaswal said that the duo were challenged by BSF personnel and were repeatedly asked to surrender, but they ignored the warnings. That invited retaliation from the jawans and, during the exchange, the intruders were shot dead, he said.

TRAVEL - INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

25

Bharat Ratna conferred on Vajpayee, Malviya

Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya

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Former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has been conferred with the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, by President Pranab Mukherjee at Vajpayee's residence, with Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dubbed the day as 'historic' and showered praise on President Pranab Mukherjee for departing from convention and personally visiting Vajpayee to confer him the honour.

Madan Mohan Malviya too honoured Later, on Monday Mukherjee conferred the Bharat Ratna on freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya (posthumously).

The family of the noted educationist was present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive the award. Born on December 25, 1861, Pandit Malviya was catapulted into the political arena immediately after

his first moving speech at the second Congress session held in Kolkata in 1886. He was president of INC in 1909 and 1918. His main achievement was the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University.

President Mukherjee also gave away the honours to senior politicians L K Advani, Parkash Singh Badal, sportspersons P V Sindhu, Arunima Singh, academician David Frawley and film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Among the Padma Vibhushan awardees were Advani, Badal and Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya.

Padma Bhushan was awarded to lawyer Harish Salve and journalists Swapan Dasgupta and Rajat Sharma.

Among the prominent Padma Shri awardees were film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, writerlyricist Prasoon Joshi, physician Dr Randeep Guleria, creator of popular cartoon character

“Chacha Chaudhary�

Pran Kumar Sharma (posthumously), shuttler P V Sindhu, hockey star Sardara Singh and amputee Everest climber Arunima Sinha.

Speaking after the ceremony , badminton ace Sindhu, one of the youngest recipients, said, “It is a great day. I was not expecting to receive this award and initially couldn't believe it. But I feel this will give me confidence to perform better and win more medals for the country.� Another awardee Arunima, a former national level volleyball player and the first female amputee to conquer Mt Everest, said, “I am very honoured. I plan to start a non-profit school for the speciallyabled and hope that the government will help me in setting up infrastructure.� Joshi said the award was very special and was for his parents. “This has made them very happy,'' he said.

India's ruling BJP has become the largest political party in the world with its enrolment drive in the past five months taking its membership to 88 million.

The Communist Party of China was until now considered the largest party with about 86 million members.

Sources said the party hit the 88 million mark on Sunday and the BJP expects its membership to cross 100 million by the end of this month, exactly what it had aimed for when it launched the drive in November last year.

Party president Amit Shah will announce the final figure at the national executive to be held in Bangalore on April 3-4.

The ambitious membership drive was Shah's idea. He views a base of active members as a device for consolidating BJP's

freshly-achieved pre-eminence. Sceptics say the groundswell in membership is no reliable reflection of the party's actual strength on the ground, and that while PM Narendra Modi's popularity and the party's current influence may draw thousands into the fold, their loyalty will remain suspect and they might bolt when the going gets tough.

Sources in the party maintain that the enrolment through missed calls is a huge improvement over the old practice where block-level functionaries would mention names of purported members to meet targets. The leadership had no way of independently verifying these claims. In the new scheme, the party can scrutinize registrations by calling up numbers from where missed calls originated.

The phone numbers also provide the party with a way to maintain 'live' contact with members to update them on developments and explain decisions as well as the context in which they are taken.

Mobile phones are also viewed as vehicles for propagating the party's policies and to counter the criticism of opponents.

The membership drive officially came to an end on March 31 but there are chances that it may be extended in a few states like Maharashtra where, according to the party, a large number of people are still calling to register themselves with BJP. After UP, where it has set a target of 15 million, Maharashtra is expected to fetch the maximum number of members for the party. Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have both already accounted for more than 8000,000 members.

BJP becomes largest political party in the world

26

INDIA

16 killed in Kashmir flood, landslide

Continued from page 1 days.

Of the 16 people killed in Budgam, the bodies of all have been recovered from a house that collapsed in landslides triggered by rain. The water levels in the river Jhelum have receded. Late on Sunday night, the river crossed the danger mark, causing panic in a region devastated by floods in September that left some 250 people dead and destroyed thousands of homes.

The state government declared floods and more than 300 families were moved to safety. Officials have set up over 20 relief camps fearing a repeat of the previous floods. All schools were closed on Monday and exams were postponed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to monitor relief operations. "I hope and pray that we don't have to face the situation we faced in September.

But there is no loss of communication or any major loss to roads," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose defeat in the state polls last year was partly blamed on the poor handling of the floods.

The armed forces,

along with four helicopters, have been kept ready for deployment at short notice. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force are in the flood-hit areas of Srinagar. The central government has granted Rs 2 billion as immediate relief, and the state government has sanctioned Rs 250 million for Kashmir and Rs 100 million for the Jammu region, which also has been affected.

According to officials, the water level at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh two monitoring sites - is below the danger mark and can go down further if there is no rain. "Water levels at Sangam was 16 feet and at Ram Munshi Bagh is 17.3. If the water level at Sangam comes further down to 12 ft, hopefully we will have no floods even if it rains for two more days,'' said minister for public works Altaf Bhukari. The gov-

ernment, however, is not ready to lower its guard.

"We have increased vigil along the river banks and our local administration is all geared up. Even if there is a flood situation we should be able to evacuate 95% of the population on foot. The requirement for boats should be less,'' Bhukari added.

According to him, meteorological department has not predicted a very strong weather system in the coming days.

"They are saying only 25 mm rain is expected but we still have to be vigilant,'' he added. Incessant rains on Saturday and Sunday caused Jhelum to swell creating panic in Srinagar, which was one of the worst hit in September's devastating floods.

After the state government declared floods, people started moving out of the areas which were affected by the last inun-

dation. Landslide had hit Hajjam Mohalla of Laden on Monday burying two houses to the ground.

There were three families in the houses comprising 8 men, 7 women and an infant who was less than a month old. According to local police officials, rescue operations were difficult as the machines could not be moved to the spot.

"The area had turned into a swamp, so rescue and search operations had to be undertaken manually," said a police officer.

Flood situation under control: Rajnath The Centre on Tuesday said the flood situation in Jammu & Kashmir so far is not as grave as last year but authorities are on alert to deal with any situation.

"Situation is not as grave as last time. But we are fully alert and if required we will send more assistance," home minister Rajnath Singh said.

The home minister on Tuesday had a telephonic conversation with Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who gave him a detailed briefing about the flood situation in the state. "We have our government there now. They are doing their best. But as of now situation is under control," he said.

Continued from page 1 against Kejriwal, the party's best known face.

The duo has repeatedly questioned Kejriwal's supremacy.

Hours after their ouster, Medha Patkar, a senior leader, announced in Mumbai that she was quitting the party, saying what happened in the meeting in New Delhi was disrespect to senior leaders and did not augur well for the future.

Delhi's Chief Minister, Kejriwal was present at the meeting but left before the voting. The two others who were also sacked were Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha for siding with the rebel duo. The meeting, chaired

by Gopal Rai, started with the supporters of both camps shouting slogans against each other and holding banners. Yadav also held a protest outside the venue over denial of entry to "genuine" members.

A national council member said that many members shouted slogans in favour of Yadav and Bhushan during the meeting and were reportedly forcibly removed. A resolution to oust Yadav, Bhushan, Kumar and Jha was tabled by Kejriwal confidant Manish Sisodia.

AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta told reporters that 247 members had voted in favour of the proposal for removing

the four, while eight including Delhi legislator, Devender Sherawat opposed it. Two gave their dissent in writing and 54 members expressed no view.

A member who attended the meet said that Kejriwal told the members to "be either with him or with them [Yadav, Bhushan]".

At a media meet later, a visibly upset Bhushan said: "It is true that we can move the court, Election Commission or call another meeting of the national council. All options are open."

"I have been telling him [Kejriwal] that he has dictatorial tendencies and he must curb them.

"I have failed. Instead of curbing these dictatorial tendencies, he has ruthlessly stifled any opposition," he told reporters.

Yadav also said that goons were also present at the meet who beat their supporters.

AAP was quick to reject the charges as "baseless" with its leader, Sanjay Singh saying that Yadav and Bhushan wanted to gain sympathy. "No violence had taken place.

No one was hit or injured," he told media after the meeting.

Bhushan, a noted Supreme Court lawyer, claimed the AAP meeting was scripted while Yadav called it a "murder of

democracy". "There was no distinction between members and invitees. Manish Sisodia announced they have a petition signed by 160 people... There was no voting, no discussion," said Yadav, a psephologist and co-founder of AAP. "There were many people who opposed it, they were not even given the chance. It is a total mockery of democracy." Yadav and Bhushan had five demands - transparency in the AAP, autonomy for local units, a Lokpal probe into graft charges against party members, AAP should come within the ambit of the RTI, and an end to secret ballot during election to key posts.

Anand Kumar, a Jawaharlal Nehru University professor who was also ousted, however, said they would not leave the party.

Giving his account of the events, he said: "Kejriwal said we caused trouble in the elections, and asked members to decide whether we should be ousted. But they did not let us speak."

"We are not out of the party. We will neither leave nor break the party. This is a party of the workers," he said.

More changes made A day after removing Yadav and Bhushan, the AAP made further changes, strengthening the grip of Kejriwal over the

organisation. The AAP reconstituted its Lokpal panel and the disciplinary committee, and created a body to strengthen its control over the state units.

Lokpal Admiral Ramdas said in a letter that the party told him it “no longer required” his services following the announcement of a threemember Lokpal panel.

The party’s national secretary, Pankaj Gupta, announced the reconstitution of the disciplinary committee that was headed by Bhushan. It would now have Dinesh Waghela at the helm, besides Gupta and Ashish Khetan, vicechairman of the the Delhi Dialogue Commission, a pet project of the Delhi government.

Bhushan likened the move to a “Stalinist purge,” but the faction loyal to Kejriwal said the changes were “routine and in order.”

The three-member Lokpal panel members are N Dilip Kumar, a former IPS officer; Rakesh Sinha, former DIG of the Central Industrial Security Force; and educationist S P Verma. Indicating the possibility of taking the party to court over the removal of Lokpal Admiral Ramdas, Yadav said the National Executive had no authority to appoint a Lokpal as its constitution empowered only the incumbent to choose a successor.

Kejriwal tightens grip over Aam Aadmi Party

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Manmohan challenges summons in coal scam case

Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the summons issued to him by a trial court over accusations of criminal conspiracy and corruption in the illegal award of a coal field. Upset over the summons issued to him, Manmohan had earlier this month said he was sure that the truth would prevail in the matter.

"I hope in any fair trial, I would be able to establish my total innocence. I have stated before the CBI my position and I have also as a prime minister issued a statement justifying what we did," he said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had led a solidarity march to Manmohan Singh's residence in the national capital, saying that the party was outraged on hearing the news of the summons being served by a court on the former prime minister. She had also said that the Congress was fully behind him.

A special CBI court in Delhi summoned Manmohan Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary P C Parakh in a coal block allocation case, terming it a "criminal conspiracy" with the objective to "do an illegal act".

Manmohan Singh

The court summoned them on alleged charges of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. They have all been asked to appear before the court on April 8. The case pertains to the allocation of the Talabira II coal block in Odisha to Hindalco in 2005, when Singh was holding the coal portfolio. Known for his personal integrity and humble lifestyle, Singh has not been charged with any crime but is being investigated for criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption, a prosecution lawyer said. The CBI had earlier excluded Singh from the investigation. His Congress party called the summons a backlash against its opposition to economic reforms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to push through parliament.

In Brief

Over 100 Christians arrested for lynching 2 in Pakistan

Lahore: Over 100 Christians have been arrested for allegedly being part of a mob that lynched two men after Taliban suicide attacks on two churches in Pakistan’s biggest Christian colony that killed 17 people. Confirming the arrests, a senior investigation officer said that more than 100 Christian protesters were arrested. They are currently being investigated by the police to determine their role in the protests.

“We first established identity of the suspects through TV footages, still cameras and other relevant sources before laying hand on them,” he said. The usual Sunday mass was underway on March 15 at the Christ Church and Catholic Church of Youhanabad Christian Colony that houses over 100,000 Christians, when two suicide bombers reached there and tried to break in.

When the guards stopped them from entering the churches they blew themselves up at the gates. After the blasts the police had taken two suspects into custody from the site and shifted them to a vehicle when a group of charged youngsters got hold of them. The enraged mob started thrashing the two suspects and after beating them severely, the mob tied them with a rope and set them on fire.

Police official fired amid outcry over lynching in Kabul

Kabul: A prominent Afghan police official was sacked as hundreds of men and women marched in the capital to protest the lynching of a 27-year-old woman in central Kabul recently. The official, a spokesman for Kabul’s police chief, justified the killing on his Facebook page after she had been falsely accused of burning a copy of the Koran. The woman, named Farkhunda, was beaten to death with planks of wood and set on fire by a crowd in front of police officers close to the presidential palace, ministries and foreign embassies. Her death has triggered a public outcry in a country where mass demonstrations of support for women’s rights are rare. Protesters in Kabul painted their faces red to represent Farkhunda’s bloodied face as filmed by mobile phones as she was beaten to death. “We have come here to tell the government of Afghanistan that we will no longer be satisfied with superficial narratives,” said Afghanistan’s former spy chief, Amrullah Saleh, who was at the protest.

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Why whole grains are good for you We’ve often been told about the benefits of adding grains to our diet.

Grains, especially whole grains, are a great source of complex carbohydrates. While carbohydrates may have a bad reputation, whole grains contain the ‘good carbs’.

A whole grain is the entire seed of the plant comprising of the germ, endosperm, and the bran, unlike refined grains which retain only the endosperm after being processed.

Common whole grains include wheat, oats, millets, quinoa, barley, amaranth and more. They are loaded with key minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants and are also naturally low in fat.

Better yet, a new Harvard study suggests that the secret to a long and healthy life is to add whole grains to your daily diet. It has linked the daily consumption of whole grains to a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart trouble, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems.

The results published in the open access journal BMC Medicine also showed that a diet high in whole grains and cereal fibres may reduce your risk of premature death.

The study included 367,442 people above age 50 who were followed for about 14 years. They were asked to fill questionnaires to gather information on their health and diet - based on frequency of meals, food types and portion size.

Researchers found that consumption of an average 34 grams of whole grains per 1000 kilocalories (kcal) per day was associated with a 17 percent reduced risk of premature death compared to those consuming an average of 3.98 grams per 1000 kcal per day.

Even when they accounted for factors such as health status, physical activity and obesity status the results remained the same. They found that consuming an average of 10.22 grams per 1000 kcal of cereal

fibers a day was associated with a 19 percent reduced overall risk of death compared to those consuming an average 2.02 grams per 1000 kcal per day.

When broken down for individual chronic diseases the research reveals surprising information.

High whole grain consumption was associated with an 11 percent and 48 percent reduced risk of death from respiratory disease and diabetes, respectively.

Whereas high consumption of cereal fibers had a 15 percent and 34 percent reduced risk of mortality from cancer and diabetes, respectively.

According to the scientists, whole grains and cereal fibre may be help due to certain protective properties like antiinflammation.

Pumpkin Seeds: rich in protein, fibre and natural oils

Seeds are often cast aside as a health fad, an embellishment to your diet or a craze that can be ignored.

But seeds deserve better. They’re miniscule powerhouses of protein that can be eaten as is or rolled into breads, desserts, granola bars, pretzels and even purees.

Every plant has a seed but only a few of them are high on flavour and reek of health benefits.

Previously, we’ve featured flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, and listed out the health benefits of each.

But now it’s time for pumpkin seeds to share the spotlight.

Pumpkin seeds, known as ‘pepita’ or 'pepita de calabaz’ (little seeds of squash) in Spanish are creamy, crispy and bitesized seeds of the pumpkin fruit. They make a terrific snack-on-the-go and make an equally good ingredient for all your culinary ambitions.

There are two varieties of pumpkin: the ‘baby bear’ pumpkin is small in size and has pale, whitecoloured seeds. They have a stubborn layer of hull around them which gives them a tough and chewy texture. The other kind of

How to tackle snoring: causes and remedies There are a couple of things that can stand in the way of a good night's sleep - at the worse, a howling dog and a snoring husband.

The rule book says that six to eight hours of sleep is a must for a healthy lifestyle. But in our bustling cities, not always do we have the luxury of a space with nature's soothing rhythms or absolute silence. Listening to the mighty waves beating against the shore is certainly one of the most peaceful things amid the silence that otherwise would have filled the room. Now, juxtaposing the same situation with one where your ears are subjected to the harsh, hoarse sound coming from the person sleeping next you or probably in the next room - bummer!

What triggers snoring in a person is his or her inability to breathe properly while sleeping. In the words of science, when the air movement is partially obstructed while breathing - as one sleeps it causes vibrations in the throat leading to loud, hoarse sounds. For some, it may not affect them to that extent, but in many cases it can lead to some

serious repercussions, triggering chronic sleep deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea (cessation in breathing that can last from a few seconds up to a minute).

Health experts have noted how loss of sleep resulting from snoring can lead to fatigue, lack of focus, lethargy, drowsiness and so on. Many studies have revealed it could increase risks of stroke and heart attack. Loud snoring is also known to cause disturbances in the carotid artery that is closely situated to the airway.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring is more common in obese men but affects women as well. It becomes more serious as the person ages.

What can help?

One of the most common causes of snoring is something which is in our own control - lifestyle. From maintaining healthy weight, avoiding smoking and alcohol, adopting correct sleeping posture to probably just changing your pillow; you can phase out this cacophony out of your life just by tweaking your lifestyle a bit. Often people tend to snore when

ies, lack of hydration causes nasal secretions to turn sticky, which may obstruct smooth breathing.

Eating Habits

they sleep on their back, in such a case, one should try sleeping on the sides instead.

Choosing a higher pillow will elevate your head while sleeping that can help ease out snoring.

Health experts believe that hygiene can also play an important role in curbing snoring. Make sure that your environment is clean and dust free. This can ward of any respiratory infections or allergies that may otherwise trigger conditions facilitating obstructive breathing.

Clearing your nasal passage or using nasal saline rinses just before sleeping may also help, in a certain cases, one may also resort to nasal strips.

Consume enough fluids and stay hydrated.

According to some stud-

Being a little cautious with one's eating habits can also keep snoring at bay.

Those who have sensitive or weak throat should avoid heavy meals, dairy products and caffeine at least a couple of hours prior to sleeping, however, one can always opt for herbal and organic beverages like green or black tea with lemon and honey.

Herbal and organic teas along with holy basil, clove and pepper are known to have phlegm and congestion reducing properties and help in clearing nasal passage.

Many believe that dairy products are not a great option during congestion, in such a case, switching to soy milk may help. Avoid consuming foods that might cause inflammation in throat tissues. Greasy and oily foods should also be consumed in moderation.

Consider cooking your meals in olive oil instead of regular oil and try swapping red meat with fish at times.

pumpkin is the ‘Lady Godiva’ pumpkin which is bigger in size and has muddy, green coloured seeds. The ‘baby bear’ pumpkins are the ones you get in India and the other kind is commonly found in the United States. They’re also used for carving during Halloween.

The white seeds have a bit more hull around them which makes them mildly chewy and rough. Hull is a dry outer covering which is usually found on fruits and seeds. If you find raw seeds difficult to eat, try pressing them with a rolling pin and then boil for about half an hour. The green seeds can be enjoyed raw as well, or you could roast them real nice.

One of the questions that haunts every vegetarian is – how can I get my fair share of protein? Protein is absolutely crucial as it speeds up your metabolism, ramps up your body strength and helps you focus. And this is where seeds come to your rescue.

Pumpkin seeds especially are extremely high on both protein and fibre making them a terrific snack that can be enjoyed during any time of the day.

Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc which works as a mild aphrodisiac.

Zinc also encourages the renewal of cells, repairs damage and promotes healthy hair. These seeds are also one of the top sources of phosphorus, which pumps up your metabolism and is important for energy. Other things that make pumpkin seeds a terribly healthy snack are: they’re awfully rich in magnesium which is crucial to a wide range of important physiological functions, pumping of the heart, relaxation of blood vessels and seamless bowel function.

Mix lettuce varieties to gain maximum health benefits Mixing lettuce varieties could help provide protection against the chain reactions of free radicals, molecules that can cause cell damage and generate various diseases, suggests a study.

The findings, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, said that mixing lettuce, one of the indispensable vegetables in the Mediterranean diet, could be a good idea as not all lettuce varieties have the same antioxidant effect.

Free radicals harm our body by causing, in the best of cases, ageing and, in the worse, seri-

ous diseases.

Lettuce is rich in antioxidants, as it contains compounds like phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and vitamins A and C, among other things, the researchers said.

Specialist Chef required Specialist Chef required by a well established company specialising in Indian catering based in London. Must be a specialist in the preparation and cooking of all types of Indian Gujarati vegetarian sweets (Mitahi), desserts and savouries, and be able to use fresh or raw ingredients. Must have a relevant experience. The role requires being able to handle our large wholesale Indian sweet orders on a regular basis.

Closing date for the vacancy will be 28 calendar days from 4 march 2015.

Please contact with your cv at:

enquiries@saverafoods.co.uk

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Vidya Balan wants to do Tamil film V

i d y a Balan, who was in Chennai to take part in an event, h a s ex p re s s e d her wish to be part of Tamil and Malayalam movies.

"I am just waiting for the right script," she says. The Bollywood actress fondly says that both Tamil and Malayalam are her mother tongues. "So, I am eager to do films in both these languages," she says, recalling her visit to chennai when she was a kid. "Once I was taken to Kamal sir's house. I was a great fan of him. But I could not meet him since he was away. I was given a photograph with his autograph and I was so happy," Vidya says, going down the memory lane.

Dhanush to play Priyamani, Ram in Mysskin movie a pantry worker in his next

Di

rector Ram and Priyamani will share the screen space together in a film to be directed by G E Aathityaa, a former associate of Mysskin. Interestingly, the movie will have script by Mysskin himself. "Apart from pen-

Trouble, controversies always follow me: Kamal Haasan A

ctor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who is busy promoting forthcoming Tamil release “Uttama Villain”, has wrestled with so many controversies over the years that he feels they follow him and will continue for the remainder of his career.

“Even till last week, we were fighting a case in connection with my film “Papanasam.” We know who filed the case, and from where. It’s like trouble and controversies always follow me,” Kamal said. “I feel I’m always targeted. It has happened in the past too. For instance, people objected the title of my film 'Mumbai Express.' They said the title wasn’t in Tamil, but what’s the Tamil word for Mumbai? In an earlier case, they didn’t let me name one of my films ‘Sandiyar’, and a few months ago, a film with the same name released. Why didn’t anybody object to it,” he asked.

Kamal’s recent release Tamil spy thriller “Vishwaroopam” was

'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'

“Detective Byomkesh Bakshy” is an upcoming Indian crime thriller film directed by Dibakar Banerjee and produced by Banerjee and Aditya Chopra.

The film is based on the fictional

ning the script for his associate's debut venture, Mysskin will also play a crucial role in it," sources said, pointing out the director's earlier acting ventures 'Nandalala' and 'Onaaiyum Aatukuttiyum'. There is also a buzz that Mysskin will play a negative role in this yet untitled movie. Shooting will start in Chennai on June 15.

detective Byomkesh Bakshi created by the Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari and Swastika Mukherjee in principal roles.

embroiled in controversies after Muslim groups felt they were portrayed in bad light. The same film earned the wrath of the distributors after Kamal commissioned an idea to release the film via DTH platform on the day of theatrical release.

“It’s one of the other branches of film business. We have to do business in all directions,” said Haasan, who also blames the Central Board of Film Certification for curbing the freedom of speech.

Ranbir makes Anushka cry

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ccording to a report, Ranbir Kapoor made Anushka Sharma cry on the sets of “Bombay Velvet.” While Anushka is apparently a very private person, Ranbir reportedly loves fooling around with his co-stars. During one such episode, Ranbir Kapoor had allegedly irritated the actress so much that Anushka started crying.

However, Anushka maintains that Ranbir is a good actor and that she respects him.

P

laying a non glamorous protagonist is nothing new for Dhanush. If in “Aadukalam” he played a rooster fighter, audience will soon see him play a railway pantry worker in a yet-untitled next Tamil film, to be directed by Prabhu Solomon.

"The entire film will be shot in moving trains. Dhanush will be playing a pantry worker," said Solomon.

Known for working with newcomers, Solomon chose Dhanush because he loves his performance. "It's true that I prefer working with new faces, but Dhanush is an exception. He's an amazing actor and this film will showcase another side of the actor in him," he said.

The filmmaker usually likes to take his audience to faraway, unknown spots through his works. And he says he will surprise audiences in this film as well as he's planning a trip to Assam soon to zero in on some locations. He adds that the film will be a travel script.

"I've always wanted to do a travel film.

In a train, it's quite possible to find many stories," he added. The film's story is about a guy who travels from Delhi to Chennai via Duronto Express. "I'll spend the next few weeks finalising on the locations. Dhanush has already started working on his next project. Once I'm back from my location recce, we'll discuss with him possible dates to start shooting," he said.

Prabhu is yet to finalise the rest of the cast, and the film is most likely to feature a new heroine. Dhanush, who recently wrapped up Tamil romantic-comedy “Maari,” has started shooting a yet-untitled project with the team of his last year's blockbuster “Vela Illa Pattathari.”

Salman gifts a painting to his sister Arpita

S

alman Khan is a fabulous painter apart from being an actor. His paintings fetch him a lot of appreciation. The actor has recently gifted a painting to his sister Arpita Khan. The painting depicts different stages of offering Namaaz. Arpita posted a photograph of the painting on her Instagram page. Arpita, who got married to her long time boyfriend, Aayush Sharma in 2014, opened up for the first time in a candid interview. Talking about her biggest support she said that her dad is her backbone, and Salman Khan is the person who makes her believe that she can walk over this world and nothing can happen to her.

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Shraddha Kapoor turns designer

hraddha Kapoor has stepped into fashion designing with her label 'Imara.' “It was always a dream to create my own fashion label and partnering with Anjana (Reddy) of USPL made my dream come true.

'Imara' is all about fairytale and this is my fairytale coming true,” Shraddha said on the opening day of Amazon India Fashion Week where her fashion label made its debut. USPL co-creates celebrity fashion labels and currently have under their banner names like WROGN with cricketer Virat Kohli and now Shraddha’s ‘Imara’.

About the collection, the actress-singer and now designer says that it is inspired by the modern woman and is a contemporary rendition of the conventional. “The

B

Kangana Ranaut bags best actress award for 'Queen'

collection is a modern Indian adaptation of classics, from once upon a time that experiments with ethnic designs and offers a refreshing take on fashion, for the young and the stylish. A line of clothing for the new Indian woman,” Shraddha said.

“It is always a great delight to be recognized for excellence. Not to sound boastful, but five awards is always a pleasure,” she said. The price range of the collection under 'Imara' starts at Rs 699 for the mix and match and goes up to Rs 4,000 for the ensemble.

My chemistry with Amitji in 'Piku' very organic: Deepika

ollywood actress Deepika Padukone, who will be seen sharing the screen space with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in “Piku” says their chemistry in the film is "very organic". "In the years I have known Amitji outside work, our chemistry came to us very naturally. I remember them mentioning that I remind them of their daughter and they are also very protective about me. Our chemistry in the film is very organic," Deepika told reports during the film's trailer launch.

Directed by Shoojit Sircar and written by Juhi Chaturvedi, “Piku” features Amitabh, Deepika and Irrfan in lead and is slated for May 8 release.

However, the film also saw a very unusual promotion where parents

were invited for the trailer launch and according to reports it was Deepika's idea.

"Somewhere we have all

Jackie Chan coming to to film 'Kungfu Yoga'

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The collection is meant for all the smart and independent women who are “open and free”.

“Imara caters to the youth and young at heart,” added the “Haider” fame actress who feels proud that the film has bagged five National Film Awards.

sian cinema's icon Jackie Chan says he may come to India to shoot his new film “Kungfu Yoga,” the first project under a India-China co-production agreement signed during President Xi Jinping's visit last September. When Chan last visited India in 2013, he spoke about the need for encouraging movie collaborations and cultural exchange between the two countries. When asked whether he is planning something in that direction, he said, "Yes, I am planning to start a new movie called 'Kungfu Yoga.' That means I will be returning to film in India. Perhaps next time you will interview me on a set," he said. Chan will be seen in a prominent role in “Kungfu Yoga.”

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contributed in whatever way possible. The film itself is a very personal journey of Piku and Baba. Its more than the

Lara Dutta joins 'Fitoor' cast

story... it's about the characters.

Even in terms of our communication, we have kept it as intimate and as personal as possible.

We hope all of you liked the idea," she said.

Irran says all aspiring actors should observe Amitabh's work.

"It was a great experience for me and if anyone wants to be an actor, they have to observe Big B and that's compulsory. He follows the director's vision obediently and is always playful. We all were emotional towards the end of the shoot of this film," he said.

ctress and former beauty queen Lara Dutta has joined the cast of Abhishek Kapoor's “ F i t o o r, ” and she's glad her daughter has given her a thumbs up for her look in the movie.

"New day, new movie!! Happy to join the cast and crew of Fitoor for Day 1! Daughter has passed her verdict on my outfit so I'm good to go," tweeted Lara, a mother to three-year-old daughter Saira with husband Mahesh Bhupathi. In "Fitoor", which also stars Katrina Kaif, Rekha and Aditya Roy Kapur, Lara is reportedly playing the part of an art curator.

K

angana Ranaut has won the national award for best actress for the year 2014 and her film “Queen” has been honoured with the best film award in the feature films category. This is Kangana's second national award. The actress had received the best supporting actress award in 2009 for the film “Fashion.”

Kannada actor Vijay has won the best actor award for his performance in the film “Nanu Avanalla, Avalu.”

The list of other award winners are: Best feature film“Court” (Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, English); best debut film of a director - “Asha Jaoar Majhe” (Bengali); best popular film providing wholesome entertainment- “Mary Kom” (Hindi); best animated film-

“Sound of Joy”; best direction- Srijit Mukherji for “Chotushkone” (Bengali); best supporting actor - Bobby Simha for “Jigarthanda;” best supporting actress - Baljinder Kaur for “Pagdi The Honour;” best male playback singer - Sukhwinder Singh for “Haider”; best female Playback singer - Saivam and Uttara Unnikrishanan for “Azhagu” song; best screenplay (dialogues) - Vishal Bharadwaj for “Haider”; best music direction (songs) Vishal Bharadwaj for “Haider” (Hindi). Best music direction (background score) - Gopi Sundar for “Nineteen Eighty Three” (Malayalam) and best costume design Dolly Ahluwalia for “Haider.”

Sonakshi to play daddy's 'Ram Lakhan' cast not 'reel' daughter in 'Akira'? finalized: Karan Johar

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V

eteran actor Shatrughan Sinha has been missing from the filmy scene for a while now. Although, the actor might be busy with his political career, but that does not make him any less wanted in the showbiz.

According to reports, maverick filmmaker A Murugadoss will bring the father-daughter duo together first time ever on screen, in his film “Akira.” This film is classic director's first original Hindi script, given the fact that his earlier outings were South remakes.

Well, it would be exciting for the fans to see Shotgun junior and original 'Khamosh' actor to share the screen space together as father and daughter.

here were reports that the cast of Subhash Ghai's 1989 film, “Ram Lakhan” remake has been finalized, but Karan Johar clarified that the cast has not been decided yet. Karan got onto a microblogging site to clear the air writing, "While Rohit and I are extremely excited with the excitement 'Ram Lakhan' has generated....we would like to say...it has not been cast!!!" The original “Ram Lakhan” starred Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia and Madhuri Dixit Nene and the buzz was that Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan will feature in the remake. Reports suggested that Sidharth would portray the role of Ram, Fawah would be seen as Lakhan. Now that Karan has made it clear, we eagerly await the announcement of the film's cast.

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Mum hits out after woman who killed her son has sentence cut A mother has criticised a judge’s decision to cut the minimum sentence to be served by the woman who stabbed her son to death.

Kathy Mackay spoke after Dimple Scaife won a 12 month reduction in the period she must serve in prison, before she is eligible for parole, for murdering 18-year-old Jake Mackay.

Scaife, who had a son with Mr Mackay, stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife in Fosse Road South, West End, Leicester, in December 2006. She was told she would serve at

Dimple Scaife

least 12 years before she could be considered for release.

However, appeal judges in London have cut the 25-

Muslim group hits back at ‘extremist’ claims A Muslim organisation which claims to combat anti-Muslim bigotry has hit back at allegations of extremism.

Sunday Telegraph journalist Andrew Gilligan, described groups such as Muslim Engagement and Development - known as MEND - as “clever fronts to win political access and influence for Islamists holding extreme and antidemocratic views”.

MEND says it addresses the challenges facing British Muslims, with a focus on active political participation.

At an event in the OBA Millennium Cultural

Centre in Chadderton on Tuesday, MEND’s regional manager for the NorthWest, Yusuf Tai, dismissed Mr Gilligan’s allegations.

Mr Tai said: “There’s a demand in the community to have education around politics. Muslims feel the media doesn’t best represents their views.”

The group launched a “Muslim Manifesto” at a Parliamentary meeting chaired by Conservative peer Baroness Warsi. The document covers issues MEND believes parties must consider when engaging with British Muslims in upcoming elections.

Coming Events

l Dharma Rising Conference is being held by NCHTUK at the DLHC Hall, Harrow, on 5th April from 12.30pm till 10pm. There will be panel speeches, Hindu Question Time, “Dharma Rakshak” Awards and VIP Dinner. If you have any queries please call Satish Sharma on 07711 245000 l Living a "Designer" Hindu Life - Hindu Sevika Samiti – Celebrating 40 Years Hindu Sevika Samiti is a Hindu women’s organization with 34 Branches in the UK. They conduct various activities ranging from physical based activities such as yoga, games and sports to intellectual activities of discussions, debates and talks. Event: Living a "Designer" Hindu Life Date: Saturday 11th April 2015 Venue: Shree Swaminarayana Temple, Stanmore, London, HA7 4LF from 4pm - 6pm followed by Dinner Chief Guest: Respected Shantakka - President of Rastra Sevika Samiti (largest Hindu women’s organisation, India) For more information contact Miss Kirti Vekriya Email:pr@samiti.org.uk Mobile:07920529722 Website:www.samiti.org.uk

Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Sales Executive: Daxa Gami - Email: daxa.gami@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com

Jake Mackay

year-old’s minimum term by 12 months because of the “exceptional” progress she has made in prison and the remorse she now

expresses.

The ruling means Scaife, formerly of Bede Island, Leicester, will be able to apply for parole in December 2017.

Jake’s mother, Kathy Mackay, said: “The 12 year minimum sentence was an insult, but we had come to terms with that. So it’s difficult to put into words how upset I am that she has had a year taken off that. Taking away someone’s life is the worst crime possible. I am just so disappointed with the justice system. This is no deterrent.”

Gang on money laundering charges A gang of men, including one from Oldham, will appear at Manchester Crown Court next month charged with money laundering.

Nokhaz Adam Haider (34), of Broomhurst Avenue, Werneth, appeared at Manchester

City Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday alongside Gurinder Singh (27) of Manchester, and Razwan Munir (38) and Imran Sarwar (31). Waqar Afzal (50) and Umar Murtaza Haq (35), both of Manchester appeared in court last Thursday.

Playing music while pregnant can help develop unborn child's hearing Scientific study suggests that playing music while pregnant can help develop an unborn child's hearing.

The prodigy of the “Mozart effect” was first propounded by a scientific study in the valued journal, Science, in 1993.

The study revealed that teenagers who listened to Mozart's 1781 Sonata for Two Pianos in D major performed exceedingly well in reasoning tests, compared to adolescents

who listened to different genres of music, or had been in a silent room.

This study, however, did not look at the effect of Mozart on babies. The study found that college students who listened to Mozart sonata for a couple of minutes before a test that measured spatial relationship skills did better than students who took the test after listening to another musician, or no music at all.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Your self-confidence is

riding high and at times totally misplaced. It's good to be positive and optimistic but it can be destructive when you don't listen to others and always think that you are right. This can lead to a fall in grace, so it is important to become a little more humble. Travel to far off lands are indicated.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The pattern of significant

relationships in your life will continue to favour you. It seems that a great deal of mutual benefit will accrue because of various interactions. The underlying trend indicates that deep creative energies are stirring within you and that seemingly insignificant events will play a vital role in the future enrichment of life.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Although there are very

intense amorous energies indicated in your chart, the trouble is that these are likely to be marred by feelings of jealousy. Do not therefore dabble in anything that could harbour such negative potential, as it is bound to end in heartache.

Existing emotional differences can be sorted out now.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Life appears to be focusing your mind on practical matters. So you will need to organise your time carefully if you are to avoid an "all work and no play" situation. Resist making any hasty moves when it come to finances - this is a time to focus on consolidation of current assets

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

Anything or anyone that drains your time and energy should be re-evaluated. It’s time to use that creative imagination of yours to create grandeur in your life.

Don't get too carried away and lose sight of little things that mean a lot to you. There are a lot of opportunities around you.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Your energy and attention will be very much devoted to financial matters. The tide of fortune continues to run strongly in your favour for some time to come. You will be working harder than usual, intent on getting things done. Close personal relationships may come under some stress and strain.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

You need to pay more attention than usual to your everyday work dairy. Meetings, work hours and organised breaks could play havoc, unless you're prepared to re-group on the spur of the moment. Try to be meticulous but flexible about your schedule. Play your cards right and you can pull strings in your favour.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group (South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with. The accent’s very much on relationships.

The outlook remains optimistic, so don't be afraid to act if your instinct tells you it's time for change.

Professional and financial pressures will begin to ease.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

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.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change. This week the focus is your house of family and home. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 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.

Saina, Srikanth lift India Open Super Series titles

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Favourites Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth on Sunday gave double delight to Indian fans by clinching their maiden women and men's singles titles at the India Open Super Series badminton tournament.

Saina, the first Indian women shuttler to achieve world number one ranking, clinched her maiden title after notching up a dominating straight game victory against former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand while Srikanth had to toil hard to register a thrilling threegame win over sixth seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the men's singles competition at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in Delhi.

While Saina, a bronze medalist at the London Olympics, played like a champion to get the better off Intanon 21-16, 21-14 in a relatively one-sided affair, world No. 4 Srikanth notched up his second successive title of the season by getting the better of sixth seed Axelsen 18-21, 21-13, 21-12 in a grueling contest.

The men's singles summit clash was a rematch of the Swiss Open final where Srikanth had defeated world No. 6 Axelsen to

clinch his first title of the season. Saina, coming into the match with a 5-3 overall advantage over her rival, was not tested much as the Indian was prepared for

Intanon's deceptive game.

Saina encountered her rival with her better movements and powerful and accurate smashes to eventually wrest her second title

of the season.

The girl from Hyderabad, who has been on a roll ever since her victory at the China Open, played like a champion as she anticipated her opponent's moves and caught her on the wrong foot during rallies. Intanon, seeded third, seemed to be affected by her marathon semifinal match against Carolina Marin of Spain which lasted for close to an hour and half on Saturday.

The energy-sapping clash seemed to have made her movements slow on the court as she struggled with her returns. The deafening cheers of the near-packed house crowd which chanted 'India India' and 'let's go Saina lets go', seemed to disrupt Intanon's concentration as nothing went for her in the match. Saina used her powerful smashes and rode on her opponent's unforced errors to lead 115 early on. She was up for the deceptive drops and half smashes which Intanon used to trouble the Indian. However, Saina didn't allow the Thai to threaten her as she anticipated well and retrieved everything that was thrown at her end. She closed the points with a smash whenever there was a chance.

Sunil Narine the West Indies tour to India in November and he opted out of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He modified his action and was cleared by the ICC during his biomechanical test in Loughborough.

However, in Narine's case, the ICC did not organise the test as he was not called during an international match. He was called during the Champions League Twenty20, a tournament that is run by the BCCI. According to the rules in the BCCI, since he was called for a second time, he was banned from bowling in any BCCI-organised tournament.

The BCCI has refused to accept the report submitted by the ICC and has insisted the off-spinner undergoes another round of testing at the Sri

Ramachandra University in Chennai.

However, according to sources, KKR is contemplating legal action against the BCCI. Reports also say that if Narine is not allowed to play in the IPL, KKR might pull out of the tournament. The team is pointing out that since the bowler was cleared by the ICC, there is no need for a second test and the management is firm that it will not force Narine to undergo another test. The team has met BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and have told him that Narine has been 'targeted'.

Brendon McCullum Anderson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Daniel Vettori - three Australians in Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, two South Africans (AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel), with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara as

wicketkeeper-batsman.

Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor, who finished with 433 runs in six matches, was named as the 12th man. ICC general manager (Cricket), Geoff Allardice, who chaired the panel, said Indian pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami along with off-spinner R Ashwin were in the running.

"The panel had an extremely difficult choice of selecting a 12-member squad at the back of an outstanding tournament, highlighted by some eyecatching individual performances, including two double-centuries, 38 centuries, two hat-tricks and 28 four-wicket hauls," he

Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth

Saina scales to World No.1 ranking

Saina Nehwal on Saturday scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to attain the number one spot in world rankings, reaffirming her status as the country's most consistent performer in the international circuit.

The 25-year-old zoomed to the top after her closest challenger for the position, Spain's Carolina Marin, lost in the India Open Super Series semifinal. Though

the official rankings will be out only next week, Saina has been assured of her ascent to the top owing to the reigning world champion's 19-21, 23-21, 20-22 loss to third seed Thai Ratchanok Intanon.

Saina thus becomes only the second Indian overall to be world number one after Prakash Padukone had the distinction of being the numero uno men's badminton player.

Kolkata Knight Riders threaten to pull out of IPL

With just few days to go for the start of the eighth edition of the Indian Première League, there is controversy in the air. The defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders are on a collision course with the BCCI regarding offspinner Sunil Narine's participation in the tournament.

Narine was banned for his suspect action during the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 and he could not play in the final against the Chennai Super Kings, which KKR lost by eight wickets.

He was not picked for

SPORT WORLD

Duminy named as Delhi Daredevils' captain

South African all-rounder J P Duminy will lead Delhi Daredevils in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting next month.

Duminy was roped in by the Daredevils last season and was the star performer for the franchise. He was recently named as South Africa's T20 captain.

"I'm grateful for the support and belief from the franchisee. It's an absolute privilege to lead such a talented mix of players. I am excited about the season ahead and sincerely hope, we will be able to turn around the fortunes of Delhi Daredevils in the upcoming IPL season," Duminy said in a statement.

Daredevils head coach Gary Kirsten added: "JP (Duminy) is the right choice to lead the team for the upcoming season. He has the necessary experience and demeanour to take the team forward. I have seen him progress and mature as a player and leader through the years with the South African national team."

Pietersen joins county side Surrey for 2015 season

Sidelined England batsman Kevin Pietersen has signed up with county side Surrey for the upcoming English domestic season in a bid to return to the national side for the summer Ashes series against Australia. The flamboyant batsman who recently terminated his contract with Indian Premier League (IPL) team Sunrisers Hyderabad, is available to play all forms of cricket in the 2015 season. Pietersen, 34, parted ways with the county side Surrey in September last year but was said to have remained on good terms with the team's director of cricket and former England cricketer, Alec Stewart. The flamboyant batsman, who has recently gone on record to say that he would do anything to get back into the national setup, was pleased to return to Surrey, a club 'very close to his heart'.

ICC prez Kamal storms out of MCG after `insult'

ICC president Mustafa Kamal stormed out of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday evening even as the final between Australia and New Zealand was in progress there.

Kamal had been asked to stay away from the podium at the post-final ceremony and that did not go down well with the Bangladesh cricket chief who has been at loggerheads with the International Cricket Council (ICC) ever since he gave controversial comments on the India-Bangladesh match. Sources said Kamal had an argument inside the ICC box after he learnt that he would be denied the opportunity to give away the trophy. Kamal denied this. Ever since reports emerged that ICC chairman N Srinivasan would give away the winning trophy, Kamal was angry over the injustice meted out to him. In the previous years, the ICC presidents always gave the trophy to the winners - Sharad Pawar did the honours in 2011. However, with the change in the ICC's constitution and a chairman now at the helm of affairs, Srinivasan would do the honours as the big boss. Kamal, though, was not convinced.

No Indian in ICC's World Cup XI led by McCullum

Not a single Indian cricketer found a place in the ICC's World Cup XI which was dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia with Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum as its captain.

The ICC team features five New Zealanders, including McCullum, despite their seven-wicket loss to Australia in the summit clash on Sunday.

India, the defending champions, had bowed out after a semi-final loss to Australia.

"McCullum was chosen as the captain following his aggressive, innovative and inspirational leadership during the 44-

day tournament that was the cornerstone of his team's progression to the final where it lost to Australia by seven wickets," the ICC said in a statement. McCullum also scored 328 runs in nine matches with four halfcenturies at a strike-rate of 188.50.

The team was chosen by a select group of experts who were given the task of picking a balanced side on the basis of performances in the tournament. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections.

In addition to McCullum, the side includes four New Zealanders Corey

31

said.

"There were a number of other players that were discussed as possible selections in the team.

These included batsmen M a h m u d u l l a h (Bangladesh) and Shaiman Anwar (UAE), fast bowlers Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami (both India), Wahab Riaz (Pakistan) and spinners Imran Tahir (South Africa) and R Ashwin (India)," added Allardice.

"But there were so many brilliant individual performances during the tournament that it was not possible to fit them into the team. The panel eventually came up with this side, which, in their

view, was the most balanced outfit that is capable of beating any side on any given day."

Team of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in batting order: Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand, captain), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper), Steven Smith (Australia), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Glenn Maxwell (Australia), Corey Anderson (New Zealand), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Morne Morkel (South Africa), Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe, 12th man).

32

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 4th April 2015

Australia win World Cup in 5th time

Michael Clarke ended his one-day internationals with 74 as a dominant Australia won their fifth cricket World Cup after crushing New Zealand by seven wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.

New Zealand, playing in their first final after succumbing six times in the semis, suffered a body blow in the opening over from Mitchell Starc when captain Brendon McCullum was bowled without scoring from the third ball he faced.

A fourth wicket partnership of 111 between Ross Taylor (40) and Grant Elliott (83) appeared to restore New Zealand's fortunes although runs came slowly against a hostile, accurate pace attack with Starc in outstanding form.

The paceman was ably supported Australia's two other left-arm fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and James Faulkner who picked up three wickets apiece.

New Zealand had reached 150 for three with 15 overs remaining when Faulkner struck twice in the first over of the batting powerplay. He dismissed

Taylor caught behind and bowled the potentially dangerous Corey Anderson for a duck two balls later.

The remaining wickets fell swiftly and New Zealand were bowled out for 183 with five overs remaining. It was the lowest first innings score in a 50 overs World Cup final since Australia disposed of Pakistan for 132 at Lord's

in 1999.

Trent Boult raised New Zealand's spirits temporarily by holding a simple return catch from Aaron Finch before the Australian opener had scored. David Warner responded by striking Tim Southee for three consecutive fours and raced to 45 from 46 deliveries when he hooked Matt Henry to Elliott. Clarke entered the

arena to a standing ovation and attacking fields from McCullum who placed six players inside the circle on the off side.

Both Clarke and his heir apparent Steve Smith played the bowling on its merits as McCullum, whose aggression with the bat and as captain have transformed the national side, switched his bowlers and field placings in an

effort to conjure a wicket.

Clarke struck Daniel Vettori over the bowler's head for six and McCullum brought his best bowler Boult back for a final fling. Clarke responded with a perfect off drive to the boundary.

He reached his 50 from 56 balls and acknowledged another standing ovation from the crowd for his 58th and final one-day 50.

After a final flurry of boundaries he was bowled

by Henry giving Smith (56 not out) time to complete his half century as Australia won in 33.1 overs.

Aussies defeat India in semi-final Earlier, Australia defeated world champions India in the semi-final by 95 runs to qualify for the final with co-hosts New Zealand. Steve Smith's sublime century laid the groundwork for Australia's pace bowlers to finish a smooth job. Smith's 105 helped Australia to a total of 328 for seven, the highest in a World Cup semifinal, and although skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit a defiant 65, India were dismissed for 233 in the 47th over.

"We thought 330 was

around par but we knew we had to bowl and field well and the boys did a terrific job tonight," said Smith. "Just happy we got over the line in the end.

India might have fancied their chances of chasing the target down after a solid start on a good pitch in perfect weather conditions and backed by the majority of a crowd of 42,330 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood had other ideas, however, and they tore the heart out of India's top order by sending Shikhar Dhawan (45), Virat Kohli (1) and Rohit Sharma (34) back inside six overs. When James Faulkner, who had been hammered for 23 runs by Dhawan in his first two overs, got into the act by dismissing Suresh Raina (7), India had lost four of their most coveted wickets for the addition of just 32 runs to fall to 108-4.

Johnson's bowling was as potent as it has been all tournament and the delivery that clean bowled Rohit a ball after the opener had the temerity to hit him for six sent one bail flying 20 feet behind the stumps.