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'Chalein Saath Saath'

VOL 43. ISSUE 22

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4th October to 10th October 2014

Amma jailed for 4 years Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was sentenced to serve four years in jail and asked to pay a fine Rs 1 billion in connection with a disproportionate assets case by a Bangalore Special Court on Saturday. Her three other co-accused were asked to pay fines of 100 million each and sentenced to serve jail terms of six months each. On Tuesday she had moved the Karnataka High Court for bail but the court adjourned the hearing to October 6.

The court adjourned the matter as there was no representation on the respondent's side.

Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh

Obama, Modi vow to boost strategic ties, create model for world

US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to expand and deepen their countries' strategic partnership and make it a model for the rest of the world during their first meeting at a White House dinner.

When Modi arrived at the White House Obama greeted him with 'Kem cho.'

After nearly two hours of informal talks, the two sides issued a vision statement titled "Chalein Saath Saath" (Forward Together We Go). In the joint "vision statement," the two leaders said they would work together "not just for the benefit of both our nations, but for the benefit of the world." They said their countries would cooperate on security and to fight terrorism and would back a "rules based" global order in which India assumes greater multilateral responsibility, including a reformed UN Security Council. They also vowed to work together against the threat posed by climate change and to cooperate to

address the consequences of unchecked pollution.

"We have a vision that the United States and India will have a transformative relationship as trusted partners in the 21st century. Our partnership will be a model for the rest of the world," they said in their statement. The vision statement, which, while short of announcing a formal US-India alliance, is redolent of a transcendental partnership aimed at elevating the relationship to an even higher

See page 16 & 17 for detailed reports

plane than it enjoys now.

US and India are 'Natural Partners,' says Modi Modi met Obama for over 90 minutes at the Oval Office on Tuesday.

After the session, the PM said his conversation with Obama has reinforced his belief that India and US are "natural partners." "We are focusing not just on policies but on processes

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India’s Mars orbiter enters red planet's orbit Narendra Modi with Barack Obama

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He said he had "a candid discussion" with President Obama about India's move to block a key WTO pact that would streamline customs procedures and boost global commerce. PM Modi said India supports trade facilitation but wants a solution that would take care of its concerns over WTO limits on stockpiling of food which affect its subsidised food distribution programme for millions of people.

In a joint editorial in Continued from page 26

to make it easier to do business in India," said Modi.

"I am looking forward to building upon our relationship and making more progress with India," said President Obama. The two countries extended their defence cooperation agreement for a decade and the PM invited American defence manufacturers to do business in India, which has recently raised the foreign investment limit in the domestic defence industry to 49 per cent from 26 per cent.

India's low-cost mission to Mars successfully entered the red planet's orbit last week, crowning India as the first country to complete the trip at its maiden attempt. The success of the Mars Orbiter

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Reza Beyad

continue to dream and to always pursue higher aspirations.

But to always care for those who are less fortunate than I am. And to always remember; that to climb the ladder of success you don’t have to push others off that ladder.

Reza Beyad is proud of his Indo-Iranian cultural background.

His father was a leading Tea Merchant in Iran and came to India to set up a business. He became a leading exporter of tea, shellac and jute from Calcutta. Reza was born in Calcutta, educated in a Jesuit School and left India in 1977 to study for a postgraduate degree in business management in the UK. He has many business interests in the UK, including tea and manufacturing of Drilling Control Systems. In addition to his many roles for charities and the community, Reza is chair of a leading independent school in Barnes, and is on the Development Committee of the London-based charity, Kids Company, as well as a Trustee with several other charities.

1) What is your current position?

I am Operations Director at Britannia Petroleum, part of a family group of companies that also includes a tea division, Britannia Tea and a manufacturing division, Zeefax Limited.

they are doing and especially when they receive praise and recognition for their personal achievements.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Whenever I see my three children doing well in whatever

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

My impatience with people who are either lazy or have no

3) What inspires you?

The humility of great people and the courage of the downtrodden.

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

Negotiating with people from different backgrounds and cultures; it provides an interesting and exciting dimension to the business.

aspirations.

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

My mother. She taught me to be honest and hardworking; to

MP Rushanara Ali quits as Shadow Minister Rushanara Ali, the British Bangladeshi Labour Party MP for Bethnal Green and Bow has quit as a Shadow Minister because she was unwilling to vote for British air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.

Ms Ali said she, like many other Muslims, were against the "barbaric" acts

committed by IS - also known as ISIS and ISIL but was concerned that military action would make matters worse for the people of Iraq.

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7) And the worst?

The risk and fear of making a serious commercial misjudgement.

8) What are your long term goals?

To see my children become out-

ment.

In a letter to Labour leader Ed Miliband ahead of Friday's vote on Iraq, Ms Ali said: "I understand the case that has been made and will not be voting against the motion.

But I am unable in conscience to support the motion and I will make a deliberate abstention."

In response, Mr Miliband has reportedly praised Ms Ali as "someone with great ability and talent" and said he regretted her departure from his frontbench team, but added: "I respect your decision and accept your resignation."

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

I would change the taxation system to provide more incentives to those who are willing to work hard and to take risks.

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

Without a doubt it would be Nelson Mandel. I would exchange all my wealth with him so that he gave me what he had within him that enabled him not just to forgive his enemy but also to pray for them. And to give me what he had that allowed him to leave behind all his hatred, anger and bitterness as soon as he walked out of that prison.

Migrant rules cause lucrative losses

Universities are facing a huge drop in overseas students, vice chancellors stated on the 26th of September. The report was conducted by Universities UK (UUK) and showed that the number of Indian students has almost halved in the past two years. As students head to establishments in America or Australia the UUK states: 'not only would their presence Rushanara Ali MP

standing members of our society and to see my company grow to a leading role in the industry.

But also to spend time on my philanthropic activities, especially working towards the promotion of religious and cultural diversity and tolerance.

internationalise the academic environment and campus life, they also contribute more than ÂŁ7 billion to the Uk's economy.

On the 29th the UUK made the case for international students to be removed from major migration targets and also appealed that they be given enhanced opportunities to stay on and work after graduating. It stated that the Conservatives

were the only party not taking into account the financial and cultural damage and presented the situation as worrying, 'not least' because of 'a drop in those taking Stem courses and the continued decline in Indian students, following an incredible 49 percent drop (‌) The current one-size-fits-all approach to immigration does not work. It must be changed'.

Widow calls for tougher sanctions against guilty manufacturers Widow of the Microsoft consultant Santosh Benjamin, pictured, 36 who died while rescuing his two children from a house fire started by a faulty Beko fridge-freezer has called for tougher sanctions against manufacturers guilty of safety breaches. Currently, white goods manufacturers can be fined ÂŁ5,000.

Santosh passed the children through a window before being overcome by fumes. Investigators discovered the fire originated in the fridge-freezer, which Beko had been warned was a potential safety risk but had not recalled.

At an inquest into his death, a coroner called for

tougher punishments for manufacturers who fail to notify authorities of a fault, including unlimited fines and jail terms of up to two years.

The Evening Standard reported that Mr Benjamin’s wife Jennifer said: “We lost a gentle and nurturing father, a very special son and a loving husband as a result of this trag-

ic incident. “What happened to us should never happen again to another household.

When we bought our fridge, we trusted the manufacturer for a safe product. “Manufacturers, producers and their retailers should be held more accountable for their actions, or their lack of response to safety concerns.�

Beko, based in Watford, faces more than ÂŁ300,000 in fine. The company is being prosecuted by Hertfordshire trading standards for 69 alleged safety breaches and is due to appear in court in November.

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

COMMENT

Reaching into the unknown

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, the first successful venture to the Red Planet by an Asian country, has been greeted with jubilation across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was in ISRO’s control room in Bangalore, when news of the satellite’s final successful manoeuvre into its designated Mars orbit was whispered into his ear by ISRO Chairman, K. Radhakrishnan. A congratulatory hug from the PM and handshakes with scientists and engineers, whose peerless skills and unswerving dedication had made this achievement possible, followed. Mr Modi rose to the occasion with an eloquent speech in Hindi and in English on the significance of this momentous milestone in India’s space endeavours and the way it had showcased the nation’s high level of science and technology.

The most striking line in his address – “We have dared to reach into the unknown and have reached into the unknown” – captured the essence of this triumph. An elated scientist told reporters: “The launch vehicle is ours, the satellite is ours. We have collaborated with the US, Spain and Australia only for transmission of satellite data to the earth.” The spacecraft, which weighs around 1,350 kg, is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track methane gas for a possible sign of life, a colour camera and a thermal imaging spectrometer to map Mars surface and guage its mineral wealth.

The 214 million kilometre journey took an approximate 10 months and two and a half weeks, its progress monitored at all hours of the day night by relays of teams consigned to the task. The final half hour of the make or break day was understandably fraught, but “the leap into the dark,” to quote the Prime Minister, ended in a blaze of light. The risk

had paid off and India was immeasurably richer for the experience. A doubting world awoke to its significance. India’s myriad struggles – some very basic – had rarely received the sympathy expected by most Indians, who took at face value the public relations shibboleths of shared democratic values – double speak for unalloyed loyalty to the West in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Western practice revealed steadfast support for pliant dictatorships willing and able to play ball with their mentors in Washington and allied capitals. But India wisely opted through blood, toil and tears to cast its lonely furrow to maintain its strategic autonomy.

India has moved from endemic food shortages to food security, thanks to the Green Revolution. The economy was uncoupled from its colonial platform and given a firm industrial base, warts and all.

Hand in hand came critical investments in science and technology in an ambitious learning process which is now bearing fruit. There is a lifetime of progress still to be made in infrastructure, public health, affordable housing, greater job opportunities, better education, more women’s empowerment, reduction in bureaucratic regulation and strangulation and much else before poverty levels can be drastically reduced and inclusive growth assured, marking the arrival of a truly developed society. These interdependent factors receive the desired traction from advances in the sciences and their attendant technologies, which are the truest instruments of wealth generation, whose distribution is effective when there is the necessary surplus to spread around. There is much to reflect on during the celebration of India’s remarkable Mars mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long awaited visit to the US took off with a bang in New York, where he addressed the UN General Assembly and, followed later, a rapturous gathering of Indian Americans, US Congressmen and Senators in the city’s Madison Square Gardens . This coincided with a deepening crisis in the Middle East, and the establishment of a barbaric caliphate calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The images of primeval beheadings of American and British hostages coupled with the barbarities inflicted upon the minority Yazedi and Christian communities, not to speak of the oppression of Sunni Kurds in Iraq’s northern region. These developments have rung alarm bells in Western capitals. The response has been predictable: as in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, the US and its Nato and Arab allies have embarked on an extensive, targeted bombing of military and economic hubs on ISIS territory across Syria and Iraq, calculated to degrade and eventually destroy ISIS – a campaign, say President Obama and his military advisers, that will take years to complete. Subramaniam Swamy, the well known BJP maverick has made a lunatic call for the dispatch of two Indian Army divisions, supplemented by squadrons of the Indian Air Force to join the coalition of the willing.

US Senator Menendez, in an interview with an Indian TV channel, less brashly, hinted that Indian cooperation in such US-inspired anti-terror activities would help its membership of the UN Security Council. When his courteous interviewer asked whether the US would deal with the freely active Pakistani jihadist, Hafiz Saeed, the architect of the of the jihadi slaughter from across the border in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, as it had with the

covert al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, the good Senator deftly avoided the P-word (Pakistan, if you hadn’t guessed) and opted for a denunciation of unspecified generic terrorism. A few days before he relinquished office as Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai, launched a scathing attack on US indulgence of Pakistani sponsorship of jihadi terrorism in his country. This opens a can of worms.

ISIS is well armed, well funded and well trained.

From where did ISIS receive such succor? The evidence points to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the Gulf sheikhdoms. Saudi Arabia, incidentally, conducts ritual beheadings after Friday prayers every week. The Turks are opposed to Western aid for the Kurds, because of a large Kurdish presence in South East Turkey, which governments in Ankara have been trying to suppress for past decades with US help. Saudi Wahabis desire regime change in Shia Syria and Iran, while Washington is for arming “moderate” jihadis among the Syrian opposition.

Mr Modi, speaking in New York, warned against “any one country or group of countries [ determining] the course of this world. There has to be a genuine international partnership. This is not just a moral position, but a practical reality.” Moving to Mr Modi’s talks with President Obama, the two leaders are likely to concentrate on their economic agendas: How to increase bilateral trade and investment; how to give each side greater access to the other’s market. Easing Indian tariffs must surely be matched by meaningful reductions in government subsidies for American farmers. Mr Modi will also be interacting with the captains of US industry in a full and frank dialogue. After which intensifying intelligence cooperation against global jihadi networks can come properly into its own.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister [until last weekend] Jayalalitha has been found guilty of massive corruption and abuse of office, by Sessions court Judge John Michael Cunha, who sentenced her to a 4 year term in jail and a hefty Rs100 crore fine. She was also banned from standing for public office for the next 10 years. Ms Jayalalitha has appealed her sentence in the Karnataka High Court, which will commence its hearing on October 6. The fallen Chief Minister has been a charismatic politician and an able administrator who did great things for Tamil Nadu’s economic development. That said, she violated the trust reposed in her by the people and surrendered to insensate greed and has paid the penalty for this grave moral deficit. While the High Court may reduce her sentence, it is unlikely to overturn it as the evidence against her was damning. The law in

such cases must adjudicate fairly without respect for status or authority. This is a welcome precedent that should serve as a warning to all holders of high public office.

Meanwhile, the CBI investigation into the Sarada ponzi scam in West Bengal has netted a number of high profile ruling Trinamool Congress members.

Worse: the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in New York, is believed to have given Prime Minister Modi, a dossier, compiled by the Bangladesh National Security Intelligence, of Sarada funds smuggled into her country to the Jamaat Islami for the overthrow of the Awami League government and replace it with a jihadi regime in Dhaka. The mastermind of the exercise is alleged to be the Trinamool Congress MP Ahmed Hassan. Over to you, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Modi in Washington: Whither India-US relations?

Jayalalitha convicted: Rule of law prevails

3 What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. They are but trifles to be sure, but the good they do is inconceivable - Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

Cllr David Perry

Leader of Harrow Council

A Healthy Start It’s been a busy few months for Harrow Council. Before the election we made various pledges to the people of Harrow and it’s been all hands on deck to not only keep our promises but build plans for the future of Harrow.

Over the next four years the Conservative Government has imposed £75m of cuts on Harrow Council and our residents. This is over 50% of our controllable spend on services ranging from street cleaning to children’s centres and support for the elderly. It goes without saying that there are tough choices ahead.

We were very clear during the election that we would be open and transparent with residents about where we would look to make these savings. As a result we have launched a ‘Take Part’ consultation, where we have explained in detail the council finances, where we are having to make savings and drawn up a list of proposed cuts for residents to give us their opinion and what services they would like us to prioritise.

I am pleased that at the events we have held in the borough so far we have had a positive response from residents. When talking to senior council officers and councillors alike residents have provided invaluable feedback on the budget and understand the tough situation that this C o n s e r v a t i v e Government has placed Harrow in.

Details of the ‘Take

Part’ consultation can be found here http://www.harrow.gov .uk/takepart.

Talking of keeping manifesto promises, after pledging £1m to tackle Domestic Violence, support carers and stand up for those in need, Harrow is set to be one of the first councils in the country to introduce a new innovative antidomestic violence programme, which has been successful in breaking the cycle of domestic abuse. The initial £200,000 funding will also be used to increase the number of IDVAs – Independent Domestic Violence Advisors available across the Borough, with the aim of working in the local community to reach those afraid of speaking out.

As our lead for Adults & Older people, Cllr Margaret Davine, put it: ‘It is unacceptable for women and girls to be subjected to violence of this type.

Unfortunately this is rising in our borough.

As a councillor I am determined to do all I can to prevent this abuse, which is largely hidden behind closed doors.’ Hopefully this initial funding will be the first steps to tackling domestic violence in our Borough.

Finally, it was great to hear that the Under One Sky festival in Byron Park was a roaring success. It’s a great day out for the family and the main stages showcased plenty of Harrow’s finest talents - a big thank you to those who took part and helped to organise the event.

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

4

Manchester-India strategy commended by the Indian High Commissioner Manchester’s enhanced focus on strengthening its commercial trade and investment with India has been supported by the Indian High Commissioner on a recent visit to the city.

Building on from the successful ManchesterIndia summit held last month, Manchester welcomed Mr. Ranjan Mathai and showcased the city as an international business destination.

Speaking about his visit, Mr Mathai said: “I am impressed by the depth and variety of Manchester’s connections with India. I believe there is great scope for expanding our collaborative endeavours in business, investment, education, media, skills and sports and advanced scientific R&D. I was very happy at the opportunity to spend time in this great city.”

The High Commissioner’s visit came after increased Indian engagement in the Greater Manchester region, following on from the Manchester-India summit, a two-day business event which attracted 139 influential business leaders from India and Manchester. Guests came from a range of industry sectors, including financial and professional services, creative, digital and media, life sciences, and ICT, with delegates including representatives from Air India, the State Bank of India, TATA, Bharat Forge and Tech Mahindra.

The event was organised by MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency, and supported by UK Trade and Investment, UK India Business Council (UKIBC), Deloitte, BDP, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Visit England, the Midland Hotel, The Lowry Art and Entertainment, and Street Cars.

Amongst the high profile agreements which resulted from the summit was a memorandum of understanding between Manchester Science Partnerships and EVA (Escape Velocity Accelerator). India-based EVA, which provides advice and funding to healthcare and life science start-ups, saw Manchester Science Partnerships’ world-class science and technology business park as the perfect fit.

The summit also played host to a representative from Vistaar productions, who have recently announced their decision to establish a post-production facility in MediaCityUK, Europe’s largest purposebuilt media location, as part of a £13m invest-

tive is now to ensure that Indian businesses are aware of the Manchester opportunity when deciding how to invest.”

Manchester and India are seen as perfect fit for future investment, with the region’s trade links with the country dating back to the Victorian era.

M a n c h e s t e r ’ s Internationalisation Strategy has identified India as a critical market for the region for both the public and private sector in terms of inward investment, outbound export, education and tourism.

MIDAS is currently working with UKIBC to produce an in-depth report which identifies opportunities with India within these areas. The report will be published later this year.

Reception hosted by the Indian High Commissioner and Labour Friends of India

The High Commissioner Mr. Ranjan Mathai, in collaboration with the Labour Friends of India, chaired

by Barry Gardiner MP, hosted a reception on the side lines of the Labour Party Conference on September 21, 2014 in Manchester. The Leader of the Labour Party Mr. Ed Miliband addressed the gathering which Barry Gardiner MP, HE Ranjan Mathai and Ed Miliband MP comprised many lated PM Narendra Labour Party’s continMPs & Peers, including Modi on his election ued commitment to the John Speller, Seema and the thrust given by strongest possible relaMalhotra, Gareth the Government to tions between the Thomas, Mike Gapes, India’s economic resurUnited Kingdom and Virendra Sharma, gence.

Mr. Barry India. He recognized Sadiq Khan, Baroness Gardiner, described the the huge contribution Worthington, Keith presence of a large nummade by British Indians Vaz, Valerie Vaz, Chris ber of MPs, Peers and in every conceivable Ruane, Sir Richard other members of the area in the UK and Leese, Leader of the Labour Party as a testihighlighted this as yet Manchester City mony to the importance another reason for Council and others. the Party attaches to strong links between In his comments, UK’s relations with India and the UK. Mr. Labour Leader Ed India.

Miliband also congratuMiliband stressed the

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Tim Newns, chief executive of MIDAS said: “It’s fantastic news for Manchester’s evolving India strategy that the business summit has proven such a success.

With attention from senior ranking Indian officials and the forging of promising business connections, the event has opened a rich seam of opportunities for both Manchester and Indian businesses.”

“Manchester is a business destination of international appeal, recently ranked as number one UK city for growth outside of London. The city’s objec-

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Jilted Birmingham Worker Attacks Single Mum

Ex-Poundland worker Zeeyarat Khan was sentenced to 18 years in jail after attacking 32-year old single mum, Samera Suleman, who refused his romantic advances. Both individuals had been employees of Poundland's St Andrew's retail branch in Little Heath where Suleman endured repeated threats to her life before the final bloody attack on October 9th of last year.

Khan picked up a hammer and according to witnessess, a mother and three young children, launched a 'determined and sustained attack' on Suleman leaving the victim with skull and hand fractures. Police arrived ten minutes later to catch Khan still holding the bloodstained weapon.

'Although they (Khan and Suleman) were friendly they rarely socialised outside work,'

the prosecution stated.

'He was attracted to her.

He told Miss Suleman he had feelings for her and wanted to marry her.'

Suleman, also a teaching assistant, had arrived to quit her part-time position at Poundland because of the harassment she was feeling.

The defendant's lawyer argued that Khan had felt rebuffed and the incident had been an impulsive “explosion”.

However Judge James Burbidge QC ruled that he willfully 'rushed out of the store and pursued her, attacking her in the most public of places.' Khan was also told: 'You rained blows on her fast and furious. You wanted the relationship to be more permanent but she gently rebuffed you.'

About a year on, Samera has recovered from the head injury but is still receiving counseling.

Young Mensa Talent

Little Genius Niharika Paul

Twelve-year old Niharika Paul has qualified for Mensa.

Hailing from Hamilton in Leicester, the youngster scored 162 for verbal reasoning skills and 140 for visual and spatial awareness. One must score 148 and 132 individually to obtain a pass. Paul's interest in reading, crosswords and Sudoku has clearly been a help!

Solihull rapist preys on old woman

A traffic warden was found guilty of raping a 71 yearold woman in Solihull, Birmingham. 30 year-old Irshad Hussain, pictured, tracked down the pensioner and forced his way into her bedroom.

'This offence was premeditated,' ruled Judge Paul Farrer QC. 'You plainly targeted her because of her vulnerability.

Throughout this she was terrified and unable to struggle.' Hussein was counting on the witness not to report the attack because of her fragility. 'However the next morning she told

her daughter, disclosing what had happened,' Farrer stated.

Testimony against Hussein included his nicknaming the victim 'oldie' and obtaining her number prior to the incident.

Hussein claimed that he had consensual sex with the elderly citizen, 'but nothing could be further from the truth,' says Det Chief Insp Dean Young from the Public Protection Unit. ' From his work in the area as a warden, he became aware of the woman and her vulnerabilities. He preyed on her and

seized his opportunity to take advantage of her, abusing his position of trust in the community.'

If there is a positive from the incident it is the efficacy of DNA testing: 'While we are confident our inquiries would have led us to Hussain,' continued Chief

Inspector Young, 'the speed at which we were able to take him off the streets and prevent him from targeting other vulnerable people, was only possible with the help of DNA profiling. In its thirtieth year, this case demonstrates just how important DNA profiling has become in bringing offenders to justice and protecting people in our communities.'

A sample taken from the pensioner’s home matched a record logged on a national database after a theft in 2003. Hussein has been sentenced to jail for 13 years.

5

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Spriha Srivastava

Christie’s to open Islamic Art Week World’s leading art business, Christie’s will putting on display objects tracing the rich cultural heritage of the Islamic and Indian worlds for sale in a series of three sales in London during Islamic Art Week.

The Art Week will run from 7th to 10th October and will include objects from the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman Empires. The sales offer an insight into the diversity of the religious, social and geographical influences on works of art and the craftsmen, artists and patrons who created them.

Apart from various antique items, one of the biggest highlights of the sale is the Oriental Rugs and Carpets sale is the Douglass Mughal ‘Millefleurs’ prayer rug which dates from the 18th century and was most probably woven in Lahore or Kashmir in northern India. It is part of an exceptionally small and rare group, of which only ten other examples are known. This ‘millefleurs’ prayer rug, a reference to the delicate floral design worked across the entire field, is woven with wonderfully soft pashmina wool and

famous Girdlers’ carpet, commissioned for the Girdlers’ livery company in the 1630s. The best of 19th century Indian Revivalist weaving is represented by lot 49 a finely woven ivory ground Agra carpet with a classic large palmette design borrowed from Safavid and Mughal carpet designs (estimate: £30,00050,000).

Among other things from India, one of the highlights also includes a heavily illustrated copy of the Khamsa of Nizami.

Copied in Kashmir or North India, in the early 17th century, the manuscript provides a rare window into a hybrid style of painting which was subject to the artistic influences of both the Mughal and the Safavid Courts estimated at £200,000-300,000.

Among the Indian lots in the sale at South Kensington is a finely decorated calligraphic panel which, on further research

by Christie’s specialist team, was found to be a formal letter from the second ruler of the Mughal dynasty, Humayun (1508-1556) to his son. The official note requests that his 8year-old son, later Emperor Akbar, ask the ladies of his father’s harem to be sent to him at his winter encampment. The document gives a rare insight into the private and domestic lives of these two major figures in India’s history.

It is offered for sale from a Princely Collection with an estimate of £5,000-8,000. A blue glass dish from Mughal India, a courtly object and a rare survivor from the 18th century, also carries the same estimate.

cians and celebrities such as 50 cent and Ricky Gervais, along with shooting advertising campaigns for the likes of MTV, Sunsilk and Huawei. But their real passion comes in mentoring budding photographers through charities such as Teenage Cancer Trust and The Royal Albert Hall mentoring scheme, where they were invited to host a Master Class for aspiring young photographers.

Shot in Amit and

Naroop’s instantly recognisable, high impact style, the collection boasts a sleek and stylish quality.

The subjects include; creative director and stylist Chaz Singh Fliy. With a confident, quizzical look in his eyes, he poses for the camera, moustache perfectly twizzled, his navy turban blending seamlessly with the blue hues of his ensemble.

If you would like to see this exhibition then now is the time to make a note in your diary.

remains in astonishingly good condition.

It is “one of the most extraordinary of these rare and beautiful weavings” and is estimated at £300,000-500,000, a reflection of its condition and provenanc. Also from Mughal India is a very elegant Lahore gallery carpet, lot 116, which relates to the

Watch out for The Singh Project

A striking new photo exhibition featuring 35 highly original images, showcases the beauty and diversity of the two most ubiquitous symbols of Sikhism: the beard and turban will take place at the Framers Gallery W1 from the 315th November.

The exhibition features Sikh men of all ages and from all walks of life.

From doctors to boxers, temple volunteers to magicians and I.T professionals to fashion stylists, the subjects all carry the name Singh (Sanskrit for lion), which is given to all baptised male Sikhs. The Singh Project showcases brilliantly symbolic images of where fashion meets faith and style in modern multicultural Britain.

The Singh Project is the brainchild of photographers Amit and Naroop. Over the last eight years, the duo have built a large and diverse portfolio of work, capturing portraits of musi-

Call to employers to increase Diversity

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

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Dhiren Katwa

National Grid, Barclays and HM Revenue and Customs were among the award-winning employers praised for their work to boost diversity at the annual Race for Opportunity (RfO) Awards.

Race for Opportunity, which is part of Business in the Community, the business-led charity, campaigns to reduce Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic (BAME) youth unemployment, accelerate progression and balance representation of BAME people in the UK workforce and increase diversity among senior business leaders.

Held at the Hilton Park Lane in London last Tuesday, the event brought together senior representatives from a wide range of private and public sector organisations. The evening was hosted by broadcast journalist Diane-Louise Jordan, who in 1990 became the first black presenter of Blue Peter, the children’s TV programme.

Guests were welcomed by RfO’s National Campaign Director Sandra Kerr OBE. Then, 15-year-old Liberty Martin, an aspiring journalist, delivered an inspirational speech, one which won her rapturous applause. Next, Adrian Joseph, RfO’s Chairman, gave his powerful, as ever, address. He spoke about the 4,8,16 pyramid - 1 in 4 young people in both primary and secondary education; 1 in 8 of the UK workforce and 1 in 16 directors of UK PLCs or their public sector equivalents in the UK are from BAME communities. He added that over a five-year period up to 2012, 21,000 BAME senior managers had left their jobs.

An eagle-eyed guest noted that nobody was present from the Confederation of British Industry, CBI, and the Institute of Directors, or IoD, both leading UK business organisations.

Then again CBI’s Director-General John Cridland is known to stay clear, if he can, from the whole Diversity discussion. This should then come as no surprise that none of his senior team of 13, six men and seven women is from a BAME

treat this session with respect,” words which were greeted with clapping.

Richard also spoke about the importance of transparency. Yet, the Civil Service Awards, due to take place on November 19, are closed to the media.

No media are allowed, according to spokeswoman Hannah Bolton. Furthermore, the nine judges, three female and six male on the judging panel Good talker: Richard Heaton CB of these awards, are all white, middle-class. background. Similarly, the Energy firm National IoD has 14 directors, execGrid won the Talent utive and non-executive, Award – attraction for its four female, 10 men and work including training just one, Ken Olisa, is managers and recruiters from a BAME backaround unconscious bias ground. Ken was appointand launching a developed to the Board last year ment programme for and he sits on the IoD’s BAME staff, which resultAudit and Risk ed in an increase in talent Committee. mobility and more diverse representation at the firm This is about across all staff levels. The business case, not prize for Transparency, Monitoring and Action moral pleading was won by the University – Sandra Kerr of Manchester for its equality monitoring.

Charles Thompson, Guests also heard founder of Positively from Richard Heaton, picEthnic Network scooped tured, Permanent the Champion Award for Secretary to the Cabinet demonstrating leadership Office and Race Champion in order to progress the for the Civil Service race equality, diversity and Richard, sat one leg over inclusion agenda. another during his chat In my region, the West session on stage with Midlands, the BAME popBusiness in the ulation stands at 17.3%. In Community’s CEO Birmingham, just under Stephen Howard, said: half of the resident popula“We’re not as good as we tion is BAME and people should be.” Referencing of Pakistani origin are by some recent Civil Service far the largest ethnic statistics, Richard said, “I minority group representdon’t think we quite have ing 13.5% of all people in the right data,” adding, the city. In the East “and we don’t know why Midlands, the BAME popthis is the case.” He said ulation is 10.7%. At De he didn’t know why there Montfort University, 38% were no targets either. “I’d of the student population love to have a target,” he are UK-domiciled BAME said, “we will undertake to students. Leicester is have a senior civil service home to over 61,000 that has a better BAME Muslims and more than proportion than we do 50,000 Hindus. have now.” Richard’s tone, By 2051, one in five choice of words and style people in the UK will be was that of, I felt, an elofrom a BAME backquent communicator, an ground, representing a influencer, a gent who can scale of consumer spendreally spin and talk the talk ing and political voting to win the hearts and power that business and minds of people. Richard’s government alike cannot failure to capture the full afford to ignore. attention of the audience led Sandra Kerr to step on To see the full list of stage, “I can’t believe the winners and those Highly noise that I’m hearing,” Commended visit she said. “Can I ask the www.raceforoportunity.bi waiters to stop and that we tc.org.uk/RfOawards2014

Pugh pays price for passport pandemic

Paul Pugh, the former chief executive of Her Majesty's Passport Office, will lose his job after allowing an enormous backlog of applications to accu-

mulate over the summer. Theresa May announced that she would take over HMPO to ensure a more efficient and high quality service to the public.

Paul Pugh

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UK

Petrol station worker gets jailed for claiming false benefits

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A Harrow petrol station attendant Abdul Murshid was jailed for 11 weeks after a court heard how he lied about his arrangements to falsely claim £55,000 in housing benefits.

Willesden Magistrates were told that 46-year-old Mr. Murshid claimed £900 per month in housing benefit from Harrow Council while his rent at the partownership property in Daintry Close, Kenton West, only amounted to £200. The court heard that the married father of-four, two boys aged 12 and 9, and two girls six and two, used the extra £700 to spend on his family in a fraud that extended over six years.

Mr. Murshid, who worked at the Welcome Break service station on

Cllr Sachin Shah

the M1, admitted four counts of fraud.

Magistrates said a jail term was justified because of the severity and duration of the fraud, although they took into account an early guilty plea and the

defendant’s previous good character.

The defendant was sentenced to 11 weeks in custody, half to be served in jail and the other half on license. In total £55,957.31 was claimed fraudulently from October 2005 to March 2012 and Harrow Council will now seek to recoup the money.

Councillor Sachin Shah, portfolio holder for finance and major contracts, said: “People defrauding the benefit system take attention away from its real purpose. That purpose is to provide a

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

vital safety net that catches people when they need it the most.

“A jail term sends a signal of just how seriously the courts take benefit fraud – it is not a harmless paperwork fiddle. We are going to pursue the defendant to recover money which belongs to the people of Harrow.’

The case is one of the last housing benefit fraud cases to be directly investigated by Harrow Council.

From 1 October all housing benefit frauds will be investigated centrally by the Department for Work and Pensions. If you have any suspicions about Housing Fraud this should be reported to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440 or www.gov.uk/reportbenefit-fraud.

Mother and son who died in Slough station, named

A mother and son who died by jumping in front of a train, has been described battling depression for long.

Rubina Khan (46) and Amaar Khan (10) were killed at Slough train station by the 8:41 Bedwyn, Wiltshire to London Paddington train on Tuesday, in front of dozens of passengers at the packed commuter station.

Police reportedly said they did not believe their deaths were an accident and said "murder suicide" was one of line of inquiry after they ruled out thirdparty involvement.

She has been described by relatives and friends as a 'caring mother' who had strong connection with her child. A relative of the pair, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that Mrs Khan had been battling depression for months. They praised Mrs

Forensic officers on the tracks at Slough railway station after the incident

Khan as a 'loving mother, wife, daughter and sister who will be sorely missed by all who knew her’, adding that Amaar was ‘a cute, gorgeous little boy, with a lovely cheeky side’.

The family said the losses had ‘left a huge hole’ in their lives, but they were ‘comforted and

humbled by the support of the community’ - with more than 1,000 people visiting them to pay their respects.

Slough station, which is operated by First Great Western, has six platforms. It is believed that the driver was in a state of shock and was being sup-

ported by the Rail operators.

More than a century ago in June 1900, the station saw a major accident when an express train from London struck a local service that was at a standstill, killing five people and seriously injuring 35.

English man discovers his great grandfather was the first non-white Cricketer English descendent Sean Beardmore has recently discovered that his great grandfather was none other than Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the first nonwhite cricketer to play for England.

Nicknamed Ranji, his international ancestor wowed his contemporaries with an unusual cricketing technique that later led him to play for the England. Ranji earned his first golden stripe when England played Australia in July 1896, scoring 154 runs, more than half of the side's total of 305.

Born in the Indian province of Nawanagar, he came over to study at the University of Cambridge.

This is where he met with

happened,' says living relative Beardmore.

'Pieces of the puzzle are missing but the circumstantial evidence points to Edith Borissow being the mother and I’m sure any DNA test would show a connection with Ranji.'

The trophy awarded to the Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the first nonwhite cricketer to play for England winners of India’s domestic cricket the upper-class Edith championship has Ranji's Borissow, the daughter of name inscribed. During his tutor, with whom he his Australia season, fathered a child, Kirk. For Ranji, scored a total of many reasons then, the 2,780 runs in first-class truth has remained hidcricket, breaking the den: 'We don’t know the record of WG Grace and full story behind what

elicited the response of “the midsummer night’s dream of cricket”.One of his nephews, Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, also took the bat for England, scoring almost 1,000 runs in 12 Test matches.

Unfortunately despite the lobbying of Lord Hawke, the Yorkshire and England cricket captain, for the total incorporation of his Indian friend into the team, racist values hindered an official position. Ranji finally returned to India where he became ruler of Nawanagar in 1907. The son Kirk was adopted by Paul Beardmore, a Bradford shoemaker, and his wife, Jane, and took their surname.

'Breaking Bad' makes breaking news in murder scandal

In the ongoing trial for the attempted murder of her mother, the accused Kuntal Patel, pictured, said TV drama 'Breaking Bad' helped her carry out the poisoning.

The 37-year old graphic designer purchased Abrin, a chemical similar to ricin which was featured on the tv's shows final episode as promising a 'horrible death', to spike her mother's diet coke.

Patel planned to lace the drink after watching successive episodes and then searching for the product for hours online. She said she did not pursue the show until she had heard about the drug: 'I was 'watching Breaking Bad, going back and researching stuff, and then watching more Breaking Bad (… ) I started from the beginning and I was watching one a day. I became addicted to it.'

This was in response to an emotionally and sometimes physically abusive mother, the court heard from Kuntal. Meena Patel, 60, demanded to

know her daughter's whereabouts at every hour of the day and would beat her. When she broke up Kuntal's budding romance with American national Niraj Kakad, it was the final straw: ' I was very low and depressed, and never imagined I could feel so low'.

The phials of poison, which Kuntal obtained through an illicit website, were tracked down by the FBI and counter-terrorist officers were swiftly deployed to her home in East London.

Though Patel denies trying to murder her mother, she he has pleaded guilty to acquiring biological agents or toxins.

High Street retailer under fire over skin whitening cream New controversies have surfaced in Britain after a high street retailer Holland and Barrett has launched a new line of whitening creams called 'Dr Organic Royal Jelly'.

Critics insist that the targeted is cream towards the South Asian community, that is raised with a belief that fairness equates to beauty, an idea that has given birth to a multiskin dollar million whitening industry.

However the company has insisted that the cream is intended to help people with age sun-darkened spots, skin and other skin anomalies, but the campaigners have slammed it as 'exploiting racism to make money' and 'promoting a throwback to the racial hierarchies of colonialism and segregation'.

Jabeer Bhutt, the deputy chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation, reportedly told the Independent: “The fact that they are openly selling this is so damaging to the selfesteem of black and minority ethnic people in the UK,” he said.

“During the 1970s these creams were illegally sold in market stalls. contained "They bleach, and people of African-Caribbean, Asian, and mixed-race heritage used them.

Some disfigured themselves trying to whiten their skin. I don’t

believe a big company like Holland & Barrett doesn’t know all of this, but is still prepared to attach itself to that history if it can make money. That horrifies me.”

The company continues to insist that the product does not contain bleach and that the primary ingredient in the cream was a brown algae with "proven skinwhitening attributes" to combat age spots, freckles, scars, blemishes, dark elbows and knees as well as general skin brightening".

UK

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

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Winner Best Actress FIPA Cannes, Creative Producer too Indian actress Mamta Kaash has a terrific career. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the B B C 1 drama Casualty, Angels and Emmerdale Farm for Yorkshire Television.

Mamta has also played lead roles in River city, Angels, and Dream Child.

She acted as Abha in Mountbatten, The Last Viceroy, and had good parts in Hetty Wainthropp, Ruth Rendal and Inspector Wexford.

Recently, she was in Tara Arts’s Domestic Crusaders and is currently working in a Discovery Channel play.

But the most exciting passion for Mamta is her new series, in development, from an original idea by her.

It is called THE MUGHALS; an International Drama TV serial of ten, one hour episodes.

Born in India raised in Great Britain, she feels privileged enjoying and appreciating the best in

Mamta Kaash

both cultures and languages – whether it is literature, music, or food.

Her start in acting was unconventional. She said that being Asian, she was not encouraged to become an actress so she applied to study Astrophysics at London University, drawn

by the incredible images of stars and the universe.

The maths required, however, got the better of her and she studied Economics instead.

“I got a phone call one day. BBC’s ANGELS was being cast...I was cast as one of the angel nurses. I

took up evening acting courses. I’ve learnt most things by being on set, I work by the text and on instinct. One of my highlights was Shalom Salaam for the BBC. It was a fabulously written serial by Mr Gareth Jones whom I’m working with on THE MUGHALS. It won at Cannes for the writer and for myself [Best Actress] at the television festival FIPA. In Casualty, they didn’t cast an Asian character, which was refreshing, they called her Beth. She could have been any nationality, she was just a doctor.

However acting requires being away from home. It’s not easy, for example I had to stay a couple of years in Bristol for CASUALTY and for a similar duration in Glasgow for RIVER CITY. For ANGELS I had to be in Birmingham, for SHALOM SALAAM in Leicester, for EMMERDALE FARM in Leeds, and MOUNTBATTEN in India – it is a gypsy’s life!”

Leading Lights asked about an area familiar to this writer too; being in a continuing drama series.

What did it teach Mamta?

“Discipline. In soaps, there’s not much rehearsal time. Sometimes a scene change could be coming off the press as you’re filming. You’re doing

shifts, because you’re doing three or four episodes at a time. All that was fabulous training for when we did Shalom Salaam. Because that was in five episodes, a character’s life from 16 to 30.

When you’re jumping scenes and portraying different emotions, laughing, fighting, to remember where you are in a storyline is crucial.

Mountbatten was an American production. Ian Richardson was cast as Nehru and- poor thing- as his eyes are blue they got him some brown contact lenses which got septic so filming had to stop for a few days. I played Mahatma Gandhi’s grandniece.”

The Mughals is an international television series on the lines of The Tudors, or Rome. Mamta feels this dynasty deserves to be shown to the world.

“They had legions of 5,000 wives apiece. They were great architects, philosophers and writers.

But they were barbaric, they had a dark underbelly that fascinated me.

Father killing son, brother killing brother.

Wife killing wife – all for the golden throne of India.

They had one of the most opulent empires of their time. I was also interested in what’s happening at the moment in the Middle East. What fundamental-

ism can do and what generosity can achieve. Akbar was tolerant. He was welcoming all religions. His empire grew. Aurangzeb, on the other hand, wasn’t, and look how the empire started crumbling after him. This was a gateway, a lot of Europeans started eying India because of the opulence- they saw the Golden Bird. I want Indian producers, directors and actors from here and there. It’s going to be a first for this kind of India-British collaboration and it is the 400th year of Indo British relations. It will be good to have a lot of characterdriven roles.

We were very lucky that the Financial Conduct Authority approved the website, Crowd for angels.com. It’s one of the first in England.

In America, crowd funding is well established, for raising funds for film and TV productions. Being FCA approved, it has SEIS, Government- led tax benefits to encourage investment in the media.

We are trying to raise a modest amount for the recce work, the writing of the script. We’ve gone from pilot to development and now we’re aiming to progress to the production stage.

THE MUGHALS, we hope, will be landmark television.”

Fitness to Practise Medical Panellists Manchester Doctors from a variety of backgrounds support the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service by becoming Fitness to Practise Panellists. The MPTS is part of the General Medical Council but is operationally separate. We report to Parliament and to the GMC Council for delivery of our objectives. Our Panellists play a crucial role helping us deal firmly and fairly with the minority of doctors whose fitness to practise is called into question.

Our fitness to practise procedures include an adjudication stage where hearings take place before a Fitness to Practise Panel and sometimes an Interim Orders Panel. These are made up of medical (doctors who are registered and hold a licence to practise) and lay (i.e. non-medical) panellists.

At this time we are looking for medical candidates only with demonstrable integrity, and with experience and ability of reaching impartial and unbiased decisions affecting other people. We are also interested in appointing medical candidates with chairing experience in order to act as medical Chairs.

The time commitment is a minimum of 20 days for medical panellists. Panellists receive a daily fee of £310 (or up to £430 for GPs to cover locum costs) plus reasonable expenses.

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To find out more and apply, please visit jobs.gmc-uk.org

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Closing date for completed applications: 22 October 2014

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The GMC is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089278) and Scotland (SC037750).

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Bank of Baroda is established in the UK with company number BR002014 and is based at 32 City Road, London EC1Y 2BD. T. +44(0)207 457 1515 F. +44 (0)207 457 1505 E. info.uk@bankofbaroda.com W. www.bankofbarodauk.com Bank of Baroda is authorised and regulated by the prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Our regulator firm reference no. is 204624

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YOUR VOICE

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United We Stand

Story of immigrants

Made in Bharat

India storming to Mars

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, had said at the time when the referendum for Scotland’s wish to separate from the UK was taking place that he will be heart broken if Scotland voted to break up the British family. In a passionate defence of the union, Mr Cameron had said that the fate of the country was more important to him than party politics. He is recently quoted as saying that the Queen "purred" when he told her about Scotland's rejection of independence. The prime minister was overheard by waiting camera crews when he was in conversation with exNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as stating that he had "never heard someone so happy" at the result.

Both are right in feeling this way. It could have been Scotland now. Next Wales and then Northern Ireland would also have wanted to follow in the wake.

Even London would have wished to break away and become an independent state like the Vatican in Italy.

We have witnessed the division of India in 1947 and are aware of the after effects which the division has caused.

Both countries are at loggerhead ever since. The vast amount of money spent on defence against each other could be put to better use to educate and feed the poor of both these south Asian countries.

If Scotland had become independent, history could have repeated itself and a separate Scotland could have become a threat to England in years to come.

Exactly 40 years I came to Canada from London. I stayed first 2 weeks in Hayes, Middlesex at my sister's place and came across Gujarat Samachar paper.

To think of publishing Gujarati newspaper in a foreign country is very big venture. It requires lot of courage. Investing hard earned money by Shri C.B Patel and family, putting so many unpaid hours, sacrificing family life, getting advertisements, asking people to subscribe- is a herculean task. Inspite on all these, CB with family support and his positive attitude took over Gujarat Samachar and later started Asian Voice.

Similarly when I came to Canada with my pregnant wife and 4 years old daughter- we knew few people. But by the grace of Almighty Lord, after going through some hard times, we overcame all hurdles one by one. Both my wife and I landed jobs in bank, gave University education, and values to our two daughters. Both are married and settled now with children.

This is not only my story but story of almost most all immigrants especially first generation to any country. Our bestwishes to all on Navratri and upcoming Diwali and New Year.

Some weeks ago there was much ado as to what we now call India and Indians.

RSS, some BJP Politicians and other Hindus say,' call India Hindustan and all Indians as Hindu or Hindi'.

These names came from very long time ago People living on the bank of the river Sindhu (Indus as per British) in North India who followed Sanatan Dharma were named Hindu from Sindhu, Their country Hindustan and Language Hindi.

You can't call all Indians as Hindu whether they are Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Parsi, Jain, Sikh, etc. Also you can't mix up Hindi Language with people as Hindi either.

In ancient time, India was called Bha(a)rat which came from Bharat.

Bharat was a very renown King of Hastinapur. He was a son of Shakuntala and Dushyant who fell in love with her at first sight when he went hunting in jungle. He then returned to Hastinapur but forgot her completely as Shakuntala was cursed by Durvasa Rishi. Later she had a son named Bharat who was brought up in jungle fearless playing with wild animals.

After a few years when Dushyant again went to forest he saw a little boy playing with lion cubs he was surprised by his bravery and boldness and found out from Shakuntala that Bharat was their son. He proudly named the country as Bharat!

I suggest India's name should be changed to Bharat, all Indians to Bharati like British as Briton and Indian Goods and Services to Bharatiya. Bharat is also compatible with our National Anthem --Jan Gan Man-Bharat Bhagya Vidhata!!!Jai Bharat

Ingenuity of Indian scientists working on shoe-string budget with unconventional techniques created history by successfully placing Mars spacecraft “Manglayaan” into Orbit.

Mars Orbiter Mission Director K. Radhakrishan commented, “Jugaad, very quintessential Indian trait” referring to Indian scientists’ ability to innovate within extremely fragile and flexible scenario, classic example of the efficiency concept at work in global contest, beyond boundary of human experience, unmatched innovation, out of Indian epic Mahabharata that describes such planetary travels, harvesting ancient wisdom for human advancement.

Only 21 out of 51 launches succeeded, even one by technically advanced Japan failed, thus opening $200 billion space technology market India can dominate, putting Western weather, spy and communication satellites in orbit at unmatchable price, especially as American space technology is in the doldrums, relying on Russia to rendezvous with their astronauts in Space-station.

Agitated iconoclast hucksters, Western inhibition, contrariwise critics of Indian Space programme out of jealousy and commercial interest, offered Hobson’s choice have maintained dignified silence.

Orbiting spacecraft will study Mars gravity, check methane, sign of life and reasons for once fertile Mars going barren, losing its’ atmosphere, water and rudimentary life. Excited proud Indians are looking forward to establishing thriving “Moon Colony” by year 2030 that could become base for interplanetary travel.

Bhupendra M Gandhi

By Email

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Existence of God

Doubt about God in relation with wars, strife, disasters and sufferings is myopic. These inter-human behaviour aberrations are language of uncontrollable energies of gross physical matter eg., anger, lust, greed, covetousness, pride and desire.

God’s language is, maintenances of congenial environment, habitat, love, health and cheerfulness. God mercifully looks after creation via well balanced synchronisation. On level of life on earth, God maintains optimum temperature, its equi-distribution so that life on earth does not burn or freeze/ humans do not perish from fever or hypothermia. All manifest life and humans follow perpetual rhythm of life cycles for preservation, protection, survival and propagation.

Selfish humans take these gifts for granted. Selfish grumblers also forget that in spite of falling prey to gross energies mentioned above, God has given humans free will to be good or sinner. Humans do not thank God for rewards but moan at reactions resulting from evil actions.

Hindu sages have understood that evil forces must be strictly controlled.

They have preached – Dharma- way of life as per needs of the times, theory of action and reaction that motivates person to do good deeds perpetually. Such acts benefit not only the individual but also the whole humanity.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Ontario,Canada

United states of GB

The Scottish Independence Referendum is over. Scotland has spoken and taken the lead to a general debate on how the UK should be governed. There should be a Constitutional Convention headed by one of the highest ranking High Court Judge. He/she will be assisted by a number of members of all political parties including the nationalist parties and also a number of constitutional experts.

The way forward is federation of four states - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - within the United Kingdom with every state having a Parliament headed by First Minister or Chief Minister. In addition there should be a Federal Government at Westminster headed by Prime Minister elected by UK citizens. The Westminster Parliament will be the seat of that government.

The convention’s function will be to divide powers between the Federal Government and State Governments with the former administering defence, foreign affairs, currency, national insurance, pension, trade policy, international development, policy on environment and power generation. The rest should be with the state governments. There should be an agreement of tax raising powers with the provision of each state being able to borrow money up to a certain limit but guaranteed by the Bank of England.

Once the agreement between the states is made this should be decided by UK citizens in a national referendum and thus make it a permanent settlement. Let us have a United States of Great Britain.

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Most worthy donation

Kidney failure is one of the most debilitating illnesses one could imagine.

Patients have to visit hospitals for dialysis three times a week; each visit taking some 12 hours, including waiting, travel time by ambulance and drain patients’ energy. So often patients have to endure pain, debilitation beyond realm of reality.

No wonder many patients refuse to go on dialysis, preferring nature to take its course. Some fortunate patients could have dialysis machines installed in their homes but it is unpractical, needing extra room and some expertise.

So the present of state of the art dialysis machine to NPH Renal Unit by Pradipbhai Shah and Family, philanthropical act, as reported in Gujarat Samachar, cardinal virtues that deserve our heart-felt congratulations.

Although kidney transplant normally gives relief, is the best option, enables patient to live normal life, it is not always successful. So an organ donation is of utmost importance.

Causes for kidney failures are vast and varied but high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, poor diet and lack of exercise are all contributory factors.It takes long time from onset of kidney problems to kidney failure. If diagnosed early with coherent treatment, dialysis

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Creating a clean India

Prime Minster Modiji chaired a meeting on 11th September on Mission Swacch Bharat with AIMS. I urge him to make Swacch Bharat a mass movement and link it to economic activity.

Let every citizen pledge to contribute 100 hours a year towards cleanliness.

Government offices to Punchayat can conduct cleanliness drive till Diwali.

It is an excellent step towards the right direction, but it will be even better if the leaders of the country also take brooms in their hands and contribute 2 hours every Sunday to sweep the streets and set examples for all the citizens.

If this happens, media will play their part to show the whole world what Modiji is trying to do in India. And I am sure the whole country will join him. I remember when Shastriji proposed the same, the whole nation followed it.

Now is the time for Modiji to show us cleaning is actually next to Godliness. If I am needed, I will also join the movement.

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

11

12

MEDIA WATCH

Reaching for the stars may be an over used metaphor, but for India’s space scientists and engineers it has long been a way of life. Their skills, dedication, and never-say-die resolve have done more for India’s image and its evolving power than the tons of clichés and incantations of the country’s politicians (with notable exceptions) and political class could ever do.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was crowned with triumph when the satellite was coaxed into the desired orbit around the Red Planet shortly after 8 am (IST) on Wednesday, September 24th.

Modi with Radhakrishnan in ISRO control room in Bangalore

Modi with scientists and engineers

ISRO women scientists

India waited with bated breath as teams of experts went about this complex manoeuvre, starting with the ignition of the rocket motor that had lain dormant for the past ten months during the satellite’s space journey of many million kilometers to its appointed rendezvous with Mars. There was an explosion of joy at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) control room in Bangalore, which spread to every corner of this vast and diverse land. For once there were no discordant public voices, no contrarian sneering and breast-beating about the wastage of public money.

Perhaps they were grieving in silence. India had become the first country to have accomplished its Mars odyssey at the first attempt, and the fourth power after the United States, Russia and the European Space

Agency, to have done so. Better still, its Mars venture at approximately $74 million cost one tenth of NASA’s in America, and less even than the Hollywood film, “Gravity,” which cost $100 million.

The MOM teams were a blend of experience, those making their debut, of men and women dedicated to the cause of Indian science and the betterment of the Indian masses.

They have given their country much to rejoice about.

Even sections of the Western media, known for their condescension and disapproval of high-tech Indian ventures stopped to applaud and acknowledge the achievement.

It was a mere 52 years ago that India’s space agency was set up, in November 1962 to be precise, with the blessings of the nation’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and ISRO’s first head Vikram Sarabhai.

ISRO got its second lease in 1969 under prime minister Indira Gandhi, when its structure, autonomy and funding was guaranteed by the government.

State of denial

The Mars mission was conceived and approved in 2010, when the UPA government was in power, as was the case with

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

its launch on November 5, 2013.The template of contemporary Indian science was laid at the time of India’s Independence in August 1947, even as the country’s future looked bleak in the violent aftermath of Partition.

The Telegraph’s Correspondent Sankarshan Thakur wrote that, while it would be churlish to diminish “what has been achieved by the eminences of ISRO today,” to be in denial “of the evolved vision of Jawaharlal Nehru, grand architect of our modern temples, and to ignore the excellence and industry of …….Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, U. R. Rao, K. Kasturirangan and G.Madhavan Nair, and, now K. Radhakrishnan” was scarcely less demeaning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present in ISRO’s control lauded the scientists and engineers for their achievement, but chose to remain silent on their iconic predecessors. A pity, this. Modi could have taken his moment to be an Indian statesman. He preferred instead to give vent to the parochial voice of a RSS pracharak and provincial BJP politician. The politicization of everything and anything remains the bane of India’s public life. It is scarcely an accident that the top space scientists and engineers and their teams are overwhelmingly from India’s southern states, where life is burdened by petty power politics and its assorted toxins, especially in the fields of science, education and culture.

Gallery of eminences

The following names will be etched forever in India’s scroll of honour: Kopillil Radhakrishnan, Chairman, ISRO, Bangalore, Engineer and driving force behind the Mars project; Kiran Kumar, Physicist, Director, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad; Physicist Valivarthi Kesavaraju, Post-launch Mission Director, ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore; Mathematician, Vipparthi Adimurthy, Professor and Dean of Research, Indian Institute of Space and Technology, Thiruvanthapuram (Kerala): Mechanical Engineer and Mathematician, Subbiah Arunan, Project Director.(ISRO), Bangalore.

These were the men driven by a shared vision who lived their dream at all hours of the day as their spouses, remarked ruefully, with justifiable pride.

Inspiration for youth

“An incredible achievement” was Brazil-born Thais Russomano’s involment in the India’s Mars mission. She is one of four academics from King’s College, London, who will be tutoring pupils aged 16-19 at a 12 day winter school organized in mid-December by Doon School, India. Romano believed that the successful Mars venture will lead to a surge in the number of Indian boys and girls taking up space science. Speaking of her own love of the subject, she said the Mars mission was a “demonstration of India’s ambition, showcasing the level of investment India has made in

Narendra Modi addressing New York public at Madison Square See comment page 3

the sciences and this had to be good for India as a whole.”

Challenging enterprise

Robert Trott, an astrophysicist at London’s Imperial College told the Telegraph Correspondent Amit Roy: “It’s a brilliant success for India! Reaching another planet is a very challenging enterprise, which requires the highest standards of scientific and technological abilities – even more so for Mars, a planet that that has in the past defeated over half the space probes sent to it. This success and the future scientific returns it will bring in terms of understanding Mars better, shows the importance of investing in fundamental research.” He concluded: “Today is a day that will inspire a generation of young people to take up science and technology, and will in the long run support India’s effort to further improve its economy and living standards for all its citizens.” (Hindu, Business Line, Telegraph, Times of India, Mint, September 25)

India, global IT revolution

Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai, who has been described by Google CEO, Larry Page, as someone with “deep technical expertise, a great product eye, tremendous entrepreneurial flair…..a rare combination, which is what makes him a great leader,” was in India recently. The Indian-born techbusiness wizard who has been head-hunted by some of the biggest US corporate houses, shared his thoughts with a reporter on the country’s place in the global IT revolution.

Apropos of his visit, he said that, while he felt “nostalgic,” he was “also very excited. India has always had potential but it’s now moving to have a big impact…..What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. At Google, we feel that India will be the biggest source of growth for Android in the years to come. The scale of what we can achieve is huge.”

Beginning to work

He concluded: “People are beginning to work on things that are unique. Historically, start-up environments fare well when great entrepreneurs have access to capital and the confidence to take risks. I’m beginning to see this in India. The advantage that

entrepreneurs have here is the size of the domestic market…..I don’t have an eye into the future. But I do sense excitement which feels different from the other times I was here.”

(Times of India September 16)

Industry hails PM’s call

Leaders of Indian industry responded enthusiastically to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” call. Speaking at the launch of the movement in New Delhi, Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, said his steelto-software conglomerate had a manufacturing base in India and would be leveraging its global production facilities to bring the best technology to the country.

“We too are dreaming big,” he said.

Ambani responds

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Ltd, said: “we are committing ourselves to the movement.” The Prime Minister told his audience that FDI should stand for “First Develop India” as much as it did “Foreign Direct Investment”. All were agreed that to take advantage of its demographic dividend, India would have to create 1 million jobs every month going forward. His company was geared to the goal of Indian empowerment.

(Hindu September 26)

Israeli missiles for Navy

After years of shilly-shallying, the Cabinet has given its approval to a long pending deal for the acquisition of 260 Barack-1 missiles for India’s frontline warships. The Barack ADM systems are designed to intercept and destroy incoming missiles within a radius of 9 kilometres. The next generation ADM systems, with a 70 kilometre interception range, being built jointly by India and Israel, is a work in progress.

In pipeline

Other naval missiles in the pipeline include the long range surface-to-air missile system and a medium range missile for the Indian Air Force. India’s Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and Israel’s Aerospace Industries (IAI) are partnering these projects. (Times of India September 26).

UK

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

PM Modi and UN - we don’t need a seat

Speaking to rock star level audience in the US is great for an Indian PM – and a great message to world leaders. But at the UN, the more important speech by the PM, this is what he should have said – and he should have spoken without notes in his usual fiery style, and in English – because although Hindi is proudly the language of Hindustan, but speaking in Hindi at the UN means you are heard only through a dull interpreter. Be pragmatic before being proud.

“Indian leaders, and especially one with the largest number of people voting for any one man, in the history of democracy and the world, you would think have the legitimacy, more so than any other to be a world leader, a leader of the free world, where then is India’s rightful place as a permanent member on the UN Security Council?

If the UN speaks for the whole world, should not one in six of humanity have a permanent representation? If the world needs, as it sure does, a new combatant against terror, then should not India be fully engaged at the UN, and not just an occasional visitor.

Of course leadership does not need a UN Security Council seat – the EU doesn’t have one, Germany and Japan do not have one. It requires the will to project that power. And here in India will project its full power and influence around the globe – with or without a seat at the top table. And we will do it when democracy is threatened, we will do it on humanitarian grounds alone, not only when our national security is threatened. This shall be our doctrine. We shall lead all world nations to our way of thinking, as the first of all nations up to the time of Gandhi – we are leaders on the world stage, in thought and in action.

A democracy in a tough non-democratic neighbourhood. I mean, you have China, Russia, Afghanistan and Iran on your door-step.

And whilst many in the audience will be in favour of those who stand opposed to the West on all things, remember ultimately world history does not favour the non-aligned, the neutral. You will always be forced to take sides – and the side we want is an India with a global voice on the world

stage.

What does this mean in practical terms? Clear pressure on Iran to comply on its nuclear non-proliferation treaty obligations. We will be there at all the votes.

A threat to President Assad that he halt killing Muslims or India seeks another resolution in the UN for military intervention, because India speaks for Muslims in democracies. A clear message to President Putin that destabilising Ukraine is not in the EU’s interests and therefore not in India’s – because democracies stand together – join the club or get lost in isolation.

The message to Hamas – Israel has a right to exist. She is the only democracy in the region. Bombing democracies will not be tolerated. A message to ISIS – India is the land of 300m Muslims – she is against ISIS and speaks for 300m Muslims when she says that.

India alone can shore up democracies at a time when democracies are under threat.

With or without permeant representation at the UN – expect to hear a lot more from India at the UN.”

13

Family of dead grandfather demands PM's intervention Family of the BritishPakistani grandfather who was shot by prison guard in Rawalpindi jail, have demanded for justice and urged PM David Cameron to intervene, after he was shot dead inside the prison.

M u h a m m a d Asghar, 70, was injured in the shooting at the Adiyala prison in the northern Pakistani city, while another man - local Christian pastor Zafar Bhatti who was also on death for blasphemy - was killed.

His daughter Jasmine Rana told reporters in Glasgow

that it was her "worst nightmare come true".

Mr Asghar, a successful businessman from Edinburgh, was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to death in January after he was accused of declaring himself a prophet by a disgruntled tenant living at a property owned by Mr Asghar's

Home Secretary Theresa May has warned Britain not to 'sleepwalk' into becoming a sectarian society, and called on Muslims to reject extremism, to embrace British values and give their daughters more freedom.

In her party conference speech, Mrs May has urged all communities to recognise both the “rights and responsibilities” of living in a tolerant society. Next year, new laws

to ban extremist groups and curb the activities of “harmful” hate preachers will be brought in if the Conservatives win the general elections. This will include barring some from public speaking and forcing others to have posts on Facebook and Twitter vetted.

She added that Muslims and people of other faiths enjoyed enormous protection and freedom in the

Muhammad Asghar

family.

Mr Asghar had previously been detained under the UK's mental health act and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He had been held at the prison pending an appeal against his death sentence.

Prison officials say that a jail employee has been arrested over the incident.

In a statement the British High Commission said: "We can confirm that a British national has been injured in prison in Pakistan. We are providing consular assistance."

May calls on Muslims to embrace British values

HIMALAYA CARPETS 0%

Theresa May

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UK

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

London Sharad Utsav to promote Durga Puja in Kolkata as a major attraction for NRIs

Rupanjana Dutta

While Kolkata has already started the Durga puja festivities from Sunday 28 September, London is going to celebrate it from Thursday 2nd October, with Mahashtami on Friday 3rd October.

Amongst the usual Durga Pujas by different organisations in and around London, London Sharad Utsav (LSU) has caught my eyes, specially as they are doing something very different this year.

For the 6th consecutive year held at the historic Ealing Town Hall in London, this year, LSU

2011 LSU Durga puja in Ealing Townhall

Shondhya Arati and many more, it is working in close collaboration with Banchbo Socio Cultural

Durga idol in Ealing Puja

has reached out to various underprivileged sections of society, in India, and has now joined hands with several NGOs, in order that we can support them, in all possible ways, from this far away land.

Besides the beautiful, mesmerising deity put up on the central stage, traditional rituals including Shonndhi Puja, Kumari Puja, Pushpanjali,

Association- an organisation dedicated to the health care, education and upliftment of the underprivileged and the weak.

Based at Kolkata, they have activities spread across entire West Bengal, throughout the year. Their endeavours are mainly targeted towards children and senior citizens of the society.

During the pujas,

Banchbo organises “Rating of Durga Puja” by underpriviledged children & senior citizens, by taking them to various pandals in the illuminated city.

LSU also believes that the Durga Puja of Kolkata, has a huge tourism potential, globally. In their bid to promote that, they have now joined them in rating the pujas as “Probashir Chokhhe Shera Pujo”, by sending our “Pujoy Kolkata” bound friends, to the pandals there. This is open to all those who are going to Kolkata during the Pujas.

Hopefully, in years to come, this will become a major attraction for NRIs visiting India.

In association with Banchbo, this year LSU is also presenting the classic Pa n c h a m a t r i k a Aradhana—an initiative to raise awareness about the diversity of religion in India. This comprises identifying 4 akin deities of the goddess, prayed at various communities with

the theme “Goddess Like Durga”. LSU has got 4 patachitra paintings of the goddess for display and worship during the Pujas.

At the end of the Pujas, they will auction off the pictures, with the proceeds going to Baanchbo.

They have also partnered with Sabuj Sangha—again another NGO that focuses on the health care and nutrition of the economically challenged residents of extreme remote areas in the Sunderban district of West Bengal and are pleased to announce the sponsorship of the overhead cost of providing infrastructure and resources, for a nutritional care workshop, which will be conducted by two eminent nutritionists from The Society of Nutrition and Dietetics—Calcutta.

Visit Durga Utsav by LSU- 2nd October, 2014 to 5th October, 2014, at Ealing Town Hall, Ealing Broadway, London-W5 2BY.

Historic debate held in London Supreme Court

A unique debate on 18 September in Britain's Supreme Court concluded that the British Raj did more harm than good in the Indian subcontinent.

Organised by the Indo-British Heritage Trust, founded by historian Kusoom Vadgama, and supported by UKAsian to mark the 400th anniversary of the beginning of formal relations between India and Britain, top politicians, journalists, authors and historians gathered for the 'Empire Debate' at this historical venue.

In 1614 King James I dispatched Sir Thomas Roe as ambassador to the court of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The year also witnessed the arrival in London of the first Indian man to set foot in Britain. An unnamed worker from Surat was brought over in an East India Company vessel by a Company chaplain and who was promptly christened 'Peter' by King James.

Chaired by Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, the motion before the house was, "The Indian sub-continent benefited more than it lost from the experience of British Colonialism".

The team against the motion, that was led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and fellow authors William Dalrymple and Nick Robins, led to a smashing victory.

The panelists of the Empire Debate, Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Shrabani Basu, Runi Khan, Aditi Khanna, Poonam Joshi, Kusoom Vadgama, Kamalesh Sharma, Smita Tharoor, CB Patel, and many others

As a part of the argument, focussing on the economic ruin of India in the hands of the East India Company, Tharoor said, "No wonder the sun never set on the British Empire, even God couldn't trust the English in the dark.

"The might of Britain was built in the 18th and 19th centuries on the ruination of India - where India went from a 23 per cent share of the global economy to 4 per cent," he added. Dalrymple, author of 'White Mughals' and 'The Last Mughal', echoed the sentiment from the perspective of a prospering Mughal Empire which 'haemorrhaged' under the British.

"It is impossible even to consider this motion seriously without noting how far behind the West was

for 90 per cent of our history...the British went to India to get a bit of action in the Mughal Empire which was then immeasurably richer than anything London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Milan put together...Britain, with its mastery of cannon and artillery, drained India and the money came to Europe," he reportedly said. Speakers for the motion included arts editor of 'Newsweek' Pakistan Nelofar Bakhtyar, former British politician and BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, and Kwasi Kwarteng, Conservative Party MP and author.

Their side that argued in favour of the English language, rule of law, railways and cricket as positive legacy of the Empire, but failed to impress the audience.

Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community (UK) have organised Europe's largest Navratri in Northolt, from Thursday 25 September till 4th October, followed by Sharad Poonam on 7th October. It has been so far attended by thousands of people, and over 2000 people attended in the weekend. On 6th October they promise to host a special non stop Ramjanyu and Dandiya.

If you are an organisation based in Britain and have successfully organised a Navratri or Sharad Poonam garba, to publish your free photo with a caption contact aveditorial@abplgroup.com.

Harley Street Fertility Clinic invests £1.4mn in new premises Harley Street Fertility Clinic (HSFC) has invested £1.4 million in new premises at 134 Harley Street, thereby keeping its home within the heart of London’s medical community. This exciting new expansion will enable the clinic to offer all diagnostic tests, services and treatments under one roof offering convenience, privacy and the minimum of disruption to their patients.

The UK has always been at the forefront of fertility treatment and London is seen as one of the global centres of excellence in the field. Dr Geetha Venkat, who first founded HSFC in 2010, bought with her 25 years’ experience in the area of obstetrics, gynaecology and fertility before settingup. Since then, the Harley Street Fertility Clinic has gone from strength to strength seeing an ever increasing need for fertility assistance amongst the capital’s burgeoning professional population.

The relocation is a reflection of Harley Street Fertility Clinic’s growing business and achievement – it boasts the highest success rates in the capital.

Supported by a team of specialist consultants in the fields of fertility, gynaecology, obstetrics and urology, the clinic offers a comprehensive range of treatments covering all aspects of fertility including gynaecology, endoscopic surgery, urology, assisted conception and male infertility management.

HSFC has invested in the new building and the development of the site, all with particular emphasis

on continuity of care and a comprehensive holistic approach.

The clinic believes that a large part of their success is down to their caring and personal approach. Every effort is made to ensure that all patients feel comfortable within a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. To help minimise any stress, patients are offered flexible appointments (including evenings and if necessary, weekends) and where possible, are always seen by the same healthcare professional.

Harley Street Fertility Clinic is one of the few clinics in London offering an extensive range of fertility services and are now able to offer these treatments all under one roof including: Egg Freezing, Embryo Freezing, Follicular Tracking, IUI ( I n t r a - U t e r i n e Insemination), IVF (InVito Fertilisation), ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), Egg Sharing Treatments, Surrogacy IVF treatments, Surgical Sperm Retrieval (PESA/ TESA/ micro-dissection TESE), Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing, Time-lapse Imaging of Embryos.

Dr Venkat said, “Since I first set up the Clinic in 2010, our practice has grown significantly, helping many couples to achieve their dream of starting or extending their family. This exciting new venture will enable us to treat more patients and I’m looking forward to welcoming existing and new patients alike to the clinic to benefit from our continued high standards of treatment.”

UK

Sajid Javid: the First Asian Prime Minister?

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

Sajid Javid, our current Secretary of State for Culture, is being heralded as future leader material.

The 44 year-old has made impressive progress through Westminster, going from economic to financial secretary before ascending to the prestigious position he holds today, and, according to many of his Tory colleagues, there is no reason he will stop there.

The first individual of Asian ancestry to hold a such a position in the Cabinet, Javid has already made history. Aptitude for his field is only complimented by his background. Not only did he spend 20 successful years in banking and manage to collect a small fortune for himself, a reported £20million in 15 years, but comes from a hard-work-

Sajid Javid

ing immigrant family who came over from Pakistan in the rockier cultural climate of 1961: 'my mum had no formal education at all, and her constant refrain was, “Are you studying properly? Have you done your homework?”,' he told The Mail in an interview.

Javid's father too, encouraged a good work

ethic: ‘I remember him coming home in his uniform (…) he started as a conductor and progressed to driver. They called him Mr Night And Day. My memory is of him always working.' This has influenced his political outlook, for example his support of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s plans to lower the £26,000 benefits cap to nearer £18,000 a year: ‘It’s absolutely correct and fair all round (…) not least because benefits are paid from the taxes of working people, and it’s extremely hard to justify why someone not working should receive more than a person who works hard.’ He states he would also support the UK if it opted out of the EU: ‘I am not afraid of that at all. It would open up opportunities.'

Javid joined parliament in 2010 as the Conservative representative for Bromsgrove, but had a strong political stand before then, joining the Conservative association of Exeter university where he studied politics and economics.

In terms of a wider vision, Javid acknowledges that the Tory name has suffered in the eyes of the multicultural community since Enoch Powell's 1968 'River's of Blood' speech, but wants to reclaim the party's image in a more progressive light: 'We have to work hard to win over the ethnic vote (…) the fact is that if you’re from an ethnic minority community, your concerns are the same as everyone else’s: the economy, the health service, education.'

Anjem Choudary, the man goading the killers on, was never formally charged.

These new orders are aimed to simplify court proceedings and prevent the crimes in the first place. Including advanced security checks to stop extremist persons

from gaining positions of influence and the vetting of public speakers at community events, the law will put a stop to the spread of vicious doctrines. The Home Office will organise a central knowledge and expertise hub to provide advice to the rest of the government, the public sector and non-governmental organisations.

Asbos-style orders to apprehend Muslim radicals

Theresa May announced a government manifesto to prevent extremist preaching on the 30th of September. The orders will be named “extremist disruption orders” and will apply to any form of political hatred including Neo-Nazi teaching. This is a call to action after incidents such as the assault of Lee Rigby by brainwashed youth.

Anjem Choudary

15

‘Barbiefication’ of Goddess Kali enrages Hindus

Two Argentinian artists have caused outrage amongst British Hindus and elsewhere after creating Barbie in the image of Goddess Kali. This came after the duo- Marianela Perelli and Pool Paolini hit headlines after previewing pieces from their upcoming exhibition The Plastic Religion, which features barbie and Ken resembling religious figures such as Jesus and Virgin Mary.

It has been learnt that though the artist duo have 'Barbiefied' Goddess Kali avatar, they consciously decided not to create a Ken version of the Muslim prophet Muhammed.

Rajan Zed, a Hindu cleric for the US has said the “Barbiefication of Kali

is simply improper, wrong and out of place.”

“Hindus welcome the art world to immerse in Hinduism but taking it seriously and respectfully and not for refashioning Hinduism concepts and symbols for personal agendas.”

A spokesperson for the pair claimed they ‘decided against creating a Ken doll as Islam’s Prophet Muhammad out of their great respect for Islam but stressed they did not intend to offend any religion’.

Mr Zed insisted that Hindus strongly believe in free speech, but claimed that “faith is something sacred and attempts at belittling it hurt the devotees”.

NOT TO BE MISSED!

A RARE LONDON PERFORMANCE

BY DAZZLING SITAR VIRTUOSO

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MODI IN AMERICA

Meets top US CEOs, pitches for big-ticket investments

Over a power-packed breakfast meeting with captains of 11 large American corporations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for big-ticket investments to develop India's infrastructure and create more jobs and enhance the quality of life.

The Prime Minister is believed to have pitched the India story in his interactions with the top executives, including Indian-origin PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Google chairman Eric Schmidt and Citigroup chief Michael Corbat. He also discussed steps that can be taken to enhance India's business environment.

"India is open-minded.

We want change. Change

that is not 1 sided. Am discussing with citizens, industrialists & investors," the spokesman of the ministry of external affairs Syed Akbaruddin tweeted, quoting the Prime Minister as saying.

"Infrastructure development is a big opportunity; it creates jobs & enhances quality of life of our citizens," Modi told the CEOs. Significantly, all companies already have considerable presence in India and their chiefs are believed to have expressed intention to further expand their engagements with the Indian government and enhance their business presence in the country.

Those present at the breakfast meeting also

included Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga, Cargill's president and CEO David W MacLennan, Caterpillar's Douglas Oberhelman, AES' Andres Gluski, Merck's Kenneth Frazier, co-founder and co-CEO of Carlyle Group David Rubenstein, Hospira's Michael Ball and Warburg Pincus's Charles Kaye.

The over one-hour-long breakfast meet was followed by one-on-one meetings with six CEOs of Boeing, KKR, BlackRock, IBM, General Electric and Goldman Sachs.

This is the first extensive business engagement in the US of the Prime Minister, who will also attend business meets in Washington during his second leg of the 5-day visit.

Holds talk with Israeli PM

In a rare meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed a wide range of issues, including defence cooperation and the situation created by the Islamic State (IS) in West Asia.

During the 30minute meeting, Netanyahu invited Modi to visit Israel at an early date.

Netanyahu recalled that Modi had come to Israel in his earlier capacity as chief minister but he now hopes that he could visit as Prime Minister, external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

He said Prime Minister Modi has taken note of the invitation and this would be discussed further through diplomatic channels.

The spokesperson said the two leaders discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation and Israel offered expertise in water management and other L-R: Ashish Chauhan CEO Bombay Stock Exchange, Dixit Joshi Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Hong Kong, Rajiv Modi Chairman & MD, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, CB Patel - Publisher and Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, Manoj Ladwa – prominent AngloIndian lawyer and corporate strategist at Madison Square Garden

Modi with Nethanyahu

agricultural-related areas.

India and Israel have a very robust relationship and currently bilateral trade stands at approximately USD 6 billion.

"Apart from these, there were discussions on matters relating to how Israel perceives developments in the region, that is west Asia. Also, Israeli Prime Minister explained their views and vision on talks that are happening between Iran and P5 Plus 1," the spokesperson said.

Asked if there was a discussion on defence deals, he said, "Yes there was a discussion in terms of defence ties and the Prime Minister explained that his new vision of

'Make in India' was a priority. "He also explained that right now in defence sector Israel or any other country can invest up to 49 per cent. And the Prime Minister made a pitch for skill sharing in areas like IT and water management." According to diplomatic officials, the meeting on the sidelines of the UN was rare and has not happened in the last one decade.

The last time the Prime Ministers of the two countries met was 10 years ago when Ariel Sharon had come to India.

The two leaders discussed the developments in the West Asia region.

During the meeting, Modi, who had met a Jewish group earlier, also mentioned that there was no discrimination against the community in India.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and other senior officials during the meeting.

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

Modi woos diaspora at

In a glitzy show of lights, lasers and slogans, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a triumphal address to tens of thousands of Indian-Americans and US dignitaries in New York on Sunday, less than a decade after he was barred from the United States over bloody sectarian riots.

Speaking at Madison Square Garden, a venue more used to hosting big sports events and the greatest names in rock music, he urged the Indian diaspora to join his movement for the development of India.

"The Indian-American

community has played a big role in changing the way the world views India – from a nation of snake-charmers, to people who are adept at working the electronic mouse," he said, referring to India's modern-day reputation as an IT powerhouse.

"A government alone cannot achieve development for the whole country, but it can be done if the public were to participate in the development work," Modi said.

His speech came ahead of a two-day visit to Washington and a first meeting with US President Barack Obama, where the two leaders will

aim to reinvigorate a relationship that has failed so far to live up to billing by the latter as "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st Century."

Members of fast growing 3.2 million-strong Indian diaspora, cheered and chanted "Modi, Modi!" during his 70-minute address in Hindi at Madison Square Garden, where they made up one of the largest crowds seen in the United States for a foreign leader.

On Saturday, Modi appeared before some 60,000 people at the Global Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park, where perform-

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged world leaders to put their "differences aside" and come together and curb extremism by urgently adopting the United Nations' international convention against terrorism.

Debuting at the United Nations as the Prime Minister of India, Modi in his address to the 69th session of the General Assembly said that terrorism ha s spread far and wide and that there was hardly any country that has stayed untouched by it.

"Terrorism is taking new shapes and new names. No country, big or small, in the north or the south, east or west, is free from its threat.

Are we really making concerted international efforts to fight these forces, or are we still hobbled by our politics, our division, our discrimination between good and bad terrorism..."

In perhaps a tangential reference to Pakistan, Modi said some countries still allowed terrorism to grow on their "territory or use terrorism as instruments of their

policy".

Modi did not directly name the Islamic State terror group that controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria where it has declared an Islamic caliphate and which would be governed according to Islamist laws.

"We welcome efforts to combat terrorism's resurgence in West Asia, which is

affecting countries near and far. The effort should involve the support of all countries in the region," he said, referring to the US-led air strikes on IS targets in Iraq and Syria.

He said "seas, space and cyber space have become new instruments of prosperity, they could also become a new theatre of conflicts".

He said the threats to world peace and stability

At UN, PM asks world leader

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

MODI IN AMERICA

Indian diaspora who made a splash at Madison Square Garden

Four people of Indian-origin and another who has embraced India were the faces of the diaspora's influence beyond science and technology in the US when they shared the stage with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the VIPs at the Madison Square Garden event. In addition, governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana was

t giant New York rally ers including Jay Z and Sting backed a campaign to end global poverty and bring essentials such as sanitation to all - an effort the Indian leader is pushing at home.

On Sunday, Modi drew an especially loud cheer when he made a long-awaited announcement that those holding cards showing they were of Indian origin would be granted lifetime visas to India.

"No government has done anything like this for us so far," said Jayashree Iyer, a New Jersey resident who had come with her family to hear Modi speak.

Her two daughters would not now have to keep renewing their visas, said Iyer, who has been in the United States for four years.

Influential Diaspora India's diaspora makes up only about one per cent of the US population, but it is growing fast, highly educated and increasingly influential, including leaders of government agencies and high-tech corporations such as Microsoft, where India-born Satya Nadella became CEO this year.

Many Indian-Americans have embraced Modi and his pro-business message and

hope his visit would show India's importance not only on these shores but in wider the world too.

At Madison Square Garden, where former Beatle and fan of Indian mysticism John Lennon played one of his last concerts, were more than 30 members of the US Congress hoping for expanded business and political ties with India's 1.2 billion people as a result of reforms Modi has pledged.

Modi's May election triumph was driven largely by his vow to revive the economy after years of sub-par growth.

combat terrorism and extremism. As a symbol of this effort, I urge you to adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism," Modi said.

He said he used to raise the issue with world leaders 20 years ago and "they wouldn't understand" the danger terrorism posed to world peace. "They would ignore it and say it is a law

and order problem," he said.

He said India, despite being part of the developing world, was "prepared to share our modest resources with those countries that need this assistance as much as we do".

"This is a time of great flux and change. The world is witnessing tensions and turmoil on a scale rarely seen in recent history. There are no major wars, but tensions and conflicts abound and there is absence of real peace and uncertainty about the future."

To further assert his calls on countering terrorism, Modi said that piracy has also posed a serious threat to the world's economic development.

"An integrating Asia Pacific region is still concerned about maritime security that is fundamental to its future," he said.

"Europe faces risk of new division. In West Asia, extremism and fault lines are growing. Our own region continues to face the destabilising threat of terrorism.

Africa faces the twin threat of rising terrorism and a health crisis," the Prime Minister said.

rs to work for genuine peace

have increased "more than ever" the need for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, a deadlocked treaty that criminalises all forms of terrorism and denies terrorists, their financiers and supporters access to funds, arms, and safe havens.

"We should put aside our differences and mount a concerted international effort to

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recognized from the stage for a message he sent, though he was not present.

A former Congressman, he was first elected governor in 2007 and won a second term in 2011. Here are the others.

Hari Srinivasan: Hari

Srinivasan, who was the emcee, is the anchor of the PBS NewsHour Weekend, a serious and in-depth TV news programme, which is very influential beyond the viewership numbers, among opinion-makers and politicians. He also is a senior correspondent and

director of digital partnerships. The Mumbai-born journalist has been an anchor for ABC's News Now, a reporter for Nightline, World News Tonight and CBS Evening News.

Nina Davaluri: Nina

Davaluri, the other emcee, recently completed her reign as Miss America, the first Indian-American to win the title. Though born in the US, she spent most of the first two-and-a-half years of her life in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Nikki Haley: Nikki

Haley is the governor of South Carolina. Coming from a Sikh family, she was elected on a Republican ticket in 2010, becoming the youngest serving governor of a state in the US at 42 years of age and also the first woman in the state.

She was born in the state but her parents are immigrants from Amritsar, the

Sikh leaders share ideas on Punjab

Delegation of the Sikh community from US and Canada calls on Modi, in New York

Sikh community leaders from the United States and Canada shared ideas with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how they could work together on matters relating to Punjab. They raised with him issues relating to consular matters, some of which were common to all overseas Indians, said Syed Akbaruddin, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman.

But he added that there were also issues specific to them when they wanted to go back to India and the leaders gave Modi a petition about the problems.

Some issues related to those who had left India in the wake of 1984 riots.

Others related to those who did not have their passports and wanted their eligibility to travel back

reinstated even though documentary evidence is not available. Modi told them that he will have the matters looked into by the concerned authorities.

Before the meeting, Jasdip Singh, president of the South Asian Democratic Caucus, said that an issue troubling Sikhs overseas is the plight of those who had sought asylum abroad in the 1980s and 1990s "because the situation was so bad in Punjab and today cannot go back" since they received asylum. He said they would ask Modi to intervene and resolve the problem.

Akbaruddin said Modi told them that he was very proud of the contributions that the Sikhs had made in India, especially to Indian security.

city known for Golden Temple.

Ami Bera: Ami Bera is

a Democrat member of the House of Representatives from California. His parents are from Gujarat but he was born in Los Angeles. He is a doctor by profession and was elected in 2010.

Tulsi Gabbard: Tulsi

Gabbard is the first Hindu member of the House of Representatives. She is not ethnically an Indian but is an American Samoan. She was raised in the Hindu faith that her mother had adopted. Gabbard took the oath of office on a copy of the Bhagvad Gita, which she presented to Prime Minister Modi. She is a Democrat from Hawaii and the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. A captain in a combat team of the Hawaii National Guard, she has served with US forces in Iraq.

Lifetime Indian visa for PIO cardholders

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told a rapturous crowd of NRIs that Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders will get lifetime Indian visa and that American tourists will be given visa on arrival. Modi, who arrived at the packed Madison Square Garden to a rousing welcome, announced the merger of PIO and Overseas Citizens of India schemes to facilitate hassle-free travel to the Indian diaspora.

There will not be any police reporting for those staying for long durations, he said.

Outsourcing services will be provided to give faster and hassle free service to NRI, PM Modi said, adding, he may have been living miles apart but he can understand their problems.

The next Parvasi diwas will be held in Ahmedabad in January 89 next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced. The Pravasi Diwas will coincide with the 100 years of coming back of Mahatma Gandhi next year, he said.

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

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Computers need not apply You may think with innovations in finance that computers run all trading and there is increasingly no space for humans. And before computers it was machines then robots replacing humans in so many areas from medicine to car manufacturing.

Sure you can now outperform Warren Buffett and every UK fund manager with a simple piece of software which can data mine more companies than any human every could (www.sharescope.co.uk/alpesh) but as I can tell you also on other types of trading need humans – and only humans – because even the most powerful computers cannot replicate what the brain can process.

Take trading FX or Indices. You can now through your IPAD see live quotes and decide to ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ instantly. But the human brain only process quickly whether you should buy or sell after bad news, at what profit level, what stop loss, and indeed if the opportunity is missed and you should instead wait for the price to rebound, or if you already have an existing position, should you add to it, subtract from it, or reverse it and with what targets.

Sure you could programme in many scenarios – but that is what experience is. I could not programme in a year all the subtle nuances I see in the financial markets for that kind of trading. Sure there is other types I can automate. There is and remains room for the human brain – its ability to process and remember some things makes it better than any coded algorithm for certain tasks.

And just as in any business you have to which humans should do what tasks, but also which tasks computers should do.

As GBP/USD fell this past week, after people thought it would rise after the Scotland referendum, human experience can manage multiple trades in opposing time frames for different rewards and perspectives whilst having a view on the overall position.

This was an unusual event – for which no one would make a special trading code. Let alone one which can assimilate, analyse, comprehend tons of news.

How good are humans in an age of quick fire trading, with so much instant news? Is there room for humans? The proof is in the pudding – this human was right 78% of the time over the past year – www.investingbetter.com – better than any computer we know that did a comparable number of trades.

But of course who has the time and expertise and experience to do all of these calculations? So for some things – the future is bright for humans – and only humans need apply. Sorry computers need not always apply.

Vedanta group chairman pledges 75% of his wealth to charity

Anil Agarwal, the chairman of Vedanta Resources, has pledged 75% of his and his family’s wealth to charity for establishing a liberal arts and humanitiesfocussed university in India. His net is worth $ 3.3.billion. Agarwal made the announcement at an event in the London Stock Exchange to mark a decade of his company’s premium listing. It was the first Indian company in 2003 to gain such a listing, which qualified it to enter the FTSE 250. Agarwal said: “It is important to give back what we earn for the greater good of the society, community programmes that work towards eradication of poverty, child welfare & women empowerment will be our focus for communities at large in

our country.”

He added: “I am keen to invest and create a world class, not for profit university in India that can bring in best in class education in liberal arts and humanities. My family supports my decision that 75% of our wealth which we gain should be returned to society.” Agarwal joins several leaders of Indian industry who have pledged considerable sums of money for charitable activities. In 2013, Azim Premji, chairman of Bangalore-based software exporter Wipro Ltd, became the first Indian to join the Giving Pledge programme, which seeks to encourage the world’s wealthiest people to give away half their wealth to charity.

S&P raises India's outlook to 'stable' from 'negative'

economic growth.

"Our outlook revision indicates that we believe the current government's strong mandate will enable it to implement many of its administrative, fiscal and economic reforms," S&P said in its statement.

"We believe the current administration will remedy, to varying degrees, the growth impediments - policy paralysis, energy sup-

ply bottlenecks and administrative obstacles."

India is now rated at the lowest investment grade with a "stable" outlook by all three major global credit agencies.

S&P cited India's external position and its improving current account balance as other positive factors for its credit rating.

However, the credit agency noted that key constraints were India's "low

wealth level" as well as its "weak public finances".

S&P added it could raise India's rating should India revert back to a real per capita gross domestic product of 5.5 per cent per year, and if its fiscal, external and inflation metrics improve.

But the agency warned it could lower India's rating should the government's reform agenda stall.

"The stable outlook for the next 24 months reflects our view that the new government has both the willingness and capacity to implement reforms necessary to restore some of India's lost growth potential, consolidate its fiscal accounts, and permit the Reserve Bank of India to carry out effective monetary policy," it said.

Revising India's GDP upwards by 0.3 per cent to 6.3 per cent in 2015, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said the economy shows a new promise of turnaround after the election brought a stable government in May. "India shows new promise of a turnaround.

After winning a decisive parliamentary election victory, the new (Modiled) government is better positioned than the old to pursue the reform necessary to unlock the economy's growth potential.

"This update maintains the 5.5 per cent growth forecast for 2014 but upgrades....to 6.3 per cent, the forecast for 2015, when reform can

begin to bear fruit," ADB said in its Outlook 2014 Update.

The reform to stimulate investment, the timely award of environmental clearances, and measures to control inflation are expected to augment firming export demand from the major industrial economies, to boost economic growth, it said.

The new single-party

government in India with the strongest mandate in three decades has outlined wide-ranging reforms, which will gradually overcome the difficult structural problems that have beset the economy and caused two years of slow growth and stagnant investment, it said.

"Public expectation of strong economic policy from the government is seen in record highs on the stock market and robust capital inflows.

"As demand from consumers and businesses continued to grow,...India's buoyant portfolio flows mean that financing the deficit should not be a problem, as capital flows are more

resilient under global volatility this year than they were last year," the Update by ADB Chief Economist Shang-Jin Wei said.

Improving prospects in India will buoy the 2015 regional growth outlook somewhat, even as the growth path of China moderates, it added.

"Growth in Asia as a whole in 2014 is now expected to be higher at 5.4 per cent on unexpectedly strong outcomes in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, as well as India."

It said a greater momentum is expected in 2015 with South Asian growth now forecast at 6.1 per cent, revised up from 5.8 per cent.

At a public meeting convened in Bradford on Saturday, 27 September, to mark the sixth anniversary of the nationalisation of Bradford & Bingley (B&B), Yorkshire MPs from the three main political parties supported calls for an inquiry into the nationalisation of the bank in 2008.

David Ward, Liberal Democrat MP for Bradford East, Gerry Sutcliffe, Labour MP for Bradford South, and Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, gave their backing to the Bradford & Bingley Action Group’s (BBAG) call for a “full inquiry” into the nationalisation.

The three MPs were speaking at the meeting organised by BBAG chair-

man David Blundell, who has been fighting for fair compensation for around one million shareholders in the bank who were left with nothing when it was nationalised.

In 2008 the Labour Government nationalised B&B and sold the savings book and retail network to Santander at what many believe to have been a “fire sale price” according to Blundell. The action group chairman argues that this “destroyed B&B as an ongoing business despite it having a stronger balance sheet than Northern Rock, Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS.” He added: “The mortgage book is being wound down by United Kingdom Asset Resolution Ltd (UKAR) whose accounts

suggest a substantial surplus when this is completed.”

Ward said that it was time the Government conducted a full and independent inquiry. Davies and Sutcliffe agreed with this. It was also revealed that Blundell is to contact Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, to arrange a meeting.

Davies added there were two possible options. Either the mortgage book surplus should be returned to the shareholders not HM Treasury.

Or, UKAR should in the future continue as a mortgage provider, sold and its shares distributed to the former shareholders.

by Roger Aitken

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sent a strong signal on Tuesday that it will refrain from cutting interest rates until it is confident that consumer inflation can be reduced to a target of 6 per cent by January 2016.

The RBI policy review statement reinforced Governor Raghuram Rajan's commitment to tame inflation in a country that has long struggled with prices rising at double digit levels annually, causing most distress for the country's poor.

The RBI kept its key policy repo rate unchanged at 8 per cent, as widely expected, and also left its main liquidity levers - the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) and the cash reserve ratio (CRR) untouched.

Standard and Poor's raised the outlook for India's "BBB-minus" rating back to "stable" from "negative," saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's "strong" mandate would allow it to implement fiscal and economic reforms.

S&P had cut India's rating to "negative" in April 2012, and that came to symbolize the plummeting investor confidence in India because of corruption cases and the lack of action by the then Congress-led government.

However, foreign investor confidence in India has returned, leading to a surge in interest from overseas, after the election in May of Modi, who pledged to revive investments and boost

ADB ups India's 2015 growth to 6.3%

MPs support independent probe into B&B nationalisation

RBI keeps rates on hold

REAL ESTATE VOICE

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

19

When debt ceases to be your problem

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Recently I was introduced to what’s known as a PEP. Meaning politically exposed person, a current member of parliament in a high risk country. I got an insight into how this person operates when he expressed interest in acquiring a property I had access to. He was interested in purchasing a property which was in The Bishops Avenue. This property consists of 27,000 sq. ft. set on nearly three acres of land. It started off on the market priced at £100m and then got reduced to £65m and is now available at the bargain price of somewhere in the region of £27-£30m depending on who you ask.

He knew more about the property history than I did, knowing about the original purchase, and who the buyer was. What the purchase price was, how much was spent on development and the amount it was refinanced at.

In short the former owner had bought and developed the property, and managed to take all his money out of the deal together with a big fat profit margin via a remortgage. The debt currently owed on the property according to my sources is £29m. When you owe the bank £29m, you cease to have a problem……..instead the bank has one!

I told him I can deliver the contract as I have some control over the deal. But this would be the straight forward way of purchasing the property……too straight actually, but I guess if he played straight forward he probably would not be in the position he is now. Therefore he had a different plan, and that was to value the property to a higher figure of £47m and then purchase it on the basis the loan is on the valuation of £47m rather than the actual purchase price, with the loan covering most if not all of the purchase price.

T h e s e t y p e s o f p u rc h a s e s w o r k e d i n t h e p r e c r e d i t c r u n c h e r a , w h e n p r i c e s w e re ri si ng; y ou c oul d ch oose your v al uer s, and the m ortgage c om pani es turned a b lind eye i n their rush to lend to you. After all i t wouldn't b e their problem if y o u d i d n ’ t p a y, a s a f t e r t h e y h a v e l e n t t o y o u t h e y s e l l t h e d e b t o n t o s o m e o n e e l s e . T h i s w a s t h e m e r r y g o ro u n d , f u n u n t i l i t s t o p p e d t u r n i n g .

area and had valued several properties on this road. His comments were positive and he had comparables ready at the tip of his tongue, the size of the grounds seemed to sway him towards our magic figure. At £47m it was priced at £1,740 per sq. ft. which sounded possibly plausible to me given it was after all The Bishops Ave. But all my reference points were around central London where ex locals were now being sold for £1,000 per sq. ft., however The Bishops Ave is in a different league and appeals to a different market and type of buyer.

I was told the road has gone through some changes and at one time it used to be the in place to own a property but recently it has fallen out of favour, unsure as to the precise reasons why. A property such as this will only appeal to only a handful of buyers.

I thought the scheme was a little farfetched to say the least, but I wanted to see how far this can be pushed before it buckled.

I was given the contact of a valuer in the area who would do the valuation at this level, or so I was assured.

I contacted the valuer giving the reference of my contact, he was very enthusiastic, and responded very quickly offering to meet me the very next day to discuss the matter. No doubt a sizeable instruction attracts a sizeable fee. In this scenario it was £20,000 which relative to the purchase price is not much.

Normally there are two stages in valuing a property, one is a desktop valuation, which as the name suggests is conducted without the valuer leaving his chair whilst sitting at the desk. The other is a full valuation in which a visit to the property is required. Some valuers try to charge for the desktop valuation, so did this one, but I told him we are in the habit of getting the desktops for free and therefore would only be looking to pay once the full valuation had been instructed and the desktop one is acceptable.

The initial conversation was encouraging, he clearly knew the

I had s om e experi ence on thi s roa d s ome years b ac k, sh ow ing a pas tor from T he Ph ilip pines a pastoral m ans i o n i n T h e B i s h o p s Av e . C l e a r l y h e d i d n ' t h a v e t o w a i t unt i l h e wa s in heav en t o experi ence h is f at her ’s w e a l t h , t h i s w a s a t a s t e o f h e a v e n o n e a r t h . We m a n a g e d t o g e t s o m e t h i n g w h i c h s u i t e d h i s r e q u i re m e n t s , whi ch h ad a s wim mi ng p ool, ci nema room , b ut i n th e end th e deal f el l th ro ugh .

I kept an eye on the property and came to realise it didn't sell for over two years. This is not a fast paced market and it would be unwise for the uninitiated to venture into development on this road without due study and experience. If things go wrong here they could go badly wrong, unless you’re clever enough to make it go wrong for the bank and not yourself.

However from the initial flurry of interest and enthusiasm from the valuer it all went deadly quite, I felt rejected and ignored.

I managed to get him on the phone where he stated - unsurprisingly - his enquiries had pointed him in the direction of this property being worth north of £25m, he did however state he had a few more enquires to make and will come back after he'd made them.

However it was clear this road of enquiry had come to a dead end.

I reported back to my PEP and told him the response, undeterred and still determined he instructed me to go back and buy the debt behind the property.

In this scenario when the bank has a problem and not the borrower they are sometimes open to doing deals with the debt rather than the property. If the debt looks like it will not be serviced or at worst not repaid, the bank may consider swapping the borrower. The new borrower in this situation will most likely be a company. This would mean rather than lose everything they may still be able to retrieve most of their money.

In scenarios like this one can even ask for some of the loan to be wiped off before you agree to take on the debt.

The Real Deal

East Sheen, London, SW14 Purchase Price: £2.8m

 l A large development opportunity l Freehold l Existing property can be converted into three flats l With space for two more l Total saleable area to be around 7,200 sq. ft. l The end value of the project expected to be around £5.75m l This is an exceptionally lucrative development opportunity Call us now to secure this deal!

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SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l The desirable features of a property will appeal to the emotions of both tenants and buyers alike, and the more you have the easier to sell/rent the property. l Investing in bricks and mortar means the investment is real, hence it cannot simply disappear, like non tangible investments such as stocks and shares.

BUSINESS

FDI means First Develop India, says PM Modi

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Following up his Independence Day call, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to cut red tape to make it easy to do business as he launched the `Make in India' campaign last week, hours before leaving on a visit to the US. He said that FDI should mean First Develop India. The event to showcase India's potential as a manufacturing destination was attended by top industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani, Cyrus Mistry, Azim Premji, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Maruti Suzuki's Kenichi Ayukawa and Lockheed Martin's Phil Shaw, who pledged their support to the ambitious project.

Modi said the gloom of the past two to three years when industry wanted to shift abroad has lbeen over.

He said the government would focus on building physical infrastructure as well as creating a digital network to make India a global hub for manufacturing goods ranging from

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

with red tapism, inspector raj and cumbersome rules and regulations that hinder smooth transaction of business. “We want to change and chart a new course, new path...Today's event is being held after taking serious note of measures on ease of doing business,” Sitharaman said. Modi said the ‘Make in India’ campaign is a “lion’s step” towards making the country a destination for global manufacturing. “We don’t have to tell the world our address, there will be a Vasco da Gama in every nook and

corner,” he said.

Chinese businessmen show interest Meanwhile, more than 200 representatives from some of China's biggest companies gathered to listen to Modi's 'Make in India' speech in Beijing in an indication of China Inc's high level of interest in boosting its investment and manufacturing presence in India.

Indian officials expect companies from the world's second largest economy to play "a key role" in 'Make in India' campaign as evinced by the

setting up of two Chinadedicated industrial parks in Vadodara and Pune when President Xi Jinping visited last week.

A top Chinese official said that Modi's campaign could provide "a great platform" to Chinese enterprises for boosting their investment in India. "We hope the Indian government may provide preferential policies and guidelines to smooth the process of investment and provide facilities to investors of both countries," said Lin Dajian, deputy director general of Foreign Affairs

Department of National Development and Reform Commission, China's powerful planning body. "We hope to make our annual economic dialogue with India a key platform for the 'Make in India' strategy," Lin said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had called to upgrade the world renowned 'Made in China' label- associated with lowcost manufacturing- as the economy focuses more on services and high-tech sectors. Zhao Yan, executive chairman of China's Top 500 foreign Trade Enterprises Club, said that hence there is increasing complementarity between the two countries with Chinese firms looking for overseas markets to shift manufacturing to lower their costs and as the focus of China's manufacturing shifts at home to high-tech sectors.

"With the 'Make in India' campaign," he said, "I believe we now have a great opportunity."

Commission building in Mayfair for 306 million pounds and followed it up with a second property in central London for 90 million pounds. “We are looking at buying assets in London. We had cash flows of Rs 25 billion last year and this year it will be even higher,“ said Lodha who wants to be among the top two property developers in London, taking on local incumbents such as Berkeley

and Barratt Development.

Back home in India, Lodha's ambitious World One project in Mumbai, the world's largest residential building, is likely to be completed by 2016.The apartments in this building are priced from Rs 80 million and go up to Rs 250-300 million.

“The 117-floor World One will be ready by 2016.

Two-thirds of the project have already been sold and we are seeing good

demand from NRI customers,” said Lodha. An HDFC arm has put Rs 5 billion in the project and is likely to exit upon the completion of the project in the next 18-24 months with good returns.

Lodha is also developing the 4,000-acre Pallava City in Dombivali that can accommodate over 4,00,000 families and the company is making 7,000 flats per year. The cashrich company is also looking at buying out distressed realty projects in Mumbai. A few years ago it had bought out DLF at one of the prime central Mumbai mill lands for Rs 27 billion. The company launched Lodha Estrella, the 55-storied tower designed by Kelly Hoppen, a leading interior designer from UK, in New Cuffe Parade, situated in Wadala.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that as a way to help the country's fruit farmers, he was in talks with major aerated drinks makers to add five per cent of fruit juice to their products. "If this is done the income of the fruit farmers shall increase which in turn will help in their overall development," Modi said while inaugurating the India Food Park, the country's first, in Tumkur, Karnatka.

"There are people in huge numbers that consume aerated drinks such as Cola, Pepsi and so on.

These companies do business in millions," he added.

Fifty food processing units have been established in the Park, which has been jointly developed by the union food min-

istry, the Karnataka government and the Future Group, which has invested about Rs.2.50 billion in the project.

Reaffirming his total commitment to India's federal structure, the Prime Minister said if India was to progress, the centre and the states have to work together as a team.

"This project is a combination of central, state and private sector partnership. The government will boost infrastructure required for the agriculture and food processing sectors through public-private partnerships," Modi said.

He described the project as something that would fulfil the vision of "annam Brahma" - food is God.

Ratan Tata Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL) 2014 Summit. He received the GIL Visionary Leadership Award and entered the GIL Community's Hall of Fame joining an elite roster including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Richard Branson, Mitchell Baker, Jack Andraka, Marc

Benioff, Steve Woods, and Judy Estrin, among others. Tata, who's credited for Tata Motors decision to make cars, including the Nano, which was at first touted as the cheapest car before it was repositioned as a car aimed at the youth is seen among his peers as a carbuff. On being asked for his views on the future of Indian automotive industry, Tata compared China to India and the way the car industry has grown rapidly in China. "All I can say is that there is no reason for the car industry looking at the sales of 3

million when a country like China had a lower sales and lower manufacturing than we did, has now touched almost 15-18 million units today."

On innovation, one of his favourite topics, Tata said the youth should be given more opportunities to fearlessly espouse their ideas. "In my 20-30 years in business, I have seen that Indians have contributed significantly to new products and new technologies in the world, however, all that seems to happen with Indians outside India, we need to ask ourselves why." Tata, in recent months, has invested in his personal capacity in e-tailers Snapdeal and Bluestone.

The government of India has terminated the services of Syndicate Bank chairman and managing director S K Jain, an accused in the bribery scandal. A special court rejected CBI's plea for custodial interrogation of Jain and two other coaccused in a bribery case and remanded them to judicial custody.

Special CBI Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma sent Jain and Vineet Godha to a day's judicial custody. The court, however, remanded alleged middleman Purushottam Totlani to one-day CBI custody after he was arrested by the agency in

Sudhir Kumar Jain another related bribery case in the courtroom itself. Jain, Godha and Totlani were produced before the court after expiry of their police custody. The CBI had earlier taken Totlani's custody to interrogate him and confront him with intercepted telephonic conversations.

cars to software, satellites to submarines, pharmaceuticals to ports and paper to power.

While Modi himself did not announce any big-ticket measures, union commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “With a view to providing flexibility in working hours, our government is amending a number of labour laws. We are fully committed to delicensing, deregulation and radical changes as we go along.

We have an open mind.”

She noted that India has long been identified

Lodha group to invest $5bn in London realty Modi asks cola majors to

Lodha Group, India's biggest realty developer by sales, has set its sights on the booming property market in London, where it plans to invest $5 billion (about Rs 300 billion at current exchange rates), or 50% more than it has invested in India so far.

This makes it the largest foreign direct investment in UK's realty sector.

“London is an exciting market with shortage of housing. We plan to buy existing assets for $3 billion and spend another $2 billion in developing them in the next five years,” Abhishek Lodha, managing director of Lodha Group, said. The group, which has about 6,000 acres with development potential of 580 million sq ft, forayed into the London property market last year when it bought the former Canadian High

India deserves a much larger car market, says Ratan Tata

India deserves a much larger car market and the country's automobile manufacturers must introspect why so few cars are sold here compared to China, Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons has said.

"Indian car market doesn't deserve to be 3 million. We need to ask ourselves have we made cars too expensive for consumers to own. Have we focused on a low-scale, high-margin business," Tata told an audience at a function organised by Frost and Sullivan, a consultancy. The audience was predominantly from the automobile industry.

Tata was speaking at the Frost & Sullivan

consider fruit juice spike

Syndicate Bank CMD sacked

CURRENCY VOICE

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

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Interest Rate Likely To Rise Soon Currency Specialists.

Britain's public finances deteriorated again in August after a weak start to the financial year, posing a challenge for Chancellor George Osborne as next year's national election approaches.

Public sector net borrowing, totalled 11.6 billion pounds in August, up 6.1 percent from a year earlier. A deficit reduction has been the focus of the Conservative-led coalition since it came to power in May 2010 when the shortfall was 11 percent of GDP, one of the highest for a major all the world economies.

UK Mortgage lending ground to a halt in August as lending volumes ground to a 12 month low.

A total of 41600 new loans were issued compared to 42,900 in July. Higher house prices to earnings ratios, tighter lending conditions and the prospect of rising interest rates have caused the figure to fall. Business lending did move slightly higher to 1.5B this month, the first increase since September last year.

Mark Carney reiterated the Bank of England's stance on interest rates and indicated that they will be rising before long.

The Bank governor would not give a precise time scale, but saw the pieces falling in to place.

“While there is always uncertainty about the future, you can expect interest rates to begin to

increase”. The precise timing of the first rate rise is less important than our expectation that, when rates do begin to rise, those increases are likely to be gradual and limited.

The rise, he said would not be set to a schedule but would "depend on the data" - but that the jigsaw was beginning to take shape.

With many of the conditions for the economy to normalise now met the point at which interest rates also begin to normalise is getting closer. In recent months the judgement about precisely when to raise Bank Rate has become more balanced. The conditions that Carney will consider will be inflation, the state of the jobs market and the housing market. Inflation is under the Bank's mandated target of two per cent, while unemployment is dropping.

In America, The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the strengthening dollar could hamper efforts to spur growth and lift inflation. He is said that the strength of the USD could keep dragging inflation down by lowering the price of imported goods and will continue to reduce pressure on the Fed having to increase interest rates.

Last week the Dollar gained against a host of its major coun-

Monday September 29th

terparts after new home sales hit a six year high. Sales of new single family homes jumped 18% in August to an annual rate of 504,000. This is the second straight month of gains, with July’s data revised upwards to show a 1.9% increase compared to the previously reported 2.4% fall. Helped by the housing figures, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has edged up by around 9 points, although investors are still cautious given concerns about the global economy, and the US air-strikes against Isis in Syria.

The Dollar made marginal gains during Friday’s session despite the quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure revealing the US economy expanded in the second quarter at the fastest rate since the last three months of 2011 Gross domestic product grew at a revised 4.6 percent annualized rate, up from a previous estimate of 4.2 percent. Analysts believe busier assembly lines at the nation’s factories and job growth that’s kept Americans spending indicate companies are a bit more upbeat about the prospects for demand. As the world’s largest economy and labour market improve, Federal Reserve policy makers are debating how much longer to keep interest

rates near zero.

Moving forward, the European Central Bank president said a planned asset-purchase program shows that policy makers will steer the size of the institution’s balance sheet to avert deflation. In comments in Brussels yesterday, he underlined the need for that approach to revive the economy. Even after cutting borrowing costs for banks to record lows and offering long-term loans, Draghi is struggling to persuade them to take more ECB cash to finance lending to the real economy. In contrast to other major central banks, the ECB’s assets have shrunk by a third since 2012.

The Euro struggled on Wednesday after German business confidence fell more than analysts forecast in September as economic and political risks in the euro area increase. The outlook doesn’t look great, Europe’s largest economy contracted in the second quarter and euro-area growth stalled as international political tension and stubbornly high unemployment sapped sentiment. The risks prompted the European Central Bank this month to say it’ll be more active in adding stimulus to the euro area by starting asset purchases, further weakening the currency.

Monday September 29th

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 30th September 2014 @ 7.30pm GBP - INR = 100.31 USD - INR = 61.92 EUR - INR = 78.20 GBP - USD = 1.62 GBP - EUR = 1.28

EUR - USD = 1.26 GBP - AED = 5.95

GBP - CAD = 1.82

GBP - NZD = 2.08

GBP - AUD = 1.85

GBP - ZAR = 18.30

GBP - HUF = 398.95

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.

Monday September 29th

22

WORLD

Britain joins war against jihadists

London: The British parliament has overwhelmingly supported air strikes targeting Isil terrorists in Iraq.

Prime Minister David Cameron said there was a “strong case” for extending the air strikes into Syria.

He warned that the war against the “psychopathic” Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was likely to last for “years”.

During the parliament session, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs largely united as they voted 524 to 43 in favour of joining military action in Iraq. However, the Labour MP Rushanara Ali, a Muslim and shadow education minister, resigned from the party’s front bench in protest at Ed Miliband’s support for intervention.

Several leading Tories also refused to support the action and abstained from the vote, including John Redwood, who said he found “it difficult to believe UK military intervention can make much difference” and Jesse Norman, who

Pak SC admits petition to disqualify Sharif

Islamabad: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was dragged to the Supreme Court by an opposition party member for allegedly lying in Parliament over asking the army to mediate with antigovernment protesters.

Ishaq Khan Khakwani of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf led by cricketer-turnedpolitician Imran Khan, filed the request through his counsel Irfan Qadir.

Ghulam Muhammad Khan, an advocate at the Supreme Court, said that Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk will hear the petition. The petitioner alleged that Sharif this month falsely told parliament that he had not asked army chief General Raheel Sharif to mediate between the government and protest leaders Khan and fiery cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri who have been agitating in Islamabad for over a month to force Sharif to quit. Khan alleges that last year's general election, which his party lost, was rigged while Qadri wants to bring in a revolution in the country. Sharif in a policy statement in Parliament had denied making any such request to the army. But he faced embarrassment when the army in a statement said that the prime minister had asked General Sharif to help settle the political tension. Khakwani, a central committee leader of PTI, asked the court to order disqualification of the prime minister for not being truthful as required under the law. He also said that Sharif had tried to malign and damage the fair image of the army.

was sacked from the No 10 policy board over the Syria vote last year. He warned that the vote would weaken the ability of MPs to scrutinise the intervention.

David Davis, another Tory backbencher, also abstained after questioning the “strategic objective”.

The air strikes were supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who said the West must offer a “vision of hope” to counter Isil’s “endless darkness”.

The military action is expected to target British jihadis who have gone to fight in northern Iraq. The FBI said earlier this week it

had identified Jihadi John, the British terrorist who has been filmed apparently beheading Western hostages. Meanwhile, six RAF Tornados based in Cyprus were poised to strike targets in Iraq within hours. The military intervention marks the third war in Iraq involving British personnel in the past 25 years.

Hundreds of British troops are also likely to go to Iraq in non-combat roles to coordinate the air strikes and train local forces.

Britain is now on high alert for revenge attacks after a series of arrests over the past two days. Counter-ter-

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

rorist police arrested two men.

Opening the debate in Parliament, Cameron called on MPs to support the destruction of the “network of death”. He insisted that Isil had “already declared war on us and there is no walk-on-by option”. Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said the mission was unlikely to be a repetition of the “shock and awe” campaign in the 2003 Iraq war.

The Prime Minister said: “‘Is there a threat to the British people? The answer is yes. Isil has already murdered one British hostage and has threatened to murder two more. Isil is a terrorist organisation unlike those we have dealt with before.

The brutality is staggering beheadings, crucifixions, gouging out of eyes, use of rape as a weapon. All those things belong to the Dark Ages. This is about psychopathic terrorists who are trying to kill us. Like it or not they have already declared war on us.”

Hong Kong protesters vow to renew democracy call

Hong Kong: Hong Kong democracy protesters defied volleys of tear gas and police baton charges to stand firm in the center of the global financial hub, one of the biggest political challenges for Beijing since the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago.

The unrest, the worst in Hong Kong since China resumed its rule over the former British colony in 1997, sent white clouds of gas wafting among some of the world's most valuable office towers and shopping malls before riot police suddenly withdrew, after three nights of confrontation. "Since calm has been largely restored to the streets where citizens gathered, riot police have withdrawn," the Hong Kong government said in a statement. It called on protesters to stay

Labour MPs attack Miliband's mansion tax plan

London: Senior Labour MPs have joined hands to oppose party leader Ed Miliband’s “mansion tax” proposal, as it emerged that the Queen faces paying £1 million a year from the charge. Nick Raynsford, the former local government minister, attacked the plans to impose a tax on properties worth more than £2 million as “good politics but bad policy.” Margaret Hodge, who chairs the public accounts committee, has also opposed the charge, warning that it could be seen as a “punishment tax” for those in London whose properties have grown in value.

Historian asks Muslims to scrutinise ‘fictions about Muhammad’

London: Historian Tom Holland said that Islam must accept that many of its stories about the Prophet Muhammad are seventh-century “fictions” if it is to counter the jihadist rhetoric driving hundreds of young Muslims into the arms of terrorist groups. He said that the claim of the Islamic State’s ideology had nothing to do with Islam was “wishful thinking” and that the militants’ theology had a strong basis in the Koran and early Islamic history. “The grim truth is that sanctions can be found in the Koran, in the biographies of Muhammad and in the histories of early Islam for much that strikes the outside world as most horrific about the Islamic State,” he wrote.

Bank plans psychometric test of borrowers

London: A major bank in Britain is planning to use psychometric testing of borrowers. The test, in the form of a computer-based quiz, has been developed

by VisualDNA, a British company, and is already being given to consumers in South Africa, Turkey, Russia and Poland. A British trial will begin before the end of the year. The tests in Britain will focus on customers who have been refused loans by the standard criteria based on their financial history. Marginal cases will be offered a second attempt, in the form of the online quiz, in which customers would be asked to select pictures that best identify, for example, how they are feeling or how they react to stress. The company, which has not revealed the identity of the bank that is testing the quiz, said that in most cases the psychometric test allows the lender to make the loan.

Anastrozole drug could save thousands from breast cancer

calm and disperse peacefully "as soon as possible".

China rules Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" formula that accords the territory limited democracy. Tens of thousands of mostly student protesters are demanding Beijing give them full democracy, with the freedom to nominate election candidates, but China recently announced

that it would not go that far. As riot police withdrew, weary protesters slept beside roads or sheltered from the sun beneath umbrellas, which have become a symbol of what some are calling the "Umbrella Revolution". In addition to protection from the elements, umbrellas have been used as flimsy shields against pepper spray.

Ashraf Ghani takes oath as new Afghan president

Kabul (Afghanistan): Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn as Afghanistan's new president, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country's first democratic transfer of power since the 2001 USled invasion toppled the Taliban.

Ghani Ahmadzai became president of Afghanistan in a peaceful transition after a sixmonth election season that ended with marathon negotiations that gave the newly created position of chief executive to his challenger Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai had been

In Brief

Ashraf Ghani

Afghanistan's only leader since 2001.

Ghani Ahmadzai entered the presidential palace wearing a dark black turban popular in

the country's south. His electoral challenger Abdullah, who is slated to fill the newly created position of chief executive, sat two seats away, with Karzai anchoring the spot in between.

Karzai - the only president Afghans and the West has known since the invasion - wore a wide smile as he greeted his presidential guards upon entering the palace. Karzai has said he was glad to be stepping down after more than a decade of what the US ambassador recently said was one of the most difficult jobs in the world.

London: Experts said that if all post-menopausal women with a high to moderate risk of breast cancer were given anastrozole, almost 4,000 lives a year could be saved. They said that because of NHS policies they were unable to access the drug. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that women deemed to be at moderate or high risk of breast cancer should be offered the chemo prevention drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene, which reduce the risk by around 35 per cent if taken daily for five years. However, trial data showed that anastrozole prevented 53 per cent of cases over the same time frame.

British-led Isil recruitment cell uncovered in Bangladesh

Dhaka: Detectives in Bangladesh say they have uncovered a British-led Isil recruitment cell in the capital Dhaka and arrested Samiun Rahman, a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin. His arrest came two days after detectives revealed they were searching for a London-based Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) agent who had recruited a number of young men who were arrested in recent weeks. They first learned of a British man from East London allegedly recruiting Islamic State fighters when they arrested seven young Islamic militants, including an associate of Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, the 21year-old student behind the failed 2012 attack on New York’s Federal Reserve Bank. Three alleged recruits were arrested last week, including the son of a retired judge and the other the son of a senior civil servant.

Miliband set to win working majority in 2015 London: Labour party led by Ed Miliband is set to win a ‘comfortable working majority’ in 2015, pollster Lord Ashcroft said. The former Tory chairman said Labour could secure up to 37 per cent of the vote from core supporters and Lib Dem defectors. Ukip is likely to win Tory seats Thurrock and Thanet South, he added. A poll of 8,000 people found that more than one in four Tory voters in 2010 would now vote for another party.

More than half would support Ukip. Lord Ashcroft said his polls put the Tories behind in 24 marginal seats – leaving them with fewer seats than Labour.

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24

INDIA

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

Panneerselvam takes oath as TN CM

Chennai: Jayalalithaa loyalist O Panneerselvam was on Monday was sworn-in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, succeeding his party chief after her conviction in an illegal assets case. An emotional Panneerselvam was seen wiping his eyes as he was sworn-in by Governor K Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan.

The new Chief Minister’s cabinet was also sworn-in by the Governor.

Government officials had feigned ignorance since morning when journalists of various establishments contacted them for information about the swearing-in ceremony.

The 63-year-old Panneerselvam, who is the

Jayalalithaa and O Panneerselvam term awarded by the AIADMK treasurer, was Bangalore special court in unanimously elected as the Rs 666.5 million disproLeader of AIADMK legislaportionate assets case. ture party on Sunday folPanneerselvam had sublowing Jayalalithaa’s conmitted the letter to the viction and subsequent disGovernor later following qualification as MLA folwhich the latter invited him lowing her four year prison

Hyderabad: Big Brother Chandrababu Naidu will be watching over the activities of his 19 ministers. To keep tabs on the day-to-day movements of the ministers and the extent of their involvement in official work, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister has recruited 20 TDP loyalists who will work as 'media liaison officers.'

According to sources, Naidu cleared the file relating to the appointment of the media liaison officers. They are to be outsourced to the information and public relations department (INPR), which in turn will dispatch them to the ministers by next week.

Most of the media officers are said to be employed with NTR Trust Bhavan, the TDP headquarters. Some are associated with TDP Knowledge Centre and few others with party's Information Centre. The officers were identified by Naidu's son Lokesh, assisted

Chandrababu Naidu by his friend and OSD in the AP CMO Abhista, said the sources.

"The MLOs were involved only in party work.

They have no previous experience of working in the government," pointed a senior official who is privy to the development. Since they have been outsourced to the I&PR department, the state will pay them a salary ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 28,000 per month along with other allowances.

Ministers who came to know of Naidu's move to appoint such media officers turned jittery.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government has sought grants-in-aid to the tune of Rs. 209.51 billion from the 14th Finance Commission that was in Hyderabad last week as part of its visits to States to make recommendations to the Centre on various financial aspects in a federal set up. A memorandum submitted by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to Commission chairman Y V Reddy showed that water sector management and development of water grid occupied the top-most priority of the government.

A grant of Rs 77 billion was sought for the sector.

Maintenance of forest (Rs 10.46 billion), elementary education (Rs 13.27 billion), maintenance of roads and bridges (Rs 10 billion), power sector - segregation of agriculture feeders (Rs 13.16 billion), strengthening of police department (Rs 16.92 billion) and strengthening of

K Chandrasekhar Rao information technology (Rs 10.91 billion) were the other priorities listed out by the government.

Significantly, the memorandum pointed out that the migrant population to the State in the 2011 census stood at 6188,000, including 3714,000 from the present day Andhra Pradesh and 2473,000 from other States.

The total population of the State was 35.2 million. The population may be taken into account for tax devolution and grants-in-aid.

chopped and cooked vegetables, washed lentils, made bread, cleaned dishes and learned sustainable nourishment at the Golden Temple.

The India trip was part of the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates programme at the University of Michigan. Michael Jordan, director of Centre for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS), said that the Golden Temple programme was a model of what GIEU does. "By contributing their own time and having learned from their experience, the group is now bringing that tradition back to U-M," he said. "This trip was about humility and inspiration," said Jessica Eller, a junior at the Ford School of Public Policy.

Chandigarh: Over the last few years, chairs, cushioned stools and benches have started appearing in gurudwara halls where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed as well as at langars. Though it was barred earlier, with many devotees unable to squat on the floor, the Akal Takht issued another directive asking that chairs and sofas be placed in the verandahs of gurudwaras, and prayers be relayed on screens for them.

“Several old and sick people come to the gurudwara and they can't squat because of knee or back problems. Stools are placed at the end of the hall along the walls for them,” says Priptal Singh, president of Gurudwara Dookh Niwaran, the biggest gurudwara in Ludhiana. “We make sure that the stools are lower than the platform on which the Guru Granth Sahib is placed.” Benches are placed at the rear of the congregation hall of the Sector 8 C gurudwara in

Chandigarh too. Gurudwara Nauvin Patshahi in Guru Teg Bahadar Nagar, Jalandhar has gone in for a novel interior design.

When it was being built, the floor was designed to accommodate chairs at a level two feet below the rest of the floor at the end of the hall. This allows the entire congregation to remain at the same level. “Around 6070 old devotees visit the gurudwara and they can't sit on the ground. This way the maryada (discipline and decorum) are not violated and they are comfortable as well,” says Jagjit Singh Gaba, president of the gurudwara.

“The line between maryada and comfort is thin but it has to be maintained.”

Naidu’s loyalists keeping tab on ministers

Golden Temple inspires US students to organise langar

Washington: Inspired by the "langar" of the Golden Temple, where they visited early this year, a group of US students are organising a free meal day at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Students of the University of Michigan who are back in Ann Arbor after their summer trip to the Golden Temple, cooked chickpeas, chutney and salad in shifts with help from the community at Gurudwara Sahib. "The food were packaged by hand into a tortilla wrap and served on the Diag all day Friday, September 19.

"American society needs spaces where rich and poor, people of all races and beliefs can come to share a common space. This university langar can provide that medium," said Jasprit Singh, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science who led the students' summer trip to India. While at the Golden Temple in June, the 13 undergraduate students got up early every morning to do "seva," or work. They

to form a ministry led by him. Even when Rosaiah extended customary greetings after the oath taking ceremony, Panneerselvam appeared deeply distressed and the Governor was seen comforting him.

A sombre mood prevailed as the newly sworn in ministers of the crisis-ridden AIADMK appeared grim. The media was not invited for coverage of the swearing-in ceremony and no invitations reached the opposition parties.

According to sources, a top government official extended an invitation over telephone to Madras High Court Chief Justice S K Kaul requesting his presence at the function.

Telangana seeks Rs 209.51 bn aid from finance panel

South Brief

TN opposes teaching Hindi in varsities

Chennai: Maintaining its opposition to “imposition” of Hindi in the State, the Tamil Nadu Government directed two universities not to implement the UGC circular and said the decision taken by the previous UPA Government would not be binding on it.

Former chief minister Jayalalithaa said the move, amounting to “imposing Hindi”, had been initiated during the previous government. She said her party’s stand was consistent and Hindi should not be imposed on non-Hindi speaking states.

Naidu declares his assets again

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu declared his assets and liabilities and those of his family members and suggested introduction of political and economic reforms to cleanse the system. Naidu put his total assets at Rs 7069,000, which included a residential house of 1,125 sq.yards at Jubilee Hills (Rs 2320,000), Ambassador car (Rs 152,000), NSC certificates Rs 10,000 and balances in savings bank account and cash (Rs. 4596,000). The values were of acquisition cost and market values were not indicated as they vary from time to time. Naidu had started the practice of declaring his assets in 2011 itself, when he was Leader of the Opposition.

Swamy summoned in defamation case filed by Jaya

Gurudwaras offer chairs to elderly people

Chennai: A Chennai court ordered issue of summons to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy to appear before it on October 30 in connection with a defamation suit filed against him by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The complaint averred that on September 12, 2014 Swamy had allegedly made defamatory comments in a microblogging site. The comment was related to granting of police permission to hold a memorial meeting for a slain leader of a proscribed outfit. Swamy had already been issued summons to appear on the same day before the same court in another defamation case filed by Jayalalithaa pertaining to the fishermen issue.

North Brief

Below normal rain in Punjab and Haryana

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana received just around half the normal rainfall this monsoon season. But more worryingly, this year's rain deficit is not an isolated event.

The two key agricultural states have been getting below par rainfall for the past 16 years. Met department figures reveal Punjab has seen above normal monsoon rainfall in just two years since 1999. The last time that happened was seven monsoons ago, in 2008.The status are similar for Haryana, where rains have been above normal in just four of the last 16 monsoons. Experts are divided over why rains have been consistently failing in the region but the trend has dire implications for agriculture, which relies heavily on groundwater. The two states are among the most exploited regions in the world for groundwater.

Badal asks PM to ensure safety of Sikhs in Pakistan

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif the issue of safety and security of life and property of people belonging to the Sikh and other minority communities in Pakistan. Describing this issue of "extreme urgency and concerning everyone" in India in general and the members of the Sikh community in particular, Badal apprised the Prime Minister that several innocent Sikhs have been killed by unknown assailants in different parts of Pakistan in recent weeks.

The Chief Minister claimed there was an atmosphere of panic among the minority community families in Pakistan following the recent killings in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

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

Gandhi Jayanti commemorates the birth of Gandhiji

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 to commemorate the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948). His non-violence or satyagraha continues to influence political leaders and movements till date. The celebration and essence of Gandhi Jayanti is not restricted within India and also observed by the United Nations as the International Day of Nonviolence that aims to disseminate his philosophy, principle and belief in non-violence through proper education and public awareness.

Celebration of Gandhi Jayanti is also a moment to relive Gandhi's life and contribution in India's Independence. Born in a small coastal town in Porbandar, Gujarat, Gandhi married Kasturbai Makhanji at the age of 13. His childhood memories and experiences are vividly depicted by him in his autobiography“My experiments with truth.” Gandhi at the age of 18 went to England to study law and returned to India in 1915. Then he went to South Africa where he began a movement against White rule there. Later he returned to India and after his homecoming, he led nationwide stir for achieving Sawaraj, abolition of social evils, empowering women's rights and improving economic conditions of peasants and farmers. He further strengthened his movement against the British Raj and led Indians in protesting the Salt Act by organising a Dandi salt march in 1930 that was later followed by the popular Quit India Movement in 1942 calling

British to leave India.

At Raj Ghat, New Delhi, and across India, people gather to observe Gandhi Jayanti in innovative ways, that includes offering flowers on Gandhi's pictures, statues and singing his favourite devotional song Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram. The government offices, banks, schools and post offices remain closed on Gandhi Jayanti day to pay homage to 'Father of the Nation'.

Many ardent followers make effort to preserve Gandhi's belongings, works and writings through various means with the support of governments and NGOs. Online portals are also acting as major contributors in preserving and providing information on Gandhi and about Gandhi Jayanti celebration.

The significance of Gandhi Jayanti celebration transcends beyond commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's birth and his life as followers renounce violence and entirely devote themselves to Gandhi's philosophy and principles of Ahimsa by following nonviolence.

Leading educational institution, Charutar Vidya Mandal, based at Gujarat's educational hub Vallabh Vidyanagar, donated Rs 2500,000 to Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the flood affected people of Jammu & Kashmir.

The cheque was handed over to state's education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and state minister Vasubahen Trivedi at Gandhinagar

by CVM's Chairman Dr. C. L. Patel.

Prime Minister Modi Goes to Kyoto (Japan) Kyoto Comes to Croydon

Ikebana Ikenobo originated 553 years ago in Kyoto as the Buddhist Floral offering – it is passed down the generations of the Ikenobo Family.

The current Headmaster is the 45th Senei Ikenobo – the Headmaster Designate, Yuki Ikenobo (she will become the 46th Headmaster) is visiting Croydon to give her first demonstration outside Japan.

11th - 12th October 201410:30am -6pm

Exhibition of Japanese Flower Arranging Ikebana Ikenobo Tickets £4pp

11th October 2014 1:30pm

Demonstration of Ikenobo Ikebana by Yuki Ikenobo – Headmaster Designate Tickets £6pp

Fairfield Halls, Park Ln, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1DG opp East Croydon Station

Website http://www.ikenobo.org.uk/index.html

INDIA

Keeping a tradition alive, Xi meets family of Dr Kotnis

It has been a tradition with visiting Chinese leaders to meet the family of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis and President Xi Jinping followed it by meeting the sister of the famous physician who gave his precious life for China. For the meeting, the Chinese Consulate-General in Mumbai specially flew Dr Kotnis’ 93-year-old sister Manorama, who is wheel chair bound, and her family to Delhi so that Xi could meet and felicitate her.

Dr Kotnis, who is revered in China for his contributions, was an Indian physician who died while treating Chinese soldiers during the second China-Japan war in 1942.

“In the critical hour of Chinese people’s war with Japanese aggression, the Indian medical mission travelled thousands of miles to assist us and fought shoulder to shoulder with people of my father’s generation against Japanese fascists. The fine representative, young Dr Kotnis gave his precious life for China. General Mao Zedong once wrote in his honour ‘The Chinese Army has lost a helping hand, the nation a friend. Let us always bear in mind his international spirit’,” Xi said, remembering Dr Kotnis.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping presents the Panchsheel Friendship Award to Manorama Kotnis, sister of late Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis, at a function in New Delhi of many Chinese soldiers.

Appreciating the gesAfter working for four ture of the Chinese leaderyears in China, he fell ill ship who keeps meeting and died at a young age the family till date, of 32.

Manorama, who has parIn China, Dr Kotnis tially lost her vision, said, fell in love and married a “Even when a new Chinese nurse who Consul-General takes worked with him. Quo charge in Mumbai, he Qinglan, who remained in comes to visit the family of China, died in 2012 in the Dr Kotnis. Till now, our city of Dalian. They also extended family has visithad a son, who was studyed China 20 times. They ing to become a doctor have maintained the but he died when he warmth for all these was 24. years,” said Rajan Borkar, Last year, Premier Li son-in-law of Dr Kotnis’ Keqiang had met his famielder brother, whose family. In 2006, when Chinese ly now takes care of President Hu Jintao visitManorama. ed India, he met the famiDr Kotnis went to ly. In the past, the Kotnis China in 1937 as part of family met with then prean Indian medical mission mier Zhou Enlai in 1950, after China was invaded followed by president

by Japan. He served on the Jiang Zemin in 1996. battlefield and saved lives

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INDIA

Amma jailed for 4 years

Continued from page 1 told the court that he did not receive any official communication from the state government on his appointment as a prosecutor for the appeal.

Singh as also the special public prosecutor at the Special Court.

The verdict of the special court resulted in violent protests by the AIADMK cadres leading to stone pelting and self immolation attempts to express their outrage against the verdict.

Jayalalithaa was declared guilty of amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of her income under Sections 109 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Her three other coaccused - one time close

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

aide Sasikala Natarajan, her niece Ilavarasi and her nephew and disowned foster son Sudhakaran were asked to pay fines of Rs 100 million each and sentenced to serve jail terms of six months each.

Sixteen commit suicide: At least 16 people committed suicide or died of cardiac arrest across Tamil Nadu after the verdict was delivered. Police said three people hanged themselves, one AIADMK supporter committed suicide by selfimmolation, one person ended his life by jumping in front of a bus and one person died after consuming poison after the court pronounced its verdict.

Ten others died of cardiac arrest, apparently due to shock, a police officer said.

Two people, including a Class 12 student, attempted self-immolation and have been hospitalised with severe burns.

Another ardent AIADMK supporter chopped off his little finger in Tirupur.

Party leaders said the extreme reactions were testimony to Jayalalithaa's popularity but called on party supporters not to take the extreme step.

Social welfare board chairperson and AIADMK women's wing deputy secretary C R Saraswathi said the reactions of grief "shows the relationship people share" with Jayalalithaa.

"Everyone in the state sees Amma as their mother," she said.

More than 16,600 people killed themselves in Tamil Nadu last year,

the most cases of suicide among all states with the exception of Maharashtra. In a state where political leaders and film stars are larger than life, it is not uncommon for people to react to a setback to a leader by committing suicide, especially by self-immolation, a social scientist said.

Legal experts say a stay on the conviction is deemed necessary to get her disqualification suspended.

While the Supreme Court has said in many cases that the appellate court has the power to suspend both the sentence and conviction, it laid down in 2001 that when a public servant has been convicted for corruption, the conviction should not be stayed during the pendency of an appeal.

Continued from page 1 technology.

With a spacecraft around Mars, India joins a small group of nations that have successfully sent probes to orbit or land on Mars. Others, however, failed several times initially.

After rotating the Orbiter towards Mars, the main engine was fired 24 minutes from Mars to enter the Martian orbit, which will be about 500 km from its surface and 215 million km away from the Earth in radio distance.

The 1,350-kg orbiter will now circle the planet for at least six months, with five solar-powered instruments gathering scientific data that may shed light on Martian weather systems as well as what happened to the water that is believed to have existed once on Mars in large quantities.

Scientists broke into wild cheers on Wednesday morning as the orbiter's engines completed 24 minutes of burn time and

maneuvered into its designated place around the red planet. Scientists described the final stages of the Mars Orbiter Mission, affectionately nicknamed MOM, as flawless. The success marks a milestone for the space programme in demonstrating that it can conduct complex missions and act as a global launch pad for commercial, navigational and research satellites.

The success of India's Mars Orbiter Mission

brings India into an elite club of Martian explorers that includes United States, the European Space Agency and the former Soviet Union. Getting a spaceship successfully into orbit around Mars is no easy task. More than half the world's previous attempts - 23 out of 41 missions - have failed, including one by Japan in 1999.

A shining symbol of what we are capable: Modi The success of India's Mars mission is "a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation" and we have gone beyond boundaries of human enterprise and imagination, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India became the first country in the world whose spacecraft entered the Red Planet's orbit on its maiden flight.

History has been created by the Indian scientists reaching Mars in the first attempt, said Modi..

Congratulating the space scientists, he said: "With today's spectacular

success, ISRO joins an elite group, of only three other agencies worldwide to have successfully reached the Red Planet."

Modi, wearing a red coloured jacket, said that the "odds were stacked against us".

"Of the 51 missions attempted across the world so far, a mere 21 had succeeded. But we have prevailed," he said.

He remarked that he had chosen to be present at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in Bangalore unmindful of success or failure of the mission. He described the Mars Orbiter Mission as an indigenous pan-Indian effort, stretching from Bangalore to Bhubaneswar, and Faridabad to Rajkot.

"A successful space programme generates applications across multiple domains. The efforts of India's space scientists are deepening our governance, strengthening our economy and improving our lives," Modi said.

Continued from page 1 The Washington Post, the PM and President Obama said "the true potential of our relationship has yet to be fully realized" and pledged to correct that. The PM made his debut at the White House on Monday night, when he attended a private dinner hosted by President Obama. Modi had given advance notice he would not eat as he is in the middle of the nine-day Navratri fast that he observes strictly every year.

Typically, visiting heads of state spend just a portion of a day at the White House meeting with President Obama and other US leaders. The second day of attention from President Obama is rare.

The two leaders also said their countries would work

to ensure that economic growth brought better livelihoods for all people and stressed the importance of open markets and fair and transparent practices to allow trade to flourish. Washington has been keen to expand business and security ties with India, which it sees as a key counterbalance to an increasingly assertive China in Asia. Obama has backed New Delhi's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Modi, who came to power in May, received a warm welcome in the United States, even though he was denied a visa in 2005 over rioting in his home state.

He has maintained a frantic schedule since arriving in America on

Friday. As part of an effort to spur foreign investment, he met more than a dozen US corporate leaders early on Monday and told them he was committed to liberalizing India's economy, which has underperformed other emerging markets recently after years of breakneck growth.

On Saturday, Modi addressed the UN General Assembly and then appeared before some 60,000 people at a musical event in New York's Central Park aimed at ending global poverty and bringing essentials such as sanitation to all. On Sunday, he received a rapturous welcome from a big crowd of Indian-Americans in an appearance in New York's Madison Square Garden arena.

Modi's spokesman, Syed Akbaruddin, said the dinner meeting was "extremely convivial" and the two leaders found they had a common interest in technology and shared experience in that they were relative political outsiders before coming to power. He said they agreed they "should focus on some big things they can achieve in a finite time period in the next few years."

Modi sought suggestions from the US business leaders as to how the investment environment could be improved. When some complained about unpredictable taxes, he said he was "committed to a stable tax regime" as this was necessary to encourage investment, Akbaruddin said.

India’s Mars orbiter enters red planet's orbit

India, US to 'Chalein Saath Saath'

In Brief

Academics in Russell Group universities threaten exam boycott

London: Academics from Britain’s top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, have threatened exam boycott in a bitter row over pensions. The University and College Union said it was balloting members over a proposed exams boycott amid claims professors risk seeing up to £230,000 stripped from their retirement funds. It is believed the action would result in academics refusing to grade students’ coursework and exams later this academic year – causing chaos in universities and even preventing some students from graduating. A similar boycott was proposed during the last academic year but called off pending talks between unions and employers. The move would affect 67 universities across the UK, including many of the most sought-after institutions.

'Death tax' on pension abolished

London: In a move to entice the voters, Chancellor George Osborne is planning to abolish the 55 per cent tax on pensions. The dramatic move – expected to be followed up with more crowd-pleasing measures – is an attempt by the Tories to get back on the front foot after a disastrous start to their party conference. The pledge to abolish the 55 per cent tax rate from April 2015 is the latest phase of the Government’s radical pension reforms and was welcomed by experts. The Chancellor has already scrapped rules that force most Britons to use their pension savings to buy an annuity, making it easier and cheaper for people to withdraw money directly from their pension pots.

May promises incentives to tackle child sex abuse

London: Home secretary Theresa May has revealed that she was willing to increase cash and powers for police investigating child abuse as the problem has increased to shocking scales. An investigation into online paedophilia has identified 25,000 suspects, of whom only 660 have so far been arrested. That follows the disclosure that some 1,400 children had been groomed for sex in Rotherham, despite repeated warnings to the authorities. The home secretary was also at the forefront of moves to prevent UK-born jihadists from taking the fight for an Islamic caliphate to British streets when they return to the country.

Sex scandal and defector stun Tories

London: The Conservative party has suffered a big blow as it lost a second MP to Ukip and a minister to a sex scandal. In a move that pitched the Prime Minister’s European policy into turmoil, Mark Reckless defected to Nigel Farage’s party and immediately called a by-election, accusing Cameron of “letting the country down”. Just hours later Brooks Newmark, the minister for civil society, stood down after it was revealed that he had sent sexually explicit pictures to a woman on social media. Senior government sources said the MP for Braintree, who is married with four sons and one daughter, had sent a series of “inappropriate messages” to an undercover reporter posing as a woman.

Chaos as hundreds turn up for flu injections

London: Military police were called in to control the crowds when almost 1,800 pensioners descended on a doctors’ surgery for their flu vaccinations. Roads surrounding Creffield medical centre, in Colchester, became gridlocked during the surgery’s annual vaccination day. People hoping for a jab parked on both sides of the road, including on double yellow lines, and passing Royal Military Police officers who saw the chaos are reported to have stopped to direct traffic. David Wilkin, 63, who was dropping a friend off for his appointment, said he had become caught up in the chaos. “It was absolute bedlam,” he said

Energy drinks blamed to iron deficiency

London: Health drinks have been blamed for iron deficiency in young women aged 11 to 24 in Britain.

The Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) warned that caffeine can inhibit the body’s uptake of minerals such as iron. Studies have indicated that one in ten British teenagers consumes five cans of caffeinated energy drinks a week, the HFMA said. A poll conducted by the association of 10,000 British adults found that three quarters of 18 to 24 yearolds did not know that caffeine can restrict uptake of vital minerals. Graham Keen, the association’s executive director, said: “Micro-nutrients are essential for good health and wellbeing, and iron deficiency is a wide-scale issue which shouldn’t be ignored particularly for teenage girls.

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

HEALTH WATCH

Ravi Bhanot’s Health Blog

Why Asians may be at increased risk of heart disease

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genetic mutation that occurs predominantly among people of East Asian descent disables a common metabolic protein called ALDH2, encoded in the gene, and leads to an increased risk of heart disease and poorer outcomes after a heart attack, says a study.

"It is the first time ALDH2 has been shown to play a role in cell survival. Now we have come to understand that when the ALDH2 gene is mutated, cells are likely to undergo programmed cell

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the first to show that we can use iPS cells to study ethnic-specific differences among populations," said Joseph Wu from Stanford.

"These findings may help us discover new therapeutic paths for heart disease for carriers of this mutation," Wu added. "In the future, I believe we will have banks of iPS cells generated from different ethnic groups," Wu noted.

Drug companies or clinicians can then compare how members of different ethnic groups respond to drugs or diseases, or study how one group might differ from another, or tailor specific drugs to fit particular groups, he added.

wholesomeness of grains you're basically getting nothing important out of it. While bread made of wheat is a little better, if you're looking for nutrients, bread made out of

whole grains are what you must opt for.

It contains too much salt: Most bread varieties, especially the processed kind that you buy from the supermarket, contain lots of salt. So if you eat lesser bread, the amount of sodium in your body is significantly reduced. Of course, one slice of bread, every now and then won't do any damage. In fact, you can bake your own bread at home, without adding too much salt.

It makes you gain weight: If you eat too much of bread, because of all carbs, salt, refined sugar and preservatives that it contains, it can make you put on pounds!

Eating it in moderation is fine; especially when you take time to make sure it's as healthy as possible.

It's not a wholesome, filling meal: Since certain kinds of bread lack nutrients, when you eat them, you might not feel satiated, because it's not filling!

Eating bread daily is not good for health

hether it's sandwiches or subs, a lot of us love eating bread and do so, on a daily basis. But it isn't exactly the most healthy foods. Following are some reasons why you should stay away from bread!

It doesn't have many nutrients: Unlike other food items, bread, especially white bread and items made from it lack nutrients.

You're not getting any fiber, you're not getting the

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death, causing tissue damage," said lead author of the study Antje Ebert from Stanford University' School of Medicine in the US. The researchers used stem cells to learn how this

common mutation in Asians affects heart health.

They did so by comparing heart muscle cells, made from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, of people carrying the mutation with those devoid of it.

IPS cells are created in the laboratory from specialised adult cells like skin. They are pluripotent, meaning they can be coaxed to become any cell in the body. The iPS cells in this study were created from skin samples donated by 10 men, aged 21-22, of East Asian descent.

"This study is one of

The hidden benefits of spicy foods

veryone loves a little spicy food occasionally.

Not only does it thrill the taste buds, but also makes food more palatable.

But the fun of eating it apart, there are health benefits too. Here are some of them...

Weight loss: For one, that extra spice can also cause you to lose the flab.

As per research, chillies have capsaicin, a compound that gives a thermogenic effect and thus makes the body to burn more calories after you have had the meal.

Prevents cancer: As per research, it has been found that capsaicin in chillies has the ability to kill some cancer cells. In addition, chillies may also

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

help to battle common colds and prevent stroke and obesity.

Better heart health: Chillies are also known to reduce cardiovascular risk.

They lower incidences of heart attack and stroke as hot chillies lessen damaging effects of LDL (bad cholesterol). Capsaicin is also said to help fight inflammation, which is a major factor in heart problems.

Lower blood pressure: A study has shown that a compound in chillies has the ability to lower blood pressure. It also was shown to induce blood vessels to relax.

Reduces anger levels: Spicy foods are said to boost the production of serotonin (feel-good hormones). They thus help ease depression.

Too much time at the gym can turn you into an alcoholic

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study has found that that on days when people exercise more typically Thursdays to Sundays - they also drink more alcohol too.

"Monday to Wednesday, people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption.

But once that 'social weekend' kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption," said lead study author David E. Conroy from the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

To reach this conclusion, researchers analysed 150 participants, ages 18 to 89, who recorded their physical activity and alcohol use in smartphones at the end of the day. They did so for 21 days at a time, at three different times throughout one year.

"In this study, people only have to remember one day of activity or consumption at time, so they are less vulnerable to memory problems or other biases that come in to play when

asked to report the past 30 days of b e h a v i o u r, " Conroy noted.

The previous studies, which relied on 30-day self-reporting, concluded that physically active people tend to drink more alcohol. "We looked very closely and found that it is not people who exercise more drink more - it is that on days when people are more active they tend to drink more than on days they are less active," Conroy pointed out.

This finding was uniform across study participants of all levels of physical activity and ages.

"Perhaps people reward themselves for working out by having more to drink or maybe being physically active leads them to encountering more social situations where alcohol is consumed," Conroy stated.

Once we understand the connection between the two variables, we can design novel interventions that promote physical activity while curbing alcohol use, he concluded.

What is a healthy life all about?

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Most unwell people usually have medication that controls, if nothing else, the symptoms of the body.

In Ayurveda we say everything happens twice – first in the mind then in the reality. So how do we control the mind?

Ravi Bhanot

JP MRPharmS Dip(Nutr) Dip(Hom) Dip(Ayurv) Dip(Stress Manag) Dip (Massage) Pharmacist, Ayurvedic, Complementary Health and Nutrition Consultant, Lecturer, Researcher and Author. He is a celebrity columnist for many magazines and is Director of The Ayurveda Institute of Europe and Coolherbals Ltd.

Control the mind to improve the health of the body and soul - Ravi Bhanot

Some mind problems are mental issues.

Medication can help – from herbs such as Valerian or Ginger to help you feel more relaxed to relaxation yoga and meditation. A good multi vitamin multi mineral with protein supplement would help in keeping the mind and body healthy with the necessary ingredients. So what more can you do to help your mind and as a result your body and soul?

Ultimately it is the feeling of fulfilment and purpose that we should focus on. What is your purpose in this world? What would give you fulfilment?

Well what can you give to this world? You do not have to be an Albert Einstein in discovering something. Could you help less advantaged people in some way? Don’t know where to start?

Think of your strengths. What are they? For my partner Sushma Bhanot and me, it is to promote ayurvedic health and beauty. That is why we write articles and books. As we have science backgrounds from both west and east, we have been able to start now possibly the largest Ayurvedic College in Britain teaching ayurvedic therapies and massages. We have invented some great health and beauty products. We are going to be do free tasters of our new innovative Coolherbals Chin Firming Treatment at the Coolherbals Diwali marquee in Trafalgar Square Sunday 12th October. If professionally is not where you can make a difference, consider social.

Consider ‘giving’ time, money or thoughts/ideas by joining some local community group. We started such a group called Sewa Week in East London 13 years ago. Its purpose was simple – create a group to do sewa or selfless work for the benefit of those less advantaged than us. The sense of personal satisfaction was and is still amazing. The concept of Sewa Week (www.sewaweek.org.uk) soon developed into the social curriculum of University Students.

Some of the young people decided to have one dedicated sewa day and this started Sewa Day. This has developed over the years. Last year 75,000 people took part in Sewa day in 25 countries. If you want to take part visit www.sewaday.org. If there is not a local project that you could join then you could consider Sewa Week’s initiative of Samosa and Coffee Morning.

This is simple. Offer samosas and coffee to your friends, work colleagues, clients and family for a donation. The profits are given to charity. To be involved fill in the form below and post it freepost to FREEPOST ANG40189 ILFORD IG39ZZ. Rather than just giving money, do sewa. It truly is the medicine for the body, mind and soul.

Please send me more information on The Samosa and Coffee Morning.

Name: Address: Email: Tel:

Tone & Tighten Your Chin in 30 minutes – Guaranteed!

Coolherbals Ltd. 386 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG3 9JU

www.coolherbals.com

Tel: 020 8597 9039 Email: ravi@coolherbals.com

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

Amitabh is all praise for 'Yaan' Nayanthara doesn't want M a temple in her name F

ans building temple for heroines are not something new, there has been two instances of die hard fans in Tamil Nadu building temple for lead heroines.

Yesteryear actress Kushboo who took Tamil cinema by storm in the 80s was the first in Kollywood to have a Temple built as a token of love from her fans. Then came actress Nagma and guess who is next? Yes, it's Nayanthara the hot and happening actress from South. The actress who has made an astounding comeback since last year is having a roll in Tollywood and Kollywood, and when the fans approached to take her consent on building a temple, the actress politely turned down the request. While responding to her fans request, she said that she was blown away by their love and affection.

However, she does not want them to honour her with a temple and would be grateful if they oblige to her request!

ovie promotion is now a mandatory phenomenon for any film that is due to be released, and the producers are basking on unique strategies to market their films.

However Jiiva’s “Yaan” is garnering public attention without such strategies, by mostly word of mouth from Bollywood biggies.

Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan has now come out to the social media by expressing his appreciation for the director Ravi K Chandran. The cinematographer turned director earlier worked with the Big B for “Black.” Amitabh who is keen on social media has said that the trailer of the movie has come out quite impressive and a good thriller in the making, well there is no better publicity than this!

Pooja Hegde misses Maniratnam's offer

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he girl from Bangalore who made her debut in Ktown with ‘Mugamoodi’ has surprised everyone by bagging the lead role in Hrithik Roshan’s next “Mohenhja Daro.” The movie will be directed by Ashutosh Gowariker of “Lagaan” and “Jodhaa Akbar’ fame. Since Pooja had allotted a lot of dates for Hrithik’s movie; she wasn’t in a position to sign the dotted

lines when the ace director Maniratnam approached her for his next. If sources are to be believed, Nithya Menon, who was hitting the headlines for bagging the female lead role in Mani’s next has been dropped for unknown reasons, and the team is scouting for a suitable female lead to pair opposite to Dulquer Salman. An official confirmation regarding this subject is expected to come in a week's time.

I will not work with Rajinikanth again : Khushboo Y

esteryear actress Khushboo is one of the few celebrities who are active on social networking sites. Some years back, she was in news when she commented that pre-marital sex is not an offense. She faced the ire of Tamil people then. Now she is in news again.

This time she commented on Superstar Rajinikanth. In an interaction with her fans on her social networking page, this 'Stalin' actress said that she won't act with Rajini again, even if she is offered a role. But she said that she was always ready to act with Kamal Haasan.

Khushboo had earlier acted in a few super hit films with Rajinikanth and the reason why she has made such comments is not yet known.

'Bang Bang!'

“Bang Bang!” is an action thriller film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Fox Star Studios.

The film is an official remake of the Hollywood film “Knight and Day” and features Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles performed by Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz respectively in the original. The film is scheduled to be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages. Fox Star Studios will distribute and market the film worldwide. Apart from Hrithik and Katrina, others who feature in the film are Danny Denzongpa, Jaaved Jaffrey, Jimmy Shergill, Pawan Malhotra, Préity Üupala etc.

'Haider'

“Haider” is an upcoming film directed by V i s h a l Bhardwaj and co-written by Bharadwaj and Basharat Peer.

It is a modernday adaptation of William Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” set in Kashmir.

The film stars Shahid Kapoor as Haider, and Tabu essays the role of his mother who marries her brother-in-law (played by Kay Kay Menon) after her husband mysteriously disappears. The film also stars Shraddha Kapoor as Arshia, a journalist by profession and Haider's love-interest.

“Haider” is the third instalment of Bhardwaj's Shakespeare trilogy after “Maqbool” (2003) and “Omkara” (2006).

It will be screened at the 19th Busan International Film Festival.

No biopics or femalecentric films for Kareena

K

a r e e n a Kapoor, who has done her share of femalecentric dramas, says she wouldn't accept a biopic or a woman-oriented script just because others are doing it. It won't be saying wrong that this year is riding high on women centric dramas. Be it Kangana Ranaut's sleeper hit "Queen" or Alia Bhatt's raod movie "Highway" or Rani Mukerji's "Mardaani" or boxing champ Mary Kom's biopic starring Priyanka Chopra in the title role - all came and conquered the box office. When asked Kareena about the same, she said: "I have done female-centric film. I did 'Chameli' at 22, then 'Jab We Met' and then 'Heroine'." "So, I would only do one if I really like the script and not just because everyone is doing it. That is not how I work," the 34-year-old said.

Sushant Singh set to play Dhoni in biopic

A

ctor Sushant Singh Rajput is set to portray the Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni in a ‘biopic’ come 2015. With the introductory poster of the film titled ‘M.S. Dhoni -- The Untold Story’ released in the national dailies, the movie certainly becomes an awaited event along with the 50-over World Cup next year. The project, which reportedly ran into financial problems, is now making headlines and Dhoni’s wife Sakshi was quick to share her joy on twitter after she tweeted the first poster of the film.

29

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

'Liar's Dice' is India's entry at Oscars

“L

iar's Dice,” an independent film made on a minuscule budget, about an impoverished young woman from Himachal Pradesh who embarks on a journey with her daughter and a pet goat to find her missing husband has been chosen as India's official entry in the Foreign Film category of next year's Academy Awards (Oscars).

The film is written, directed and produced by Malayalee actress and filmmaker Geetu Mohandas and has received widespread acclaim on the film festival circuit. Following its premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival last year, the film competed at Sundance in the world cinema section.

The film stars Nawazzuddin Siddiqui

and Geetanjali Thapa, who won the best actress award at this year's 61st National Film Awards where the film also picked up the award for Best Cinematography.

Early this year, the film won the special jury award at the Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria.

The film was produced with a grant of EUR 10,000 (approximately £ 8000) from an independent film financing fund based in the Netherlands. The film was chosen from among 30 films by the Film Federation of India.

Other shortlisted films included Kangana Ranaut's romantic comedy 'Queen' and Hansal Mehta's 'Shahid'.

India has never won in the Foreign Film category and only three previous films have made the final nominees: 'Mother India' (1958), 'Salaam Bombay' (1989) and 'Lagaan' (2002). The 87th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles on 22 February.

Katrina carves for box office success A

fter delivering many hits in her career, actress Katrina Kaif says that box office success still matters to her. Katrina, 31, who has given many successful films including ‘Dhoom 3′, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ and ‘Raajneeti’, said that everyone wants their films to do well.

“Because you have worked hard. As an actress one craves for that acceptance.

I am super fortunate that I have not seen the other side. My films mostly have done well at the box office and I have a lot of gratitude and happiness. I just hope that continues with my next film too. When your film doesn’t do well after so much of hard work there is a heartbreak and it’s not a good feeling,” Katrina said.

Often touted as the number one actress in the industry, Katrina says she considers herself lucky that the audience have accepted her. “Acceptance from the viewers is very important for me.

Our viewers are very fair and also for-

giving. They are very kind.

They love you because of your good work. But they don’t look out for detailed flaws. They are happy to accept the good,” she said.

The British-descent actress is all geared up for her next action-thriller ‘Bang Bang’, which is hitting theatres on October 2.

The film will see Katrina reunite with her ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ co-star Hrithik Roshan.

“I have been lucky that people have liked the chemistry with most of my co-actors. In a way the audience have liked two individual human beings together. I am happy that people are appreciating my chemistry with Hrithik,” she said.

The actress says that ‘Bang Bang’ was an unpredictable journey for the film’s crew because they had suffered many roadblocks during the shooting.

“Many times I felt while shooting for the film it is destined to be a hard journey. I got used to it. In Kashmir the terrorist attack happened and the shooting got delayed. Then I was in Spain and I was catching a flight to Prague, I got a call from my manager that Hrithik’s brain surgery will happen. The unit was already in Prague.

Then we had a storm in Thailand. I also had an injury but I don’t want to talk about that but for me it was a big one. Everyone in their own way had difficulties and challenges on a high level,” she said.

First look of Akshay Kumar’s ‘The Shaukeens’ posters

T

he posters of Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar's ‘The Shaukeens’ are out last week. The film, scheduled for November 7th release is a remake of Basu Chatterjee’s 1982 comedy ‘Shaukeen’ and is directed by Abhishek Sharma of “Tere Bin Laden” fame.

The adventure film follows three middleaged men played by Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Anupam Kher, who venture on a trip to Bangkok, where they meet the sizzling hot Lisa Haydon. The posters are colourful, bright and beach-inspired with Lisa taking centre stage on one poster, while

Akshay fills the other poster, sporting aviators and a casual top.

Also arousing curiosity amongst film goers is the creative motion poster, in which we can hear voices and see visuals of three sets of dentures. The poster gives away very little and leaves fans guessing as to what to expect next.

One thing is for sure – fans can look forward to seeing a signature Akshay stunt, with sources reporting that this particular stunt was inspired by the cartoon duo ‘Tom and Jerry’.

Akshay was inspired to do this stunt whilst watching ‘Tom and Jerry’ with his kids. A little creative thinking and some bravery and the stunt has become part of ‘The Shaukeens’.

30

UK

Coming Events

Sikh Charity Bike Ride

Readers are being encouraged to support a charity bike ride to help raise funds for The Sikh Helpline.

The bike ride takes place in Birmingham on Sunday 26 October. It will begin from Guru Nanak Gurdwara on Stratford Road, Sparkhill (B11 4AN) at 8.00am and finish at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Caldmore (WS1 4DE) at 2.00pm, an 11-mile stretch. In between, the riders will stop at five other Gurdwaras. To donate text Guru13 (donation of your choice) to 70070 or to find out more visitwww.sikhhelpline.com

Navratri and Sharad Poonam events

l South East Gujarati Association – till 4 Oct and Sharad Poonam on 5th October 8:30 till 12:00, and week end upto 1. Venue: Shaheed Udham Singh Asian Community Centre, White Hart Road, SE18 1DG, Contact: 0208317 0244 l Navratri Day time Garba by Jasper Centre 1:304pm, till 3 Oct. Rosslyn Crescent, Harrow, HA1 2SU. l Kalani Sewa Navratri, till 4 Oct, Venue: Dhamecha Lohana Centre, HA2 8AX. Contact: Vinod Thakrar: 07960541216 l Navnat Vanik Association, Navnat Centre, Printing House Lane, Hayes, UB3 1AR, till 4th Oct, Sharad Poonam 11th Oct, Contact: Bharat Mehta 07850166556 l Shree Jalaram Jyot Mandir, Repton Avenue, Sudbury, HA0 3DW, 25th Sept- 3 Oct, Contact CJ Rabheru- 07958275222 l SKLPC UK, India gardens, UB5 6RE, till 7th Oct, Contact: Mavji 07831430812 l Shree Jalaram Seva Trust, Feltham Assembly Hall, TW1 4BD, till 4 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 8th Oct. Contact: Jeetan Gokhani, 07985700000 l SSVA & Maa Krupa: till 3rd Oct. Venue: Canons School, Shaldon Road, Edgeware HA8 6AN. l Hari Aum Arts and Cultural Association: till 4th Oct. Poonam- 10th Oct. From 8.00 pm till late.

Venue: Hindu Cultural Society, 3 Lyndhurst Avenue (Entrance) London N12 0NE. Contact: 02084465057 l Shree Jalaram Mandir Greenford, 39-45 Oldfield lane south, UB6 9LB, till 3 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 8th Oct. Contact: Dr Mansukhbhai Morjaria 0208 578 8088 l Karamsad samaj UK, Barnhill Community High School, UB4 9LE, till 3 Oct, Sharad Poonam, 7 Oct, Contact: Mahendra Patel 07956458872 l Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor Woodlane, Stanmore, HA7 4LF, till 3rd October, Contact: Vikesh Waghjiani 07960995308 l HYG, Sanathan Mandir, Apple tree Centre, RH1 till 3 Oct, Contact: Chandubhai Nayee, 07440744098 l Nagrecha Brothers organises Nagrecha Hall, E15 1DT, till 3rd Oct, Contact: Hasubhai Nagrecha, 0208 555 0318 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 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 Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142

Gandhi Jayanti at Tavistock Square The Indian High Commission and India League are organising Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October at Tavistock Square, London, from 11am onwards.

The event that is open to all will be graced by the acting Indian High Commissioner HE Ranjan Mathai, Deputy High Commissioner Dr Virander Paul, Minister for Coordination S S Sidhu, Asian Lords and MPs, Mayor of Camden,

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

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Work is going to play a great part for some of you who are widening their horizons. An important time to build too, as Saturn can be very severe and cold especially regarding relationships. Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life in a more fulfilling direction.

Don't take short-cuts in legal or official matters. It will be only too easy to feel exasperated by bureaucracy but you won't be doing yourself any favours if you lose your cool. This is a fine time for you to get away from the mundane realities of life and relax. Some of you will probably go abroad.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

India League Chairman CB Patel.

Indian Journalists' Association Chairman Aditi Khanna and other dignitaries.

Dear Readers, Diwali is now three weeks away. The New Year is knocking at the door waiting to bring in colours and light to our lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar as every year will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself. This year in the English section, we are doing something special for our young readers. l If you are between 7-25 years of age, write an article in English on 'how you celebrate your Diwali every year' or 'your most memorable Diwali with friends and family' or 'how you celebrate Diwali in your school' in no more than 700 words, along with a suitable photo.

Or l if you an organisation, which has a youth wing or support youth activities, tell us how your young members or youth wing celebrates Diwali in 500-600 words with 2 pictures (in no less than 300dpi).

Last date of entry is Sunday 5th October 2014.

Please email your article to aveditorial@abplgroup.com with your full name, age and contact number.

- Asian Voice

The prevailing cosmic pattern packs a powerful punch early this week.

Having such potent energies, make you feel positive and confident in whatever you do. This is not the time to hold back or underestimate your potential if you wish to further an important aim. Some of you will try to get away from the routine chores.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

As social life is likely to gather a pleasant momentum throughout this week, this is bound to present a better prospect, not only for striking up new friendships but also romantic encounters. This is going to be one of those times when insignificant events give rise to unexpected developments especially regarding work and health.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You know you have no choice but to streamline and re-assess your priorities before haphazardly saying yes to everything that smells like a potential opportunity. Try to create a balance between expansion and conservation.

Jupiter in your sign makes you feel invincible, base your decisions on facts.

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.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

It is essential that you adopt a very open attitude now for this is a time of lucky opportunity and a chance to greatly enrich your working life and at home. New windows on the world are about to open and this is bound to have a maturing effect on you from now into the future.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Strengthen close ties of affection, sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to your loved one. You often sabotage your emotional interests by keeping too much inside. However, your inner pressure builds up and manifests as irrational moods that others find hard to understand.

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AsianVoiceNews

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Relationships are experiencing major transformations - those with shaky foundations should be extra careful.

Financially, you have everything going for you. A good time to put lucrative plans into action and reap the benefits of sound investments. Be prudent and do not fritter away your good fortune.

The focus is on finances this week, but that doesn’t mean you should worry yourself sick. Rather, it is about finding new and improved ways to boost your earnings potential.

It’s fine to consider several options but don’t get caught up in indecision. Schedule networking opportunities later this week.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Responsibility is your key word, especially at work. Set your own goals, rather than trying to meet those set by someone else. Your ability to manage what you have on your plate earns respect from others around you. You will benefit in every way if you learn to self-discipline and pace yourself wisely.

At home, be at your diplomatic best and try not to tread on anyone's toes. Passions will run from hot to cold, and relationships may suffer.

Even the most strong-willed Pisceans will be more open to compromise to keep the peace.

Plan your spending and set sensible budgets.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Pujara slams maiden hundred in county cricket

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

Cheteshwar Pujara scored the 27th first-class century of his career and the first one in county cricket as his side Derbyshire beat Leicestershire in a Division Two encounter last week.

Pujara, who was given out for "handling the ball" in the first innings for 6 was at his fluent best as he hit 15 boundaries and a six off left-arm spinner James Sykes to remain unbeaten on even 100 as Derbyshire scored 372 for three in their second innings. The Saurashtra batsman now has scores of unbeaten 90 and 100 in two successive county games.

The moment Pujara got a single off left-

arm seamer Rob Taylor to complete a well-deserved

maiden ton in English county, Derbyshire cap-

tain Wayne Madsen decided to declare the innings leaving Leicestershire with a mammoth target of 541 to win.

The 26-year-old, who struggled during India's dismal 3-1 Test loss in England scoring just 222 runs in 10 innings, had two major partnerships of 131 runs for the third wicket with Ben Slater and 82 for the fourth wicket with Wes Durston (40).

Pujara's compatriot Varun Aaron had a quiet game for Durham as he took two for 81 in 25.3 overs against Warwickshire, a match which the Indian speedster's team lost by an innings and 13 runs.

also for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015," the release said.

The release also said that under-fire coach

Duncan Fletcher will remain in his role assisted

by Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar. "Duncan Fletcher will continue as the coach of the Indian Team. The committee also approved the appointment of Sanjay Bangar and B Arun as assistant coaches, and R Sridhar as the fielding coach."

Shastri was appointed in the wake of India's 3-1 Test loss to England recently. In the following ODI series, the Indian team won 3-1 under the guidance of the former

India opener.

Many, including Fletcher, had acknowledged Shastri's positive influence during the series.

In another important decision, the committee said that only those below the age of 23 years as on September 1, 2014 will be eligible to represent the "A" teams and that there will be no cap on the number of Ranji Trophy players. Also, the board's Annual General Meeting has been postponed to November 20, the release further said.

it clear that nothing could stop Srinivasan from attending the meeting as Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) pres-

ident. “He could have attended the BCCI meetings earlier also. It was his choice that he didn’t, he felt it was time to take matters into his own hands,” a BCCI member said supporting Srinivasan’s decision.

BCCI members felicitated him for becoming the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, presenting him with a bouquet. It was announced soon after that the annual general meeting (AGM) will take place on Nov 20

in Chennai, exactly 50 days after Sept 30, the last date of holding the meeting as per the BCCI’s constitution. The decision was taken keeping the November 2 deadline given by the Supreme Court to the Mudgal panel to submit its report.

The members believe that “the report will clear Srinivasan of all charges” and the Nov 20 AGM will see the TN strongman assuming the president’s office for the second time in succession.

take a step back from actually bowling it in a match situation and per-

haps concentrate on other deliveries and other t e c h n i c a l changes that will help my bowling," the 27-yearold said in an interview.

"I'll still practice it as I think it's a great weapon to have and it's an exciting delivery.

When I see Saeed Ajmal bowling the doosra and the way he makes a fool out of the batsman, I love it and it's brilliant to watch.

"The doosra is a great skill, it's a skill that a lot

of young bowlers around the world want to learn," he added. "To be able to bowl the doosra is a brilliant skill and to not have that delivery in international cricket which is the way it's heading, is a great loss to the game. The doosra is a skill that is keeping offspinners in the game and for it to be removed just because some people believe it cannot be bowled legally is a sad loss to the game of cricket."

Ali made his Test debut this season and went on to play in all seven matches against Sri Lanka and India. He scored a maiden century against Sri Lanka at Headingley and took 19

Shastri to continue as team director till 2015 WC

Ravi Shastri will stay on as team director of the Indian cricket team till the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a BCCI statement said after a working committee meeting in Chennai.

"Ravi Shastri will oversee the activities of the Indian team as a director during the West Indies Home Series and the Test Series in Australia. He will be with the Indian Team on a full-time basis during the triangular series in Australia and

Decks cleared for Srini's return to BCCI

There was a surprise in store for the Indian cricket board (BCCI) members last week when N Srinivasan, the board president-in-exile, walked in to attend the working committee meeting.

Srinivasan has been barred from participating in any BCCI-related activities till the Justice Mudgal committee gives him a clean chit in the IPL spotfixing scandal. He, however, decided to lead the show from the front. His associates promptly made

SPORT WORLD

Kapil Dev honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in the House of Lords.

The award, constituted by the Indo-European Business Forum (IBEF), was presented to the former India World Cup-winning captain for his contribution to the sport and for his work in the field to uplift the poor and destitute communities through the Khushii society. "I am very proud to be Indian. Today India is ready to do business with anybody in the world," Dev said in his acceptance speech. "I used to hate England because they ruled my country but I am happy they gave us the game of cricket, which they can't play very well, and the English language, which I can't speak very well," he added on a lighter note.

Arguably the greatest pace bowler and all-rounder India has produced, Dev led the country to its maiden World Cup triumph in 1983, beating the then formidable West Indies in the title clash at Lord's.

With 434 scalps, the 55-year-old Dev held the record for most number of wickets in Tests for some years before being eclipsed by former West Indies captain Courtney Walsh in 2000.

Afridi among 12 fined for being out of shape

Pakistan cricket authorities fined 12 players, including star allrounder Shahid Afridi and batsman Umar Akmal, for failing to meet fitness standards.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set tough new fitness guidelines in June, warning that failure to stay in shape would lead to players having their salaries docked. A PCB spokesman said the players were assessed against the guidelines earlier in September, and the 12 who failed would lose 25% of one month's salary. "An assessment of 29 players' fitness was carried out between September 6 and 8, and 12 players did not meet the fitness standards," said the spokesman. Along with Afridi and Akmal, those facing fines include Khurram Manzoor, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abdur Rehman, Haris Sohail, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Irfan, Sharjeel Khan, Mohmmad Talha, Raza Hassan and Zulfiqar Babar. But five others were rewarded with bonuses for improving their fitness, including Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq. "Misbah, Ahmed Shahzad and Bilawal Bhatti will get 10% bonus while Shan Masood and Umar Amin will get 17% bonus of their monthly salaries," the spokesman said. The new screening protocol has been divided into five levels, with players facing 17 different tests to undergo assessment. "Those who maintained fitness levels are Azhar Ali, Umar Gul, Ehsan Adil, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rahat Ali, Adnan Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Fawad Alam and Anwar Ali," said the spokesman.

Banning doosra a great loss: Moeen Ali

England allrounder Moeen Ali believes that the suspension of Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal from international cricket is a major wake-up call for bowlers the world over, especially those with an inclination to bowl the doosra - the delivery that spins away from righthanded batsmen.

Having played alongside Ajmal at Worcestershire, and in the process gaining a few tips, Ali felt the ICC's clampdown on bowlers with suspect actions would force bowlers to refrain from employing the doosra, including himself.

"I'm going to continue to practice bowling the doosra, but I'm going to

31

wickets with his fastimproving offspin in the five-Test series win over India. Reflecting on his success as a bowler against India, Ali admitted to being a bit surprised.

"It was a bit of a surprise but I always felt that I had potential as a bowler especially when Saeed Ajmal is telling you that you have ability and some talent as a bowler. I have to admit though I didn't think I would do so well especially against India," he stated. "I received a lot of advice from people whom I trust and I've worked really hard on my bowling and thankfully it's paid off. I expected to do better with the bat this

summer but my bowling saved me and to be called an allrounder these days and not to be labelled a part-time bowler is really heartening."

His summer did see a sour point, however, when he was booed in two recent international games in his home city of Birmingham. The hostile reception at Edgbaston, especially loud and persistent during England's T20I win over India, came from a partisan majority of Indian supporters in the crowd. Ali acknowledged that the boos were probably because of his Pakistani heritage, playing against a team followed by British Asians of Indian descent.

SPORT

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

Sania, Seema clinch gold; India maintain 9th place

Sania Mirza with Saketh Myneni

Tennis star Sania Mirza teamed up with Saketh Myneni to clinch the gold in mixed double while Seema Punia also brought glory with her gold-winning act as India maintained the ninth position in the overall standings on the 10th day of competitions in the 17th Asian Games. In hockey, India beat South Korea in the semifinal and will meet Pakistan in the final. Vikas Gowda won silver in the discus throw. Earlier, India caused a huge upset as the compound archery men's team of Rajat Chauhan, Sandeep Kumar and Abhishek Verma defeated world champions South

Korea 227-225 to win gold.

The Indian national anthem was Sunday played for the third time as Yogeshwar Dutt ended the nation's 28-year-old wait for a gold medal from Asian Games wrestling while race walker Khushbir Kaur won the silver medal on a day when India won eight medals.

The six bronze medals on the ninth day of competitions came from quarter milers Arokia Rajiv, M. Povamma Raju, hammer thrower Manju Bala and men's singles, women's doubles and men's doubles tennis pairs.

Female boxers also assured India of at least

Seema Punia

three Asian Games medals as Olympic bronze medallist M.C. Mary Kom, former World Champion L. Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani won their quarter-final bouts to advance to the last four stage at the Seonhak Gymnasium here. The losers will get at least a bronze medal each.

Medal Tally: Wrestler Bajrang and the men's tennis combination of Sanam Singh and Myneni picked up silver medals on yet another productive day for the Indian contingent.

Athletes O P Jaisha (women's 1500m) and Naveen Kumar (men's 3000m steeplechase) and wrestler Narsingh

L-R: Sandeep Kumar, Rajat Chauhan and Abhishek Verma

Pancham Yadav (74kg) also contributed to the medal collection by picking up bronze medals. The 27year-old Sania stole the limelight as she paired up with unheralded Myneni to carve out an easy victory in the final against the Chinese Taipei pair of Hao Ching Chan and Hsien Yin Peng as the Indians ended their tennis campaign with an impressive haul of five medals. On the track and field, it was Seema's day as she clinched the coveted gold medal, making amends for her non-participation in the last two Games in Guangzhou and Doha. Bajrang (61kg) was also a star performer as he

scripted remarkable comefrom-behind victories to reach the final where he ultimately succumbed to Massoud Mahmoud of Iran in a closely-contested bout.

The wrestlers continued to provide the muchneeded boost to India's medal collection as Narsingh Yadav also claimed a bronze in the men's 74kg freestyle event.

With the addition of seven medals, India maintained their ninth position with a total of haul of 42 six gold, seven silver and 29 bronze. China maintained their supremacy with a tally of 238 (112-7254) followed by hosts South Korea 146 and

Japan 132.

However, there was disappointment for the women's hockey team which lost the semifinal match against South Korea 1-3 and will now take on Japan for the bronze medal play-off.

The boxing ring also did not bring much cheers for the Indians with former World Championship bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan (75 kg) being the only one to advance to quarterfinals.

Gaurav Bhiduri (52 kg), Mandeep Jangra (69 kg) and Kuldeep Singh (81kg) bowed out after losing their respective quarterfinal bouts.