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VOL 41. ISSUE 23

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

6th October to 12th October 2012

Communities and leaders must confront 'child abuse'

The depressingly shocking sex grooming incidents, court cases, several individuals in long imprisonments is too painful and embarrassing to narrate, but at the same time one cannot forget the 'ugly' incidents happening in our own cities involving 'young teenagers'- especially in North England. Dozens of men used underage girls, many of them in council care, for sex over five years. Many of the victims and abusers were known to the authorities, who took no action. Child protection professionals dismissed the girls as consenting to their own abuse.

fully or allows abuse to continue,” he said. “No one would pretend that sexual exploitation is exclusive to any community or race, but major cases like this raise tough questions about the profile and attitude of the abusers towards their victims.

Nothing is gained by shying away from that.”

Mr Clegg also urged those in all communities to be honest about what

was going on around them. “Sex exploitation cuts across class, cultures and communities. We can’t duck the tough questions this case raises,” he said. He said that the independent Office of the Children’s Commissioner would publish a report before the end of the year setting out the extent and profile of victims and abusers.

Lord Ahmed

Kruti Patel On Sunday 30th September, whilst with his wife, Gen. Brar was attacked with knife or a “sharp implement” in the streets of Central London.

The attackers were "four bearded, tough-looking men wearing black jackets and black clothes” as BBC claim LT- Gen Brar had said.

Deputy PM Nick Clegg

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Operation Blue Star Gen. Kuldeep Singh Brar attacked in London

Gen. K S Brar (centre) in Amritsar

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Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister has been the senior most Minister to take a call against this 'ill practice' and has said that it is “completely unacceptable” for cultural sensitivities or political correctness to deter the pursuit of cases of child grooming. He added that agencies across the country had failed to get a grip on the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young girls.

He also praised the courage of the victims of such abuse who had come forward to tell their stories. His comments came after an official report this week laid bare the failings of police and social services in Rochdale.

Mr Clegg said that neither the ethnicity of the abusers nor the hands-off approach to apparently independent yet underage girls was excusable.

“It is completely unacceptable if perceived cultural sensitivities or political correctness ever stops crimes being investigated

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

one to one Keith Vaz MP with

Rob Wilson MP Rob was born and brought up in south Oxfordshire.

Between 1984 and 1988 he attended Reading University, the final year of which he spent as the President of the Reading University Students' Union.

Rob made his name as an entrepreneur, successfully building several small businesses over the past decade, before being elected the Member of Parliament for Reading East in 2005.

He served on the Education Select Committee until 2007 when he was appointed Shadow Minister for Higher Education. Following David Cameron’s reshuffle in January 2009, he became a whip with responsibility for transport and health.

Following the coalition Government agreement, Rob was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport until the reshuffle moved Mr Hunt to Health Secretary in September.

He is married to Jane and they have four children.

1) What inspired you to stand for Parliament?

Partly because of Margaret Thatcher, her policies, and the way she changed the country for the better.

Partly, because I felt that I could make a difference for my constituents and could represent them in the House of Commons in a very positive way.

Thatcher’s policy of rewarding enterprising hard work and rebalancing the state to help individuals - not hinder them - really inspired me and still does.

2) What are your proudest achievements in politics?

Securing over £1.4billion of investment for

for Liberal Democrats.

However, it turned out to be a positive experience as it did allow me to spend time writing a book ‘5 Days to Power’ that was extremely well received by reviewers.

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

Well I’ve already mentioned Lady Thatcher so at the moment I’d have to say Kenneth Baker, the former Education Secretary. I’ve been working with Lord Baker on education matters to give opportunities for all, not just the more academically minded. His approach to education is inspiring and has had an influence on me.

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

Reading. Since my election in 2005 I have campaigned successfully for the £850million Reading Station upgrade, a new University Technical College and £500million for a western rail link to Heathrow, announced by the Transport Secretary

earlier this month.

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

Coalition Government meant that I was one of those dropped from the front bench to make room

Being so close to the centre of this historic Coalition Government because it’s fascinating to see how it works from the inside. As a PPS I have seen firsthand just how complex coalition is but also how necessary for the national interest.

6) What are your long term goals?

Locally, to continue to represent Reading East.

My next infrastructure

Build your standing within your own communities Dr. Rami Ranger MBE In the wake of the cabinet reshuffle some Ministers were dropped from the government for reasons best known to the Prime Minister. I would like to give my humble suggestion to the PM that to win the next election we must try and attract every section of the population.

This is because in a democracy everyone has a vote regardless of their race, religion, colour, education or wealth. As a result, we must try and reach to everyone to bring home the rationale of our policies which are hurting

Dr. Rami Ranger

people across the board.

We need to broaden our reach to spread our message.

Diwali Festival of light

I would like to urge the PM that he should leverage the strength of those who have standing in their respective communities to underpin his Government’s strength.

Parliamentarians from ethnic backgrounds are ideally placed to carry the Government’s message to their respective communities. We can describe this as forging strategic alliances with those who have the clout amongst their people and who may otherwise not truly appreciate the work which the government is doing.

My advice to ethnic politicians is simple: first

SPECIAL DIWALI SOON IN COMING ER NOVEMB

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Diwali is a month 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.

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build your standing within your own communities and then reach out to the wider British public. Anyone who does not have a standing in their own community may not be able to add value to the Party as they will not be able be achieve the objective of reaching the parts other Parliamentarians cannot reach.

In order to become a meaningful member of the Government one needs to have a strong base amongst those they grew up with.

Building strong ties within one’s own community is a necessity and not a choice for survival in a political arena where a week can be a long time. More importantly, someone who has a good rapport with a specific community or part of the electorate will always prove useful to become an effective member of the Government. This is not about winning votes through influence; it is through being able to express the real merits and implications of your message and policies which may benefit the population in the longer term though those very people may

be hurting today and hence will not support you.

Britain is now a truly multicultural and multi religious country and as a result, every Party must reflect the makeup of modern day Britain. Besides, if in democracy everyone has a share, similarly in every democratic political Party everyone should also have a share. I would like to see people from Somalia, Afghanistan, Romania and so on who now live and contribute for the success of our country encouraged and supported to become visible in British political life to make our democracy stronger. In any case, government policies affect everyone and it would be good to see that they are formulated by everyone.

Women must also play an even bigger role in politics as they contribute a great deal more than just by being professionals. They run homes and bring up families too and their input will have a great deal of rationale and experience of real life to make our democracy work effectively in businesses and families.

investment project is to get Ultrafast broadband for my constituents.

Nationally, to continue to serve the national interest in these tough times as best I can, supporting measures to restore economic growth in Britain.

7) If you were Secretary General of the United Nations, what one thing would you change?

As the world changes I think the make-up of the UN Security Council should reflect that, so I would support including Indian, Brazilian and African permanent seats on the Council. This is an aspiration that the British Government supports and if I were Secretary-General I would like to implement the change.

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

I would pick the greatest leaders in British history including figures like Elizabeth I and Winston Churchill.

I’d pick Churchill as one of our greatest parliamentarians and having met the current Queen Elizabeth I’d like to meet the first!

Couple jailed for kebab shop explosion A man and a woman have been jailed for eight years each for their part in a city kebab shop explosion which killed a man. A jury at Leicester Crown Court convicted Shahbaaz Khan and his ex-partner Mehwish Yasin of the manslaughter of Fiaz Ansari (41) in the blast which levelled a two-storey building.

The body of the father of two, who owned a share of Kams Grill, in Narborough Road, was found in the rubble the following day.

The dead man, a chef at the failing business, recruited the couple to help in his plan to torch the kebab shop in a £250,000 insurance fiddle which went fatally wrong.

Mr Ansari was still inside when the building exploded, sending debris and glass flying, in the early hours of August 29 last year.

Sentencing them, Judge Michael Pert QC said it was unclear when the 17 litres of petrol which was used was taken into the building.

The defendants, both 25, stood to gain nothing from the crime and said they became involved because they felt sorry for him.

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

COMMENT

Movements to cleanse politics are necessary and desirable Continuing his efforts to strike a balance between two diametrically opposing trends in his anti-graft movement, social activist Anna Hazare assured an anti-Arvind Kejriwal group that he will not join any political party and continue with his non-political struggle.

However, he reiterated that he will support “good candidates” in 2014 elections.

Addressing a meeting called by India Against Corruption and again at a meeting of those who are opposed to forming a political party, Anna said, “I will not form a political party, nor will join one. I will continue the struggle against corruption in the manner I have been doing it.” With most of the members of his disbanded Team, including Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai supporting formation of a political party and the results of a survey also supporting their drive, it would be difficult for the Gandhian activist to completely reject or endorse the process.

Hazare feels that to form a political party is not a good idea. Being a Gandhian, it is obvious he would follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhiji was not even an ordinary member of Congress party since 1931, yet he attended the meetings of Congress as a national leader. Such is the spirit, where Hazare prefers to work for the country but certainly not as a politician.

Corruption is a national disease that is affecting everyone, right from businessmen, industrialists, bureaucrats to politicians. In order to remove this disease, there are many routes, and one has to choose one’s own ways. Hazare has chosen the path of mass movement. Moreover, forming a political party is not easy. It is a Herculean task and takes a long time to organize it. So the best way is to continue with the mass movement and support clean candidate during the election.

Meanwhile, panic has gripped some 35,000 elected members of panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir.

Terrorists have killed some five or more brave leaders and have been threatening others with dire consequence if they did not leave their elected offices ever since the Jammu & Kashmir government relaunched grassroots democracy via panchayat elections in the state in 2011 after a gap of 23 years. The sad thing is that at least some of them will succumb to these anti- democratic elements. The state chief minister Omar Abdulla called a meeting of the panchayat members and assured them of security.

Pakistan has always a hand in fomenting trouble in Kashmir. They don’t like peace to prevail in the valley as it will not serve their nefarious designs. So they are out to create trouble. It is the duty of the international community to prevail upon Pakistan to refrain from such activity. Otherwise the scenario will be like Somalia, where local or central government has broken down.

Terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-eMohammad have been issuing death threats to the panchayat officials. The police have seized handwritten posters at various places in different villages across the valley asking all panch and sarpanch to quit. But strangely, the police haven't been convinced of these threats, describing them as "fake" calls. The militants' aim of spreading terror has worked, especially because the administration has shown no sign of providing these officials with security.

It hasn't helped their cause that the panchayat officials have been unsuccessfully demanding more powers from the government that would enable them to intervene with government departments and the administration at the grassroots level.

National Conference and Congress are divided on this issue and hence the demands of panchayat officials remain unanswered. It is the duty of the State and the Central governments to defeat the designs of the terror outfits so that peace can prevail in the valley.

World eagerly awaiting US presidential election results The Presidential election in the US is some four weeks away and the results have great consequences for the entire world, not because America is the richest (in several matters), undoubtedly the mightiest power on the earth. The fight between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney is getting into top gear as it normally happens at this stage. The American elections are fought on idiot box and billions of pounds are spent for reaching the voters. During the US election, American voters are the most heavily polled in the world, with hardly a day passing without a new survey. They almost all pointed to the same conclusion: the 2012 White House race was nip and tuck. With these most important battlegrounds tilting heavily against him, the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, faces an uphill struggle to find a path through the electoral college system to the White House.

Afghanistan, surprisingly has not become the major issue in the election. It looks like a forgotten

war though some 2,000 USA men and women have died in Afghanistan. And almost a trillion dollars have been spent in Afghanistan. America has done some good jobs in the last 100 years. America has a rightful role as an international policeman. With all their limitations, policing is required in small communities or larger nations also. Today Afghanistan, day before Iraq and in yesteryears Vietnam, though America did not win the war, it did ensure the forces against democracy, secularism and the civic sense were not able to win either. America has a role to play internationally, especially in Afghanistan for its own self interest and for the peace and prosperity in other countries too. America can rightfully expect other countries to play their parts but whoever wins the election in November, has a heavy responsibility. At present Obama is the favourite to win the election.

He has to continue with his Afghan policy- perhaps there is no other option.

The role of the parents, the families, the leaders The father of the David Laws, the senior cabinet minister in Coalition government, who has been reinstated by PM David Cameron last month, took a praiseworthy stand. When David Laws resigned as the Coalition’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury after only 17 days, he made history as the shortest-serving Cabinet minister in modern times. Tony Laws said: “I was embarrassed my son had been caught taking money he was not entitled to. I think David was damn lucky that further action wasn’t taken against him, as I know some MPs went to prison.”

In Great Britain we also hear about a mother reporting serious crime of her son to the police.

There is something unique about the civic responsibilities, and all the residents, the new arrivals, especially the members of a certain communities can and should learn lessons about this admirable ‘Britishness.’ At the Lib Dem party conference, Nick Clegg said, “it is completely unacceptable for cultural sensitivities or political correctness to deter the pursuit of cases of child grooming.” One senior clergy member called upon the followers of all the faiths to stand up against unacceptable behaviors.

Silence is not an option that is what the holy man said. The civic society needs certain standards and we cannot keep silence of convenience to shelter those who are perpetuators of the crime simply because they are our friends or belong to communi-

ty or follow our faith.

Lord Nazir Ahmed has said, “Nobody knows the reason why Asians men are exploiting young girls.”

Mohammed Ali from Sheffield’s Pakistan and Muslim Centre added: “The situation needs to be tackled. We can’t hide behind it and say it will go away, that’s not acceptable in any way, shape or form.”

Lord Ahmed becoming economical with the truth. He should have admitted that perpetrators sent to jails for horrible crimes of child grooming for sex are not just Asians, not even Muslims, they are all from Pakistan. And other Asians whether Bangladeshi, Sri Lankans or Indians, all of them are terribly hurt and angry for not calling ‘spade a spade.’ Lord Ahmed is just sheltering himself under the umbrella of the term ‘Asians.’ Even in Britain there is large number of Indian Muslims or Muslims from other countries, who are not engaged in such cruel, inhuman acts. Why tarnish the image of Muslims for the acts of a few misguided Pakistani sex maniacs? Most of the Pakistani Muslims and for that matter Muslims from other parts of the world are law-abiding and their behaviors are of highest order. If the behaviour of a small group of sex maniacs is not challenged, it will create havoc in the future for the community and for all of us.

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Thought for the Week If we work upon marble it will perish; if on brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds, and imbue them with principles, with the just fear of God and love of our fellow man, we will engrave on those tablets something that will brighten all eternity.

- Noah Webster (1758-1843)

Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central

Fairer taxes in tough times The Liberal Democrats and I believe that when it comes to tax everyone should be playing by the same rules. This is particularly true when times are tough.

It is simply not right that the rich can get away with dodging their taxes while middle and low income families struggle to get by.

This is why I am so pleased that from inside Government we have fought tooth and nail to raise the threshold at which a person starts paying tax.

We have had great success - from next April, 24 million people will benefit from the largest ever increase in the tax free amount.

Where I live in Brent, this means that 12,370 people will be lifted out of paying income tax altogether, with a further 108,300 tax payers receiving a £220 tax cut.

As a result of the work the Liberal Democrats being in Government, since 2010 an additional 2 million of the lowest earners will have stopped paying any income tax, and a further 23 million will have seen their income tax bill fall by £550.

To put these numbers into context, a carer or a cleaner working full time on the minimum wage will soon be paying half of the tax they were paying under Labour.

But we in the Liberal Democrats

believe more can and should be done, which is why we are fighting to raise the threshold to £10,000 so that the least well off do not have to pay a single penny to the taxman.

However, making taxes fairer doesn’t just mean helping low and middle earners. It also means making sure that those with the most pay their fair share.

For too long, a small minority of wealthy people have got away with avoiding paying the taxes they owe. The previous Labour Government talked tough but in 13 years of power failed to get to grips with the issue, costing our country billions of pounds every year.

Thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the Coalition is taking action to make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules.

Through cracking down on tax dodgers we have already secured almost £4 billion extra in tax money that would previously have been lost.

By reducing the amount of tax paid by all but the very wealthiest, we are putting money back in the pockets of those people that need it the most. I believe that delivering on our pledge to make taxes fairer is making a real difference for families across the country, a clear example that the Liberal Democrats in Government are on your side.

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 www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

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LEICESTER/MIDLANDS VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

GP Practice changes appointment routine Patients visiting Leicester’s Groby Road Medical Practice for an appointment will now have to speak to a doctor over the phone before, to assess whether they need to come in. This change was implemented from Monday 1st October.

The practice said that the change was necessary as an increasing number of patients had led to difficulties getting appointments.

The practice has only nine doctors, full-time and part-time, who look after

8,700 people.

Practice partner Dr Paul Danaher said: “We have almost reached saturation point. Patients were finding it almost impossible to make appointments. We needed to so something and we believe this system is going to be much better. A lot of patients don’t need to be seen in person, but with the new telephone system we will book them in for an appointment the same day.

Another benefit is that on most occasions, they will be

called back by the doctor they usually see, who knows them.�

Dr Danaher said the system “would take a bit of getting used to� for both staff and patients. “But in the long term, I am sure there are going to be benefits and they will have more contact with their doctor,� he said.

A similar system was brought in at the Thurmaston Medical Centre, which has about 6,400 patients, about a year

ago.

Practice partner Dr Kam Singh said: “It is definitely a success and patients seem to be happy with the way it is working. I can make about 30 calls in a morning but would not be able to see as many patients in the same time. I am also booking in people who need to be seen.�

Mr Singh said that changes were needed because of the GP’s increasingly demanding workloads.

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Protest against Islamic Centre continues

Tribute for victims of Birmingham riots unveiled in Victoria Park, Smethwick The families of three men killed by a car during last year’s riots in Birmingham have spoken of their gratitude at a new memorial paid for by local people.

But relatives of victims Haroon Jahan, 20, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30 and Abdul Musavir, 31, said their quest for justice would continue.

Parents and siblings of the trio, killed in Winson Green, gathered in Victoria Park, Smethwick to unveil the mosaic memorial yesterday. The idea of the Asda store in Cape Hill, it was created by local arts

group Infamous Community Arts and paid for with ÂŁ11,000 from the Asda Foundation and a further ÂŁ1,000 raised through the store and from the community.

Haroon’s father Tariq, who became a national hero after appealing for calm as anger of the deaths threatened to spill over into more violence, said: “It’s wonderful, it’s heartwarming to see that the community have come together to do this. I’m totally swollen up inside.�

Mr Jahan said the family was still seeking legal

Brothers jailed in failed fraud plot Two Birmingham brothers, who tried to steal £83,000 of taxpayers’ hard earned cash, were jailed last Wednesday after their attempted VAT fraud was foiled by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The brothers submitted three false VAT repayment claims for around 50 motor vehicles, some of which they alleged they were exporting to Ireland.

Ibrar Azam, also known as Omar Sharif, prepared sophisticated counterfeit bank statements to facilitate the fraud, while his brother, Nisar Azam, also known as Mohammed Amaan, travelled to the Republic of Ireland to obtain VAT numbers of genuine companies to

carry out the deception.

The scam took place just days after the brothers had been released from prison as a result of a previous prosecution by West Midlands Police for similar fraud offences.

Adrian Farley, Assistant Director of Criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “These brothers failed to learn from their previous convictions that we, along with our law enforcement colleagues, see fraud and the protection of taxpayer’s money as a key priority. We will pursue those trying to steal from public finances to line their own pockets so they can be brought to account and justice can be served.�

advice after eight men were cleared in July at Birmingham Crown Court of the trio’s murder. He said: “My personal view is that it is going to be a slow and long process. I’m waiting to see what our solicitors are coming back with, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is doing its own investigations. Our legal team is trying to get information together as to why there was this outcome of not guilty.�

The memorial, which includes three lampposts and a bench engraved with

the words “From the community, for the community�, was designed by children from St Philip’s Catholic Primary School and Victoria Park Academy. Pupils were joined by youngsters from four other Cape Hill schools to sing at the unveiling ceremony.

Mullah Hafeez Ud Din, imam of Smethwick Mosque, said he hoped justice would prevail, as he led a prayer next to the monument. He hoped people would “live side by side with mutual love, respect and a clear understanding�.

A ‘brighter future’ for visually impaired young people in Leicestershire Later this month Leicester will host a very special event aimed at improving the choices and opportunities for the county’s young people with a visual impairment.

The ‘Brighter Futures’ event has been organised by the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) and the National Blind Children’s Society (NBCS), and is in partnership with Leicestershire’s very own VI charity, VISTA. The event, which will take place on Tuesday 16 October at VISTA’s Resource Centre on Gedding Road, will provide essential information on education, employment, independence, sports and

activities for young people with a visual impairment aged 13-25. “We are very lucky to have a number of local dignitaries attending including the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, the Lord Mayor of Leicester, and the Chairman of Leicester County Council� said Mark Glover from RNC. The free event runs from 11am to 3pm, 16 October 2012 at VISTA, Resource Centre, Gedding Road, Leicester LE5 5FU. To reserve a place call 01432 376 621 or email 2012events@rnc.ac.uk.

For more information go to www.rncb.ac.uk/brighterfutures.

Hundreds of extras join Bollywood stars on set at Stanford Hall A fusion of cultures and colours lit up rural Leicestershire as hundreds of extras joined Bollywood stars on set at a 17th-century hall.

More than 500 extras – including many who applied for the roles through the Leicester Mercury – descended on Stanford Hall, near Lutterworth, on Saturday, seizing the opportunity to be in a party scene in the forthcoming film Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (Mad, Madder, Maddest 2).

The crowds, all dressed up in their fin-

ery, started arriving shortly before 7am as the mist drifted over the nearby River Avon.

Soon the sun began

to shine through the clouds as flashing gold mixed with a kaleidoscope of coloured dresses, tunics and suits as

the extras joined in festive dancing and crowd scenes for the shoot.

The film features Bollywood superstar Dharmendra Deol, and his sons Bobby and Sunny.

Extra Ravi Singla, a 51-year-old wholesale supplier from Oadby, and his family, met their favourite, Bobby, on set and he posed for photographs with them during a brief break in shooting.

Mr Singla said: "We were all pleased to meet Bobby as he is such a big star. I have watched all of his films.

The protest against converting an empty Scout hut to a Muslim group widens, as there still remains no decision on the hut’s fate. Over 100 people gathered at Leicester City Hall to oppose transferring the lease of the Scout hut at Thurnby Lodge to the Muslim group As-Salaam.

A 1,500-name petition opposing the move was also given to the city council.

Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, met the group and assured them that both sides were being considered and a final proposal had yet to be drawn up.

The authority is considering handing over the

hut at Thurnby Lodge to the Muslim group AsSalaam.

Yet members of the community, who have taken to protesting, want the disused property to be developed for use by the wider community.

There have been a total of 8 demonstrations held since they started at the end of July.

Organisers have stated that they are not antiIslamic in any way but that they were upset with the city council.

The As-Salaam Trust has said its community centre will provide food sharing services, drug and alcohol advice and education to make community life better for everyone.

“Thugs kicked my pet dog to death�

A mob of thugs kicked a man’s dog to death during an attempted street robbery.

Dhiren Chudasama was attacked while he was walking his brother’s 10month-old Jack Russell, called Giggs, in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, on Thursday evening.

Three hooded men confronted the 24-year-old and demanded him to hand over money. When he refused, one of the men held Mr Chudasama to search his pockets while the others repeatedly kicked the defenseless animal.

Mr Chudasama managed to fight back, punching one of the attackers, but Giggs was left paralyzed and bleeding. He returned back to his brother’s house nearby, but the dog died shortly after.

He said: “I can’t understand how someone could do this, there are no words to describe what these men did. I was taking care of Giggs for my brother because he was on holiday.

I was going to the shop, so I decided to take him with me for a walk. We were

waiting to cross the road and he was sitting at the kerb when the three men approached us. One stood behind and the others told me to give them my money. I’m not even sure that they intended to rob me; I think they were just out to cause trouble. I just can’t believe anyone would do this. We are all very upset, especially my brother.�

Giggs’ owner, Keval, 31, said: “He’s only a small dog and he would never hurt anyone. He was my little baby. I can’t describe how I feel about these men.�

The incident took place around 6pm in Brook Road on the estate.

Police believe the men ran away towards Scraptoft Lane.

Detective Constable Jonathan Davies, said: “This was a callous crime which has left the victim and his family extremely shocked and distressed.

We need to catch those responsible for this despicable crime�

The suspects are white men and are thought to be in their early or mid-20s.

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Rowling's book upset Sikhs worldwide After the inhabitants of Middle England feel that JK Rowling has unfairly made them targets in her first novel for adults, they have been joined by the Sikhs of the country.

Some Sikh leaders have said that they were investigating complaints about the “provocative” language and would demand a nationwide ban on the book if Rowling was deemed to have insulted the faith.

The novel’s bleak subject matter, which includes child abuse, prostitution and drugs, has also presented a dilemma for parents whose children are clamouring to read the latest book from the writer of the Harry Potter series.

The Sikh character in

JK Rowling

The Casual Vacancy is Sukhvinder, the daughter of a surgeon and his parish councillor wife. She is teased for her hairy skin and referred to as “the Great Hermaphrodite” and a “hairy manwoman”.

Rowling has said she included Sukhvinder’s experiences as an example of “corrosive racism”.

She has spoken of her admiration for the Sikh faith and said she was fascinated by a religion in which men and women are “explicitly described as equal in the holy book”.

A spokesman for Hachette, Rowling’s publisher, said the remarks were made by a character bullying Sukhvinder. “It is quite clear in the text of the book that negative thoughts, actions and remarks made by a character, Fats, who is bullying Sukhvinder, are his alone.

When described in the narrative voice, the depiction of Sukhvinder is quite different to this,” the spokesman said.

Bank to include in Hare Krishna temple?

Hare Krishna devotees have submitted plans to transform a landmark building into a place of worship.

Members of ISKCON are hoping to set up a restaurant, heritage room and an informal library at the former HSBC bank, in Granby Street, Leicester.

The group was left without a place of worship when

an explosion tore through its temple in North Evington two years ago. A planning application for the former bank has been submitted to Leicester City Council ISKCON president Pradyumna Dasa said the restaurant would serve "wholesome vegetarian cuisine in support of health and wellbeing".

He said the temple would also be usable as a venue by community groups and for meetings and banquets. An official opening date has not yet been set. Stuart Bailey, chairman of the Leicester Civic society, said it was "great news" to see the building being made use of.

Operation Blue Star Gen. Kuldeep Singh Brar attacked in London The incident occurred at around 10.40pm on 'Old Quebec Street near the junction with Oxford Street”, as confirmed and investigated by the police, without naming Brar.

According to Gen. Brar, the attack was a fuelled response to the controversial Operation blue star which he had led in 1984. This operation targeted to flush out proKhalistani militants from the holy shrine-like Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. The raid, a governmental strategy as an action against extremism, left about 400 people dead, of which an estimated 98 people were actually soldiers.

However, these figures provided have not been confirmed, as numbers of casualties were apparently higher.

The assassination of Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi), carried out by her Sikh body guards, had occurred just a few months later, which is believed to be a response to the raid. The unjust death of Indira Gandhi, formulated social turmoil and unrest that came in the form of widespread riots, particularly in the capital city, Delhi.

The attempt of murder carried out against him did not seem to startle or surprise Gen. Brar, to an extent. He has claimed to have previously received various death threats, many through the internet and believes that the incident on Sunday night was in fact a “assassination

Gen. Brar

attempt”. These extremists maybe supposable “sympathisers” of Khalistan.

The complete identities of the four men who attacked Gen. Brar still remains a mystery or in other words unclear.

“They are keeping an open mind regards motivation for the attack. There have been no arrests at this time and inquiries continue”, said Scotland Yard.

“One of the men is described as younger and slimmer than the three.

They all fled in the same direction”, they added.

One report by the Indian broadcaster, NDTV, quoted Brar's wife as saying: "We were walking down Oxford Circus at 10.30pm in the night.

Three bearded men attacked him and tried to slash his throat. We cannot say if they were Sikh."

The Met, which did not name Brar and made no suggestion that the attackers were Sikhs, said in a statement that it was appealing for information about the incident, which was described as attempted murder. The statement said that the victim suffered a wound to his neck from a knife or sharp implement.

It described four men involved as wearing dark clothing and long black jackets. All had long beards while one was described as younger and slimmer than the other three. They fled in the direction of Oxford Street.

With an age of 78, Gen. Brar managed to survive the attack with only minor injuries and his wife was not injured during the incident. By being rushed to the hospital that very day, he recovered and was discharged the following day. The irony lies behind the fact that the General who persistently is accompanied by the highest 'Z' category security in India did not have any security present with him that night in London. Thus, it is clear that this was merely an opportunity for opposers of the General to attack.

This was a private visit perhaps requested by the Gen. Brar and so felt as though security would not be required. A spokesperson of The Indian High Commission stated that were in fact unaware of his visit. But after hearing about the incident, security was immediately sent over by their authorities.

Indeed, it is surprising that despite all the controversies surrounding LTGeneral Brar, both him, and his wife who had left their hotel for dinner that night were left unguarded, unattended without any form of security. Shouldn't protection be a necessity, as opposed to an option for a man of this stature?

National Hindu Students Forum (UK)

By Paven Sharma, Law, Keele University Who am I, what is my identity? I call myself a “British Hindu” but what does that really mean?

What are my origins, my heritage, my Roots? Have you ever found yourself asking these questions? I have. The National Hindu Students Forum (NHSF) (UK) Roots initiative sought to delve into these curiosities of mine in order to give me the opportunity to re-connect with my motherland.

The NHSF (UK) Roots project was an idea first born four years ago and has since branched off into an entire initiative of its own. Since 2010, small groups of British Hindu students have endured a three week long journey to India.The primary aim is to satisfy the thirst for knowledge regarding our ancestry; to bring some connection back to our ROOTS. The journey takes you to some of the areas of India you may never have dreamt of; carefully selected to enable you to gain the best understanding of the political, spiritual and social aspects of the home of Hindu civilisation.

Please find an excerpt below from my blog written during my visit to

Roots 2012 Punjab. For a full version please visit www.nhsf.org.uk.

‘Prior to the trip, I was extremely excited to visit my Motherland, the land of five rivers, the land of Shaheed Bhagat Singhji, the Land of Kamlesh Kumari (My Mother). However, after visiting a slum in Delhi, hearing the National Anthem sung by children in Kargil, completing the Amar Nath Yatra and meeting Kashmiri pandits, my sense of excitement for Punjab had changed.

In addition, Rastariya Sikh Sangat, a branch of the main Rashrtiya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), organised a highly useful interaction session regarding the Sikh faith with prominent leaders in the community. We were greeted with the utmost hospitality. Our session began by taking part in the reading of Shabads, sacred songs selected from Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib.

Furthermore, the Shabads were translated to us in English, so we could understand. We also received honorary

saffron scarves- never have I felt so privileged and respected. Following the introduction ceremony, we had the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session.

On a personal level, I found this very useful and informative.

For example, I now understand why it is important to praise God even though life is predetermined.

It is difficult to explain our experience at Wagah Border; one can talk about it, watch a video on it or listen to it but none of them would do real justice to the actual atmosphere during the precession! Whilst waiting in the car to reach the entrance point, an 8 year old boy, Rahul, knocked on my window selling little Indian flags.

I asked him if he would go into a nearby shop and make me a good deal on the largest Indian flag he could find. He came back to me with a good price and it was this small action that made me realise that one can be from Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu or West Bengal but we still share the same nationalism, patriotism and pride for India- OUR nation.’

Communities and leaders must confront 'child abuse' Continued from page 1 The commission is a year into a two-year inquiry into gang and group exploitation.

Interviews were held last week for posts in the new special interest group, which will allow local authorities across England to pool information about sex grooming networks, sharing the most effective ways to protect child victims and prosecute offenders. The primary aim is to help every region learn lessons from systematic failings by social services and police.

Though many of such paedophiles are proven to be whites in a typical case, many of such offenders in North of England, do belong to the British Pakistani community as well. Despite of such a brave and fair statement by the Deputy PM himself, a Pakistani community leader and a peer Lord Ahmed, in a recent dialogue with his Mosque leaders in South Yorkshire, said, nobody knows why 'Asian' men are exploiting 'young' girls!

Mr Ahmed- it is unfortunate to see a politician of your calibre addressing the wrong question. If it really is an "Asian" issue, how come Indians don't do it? If it's only a "Muslim thing”, how come it does-

n't seem to involve anyone of African or Middle Eastern origin?

As Jeremy Browne, the Minister for Crime Prevention, rightly said the Government must ensure “political sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering child abuse”.

What the Britain is also failing to address are the following- The sex grooming cases just don’t involve a less proactive police system or an ineffective social service, it involves a broken society, generations of uneducated, unemployment people and a heavy dependence on social benefits (easy cash).

The much rooted problem involves vulnerable, often disturbed, young girls, regularly out late at night, who often end up in late-closing restaurants and minicab offices, staffed almost exclusively by men.

These girls mostly belong to broken families, where parents are in a series of relationships, don't work, live on benefits, are addicted to alcohol and drugs- often not giving the needed attention to their teenager offspring who are out and about late in the nightfalling 'prey' to vicious gangs.

Relationships start with receiving gifts, sudden appearance of a 'man' in their life, who is 'indulging' and 'caring'.

Then comes alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, leading to 'sexual abuse' of those young girls, in complete control of some 'exploitative' men. This is an issue of what men can do when away from their own families and in a position of power over badly damaged young people.

Our media, our MPs continue to exclude minority voices and make generalisations. The use of the term 'Asian' clearly shows the inability of people to learn about a different culture or race, to distinguish between the communities.

In Asia, Pakistan or Islam there is no culture of grooming or sex abuse, and as a Hindu representative from a leading Hindu organisation in Britain told Asian Voice, “This national forum is a very welcoming experience.

Proper researches and work have to be done to distinguish the communities involved as victims and as perpetrators. If concentrated gangs are proven to be from a certain community- there has to be some 'ownership' and we must address them to change their attitude.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Million Pound Drop Live: Brothers should work together Kruti Patel Both brothers Krishan and Shyam Modi, active volunteers of the Devdaya Charitable Trust seemed to play rather confidently on Friday 21st September’s Million Pound Drop Live. The Devdaya Charitable Trust aims to prevent childhood blindness in Gujarat, particularly in cities like Wankaner, Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.

Although the boys cannot go abroad to volunteer, their mother Prity is a committed member towards the cause, and both brothers work together through events such as fundraising in order to raise money for something that can be preventable.

Krishan, a student at King’s College is studying Pharmacy and his brother Shyam, student of Economics at Cambridge, managed to take home £25,000. Despite having a “catastrophic loss” earlier on in the game, they still managed to battle it out until the end of the game.

When Shyam was asked about what he planned to do with the prize he said that he would like to use the prize money to help pay off his student debt, which for

Krishan and Shyam with Davina McColl

many students in the UK can be considered as a financial burden. Krishan had mentioned earlier on in the show that he would love to treat himself with a 21st birthday celebration or perhaps even a holiday. Like any other contestant would be, the brothers were put under immense pressure as the game progressed. Davina McColl, the host of the game show had mentioned earlier: “There seems to be harmony between you two”.

Indeed, the teamwork and communication between the Modis was commendable, especially during the

final round.

Shyam describes his feeling towards winning in a brief interview as “the best feeling ever” whilst Krishan stated it as being “surreal”.

When Krishan Modi was asked about how they managed to win, he responded saying that the “connection” with his brother and generally “understanding each other” got them to think and decide on the spot effectively. Even though, they did not win the huge amount they hoped to, it was evident that they were content with their overall game play.

Diversity Night brings colour to Labour Party conference The Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and her husband, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, had a gala time along with other Labour supporters, including Harriet Harman, on Monday at the annual Diversity Night party. The couple were seen to be dancing away, hands in hands, with yellow flower garlands around their neck, as they seemed to be enjoying their time like never before. Among others, they also danced to a bhangra hit by music star Punjabi MC. When asked if he and his wife ever went out for dinner and a movie without their children Mr Balls replied: “Certainly not for a decade. Our view is that the times when we’re off work, we want to be with the children.”

“It’s the sacrifice you make… we don’t go out and see our friends without each other.”

Speaking to the Huffington Post he added: “Friday night with the boys? That isn’t how we do it.”

The event was hosted

by Labour MP Keith Vaz, who has been battling with a series of allegations about his finances.

A recent front page

Yvette Cooper dancing with Rt Hon Keith Vaz

Telegraph report has given the Rt Hon Keith Vaz enormous publicity claiming that a Metropolitan Police investigation has looked into Mr Vaz's account and has discovered that he apparently held hundreds of thousands of pounds in a series of bank accounts.

Its report alleged that the funds were “of a suspicious nature”.

Over a six-year period, allegedly almost £500,000 was apparently deposited into the MP’s accounts in addition to his salary between 1997 and 2001.

In reply to this accusation Mr Vaz has made a public comment in his website, that states, “I have never had 7 or 8

mortgages running concurrently. The implications being that I then owned 7 or 8 properties.

This is untrue. The properties I owned between 1996-2001 are clearly set out in the 2001-2002 inquiry.

Various broadcasters and newspapers made extensive inquiries about these issues 13 years ago.

All the properties I own apart from my family home are in the Register as they are required to be.

All properties and rent received has been fully declared.”

The party was also attended by Harriet Harman, Labour’s deputy leader, and MP for Tooting Sadiq Khan.

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MIDLAND VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Kapil’s

KHICHADI

By Spriha Srivastava

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

Najma Akhtar to perform in London On Sunday, 11th November, vocalist Najma Akhtar will be singing a selection of Ghazals, semi-classical and spiritual music at The Cockpit in Marylebone. This exceptional night set in a traditional ‘Mehfil’ style will take you on a spiritual journey that will inspire your senses and move your soul.

Najma is a highly respected artist on the World Music scene, who created the genre of 'Ghazal and Jazz'.

Her first album 'Qareeb' was a milestone and as a pioneer she has inspired many within the Indian fusion genre.

Since then, she has recorded numerous solo albums and worked and collaborated with many artists that include the likes of Andy Summers, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Bassment Jaxx and many more.

Her music has been used in film, theatre, fashion videos and documentaries, such as for the National Geographic channel.

Najma has toured and performed extensively in the U.K, Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and the Middle East. She has also performed at many festivals such as WOMAD and Glastonbury and at prestigious venues such as, Ronnie Scotts, Jazz Café, The Royal Albert Hall, and The Dominium Theatre where she sup-

Najma Akhtar

ported the late Nina Simone.

This performance, which is based on the traditional feel, is a unique opportunity to see Najma go back to her roots and inspirations that have paved the way to a very successful and well respected musical career.

Najma has been recognised by her work as a pioneer in using subtle jazz arrangements with the traditional South Asian vocal ghazal style. Following her unique and distinctive sound, Najma has inspired a new generation of musicians and composers to move into the fusion genre.

Along with her fusion of subtle jazz nuances, Najma also performs Pakistani/Indian semiclassical, folk, sufi, bollywood, Indian underground, trance, along with the odd English song.

She has also appeared as a performer on stage and in songs

and videos of other international famous singers/songwriters, such as the MTV No Quarter/Unledded performance with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page on the Led Zeppelin classic "Battle of Evermore", jazz vocalist Nina Simone, recording with Basement Jaxx, guitarist Andy Summers (The Police), Jah Wobble, and jazz and rock saxophonist Stan Harrison. Najma has also worked with saxophonist/flautist Michael J. Parlett.

She was born in the UK and studied chemical engineering at Aston University, Birmingham: her father, brother and sister are also engineers.

In 1984 she won the Birmingham Asian Song Contest, and in 1987 produced her first album in the UK called “Qareeb.”

Universally acclaimed Qareeb was a groundbreaking and first of its kind recording in World music, as it was a fusion of jazz and Indian ghazals based on Urdu poems.

Ever since then, Najma did not look back and has continued her journey winning a number of accolades on her way. The evening on November 11th will be a celebration of her achievements till now.

The tickets for the evening are available on the Cockpit’s website for £15 each.

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

Party conferences - why?

In the past there was some purpose to having a party conference broadly at the midpoint of an election cycle.

However the coalition has now ensured that elections will occur at the end of a five year term. By my reasoning at least, I would have thought the better time to have such a conference might have been late 2013 allowing for 2014 to embed the policies leading neatly to the election in May of 2015. Instead we saw a disillusioned Lib Dem Party that projected to the nation their hopelessness. There was nothing they could do to earn back the trust of the British public. Even the Clegg ‘I sorry ….’ apology ended up reducing him to an object of ridicule and that my friends is akin to a death sentence in politics. Lib Dems don’t have a choice but to keep Clegg, at least until the middle of 2014 and then hope and pray that the public will give their new leader a little bit of goodwill, and not an out and out thumping in the 2015 elections.

Consider the table below showing how well, or otherwise the public think of the various parties in relation to the issues posed:

their time on a Party conference which for all intents and purposes could well create opportunities for mishaps, blunders and the traditional banana skin? After all, the big weak link is their leader and one has to ask, do you really want to expose him too much to public scrutiny?

Time will tell if it does them any good, or whether I am proven right.

The Tories on the other hand could do with a conference just to reinvigorate the foot soldiers and galvanise the MP’s. Of course that would be the idea, reality often is much more challenging then the best laid out plans. Cameron has not had a good year either. Coulson his best buddy let him down badly. Leveson has become the drip-drip assassin with disclosures that would bring the best to their knees. His dear friends the Brooks’ haven’t really helped either and not forgetting his blonde buddy Boris, who with all of his buffoonery still seems to outshine the Prime Minster. How infuriating it must be that even when you have the event of the century in London 2012, Boris gets the plaudits at the Olympics and Government ministers

The Tories are ahead when it comes to Asylum & Immigration (+7), Crime & anti-social behaviour (+10) and Managing the economy (+5). However take a look at how well Labour are doing even with what many believe to be their rather mediocre leader; Education (+12), Healthcare (+30), Taxation (+5), Unemployment (+13), Benefits (+6), Climate Change (+6), Housing (+13) & Transport (+8).

Did you notice that the public have even given Labour a 5 point lead on taxation? Now that has to hurt the Tories who are meant to be the Party of low taxes.

Alongside this data, consider the latest polling done by YouGov on 27th September 2012: CON 32%, LAB 41%, LDEM 9% and UKIP 9%.

Labour has maintained a 9+ point lead in the polls now for a long time.

If repeated at the General Election, it would give them a majority in excess of 100 seats!

Surprisingly Labour is thrashing the Tories on almost all indicators, and by a significant margin at that.

So why would they want to waste

get booed. No doubt there must times when he wishes the plebs would just do as they are told, but then that is yet another banana skin his chief whip left behind for him. Is that a bell I hear tolling in the background?

In conclusion one can see why an upcoming party like UKIP would wish to have such conferences on a regular basis. It gives them the opportunity to maintain a higher profile with the voting public. I can see why the Tories might wish to have a conference now given how badly they are doing nationally. For Labour it just seems a waste of time and money given they have much more to lose, and not a lot to gain. For the life of me I cannot understand why the Lib Dems would ever want to put themselves through such a trauma of a conference given that they really have lost the public. No matter what they do and say, the wound is still raw and it does nothing to pick on the scab that no doubt will bleed again. For them it would have been better to just hideaway under the nearest rock.

OMG what a movie!

The movie raises several questions, some pertinent, some not so pertinent, but in general manages to balance the story perfectly. The story revolves around Kanji Lalji Mehta (Paresh Rawal), a man for whom money and his business are the absolute gods. An atheist by nature he goes to every extent possible to make money for his business. However, as contradictory as it may sound, he owns a shop which sells idols of gods.

On a funereal trip to Haridwar, organised by Kanji’s neighbour to appease the departed soul of his mother, Kanji makes sure he turns the trip into

a profitable venture- as much as his mercenary abilities would allow. Once back in Mumbai, when a Janmashtami celebration turns awry, thanks to Kanji, the wrath of God is manifested through an earthquake – which leaves Kanji with neither bread nor butter. In a fit of rage, the man sues God. The way the film pans out is mostly a lot of fun. And almost all the credit for that goes to the terrific Paresh Rawal who single-handedly makes us gloss over the weaker parts. Leaving all sensitivity about religion aside, the movie is a good take on commercialization of religion in present day world. An eyeopener in many senses!

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Leading Lights

Kids love for fast food brands carries more weight than we thought

by Rani Singh

Special Assignments Editor

Saran Kohli, 27 Saran Kohli is a designer and choreographer. He graduated with a B.A (Hons) from the London College of Fashion in fashion management in 2008 and was immediately selected by Japanese designer Michiko Koshino as a PR/marketing assistant.

Hugo Boss then approached Saran to join their sales team. Later, he was promoted to Hugo Boss Red/ Black Collection analyst. After that Saran served as the menswear personal stylist/customer relations for VIP clients of Banana Republic’s flagship London store. The retail and sales experience enabled Saran Kohli to start his self-named menswear label in 2010.

Q You had a slightly chequered childhood. Tell me about it.

I was born in East London 1985. My parents got divorced when I was two so I moved to India with my grandparents. My mom decided to start a fashion career to support the family. In India, as a child I learnt the language & culture.

When I was 11, I moved back to London to pursue a high school education.

Q What was the family business?

In 1983 my mother, Mani Kohli, started her own designer label, selling door-to-door and from the car boot. This struggle led her to build the label “Khubsoorat Collection” in 1985 which was the first ethnic designer retail outlet in the UK; all designed and produced in-house.

Today the label is 27 years old with a presence in New York and a design studio in New Delhi led by my sister Geetanjali Singh. When I was 16, I helped choreograph a fashion show. This gave me my first in-depth experience with fashion; in terms of seeing an outfit draped and what effect is has on an audience.

This combined with my dance ability, helped me explore the idea of a fashion business and creative platform. Thus inspired I took my academic degree at the London College of Fashion.

Q How did you get interested in dance, and how did you train?

I discovered dance when I started walking. I was glued to the T.V in the 80s watching Michael Jackson, James Brown, Prabhu Deva and early Frank Sinatra. This

visual stimulus led me to dance in my room and develop my own distinctive style. The rewards first came through when I auditioned for a catwalk show at age 15 in London for Asian Wedding Exhibition and performed in front of audiences of 3,000. The response gave me the confidence to pursue the hobby that led to per-

The menswear brand takes inspiration from my dance genes and fashion design experience forming with Bollywood stars. I eventually started a street dance crew, “Snach,” performing all over the U.K and internationally.

Q Tell me about the style of dance you favour I prefer all types of dance styles as there are no boundaries in this discipline. I was influenced

by MJ and the 80s Hip Hop revolution. My style evolved with techniques such as popping and locking, street, jazz and boogaloo . In India I was exposed to Bollywood dance icons such as Prabhu Deva, Mitthun & Govinda. This added edge to my style, showcasing a blend of east and west. I did not perform in a cliché manor, more highlighted key expressions which helped me to stand out.

Q How are you giving back to society?

After graduating from university, I moved to India for a year to start my fashion business and teach dance, part-time, to young kids. I had the opportunity to visit an orphanage where I mentored and taught kids who didn’t have families.

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com

Saran Kohli My influence helped them boost their confidence so much that one student was taken up by an Arts academy. I continued helping the youth with school projects in the UK, teaching the importance of dance and its association with mental & physical wellbeing.

Q What are your ambitions?

To have a combination of my family heritage and my own carved identity; a sustainable business in the fashion industry. It’s taking the D.N.A from my mom’s entrepreneurial spirit and turning my art into products and service. I am currently focused on building the menswear brand, which takes inspiration from my dance genes and fashion design experience. I recently produced a short film, which is not a documentary, but according to me, a “stylomentary.”

The first episode, “Sleepless In Kal, ” is available on my website.

This has combined all my creative arts into one visual palette of dance, music and fashion.

Alongside, I am advising and contributing to a new venture; “Entouraaj,” which is the first Asian Men’s lifestyle magazine. I am Style Editor for the magazine.

Catholic church bans yoga classes in Southampton A row has erupted over a priest banning yoga from a church hall because the class was "not compatible" with the Catholic faith.

Instructor Cori Withell allegedly said the classes she booked for yoga and pilates at St Edmund's Church building in Southampton were cancelled with 10 days to go and was told by the booking secretary of the church that it was because yoga is a Hindu religious Father John Chandler

from the church told the newspaper that the hall was to be used for Catholic activities and he banned it because it was advertised as "spiritual yoga".

Chandler said, "Yoga is a Hindu spiritual exercise.

Being a Catholic church we have to promote the gospel and that's what we use our premises for."

Withell said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180 pounds. She was called later and told that yoga was

from another religion so she could not have the hall. A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Portsmouth Catholic Diocese said: "It's not possible for Catholic premises to be used for non-Christian activities and there is a dilemma with yoga as it can be seen as Hindu meditation or as relaxation."

"There is no national policy on this and the decision is for each priest."

At quite an early age we can hear our children become quite familiar with brand names. The vocabulary expands beyond the words like ‘car’ to ‘Mercedes’ or whatever else catches their eye. No one has ever questioned that from a young age we are surrounded by brands.

Through repetition we are programmed to like and have certain feelings and thoughts to a number symbols or logos.

New research out from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Centre,

takes this level of feeling to an unexpected level for fast food brands and the effect they have on children’s minds. When children are presented with a broad choice of logos from shoe companies, to fashion brands and a whole host of others, it is fast food company logos that elicit a much greater level of stimulation in the brain.

As the research paper comments “marketers have tapped into the 'reward' areas of the brain which develop before youngsters learn self-control.” On the one hand this shows that brand and market-

ing people are doing their job very well, on the other the obvious health related issues with fast food can cause

alarm. 12 to 18 year olds purchase 800 to 1,100 calories in an average fast food visit, with 30% of those calories coming from sugars and saturated fats. 40% of parents reported that their child asks to go to McDonald’s at least once a week and 15% of pre-schoolers ask to go every day.

This highlights the power of brands on the human consciousness and how early the fight for our minds starts. The average pre-school child will see almost three ads per day for fast food companies. The goal of these adverts is not to promote specific products but to gain brand loyalty.

In America over $4.5 billion dollars a year is spent on advertising for fast food alone, which accounts for an astonishing one sixth of total advertising spend for the whole of the USA. As the idiom states, the way to man’s heart is through his stomach and now I guess the way to child’s mind is through fast food advertising.

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YOUR VOICE

10

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Basic protection

Raid on Pension Pots

Doctors from India

French Invasion

Access to justice for victims of crime is one mark of a civilised society. So the governments of European Union countries should be congratulated on reaching an agreement which will guarantee every citizen of an EU member state the same level of basic protection when they are victims of crime outside their own country.

New standards will mean that should you fall victim to a crime within the EU, you can expect the right to receive a copy of a crime statement in English, information on medical and emotional support, and information about your rights under a country’s law to legal aid and compensation.

It is no substitute for catching more criminals but we should now at least feel reassured that if ever we experience crime in another EU country, we can expect a basic level of support and protection.

The deputy prime minister, has announced that parents and grandparents will be asked to draw on their pension pots to secure deposits for young family members to help them get a foot on the housing ladder. The Liberal Democrat leader said that thousands of young people who are desperate to get their feet on the first rung of the property ladder but who are prevented because of lack of deposits could benefit from his initiative. However, the concept of pledging future pensions to help young people buy homes really does seem a very odd idea. Surely it makes more sense to try to use some of the value of parents or grand parents homes to help younger people buy a house, rather than using their pensions?

This is proposal is unfair and puts a strain on people’s pensions. Most people will need their pensions to support them in retirement, or for later life care needs.

We do not know the exact details yet, but, the majority of people get only a pittance in pension which will fall far short of the amounts needed for a deposit. This proposal comes on top of the Government’s unilateral action which imposed an unfair change in the rate at which pension payments increase annually. Previously the pensions increased in line with an increase in the more favorable retail price index (RPI). This was drastically changed so that the increases have now been linked with the less generous consumer price index (CPI). Why is it that in times of austerity, the first thing which comes to ministers’ minds is people’s pensions?

Dineshbhai’s expectations from doctors and specifically newly qualified doctors counters ground realities. Who is model of unselfishness? MPs, gurus, business magnates, filmmakers, industrialists? Famous Indian millionaires have migrated to UK. Many Indians have reached high executive offices outside India e.g. Dr Khorana, Indira Nooyi, Indian migrants Lords, Barons in UK etc.

In economy oriented society, why are doctors labelled as selfish? They migrate in order to acquire latest knowledge and equipment, techniques etc, besides monetary gains. India lacked ultra modern equipment in 1964, which made practice difficult. Thus migration to latest techdependent countries is normal.

Note that in order to be doctor one is dependent on parents till 26 years of age, whereas his colleagues, relatives and friends prosper in business, jobs etc.

After getting a degree, one may start practice and take a couple of years to establish financially. If he takes a job, he is condemned to renter class on survival salary. Compare salaries for freshly qualified doctors in 1964:- India government job Rs:150.00: private job Rs 500.00; Kenya-house servants 300 to 700 shillings. Doctors Shillings 2000.00. UK and USA, much higher.

After final exams, one is scheduled to practice in rural area for one year, before commencing private practice or job. Thus his statement that doctors must be “made to serve” and “binding” is arrogant.

Doctors practicing nobility is impossible when equipments are expensive, burden of responsibility is beyond monetary valuation, rising cost of living and high standard of living expected from a doctor.

India must offer much higher salary, ultra modern equipment, and same respect that Indian doctors get abroad.

Till then drain will not stop.

It was the fervent wish of Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte to occupy this island nation and to subjugate her people, as England stood in his path to conquer Europe and make France the greatest nation on earth.

But Britain had her own military geniuses to frustrate, to thwart Napoleon and the chief among them was Duke of Wellington, who fought him in Spain and Portugal and finally defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 and sent the French Emperor to his early grave.

The recent French invasion is of a different kind and French people who are escaping the crippling taxation under the socialist president Francois Hollande are welcome here in London with open arms.

The French expatriates have already inflated house prices in the prosperous and desired parts of London, namely Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and the surrounding boroughs. The recent French budget under newly elected Socialist president Hollande has raised the tax to 75% for the higher earners that would drive the rich, the cream of the French entrepreneurs to London where the upper limit is just 45%, a truly mouth watering attraction for the high flyers?

The Euro tunnel and super fast French trains has indeed made London a suburb of Paris with travelling time no more than some three hours, less than the travelling time between major cities in the United Kingdom?

Our low taxation will also attract less desirable influx, the super rich footballers who only drain the financial resources and contribute practically nothing of desirable, cultural value but do keep our own young and up-coming footballers out of the Premier league. So low taxation is a double edge sward to be handled with care!

Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London

Immigration rules for spouses UK government pushing through so many strict legislation for spouses to come to uk for permanent residents. I am fully in agreement with government that person should be able to read, speak and write in english. I think its proven record that what ever country you live, you should be able to communicate in any circumstance even in emergency when you might be alone with life and death situations i e. Ambulance, fire or police .

But I am slightly not in favour of spouses should have a knowledge of British history and culture and pass exam before entered to UK. By giving example of two top politicians during last week 1) Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron and 2) Mayor of London, Mr. Boris Johnson.

Both are very powerful persons in their position with good english education behind but both fail to answer general knowledge questions. The Prime Minister could not answer some questions on American TV show and Mayor of London couldn’t answer question by Nick Ferrari on LBC radio on most popular british sport of football that who score hat-rick in 1966 world cup winning against Germany.

Boris Johnson excuse was that he was just 2 years old at the time of game.

I think this is handful of only examples but many of us who born or been immigrated and settle for many years might not be able answer many general knowledge of questions. I have seen leading british TV reporters ask some simple question to randomly selected general public like where is cardiff City in UK map? Many fails on many questions.

I think introducing part immigration process by the British government that spouses are coming to UK should have basic knowledge of British culture and history is totally irrational.

Many Hindu Pilgrims have resented to return to Pakistan. Many stories have been reported including harassment confessions and other religious discriminations. Few Human Right organisations have been involved, Pakistan will do everything possible, but Ministers are surrounded by hostile, volatile public situations that becomes unpredictable.

Government cannot have continuous vigilance. It is more common in Bangladesh where separatist movement is more active.

British media attacked India when Pranab Mukherjee said that the foreign aid given by Britain is ‘peanuts’ compared to what is required by the country.

Such inflammatory reports by Britain are undesirable and destroys the image of India. Our political and economic stability are due to our civilisation, humble and polite nature. Nevertheless British media remained silent when Pakistan siphoned all UK and US charities towards terrorism against India. At least India uses funds for constructive purposes.

Mahendra Jadeja Winchmore Hill

Dr K R N Moorthy Handsworth

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Pakistan and India

Encroachment on rights of masses Without the trust and cooperation of an ordinary man to introduce Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy under the pretext of strengthening economy, the Hon PM of India argued that, “money does not grow on trees.”

It is believed that the mass population mainly farmers and small retailers whom Mahatma Gandhi wanted to work diligently and peacefully in their own farms and shops have felt insulted consequently. While all of the upper and some of the middle economic class became delirious with joy!

This seems an encroachment upon the rights of the masses while providing a frame for a few to the masses riches.

Such policies affecting the masses should not be executed by the public referendum. From this incident it can be argued that the principles of broader democracy are not followed when taking most important decisions for the welfare and livelihood of the masses.

R N Patel Essex

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Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is equated with Guangdong of China, he invited Chinese business community and public enterprises to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit- 2013.

He highlights Gujarat’s special investment regions as areas where Chinese companies could invest. He called on China to invest in infrastructure and power projects in the state, wooing potential investors with a sales pitch that showcased Gujarat as a state with levels of “governance, transparency and stability” that they could not find elsewhere in India. He declared that “the two great countries will make Asia the centrestage of the global economy.”

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A new theory says that any physical activity for 15 minutes every day is a good insurance against a plethora of health problems, be it related to the heart, the brain or even cancer.

A study published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, said that just a quarter-hour of physical exertion a day could reduce a person's risk of death by 14% and increase life expectancy by three years compared to inactive people.

Incidentally, another theory published in a different British journal said daily TV-viewing for six hours could take

away five years from your life.

Adding and subtracting years from your life has never before been quantified in such medical terms, say doctors.

The 15-minute short-cut to good health, in fact, changes the most fundamental rule that was approved by the World Health Organizationthat 150 minutes of activity a week is needed to stay healthy. )(.#(/

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E-mail: support@abplgroup.com

Nick Clegg’s ‘sorry’ Deputy Prime minster Mr. Nick Clegg being the Leader of Lib Dem signed a pre-election pledge to vote against any increase in fees with his all other Lib Dem MPs. I came to Britain in 1984 and I was in charge on site for the supervision of construction of one housing estate near Angel tube station. I was told by the people around me that the word ‘Sorry’ means nothing in this country.

This kind of behaviour from the top leaders- where shall it lead us all? I can understand the greed in leaders of the Lib Dem party having power in the government, but I am very concerned with the party members who attended their Annual Conference and remained silent on this issue.

It appears all of them have double standards and will do any thing for getting into the power. I hope people have clearly understood their aims and they will teach them a lesson not to elect them at all.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Visit our website: www.abplgroup.com

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In a rare gesture, China’s top leadership hosted his delegation at Great Hall of People and had a free and frank discussion and exchange of ideas on a range of subjects including trade, industry, socioeconomic development, investment, and prevailing global economic scenario. Modi emphasized about the shared heritage of India and China, and common vision for improved quality of lives of their people.

In his meeting with the Mr Wang Gang, Vice Chairman of the China People’s Political

1 Year 2 Years

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

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Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Campaigners win National Diversity Award

Applying to university or college next year?

Read these top dos and don'ts from UCAS

L-R: Mohinder Singh, Juliet Gill, Parmjit Singh Gill, Joan Garrity, Neville Hunnings and Tim Farron MP, Party President who presented the award.

Leicester City Liberal Democrats have received the prestigious Dadabhai Naoroji Award at the National Party Conference in Brighton.

The award, which was open to several hundred local party groups across England, Scotland and Wales, was presented to the local party that best demonstrated a record of achievement in promoting diversity through ethnic minority representation across its political ranks.

Chair of Leicester City Liberal Democrats, Parmjit Singh Gill, a former city councillor and MP, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement not just for Leicester Liberal Democrats but also for the city, reflecting the strength of diversity that exists in its many quarters.

Leicester is recognised as the multi-cultural capital of the UK and is also host to the largest Indian community outside of London.

Its diversity credentials were a significant factor in the Queen deciding to commence her Jubilee tour from this home of diversity with communities that have roots from all over the world, living harmoniously and setting an example for other places to follow.”

In 2004 the world’s media was focussed on the Leicester South by-election, which was referred to internationally as the referendum on the war against Iraq. A war which the Liberal Democrats opposed. Voters made clear to Tony Blair’s Labour government that they were whole-heartedly

against its illegal invasion by electing Parmjit Singh Gill who defeated the Labour candidate in a seat previously held by the socialists.

Singh Gill said: “It was a huge privilege getting elected as an MP for the City and following in the footsteps of Naoroji after 112 years. Naoroji was elected as a Liberal in Finsbury Central in 1892 and it’s a great honour to be receiving this prestigious award in his memory.”

Naoroji’s election victory was a significant political statement that only in Britain, with its profound sense of fairness, could there be an opportunity in the nineteenth century for an Indian to be elected to the British Parliament.

Applying to university or college next year? Read these top dos and dont's by Cathy Gilbert, Director of Customer Strategy at UCAS l Do - research your university and degree course choices carefully before applying. That should include going to open days as well as looking at the online information. You’ll spend three or four years studying in higher education, so you should be really passionate about the course content and your chosen place of study. l Do - remember the UCAS application deadlines. The first date on the horizon this year is the 15 October deadline for applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and for courses anywhere in medicine, dentistry, veterinary

medicine and veterinary science. The key deadline for most other courses is 15 January next year. l Do - make the most of the help available from UCAS on ucas.com. Working through the Six steps to applying will make the process much easier. You can also watch videos on UCAStv featuring students who have already started and been through big events like Freshers’ Week. l Don’t - forget that some universities and colleges will ask you to sit an admissions test in addition to the standard qualifications. The Admissions tests section of the UCAS website will help you understand some of these and the UCAS bookstore has guides dedicated to many of them.

l Don’t - be tempted to submit a copied personal statement or one downloaded from a website.

Thankfully, only one percent of applicants did this last year. UCAS is quite clear that personal statements should be an applicant’s own work, although we do advise that parents and teachers check them over. l Don’t - panic about tuition fees. There is a wealth of information out there to help you understand the costs of higher education – and remember you won’t have to pay anything upfront. You can visit the Student finance section of our website to find out more, or visit Moneysavingexpert’s Students section.

International boarders are not immigrants Boarding schools have urged the government to remove overseas pupils from net immigration figures.

In a letter to Immigration Minister Mark Harper, the Boarding Schools Association (BSA) said including these pupils risked driving them away.

The BSA said overseas students brought in £510m in fees alone last year.

John Newton, head of Taunton School, said the students were "exactly what government would like

international students to be - temporary migrants".

In the letter, Mr Newton, a member of the BSA's national executive committee, urged the minister "to consider, most seriously and urgently, removing from the student immigration figures those international students coming to attend our member schools".

"To discourage them in any way, to send the message that they are dangerous and not wanted, despite their youth, is to send them

straight to other markets for education in Australia and in the United States, to damage valuable schools for whom international students are commercially vital, and to do serious harm to the British economy when it is already fragile," he said.

The government has already said it wants to develop a new system of student migration in and out of the UK - but the debate has so far focused on university or college students.

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MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Scrutator’s West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, likening herself to a tigress, will shortly be leaving her Kolkata redoubt for the uncertain pleasures of Delhi, where she plans to raise the antireform standard against the government. This slapstick demonstration of people’s power should bring merriment and business to the streets of India’s capital city.

Vidya Subramaniam’s edit-page piece in the Hindu (September 26) put it well: “Team Manmohan hasn’t keeled over in fright. It has drawn itself up to its full height, hero-like swagger and all, while the Opposition Mamata Banerjee is at sixes and sevens. To be sure, there have been several mock mutinies,” but their bang soon gave way to a collective whimper.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, while holding hands with the Communist Party’s Sitaram Yerchury and other likeminded folk, in protest against the government’s Nitin Gadkari “anti-poor” policies, squared the circle by pledging support for it against “communal forces” (shorthand for the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP) in the national interest. BJP honcho Nitin Gadkari responded emphatically to questions at a press conference: “No, we will not move a vote of no confidence motion. It is not our business to topple the government.”However, he promised that the next BJP-led regime would abort legislation on FDI in multi-brand retail.

Kolkata to Agra The venue of the Business Partnership Summit, organized by the Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), for foreign and domestic investors, will be Agra, instead of Kolkata as was originally planned. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been invited by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to be its president.

The second sign of the times was the Congress Party Working Committee’s (CWC) strong endorsement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s economic reforms. Party President Sonia Gandhi’s confidence in him is as firm as was Narasimha Rao’s backing when Dr Singh, as finance minister, introduced his first tranche of reforms in the 1990s - the starter’s gun for India’s economic renewal. The CWC meeting, held on September 26, happened to be Dr Singh’s 80th birthday (The Telegraph September 26).

Absurdist theatre The people of West Bengal, having swept Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) to power, are fast tiring of her absurdist theatre. Her description of Friday ( September 21) as Jummabar to a gathering of Imams and Mullahs, capped by an assurance that Trinamool ministers in Delhi would tender their resignations following afternoon prayers, are now a source of irreverent mirth. She ignited the mammoth anti-US Muslim demonstration, which brought traffic gridlock to the centre of Kolkata and its surrounds (The Telegraph September 28).

There has been nothing like this since the Pied Piper first appeared on the streets of Hamelin many moons ago.

Meanwhile, Kolkata’s burgeoning crime is reducing Dominic Lapierre’s City of Joy to Mamata Banerjee’s City of Bhoy (Bangla for fear).

Ms Banerjee’s televised interview on CNN-IBN, the script shrewdly reproduced on the Telegraph’s front-page (September 27), was pure mumbo jumbo: a lava-flow of verbal incontinence. Mimicking Dr Singh was in poor taste, an appalling display of bad manners.

Eurozone woes tell us that corrective steps are best taken sooner rather than later.

Security concerns Forward planning is the bedrock of a sound defence policy. The post-Cold War decades have brought no lasting peace dividend. US unilateralism, Nato’s eastward expansion to Russia’s borders, militant Islamism and China’s expansionist fever have contributed, in lesser or greater degree, to the present international instability.

For India, Pakistani-based Islamism and China’s rise – the Islamabad-Beijing axis, as it were - constitute an existential challenge. Beijing’s unpredictable mood swings and menaces, reminiscent of the German Kaiser’s behaviour prior to World War I, have brought a new voltage of fear, doubt and uncertainty to the Asia Pacific region.

Giving teeth to the IAF India’s military preparedness is ongoing and appropriate. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has laid down a 10-year blueprint involving a reported expenditure of some $35 billion to boost its air power. Increasing obsolescence requires new aircraft for old in the IAF inventory. India has chosen 126 fourth-generation multi-role Rafael warplanes from France in a deal worth $11 billion. Squadrons of British-built Jaguars are undergoing a massive upgrade that will extend their shelf life by 30 to 40 years.

Advanced Russian-built Sukhoi-30 MKIs are in frontline service, with substantial numbers of India’s indigenous Tejas fighter jets set to follow. Also,

EAM lays wreath in the Memorial of Indian soldiers in Jerusalem Indian War Cemetery

radar systems mounted on Russian-built Ilyushin-76 heavy lift aircraft, these to be supplemented by ten smaller AEW&CS systems of Indian design and manufacture integrated with Brazil’s Embraer EMB 145 planes. The first of three on order has arrived in India, the second is set scheduled to follow in December, with the third joing them in 2013.

The AEW&CS, developed by the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), prefigures India’s own AWACS project which, reportedly, is in its final stages of clearance.

The Bangalore-based Centre for Air-Borne Systems (CABS) is spearheading the development of an intelligence-gathering nerve centre, which includes radars, satellite communication, sensors, electronic and communication intelligence to network with the Air Force. During 2013, CABS will integrate it on Embraer aircraft and test the full

Farmers to benefit Ashok Malik in his edit-page analysis in the Times of India (September 26) – “Look To The Opportunities” - asked: “if New Zealand farmers can sell apples to consumers in Hong Kong what stops Indian farmers from selling apples in British supermarkets?” Nothing whatever, save the perversity of populist Indian politicians who, under the guise of defending the poor, worry that their impoverished underclass vote banks, with improved market access and enabling education, will move up the socio-economic chain and get wise to the swindle perpetrated by their manipulative masters.

Rajan warning The government’s Chief Economic Adviser Dr Raghuram Rajan issued a caution against over-dependence on fickle inflows of hot money from Foreign Institutional Investors (FII). He said: “More FDI is a good thing at this point, not in every sector but in many sectors…..such as insurance.”

Again: “The more we reduce our current account deficit….. the more we reduce our overall spending, including the fiscal deficit, the safer we are” (The Hindu September 26).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making the key address.

Haifa recalls India link The Israeli city of Haifa’s Historical Society has extensively researched the role of Indian troops in its liberation from Turkish Ottoman rule in the closing stage of World War I in September 1918. Its findings are included in Israeli school textbooks.

“No more remarkable cavalry action of its scale was fought in the whole of the campaign” is how the Official History of the War (Military Operations Egypt and Palestine Vol 2) describes the action. The Indian Army commemorates September 23 as Haifa Day (Israel, India press reports).

Israel and India have signed up to a $50 million agreement on educational exchanges in science and technology. Also, the next “Vibrant Gujarat” conclave is certain to have a bigger Israeli footprint, following a visit to Israel by a high powered trade delegation from Gujarat .

Indo-Russian ties firm

French Rafael aircraft to enter service with IAF

200-250 state-of-the-art fifthgeneration fighter bombers of Russian design, which India will be co-producing with a 25 per cent domestic interface in software and avionics, should be ready for induction in the next decade. The IAF will need a minimum of 44 squadrons for “robust dissuasive deterrence” against the twin threat of Pakistan and China (Times of India September 21).

Surveillance in the air Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne has outlined measures to strengthen surveillance in India’s, skies with state-of-the-art Israeli-built AWACS early warning Phalcon

assembly before handing it over to the IAF, said CABS Director Dr S.Christopher (The Hindu September 21).

Futurist warfare To anticipate the future is to secure it. India’s armed forces are considering the creation of three unified commands covering space, cyberspace and special operations. According to a Times of India report (September 24) the “formal joint programme” has been finalized, and will be taken up with Defence Minister A.K.Antony by Air Chief Marshal Browne. The subject will be discussed at the Combined Commanders’ Conference on October 10, with

An op-ed piece by Vladimir Radyuhin, the Hindu’s Moscow Correspondent (September 28), has scotched the mischievous suggestion put forward by King’s College (London) Indian academic and British insider Harsh V. Pant, in an India-wide broadsheet, that Russia was turning to Pakistan in a possible diplomatic realignment, proof of which was President Putin’s supposed upcoming visit to Islamabad.

Notwithstanding the rebuttal from Mr Putin’s office, a Russian-Pakistan dialogue on Central Asia makes sound geopolitical sense. However, upstaging India carries a hint of calibrated disinformation. Zamir Kabulov, President Putin’s special envoy on Afghanistan, put matters into context, saying Russia’s improved relations with Pakistan would not be at the expense of its ties with India.

“India remains our special privileged strategic partner and Putin’s coming visit to New Delhi will demonstrate our commitment to deepen and enrich this relationship.” Here endeth the lesson.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Political Sketchbook

www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Alpesh Patel’s

Politics of Blasphemy and How To Protect Islam ‘There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.’ Napoleon Bonaparte spoke these words after he was defeated after reaching Moscow by the Russians, and sent back to France exactly 200 years ago in the war of 1812.

So does the spirit need the sword of protection that the law of blasphemy provides? I ask this from India, where The Satanic Verses is banned. On a day celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday – a man quoted this past week by the President of the United States in the United Nations as a model of religious unity. I write from Gujarat, which saw terrible violence between Hindus and Muslims, yet the home state of the great unifier Mahatma Gandhi.

I am on my way to Russia where a female pop group has just been imprisoned for blasphemy.

So do we need the sword of the law to protect our spirit and beliefs and faiths?

The American answer, provided last week by President Obama at the United Nations, in quoting Gandhiji, is an unequivocal no. To understand the world we live in, you will rarely find a better speech. ‘…because we believe that freedom and self-determination are not unique to one culture. These are not simply American values or Western values – they are universal values… Nelson Mandela once said: "to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." True democracy demands that citizens cannot be thrown in jail because of what they believe, and businesses can be opened without pay-

ing a bribe. It depends on the freedom of citizens to speak their minds and assemble without fear; on the rule of law and due process that guarantees the rights of all people.

In every country, there are those who find different religious beliefs threatening; in every culture, those who love freedom for themselves must ask how much they are willing to tolerate freedom for others.

We not only respect the freedom of religion – we have laws that protect individuals from being harmed because of how they look or what they believe.

We understand why people take offense to [the video attacking the Prophet Mohammed] because millions of our citizens are among them.

There are no words that excuse the killing of innocents. There is no video that justifies an attack on an Embassy.

All of us have an interest in standing up to these forces. Let us remember that Muslims have suffered the most at the hands of extremism.

The impulse towards intolerance and violence may initially be focused on the West, but over time it cannot be contained. The same impulses toward extremism are used to justify war between Sunnis and Shia.

The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. Yet to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see when the image of Jesus Christ is desecrated, churches are destroyed, or the Holocaust is denied. Let us condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims, and Shiite pilgrims. It is time to heed the words of Gandhi: "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit." ‘

Domestic abuse- we can end it Jagonari Women’s Educational Centre launched its campaign ‘Domestic abuse: We can end it’ on Tuesday 25th September. The campaign aims to achieve a radical shift in men’s attitudes in Tower Hamlets by making them more aware of the range of behaviour that can be abusive.

The event was attended by, among others, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, Detective Inspector Cliff Jones, Metropolitan Police in Tower Hamlets and the Rev Alan Green, Chair of the Interfaith Forum in Tower Hamlets.

The campaign emphasis on engagement,

Sheenam’s wish nears a step closer A young Derby woman’s dream of helping others in a similar situation to herself has received a major boost with news of a generous donation from a local business personality.

Sheenam Oberoi, who has Juvenile Huntington’s Disease (JHD), has set up her own charity, Sheenam’s Wish, to raise funds for other young people who suffer from the rare and devastating neurological illness.

Only 100 families in the UK are known to be affected by JHD. Sheenam’s goal is to raise £10,000 by her 30th birthday in November 2012, and then give each family £100 towards making one of their own dreams come true.

The donation of £1000 has been received from well known business personality Kavita Oberoi, founder of Pride Parkbased Oberoi Consulting.

Kavita, who is a close fam-

On behalf of Sue Ryder, Barts and The London Charity, Royal London Asset Management, Joint LPA Receivers at Jones Lang LaSalle, BNP Paribas, Wedlake Bell together with other major Funds & property companies.

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Retail warehouse (open A1 inclusive of food) Full vacant possession

Let to Co Operative Group Food Ltd on a 15 year lease until 2021 (no breaks) Rent £41,850 p.a.x

TRADE COUNTER INVESTMENT

Worcester WR1 2SG

Slough SL2 5EA

One Stop, 36 Lowesmoor

Units 1 & 2 Petersfield Avenue

Let to One Stop Stores Limited until 2028 Rent £25,800 p.a.x.

Let to Howden Joinery Properties Ltd & Thames Tyre and Auto Centre Ltd Rent £120,824 p.a.x

Croydon CR0 1RB

recognise abuse, find out more, offer support and be a campaign champion Jagonari is working in association with the London Muslim Centre and a number of other organisations including Tower Hamlets Council, Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum, local NHS bodies and with community organisations.

Indy, is even taking part in a sponsored parachute jump to raise much needed funds.

The charity’s schedule of events will culminate with the Sheenam (left) with leading business S h e e n a m ’ s figure Kavita Oberoi Wish 5K Charity Fun ily friend and who visited Run, on Sunday 14th recently to take part in October 2012 at Windsor some filming for Great Park, close to Sheenam’s website said: Windsor Castle, where “I was completely overSheenam is confident the whelmed when I saw £10,000 target will be Sheenam and found out achieved. That date marks about her wish. I couldn’t the tenth anniversary of help myself but to donate when Sheenam’s Father £1000 to help Sheenam’s passed away who also sufwish to get underway” fered from JHD. If you Since the charity was would like to take part in launched, friends and famthe Fun Run or donate to ily have rallied around to Sheenam’s Wish, please help Sheenam achieve her visit www.sheenamfund raising target. swish.co.uk or www.localSeveral events are planned giving.com/charity/sheena for the coming weeks and mswish.

Sheenam’s brother in law,

Commercial Property Auction Thursday 18th October 2012

Atherton M46 0SJ

awareness raising and urging men to champion the cause is an unusual approach and complements other prevention activities already taking place in the borough. The campaign will run until March 2013.

Jagonari, a community organisation based in Whitechapel, is calling on men to take four actions:

13

52 George Street Entirely let to Reed Specialist Recruitment Limited until 2017 (guaranteed by Reed Executive Limited) Rent £47,500 p.a.x

London SW15 1RG 108 Putney High Includes 4 self-contained flats £147,700 p.a.x

OFFICE INVESTMENTS

Majority let to Leicester Primary Care Trust Approximately 47,986 sq ft (4,458 sq m), Secure car park Rent £518,234 p.a.x

MEDICAL CENTRE INVESTMENT

Liverpool L6 6DW Bigham Road Medical Centre Let to Doctors until 2027, 3 yearly Rent Reviews Rent reimbursed to the tenant

by P.C.T. Rent £31,736 p.a.x

Sellindge TN25 6JX Sellindge Medical Centre, Main Road, Sellindge Let to Doctors until 2024, 3 yearly Rent Reviews Rent reimbursed to the tenant

by P.C.T. Rent £89,000 p.a.x

Leicester LE1 5FQ

Cowfold RH13 8DN

Mansion House, 41 Guildhall Lane

Cowfold Surgery, St Peter’s Close, Cowfold

Entirely let to HSBC Vehicle Finance (UK) Ltd, Approximately 1,806.53 sq m (19,446 sq ft) of Modern Office Space Rent £187,350 p.a.x

Let to Doctors until 2023, 3 yearly rent reviews Rent reimbursed to the tenant

by P.C.T. Rent £72,570 p.a.x

John Mehtab: +44 (0)20 7034 4855

www.acuitus.co.uk

14

ART & CULTURE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Maharashtra Mandal London celebrates Ganesha Festival

f ashionista

by Debasree Ghosh

Be a Fashionista, Be You! If you have any questions or a story or a new style to share with us, please write to Shree at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Style Fixes For Body Gripes

Deputy Mayor of Brent Cllr Bobby Thomas and MP Virendra Sharma

Ganesh Chaturthi, the 10day festival of Lord Ganesha was celebrated at the Maharashtra Mandal London with all the fervour and enthusiasm. It culminated on 29 with the September immersion of the deity in River Thames near Richmond.

The weekend of 22-23 September was packed with super-charged and

of Ashwini Kalsekar, Bollywood performances, Playlet on the wisdom of Ganesha have all stolen the hearts of the audience.

The Chief Guests for the Saturday evening programme were the Deputy Mayor of Brent Cllr Bobby Thomas and MP Virendra Sharma. CEO of Lyca Mobile Milind Kangle was the distinguished guest.

Virendra Sharma’s mes-

Performance by youngsters

efficiently executed programmes.

Saturday, 22nd saw young stars display their talent at the Bal-Darbar during the day. Prajna group of Ragasudha Vinjamuri, Kathak troupe

sage to the community was very inspirational as he reiterated how important it is to encourage and showcase the rich aspects of Indian culture and heritage. The cultural show portrayed various aspects

of Indian and Marathi culture that included classical dance performance by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, tabla rendition by Dhruv Kadam, bhajans and lavani. The programme was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience present.

Sunday had showcased a talk by Mr Ramesh Kulkarni followed by performances by Hounslow Katta and Chaan Majedaar group. The evening finale consisted of two enchanting plays by Theatre Unit – Monologue from “Chaar Choughi” and Gan Gavalan Bataawni “Ranichya Gavat Aan Barachya Bhavaat”. MML Yuva group’s nostalgic and musical comedy medley “Teri Meri Kahaani” that depicted the standard journey of life of students coming from India to the UK had everyone burst into laughter.

Cherished moment was when Chaitrali Tilak, the descendant of the most revered Leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak presented the recording of his original voice.

Lucknow to Lahore A collection of beautiful and rarely seen photographs, which offers a fascinating insight into the role played by Scots in the British Raj, is to feature in a new exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery this week.

Lucknow to Lahore: Fred Bremner’s Vision of India will chart the remarkable career of Bremner – a commercial photographer who left Scotland for India in 1882 and spent the next 40 years working there. This selection of 24 outstanding images, beautifully printed by renowned photographer Pradip Malde from the original glass negatives, will offer a rich, personal perspective on the people

and places that Bremner encountered. Born in 1863 Aberchirder, Aberdeen shire, Bremner began his career in his father’s photographic studio in Banff, before accepting an offer to work with his brother-in-law G W Lawrie, an established photographer in Lucknow, India. His assignments took him across Northern India, and in 1889 he set up his own studio in Karachi, followed by premises in Quetta in Baluchistan, and in Lahore and Rawalpindi in the Punjab.

Travelling incessantly over vast distances, and working in rarely photographed areas, Bremner created a captivating record of

Imperial India’s rural life, landscapes and people.

Speaking of the exhibition, Sheila Asante, Migration Stories Curator at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of rarely seen images of the Indian Empire. Fred Bremner was one of the first photographers to capture the very northwestern edge of the British Raj. An accomplished photographer, he had an eye for dynamic compositions. This intimate exhibition of his work offers an extraordinary insight into how one Scot viewed ‘that far off land known as the Indian Empire’.”

You could chalk it up to a case of "when ill-fitting clothes happen to good people," but whatever the underlying cause of our most dreaded style dilemmas may be, there is a cure. Here's the thing: I, like many, am not exempt from the perils of muffin top, underarm fat, back fat, "mom butt" — you get the drift. But, rather than accentuate our not-so-sexy features, we're looking to disguise and conceal those unflattering bits with some strategic styling. Admittedly, a healthy lifestyle also helps, but I’m not in a position to talk about that after my weekend pig-out. It's all about emphasizing what we love most about our bodies. So no more fashion snafus from here on out. Just keep reading.

The problem: Muffin top Stylin g solu tion: We're telling you now: size up. Chances are that you think that by increasing your jean size, you'll lose that form-fitting feel elsewhere. Don't worry, you won't. In fact, it'll look and feel better now that you don't have that added layer of extra skin pouring over the jean waistline. It may be worthwhile to say here that I truly cannot wait for the day when jeans-makers everywhere will finally grasp how female bodies work.

Those extreme low-rise cuts you see everywhere? They don’t look good on the majority of us. One has to be a genetic marvel of a glamazon to rock a pair of super- low rise skinnies…and God knows I am not one of them. If you must wear a low-rise, draw attention away from the midsection with tops that don't cling and avoid belts if possible.

For dire straits (and we've all been there), you can always opt for highwaist Spanx.

The problem: Flat butt Stylin g solu tio n: We can't all be blessed with J-Lo's derrière, but we also don't have to settle for "mom butt," either. To make sure your backside looks great in that new LBD, look for underwear with p o s t e r i o r padding or some serious butt-lifting shapewear. We're not joking. When buying jeans, got a reputed store that specialises in fitting jeans…Donna Ida in London is exceedingly good. Look for jeans that feature more defined back pockets and are tailored with strategic darting and seams. If you don’t want to readily get rid of all your old jeans and spend on new stuff at the moment, just remember: wearing heels will provide instant lift and improve posture, and steer clear of high-waisted trousers at all costs.

The problem: Underarm flab Stylin g solution : Whatever you want to call it — underarm flab, armpit fat,

bat wings, — it exists and we've all experienced some level of it. In most scenarios, this is a symptom of a bra not fitting correctly. So, first on the agenda? Have a proper bra fitting (go up one cup size and down one band size) and get the

coverage that doesn't leave excess skin/fat popping out at the sides.

Deciding to go for a bra fitting is the best sartorial decision I’ve made in my life. My best friend will vouch for that after watching me spill out of my cups for the better part of my teens. After the undergarments are sorted out, look to sweetheart necklines and thick-strap tank tops for a more flattering cut. The silhouettes to avoid on top? Cap sleeves, strapless cuts, and too-tight tanks.

The problem: Thick thighs Styl in g solu tion: Indian women tend to be heavier at the bottom. Most of us are genetically predisposed to acquire heavier thighs as we age. Having thick thighs causes very painful chafing and makes the fabric you're wearing rub together and eventually wear out.

Thick tights and b i ke - s h o r t s - s t y l e shapers will help reduce chafing, while also sculpting the thigh area.

Instead of wearing miniskirts that may not emphasize your assets to the fullest, try a sexy knit pencil skirt. The knit texture will give a little more, and the shape will hit all the right notes. Avoid short shorts…they make look okay when you are standing still, but the minute you start walking, the bunch unfavourably at the inner thigh area and believe me, you don’t want that.

The problem: Back fat Styl in g so lution: This is the often ignored but equally unsightly body bulge. No one wants to wear a sexy dress or a revealing tank top and realize they're battling a case of back fat. First thing's first: don't wear clingy fabrics like jersey or ill-fitting silk. Then, invest in a bra that not only fits well, but also features smoothing panels. If you're wearing a dress that has an interesting back or is strapless, make sure you are wearing a dress that fits, but isn't snug. Give a twirl, look at yourself from all angles before you step out.

UK

Asian voice - Saturday 6th october 2012

15

If you have any particular topics you would like covered on my page, please let me know.

MUsIc

Tanveer Mann URBAN DESI NETWORK (UDN) GET READY TO RAVE WITH THE PARTY PEOPLE – ‘GLASSY’ STYLE

ASIAN YOUTH CONFERENCE

UDN’s new adrenaline-pumping dance floor track ‘Glassy’ is out now and is available to download from iTunes.

Nav, Gary and Ruman are the three distinct musician-producers from Bradford in the UK that combine their own unique energy and creativity to create high-energy Bhangra fusion tracks.

New single ‘Glassy’ is a feel-good party track inspired by the pumping beats and traditional melodies of Bhangra Punjabi music. Fusing deep baselines with these traditional elements of Punjabi music, ‘Glassy’ is a high-octane tune featuring the musical and producing talents of UDN to create a track that appeals to all generations of Bhangra lovers as well as to newcomers to the genre.

Renowned for being world-class entertainers with a respected reputation for quality both on the club and party scenes and amongst their fellow music artists, UDN are regularly called to perform at high-end events, weddings and marquee A British Asian Talent Show club nights across the UK and international‘MummyJi Presents’: Episode Two online ly. The trio has a unique sound and presnow at: http://thespace.org/items/e00010gc ence within the increasingly popular UK Asian music scene.

Continuing on her mission to find and launch British Asian talent, MummyJi invites three more talented acts to her house for a cup of tea and a chat. This week features interviews and performances from indie girl band The Tuts, body popper Muntaqa Dar and singer-songwriter Kuran Dohil. All acts will be performing at ‘MummyJi Presents Live Show’ at Watford Palace Theatre on October 11th 2012, which will be streamed live on The Space.

Upcoming

EvEnts

Did you know..?

There are 101 flavours of Pringles throughout the world.

Word of the Week: Lackadaisical: adj. lacking energy; listless; lazy.

stUDEnt LIFE

Ha Ha.....

He He.... :P 1) The advantage of easy origami is two-fold.

2) Velcrow…what a rip off 3) I’d like to start by telling you that I am a private and secretive person… that’s all

8 Ways to make new friends at UNI After the initial blur that is Freshers and after filling your Phone and Facebook with names you can’t remember, now is the time that you start settling down with the select few people that have become your ‘mates’. Nevertheless, university life is all about meeting new people and I have composed the following list of things that will help you meet people at university. Even following a few of these will guarantee to get you talking to people throughout the day.

1. Confidence is key Everyone coming to University is in the same boat as you; they’re looking to make friends! You just have to take the plunge and break the ice with a simple “hi!” It also helps if you walk around with a big smile on your face so people think that you are approachable.

2. Attend all the Freshers events Student Unions host numerous events for Freshers that are there for a reason! Take advantage and don’t miss an opportunity to mingle just because you have Freshers flu.

3. Join societies Societies are the perfect way to meet new people, even if you decide not to stay a member for the whole time. It is best to always sign up to as many as you can at your Freshers fair so that you can go along and check it out. There is always a range of societies available that will satisfy your interests.

4. Leave your door open Although this may seem obvious, leaving your

www.punjabeeblonde.wordpress.com tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

bedroom door open for the first few days is the perfect way to get your new flat mates to talk to you.

You want to get along with them, so by leaving your door open, you are showing them that you are friendly and welcoming.

5. Facebook Use your Facebook to your advantage during the first week. Add new people you meet so that these relationships can be pursued after the initial excitement of Freshers. Also Facebook is a good way to keep up with future events people are having such as parties, pre-drinks and house parties.

6. Eat meals in the common area What better way to bond with someone than over food! Try to time your meals so that other people are cooking around the same time so that you can eat together.

Do not sit in your room and eat alone!

7. Get a part-time job Getting a job whilst at university is risky as the years go by but it still is a good way of meeting people, especially if you are in your first year. Going for drinks with your co-workers will be a bonus and a break away from the people you see everyday at Uni. 8. Invite flat mates to do groceries, gym, a walk etc. with you If you extend the invite to someone, they are most likely to ask you the next time so this is a good way to get closer to flat mates and make friends.

The time has come again for the annual Asian Voice Youth Conference, hosted by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar. The conference will take place in the first or second week of March 2013 and will be open to 15-25 year olds. The conference will begin at 11 am and will continue into the afternoon. It will feature leading professionals from different walks of life (including Finance, Law, Medicine, Politics, Media and the Arts) who will share their personal experience and offer practical advice on how young people can fulfil their aspirations and get ahead in the world of work.

The conference will also include interactive sessions and mentoring opportunities. This year we are hoping to attract a wide range of people and all youths within the age bracket are welcome. The Royal Air Force and the City Hindus Network will be involved in the conference this year and there will be various competitions to win prizes and

opportunities to talk to successful and inspiring people in the field of your choice.

The conference is in its third year and is set to be the best and most anticipated until now.

Previous speakers have been Divya Talwar, journalist from the BBC, Amit Sodha, Lifestyle Coach and stand up comedian, Krupa Sheth, the youngest councillor of Brent, Pratik Dattani, Economist and Chair of CHN, Misha Patel, Assistant General Counsel, KPMG, Dr Pranav Somaiya, vascular surgeon and Menhaj Huda, film director, producer and writer.

We will also be launching a youth pullout at the conference.

For more information, please email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com

TRAVEL With Reading Week coming up, you may be looking for a much needed break away from the stresses of University life. Short trips to Europe are ideal and don’t have to be costly. The following are some excellent deals from lastminute.com. Visit the website for more information: 1) Munich – Oktoberfest - from £410 Friday 5th October, 2 nights, 4* Hotel + flight 2) Paris City Break - from £293 Saturday 27th October, 4* hotel + flight 3) Rome City Break – from £349 Monday 29th October, 2 nights, 4* hotel + flight Opting for a youth hostel with mates, however, is guaranteed to save you money. To book youth hostels, you are required to have a Youth Hostel Association card (available from http://www.hihostels.com/ openCountries.sma).

At http://www.hihostels.com/ you can check availability at all hostels and book some online. Bear in mind however, that hostels can get fully booked very quickly, so book in advance to save you turning up at the door and realizing you have nowhere to stay for the night!

Other websites to check are http://www.hostelworld.com and http://www.europeanhostels.com, which give you detailed reviews of the hostels.

16

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Dhanush and Hansika to join again Dhanush and Hansika paired together in “Mappillai” and their chemistry was noted and praised. The pair is coming together again for 'Sottavalakutty'. Director Sargunam, known for his 'Kalavani' and 'Vaagai Sood Va', is wielding the megaphone for this film, which is set in the backdrop of Kumbakonam. Sources say that film will be a comedy caper revolving around a youth who makes bronze lamps in Kumbakonam. Hansika plays a dentist in the film. Vamsikrishna will be playing the baddie role with Nasser, Shayaji Shinde, Suri, Singam Puli, Sriman and Sathyan forming the rest of the cast. Gibran, who mesmerized the audience with his music in 'Vaagai Sooda Vaa' is composing music for this film as well.

Jai loses his sleep over Nayan Among many others who has lost their sleep because of Nayantara, actor Jai's case is different.

The actor is having sleepless nights over working on his next film with Nayanthara. The actor has been paired up with 'Nayan' and has a pivotal role in the film in which Arya is playing the lead. Jai, whose last film 'Engeyum Eppodhum' was a super hit, is seems to be very nervous to work with Nayan. The movie to be directed by Atlee, who worked as an assistant in Endhiran, is expected to start from October. The film is said to be a triangular love affair.

Kajal Aggarwal out of Mahesh Babu film Kajal Aggarwal, the happening girl, with two major upcoming releases in 'Maattrraan' and 'Thuppakki', seems to be in trouble. The pretty actress have just lost a big project opposite the happening Mahesh Babu. The successful 'Businessman' pair was supposed to be repeated in an upcoming Telugu movie directed by Sukumar. In fact, a lavish song was also shot with the pair and 1000 group dancers. Now the problem is that Kajal wasn't able to allot 30 bulk days over the last two months for this project as she is busy with her Tamil films. This has put the producers in an uncertain situation and hence they opted to replace her with a new female lead. The lavish song that was shot will count as a loss for the producer as Kajal moves out of the film.

Hot Garam masala ‘Barfi’ nomination to Oscars sparks debate Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz starrer “Barfi” has been selected to represent India at the 85th Oscar, but it has not gone down well with a section of the people. While some believe that some parts of the movie are not original, which makes it ineligible for the coveted award; others feel that there were better movies than “Barfi.” People are raising voice in support of “Gangs of Wasseypur,” “Paan Singh Tomar,” Tamil movies “7aam Arivu,” “Vallaku En 18/9” and Telugu film “Eega.”Other movies in the list were Malayalam film “Akashaninthe Niram,” Marathi film “Deool,” Bollywood movies “Heroine,” “Kahaani,” “Ferrari Ki Sawari” and “The Dirty Picture.”

Only respectable roles for me now: Esha Deol Newly-wed actress Esha Deol says she will now accept only those roles that suit her family life. The 30-year-old, who married businessman Bharat Takhtani said, "If something comes my way and if it suits my family situation, I will take it up. It has to be a respectable character, for I can't be doing 'Dhoom'-kind roles now." Talking of her future plans, she said, "I have a home production firm and I am starting television production soon. Of course, my classical dance engages me too."

The actress said that she had no film roles in the pipeline, as of now.

Akshay Kumar blessed with baby girl Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who became a father for the second time, says his newborn daughter resembles his wife Twinkle.

"We are blessed with a lovely baby girl, who looks just like her mother and grandmother (veteran actress Dimple Kapadia)," the 45year-old said in a statement. Twinkle delivered the baby, their second child after 10year-old son Aarav, at the Breach Candy Hospital. Akshay was in Jaipur but rushed back to Mumbai to be by his wife's side. He is extremely happy.

Wanted 10 hotties for Salman Khan

Former Miss World, actress, mother and now a United Nations ambassador, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has many number of feathers in her cap. The actress was appointed as the new international goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS. She revealed that she had been approached by the United Nations about 10 years ago but at that time she was busy with her film career.

She says, "In India you commit to films years ahead, so I could never find that time in the diary to be able to commit to actual work being done, it would have been a great announcement, but I have never been the one about announcements, so I had kept it on hold and then earlier this year we happened to meet when they had actually come down to India and I had expressed that I was interested in real work being done."

Aishwarya also said that being a mother helped her relate to issues connected with women and children's health. She said, "Personally I can completely relate to these issues, especially as a mother. There is work to be done in prevention of mother to child transfer of the HIV virus and that is the area we are immediately working on- to have world free of another generation being born of HIV by 2015. This is something I will immediately be working on with the UNAIDS. Ït seems the perfect time because I am a new mother and I am talking about mother to child transfer and prevention of HIV. But this genuinely has been a cause close to my heart. What works today for me is that I am being able to plan my time at this point of time in my life because I have taken a break," said Ash.

Yash Chopra to finally retire after 'Jab Tak Hain Jaan' Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, who turned 80 last week, announced that he will not be directing any more films after "Jab Tak Hain Jaan". "Bahut ho gaya abhi. My heart says bahut ho gaya abhi. I will not direct any other film after 'Jab Tak Hain Jaan'. I have got lot of love in all these years. I think now the time has come to pay back. I want to help directors, actors, technicians who I could not help all these years," said Chopra.

"This industry has given me so much. I am very much happy and satisfied with the film.

This film has turned out better than my expectation. I don't want to do anything else.

My wife has been complaining a lot. I want to make her happy and enjoy my life," he said.

Shah Rukh, who has been an integral part of Yash Raj Films for the past 20 years and stars in "Jab Tak Hain Jaan" with Katrina Kaif

17

Katrina Kaif throws a fit when asked to pose 'seductively'

and Anushka Sharma, said he was saddened

by Chopra's decision.

"I feel sad but great people decide when they want to finish... For years I have worked with Yashji. This is a moment of happy and sadness. We are happy that we are part of that film which made you happy. " Terming it a "moment of history" for himself, Shah Rukh said he felt very touched and "can't question it anymore".

Chopra started his career as a director in 1959 with "Dhool Ka Phool" and in 60 years in the industry, has given many hits including 'Waqt", "Silsila", "Chandni", "Dil Toh Pagal Hai", and "Veer Zara", among others. About his decision to make "Jab Tak Hain Jaan", Chopra says this film was a gift for him from his eldest son Aditya Chopra, adding that his son had promised to serve as his assistant and fulfil all requirements.

Bipasha has no energy for love Bong beauty Bipasha Basu said she has no 'energy' left to get into another relationship at present. The Bollywood actor, however, said she wanted to be in a “stable relationship.” "Yes, I want to be in a stable relationship," Bipasha told to a leading daily. "But currently, I don't have that special person or the energy to get into another relationship," she said.

Bipasha and Bollywood actor John Abraham ended their 10-year-long relationship in 2011.

Boney Kapoor and Salman Khan share a very special equation. Even if they didn’t, Salman gets his way in every department of the films he shoots for these days. From the choice of heroines to the editing, Salman has a say in the entire process of packaging a product. When one therefore came to know that a check-list of the leading ladies is being prepared for Salman in “No Entry Mein Entry” one was not really surprised. It is commonly known in the entertainment industry that one nod of approval from Salmanbhai can make a career, and one frown can freeze it.

No wonder Angela Johnson who was not too long ago painting the town in every shade of red and purple with every eligible leading man, has lately vanished from the social scene. “Bhai’s instruction. She has been asked to lie really low until Sher Khan begins,” whispers one of Salman’s coterie.

And now comes the short-list of ten heroines for “No Entry Mein Entry.” Apparently, director Anees Bazmi is busy drawing up a list of the girls who could be signed up for the movie. Salman would then look up the list and a call would be taken as to which of the girls to approach. Says our source, “It’s a bummer. Because Bhai has made it clear that all the 10 girls would have to be A-listers. So there can’t be anything but the best in the list. ”

The cat's out of the bag! At a recent soap ad shoot, Katrina Kaif threw a fit after being asked by the director to play 'seductress' while the actress posed inside a bath tub.

Kat is the brand ambassador of the soap company and was shooting for a new commercial. According to a source, “Since it was a soap ad, Katrina was required to shoot for her scenes inside a bath tub. Despite giving several shots, the director didn't think Kat was emoting the right 'seductive' expressions. He requested her to try once more.”

All hell broke lose after that with the actress even apparently issuing a warning to the director to not “push the envelope.” The source adds, “Kat was cordial with everyone on the sets. However, after the director made his request, Kat lost her patience.”

Post this, the crew decided to stay mum on the issue and proceeded to wrap up the shoot at the earliest.

Irrfan Khan's son to make a cameo in 'Life Of Pi' Actor Irrfan Khan's 7-year-old son Ayan will be making an appearance in Ang Lee's film “Life Of Pi.” The boy, who often used to accompany his father to the sets of the film, will be making a cameo appearance in the Hollywood film directed by the Academy Award winning filmmaker. A source close to the film revealed that Ayan is extremely comfortable in front of the camera perhaps because he had been to film sets with his father since a very young age. Ayan will play Pi's (Suraj Sharma) younger brother in the film.

Irrfan, apparently, is looking forward to the film that marks his son's acting debut. Based upon the bestselling novel by Yann Martel, “Life Of Pi” is set to release on November 23.

Parineeti to host events now Parineeti Chopra, who made her Bollywood debut with “Ladies vs Ricky Bahl,” will now try her hands at hosting events. Parineeti is all set to host the upcoming Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) awards and though this is the first time she is compeering an event, the 24year-old says that she isn't preparing much for it, as she likes being spontaneous.

When asked how she is preparing for the upcoming event, the actress said, "Whatever I plan it never materializes, so I'll go on stage and whatever will come to my mind that time I'll speak that."

18

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Cost of borrowing has soared to a 42-month high

Dear Financial Voice Reader, I recently gave a talk at the Women Empowered event in London last week. Often after such events the speakers move on with their busy lives. Indeed I had to run to catch a flight to Moscow and as I write it is 3am in Delhi. And I don’t want to leave ‘any woman behind’ who took to the time and trouble to learn and attend and has the desire to be a fellow entrepreneurial traveler. So I am writing this – lots to cover so will cover in a series.

'So our mothers and grandmothers, more often than not, anonymously handed down the creative spark, the seed of the flower, they themselves never hoped to see.'

And that is why all of you keep on fighting. That is why all of you keep on leading and working toward a better day for all of us. You do it so that our daughters and granddaughters - and just as importantly, our sons and grandsons - can have the opportunities that many of us only dreamed of." – Michelle Obama, White House reception celebrating 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, March 8, 2011 Networking Issue: Studies show women tend to be less confident in several important business activities. One is in networking. The reasons for this are sometimes to do with gender, sometimes to do with societal, external factors. For instance, many complained about business networking events with 80% male attendees. This made it intimidating to some in a way it would not be for a man.

Some solutions: Use such events as a training ground for hone up your skills. Like an advanced networking course. So change the attitude. Take a male friend or colleague with a script to be your introducer – being introduced or having someone whose job is to clear the path for you is a ‘power move’ and perceptions of power matter.

Issue: Informal networking does still occur at bars, clubs, golf courses, and to a lesser extent than before ‘gentleman’s clubs’. What if those are not your scene?

Some solutions: Before the decision is made where to go on an evening – set the agenda with a place you’ve tentatively booked – take the lead. If this is not viable, do the one-to-one with friendly males and targets you are looking to do business with to ensure you have to some extent before the informal networking, and after it set up pre-meetings and post-meetings.

Raise the issue with HR, that an inclusive policy for diversity should ensure education of staff that client entertaining should be at places comfortable to both genders and at times suitable to working parents.

"What's the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal." – J. K. Rowling “There is time for work, and time for love. That leaves no other time.´- Coco Chanel Alpesh Patel, author, ‘Our Turn: A guide for women entrepreneurs’

At least 1.5m families are being hit by the highest mortgage repayments in more than three years, according to figures released recently. The standard variable rates that at least 1.5million families are on now average 4.27 per cent – a level not seen since March 2009.

Home owners are automatically moved to SVRs at the end of their initial deal – such as a twoyear fixed loan or a threeyear tracker.

Santander, the country’s second biggest mortgage lender, will increase

its variable rate from 4.24 per cent to 4.74 per cent, hitting 400,000 customers.

The upward move comes despite the Bank of England having kept its base rate at a historic low of 0.5 per cent since March 2009.

A Santander customer with a £150,000, 25-year loan will be forced to find an extra £42 per month – £504 a year.

Many homeowners are trapped on an SVR because they do not have enough equity in their properties to secure a more competitive deal.

The Bank of England fig-

ures show the average variable rate has risen steadily this year.

In March 2009 it was 4.06 per cent but then fell as low as 3.82 per cent before returning to a 42month high of 4.27 per cent.

Halifax, Yorkshire Bank, the Co-op and Bank of Ireland have all increased their rates in recent months.

David Hollingworth, from the mortgage adviser, London & Country, said: ‘No SVR is safe at the moment. There is every chance that there will be other banks and building

Banks forcing loan seekers to take out hedging instrument

The latest scandal involving British Banks is emerging as the mis-selling of interest rate swaps to SMEs. A business that approached their Bank for a loan would often be required or heavily pressured to take out some sort of hedging instrument. Abhishek Sachdev Although this can be a sensible type of insurJanuary this year, which ance, Banks rarely directly led to the FSA explained to SMEs the investigation. risks of entering into such On the 29th June, the products. As a result, FSA published its findmany businesses are sufings, saying that it had fering with crippling exit found systemic failure in how some of these comcosts if they look to exit plex derivative products these contracts or refiwere sold to SMEs by all of nance their borrowing. the major British Banks.

Abhishek Sachdev, However, the FSA Managing Director of scheme allows the Banks Vedanta Hedging, has sucthemselves to be the judge cessfully advised many over whether they misbusinesses on their ability sold a swap to an SME. to challenge the Banks if The FSA has asked they have been mis-sold.

Independent Assessors Mr Sachdev provided this like KPMG and Deloitte to information to the oversee this process, but Telegraph newspaper in

one could question how independent these firms are of the Banks.

In fact, many SMEs have resorted to threatening their Banks with litigation; which has thus far been the only way that substantial settlements have been reached.

These are all confidential since the Banks do not want information about this to reach the public domain.

The Federation of Small Businesses, and several prominent MPs and Lords have also raised concerns about the FSA proposals. Such is the importance of this issue that Mr Sachdev was asked to provide Expert Evidence to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards last week about how Banks have allowed this to happen. The Panel included Senior Government MPs from the Treasury Select Committee.

societies which increase their rates in the next few weeks and months.

‘Lenders are still feeling the pressure. The SVR is something that they can easily change.’

It is not known exactly how many homeowners are on an SVR deal, but the number has increased sharply since the base rate was cut to 0.5 per cent.

A spokesman for the Council of Mortgage Lenders said it is wrong to assume that banks could borrow money to hand out in mortgages at the Bank of England’s base rate of 0.5 per cent.

Barclays to shut 3 branches in India, cut jobs

Barclays will shut three of its nine bank branches in India by end of this month, sources had said recently, that as the British bank reduces its retail banking operations in the country.

Britain's fourth-largest bank is expected to cut about 3040 jobs as a result of the closure of the three branches, one of the sources said. In December last year, Barclays said it would stop making retail loans as part of its new strategy to focus only on wealth management and corporate and investment banking operations in India.

"We took a decision then to sharpen our focus in India on corporate and investment banking and wealth management and to reduce over time our retail banking presence to a core network of branches serving the high net worth individuals segment," Barclays said in a statement. The Barclays branches that will be closed are in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, and Ahmednagar and Junagadh, sources said.

ArcelorMittal to permanently close down two furnaces in France

Steelmaker ArcelorMittal told unions on Monday it will permanently close two mothballed furnaces in northeastern France, enraging workers who blocked off access to the entire steel plant and management offices at the site.

The decision, confirmed in a company statement, is a blow to the Socialist government, which last week ordered ArcelorMittal to restart or sell the furnaces, which employ 600 of 2,700 workers at a site that is now

symbolic of France's industrial decline.

Workers grouped at the Florange plant, near the German border, wept and hugged each other as management announced the decision to union leaders at a meeting in the Paris suburbs.

"For 14 months, they were telling us the closure was temporary. There is a lot of anger," local CFDT union representative Edouard Martin said at the site. "We need the government to fight alongside us and do everything it can to

make Mr Mittal stop his scrapheap strategy."

ArcelorMittal said in the statement the permanent closure of the furnaces, which were shut off in July and October 2011 due to a lack of demand, would affect some 629 jobs. The company said it would seek to move workers to new jobs.

While ArcelorMittal Chief Executive Lakshmi Mittal has given his consent to finding a buyer, allowing France two months to do so, the issue lies with flag-

ging demand, largely from the stagnant auto sector, which is not likely to revive any time soon.

"There will never be a sale. The plant is no longer viable," said FO union rep-

resentative Walter Broccoli.

Industry insiders say that the blast furnaces at the site are not viable at times of weak demand due to their small size and their distance from the coast, making the transport of raw materials more expensive.

The slump in activity in the industrial belt around Florange is weighing on unemployment, which rose in August to above the 3 million level for the first time since mid-1999.

While the rest of the Florange plant is opera-

tional, President Francois Hollande put the endangered furnaces on the political map by visiting the site during his election campaign earlier this year.

With rampant unemployment a major factor in a drop in his approval ratings to as low as 43 percent, he met personally with Mittal last week to urge him to rethink the closure.

Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg had said on Sunday the government was seeking contacts with leading steelmakers.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

19

Off Plan purchase, a double edged sword

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

YOU'D never buy a pair of expensive jeans without trying them on first.

After all, the cut could be unflattering and sizes are not what they used to be. Somehow, property investors feel comfortable risking a lot more than the cost of designer clothes when they buy an apartment without having stepped inside.

Recently at our seminar one of the attendees came up to me and told me he had £90,000 buried in an Off Plan property with Galliard Homes, bought for £550,000. It’s a three bedroom flat overlooking the River Thames. He told me if I could get the deposit back for him he would be happy to invest in Central London. I’m sure he would, but I never told him to invest there.

This issue with Off Plan purchasing has become very dangerous.

Many bought Off Plan property prior to the credit crunch of 2007/8, riding the wave of increasing prices. Many were sold on the basis they were getting a discount from the valuation price. The valuation of a property is what someone would pay on the open market, not what the valuer says it is in the hope of getting hundreds of more valuations in the block. During this time brokers were in the fortunate position of choosing which valuer would do the valuation when applying for a mortgage. They would be able to get this by going through a packager rather than to the lender directly. This perk has now been stripped from them.

Furthermore if this ‘discount’ is applied to most of the block it can no longer be defined as a discount. This whole set up was based on the hope of increasing prices and credit. If the prices kept going up and the finance was still available this situation would not have arisen. But there’s a good saying: ‘you don’t know who’s swimming naked until the tide comes in.’ When credit is withdrawn from the market you really know what is driving the property price. If it’s driven by credit it will suffer badly, as many Off Plan investors have realised.

Th ere have been many cases where people have pu t in their 10% and exchan ged , and t hen the price h as dro pped belo w wh at the y paid. The y simply t houg ht they co uld wal k away and write off the 10% the y had put down. No Sir! Many of the developers recommend their own solicitors to the buyers, many buyers claimed they were not made aware of all the conditions regarding Off Plan purchasing.

Many are in the unfortunate position of being chased by the developer trying to force them to complete in the face of bankruptcy. They are obligated to complete the transaction. Even if the property value has dropped to half of what it’s worth.

In 2010 in London alone there are about 300 legal claims against defaulters by builders including Berkeley Homes, Ballymore and Telford Homes according to Estates Gazette.

Berkeley signed about 3,300 contracts with buyers between 2006 and late 2008, of which 85% were Off Plan. The firm strongly denies any suggestion of mis-selling and says "all customers were provided with clear information about the apartments at the point of sale and would have received advice from their solicitor on their legal obligations prior to exchanging contracts."

The firm says it believes it is unfair and inappropriate to some buyers to renegotiate contracts or resolve other buyers' problems in ways "which fail to recognise the terms of the original contract". It also claims the collective has encouraged some purchasers not to enter into financial discussions with the firm.

There is a point of view from the developers end in that if an investor buys a property for £100,000 and then sells it at £150,000, he would have only paid £10,000 to make £50,000. I doubt any investor

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has gone to the developer and offered them some of their profits. So why are they expected to help them when they make a loss?

It’s a fair point, and one which was echoed by the courts in December 2009 when the high court in Bristol ordered a property investor to pay £133,282 in damages, costs and interest to Prestige Homes South West, after pulling out of a deal to buy two Off Plan flats in Plymouth.

B ear in mind this is a d ouble blow as this pe rson will h ave alread y lost a d eposit , and do es not have t he fl ats any more bec ause th e contract was rescinded . Prest ige Home s, part o f t he Lon don and We st coun try Estates Gro up, said the result was on ly what it h ad been expecting .

Buying Off Plan has its risk but also its rewards. If you purchase in the right location and at the right price you can multiply your money manifold. Parallels can be drawn between this type of investing in property and spread betting in stocks and shares.

It’s clearly not for the faint hearted. Many of our investors go for excouncil properties in strong locations, the reason is simple, the numbers speak for themselves. From the yield point they do not have to wait many years for gain as they make money every month from the rentals.

The growth will be there we believe due to the central location. Even if the prices never go up – which has not been the case in these areas, even through the credit crunch, these are still great investments from the yield point of view.

This week we exchanged on a property we sourced for a client in Marble house for £285,000, the rental on this property will be £450pw generating £23,400 per annum. For an investment of £90k this property will generate a net income of over £8k. This is the second property this investor has bought from us. With the first property he was naturally nervous as it was his first time, with the second his main worry was not the investment but whether we would complete on an auspicious day or Murat! The first property has risen £100k in less than a year and he is extremely happy.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

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Tips of the Week l The mantra for property is always Location, Location, Location! Property in a good location will attract quality tenants and strong capital growth l Ex Local Flats are excellent for income with low service charges and long leases, they generally won't eat into your rent unlike many other flats

20

financial voICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

Human rights: Adding another layer of bureaucracy Theresa May does not believe that in human rights, at least not in relation to immigrants. So it was no surprise that when she changed the law it would be a backward step.

Her views were that there is widescale abuse in relation to human rights and indeed some of the cases put out in the press were tales of injustice.

However they appeared to concentrate mainly on foreign prisoners allowed to stay despite crimes which naturally would cause revulsion in any reasonable person’s mind. What is forgotten in all of this is the fact that there are very few foreign prisoners who have benefited statistically. The main victims of the changes will be ordinary families.

The case for the changes were that judges were applying their knowledge of law without any real guidance and that this was creating inconsistent results and gaps.

Accordingly she has in effect incorporated human rights within the domestic Immigration Rules which she expects the judges to apply.

The starting point is that the legal authority in human rights case is con-

Kingfisher on hold, won't be allowed to fly yet A day after declaring a partial lockout, top officials of beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines on Tuesday met DGCA chief and promised to pay salaries of the staff held up for last six months in the next few days.

The airline CEO Sanjay Agarwal, who along with executive vice president Hitesh Patel met DGCA chief Arun Mishra, blamed a small section of employees for the mess, saying it had led to suspension of all operations. The airline has stopped sale of tickets.

Agarwal briefed the DGCA about the financial problems facing the crisisridden carrier as well as the next steps being taken to restore normalcy.

"We have shared the steps which we are going to take in the next few days with the DGCA. We have explained our position to DGCA," Agarwal told reporters after the meeting.

Regarding pending salaries, he said, "we will clear the pending salaries in the next few days. I myself haven't got the salary."

tained not in the Immigration Rules but in the Human Rights Act 1999 (which is classified as primary legislation) and that this will ultimately need to change.

More importantly the new Rules are a very crude attempt to redress a balance. For example the Rules were changed so that those who have been living in the UK for 14 years to qualify for some status bow have to wait for 20 years when it will be deemed that they have established a private life.

Children who have lived here for 7 years will be considered to have established a private life. However, the law on human rights has established that private life is not just a question of residence. It incorporates a wide range of events.

Human rights can never be applied rigidly and cases are considered on a case by case basis. It is therefore not possible to establish a one size fits all scenario.

And in terms of family life, again the law has laid out a whole body of principles which must be applied when considering a case.

The impact that any removal will have on not only on the family member but on others must be con-

sidered. However these Rules do not provide for this. The best interests of the child are enshrined in an Act but this is not mirrored in the Rules. And there are rules on a balancing exercise, none of which appear in the Rules. They fail to set a realistic standard which can be fairly applied.

Judges will have an uphill task. They will first look at the Immigration Rules. However they cannot stop there. They will also have to look at the body of caselaw which has been painstakingly been put together and decide a case on the totality of the law. This rather complicates (rather than simplifies) the decision making process. In the coming months the issue of human rights is likely to be the subject of conflict between the judges and the Government. Watch this space.

Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years.

Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

RBI allows NRIs to pick up shares, debentures at face proposes valueto acquire the The Reserve Bank of India

said non-residents, including NRIs, can make investment in an Indian company at the face value of shares or debentures subject to compliance with FDI scheme. "It has been decided that in cases, where non-residents (including NRIs) make investment in an Indian company in compliance with the provisions of t h e Companies Act..., such investments may be made at the face value subject to their eligibility to invest under the FDI scheme," RBI said in a circular. As per the existing norms, non-residents are allowed to purchase shares or convertible debentures of an Indian company up to the extent and subject to terms and conditions set out under the FDI scheme.

Moreover, a person purchasing shares proposes to be collaborator or

entire share holding of a new Indian company is required to obtain prior permission of the government if he has a previous venture or tie-up in India through investment in shares or debentures. It also requires that the price of shares issued to persons resident outside India

under this scheme shall not be less than the price worked out in accordance with the Sebi guidelines, if the issuing company is listed on any recognised stock exchange in India.

And fair valuation of shares should be done by a chartered accountant as per the guidelines issued by the Controller of Capital Issues, in all other cases, as per RBI.

Momentum

Whether you are a Golf enthusiast or not, the Ryder Cup is an event which captures the imagination and stirs emotions very few other events can do. The amazing victory by Team Europe this year, rightly called the ‘Miracle and Medinah’, exemplified something which is more associated with sports rather than business. It showed the importance of momentum.

After being outplayed over the first one and a half days by Team USA, the threat of a drubbing loomed large over the European team. However, they won the last two matches and even though they trailed 10-6 going into the third day, and even though they USA only needed to win 4.5 points out of a possible 12, the Europeans starting talking about a change in momentum. The American captain said that even though they didn’t feel that there had been a change in momentum, the Europeans believed that there was and this strengthened their belief, confidence and conviction. This was all they needed to overcome what

seemed impossible odds and win the Ryder cup.

Belief and confidence are essential to succeeding, but momentum is just as important.

Strangely though, people tend to think of it as something that just happens, rather than it being something which can actually be created.

Momentum is defined as a force or energy of movement. And with any movement there is always a trigger point which is initiated by something or someone.

This trigger point can be key event, after the loss at the battle of Stalingrad the Nazi army were pushed back all the way to Berlin.

Some are perhaps less obvious, when Tony Blair stepped down, it began a series of events which led to David Cameron being elected as Prime Minister.

All too often when we are down we find ourselves wishing something good would happen. But we overlook that fact that we can trigger the momentum ourselves.

Anthony Robbins describes this as, ‘Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting...

What simple action could

Five Indian Americans among Forbes 400 richest

Bharat Desai

Five Indian-Americans figure in the Forbes magazine's annual list of the richest people in America with Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates retaining his top spot with $66 billion, up $7 billion from 2011.

He is followed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Warren Buffett (No. 2) with $46 billion, also up $7 billion from last year, and Oracle Corp's Larry Ellison (No. 3) with $41 billion, up $8 billion - and the biggest dollar gainer this year.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been pushed down in the rankings to the no. 36 spot with his estimated net worth falling by about $8 billion to $9.4 billion since Facebook went public in May. The Indian-Americans' list is topped by Bharat Desai and family with a net worth of $2 billion in the 239th place. Kenyaborn Bharat Desai started as a programmer for Tata Consultancy Services, only to leave the company four years later to start Syntel with his wife.

Next comes Romesh T Wadhwani (No. 250), founder and chairman, Symphony Technology Group, with a net worth of $1.9 billion. Landing in the US with only a few dollars in his pocket, he developed business software firm Aspect Development. Today his portfolio includes more than 10 different enterprise software companies.

Third on the IndianAmerican list is Kavitark Ram Shriram (No. 298), managing partner, Sherpalo Ventures, with a net worth of $1.6 billion. He was one of the first people to write a check to Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 1998.

Next comes Indianborn Manoj Bhargava (No. 311) with a net worth of $1.5 billion. His twoounce caffeine and vitamin elixir, 5-Hour Energy, promises to keep users alert without crashing -and claims a 90 per centplus market share in the energy shot sector Last on the IndianAmerican list is Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla (No. 328) with a net worth of $1.4 billion. With a firm belief that the future lies in developing cleaner energy sources, the Khosla Ventures founder was a big backer of biofuel producers Kior and Gevo, both of which went public in 2011, according to Forbes.

By Amit Patel

you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?’

It starts by defining your goal, identifying what tasks you need to achieve start your pursuit of that goal and then taking that first small, achievable step.

The first step shouldn’t be too big or difficult, or else you will never get past it.

Completing the first task will give you belief and confidence to take on the second and then the third and you are on your way.

The singer Annie Lennox said, ‘When you're that successful, things have a momentum, and at a certain point you can't really tell whether you have created the momentum or it's creating you.’ That is the beauty of momentum.

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He provides consultancy services on Leadership, People Management and Development. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail @gmail.com

Ekta Kapoor in India's most powerful women list

India’s well-known TV show and film producer Ekta Kapoor has made it to the list of 25 Most Powerful Women in India Business. Kapoor, joint managing director of Balaji Telefilm, features in the list compiled by business magazine Business Today for her work in television and films.

"I am honoured to receive such a prestigious award and believe that it is an endorsement of the capabilities of women and the power of the content that the Balaji team has created in television and films," Kapoor said in a statement.

Kapoor has joined the likes of Nita Ambani, chairperson Reliance Foundation; Leena Nair, executive director-HR, Hindustan Unilever; Tanya Dubash, executive director and chief brand officer, Godrej Group; and Schauna Chauhan Saluja, CEO, Parle Agro.

financial VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

21

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

The transiency of future Euro surges September was a month of two halves for the euro. The first period brought with it an Indian summer, as the euro rallied on news that Draghiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ECB would not allow a collapse. The subsequent weakening that befell the shared currency appeared to be the realisation that the economic slowdown was greater than anticipated.

Whilst the rally was fleeting, the euroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deterioration, one fears, is not. Sluggish growth and huge debts have left governments and European leaders on opposing sides in the debate as to how the nations can best recover. The troika have been pressing tough austerity measures to lasso the runaway debt problems, however as Spanish and Greek governments try to minimize the burden to their populations, and to their reelection chances, fiscal stringency is an unpopular option.

Greece is inching towards a third bailout, and having more or less aligned itself with the necessary bailout requirements, should Spanish bond yields increase further, Mariano Rajoy is likely to finally take the funding that the ECB has been imploring the troubled nation to apply for.

The dollar, as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reserve currency, and the yen, benefitting from Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s netcreditor status are two currencies that are likely to see extended strength as the euro woes continue.

Whilst there will undoubtedly be phases of euro strength in coming months, these upturns will be ephemeral.

Encouraging European announcements would cause small rallies; similarly good US data would stoke a rally for the euro as investors whet their risk appetite. A Spanish or

Greek bailout announcement would carry greater gravitas, reassuring investors and fueling a more enduring march by the currency, however the consensus is that they will be transient effects.

High unemployment and somnolent growth in the euro zone are issues that will take time to fix. In an attempt to stem the budget deficits, the ECBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harsh austerity requirements run the risk of asphyxiating the already struggling economies. Resultantly even if we do see euro ascension at

0 8 0 8

$ 0 4 5

points, the long-term trend be could that of declination.

Should this fall happen, we could see a simultaneous rise by the safe haven currencies.

The yen has already been the best performing currency amongst its peers this year as consequence to the global concern, and the dollar itself has also seen gains against the majority.

Unlike in the euro zone, the greenback would become more enticing to investors if remains high and equities judder.

Should the US find itself on economically sure ground, following a string of good results, then the dollar would see a contrasting performance as individuals head off to riskier currencies to increase their returns.

Despite stimulus efforts by European, American, Japanese and Chinese central banks, the likelihood of similar intervention by the Bank of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monetary Policy Committee is being played down by analysts.

Resultantly if the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic performance is satisfactory, the future of the sterling will be largely determined by its trading partnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; progress rather than its own.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 2th October 2012 @ 1pm GBP - INR = 84.55 USD - INR = 52.39 EUR - INR = 67.65 GBP - USD = 1.61 GBP - EUR = 1.25 EUR - USD = 1.29 GBP - AED = 5.93 GBP - CAD = 1.58 GBP - NZD = 1.94 GBP - AUD = 1.56 GBP - ZAR = 13.48 GBP - HUF = 356.69

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.

PX XJ S F U S B OT G FS

G FFT

B OE OP IJ EEFO D PT U T

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PAkiStAn-BAngLAdeSh-Sri LAnkA

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Jammu and Kashmir not integral part of India: Pak In Focus United Nations: Strongly reacting to India’s external affairs minister SM Krishna's reference to Kashmir at the UN, Pakistan has claimed that Jammu and Kashmir had never been an integral part of the country and said President Asif Ali Zardari's statement on the issue was "not unwarranted".

Pakistan's mission to the UN said it was exercising its 'Right of Reply' regarding the remarks made by the minister that an "unwarranted" reference to Jammu and Kashmir was made at the United Nations.

In the Right of Reply submitted to the UN General Assembly president following Krishna's address, Pakistan's Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Raza Bashir Tarar said, "Let me begin by emphasising that

Asif Ali Zardari

SM Krishna

the reference to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the President of Pakistan's statement was not 'unwarranted'."

"Let me also make absolutely clear that Jammu and Kashmir is neither an integral part of India nor has it ever been," a statement issued by the Pakistan mission here quoted Tarar as saying.

Tarar quoted from

Zardari's speech at the UN last week in which the Pakistan President had said that Kashmir remained a "symbol of the failures" and not the strengths of the UN system.

Raking up the Kashmir issue at the UN yet again, Zardari had said that Pakistan would continue to support the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to

Sri Lanka closes massive war refugee camp Colombo: The United Nations welcomed the closure of a huge camp for war-displaced civilians in northern Sri Lanka, but expressed concern about hundreds of people who have been unable to return home because their land is occupied by the military.

The U.N humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka, Sabinay Nandy, said in a statement that the closure of Manik Farm is a "milestone event" toward ending displacement in Sri Lanka.

But he said 346 people from 110 families who were among the last to leave the camp were relocated elsewhere while they await confirmation of whether they will be allowed to return to their former homes.

"It is important that the displaced people should be able to make an informed and voluntary decision about their future including being part of the planning and management of their resettle-

ment," Nandy said.

Manik Farm housed 225,000 ethnic Tamil civilians after government troops defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, ending a quartercentury civil war, and was considered the largest refugee camp in the world.

Aid workers and foreign diplomats feared that Manik Farm would become an internment camp.

International pressure resulted in residents being resettled in their former lands in stages. However, many resettled civilians have complained that they have not been adequately supported in rebuilding their homes.

In announcing the camp's closure, the government said it has spent $360 million on the resettlement process.

Many thousands of people displaced by the war continue to live with relatives and friends across north and eastern Sri Lanka, according to the UN.

peacefully choose their destiny in accordance with the UN Security Council's resolutions on the matter.

"The President of Pakistan said no more, no less," Tarar said.

Krishna, who addressed the 193-member General Assembly on Monday, said "an unwarranted" reference to Jammu and Kashmir was made from the UN podium.

He said India’s principled position on the issue had been consistent and was well known.

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir have chosen and reaffirmed their destiny repeatedly through India's well- established democratic processes. We wish to make it abundantly clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," Krishna said in his address.

Lahore chowk named after Bhagat Singh Barnala: Pakistan government has finally renamed Shadman Chowk as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore as a mark of respect to the martyr and an acknowledgement of his role in the struggle against British rule. Freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Singh were hanged on March 23, 1931, in Lahore jail, which at that time stood at the present day roundabout. The jail was demolished in 1961 and on the execution ground, Shadman Chowk was built. Institute of Peace and Secular Studies (IPSS) director Diep Saeeda told over phone from Lahore that it was a welcome step taken a tad too late.

"We had been advocating for naming the place after Bhagat Singh for many years and only on the martyr's 105th birth anniversary (September 28), the demand has been accepted," said Saeeda.

"Bhagat Singh belongs to all of us and we wanted his memory

to be preserved for the coming generations. We will soon press the Pakistan government for building a Bhagat Singh monument at the chowk," he said, adding that the memories of martyrs have not faded from the minds of Pakistanis even after 81 years of Bhagat Singh attaining martyrdom.

Jawahar Lal Nehru University professor Chaman Lal, who has authored several books on Bhagat Singh, termed it as a big occasion. He said, "Pakistan authorities need to be complimented for this otherwise delayed decision". Civil society activists of Pakistan had been holding a candle light march at the chowk every year on March 23 (Bhagat Singh's martyrdom day) demanding the renaming. This year on March 23, an Indian delegation had met former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and asked him to impress upon Punjab provincial government in getting the chowk officially named after Bhagat Singh.

Anti-Buddhist rage strikes Bangla, 11 shrines torched Dhaka: Thousands of protesters took to the streets in southeastern Bangladesh, torching Buddhist temples and ransacking neighbourhoods over a Facebook post they said was derogatory to Islam. Authorities called out paramilitary troops to control the situation in southeastern Ramu town near the port city of Chittagong after Muslim fundamentalists torched 11 Buddhist temples and damaged two others. Some of the attackers alleged that a follower of the faith posted a photo defaming Islam on Facebook.

Witnesses and officials said several thousand Muslims took to the street shortly before midnight and attacked the temples and the Buddhist neighbourhoods in the area forcing the residents to flee their homes. During the attack, they torched 11 Buddhist temples, damaged two others and ransacked at least 30 Buddhist homes. No casualty was reported as most Buddhists fled their homes to evade the attack,” a local journalist said. He said a group of people staged a street protest alleging that a

Buddhist youth in the area posted an offensive picture and instigated the mob to carry out the attack on the old Buddhist sites.

Paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops were called on immediately along with anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and riot police.

Army soldiers from nearby camps were also sent to patrol the neighbourhood. “The situation was brought under control before dawn and we enforced a ban on street rallies and protests,” Cox’s Bazaar

district’s police chief Salim Mohammad Jahangir said. He said police had escorted the man accused of posting the photograph and his mother to safety.

Home minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir flew to the scene and ordered immediate punitive actions against the attackers, calling the incident part of a plot to destroy the traditional communal harmony in the country. Information minister Hassanul Haque Inu said “an identified communal force” carried out the attack under a preplanned design.

Afghan burqa opponent wins 'alternative Nobel'

Stockholm: Afghan human rights activist, ex-minister and burqa opponent Sima Samar won the Swedish Right Livelihood Award honouring those who work to improve the lives of others. Samar, 55, was honoured "for her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world", the jury said.

Pak Taliban offers protection to Imran Khan

London: The Pakistani Taliban has offered protection to Imran Khan who is scheduled to hold a peace march in the violence-prone tribal areas. Imran Khan, a former cricketer, now heads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. His rallies have witnessed massive participation.

The Pakistani Taliban's senior commanders said a meeting headed by the group's leader Hakimullah Mehsud set aside earlier instructions to send suicide bombers to assassinate Khan. The Taliban took note of Khan's opposition to US drone strikes against militants, prompting it to offer security assistance. "We are ready to provide them security if they need. We endorse Imran Khan's plea that drone strikes are against our sovereignty," a spokesman was quoted as saying.

Another bounty for anti-Islam filmmaker

Peshawar: A former Pakistani legislator and General Secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Sami (JUI-S), Ikramullah Shahid, has announced a 200,000-dollar bounty for the maker of the anti-Islam film released on the video sharing website YouTube. Shahid made the offer in Peshawar. Muslims across the world have held protests, both violent and peaceful, against the film demanding Google to block the video or pull it down from YouTube altogether. At least 23 people had died during protests in Pakistan against the film. The film- Innocence of Muslimsmade by an Israeli-American filmmaker portrays Prophet Muhammad as a womanizer, fraud and a child molester.

Attack on NATO patrol in Afghanistan: 14 killed

Kabul: A suicide bomber killed 14 people, including three NATO soldiers and four police, and wounded 37 in Afghanistan's volatile eastern Khost province. Six civilians and an Afghan interpreter also died in the attack. A witness said that a suicide bomber wearing a police uniform struck as US soldiers patrolled the city of Khost. A NATO spokeswoman confirmed only that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Provincial Governor Abdul Jabar Nahimi said the bomber had been riding a motorcycle packed with explosives and 37 civilians were wounded in the blast.

Temple attackers booked for blasphemy in Pak

Islamabad: A group of Muslim men who damaged a temple and attacked homes of Hindus during a recent protest in Karachi against an anti-Islam film have been charged under Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy law. Nine men, including Maulvi Habibur Rehman and his accomplices, have been named in the police complaint regarding the ransacking of the Sri Krishna Bhagwan Mandir in Gulshan- e-Maymar area of Karachi. The temple was vandalized during government-sanctioned protests against the film ‘Innocence Of Muslims’ on September 21.They also ransacked some houses and looted jewellery and valuables.

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In Focus 32 killed in wave of Iraq attacks Baghdad: A wave of bombings and shootings in Iraq killed at least 32 people and wounded 104. The violence was centred in Baghdad and the surrounding areas of Taji, Madain and Tarmiyah, where an interior ministry official said 25 people were killed and 59 wounded. Medical sources put the toll at 28 dead and 77 wounded. Three car bombs near Baquba, north of the capital, killed three people and wounded 19.

Violence in Iraq is down on its peak in 2006 and 2007, but deadly attacks are still carried out almost every day.

China's Communist Party expels Bo Beijing: China's Communist Party finally axed disgraced leader Bo Xilai from the organization after months of speculation about his fate. The party also announced November 8 as the date for holding the 18th Congress, which will choose the country's next president and PM. Bo, the former party secretary in Chongqing, caused a stir within the party by evoking memories of the Mao era, and faces criminal investigation and prosecution for bribe taking, abuse of power and ordering subordinates to hush up a case of murder against his wife, Gu Kailai. He was expelled from the party "in view of his errors and culpability in the Wang Lijun incident and the intentional homicide case involving Gu Kailai". He was also accused of maintaining "improper sexual relationships with a number of women".

Missing Indian’s body found floating in Chicago harbour New York: The body of missing Indian-origin college student Harsha Maddula has reportedly been found floating in a harbor outside Chicago. The body of Maddula, 18, was pulled out from the harbour. It was not clear how he died, but police officials said there were no signs of foul play. Maddula disappeared last week after he left a party near Northwestern University campus.

According to police officials, Harsha, who has diabetes that can leave him disoriented if he doesn't take his medication, went out with friends for two off-campus parties.

Some of his friends left the second party and headed on foot to a third about a quarter-mile away. When they returned, they realized that Harsha, who showed no signs of being drunk, was gone.

Muslim girl cannot skip swimming class: German court Berlin: A German court refused to allow a Muslim student to skip swimming lessons after she said she was uncomfortable being so close to bare-chested boys. The 12year-old, originally from Morocco but going to school in the southern German city of Frankfurt, had refused to take part in swimming lessons and had been marked down accordingly. She filed to be given the right to skip the classes, her lawyer arguing that according to the Koran, she was not only forbidden from showing herself to boys but also from seeing the topless boys. An administrative court in Kassel, western Germany, rejected her application. It said in its ruling that she could wear the full-body swimsuit, known as the "burkini," which would be enough to guarantee her religious freedom.

Sikh woman, 3 kids found murdered in Belgium London: In a gruesome incident, four members of a Sikh family, including three children, have been found murdered in their home in Belgium’s capital city of Brussels.

All the four victims, who hailed from Ludhiana, Punjab, had their throats cut, a report from Brussels said. The gruesome discovery was made when Jasbir Singh, the father of the children found them and his wife dead after he returned home in Etterbeek from work on Friday night, Belgian news portal Deredactie.be reported. The Brussels judicial authorities have confirmed that they are probing a quadruple murder.

London: Lawyers for terrorist suspects facing imminent extradition to the US, including the radical Islamist cleric Abu Hamza, are due in court to make last-ditch appeals against their removal.

Applications for injunctions halting the deportation of Abu Hamza, Babar Ahmed, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary are listed for the Royal Courts of Justice. The court list does not mention the fifth suspect, Syed Talha Ahsan.

The men, who are all in custody, are not expected to appear in court. The applications follow an announcement by the director of public prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer QC, that he will not support a private criminal action against two of the men, Ahmad and Ahsan, thereby clearing away another legal obstacle to their deportation.

Hamza, who was jailed for seven years for soliciting to murder and inciting racial hatred, has been fighting extradition since 2004.

Ahmad, a computer expert, has been held in a UK prison without trial for eight years after being accused of raising funds for terrorism through a website. Fawwaz and Bary are accused of being aides to Osama bin Laden. The claims will be heard before Sir John Thomas, president of the Queen's Bench Division, and Mr Justice Ouseley.

Last week, the European court of human rights in Strasbourg rejected further

7 British nationals killed in Nepal plane crash Kathmandu: A small plane struck a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff from the Nepali capital of Kathmandu killing 19 people, including seven British and five Chinese passengers. The crash of the propeller-driven Dornier aircraft was the sixth fatal air accident in less than two years in Nepal, where more than a dozen small private carriers often brave bad weather to fly to mountain areas served by no proper road network.

Tourism officials said the latest accident could deter foreign tourists from embarking on treks in Nepal. Many of the dead were trekkers.

Rescuers pulled charred bodies from the smouldering wreckage in a field on a riverbank near the airport. The Dornier, one of three operated by private firm Sita Air, was bound on a clear morning for Lukla - a gateway to Mount Everest.

Ratish Chandra Lal, general manager of Kathmandu airport, said the pilot had informed air traffic controllers that the plane had hit a bird.

The British embassy confirmed its nationals were among the dead. Four Nepali passengers and three Nepali crew also died in the crash, the second tragedy to hit the country in less than a week.

An avalanche killed at least 11 people, mostly foreigners, on a Himalayan peak. A hiking group, Sherpa Adventure, said the Britons had been heading to the Khumbu area, home to Everest and other peaks. "The accident could raise questions about safety and could definitely affect tourism to some extent in the country," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, who runs the Asian Trekking agency. There have been about 70 crashes in the 55-year history of Nepali aviation. Nawaraj Giri, a Sita official, said it was the first accident to hit the airline's fleet of Dornier planes.

appeals to its upper chamber, agreeing with an earlier ruling that the human rights of the five terrorist suspects would not be violated by the prospect of life sentences or solitary confinement in a US "supermax" prison.

The decision was seen as clearing the way for their deportation following an eight-year battle through British and European courts.

The Home Office believes the decision should have exhausted legal avenues and is preparing to send them to the US as soon as possible.

All five are making desperate, last-ditch attempts to oppose the process.

Supporters of Ahmad and Ahsan called for them to be prosecuted in this country for their alleged connection to an extremist website.

But the DPP has rejected that request. In his state-

Man behind anti-Muslim film jailed Los Angeles: An EgyptianAmerican man behind an antiIslam film that has stoked violent protests across the Muslim world was arrested in California for allegedly violating his probation, and a federal judge ordered him jailed without bond.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was taken into custody at an undisclosed location by US marshals and brought to court in Los Angeles still wearing his street clothes but handcuffed and shackled at the waist.

Nakoula has been under investigation by probation officials looking into whether he violated the terms of his 2011 release from prison on a bank fraud conviction while making the film, though authorities have said they were not probing the movie itself. "The court has a lack of trust in the defendant at this time," US Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal said in refusing Nakoula's request for bail at a hearing in US District Court.

His crudely made 13minute video was filmed in California and circulated online under several titles including "Innocence of Muslims." It portrays the

US intelligence group finds Qaida link in envoy killing

Washington: The assault on the US consulate in Libya’s Benghazi city was a “deliberate and organized terrorist attack” by groups affiliated with or sympathetic to alQaida, America’s top intelligence agency has said.

This is a significant turnaround of the previous version of the attack coming from the Obama administration that this was a spontaneous protest against an antiIslam video. The attack resulted in the death of four Americans, including the US ambassador to Libya.

“As we learned more about the attack, we revised our initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists,” Shawn Turner, the spokesman for the Director of

National Intelligence, said in a statement.

“It remains unclear if any group or person exercised overall command and control of the attack, and if extremist group leaders directed their members to participate. However, we do assess that some of those involved were linked to groups affiliated with or sympathetic to al-Qaida,” he said.

In the unusual statement 17 days after the terrorist attack on US personnel and facilities in Benghazi, Turner said the intelligence community launched a comprehensive effort to determine the circumstances surrounding the assault

ment, Starmer declined to support the charges. He said: "I have refused to give my consent to Mr [Karl] Watkin to bring a private prosecution against Mr Ahmad and Mr Ahsan for offences under the Terrorism Act 2000.

"The underlying evidence in support of these alleged offences is in the possession of the USA. The material provided to me in support of the proposed private prosecution has been carefully considered by a specialist lawyer in the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism division."

Starmer said he had also consulted the attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC. "I have received written confirmation that the Metropolitan police service do not intend to refer any further documents or other material to the CPS for consideration," the DPP added.

and to identity the perpetrators and reviewed all available intelligence to determine if there might be follow-on attacks against US people or facilities in Libya or elsewhere.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack on the Benghazi consulate, the statement said, there was information that led the intelligence community to assess that the attack began spontaneously following protests earlier that day at US embassy in Cairo.

“We continue to make progress, but there remain many unanswered questions.

As more information becomes available our analysis will continue to evolve and we will obtain a more complete understanding of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack,” he added.

Prophet Mohammad as a fool and a sexual deviant. The clip sparked a torrent of antiAmerican unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries over the past two weeks. The violence coincided with an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

Nakoula, under the terms of his release from jail, has been barred from accessing the Internet or using aliases without the permission of a probation officer, court records show. He now faces eight probation violation accusations.

In denying his request for bail, Segal called him a flight risk and said the Coptic Christian filmmaker who most recently lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos had "engaged in a lengthy pattern of deception," including using several aliases.

Myanmar head ready to accept Suu Kyi as president

Yangon: Myanmar leader Thein Sein has said in an interview he would accept democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi as president if elected, but added he could not alone amend rules that bar her from power.

Former general Thein Sein has paid rare tributes to Myanmar's Nobel laureate during a landmark tour of the United States where he has burnished his reformist credentials by insisting his country will continue its strides towards democracy after decades of army rule.

The Myanmar leader, whose meeting with Suu Kyi in New York marked the latest sign of warm relations between the two, said there were "no problems" between them. "If the people accept her, I will have to accept her.

As I said before, we are now working together."

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UPA government may fall before 2014: Advani In Focus BJP leader L.K. Advani said the UPA government may fall before 2014 and asked his party to think of finalising its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the concluding function of the party's national council meet here, Advani said some allies of the ruling United Progressive Alliance were willing to bring the government down.

"Ten days back if someone would have asked me whether the government will fall, I would say, government is in ICU, on ventilator and the ventilator was not likely to be removed before 2014.

But now, some of the allies are feeling that sooner the government falls it's better," Advani said without naming any party. "Today, it seems almost certain.., it may happen that the government will fall in a year's time," he said.

"Every one is feeling so. We should also think if we can finalise candidates for all areas," Advani added.

Will scrap FDI if voted to power: Seeking to put at rest speculation on its stand on FDI in multi-brand retail, BJP said it was opposed to the proposal in and indicated that it would scrap the policy if the NDA comes to power.

Amid reports that Shiromani Akali Dal President and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who is a key NDA ally, has soft-

ened his stand on FDI in multi-brand retail, BJP said it is opposed to the proposal completely as it was against the interest of the farming community. The principal opposition party clarified its stand at the national convention of the party at Surajkund in Haryana that it was not a question of the quantum of FDI to be allowed and the party was fully against it.

BJP amends constitution allowing Nitin Gadkari to get a second term: Bowing to the wishes of the RSS, the BJP on Friday amended its constitution enabling the party president, state and district unit chiefs to get a second term, which paves the way for Nitin Gadkari to seek another term for the top post after he completes his present tenure in December. Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh moved the resolution to amend Article 21 of the party constitution and the proposal was seconded by M Venkaiah Naidu.

Trinamool may bring no-trust motion against govt: Mamata Addressing a Trinamool Congress rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Mamata Banerjee criticised the UPA government for allowing the FDI in multibrand retail and announced plans for protests across India. Mamata Banerjee said that the UPA govt has crossed the laxman rekha over the FDI issue. "FDI in retail will take away jobs, hit our small industries," Mamata Banerjee said.

Trinamool Congress might bring no-confidence motion against the UPA government during next session of Parliament, Mamata Banerjee said. "It is not a dharna, it is a protest rally.

All our MPs will protest, but I have not brought anyone from Bengal," Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal chief minister, said.

JD(U) chief Sharad yadav was also present at the rally.

Ahead of the protest against the recent economic reforms, party leader KD Singh said: "Sensex is not the index of people's happiness, those

who are happy with the Sensex going up want only money. Didi (Banerjee) is concerned about the 'aam aadmi', and this rally is to raise their voice."

The protest at central Delhi's Jantar Mantar area is against the recent government decisions to allow foreign investment in multibrand retail, increase the price of diesel and put a cap of subsidised LPG. Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy said the decisions were necessary for economic growth and to create employment. "Employment has not been created. The states cannot remain like that, the centre cannot remain like that. Centre has to march forward for the purpose of fulfilling the wishes and aspirations of the people of the country," Narayanasamy said.

Trinamool Congress, which was with United Progressive Alliance (UPA) II since the government came to power in 2009, parted ways with the after the decisions were taken.

The party’s national council approved the resolution unanimously.

The amendment, which was passed by the BJP national executive in Mumbai in May, states that any eligible active member can hold the post of president for three years for two terms.

This clears all hurdles for Gadkari to get a second term later this year.

Modi launched a sharp attack on the UPA government: Taking a jibe at the prime minister, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi compared him to a Hindi film character "Singham", asking as to why he became bold only to benefit foreign countries. “Mr prime minister, the country wants to know. In eight years, you have become 'Singham' twice -- once when there was the nuclear treaty with the US, and the second time on the FDI issue," Modi said. "Both the instances benefit foreigners. Why doesn't

he become 'Singham' for India," he said. Modi also said that on both occasions, elections were about to be held in the United States. "What is the reason behind the PM becoming active when there are polls in the US? Is there a connection," he said.

Modi also attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi, questioning if her recent visit to the United States had an effect on the decision. "Did Soniaji's trip to the US affect the decision on FDI," he said. According to Congress spokespersons, Gandhi was in the US for a week in the beginning of the month for a health check-up.

She had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in the US last year. Modi went ahead to allege that Gandhi had a hand in the alleged irregularities in the coal block allocations."An English newspaper had a report that prime minister had said that Ahmed Patel had a role in coal allocations. It seems the Congress president has a role in all the scams," Modi said. Modi also questioned why the prime minister wanted FDI in retail, while US President Barack Obama was advocating small retailers."Obama tweeted that US citizens should buy from small shopkeepers and not from malls. Mr prime minister, why can't you see the position they are taking," he said.

India remembers Gandhiji on his birthday

135,000 committed suicide in 2011; highest in W Bengal, TN

More than 135,000 people committed suicide in India in 2011 of which the highest number were reported in West Bengal followed by Tamil Nadu. Family problems and illness, accounting for 24.3 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively, were the major causes of suicides while poverty was to be blamed in 1.7 per cent of the cases, according to government data. Love affairs (3.4 per cent), drug abuse/addiction (2.7 per cent), dowry dispute (2.4 per cent) and bankruptcy (2.2 per cent) were among the other causes. Delhi has reported the highest number of suicides (1,716) among UTs, followed by Puducherry (557). Seven UTs together accounted for 1.9 per cent of total suicides in the country. The number of suicides in the country over the decade (2001–2011) has recorded an increase of 25 per cent from 1,08,506 in 2001 to 1,35,585 in 2011.

AC train fares increased by more than 3%

With the exit of Trinamool Congress from UPA, finance ministry has decided to levy service tax on AC rail travel and freight services fares, which are set to increase by 3.7% from October 1. The service tax will apply to tickets issued in advance for journeys to commence on or after the date of its implementation. In case of cancellation of tickets by the passengers, service tax will not be refunded by railways. On concessional tickets, service charges will be 30% of the total fare. The service tax is 12.36% but after the abatement of 70% it will be 3.708% on passenger fares in AC classes and freight. Freight rate will also go up by 3.708% from October.

Passports to cost more from now

The government of India raised normal passport fee by `500 and Tatkal passport fee by `1,000. While normal passport will now be available for `1,500, the cost of Tatkal passport will go up to `3,500. For citizens living abroad, the revised fee would be $75 (from $40) and euro 60 (from euro 48) for normal applications. The new rates will be applicable from October 1. The last time rates were revised was in 2012. During the last few years, MEA has been engaged in comprehensive reforms in delivery of passport services as envisioned under Passport Seva Project - a citizen-centric e-governance initiative as part of the National e-Governance Plan.

Gulzar to be honoured with IG award

Strains of his favourite 'bhajans' played and an all-religion prayer service was conducted as India’s leadership gathered in New Delhi on Tuesday to remember the apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi on his 143rd birth anniversary.

While ceremonies were held across the country, President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani were amongst those who gathered at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Raj Ghat to pay tribute.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Home

Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Defence Minister A.K. Antony also paid floral tribute to the man who was instrumental in India's peaceful freedom struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi's favourite 'bhajans' like "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram" and "Vaishnav Jana To" were played and an all-religion prayer conducted in memory of the father of the nation.

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti across the country. It is also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi, born this day in 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat, was assassinated Jan 30, 1948.

Renowned lyricist, poet and author Gulzar has been nominated for the 27th Indira Gandhi award for National Integration. The award will be given to the 75-year old filmmaker by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on October 31 - the martyrdom day of Indira Gandhi - in recognition of his contribution in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration. he award had been instituted

by Congress in its centenary year to give recognition to outstanding contribution to the cause of national integration by individuals and institutions. The award includes a citation and cash prize of `500,000.

Sale of cigarettes banned in Goa

Goa government has asked all shops and establishments and eating outlets not to sell tobacco products in any form. The establishments have been directed "not to store or sell tobacco products in the form of cigarettes, cigars, biddies, gutka, hukkah, etc" failing which they would be "dealth with severely as per the law", an official statement said.

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In Focus

Kejriwal forms political party, says game over for the corrupt

Ebrahim Alkazi awarded top French honour

After splitting with Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched his political party without giving out its name, promising to change the system and not just faces in Parliament. From the dais with an imposing poster of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri in the backdrop, Kejriwal said they will announce the party's name on November 26, the day on which in 1949 the Constitution was adopted, as the group is yet to finalise the registration process. In his address to his supporters at a day-long meeting, he said, "when we raised issues regarding Lokpal, leaders had asked us why cannot we contest elections and then attempt on making laws. Now we will show them by contesting elections.

"From today, people are entering politics. Corrupt leaders, count your days...All the parties have cheated us.

Ebrahim Alkazi, the grand old man of Indian theatre has been conferred France’s highest cultural award for his contribution in nurturing and presenting modern theatre in India and preserving the treasures of photography and other art forms for posterity. Alkazi, was awarded Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) in New Delhi by the French government who hailed him as “the universal man” for his patronage of fine arts and culture. The event coincided with the ongoing Indo-French collaborative photography exhibition on Pondicherry at the Alliance Francaise art gallery premises. Photographs at the core of exhibition, “Mastering the Lens before and after Carier-Besson in Pondicherry” were drawn from Alkazi photography collection. French Ambassador to India Francois Richier recalled Alkazi’s association with France and his contribution in preserving and enduring the bonds between the two countries through his works and through the Alkazi Foundation of the Arts.

Anti-Islam film sparks protests in Kolkata

Hundreds of Muslims marched towards the American Centre here to protest against an anti-Islam video and to demand that the US authorities apologise for it. The protestors, belonging to Muslim organisations, including the All-Bengal Minorities Youth Federation, broke barricades and tried to approach the highly-fortified American Centre on Chowringee, but were stopped some distance away. The protest grid-locked traffic bumper-to-bumper on Chowringhee and C R avenue in central Kolkata and had a ripple effect elsewhere, including the south and the north in the metropolis.

Maoist hardliners 'ban' Indian cars, movies in Nepal

Hardline Maoists ordered Indian-registered vehicles out of Nepal and demanded that cinemas stop showing Bollywood movies in protest over New Delhi's influence in the Himalayan nation. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), a breakaway faction that split from the ruling Maoist party in June, said the move would end Nepal's dependence on its powerful southern neighbour. "We have ordered all the Indian number-plated vehicles to leave Nepal. We have also decided to put a ban on Indian movies that spread hatred against Nepal and Nepali people," Pampha Bhusal, the party spokesman said.

"We have asked them not to show the films.

We will send our members to the cinema halls to enforce the ban," she added.

BSY to sever ties with BJP & float own party

The former Karnataka chief minister is reportedly firming up plans to launch his political outfit - the Karnataka Janata Party.

Ananth Kumar trying to wrest control over the party by lobbying for the BJP state president’s post for his followers. The BJP sacked two of Yeddyurappa’s followers from important posts, sending him a clear message that his tantrums would not be tolerated anymore. Yeddyurappa skipped the BJP national executive committee meeting.

It is learnt from sources that the party did not even extend an invitation to him, which infuriated him further. Sources close to the former CM said he was one step away from severing his ties with the BJP. If all goes as planned, Yeddyurappa will announce the formation of KJP, backed by the Lingayat community priests, in November.

We will not now request, we will not plead. Now it is a full-throttle political battle," he said. He said there was a time when people who fought elections were considered patriots but now people contesting elections are seen as hungry for power. "All parties are corrupt...Our party will change the system and not just the faces in Parliament, he said. He also said, "Start counting your days all you corrupt people." He said the budgets should be made in streets and bylanes and not in Parliament and mentioned about a Brazilian town which

Modi questions Manmohan govt on Sonia’s expenses

By AV Correspondent Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has launched a scathing attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi stating that the union government had spent an amount of Rs 11.80 billion on her personal foreign tours though she did not hold any government position. Modi launched the attack during his ongoing Swami Vivekanand yatra.

Addressing the crowd at the religious town of Palitana, Modi flashed a newspaper report that carried the figure, which was supposed to have been obtained by a Hissarbased RTI activist.

“The Government of India permitted a special aircraft, which is available only for the President or the Prime Minister, for her foreign visit.

Why for her when she is just a member of the parliament,’’ asked Modi. He wanted to know if the UPA 2 had assigned the status of a country head to Sonia and making

all these facilities available to her. Taking his attack a step further, Modi said that while Sonia’s visit to the US was personal, why did the Indian Embassy book four royal suits in the most expensive hotel of New York?

Realising that the attack on Sonia will result in some reaction from the Congress in Rajkot where she is scheduled to address a public rally, Modi’s high decibel attack on her is being seen as an attempt to set the tone for the ensuing electioneering in the region. Speaking at a rally, Modi asked, “Why the Centre is not ready to part with information on Sonia's travel as demanded by an applicant,'' he questioned. “Why no rebuttal is given by the Congress to the newspaper report in last three month?'' asked Modi. When the RTI activist said that he did not get any reply from the government on his queries, Modi said that he was ready to apologise if he was wrong.

has adopted this method.

"While many people say that direct power to people is a weird idea, I can say it with all the confidence that this very much possible. We are working on a model for this and will implement the same if elected to power," he said while unveiling his party's draft vision document. He also announced a series of agitations against Sheila Dikshit-led Delhi government on the power and water tariff hike issue, threatening to gherao the Chief Minister's residence and snapping power to her house on November four if she does not withdraw the hike by then. IAC member Arvind Kejriwal during the launch of his political party. Kejriwal said his group will hold a press conference to make public sensational allegations against "two big leaders".

At the launch, Kejriwal left it to his colleagues to refer

to Hazare, who had parted ways with the Kejriwal group 13 days ago and disallowed them to use his name or photo in their campaigns. At the venue, "I am Anna" caps, which was prominent in the Team Anna agitations, gave way to "I am Aam Aadmi (common man)" caps.

Detailing about the need for the movement turning political, Kejriwal said the country was on sale and opposition was not doing its job. "There is no opposition. All parties are in power. We will have to clean the Assemblies and Parliament. This is the time.

If we delay it, the country will be sold in five years," he said.

Referring to Hazare, another activist Gopal Rai said "the objectives of the party are the dreams of the 'fakir' of Ralegan Siddhi. We will make it happen." He also referred to Hazare's remarks of extending support to Kejriwal if he contests election.

India's heaviest communication satellite launched successfully India's heaviest satellite, the 3,400kg GSAT-10, was successfully launched from French Guiana. The Indian Space Research Organisation's 101st mission will give a big boost to communication, entertainment and civil aviation as the satellite carries 30 transponders and a component of navigation system Gagan. Since India's cryogenic engine is still under development, Isro chose to use the European Space Agency's Ariane-5 rocket to launch the communication satellite, even though it meant costing double the money, about Rs 750 crore. An official release from Isro said the launch vehicle lifted off at 2.48am IST after a smooth countdown lasting 11 hours and 30 minute.

After a flight of 30 minutes and 45 seconds, GSAT-10 was injected into an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), very close to the intended one. ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) took

over the command and control of the GSAT-10 immediately after the injection. Preliminary health checks on the various subsystems of the satellite including power, thermal, command, sensors and controls were performed and all the parameters were found satisfactory. Following this, the satellite was oriented towards Earth and Sun using the onboard propulsion system. "The satellite is in good health, the Isro statement said.

In the coming five days, orbit raising manoeuvres will be performed using the satellite propulsion system to place the satellite in the Geostationary Orbit (36,000km above the equator).

Soon, the two solar panels and the dual-gridded antenna reflectors of GSAT-10 will be deployed for further tests and operations. It is planned to experimentally turn on the communication payloads in the second week of October 2012. GSAT-10 will be ready for use by November 2012.

Sikhs bristle at Rowling’s ‘hairy’ character

A baptised female Sikh student character, derided by her friends for hair on her body in J K Rowling’s latest novel ‘The Casual Vacancy’, has earned the author a rebuke from Sikh’s highest temporal seat, Akal Takht. Its representative body, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), has sought removal of the text and an apology from Rowling. Rowling, whose latest novel has been written with a

Sikh family at the heart of its plot, has a character, Fats, describing his classmate Sukhvinder as “mustachioed, yet large-mammaried, scientists remain baffled by the contradictions of the hairy manwoman” on page 120 of the book.

While describing Rowling’s choice of words as “a personal slur on the Sikh community and unnecessarily provocative’’, SGPC chairman Avtar Singh Makkar said the

author must apologize or remove the text from her book in India or face action.

“Even if the author had chosen to describe the female Sikh character’s physical traits, there was no need for

her to use provocative language, questioning her gender.

This is condemnable,” threatened Makkar. He refused to say what action the body was planning. “That we will decide once we write to her,” he said.

A paragraph before the Sikh student’s physical description reads even more slanderous, “‘The great hermaphrodite sits quiet and still,’ murmured Fats, his eyes fixed on the back of Sukhvinder’s head.”

26

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

26/11 probe: India seeks to send NIA team to Pak In Focus New Delhi: India wants to send a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Pakistan to physically examine all material evidence collected by the neighbouring country's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with its 26\11 terror attack case probe there.

New Delhi will soon write to Islamabad, making a formal request to this effect. The matter was first discussed between Indian home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik when they met on sidelines of a SAARC conference in Maldives last week.

Malik is learnt to have assured Shinde to look at Indian request within the legal ambit.

"A formal request will now be sent to Pakistan through the ministry of external affairs, referring to pending Indian letter rogatory (LR) there", said an official, adding Islamabad would hopefully agree for it and may allow the NIA team to visit there.

He said: "If Pakistan agrees, the NIA team will visit Islamabad even before

Pakistani judicial commission comes to Mumbai again for cross-examining the four witnesses of the 26\11 case".

Sources here said that besides examining material evidence including items seized from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training camps where 10 Mumbai attackers had got training, the NIA team would also try to have a look at the Pakistani ship, Al-Hussaini, which was used by the terrorists.

The possibility of seeking access to the five prosecution witnesses who testified before a Pakistani anti-terrorism court about the training

Only foreigners keen on Bapu’s philosophy now Having only studied Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy from thousands of miles away all these years, scholars from around the world have started gravitating towards the Gujarat Vidyapith in the hope of living the man's message. There seems to be a newfound interest in the apostle of peace in a world constantly grappling with violence of all types.

In stark contrast, Indians seem increasingly less interested in following the Gandhian way, having lived in Bapu's own country.

The post-graduate degree course in Gandhian philosophy run by Gujarat Vidyapith, established by the Mahatma in 1920, has not found a single student for the past three years. Vidyapith officials say that while there are six faculty members for the post-graduate course in Gandhian philosophy, not a single student enrolled for the programme in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In 2009, the only student was a girl from Japan, Kaori Kurihara, who went to the extent of learning Gujarati to understand Gandhi better.

Kaori's dedication is also apparent from the fact that she is now pursuing MPhil in Gandhian Philosophy.

In contrast, the four-

month residential certificate course in Gandhian philosophy run for foreign students remains packed. An average 10-12 students from across the world come to learn the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. So far, over 30 foreign students have taken the certificate course and took their understanding of the Mahatma back home.

This year, eight students from US, Sudan, Argentina, Mexico and Nepal have enrolled for the course.

Director of the Ahimsa Shodh Sanshodhan Kendra, which runs courses in Gandhian philosophy and Gandhi Darshan Pushpa Motiyani justifies the absence of students saying that Indian children are familiar with Gandhi and his life since childhood and hence are probably not attracted to study him deeply like foreign students.

Vice chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Sudarshan Iyengar is more forthright.

He says that Indian students study to get a job and education in Gandhian philosophy does not offer good career prospects. "If Gandhi is taught in school and colleges like local national leaders are taught in other countries, there would be job opportunities for students to get jobs as teachers", says Iyengar.

of the terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attack is also in the mind of investigators.

"But, this will entirely depend on Pakistan as visit of investigators under the pending LR is restricted to looking at evidences and interaction or exchange of information between probe agencies", said an official.

The LR (a legal request through Indian court seeking help of Pakistan in Mumbai terror attack case probe) has been pending for long as Islamabad initially resisted the move to allow foreign investigators to conduct probe on its soil. The matter now appears to have moved a bit forward after both the countries agreed to enhance cooperation between the NIA and FIA on issues of mutual concern, including 26\11 investigation, during the home secretary-level talks in May. Pakistan, meanwhile, pitched for sending its judicial commission to Mumbai for second time to crossexamine four witnesses.

Malik put forward the Islamabad's request to

Shinde while referring to Pakistan's trial court order that rejected the findings of the Judicial Commission which visited Mumbai in March. The Court had in July said that the report of the panel had no "evidential value" as it was not allowed to cross-examine the four witnesses and asked the Panel to visit India again for the job. The four witnesses who are supposed to be quizzed by the panel include the magistrate, who recorded the confessional statement of arrested LeT terrorist Azmal Kasab, the investigating officer of the 26\11 case and two doctors who conducted the post-mortem of the nine slain terrorists. Sources in the home ministry said that though India would allow Pakistani judicial commission to visit Mumbai, there was some resistance among a section of officials here over the move as they believed that there was no guarantee that Islamabad would not put forth another condition or demand for speeding up the 26\11 trial there in future.

Gujarat BJP to launch its own channel

Manmohan Singh turns 80 Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who turned 80 last week, had spend the day working as he has done in the past. A workaholic, the prime minister has shied away from celebrations on his birthday but there have been occasions when he has cut a cake on board his special aircraft during foreign trips.

The prime minister has on Wednesday last given away the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awards and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) awards on the organisation's 70th Foundation Day function.

The prime minister is the president of CSIR, whose foundation day coincides with his birthday. Manmohan Singh, who has been prime minister since 2004, had also weathered the political storm. Born in 1932 in Gah Begal village in what is now Punjab province of present-day Pakistan.

Pratibha Patil told to return gifts given to her as President Former President Pratibha Patil is embroiled in a fresh controversy aftera Right to Information (RTI) inquiry revealed that the former President had taken several "gifts" given to her when she was President to her hometown Amravati in Maharashtra where they were on display at the museum of the Vidya Bharati Shaikshanik Mandal. The Mandal is controlled by her son and Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Shekhawat.

In reply to the application of RTI acticist Subhash Agarwal, Rashtrapati Bhawan has said that all articles would be returned. "It was a decision taken by President Pranab Mukherjee soon after he took office," said the President's Press Secretary. The gifts include things like a stone box given to Pratibha Patil as a memento by visiting US president Barack Obama.

Isro’s missile woman gets Shastri award

By AV Correspondent Even as Gujarat gears up for elections and the mudslinging in campaigning have already begun, the state unit of the BJP wants to add on the blitzkerg and plans to launch its own channel called Namo Gujarat. Though it is a known fact that Namo is named after CM Narendra Modi but the BJP has been denying it out rightly. The channel will be available on GTPL and InCable, the two largest cable TV networks in the state.

The channel, will be launched by Modi himself and the content of this channel will primarily include all the programmes of the CM live including his ongoing Vivekanand Vikas Yatra. This channel will also focus on the works undertaken during Modi’s tenure. Though the opposition is terming it as a misuse of government machinery, Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil said that the CM has convert-

ed everything as his personal propaganda machine and this will be another one which will also be a misuse of funds. ``“The channel will be available on all cable networks within a week. Other satellite channels will also air the same content,” said a BJP leader who has been handling Modi’s yatra so far. The leader went on to say that the channels will be aired only till the elections and the duration is still to be confirmed whether it would be round the clock or for 18 hours.

This is not the first time that the state unit of the BJP is taking such an initiative even during the 2007 Assembly elections, Modi had launched an IPTV channel called ‘Vande Gujarat’ but the Election Commission had placed restrictions on it following complaints and party leaders feel this time too Namo will end up with the same fate once the code of conduct is imposed by the Election Commission.

Tessy Thomas, the key defence scientist in the Agni series of missiles, was conferred the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award by President Pranab Mukherjee. Thomas was given the award for her outstanding contribution for making India self-reliant in the field of missile technology. The award, given annually carries a Rs 500,000 purse, a plaque and a citation. Mukherjee said Thomas, through her dynamism, has made the country proud and self reliant in the sphere of security. Thomas has contributed in various fields such as guidance, control, inertial navigation, trajectory simulation and mission design. Currently, she is the Project Director of Agni-IV, which is a major project with state-of-the-art technologies.

Gadkari slaps defamation case against Digvijay BJP President Nitin Gadkari slapped a criminal defamation case against Congress leader Digvijay Singh for accusing him of having business links with his party MP Ajay Sancheti who allegedly pocketed Rs. 500 crore in coal block allocation. Pinky Anand, appearing for the BJP leader, told Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar.

Denying that Mr. Gadkari has any “direct or indirect” business relations with Mr. Sancheti, Anand said Mr. Singh’s statement, which was widely reported by the media, had the “clear intention to malign the reputation of the complainant”. During the hearing, Mr. Gadkari’s counsel told the court that they had sent a legal notice to Mr. Singh on September 14, but the Congress leader had not replied to it.

world - india

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

survival of the flashiest?

By Aman Singh Gold-plated punjabis, diamond-encrusted gujaratis, stinking rich Sindhis and erudite East Indians. Spot the difference?

Gross stereotypes I concede-but the deeper question is whether, as a diaspora, are we overly concerned with the pursuit of material wealth and its various accoutrements in place of social progess?

My central premise is this; research into migration in the middle part of the last century put forward the following blue print to illustrate the various stages of a diaspora's social progress. Ethnic group sees a better, real meaning, richer life abroad. The genetically mentally and socially resilient individuals take the challenge and migrate.

Then they face the bigotry and 'rivers of blood' enoch powell-esque apathy that those who stayed behind foresaw. Migrants create resilient communities, survive, open corner shops, suggest certain professional career paths to their children and progress. But this is gold and diamonds and range rover progress.

This is not real, longterm, impactful social progress.

The next stage in the model was supposed to

encompass social progress.

The kind of social progress whereby we elect our compatriots as greater than 2% of the total of MPs and High Court Judges and 3% Members of public sector executive boards.

That kind of influence cannot be bought on Green Street or flashy dealerships. That kind of stepping up to the middle classes really only derives from an understanding of and ingratiation into one's host country. If we to remain in the UK, we could do far worse than establish our roots in the civic, cultural and even religious institutions that make the UK great. We can survive in peace with our host culture.

Multiculturalism works, it has to in a global age.

So my challenge to my young readers is this.

Strive for more than material wealth. This is undoubtedly a cliche, because happiness does come through the pursuit of things. What I am saying is that by choosing now, before they fall into the rat race of acquisition that currently typifies our ethnic stereotypes highlighted earlier, think what is better for your community, real social progress.

And then go out and get it.

By AV Correspondent As one turns into the village road from Bhuj-Anjar Highway to Ratnal, a pleasant surprise awaits. Wide concrete road leads one to a clean and almost rich village. But this was not always the face of Ratnal, which hides more sad stories under the veneer of its apparently content appearance and beneath all a steely community resolve to rise from ashes every time and work towards prosperity.

Located little more than 55 km from Kutch district headquarters Bhuj, Ratnal is known as the village of truck owners and widows.

With a population of about 7,000 and 1,400 families, the village has around 1,100 trucks, which ply all over the state as well as the country. With more than 80 per cent of its population belonging to the Ahir community, who were historically pastoralists, showed its interest in transportation business in mid 1970s, when lignite business started in Kutch.

“We were not educated, so some of us bought trucks. That time many youngsters from our families who were working in the Middle East as labourers, used to send money home,” says Bachhu Ahir, sitting under a tree in the

By AV Correspondent While Ahmedabad has already been classified as the world heritage city, one of the monuments which define the city’s architecture is still awaiting the status. Despite representation the monument is still to get a nod for the status.

Classified as one of the largest in the group of monuments in the western region, the Sarkhej Roza is spread over an area of 34 acres and to add to the beauty is the step well (talav) which is spread over 17 acres. The historic mosque was built during the reign of Ahmed Shah (1440-1443 A.D.) in Sarkhej, a village with a population of weavers and indigodyers who were predominantly Hindu.

It became associated with the name of Shaikh Ahmed Khattu Ganj Baksh, a Sufi saint, friend and advisor to Sultan Ahmed Shah, who in his later years retired to the quiet environment of Sarkhej, away from the city. The saint lived till he was 111 years of age. Upon his death in 1445, the reigning monarch, Mohammed Shah ordered a mausoleum built in his honour, along with a mosque. The construction of these two monuments was completed in 1451 A.D., by his successor Qutb'ud-Din Ahmed Shah.

In the latter half of the 15th century, Sultan Mahmud Begada completed the complex by excavating a central tank and

adding a number of pavilions and a small private mosque. Also, he built a mausoleum for himself and his family opposite to that of the saint, where his son Muzzaffar II and his queen, Rajabai were buried. A garden was built to commemorate the event. Further additions to the complex were made in 1584 A.D., when Akbar's forces defeated Muzaffar III. “There is a proposal that the talav which has remained empty for the last four or five years will now be filled up and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation too is taking keen interest in doing that,’’ said trustee of the Sarkhej Roza Trust Committee Iqbal Chhipa. He said the monument, apart from its historic importance, is also known for its architectural beauty. “Parts of the domes had collapsed

village. “We did not know what to do with the money, so we bought more trucks,” he adds. With liberalization of economy and easy availability of bank loans, buying trucks became easier and more people got into the business. Proximity to Kandla port and its location on the highway only made things better.

and many of them met with fatal accidents.

Widowed women with mourning black dress soon became an alternative image for the village identity. “Many young boys died in accidents, many were widowed,” says Lakhiben, a septuagenarian Dalit widow, whose family too once owned a truck. “But then things

“Today our trucks run all over the state and many across the country,” Bachhu says. “And we get all the information about our trucks sitting right in our village, as there is now a network of our drivers, who know us and each other,” he adds. But with the prosperity came the shadow of grief. Initially the villagers started plying the vehicles themselves

changed and people started hiring outsiders, properly trained in driving,” she adds. “We don’t hear the distressing news of accidents as frequently as before,” she adds.

“The village and the community have a history of rising from total disasters,” says Trikam Ahir, the Sarpanch of the village.

“The village was completely destroyed in 2001 earth-

and the pillars too had shifted during the earthquake in 2001, but the Archeological Survey of India had done a marvelous job to restore the monument and make it look like before,’’ said Chhipa. Visitors sit here to spend hours to admire the architecture, especially of the step well, and the palaces which are on the other side of the monument.

In fact it is this restoration work and the architectural beauty of this monument that has attracted the attention of not only conservators and architects but students pursuing the course too take keen interest in the architecture. And the most recent visit has been that of the students of the R V College of Engineering of Bangalore who too visited the monument as a part of their study visit. The mosque as raised the curiosity levels of many as it has been designated as Class I Centrally Protected Monument by the Archeological Survey of India.

Mayor of Ahmedabad Asit Vora too said that the monument was a priced possession for the city and they too were taking keen interest to restore the beauty of this place. “The corporation too is keen that it be maintained and remain a tourist attraction and that is the reason why several encroachments from the neighbouring

27

quake, but with the community coming together, the village has bounced back to prosperity,” he adds. “Even if a family owns a few trucks, the community has not as yet given up its traditional profession of animal husbandry,” he says. “The women in almost all the houses still carry out embroidery work, which too brings money home,” he adds. The development of financial muscle has in turn led to strengthening of its political muscle as well.

One of the residents of the village, Vasan Ahir, is Gujarat minister of state for the welfare of socially and educationally backward classes.

The village is also home to the district panchayat president. But ask about the widows and accidents, everyone now seems to forget it.

“If you drive a vehicle, you may run into an accident, there is nothing absurd about it,” says Trikam. “Yes there were some accidents but not more than what is average per thousand trucks in India, but people seem to have made a big issue out of it,” he says. He admits that the villagers have now moved on to hire professional drivers. “That is more convenient and better way to operate,” he adds with a smile.

areas have been removed and now steps were being initiated to fill up the talav to make it look like before.,’’ said Vora.

Chhipa said that the committee too was taking keen interest to ensure that this monument be declared as one of the World Heritage Site. Apart from the architectural beauty it has important valuables like some of the letters written by the Khadim of Prophet to the sufi saints and the Sultan. The museum has the photocopies of the letter and the original ones are in Mecca. For the visitors there is also the pagdi which was given to the saint by the Prophet in his dream and then handed over to the sufi saint in Mecca.

The trust has been trying to organise annual events which raise more awareness about the monument not only amongst city dwellers but those outside the state and the country. Hence there were Sufi concerts organised during the world heritage week and visits by former President APJ Abdul Kalam and lyricist Javed Akhtar has been a reason for the trust to cheer for the efforts that they have been making. Chhipa says that apart from maintenance, the trust is now trying to see to it that the monument does find its name in the list of world heritage monuments. “We are hopeful as the committee which decides on the list also has visited the monument recently,’’ said Chhipa.

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travel & WOMEN

asian voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Purvi’s travel bag

By Purvi Apurva Shah

women achievers

Sonal Shah - An economist with a humane heart

By AV Correspondent

Hemkund Sahib, world’s highest shrine is situated in the Himalayas at an elevation of over 15,000 ft in the state of Uttarakhand. It is one of the most sacred destinations of the Sikhs. It is located in the highest altitude of the Hemkund Lake (4,329 m above sea level) and is surrounded by snow clad peaks and their glaciers.

Hemkund Sahib, or Lake of Ice, is a revered Sikh gurdwara. For eight months of the year, the lake is frozen. It melts in the monsoons and meadows of wildflowers colour its banks. Encircled by seven snow-clad peaks and glaciers, it reflects its surroundings enchantingly on its crystal-clear waters. Sikhs apart, it is an important pilgrimage site for people of other faiths.

Devotees in thousands climb the steep stone path to the lake and bathe in its freezing waters.

It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikh faith meditated on the bank of this lake. Many pilgrims are overcome with altitude sickness but most, before the chill of the air at an altitude of 4,329 m becomes too much, bathe in the lake. There is a separate enclosure for women. Most enter the frigid water slowly, utter a prayer, and then take a few dips before scampering back to the shore. Local photographers are available here, for those without cameras. You can collect the holy water in a bottle and place it inside the gurdwara, just beside the Guru Granth Sahib.

Visited both by Hindus and Sikhs and other communities as well, the very sacred Sikh shrine of Hemkund Sahib is the place where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs, attained salvation after a prolonged process of meditation in his previous birth. The Guru’s memoirs which contain a comprehensive description of the site helped two devout Sikhs, Sant Sohan Singh and

Havaldar Mohan Singh to revive it.

According to Hindu mythology, Hemkund or Lokpal as it is also referred to as, is actually where Lakshman had performed meditation.

Reached by a 15 km trek from Govindghat (about 275 km from Rishikesh), which is the entrance way to the Bhyundar or Lakshman Ganga Valley, Hemkund Sahib offers a whole range of trekking options. Govindghat is located on the bus route to Badrinath.

The trek from here to Hemkund interestingly takes one through deep forests of pine and rhododendron where one gets to woo the wild roses, ferns, and alpine flowers. The surging waters of the Lakshman Ganga are equally placating. The last 5 km of the trek involves a steep climb from Ghangharia, which is a base for visiting Hemkund.

The placid waters of the Hemkund Lake which is 2 km in circumference reflect images of Saptashringa Peaks which surround it.

Sleets floating on the waters during the months between July and October offer the best scenarios in Hemkund.

Approximately 3 km from Gobinddham is located the 5 km long Valley of Flowers which makes for a wonderful visit while you are touring Hemkund Sahib. The beauty of fresh blooms will enchant you to the core and are some of the major tourist attractions in Hemkund Sahib.

How to reach Hemkund Sahib:

By Air: Nearest airport from Hemkund Sahib is Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, 307 km.

By Rail: Nearest railway station is Rishikesh, 293 km.

A wonderful option for nature lovers and religious people alike, Hemkund Sahib draws a large number of tourists from various parts of the country.

Sonal R. Shah, a Gujarati by birth, is an American economist and public official. From April 2009 to August 2011, she served as the Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in the White House. Previously, Sonal was a member of the Obama-Biden Transition Project and was the head of Global Development Initiatives, a philanthropic arm of Google.org.

Sonal was born on May 20, 1968 in Mumbai. She moved to the USA and grew up in Houston, Texas.

She graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Economics in 1990 and received a Master’s degree in Economics from Duke University. Sonal held a variety of positions in US Department of Treasury from 1995 until 2001. She was the director of the office overseeing strategy and programs for subSaharan Africa, which included debt relief, development programs and World Bank/International Monetary Fund strategies.

She worked with the Ministries of Finance in Bosnia and Kosovo to design the post-war banking system. During the Asian financial crisis, she served as a senior adviser to US Treasury officials who were coordinating the This snack is traditionally sold on the streets of Gujarati towns. It is another version of vada pav made with a sweet and spicy potato mixture which is filled into a small burger bun with a topping Preparation Time: 10 mins /Cooking Time: 15 mins. /Makes 15 buns.

Ingredients: For the dabeli masala, 1 red chilli, 1 tsp coriander (dhania) seeds, 12 mm. (1/2") stick cinnamon (dalchini), 2 cloves (laung / lavang), 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) For the filling: 1 cup boiled and mashed potatoes, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera), a pinch of asafoetida (hing), 2 tsp dabeli masala, recipe above, 2 tbsp Khajur Imli ki Chutney, 2 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

Other ingredients: 15 burger buns, butter or oil for cooking To serve: 1 onion, chopped, 1/2 cup roasted

US response.

From 2001-2003, she served at the Center for Global Development as Director of Operations and Programs, helping set up all aspects of the strategy, infrastructure and operations. From 2003-2004, she worked at the Center for American Progress as an Associate Director, advising current and former Congressional and government executives on a wide variety of issues, including trade, outsourcing and postconflict reconstruction. In 2004, Sonal joined Goldman Sachs as a Vice President, focusing on their environmental strategy and implementation. She worked on green initiatives, which included informing clients and bankers on alternative energy opportunities and advising them on how to implement environmental, social and governance criteria for all investments. In 2007, Shah joined Google.org as the head of Global Development Initiatives, and worked closely with Executive Director Larry Brilliant in guiding global economic development efforts.

She also worked extensively on the growth of small and medium sized enterprises in partnership with the Omidyar Network and the Soros Foundation.

In April 2009 she was appointed director of the

newly created White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. The objective of this office is to coordinate governmental efforts to aid innovative, non-profit groups and social entrepreneurs to address pressing social problems.

Sonal is also working with the National Security Council to bring a global perspective to these efforts.

In 2001, she worked with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, a Hindu organization, as the National Coordinator during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Later that year she co-founded the non-religious, non-profit Indicorps which recruits young people of Indian origin from all over the world to volunteer in India. Indicorps volunteers have worked in the areas of education, health and sanitation, rural development, tsunami relief, and microfinance.

Some of the awards with which she won include the Henry Crown Fellowship, Aspen Institute, 2006. The Next Generation Fellow, American Assembly, Columbia University, 2007 and the India Abroad Person of the Year, 2003.

Sonal, who has gone much beyond the domain of economics has made an impeccable impact on people's lives and touched these lives by being the cofounder of Indicorps.

Dabeli peanuts, 1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania), 1/2 cup Sev, 1/2 cup fresh pomogranate (anar), 2 tsp Fresh Garlic Chutney 6 tbsp Khajur Imli ki Chutney.

Method For the dabeli masala: Roast all the ingredients in a pan for 2 to 3 minutes.

Grind to a fine powder in a blender. Use as required.

For the filling: Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, dabeli masala, potato, salt and ½ cup of water and mix well. Remove from the fire, add the 2 tablespoons of khajur imli ki chutney and mix well. Divide into 15 portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed: Slice

the burger buns into halves horizontally and cook the buns in a pan using a little butter. Place a portion of the filling on the lower half of each bun. Top with the chopped onion, peanuts, coriander, sev, pomegranate , fresh garlic chutney and khajur imli ki chutney.

Sandwich it with the top halves of the burger buns.

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emergency doctors diagnosed Robin was suffering from a heart attack. “I couldn’t believe I was having a heart attack since I had no vices or any family history.

However, I worked long hours, sometimes 12-14 at a stretch. I used to have meals at odd hours and had no time for exercise. I didn’t even realise when my lifestyle issues became so big that they threatened my life,” he said.

Post the heart attack, Robert has modified his lifestyle — he exercises everyday, takes weekly consultations with a dietitian and his wife monitors his working hours strictly.

Dr Rahul Patil, interventional cardiologist, who treated Robert, said , “A large number of people I see in my practice are from IT industry. They have high performance oriented jobs, work irregular hours and sleep less.

Many patients are constantly travelling in or outside country, live alone for a long time and

pay less attention to food and exercise. This makes them prone to early heart attacks.”

Dr CN Makhale, cardiologist and co-director of cardiac cath lab, Ruby Hall Clinic said, “Call centres have erratic working hours leading to haphazard eating and sleeping hours which keep changing every week. It is against the body’s biological work and the body is always at a war-like situation. To keep awake at odd hours or kill boredom, majority of these patients took to chain smoking, which is extremely harmful.”

However, it acknowledged night shift workers at 52% higher risk than day workers of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

A recent study by British Heart Foundation pointed out that a highly demanding job but having little control over it could be a deadly combination.

In the study where nearly 2 lakh people were screened, found “job strain” was linked to 23% of the sufferers.

“Any person whose job demands long work hours, no time for sleeping and eating or exercise, these studies should serve as a wake up call. Such persons must take break from work as you can get the job back but not life.

Exercise is a must and cut down heavily on drinking and smoking. People don’t take lifestyle modification seriously until it hits them.

And it does hit them hard,” said Dr Duggal.

Grey hair could be a sign of good health Scientists, however, getting annoyed by

Stop that patch of grey hair on your scalp, as a new study has found that it could be a sign of healthy body.

Spanish scientists, who studied wild boars, found that having grey hair and a rather grizzled look could actually be a sign that you have a long and healthy life ahead of you.

Scientists said grey hair, which results from absence of melanin, seemed to be a mark of good health in wild boars.

"As with human hair, wild boars show hair graying all across their fur," Galvan said. "But we found that boars showing hair graying were actually those in prime condition and with the lowest levels of oxidative damage," he said.

said that being a redhead could make one more susceptible to illness, an observation found in wild boar populations.

"Given that all higher vertebrates, including humans, share the same types of melanins in skin, hair and plumage, these results increase our scant current knowledge on the physiological consequences of pigmentation," said lead researcher Ismael Galvan.

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Don’t let stress, lifestyle eat away your heart Three years ago, IT employee Robin Robert woke up his wife in the middle of the night and asked her to drive him to the hospital. For three hours, he endured severe back pain before rushing to the hospital. The decision saved his life as

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Disease affliction is said to be gender neutral but when it comes to cancer in India, women outnumber men. Uttar Pradesh (UP) has surfaced as the cancer capital of India. Saddled already with a poor sex ratio, the greater incidence of cancer in women than men makes it a double whammy for India's weaker sections. The situation in advanced countries like USA is the opposite, men are the weaker sex when it comes to cancer incidences.

According to the Population Based Cancer Registry functioning under the National Cancer Registry Programme of

Ginger tea can reduce stress, aid digestion: experts Packed with antioxidants, the humble ginger has a whole range of health benefits and is a 'must-have' in your kitchen! Even one sniff of ginger tea can improve your mood, relieve stress and is great for digestion and aiding the absorption of food, experts have claimed.

Stomach acid is crucial to human digestion and when stressed its production can break down. Hot water with a slice of lemon and chopped ginger is an excellent way to stimulate digestion, experts believe.

"Ginger can help as it stimulates the taste buds, triggering digestive secretions," dietician Alice Mackintosh said.

Ginger contains a potent antioxidant, gingerol, which helps cleanse the harmful chemicals our bodies produce when we're worried, so ginger can help psychological stress too.

Ginger can also impede motion sickness, reduce inflammation, fight common respiratory problems.

Indian Council of Medical Research, in the year 2011- 554234 cases of cancer were reported among females as opposed to 490008 cases of cancer among males.

Detailing the reasons behind the rise in cancer related fatalities among women, Dr Ramesh Sarin (senior consultant, surgical oncology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi) said, "It’s extremely important to identify the risk factors for each case of cancer.

The common risk factors associated with breast cancer in women are increasing age, family history and early menarche."

Identifying the reasons behind the rise in cancer cases in high risk states, Dr Rajeev Kumar (head of surgical oncology at International Oncology Centre,Fortis Hospital, Noida) said, "Ignorance among the general population as well as lack of proper training among doctors are the main reasons behind the rise in cancer cases in these states. Also, hospitals in these states lack proper infrastructure facilities which act as a hindrance in the detection of cancer at an early stage."

For women, cervical (17.1%), stomach (14.1%) and breast (10.2%) were the most dangerous. "A a woman over the age of 35 years giving birth to her first child doubles her risk of getting breast cancer," warned Dr Sarin.

Pointing out the rea-

sons behind the cancer cases in male, Dr Manav Rakshak (consultant at Moolchand Medcity, New Delhi) said, "Cigarette smoking and chewing pan, tobacco and guthka are the main reasons behind oral and lung cancer in men."

Highlighting the preventable aspects of risk factors associated with cancer in women, Dr Sarin added that, "post menopausal women should avoid gaining weight. Alcohol consumption should be checked and women should indulge in some sort of physical activity to keep cancer at bay."

"Women above the age of 35 years should go for regular tests and screening which can help in identifying the cancer at an early stage and can help keeping the cancerous growth under check,” suggested Dr Kumar.

strengthens the legs and generates growth hormones.

Cat stretch: This is the Indian dandwat. Put your

gasan. Your spine at this position is arched; bum is low, shoulders high and elbows straight, pelvic bone touches the floor. Then simply reverse the position and glide out. Now, push yourself out and become a mountain again.

Benefits: This activity helps to open up your spine, strengthen your shoulder, palms, chest, back, and puts a stress on the stomach and stretches hamstrings. It is good for circulation.

Hang on: This exercise involves hanging from a rod and stretching your body completely.

You should keep your toes pointed to the ground, stomach and buttocks should be sucked in tight and chin should be up.

Benefits: This exercise increases height. It also strengthens your hands arms and shoulders and leads to a strong stomach.

Grow taller with these exercises

Wanna be fitter? Grow taller? Here are some simple exercises that can help children gain height.

Children lead busy lives with school, tuitions, extra classes, television and games on mobile.

Holistic health guru Mickey Mehta says, "Kids do not get enough time to go out and exercise.

They need simple exercises that help them develop better."

Here are a few exercises: Hopping with one leg: This is one of the simplest exercises ever and can be done anywhere — while watching TV at home, while playing in the park, even in school during recess!

Just hop on your left leg eight times with your hands up pointing towards the sky and then hop the same way on your right leg.

Benefits: This bouncing activity is great for brain development.

It also

palm and toes on the floor and become a mountain shape. Then, slowly glide down getting the chest towards the ground and become serpentine, thereby getting into bhujan-

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Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Balham gets racist graffiti Travis Perkins, next to Faraday House, had racist graffiti daubed across the store front.

Such graffitis have been condemned by community leaders including

by MP Sadiq Khan.

The graffiti which insults people from Pakistan which was spotted on last Thursday morning on shops and in residential areas between Hazelbourne road and Faraday House, in Balham Hill.

The council's graffiti removal team was called out last week to remove identical messages from the area. In one instance, the culprit repeated the same slogans just hours

after it had been painted over by council staff.

The messages were all written in similar handwriting using a marker pen. Local residents and business owners say that this is the first incident of racist graffiti in the area in recent times.

A multi-faith peace ceremony took place outside Tooting Broadway station to celebrate the borough's diverse communities.

The event, organised

by Balham and Tooting Community Association (BATCA), saw faiths ranging from Muslim to Jewish being represented at the vigil.

Business tycoon jailed A business tycoon has been jailed for four years for laundering £600,000 stolen from a tourist attraction as reported by the Court News UK. Sonit Shringi, 32, tried to clean up the cash after it was taken by fraudsters from the Museum of London and the Barbican Centre. The swindlers got their hands on the money

by posing as contractors carrying out renovation work at the central London sites.

Sonit Shringi, 32, apparently tried to conceal cash taken by the gang and passed it through a number of companies by buying and selling Nokia mobile handsets before sending the money out of the country.

COMPETITION If you want to win tickets to Diwali Festival 2012 hosted by Pankaj Sodha at Harrow Leisure Centre and meet your favourite stars Krystal and Karan on 3rd and 4th November, please answer the following question. The first 3 right entries (chosen on lottery basis) will receive a pair of tickets free.

Firearms officer cleared of supplying steroids to friends A body-building firearms officer has been cleared of illegally supplying steroids to his friends. Pc Jarnail Virdee, 43, was accused of acting as a 'gobetween' for customers who wanted to buy the banned drug from British-

based firm HGH Laboratories. Possessing and using steroids, which can be obtained legitimately with a doctor's prescription, is not a crime under English law but supplying the drug is illegal.

Navratri Special As new Navratri Festival start from 16th October, 2012. We will print a Navratri Special in our 13th October, 2012 issue. If you or your organisation organise a Navratri garba, raas or dandiya, and will like to enlist the event in our paper, please email aveditorial@abplgroup.com by Sunday 7th October.

Coming Events l 150th Birth Centenary of Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu Youth Association (Woolwich) in partnership with the Greenwich Heritage Centre has organised a free exhibition on Ancient Indian Civilisation running from 2 October to 3 November 2012, open on Tuesdays – Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm. Contact: 020 8854 2452 l Ex Moshi Tanzania Residents Union, Sunday 7th October, 12pm onwards, Crystal Club, Southway, Wembley HA9 0HB. Contact: Navin J Patel- 07976 363 064 l Shree Jalaram Jyot Mandir, Repton Avenue, Sudbury, Wembley, Middx HA0 3DW organises Thursday Bhajan from 6.30pm till 9.30pm, Aarti at 7.30pm followed by Prasad. CJRabheru - 07958 275 222 l Swati Natekar presents 'A rare treat' An evening of Ghazal, Thumri, Bhajan & Indian Classical Recital, 6th October, Museum of Asian Music, 1 Bradford Road, London W3 7SP

relationships are behind you now as Saturn, the planet of focus and responsibility enters Scorpio, your solar 8th house on October 5, for two and a half years. You will start to discover and develop deep levels of your sexuality. This is also a time when you re-assess your joint resources seek professional help.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Saturn, the planet of discipline and restrictions highlights your solar seventh house.

In this period, you have a greater need than usual to be with some one you love. The emphasis is on "us" rather than "me". In this two and half year period Saturn will teach you a lot of lessons, as is his wont. A good time to start a healthy regime to keep yourself physically fit.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Saturn in your 6th house with Mercury, places emphasizes on your daily work and health routines. Saturn will delay, frustrate and obstruct some of your efforts but it will teach you lessons along the way. Mercury will help you organize and communicate your thoughts clearly at work. Relationships are under a bit of strain at the moment and you should be careful not to upset your loved ones.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 Relationships are complex at the best of times, but Saturn's motion can make things even more complicated now. Misunderstandings can plague partnerships or potential romances - be more careful and forgiving. A good time for completing unfinished business and reassessing your future projects.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

You’re likely to find yourself doing a lot of thinking about both new and existing partnerships, and maybe toing and froing in one relationship in particular. Home and family duties and responsibilities may weigh heavy on you. In effect, you’re building a new foundation, so the work you put in now will pay off in the future.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 If lately you have had all sorts of demands being placed on you from all sides, don't despair; take some time out to reflect. Try and work out where you want to make changes in your busy life. Although the very practical affairs of life continue to be highlighted, this does not mean that there will be all work and no play.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Expansive Jupiter in your Solar 9th house of travel and spirituality is going to play a great part for some of you, who are widening their horizons. An important time to build too, as Saturn in your solar 2nd House can be very severe and restrictive regarding finance. Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life in a more fulfilling direction.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

aturn moves in your sign for some time to come. This transit will help you to redefine your sense of self, in a way that will give you a greater understanding of yourself. It's a time for keeping a lower profile and working on solid, long-term goals. Getting your life into order is the focus now.

Which tv serial has 'Krystal and Karan' as characters on Star Plus?

Please email the right answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by 22nd October 2012.

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Finally your tests and ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 challenges that dealt with

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There’s a sparkle to your social life and much enjoyment from being in touch with other people.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 You’re likely to find yourself weighing practical considerations with long–term goals. Certainly you’re entering a very important period of your life where, by working hard and being focused, you can go a long way towards realising your ideals. Currently your ruler Saturn is helping you to define who you really are.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 From this week onwards, Saturn transits your solar tenth house and this long-term transit will be with you until 2015. During this cycle your standing in society comes under Saturn's scrutiny. This is a good a time to build and consolidate your professional or public image. Saturn slows and frustrates everyone but is designed to re-assess matters and come face to face with reality.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 Saturn transits your solar ninth house and will make you dedicate yourself to developing your ideals and your commitments. Higher learning and travel might be restricted to some extent. This is truly a period of self-discovery, as you are taking a closer look at yourself and re-assessing your attitude and confidence.

SPorT World

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

Sandeep Patil replaces Srikkanth as chief BCCI selector

Former Indian cricketer Sandeep Patil was last week appointed the Chairman of the national selection committee, while Mohinder Amarnath was dropped after serving just one year in the panel.

The 56-year-old Patil's appointment to the hot seat, replacing Kris Srikkanth, came as a surprise as his name was not even being talked about as a possible candidate prior to the Board's Annual General Meeting which finalised the panel.

Roger Binny (South), Vikram Rathore (North), Saba Karim (East) and Rajinder Singh Hans (Central) comprise the rest of the new panel which had no place for former cricketer

Mohinder Amarnath who was dropped after just one year's term.

Chnadrakant Pandit, a wicketkeeper-batsman who played for India between 1986 and 1992, was named chairman of the junior selection committee.

The AGM also decided to raise the selectors' annual remuneration from Rs 4000,000 to 6000,000, while

for the junior selectors; it was raised from Rs 2000,000 to 4000,000.

The appointment of the panels put an end to the intense speculation in the media on who would succeed Srikkanth and the other selectors who completed their tenure of four years.

While Binny's name was doing the rounds as the next chairman, it was Patil, currently the National Cricket Academy Director, who was given the responsibility.

From East Zone, there were a number of contenders such as Debang Gandhi, Deep Dasgupta, Debashish Mohanty and Arup Bhattacharya but it was former India wicketkeeper-bats-

man Saba Karim who surprisingly got the nod.

Former paceman Abey Kuruvilla was being talked about as a strong contender from West Zone but he could not make it with Patil being preferred for the post.

Patil, a dashing batsman in his prime, played 29 Tests and 45 ODIs for India, scoring 1,588 and 1,005 runs in the respective formats.

Post-retirement, Patil became the India A coach before being at the helm of the senior team. With him in charge, the Indian team had made the finals of the 2003 50-over World Cup. He later served as coach of the Kenyan national team as well.

Simon Taufel to quit umpiring KP to finally sign new central contract with ECB after T20 World Cup

Controversial England batsman Kevin Pietersen is most likely to sign a new central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following fruitful talks with the management in Sri Lanka.

Pietersen held a series of meetings with the ECB officials in Sri Lanka and the crack between him and the England management appears to be healing, according to the Telegraph.

Once the new contract is signed focus will switch to reintegrating Pietersen into the England side, the paper said.

Professional dispute resolution advisers will be brought in to help ease the transition which is most likely to start in February when England depart for a twomonth tour of New Zealand, the paper added.

The Professional Cricketers' Association will work with the ECB to coordinate that process, the paper further said.

The main sticking point on both sides revolves around trust. England have experienced Pietersen's whims in the past and fear his promises to be available in all forms of the game until 2015 will be broken in the future, the paper concluded.

Australian Simon Taufel will end his international umpiring career after the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka to groom the next generation of elite match officials, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said last week.

The 41-year-old has umpired in 74 tests and 174 one-day internationals in his outstanding career, winning ICC Umpire of the Year award for five successive years from 2004 to 2008.

Taufel said in an ICC statement that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

"In my new position as ICC umpire performance and training manager, I look forward to help create professional programmes and resources to support the current and future generations of

cricket match officials," he added.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson paid tribute to one of cricket's most consistent umpires.

"Simon has been one of the most respected umpires for over a decade due to his excellent decision-making and man-management skills.

He has been a role model for umpires globally who look to him for inspiration and guidance," he added.

31

Action at a Glance Saina Nehwal takes to the skies

For someone who acquired the awesome reputation of breaching the once impregnable Chinese Wall, ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal explored a different frontier when she flew through the clouds, literally, last week.

For the London Olympics bronze medallist it was "the best experience" when she waded through the clouds. "I was initially scared. I was more nervous than playing the bronze medal match in London. But, once in the sky, I felt more comfortable," said a beaming Nehwal after her 22-minute sortie in a Kiran aircraft of the Indian Air Force in Dundigul on Friday last.

"It was a dream day for me. Like anyone as a child I always dreamt of flying. But never thought it would happen this way. It was a great experience," she said.

"I will come back again, may be after a few more lessons in flying," Nehwal said.

"Well, I am here because of badminton and hopefully will come here with a better colour of the medal," the champion shuttler said with a big smile.

It was a different experience for Nehwal by her own confession. "I play badminton day in and day out. To be here is a great feeling. The IAF is doing a great service to the country and I am trying to do through badminton. So, I thank badminton for giving me this huge opportunity," she explained.

"Well, this (my sortie) also reminds that girls are no way inferior to boys," she quipped to a query.

Nehwal was the co-pilot while Group Capt. Nagesh Kapoor flew the aircraft.

"Yes, half-way through he gave me the control. It was a terrific feeling and really, really wonderful and so different from the normal flight" the star athlete pointed out.

Two years on, India still reaping benefits of Commonwealth Games India's best ever performance at the Olympics in 2012 London Games displays the progress the country has made in sports in two years after hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The government in its bid to continue the momentum gained from the Oct 3-14, 2010 Commonwealth Games, opened up its purse-strings under its Opex London 2012 programme. A willing government earmarked a record $53 million for training and competition ahead of the event and the result was for all to see.

Shooter Vijay Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar won silver medals while boxer M.C. Mary Kom, shuttler Saina Nehwal, shooter Gagan Narang and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt bagged bronze medals in London.

If a whopping 101 medals in

the Commonwealth Games was considered big, six medals in London was no mean feat.

Indian sports is on an all-time upswing.

While the Commonwealth Games might have been in the news for financial irregularities but it made India a hotspot for the top sporting events in the country.

Though India is far from being a sporting nation, the facilities that came up in the national capital for the Commonwealth Games have been a boon for athletes.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Karni Singh Shooting Range, S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Complex, Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and the Yamuma Sports Complex are

among the best in the sub-continent.

Post the Commonwealth Games, while Nehru Stadium hosted the mighty Bayern Munich football team, SAFF Championship and the Nehru Cup, the National Stadium hosted the hockey Olympic qualifiers that saw India booking its tickets for London after having missed an Olympics (Beijing-2008) the first time in 80 years.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the owners of most of the stadiums also decided to open the gates to the common man under the "Come and Play" scheme of the sports ministry. The scheme was well appreciated and ensured that the stadiums don't turn into white elephants.

The financial irregularities in

the preparations for the Commonwealth Games were also a big lesson for the government in more ways than one. It prompted the sports ministry to come up with a National Sports Development Code to get rid of corruption in Indian sports.

The National Sports Federations may have been up in arms against the sports ministry over the code but they all thank Sports Minister Ajay Maken in private for being so generous to all sports bodies by way of providing funds for training.

Shooters were the most favoured lot after India's first Olympic gold by Abhinav Bindra at Beijing and Rajyavardhan Rathore's silver four years earlier at Athens.

And the biggest beneficiary was ace double trap shooter and Asian Games gold medallist

Ronjan Sodhi, who received the lion's share of Rs 9737,000 of the Rs 68.70 million financial assistance.

Sodhi says sportspersons have benefited immensely by the government funding after the Commonwealth Games.

"At the Commonwealth Games, the Indians proved their mettle and promised to do much more at other major international events. The government too was convinced and thus increased its funding for London. We are thankful to the sports ministry for helping us to prepare for the Games," said Sodhi.

Atheltics Federation of India (AFI) technical director M.L. Dogra said government funding has helped the federation to send athletes for exposure trips abroad.

32

Asian Voice - Saturday 6th October 2012

India knocked out of World Twenty20 despite win India were knocked out of World Twenty20 in Super Eight stage even after beating South Africa by a run as Pakistan booked their place in semifinals with a better net run-rate.

India's fate was already sealed when South Africa crossed 121 runs.

Zaheer Khan struck twice in the eighteenth over to dismiss Robin Peterson (10) and Farhaan Behardien (13) but it was too late for India. India had to restrict South Africa for 121 or less to qualify for the semifinals.

Pacer L Balaji struck soon to get rid of JP Duminy (16) after Yuvraj's breakthrough to reduce South Africa to 107/5 in 15 overs.

Faf du Plessis played a gem of an innings of 65 off 38 balls to lead South Africa run chase before becoming the second victim of Yuvraj Singh (2-23).

Faf du Plessis completed his fifty off just 29 balls as he added crucial 49-run for the fourth wicket with Duminy to give momentum to the run chase. Faf smacked two sixes and six boundaries in his rapid 38

balls innings.

Chasing 153-run target, South Africa lost three wickets in quick succession early in their innings before Faf hit couple of sixes and three fours to revive the chase.

Left-armer Yuvraj Singh struck with his first ball to dismiss AB de Villiers as SA are reduced to 46/3 in 6.1 overs.

South Africa lost Jacques Kallis (6) and Hashim Amla (0) inside 4 overs as India started their defence in right track.

All-rounder Irfan Pathan dismissed Kallis in the fourth over to reduce the Proteas to 16/2 in 3.3 overs after Zaheer Khan struck in the first over to give SA early jolt as he dismissed Amla for nought.

Earlier, Late charge by Suresh Raina (45 off 34 balls) and MS Dhoni (23* off 13 balls) helped India post 152/6 against South Africa in their must win final tie.

Raina got run out in the final ball while trying to sneak second run after he added 40 runs with skipper Dhoni for the sixth wicket in the final four

Action at a Glance Afghan school boys assault football referee

Officiating in a football match b e t w e e n schoolboys could be fraught with danger, as Fifa panel referee A Rowan found out last week. The 31-year-old, who will join the Asian Football Confederation’s Elite panel next year, was thrashed by young Afghan boys during a quarterfinal match of the Under-17 Subroto Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. His fault: he showed three red cards to the players of a school team from Afghanistan during their match against the team from Ukraine, FC Dynamo Kiev.

The ugly assault came at a premier tournament organized by the Air Force Sports Control Board where foreign teams are invited to participate as a gesture of goodwill.

The organizers are apparently not too keen on lodging a police case against young boys from a “friendly country”. Besides, any legal action could result in a diplomatic tangle.

1st Semi-Final: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo on Oct 4, 2012 2nd Semi-Final: Australia v West Indies at Colombo on Oct 5, 2012 overs. India lost Rohit Sharma (25) after he put on 44-run stand for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina to revive their innings after they were reduced to 68/4 in 10 overs.

Spinner Robin Peterson trapped Sharma leg before in the sixteenth over as India are reduced to 112/5 in 16 overs. Rohit hit just two boundaries in his slow 27-ball knock.

Twin-strike by pacer Morne Morkel helped

South Africa reduce India to 68/4 in 10 overs.

Morkel struck in the tenth over to dismiss Yuvraj Singh (21) after India started their must win encounter on wrong foot losing their top-three batsmen inside Power play overs.

Yuvraj hit couple of maximums and a four in his 15-ball innings before Morkel clean bowled the southpaw.

Spinner Robin Peterson dismissed Virender Sehwag

(17) in the sixth over to reduce India to 36/3 in 5.3 overs. Sehwag was clean bowled after hitting the previous ball for a huge six.

Jacques Kallis added more misery to India when he removed the in-form Virat Kohli (2), a rare failure for the youngster, soon after Morne Morkel gave the Proteas an early breakthrough in the previous over. Morkel dismissed Gautam Gambhir in the fourth over as India started terribly in the crucial match. India need to beat South Africa by 32 runs if they score 160 (and by 31 if they score 140) to finish with an NRR higher than Pakistan's.

Australia qualify despite big defeat Pakistan spun a web around Australia's batsmen to grant themselves a strong chance of qualification for the World Twenty20 semi-finals.

Though sobered by defeat, the Australians managed to reach the 112 they required to make their qualification for the semis a certainty, while the result also ensures that South Africa are knocked out,

regardless of what happens in their final Super Eights match against India.

The 32-run margin to Pakistan means that India must win by a wide margin, about 31 runs, against South Africa in order to elbow their way past Mohammad Hafeez's team into a semi-final spot. Such a scenario would be undeserved by Raza Hasan and Saeed Ajmal in particular, who tied Australia in the kinds of knots previously unseen at this tournament.

Australia's first loss of the tournament reopened their former doubts when confronted by quality spin on a slow, turning pitch, and also demonstrated the chaos that can ensue if Shane Watson and David Warner do not give the innings a rapid start.

Pakistan did not use a paceman until the 18th over of the innings, and other nations can be expected to use similar tactics against Australia for the remainder of the event. In the end it took a half century of considerable composure from Michael Hussey to ensure Australia's qualification.

Sri Lanka dash England hopes Lasith Malinga took five wickets as Sri Lanka knocked Twenty20 World Cup holders England out of the tournament with a 19-run Super Eights victory on Monday.

England, chasing 170, lost three wickets in Malinga's first over and the fast bowler completed career-best figures of five for 31 to take Sri Lanka into the semi-finals along with West Indies.

"We gradually progressed, the processes have been really good and the boys have worked really hard to get there," said Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene.

"We've come under tough situations and everyone has put their hands up and performed.

"It was really good that the middle order got a hit today they showed we've got the quality and the bowlers to back it up."

Sri Lanka produced a

solid all-round batting performance after losing the toss with Jayawardene leading the way, making 42 in a total of 169 for six.

Angelo Mathews (28) and Jeevan Mendis (18) added 52 off 31 balls. Stuart Broad was England's best bowler with three for 32.

Malinga removed Luke Wright, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales in his first over and England slumped to 93 for seven.

Samit Patel smashed 67 off 48 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, and shared an enterprising eighthwicket partnership of 51 with

Graeme Swann who made 34.

But Malinga returned to bowl out Patel and end English hopes of reaching the last four.

England captain Broad said it was Malinga's threewicket burst that did the damage to his side's innings.

"It was a shame because we would have got a start there and the way Samit Patel took on the spinners it looked very encouraging. It was a class act," said Broad.

"If we had hung around and stayed with him we know the last four-five overs can go for anything.

"It was really disappointing, we were not quite good enough."

Sri Lanka topped Group One after the Super Eight phase with the West Indies also reaching the semi-finals where they will be joined by two from Australia, India, Pakistan and South Africa.

"It was a -disappointing end to our title defence. You look back and there are missed opportunities and things like that, but if we're honest we've not quite been good enough," Broad was quoted as saying.

"It's been a learning experience for us and if you look at Paul Collingwood's side it took him three World Cups to win it and find the right formula. We didn't have enough people firing at the same time, but we've had glimpses of it from players," he added.

That is what you get with younger guys, some days they produce brilliance and others are a bit average," he said.

Broad further added: "There were some positives to take from this such as Steve Finn's bowling. He played his role -brilliantly and Samit looked world class against spin, which is great for English cricket."