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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 41. ISSUE 47

Vaisakhi de lakh lakh Vadhiyaan

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Indian comes closer to become first South Asian circuit court judge in US

enthusiasm as the 2013 leg formally opened with all the nine team captains taking the ICC Spirit of Cricket Pledge, 'Play hard, play fair'.

Flying drummers, Chinese percussionists, fireworks were the some of the other attractions that were on offer for the event.

Continued on page 32

by US Described President Barack Obama as a 'trailblazer', IndianAmerican Srikanth Sri Srinivasan has moved closer to become the first South Asian circuit court judge in the history of the United States.

A year after he was nominated by Obama on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced its decision to hold his confirmation hearing on April 10, which was immediately welcomed by the White House.

Srinivasan, 46, born in

Srikanth Sri Srinivasan

India and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the US. "Sri (Srinivasan) is of course also a highly respected appellate advocate who has spent a distinguished career litigating before the US Supreme Court and the US Court of Appeals, Continued on page 26

Cat or dog meat in Britain's favourite dish, curry?

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The Bollywood-style opening ceremony kicked off the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday in Kolkata. The limelight was American rapper Pitbull and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone grooving to the desi moves, leaving the healthy turnout at the Salt Lake Stadium enthralled. It reached a crescendo when the evening's biggest attrac-

tion of them all, Pitbull, took to the stage. The 120,000 capacity football stadium transformed into a magical kaleidoscope of Rabindra Sangeet, Bollywood dance, songs and, above all, unfettered

Europe's horsemeat scandal was controversial enough. But it has seems to have taken a new turn as an unidentified meat was found in some Indian takeaway dishes, which is feared to be of 'dog and cat'.

Continued on page 14

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Dr Sunil Chopra

Head Teacher in Zambia and was strict, he showed tough love, but I know it was because he cared and encouraged me to get to where I wanted to be.

BSC, FRCP, FRCP (E), Consultant Dermatologist Dr Sunil Chopra was born in Kenya. He became the first ever joint UCH Middlesex Medical Student President in his second year. He completed a two year full time research post at UCL in Dermatology and had several articles published. He self funded and invented Liposomal Bleomycin with PhD student Kent Lau, for which they received the UK patent for this drug in 2010. The drug has proven highly effective against leishmaniasis, a disease from which 4 million die annually. He intends to commercialise the drug for use in developing countries. He is co-founder of the London Dermatology Centre, which employs six dermatologists and has a £1.2m turnover 1. Please tell us about your current position?

I'm Clinical Director of the London Dermatology Centre where we offer clinical expertise in treating skin conditions ranging from eczema to skin cancer as well as beauty treatments. I specialise in laser treatment for acne scarring and rosacea and have many years experience treating vitiligo patients. I’m also an Honorary

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine at UCL Medical School.

2. What are your proudest achievements?

When I treated my first patient having got into UCH Medical School from Feltham Comprehensive School.

Applying medicine to improve someone's condition was a humbling moment.

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

I think any job you're passionate about presents challenges.

There's no easy route to becoming a doctor, it takes a lot of hard work, enduring commitment and staying power.

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

My dad for the endless hours he made me do my homework and instilled in me the importance of hard graft. He was a

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

I'm passionate about dermatology, being a doctor and solving complex cases. It's the basic stuff, helping people get better.

That's why people choose to go into medicine and thankfully it's a privilege that I never take for granted.

6. And the worst?

Like most people who love their work sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to achieve everything you'd planned to.

7. What are your long term goals?

I would like to see through my research projects which I've

been working on for the past 12 years, one of which is a topical solution for skin cancer.

8. If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change?

I would allocate more funding to scientific research and invest more in young people who are naturally curious and hungry for medicine. I was lucky enough to go to medical school in the days when there were full grants and no student fees and I hope young people today can still access enough funding to become our future doctors and scientists.

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

It’s got to be Nelson Mandela.

He is a man who never compromised with his ideals, even when it cost him decades of his freedom, and when he emerged from prison, almost blinking into the daylight, it was without a shred of bitterness, and with hope still burning in his heart.

Non EU immigrants: 'We earn to live in Britain' Britain’s borders should be closed to immigrants while the country’s own citizens are struggling to find jobs, a group of MPs reportedly said last week.

Frank Field and Nicholas Soames, chairmen of the influential Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration, said the Government should be able to block immigration during periods of high unemployment.

The two MPs, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said Britain is facing an influx of people at an ‘unsustainable level’ despite the Coalition’s measures to reduce immigration.

Mr Field is a Labour MP who served as Welfare Minister in Tony Blair’s first Government and Conservative Mr Soames was Defence Minister under John Major.

They said David

.

Cameron specifically needs to tackle the EU which they described as ‘the elephant in the room’.

However, the bracket name 'immigrants' that also include South Asians, feel that using the term loosely has affected their reputation. Alpana Datta, a City professional told Asian Voice, “I understand that immigrants take away jobs. But what I don't follow is why these MPs keep making such statements. We 'immigrants' from non EU countries cannot just come and start living here. We have to first qualify for acquiring a right to work here.

That only happens when a British or an EU national does not take up a job.

They get preferences, as per the law. Then we are judged on merits. It's strange that the non EU immigrants who earn and pay taxes are put under

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the same bracket of those EU immigrants who travel to the UK for 'benefit tourism'.

Santosh Srinivasan, a small business owner, told Asian Voice, “I am an immigrant from south of India. I came here on Tier 1 visa. I started a business here and now I employ a team of 10 people in my job, including British and EU nationals. We mostly 'create' jobs. I don't understand how we can fall under the same brackets of 'job snatchers'.

Trisha Mehta, a doctor told the weekly, “We are here because there is a gap in the market. Go to any store. You will find most of the sales assistants are Asians. Why? Because we got through the interview, after Britons turned the job away or did not qualify at all. If we don't earn or pay taxes here, we will be asked to leave. Illegal

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This week the paid subscribers of Asian Voice will receive a copy of Rangilu Rajkot magazine with their newspapers.

immigrants of course need to be penalised, but if Britons refuse to do menial jobs, and it gets offered to us, we can't turn them down. We need money too. But the MPs must remember we cannot live here unless we have the rights to. And we only get those rights depending on our quantifications. If Britons think a job is too 'lowly' for them; we have to step in, right?

Somebody has to work if natives sit tight on benefits! Nobody is doing us a favour by giving us a job here.”

Kishan Bhatnagar, a student told the newspaper: “I am going to apply for a graduate job on passing my exam. I know I won't get preferences over Britons or EU nationals.

But I am willing to compete, because I know I can. I am hard working, I

am smart and I know my subject. Look around, some of the biggest jobs creators are Asians in Britain. Look at Hindujas and Mittals. They were also 'immigrants' in Britain at one point of time. But now they have created empires and job opportunities for thousands of Britons! I think it's absolutely wrong to use the term 'immigrants' loosely.

Raj Aggarwal appointed as the first ever honorary Consul for India in Wales Cardiff businessman Raj Aggarwal has been appointed as the first ever honorary Consul for India in Wales. As honorary Consul, Mr Aggrawal will act on behalf of the Indian High Commission, looking after the needs of Indian nationals living and working in Wales.

He will also help to create links between Welsh and Indian business, educational institutions and cultural organisations- a historical step to strengthen the 'IndoBritish' tie.

Mr Aggarwal, who is the Managing Director of the Aggarwal Group which runs a number of successful businesses based in South Wales, holds a number of public appointments including being board member of the Wales International Business Council, the Council of Cardiff University, chairman of Community Pharmacy and deputy lieutenant for

small country and stronger links with the rising superpower that is India will be vital to its future prosperity.

“I’ll work tirelessly to build a deeper engagement between the two countries to which I and many Welsh people owe their allegiance.”

At a ceremony, India’s High Commissioner Dr Jaimini Bhagwati said: appointHE Dr. J. Bhagwati (centre) presenting “The of Raj the Commission of Appointment to Mr. ment Raj Aggarwal OBE DL (right) in the Aggarwal shows presence of The First Minister of Wales, the commitment Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones at India House of the Government of South Glamorgan.

India to continue to adapt Speaking about his to the changing nature of appointment, Mr the UK. It also represents Aggarwal told a local our aim to build on our media: “This is a special existing links with the privilege that I and my Welsh Government and family will always cherthe people of Wales.” ish. Wales is a dynamic

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Comment

Britain’s two trouble spots Home Secretary Theresa May has made the disturbing revelation that Britain was thrice the target of a terrorist 9/11-type attack, on the first occasion in December 2009, then in October 2010, and lastly in April 2012, when terrorist groups set their sights on civilian aircraft and were thwarted by British security agencies. The Home Secretary said: “Aviation security is a priority of our protective security programme. We have accelerated the deployment of new airport security scanners, which give us the best chance of detecting the threat from non-metallic improvised explosives. Following a risk-based assessment these are now operational in all terminals at major UK airports.”

The UK has reinforced this with other precautionary measures involving pre-departure checks of passengers deemed to be terrorist threats. Such people will be prevented from flying from or into the country. The UK has signed an agreement with the European Union to restrict the sale of substances that can be used as explosives. Home Secretary May said: “We will implement the regulation in the UK by September 2014. It will make it more difficult for terrorists to exploit the lower standards in other European countries.”

These reassurances are welcome. But such security measures must surely be woven into the fabric of wider political policy pertaining to the Middle East and kindred regions from where terrorism and terrorists emanate. British diplomacy here has been something of a puzzle. Past indulgence for regimes that incubate and promote terrorist groups as instruments of statecraft has not disappeared. Non state actors committed to jihadi terrorism continue

to receive British (and Western) funding in dubious wars of intervention, allegedly for humanitarian ends. Iraq, Libya, and now Syria, have witnessed ill conceived interventions for regime change, the medicine turning out to be a calamity rather than a cure. Broken societies create fissures for terrorists to thrive. The time has come for a rethink of British policy. Short-term gains must be measured against long-term risks and their debilitating consequences.

British security requires an integrated proof of concept if jihadi terrorism is to be defeated at every level. Single-minded pursuit of the main goal is the guarantee of success in war, open or covert.

Britain’s second bother is the lack of pediatricians and mathematics teachers, both being put on the “shortage occupations” list. According to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister in the Coalition government, there are 34 such professions where Britain has fallen short. Apart from pediatricians and mathematics teachers, Mr Clegg has listed chemical and mechanical engineers, electronics and computer specialists and geologists.

The UK’s Migration Advisory Committee has stated that these specialist jobs needed to be filled partly by people from outside the EU. The Committee has recommended modification to the restrictive list for non-EU applicants. In a globalized economic order the movement of labour is surely as important as the movement of capital.

Tough visa regimes make little economic sense, however popular they may prove electorally. Hard truths require persistent persuasion. People on the ground want jobs and prosperity. A thriving economy is the best way forward to a secure future.

BRICS: Economic salvation or beguiling mirage?

The emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa straddle the globe. Its formation, initially, was a political statement. Between them, Russia, India and China constitute the Eurasian heartland. Russia’s natural resources are without equal, while India and China, the world’s two most populous nations, boast the fastest growing large economies. The arrival of India and China as major economic players is hugely significant, as is Brazil’s pre-eminence in South America and South Africa in sub-Saharan region of Africa. Add to this the growing military prowess of Russia, India and China and you will see the true potential of BRICS. That said, there remains the challenge of transforming theory into fact, of forging a unity of purpose among members with diverse strategic and economic interests. India and China are partners of a sort, but they are also competitors and rivals, the rivalry driven by conflicting geopolitical goals. To reconcile these divergences will not be easy.

China is the elephant, or should one say the dragon, in the room. It has significant territorial disputes with India and many of its Asian neighbours, most notably Japan and Vietnam. Beijing’s definition of its “core interests” include claims to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and India-centric arms supplies to India’s neighbourhood; its brusque assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea and to a stretch of water and islands near Japan, has generated avoidable regional tension. India has expressed solidarity with Japan and Vietnam on the freedom of navigation on the high seas.

India’s other concern relates to the flow of the Brahmaputra river - whose headwaters are located in Tibet – into the subcontinent. Such concerns have deepened with reports of Chinese dam building activities on this major artery, similar to those on the Mekong river which runs through South East Asia and given rise to anxieties among the riparian states. Beijing has done little to assuage such con-

cerns.

China’s new President Xi Jinping’s statement of good intent on Sino-Indian relations is redolent of time-tested platitudes, but there was no concealing the steel in his message. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s proposal that an India-China inspection team be set up to monitor developments along the Brahmaputra was met with a promise of proper consideration. How this eventually translates on the ground will signal the direction of Chinese policy under Beijing’s new dispensation.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter, in a thoughtful piece in the New York Times on the US-China relationship, set this in its post- Cold War context of a world free of hegemons but inclusive of pre-eminent powers. How to manage China’s rise without the pains of labour associated with similar phenomena in past centuries. Mr Brzezinski pointed to the futility of military conflict in an age of nuclear weaponry and inter-dependent economies. He cautioned against testing America’s resolve in words worth repeating: “Simplistic agitation regarding the potential Chinese military threat to America ignores the benefits the US also derives from its very favourable geostrategic location on the open shores of two great oceans as well as from its trans-oceanic allies on all sides.” China, he remarked pointedly, lacks such bonding.

BRICS has its shadow of uncertainty, for sure, but its promise is unquestioned. The ground realities of a multi-polar world require that it play a measured international role, together with existing trade blocs. The presence of twelve African heads of state, apart from hosts South Africa, at the BRICS Durban summit underlined the significance of the new BRICS Bank as a lending agency of choice for developing countries. Consolidation rather than vaulting ambition should be the BRICS motto going forward.

When silence is golden Buddha likened silence to a pool of wisdom. Former Supreme Court Justice Markhanday Katju has never stopped soliloquizing since his appointment as Chairman of India’s Press Council. Judging by his never-ending stream of poorly constructed pronouncements a spell of quiet reflection may bring a modicum of order to his fevered brain.

His most recent essay in absurdity is the pardon he advocates for Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt, who has been given a five-year prison sentence for making his Mumbai home a lethal armoury prior to the jihadi terrorist attack on the city in March 1993, some 300 innocent lives being lost and 3,000 citizens injured in the murderous assault.. The Bombay High Court found Mr. Dutt guilty as charged and the

Supreme Court upheld the verdict on appeal. In steps the loquacious Markhanday Katju with a specious recommendation of a Presidential pardon. One doesn’t expect better from self-serving politicians with an unerring eye to the main chance, but more was expected of a former judge. Is there to be one code of conduct for matinee idols and another for the hoi polloi? Where does this leave the rule of law?

No-one is above the law, Mr Katju, not you, not Sanjay Dutt.

In a televised interaction with Bombay University law students, Mr Katju poured scorn on India’s voters, likening them to cattle and sheep in their balloting preferences. In which case, Markhanday Katju is surely the country’s prime billy goat.

3

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you.

Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself.

Be a hard master to yourself - and be lenient to everybody else - Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

We are all NOT in this together The April fool’s day this year tragically heralds beginning of a host of Coalition Government’s cuts that will hit sections of deprived community unfairly and the hardest.

No one’s forgotten the Chancellor’s claim “We’re all in this together” – the claim should haunt George Osborn and the Conservatives forever. All that has happened since the Conservative and Tories forged the coalition government is a systematic attack on the poorest in our community by their draconian cuts. The government continues to blame the previous Labour government for the economic failures but fails to accept that since they were elected all their policies have failed with even their own growth projections not having met. A series of cuts starting from 1st April will see a new social order established in Britain with the gap between the rich and poor widening even further.

April 2013 will go down in the history as the month that changed Britain for ever and for the worse. The first of April has seen introduction of a series of cuts including changes to Council Tax benefit; Bed Room Tax; Legal Aid changes; National Health Commissioning Changes and Scrapping of 50p Tax Rate for the Rich.

Cut in housing benefits described as ‘Bed Room Tax’, meant to reduce overcrowding in social housing, will adversely affect an estimated 700,000 people living in socially rented housing who would lose an average of £728 a

year. People with one spare bedroom will loose 14% of their housing benefit and people with two or more spare rooms will lose 25%. This particular benefit cut will hit London and urban areas disproportionately where there is acute shortage of social housing. It is also shocking that two thirds of the people affected by the bedroom tax are disabled. Similarly other cuts like the scrapping of access to legal aid and 10% reduction of Council Tax by this government will hit the poorest. Contrast this with the generosity shown to the rich and high earners by George Osborn introducing a handout of 50p tax rate.

The Conservative manifesto made no mention of root and branch changes in the National Health Service to pass it on to the private sector.

However, without the democratic mandate and against a massive opposition, the government (Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in it together!) is railroading through the dismantling of the National Health Service.

NHS Commissioning changes being implemented as of 1st of April will take full control of budgets to buy services from any agencies including private businesses / companies.

The changes will mean unprecedented job losses in the health service and privatisation through the backdoor. At the same time I’d also like to remind the readers of the government’s closure plans of Accident and Emergency departments in local hospitals like the Central Middlesex and Ealing Hospitals.

Continued on page 6

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

4

Midlands Voice

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 6th April 2013

Young people honoured for citizen achievements Fourteen young people from Bradford were honoured at a special award ceremony.

Five of the group travelled to London on 26th March 2013 to celebrate their award and meet other regional winners at the Vinspired National awards 2013.

The event was held at the Roundhouse London and starred celebrity guests The Saturdays, Katie Piper and Eddie Kadi. The young people had a great night and were inspired by others they met.

The young Bradfordians were recognised for the work they carried out in the summer of 2012 as part of the of a Lifetime Summer programme. Summer of a Lifetime is a programme run by Vinspired as part of the National Citizen Service programme.

The group worked together for eight weeks during which time they planned and ran a social action project aimed at breaking down barriers between generations.

The project the group organised was supported by Bradford Youth Service and run with the Mary Seacole day centre for the elderly.

The group volunteered once a week for four weeks at the centre, and ended the summer with a BBQ and fundraising day for the residents.

For their amazing effort, the young people won a Vinspired regional award (Yorkshire and the Humber) for Most Outstanding National Citizen Service Team.

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In Brief Garden tax in Brum leading to chaos

This award recognises teams that have worked together and supported each other to deliver a positive and successful social action project as part of the NCS programme.

Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Portfolio Holder for Council’s Children’s Services, said: "This award is recognition of these young people’s efforts. The project they organised was one that made a difference to their community and can be an inspiration to others. They should be very proud of what they’ve achieved.”

The five young people who travelled to London made the following comments: Aleesha Slater said: "Since I have joined the NCS last year I have built my confidence and had many different

Those facing hardships can apply for help via the JobCentre. The average individual payment is £60, just enough to cover bills. Figures taken from last year show people in Manchester put in the most claims for crisis loans across the region, with more than £1.9m paid out in 17,000 crisis loans over a year.

After Manchester, Salford had the second highest number of claims, followed by Bolton. Although there is a huge demand for these payments, the government scrapped the payments yesterday, being a part of its welfare reforms. To compensate for this, councils across England are being given extra money to help people resolve their problems.

According to town hall chiefs the new system, Local Welfare Provision, cannot be a replacement as they “will not be able to claw the money back through deductions”.

Manchester

He stuffed 17 partridges in his luggage Tariq Mehmood, 33, crammed birds in small wooden crates in three suitcases, but a customs search on arrival at Manchester airport discovered the birds.

A plane passenger was caught trying to smuggle 17 live partridges into Manchester Airport. He crammed the birds in small wooden crates inside three suitcases on a long-haul flight from Pakistan, as the court heard.

When customs officers stopped Mehmood, he said his bags contained “clothes and stuff”, but a search revealed the

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experiences with new friends that I have made through this course.”

Akeel Mirza said: "I enjoyed it because we met new people and had a lot of fun.”

Danyaal Butt said: "It was a life changing experience, I loved every minute of it.”

Kennedy Myers said: "I joined the NCS programme last year and I have loved and enjoyed everything we have done since then. Winning the regional award out of many others was an honour to our team. The awards ceremony was epic.”

Shereen Bano said: "The whole programme and course was amazing, it helped me grow as a person and gain new skills which will definitely help me later on in life.”

Thousands of families plea for crisis loans Shocking figures have been revealed, showing the scale of problem for 'harthit families' as emergency benefit is axed. There were around 152,000 for the emergency handouts in the region last year, with £7.5m paid out.

In Greater Manchester, nearly 3,000 hard-hit households are applying for crisis loans every week.

Whilst major cuts to the benefit system are being made, including the scrapping of crisis loans, figures show the number of families fighting poverty.

According to Manchester Evening News, a number of children are also going hungry as families struggle to bring food onto the table.

The one-off, interest-free government payments are designed to keep household off the breadline. They can be paid out in a wide-range of circumstances including recent job loss, domestic violence, or house fires.

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stashed birds.

Thirteen birds were already dead and the remaining four were put down by a vet.

The offender later stated that he had brought the partridges from abroad “because he liked them” and was upset over their deaths.

When his luggage was searched, officials found 17 partridges, divided between three wooden boxes, and the crates had been wrapped in family clothes, which were seized because they were covered in faeces and insects.

Mehmood, later claimed that his clothes were cost-

ly and that they should be returned to him. However, Manchester magistrates refused to release the items, after hearing that they could be contaminated.

According to the court, the offender put the birds in his luggage a day earlier, and the flight stopped in Dubai before continuing to Manchester.

He was pleaded guilty to landing a prohibited animal without a licence and has been given a 12 month community order, where he must carry out 140 hours' unpaid work.

He was also expected to pay a £230 fine.

Evening News have reported that poverty campaigners believe that such a system may just increase the numbers of people in serious hardship.

Manchester Central MP, Lucy Powell said: “These are small loans but are lifelines for people who are facing all sorts of challenges, who are fleeing domestic violence, recently out of care, or have just been released from prison.”

Number of claims paid out per area (April 2011 – April 2012) Claims Total cost Bolton 13490 812100 Bury 7380 427300 Manchester 17072 1955200 Oldham 10750 632000 Rochdale 10540 631900 Salford 13570 815100 Stockport 8710 557800 Tameside 11080 680700 Trafford 5450 328400 Wigan 12220 736900

The controversial 'garden tax' in Birmingham may leave streets knee-deep with thousands of residents refusing to pay-up, as Councillor Keith Linnecor fears. The Labour backbencher Councillor families will simply let leaves collect on pavements outside their homes to avoid paying £35 garden waste collection charge.

From next year Birmingham city council will demand the cash to empty wheelie bins of grass cuttings and leaves.

Keith Linnecor reckons that the new policy would result in chaos, particularly in tree-lined streets.

He mentioned that residents clean up their mess, often from pavements too, because they know that the council take away whatever they put out. But now they can only put out a bin full, only if they pay for the bin and many will not.

“There is nothing to stop residents picking up the leaves from council trees and dumping them on the road”, he added.

The council has offered compost bins at cost prices to taxpayers unwilling to hand over £35 for the privilege of having their grass cuttings collected.

However, there are fears that many will opt out completely and either dump their garden waste or throw it in with their household rubbish.

Inspectors saw flour 'moving' in filthy pizza shop

When inspectors paid a visit to Peter Pan Pizza in Salford, a pizza shop owned by Zabi Karemi, they discovered cockroaches in the flour, on pizza toppings and around the building.

The takeaway boss whose pizza parlour was infested with cockroaches and mice has been ordered to pay £3,000.

A stack of burger boxes had been nibbled and gnawed by mice, and a cockroach was found floating on water in a container of sweetcorn. The shop owner admitted five offences of breaching food hygiene ragulations when he appeared before Manchester magistrates' court.

His brother, Anayatula Karemi of Crumpsall, apparently pleaded guilty to 14 breaches of food hygiene regulations, and was dealt with by a judge at Manchester Crown Court earlier this month.

His brother was the more serious offender, as he was given repeated warnings to clean up his act, but still ignored the authorities advice, it was said.

Father of four in coma for 3 weeks A father-of-four has been in a coma with a fractured skull for three weeks after he was beaten and left for dead in a seemingly random attack. The family of Azeem Nawaz, 32, have kept a bedside vigil at Royal Preston Hospital, Lancashire, since he was discovered unconscious in a Burnley street with 'horrific injuries', the Daily Mail reported.

Police have no clear idea why he was attacked and a £3,000 Crimestop pers reward is being offered. Officers believe Mr Nawaz was assaulted in March Street, Burnley, Lancashire, but almost

Nawaz with his wife Alia in happy times

three weeks on they are still baffled as to who is responsible or why.

Waseem Sarwar, his brother-in-law, begged for witnesses to come forward. He said the family had struggled to explain to Mr Nawaz's four

daughters - Arooj, 10, Natasha, six, Anusha, four, and Fathima, 21 months - what had happened to their father.

Mr Sarwar, 35, said: '… Azeem is a very nice lad. He wouldn't harm a fly, so we can't understand why someone would attack him for no apparent reason.

'We need answers and we need them fast before it happens to someone else.

'Someone out there definitely knows something. If they're scared to come forward to the police, call the anonymous line.'

Sky 816 • Virgin 807

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The April Fools’ Brand Pranks Spriha Srivastava

IIT-IIM alumni chapters welcome Gurcharan Das The IIM Europe and IIT UK associations (the respective pan-IIM and pan-IIT alumni chapters) recently organised a talk by Gurcharan Das, India’s leading commentator, on his latest book, "India Grows at Night - a Liberal Case for a Strong State." Das says that the title India Grows at Night is incomplete without saying “..when the government sleeps.”

Sponsored by State Bank of India, UK, the event was held at the Deutsche Bank office in the City and was attended by close to 100 people despite the adverse weather conditions.

Das is a world renowned author, commentator, public intellectual and the former CEO of Procter & Gamble India. In 1995, after a 30year career in six countries, he took an early retirement to become a full time writer and speaker.

In addition to authoring a regular column for The Times of India, he is a popular contributor to The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and Newsweek.

Das is a graduate with honors of Harvard University, and Harvard Business School’s Advance Management Program (where he’s featured in three HBS case studies).

He is a member of the international advisory board of Wal-Mart, Mars Inc. and of other Fortune 100 companies, and is a sought-after speaker and consultant to some of the world’s largest corporations.

He has written extensively and his authored works, among others, include international bestsellers like "India Unbound" and "The Difficulty of Being Good". He is one of the leading liberal thinkers in India currently, advocating a minimal government capable of strongly enforcing the rule of law.

Das in his book talks about the need for a strong liberal state, wherein he calls for a state which would have the authority to take quick, decisive action; a state which would have the rule of law to ensure those actions are legitimate; and finally, a state which would be accountable to the people.

Gurcharan Das

Achieving this will not be easy, he says, because India has historically had a weak state and a strong society.

He also argues that the weakness of the state is at the centre of India’s problems. “This is the singular reason why it takes 10 years to build a road where it should not take more than three.

This is also the reason why people have to wait for 12 years to get justice from a court of law. This is also the reason why some people think that they are above the law.

That is where corruption starts from," says Das. Das took the baffling example of two towns on the outskirts of Delhi – Gurgaon and Faridabad.

In 1980, Faridabad had an active municipality, fertile agriculture, a direct railway line to Delhi, a host of wellknown industries and state government determined to showcase it as the state of Haryana's future. Gurgaon, located in the same state, was at the time a sleepy village with rocky soil and pitiable agriculture. It had no local government, no railway link and no industry. Compared to a pampered Faridabad, it was wilderness. Twentyfive years later, Gurgaon had become the symbol of a rising India and an engine of international growth. It now has dozens of shiny skyscrapers, 26 shopping malls, seven golf courses and countless luxury showrooms of global brands.

Meanwhile, Faridabad remained sad and scraggly. It is groaning under a corrupt, self-important municipality. How did this happen?

He says, “Gurgaon's erstwhile disadvantage — that it was more or less ignored by the rapacious state government — turned out to be an advantage. It meant less

red tape and fewer bureaucrats who could block its development.”

During the course of his talk, Das talked about the characteristics of an ideal leader. He said these are – determination, integrity and humility.

According to him, our present Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has immense humility, personal integrity although he presides over a corrupt government, but lacks determination. He said one candidate who has determination and integrity is Narendra Modi but he lacks humility. However, on Modi, although Das seemed optimistic, he said it is absolutely necessary for him to clear the air over Gujarat 2002.

Das in his talk also mentioned the new age social media driven population of India that has tasted success in the past few years. He says, "One, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the massive street protests inspired by Anna Hazare, the middle class has awakened.

Street protests do not solve the problem but they make people aware.

The middle class feel a lot more empowered today."

The latest case of Nirbhaya has brought out the anger within people to the streets and has made the politicians conscious of their actions.

This is definitely not disputable. Social media, higher purchasing power and exposure to the world via the internet, travel and interaction has led to this notion of empowerment.

But Das is not too hopeful about the political dispensation floated

by Arvind Kejriwal and other members of India Against Corruption.

"There is no coherent way of thought in this group and their idea of Lokpal, while being just one instrument to address just one problem, is a super authority which runs contrary to all liberal principles," says Das. Das said we all need to do something to ensure the change happens. He suggests spending at least an hour in your neighbourhood talking to people and making them aware of the issues.

He says we need to be out of our impatient middle class mindset in order to achieve the larger aim.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com I have no idea how April Fools ’Day came about, but I know it has been around for ages, a good few centuries at least.

While it is quite a nonevent really, it has turned into a great platform for brands to get away with a little horse play.

This year we saw Google introduce, Google Nose, “the new scentsation in search.”

Simultaneously it freaked out the rest of the Internet when claiming it would shut down Youtube.

Skype launched ‘Skype into Space,’ allowing you to have the best bits of Skype and use them in the cosmos.

Features like ‘Instant Messaging in Space’ and ‘Additional Language Support,’ where you could potentially talk to new life forms, where all featured.

As they

summed it up nicely ‘Skype in Space, one video call for man, one giant leap for mankind.’

Not to stand by and watch, Richard Branson on his blog announced the world’s first glass bottomed plane, which Virgin would be introducing into their fleet.

Saving the best for last, the US military released a statement saying they would start training cats and integrating them into the military police, so as to save

money on defence spending. David Cameron certainly missed a trick here in his austerity cuts.

Far more than being a good bit of banter, these kinds of pranks actually really help brands. They allow businesses to make fun of themselves. Create a bit of humour and gar-

ner a little attention relatively cheaply.

By adding humour to a brand, it triggers an emotional response, in that it makes potential consumers go “isn’t that company cool.” That kind of reaction builds affinity and desirability for a business. April Fools’ is the licence to be silly even for the most straight talking business.

Nowadays media is so fast moving and the ability to get a message out there and for it to spread is unbelievable.

Companies which are switched on can find a way to engage with their audiences and make themselves memorable.

During this year’s Super Bowl, one of the most watched events in the world, there was a 30 minute unintentional power failure.

During which time Oreo, the famous American cookie brand tweeted a picture of an Oreo in the dark, with the caption ‘You can still dunk in the dark.’

This quick response with relevance and humour is the kind of thing brands can easily do to stay at the forefront of consumers’ minds.

Shopkeeper accused of 'false claiming' lottery jackpot A court has heard that a shopkeeper who tried to claim an £80,000 lottery jackpot by telling the lucky ticket holder he had only won £10.

Imran Pervais (pictured) is accused of deliberately trying to shortchange Callum Crosier, who was part of syndicate of 28, so he could keep the winning amount himself.

Mr. Crosier said his winning ticket was found screwed up in a ball

under the counter at Pervais' store after he had been given just £10 for it.

The court heard that Camelot launched their own investigation after Mr Crosier's complaint, which led to Pervais' arrest the following month and the money was paid out to the syndicate.

The prosecution claim that Pervais 'deliberately and dishonestly' misled Mr. Crosier and the only 'logical conclusion' was

We are all NOT in this together Continued from page 3 The beginning of next week and later part of April will see further decimation of access to services for the poor and deprived. The raft of cuts would include scrapping of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and introduction of Universal Credit. The reduction in DLA will affect some 500,000 disable people and their carers. This will see the benefits reduce or removed altogether. No wonder disable peoples’ organisations and charities have forged an alliance

“The Hardest Hit” to fight the cuts. Controversial new ‘Universal Credit’ system will replace six of the main benefits with a single payment. The project seems to have come to a grinding halt with the pilot of this welfare system now introduced only in one jobcentre in Ashton-Under Lyne this month. There is a crisis situation with the new system which will put at risk tax credits of millions of families. With the raft of cuts in the pipeline from this April – this has been described as the ‘cruellest month of austerity period’. I agree.

that he could claim the winning £79,887 himself.

But the defendant who denies fraud by false misrepresentation claims the short-changing was a mistake. The trial continues.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

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Tilda Grand Extra Long Grain Rice is available in 5kg and 10kg Seal ‘n’ Store bags, which contain re-sealable locks to preserve the quality of the rice inside. Each Seal ‘n’ Store bag also contains an easy carry handle. Strong and user-friendly, the new bags are durable, waterproof and turquoise blue in colour.

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UK

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Jacintha Saldanha inquest date set on 2 May Jacintha Saldanha, 45, a British Indian nurse was found dead in her nurse's quarters at the King Edward VII hospital in London in December, three days after putting through a hoax call from the 2 day FM hosts Mel Greig and Michael Christian, trying to find about the Duchess of Cambridge’s health. Kate Middleton was admitted in that hospital to treat sickness related to her early stage of pregnancy.

Bradford makes attempt to safeguard children in Madrassas

the inquest and investigations will provide the answers they seek.

They understand the media interest in this case and are grateful that their privacy has been respected so far, but request that the media continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.

The family will be represented at the inquest by John Cooper QC.” However, he also said that the trial will not "take away the terrible

Jacintha Saldanha

Keith Vaz MP with Jacintha's husband Benedict Barboza, children Lisha and Junal

On last Tuesday Saldanha's terribly grieved husband, Benedict Barboza, daughter Lisha, 14, and son Junal, 17, attended a pre-inquest hearing at Westminster coroner's court.

Speaking for the family, the MP Keith Vaz said the hearing marked the beginning of the end of the legal process.

“Over three months have now passed since the tragic death of Jacintha Saldanha. There remain a number of unanswered questions about the circumstances leading to her death.

On behalf of the family I have written to the hospital who informed me they expect their internal inquiry into the case to conclude following the inquest. I have also written to the radio station who are subject to an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The family remain hopeful that

grief the family are still suffering".

"These have been dreadful, dreadful weeks and months for them," Vaz said. "They will never, ever come to terms with the death of Jacintha who they loved so much, but they hope this process will begin the healing process."

During the hearing, the family's legal representative, John Cooper QC, questioned whether under the terms of her employment contract the nurse should have been answering the hospital phone. There is dispute between the radio station and the hospital about whether 2Day FM tried to call the nurse back to get her permission before airing the hoax call.

Cooper asked why it was that Saldanha "was placed in a position in a matron office to be receiving calls from outside agencies".

Cooper also questioned whether the owners of the Australian radio station, Southern Cross, had con-

tacted the hospital to request permission to broadcast a recording of the hoax call.

The coroner, Fiona Wilcox, granted anonymity to a duty nurse who was working in the duchess's maternity ward, who is due to testify at the hearing.

Wilcox accepted that the witness should be shielded from media intrusion after the hospital argued that it was "absolutely necessary … as evidenced by events".

After the hearing the hospital's chief executive, John Lofthouse, reportedly paid tribute to Saldanha.

"Jacintha was a much-loved colleague and a first-class nursing sister. She is sorely missed by everyone at the hospital," he said. "We once again extend our deepest condolences to her family. We feel it would be inappropriate for the hospital to comment at this time."

An Indian newspaper reported that the key evidence in the death has been handed over to the legal team representing the Australian radio station behind the hoax call.

On last Friday, the court handed over copies of the three notes the mother-of-two left before her apparent suicide, a police report, toxicology results, a statement from the duty nurse who was the last person to see her alive as well as a letter from her GP, which is expected to reveal whether she was on medication at the time of her death.

Some reports suggest that the nurse had apparently been treated by a doctor in India after an incidence of self harm and may have been on anti-depressants.

The inquest will be held on 2 May at the council house chambers in Marylebone, London.

Public Health Minister outlines future of diabetes care in new landscape of health The Public Health Minister Anna Soubry, MP (pictured) has given a keynote speech to over 200 GPs, health professionals, local government representatives about the future of diabetes care in the new landscape of health.

The Silver Star Open Forum: Health and Wellbeing Boards, Preparing for Local Leadership seminar, organised by the diabetes charity Silver Star, took place on Thursday in the prestigious Attlee Suite in the House of Commons.

The seminar, attended by over 200 GPs, health professionals and local government officers, examined what the changes in April, the biggest reorganisation of the NHS for decades, will mean for patient care with a particular focus on the specific challenges posed by diabetes.

The Minister stressed the importance of the role of pharmacies as part of the network to diagnose the estimated 850,000 people in the UK who have diabetes but are not yet aware. She outlined

the Government’s strategy for tackling the childhood obesity epidemic saying that the ‘nation had to wake up’ to childhood obesity and that parents are responsible for their child’s health.

The event was attended by MPs from across the parties including the Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, ViceChair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes, who chaired the plenary session on CCGs and Health and Wellbeing Boards, Nigel Evans MP, the Deputy-Speaker of the House of Commons,

Julian Lewis MP and Nick de Bois MP. Other speakers included Rosamond Roughton, Director of Continued on page 31

An attempt is being made in Bradford to finally safeguard the estimated 9,000 children who attend Muslim religious schools in the city.

Bradford Council for Mosques, Bradford Safeguarding Children Board, NSPCC, and West Yorkshire Police have worked together over the last 12 months to produce 'Children Do Matter'. The study looks at issues including child protection, staff recruitment, bad practice and child abuse.

Following that, new guidelines that are aimed at protecting Muslim children in religious schools are being introduced in Bradford.

Unlike state schools, these religious schools - known as madrassas - are unregulated and teachers do not have to have specialist training.

Leading the way, the Jami'at Tabligh-ul-Islam Mosque, which provides lessons for children aged 7-18, has been one of the first institutions to take up these guidelines. These will include criminal record checks for all religious teachers and greater parental involvement over what is taught. And the reaction has been quite positive so far. Bradford is home to more than 100 madrassas, where British Muslim children spend about 10 hours each week - after school and on weekends - learning to recite the Koran in Arabic.

Many parents - who tend to place great importance on providing their sons and daughters with an opportunity to expand their religious knowledge have welcomed the new guidelines.

Eighteen months ago, a Radio 4 investigation uncovered more than 400 allegations of abuse relating to Britain's madrassas, in incidents spanning three years. Only a tiny number of claims led to

successful prosecutions, including a case in Lancashire where a mosque staff member admitted to beating pupils.

However, the revelation prompted calls for formal regulation of the religious schools - attended by more than 250,000 British Muslim children by the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, a body set up to improve standards in mosques. As a result, the Council for Mosques in Bradford, West Yorkshire, has spent months putting together the document entitled Children Do Matter - a guideline for the city's madrassas.

Naheed Kosser - the mosque's only female teacher told BBC news: "We've done training in safeguarding and child protection and I've benefited from it quite a lot.

"It actually shows you how to look after kids and it's created a great place to learn about Islam."

However, the National Secular Society says it is not enough and that a legal framework is urgently needed to control the network of madrassas.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "Reports like this are all very well and I'm sure full of good intentions, but the Muslim community cannot be permitted to go its own way and remain unregulated in areas where others are forced to act within the law. It is not good enough that these 'schools' are allowed to be so secretive and that there is no legal framework in which they must operate. Children are entitled to better than that. It is their safety and their welfare that must come first, not the desire of community leaders to simply indoctrinate them."

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Toral Dixit - Intrepid Film and Television Programme Producer Toral is a producer director who can also shoot.

She has 16 years’ experience in observational documentaries, documentaries, current affairs and factual programmes. She usually films without a crew, self operating large, heavy cameras in remote and difficult environments.

Her prime time credits include Last Man Standing, Dispatches, Tribal Wives, The Race to Clone a Mammoth, The Return of the Clouded Leopards, Tsunami Children and The Making of a Royal Wedding. Her channel credits include BBC (1,2 and 3), C4, ITV, C5, Discovery and National Geographic.

Her parents are from India and she was born there, but grew up in the UK. Toral started her career as a photographer, having taken a photography degree at the Salisbury College of Art. She working mainly in corporate

Toral Dixit

and PR and became bored, so she took an NUJ diploma in journalism at City

University, and finally an MA in Independent Film from the London College

of Printing, London University. This led to her working in TV as a researcher, ultimately being sent to the furthest corners of the world – the type of work she wanted to do when she first started her photography career.

Breaking into TV was tough, she says. “Lots of casual jobs to fill in gaps of unemployment. If you persevere, you will get a break. In TV, your reputation is key and most jobs – especially in the early stages, are through word of mouth or contacts in the industry.

It’s not always about being the best at your job – although you will be found out if you’re not – it’s as much about luck or being in the right place at the right time...the trick is making sure you are!”

Since her job can be “all absorbing and exhausting,” the periods between jobs can be used to relax and unwind, catch up with friends and family, and do the chores.

Toral has filmed in many unusual and exciting circumstances - in very remote areas such as the Amazon with tribal communities, searching for Clouded Leopards in the jungles of Assam, India, and filming scientists in Siberia as they collected DNA from which they attempted to clone a Mammoth. She has living with the Himba people in Namibia, with gangs in Chicago and the UK - plus

more!

“Being in unusual settings isn’t everything sometimes opportunities are on your doorstep .

Working in TV gives me experiences that I wouldn’t get in everyday life such as being present when a woman gives birth to her first child. Or following a woman as she battles with alcoholism... seeing children slowly get better after the horrific Tsunami, seeing behind

She sometimes films without a crew, self operating large, heavy cameras in remote and difficult environments the scenes of the Royal wedding...all these things give a richness to my life that make up for the hard work and commitment that this industry demands.”

But, Toral says, it is vital to stay safe. She recommends that preparation is key in these environments.

And proper research before travelling; identifying and minimising risks and being very aware. She says to trust your instincts – “if it doesn’t feel right... act accordingly.”

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But Toral is sure that working anywhere that’s outside a filmmaker’s cultural reference needs respect of the culture.

“Filming is about good communication – and if you can get people on your side, your life is made easier. If you are not aware and considerate you could find yourself without local support – and compromise your safety. Also, many cultures are embarrassed to say ‘No’ to media demands, and so will promise without delivering – here you have to make a judgement about how hard to push. Too much pushing may result in bad relations – not enough means the job won’t get done!”

Ambition-wise, Toral is tied to filming styles and stories that are given to her, so would love to make films that probably wouldn’t get aired on TV but may get screened in film festivals. She would like to balance the two sides of documentary making.

And women can, she thinks, progress if they adopt “the same tactics as men when getting into an industry. Men are not afraid to ask for help (from professional and social contacts). They are more proactive in networking and calling in favours. I would advise women to act confidently, and not take any rubbish from men who exude confidence and who have a tendency to take the lead.”

Your Voice

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Sanjay Dutt jailed News about sentencing terrorists involved in 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai is a relief for all. But, delaying the sentence for 20 years, equals to justice denied, and unequal justice, whereby many Indians are suffering in jail, with no proven charges. Facing token punishment of three and a half years’ jail, Sanjay Dutt must be laughing all the way. Under the maxim “Law is blind” all popularity, wealth, and status of Sanjay Dutt must have been ignored; he must have been accorded harshest and maximum punishment. But the law is blind towards national anguish from more than 200 deaths and more than 700 persons injured. Timing of sentence appears like electioneering gimmick by collaboration between traitors hiding abroad, UPA and Supreme Court. The sordid fallout isanti India- bigots’ lobby seeking pardon for Sanjay Dutt on flimsy grounds. These ignore possibility that Sanjay Dutt, intentionally or otherwise aided and abetted sinister plot to destabilise the nation, which shocked the whole world.

His crime was to obtain arms specifically smuggled for terrorism. He could have bought arms from legitimate shops. Self defence is no excuse to possess unlicensed rifle, pistol and hand grenades.

Pardon lobby must also consider the freedom enjoyed by Sanjay Dutt whereby he progressed carrier wise, amassed millions of rupees, won sympathy of Bollywood, got married etc. Pardon lobby considers Indians as cheap fodder to be sacrificed on the altar of status, wealth/popularity of person and fear of sponsors of terrorists who operate from abroad.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Emails

Short, Sharp and Relevant I agree entirely with your request on the second page of Asian Voice for the period 23 -29 March and subsequently in this week’s AV, that letters for the “Your Voice” column should be no more than 250 words in length. This is exactly what I have been advocating in my earlier letters. Also, the letters should focus on issues which concern us here in our country of residence, rather than placing too much emphasis on matters relating to our mother land. I have noticed that some of your contributors send long winded letters on issues concerning India. This may be OK in some respects like the campaign for direct flights to Ahmedabad or the hike in visa fees for India or even the restriction on the value of gold ornaments that one can take with him or her to India. But do we need the same dose of what Narendra Modi or other ministers in India have said or done?

Long winded letters become boring and make me skim through them instead of digesting the contents. There is a tool called “word count” on most computers and I would urge the compulsive long letter writers to make use of that and thus save us time in going through material which may be of little interest to many.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Something for Nothing culture

Children in divorce battles

Hats of to Ex-Archbishop George Carey

Between 2002 and 2008, worldwide debts, public and private, had doubled by rough count from $84 trillion to $195 trillion. Global GDP was $60 trillion.

Banks became extensions of their governments.

If you included bank debts with government debts, then Ireland had amassed debts of more than 25 times it’s annual revenues. Many other developed countries were in similar situation.

A few investors realised what was happening. Many banks did not and went bust.

Kyle Bass originally worked for Bear Sterns for 7 years selling bonds. Kyle then became manager of a hedge fund called Hayman Capital in Dallas, Texas.

In late 2006 he used his $5 million savings to raise another $500 million from others, and created his hedge fund.

The biggest investment banks had created a new instrument : the credit default swap on the subprime mortgage bond.

Investors could bet against the price of any bond—”short” it. The buyer did not need to own the asset. Insurance companies would not sell you fire protection on another person’s house!

Investment banks did.

Kyle placed the bet and made billions and became famous. To insure $1 million of Greek government bonds against default, Hayman Capital paid a premium of $1,100 a year. Every $1,100 bet would return $700,000.

Kyle said: “If countries run real budget surpluses, this would not happen; and Yeah that will happen right after monkeys fly out of your ass” (Michael Lewis, 2011, Boomerang). In 2013 history is repeating itself.

I read your recent Asian House and Home magazine. It is a wonderful read and probably one of the finest so far.

Some articles are very well written, well edited and topical. But I am not sure why you have included an article on ‘children in the divorce battle’ in this particular magazine? It has got nothing to do with a house or home magazine.

When one buys a house, may whatever be the reality, they want love and togetherness above everything. It’s a symbol of a successful ‘future’ together.

This is not a legal magazine- why would want to read on custodial issues?

Unfortunately though very well written and informative it is a complete misfit.

What would have been more apt is articles on areas catering to good schools or how a single parent could buy a house in a friendly area where there are lots of young children, so that their lonely child finds a friend- something on those lines. May be author Anna Patel will look into my suggestion next time.

Sprinkling various coloured powder and spraying coloured water though syringes on each other has a profound spiritual meaning during the Hindu holi festival once a year for a few hours. Yet some people’s violent excessive and unreasoning enthusiasm construe secularism obstructing their religious right to spray water; and blame them for wasting water; while so much water in almost all the rivers are spread over through out India is allowed to flow freely.

Is it not a criminal wastage of water by them when the farmers suicide in India for lack of water?

Christianity, like Hinduism and Buddhism is a tolerant, all inclusive religion we admire and would like to settle down in a country where Christianity prevails. Whenever the followers of these noble religions are persecuted, by real or perceived threats, our gullible politicians turn a blind eye.

So often these politicians, in a haste to prove their secular credentials or to develop a vote bank, unwittingly become the authors of their own misfortunes, aiding and abetting secularism at every opportunity, betraying the people they are supposed to serve. Discrimination against Christians in their own country is widespread which often comes to surface at Easter and Christmas time, turning the nation into “Super Bowl Maladjustment.”

In a recent poll, two thirds of Christians feel that they are a “persecuted minority” in their own country.

Surprisingly it is the Conservative government, led by “secular” PM David Cameron who is indirectly responsible to install religious insecurity among these Christians. Perhaps it is the influence of his deputy PM Nick Clegg who is an atheist but would not mind sending his children to schools run by Christian organizations.

The same sex marriage bill was the last straw for many Christians who believed it was neither a priority nor a necessity, as even most gay people were against its introduction in haste, especially when we have more pressing priorities with economic meltdown and dwindling living standard to attend to. The decline of morality; may be due to the decline of religious influence affects every profession, especially NHS where patients die of neglect, cruelty and selfishness.

Let us hope that Lord George Carey’s timely intervention may bring politicians to their senses.

R N Patel Via Email

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Ebony Saha London

Why celebrate ‘dry’ holi?

Model London The European Union began as a way of bringing the peoples of European countries together, following the ravages of a war instigated by Nazis who had come to power following an economic crisis.

At a time when so many European nations are feeling the economic strain, we should remind ourselves never to lay blame for our problems at the foot of any one race or community.

London has a lot to teach the rest of Europe about integrating communities.

Through a combination of education, encouragement of enterprise, community projects and celebration of different religious festivals, we have built a more tolerant culture. It may not be perfect but it is a something that Londoners can be proud of and a model for other cities and countries in Europe to follow.

Attracting bad karma Hindu readers of this newspaper may be interested in what I am about to say.

We all know that Coronation Street star William Roache was recently blasted for commenting that paedophile victims have themselves to blame because they must have committed some misdeed in their previous life and are now paying for their sin or sins in this life. Does reincarnation, which Hindus believe in, support Mr Roache’s view?

A Hindu once told me he never helps poor people, or those in distress, because they must have “done something bad” in their previous life. To help such people, he said, means getting involved in their bad karma which then rubs off on you as well. Do Hindus agree with this belief?

Rudy Otter Via Email

Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London

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Consultative Conference, (and a member of the politburo of Communist Party of China), Modi showcased Gujarat as a destination with a conducive environment to invest and work. He also explained Gujarat becoming a major tourist destination. He brought out the richness of Buddhist culture in Gujarat which solicited very keen interest among Chinese leadership. He also dwelled upon the ancient Indian and Chinese ethos, relationship, friendship, cultural and business ties.

While showcasing

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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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Thank you for your letters to our ‘your voice’ section. As you may recall a few years back we made it mandatory that your ‘letters to the editor’ must not be more than 200 words. Despite that we have allowed people to write upto 250-300 words and have edited them as and when required.

However some regular letter writers continue to send letters worth 400-450 words. Our Editorial team has been downsizing every week. However the team and the Editors have decided that from now on, if any letter is more than 250 words, we would unfortunately not be able to accommodate in the paper.

Please note: letters must be written within 250 words. And can be sent via email to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by Monday 5pm or by fax to 020 7749 4080 or by post.

- AV

EducAtion/council Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

150 pupils support major project and exhibition More than 150 pupils from 17 schools across the Bradford District are supporting a major project and exhibition which tackles prejudice based on the life and experiences of the young Jewish diarist Anne Frank.

This will be the third visit of the Anne Frank [+ YOU] exhibition in Bradford where pupils have been trained as Anne Frank Ambassadors to guide school parties and visitors around the exhibition between 15th April and 9th May 2013. The exhibition is supported by an education pack on the Stand Up, Speak Out, Make a Difference theme.

The launch of the ‘Anne Frank +[YOU] exhibition takes place on Tuesday 16th April between 6:00pm and 8:00pm at the Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford College where pupils and schools will be involved in poetry, presentations and drama.

Bradford Council’s Children’s Services Diversity and Cohesion team has organised the exhibition and devised the pack which follows the tragic experiences of Anne Frank.

The handwritten account of living in hiding from the Nazis before being caught and sent to a concen-

Anne Frank

tration camp, is synonymous with prejudice across the world. Starting from Anne Frank’s writings and experiences, the exhibition is a journey of self exploration for visitors.

Themes that Anne wrote about in her diary, such as racial hatred, war and conflict and the value of democracy and freedom are presented in an up-to-date and contemporary fashion, along with filmed interviews with British teenagers discussing their own views, concerns and hopes for the future. A full-scale replica of the bedroom where Anne Frank hid

from the Nazis for two years is displayed at the thought provoking exhibition which is linked to an education pack exploring human rights, prejudice and stereotypes.

The Diversity and Cohesion team peer education training helps prepare pupils for their Ambassador roles at the exhibition which links Anne’s diary to human rights issues, looking at race, democracy, rights and responsibilities. The Education pack has gone out to every school in the District.The primary and secondary schools involved are: Cavendish Primary, Fagley Primary, Lidget Green Primary, Victoria Primary, Ben Rhydding Primary and Eastwood Primary. Queensbury Secondary, Thornton Grammar, Carlton Bolling College, Hanson Academy, Dixons Allerton Academy, Belle Vue Boys’, Aire View PRU and Appleton Academy. 2013 marks the third visit of the national Anne Frank [+ YOU] exhibition in Bradford. As part of the city’s ‘Routes to Peace’ season, celebrating its peaceful heritage and future, there will also be a series of talks at the exhibition with themes including ‘Learning from the Holocaust’ and conflict resolution.

Harrow is top for road safety

Harrow’s roads have the lowest accident casualty rate in the country and continue to be among the safest, according to latest figures.

The borough has a casualty rate of 17.99 per 10,000 residents, according to a new comparison website launched by the Department for Transport.

In contrast neighbouring boroughs casualty rates were significantly higher.

Harrow’s roads are also getting safer – there were 34 serious accidents in 2011, compared to 73 in 2005. The number of slight accidents had also dropped from 564 in 2005, to 385 in 2011.

Road Safety Minister

Stephen Hammond has called for Councils which are performing well to share their best practice with others.

Harrow Council helps to educate both drivers and pedestrians about road safety in the borough through campaigns and work in schools. The road safety team also monitors accident hotspots and installs appropriate road

safety engineering measures to reduce personal injury accidents at these locations.

The Council also runs a series of innovative cycle and children’s scooter training sessions, which has proved very popular with schoolchildren. It is delivered to around 1200 children aged between six and eight a year. The Council’s Road Safety Team visits every school at least once a year, teaching children about the dangers of both in-car (such as a mobile phone going off) and pedestrian distractions. Theatre groups also

Have your say at Public Forum for Education in Bradford Education sites which provide a range of services can offer many benefits to children and their families.

The next Public Forum for Education will look at positive experiences that have emerged from different settings that practice this approach. The forum will take place on Wednesday 24 April 2013, 4.30pm – 6.30 pm in Conference Room D, Future House, Bolling Road, Bradford BD4 7EB There will be a broad range of presentations and discussion on the following areas: l Positive experiences of the Common Assessment Framework l Arthur Martin, Unit Manager, Burnett Fields -

will talk about family centres and children’s centres making contact with other local services for the benefit of local families l Staff and pupils from Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College will talk about the positive experiences and the effectiveness of their Sports Academy l Lyndsey Brown, formerly Headteacher at Bradford District Pupil Referral Unit, will talk about multi agency working developed in the unit and how this philosophy will be rolled out at the new Oastler’s School.

Cllr Ralph Berry, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: "Working in partnership is so important if we’re to provide the best services

we can for children and families.

"This forum looks at how this has been done effectively in a number of settings. So if you deliver services, or you use them as a parent, carer or a young person, please come along and join in!”

Kath Tunstall, Strategic Director of Children’s Services, said: "Bradford has successfully embraced a partnership approach to many aspects of its education work.

With the range of education providers growing, it’s vital we work together.

"We want as many people as possible to add to this debate and help us shape services that build on best practice and the experiences of those who use them.”

visit and deliver hard hitting performances around road safety. The Council also runs three or four road safety campaigns a year, with information about the importance of seatbelts, motorbike, cycle and pedestrian safety.

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Council tax increases will affect 'poor families' the most More than two million people face significant increases in their council tax bills from next Monday, says a new study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, as reported by a national daily. commisResearch sioned by the charity shows that 2.4 million families low-income would pay, on average, £138 more in council tax in 2013/14 owing to reductions in council tax benefit.

Local authorities take over responsibility for setting council tax benefit from next month, but they have also been told to cut that benefit bill by 10 per cent.

Ministers have urged them to protect pensioners, so families both in and out of work will suffer the most in the squeeze to save £300 million.

The findings from the New Policy Institute (NPI) said that 58 councils had decided to retain current levels of support for families, absorbing the extra costs themselves.

But 232 authorities have demanded some council tax payments from everyone regardless of income. Families in work will pay £132 a year extra on average compared to an average total council tax payment of £140 for non-working

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A breakdown of charges shows huge variations in different parts of the country depending on the policy adopted by each town hall. The analysis shows that while 150,000 families will pay on average £300 more a year one million will pay under £100 extra on average. But 1.9 million claimants who currently pay no council tax will have to start paying on average £140 per year.

The charity points out that two thirds of families receiving council tax benefit are already in poverty and the change is likely to put tens of thousands more into further debt.

The 300,000 families who are just above the breadline are most at risk of falling into hardship as are 730,000 families who also receive disability living allowance.

Hilary Benn, Shadow Communities Secretary, said families were facing a double tax hit next week at the same time as millionaires were having their taxes cut.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said the localisation of council tax benefit would give councils stronger incentives to cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people back into work.

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Media Watch

Tamil Nadu has become the playground of competing bigotries. The DMK and the ruling AIDMK, throwing caution and wisdom to the winds, are in an auction to see who among them can shout loudest and conduct the most disruptive agitation against the Sri Lankan regime headed by President Mahinder Rajapakse. Both parties claim to have the interests of Sri Lankan Tamils at heart, but nothing they have said or done recently have promoted the rights and welfare of their ethnic cousins across the water. To ban Sri Lankan cricketers from playing in India Premier League matches in Chennai was a disgrace. Yes, the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils as equal citizens of their country need to be addressed. But this is best achieved through responsible dialogue.

Power sharing Power sharing constitutional arrangements will be good for Sri Lanka.

President Rajapakse’s government may have won the war against the Tamil Tigers, but it is in danger of losing the peace, without which the country will not be able to apply closure to the tragic past and move forward to a more hopeful and brighter future. A permanent peace without winners and losers should be the common goal.

Indian foreign policy cannot be hijacked by provincial demagogues for their own self-serving schemes. India’s opposition parties, BJP, Communists and Trinamool Congress et al have made this abundantly clear.

They and the government are on the same page. It is time the DMK and AIDMK join the Indian mainstream.

Architect of Russia, India science dies Academician Gury Marchuk, “the architect of a unique and highly successful programme of Indo-Russian cooperation in science and technology,” died in Moscow on March 25, aged 87.

Professor Marchuk, a renowned Russian physicist and mathematician, was the brain behind the Integrated Long-Term Programme (ILTP) set up in 1987 at the initiative of Rajiv Gandhi and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Over a span of 25 years and more, Professor Marchuk cochaired the ILTP with Professor C.N.R. Rao FRS in which Indian and Russian scientists undertook hundreds of joint projects in dozens of research fields, from healthcare to information technologies, from biotechnology to lasers and electronics.

In recognition of his services to India, Professor Marchuk was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and elected an honorary member of the Indian Academy of Sciences. In the 1950s, Professor Marchuk helped build the Soviet thermonuclear bomb; he also designed a liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor for submarines that remains unrivalled to this day. (Hindu March 27)

Talks for next leased nuclear submarine India has commenced talks with Russia for the lease of a second nuclear submarine, which belongs to the same Project 971as the Nerpa submarine leased to India by Russia for ten years in 2011 at a cost of $970 million and commissioned as

INS Chakra in 2012. According to a Russian official, “India has expressed interest in having the second submarine of this project completed. The strong hull of the submarine is fully ready and carefully kept in a slipway at the Amur Shipyard.” He said discussions were taking place on the resumption of the submarine’s construction, the work having been suspended for lack of funds when it was 42 per cent ready. (Hindu March 14) Meanwhile, INS Kiltan an advanced anti-submarine corvette with stealth features was commissioned at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers shipyard near Kolkata last week. (Hindu March 27)

Underwater BrahMos launch India has successfully tested a submarine-launched BrahMos supersonic cruise missile off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal. It marked a global first in the vertical launch of such a missile from an underwater plat-

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 6th april 2013

by aircraft. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Office (PMO) and the Defence Ministry have initiated “Project Varsha,” under which an integrated base is to be establisahed at Rambilli on the Andhra coast some 50 kilometres from the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters at Visakha patnam.

“Further land acquisitions for the sprawling base to be spread over 20 square kilometers are now underway with long-term budget allocations also being planned,” said a top level source. This will include tunnels, jetties, workshops and accommodation.

This strategic outreach into the Indian Ocean involving appropriate force levels will include new warships, aircraft, spy drones to secure the country’s long coastline from possible intrusions by hostile forces.

(Times of India March 26)

Reconstructive surgeries Foreign victims of terror attacks needing reconstructive surgeries are turning increasingly to India, where such operations cost onefifth of those in Europe or the US. Doctors in Delhi, for example, say they get 2 to3 cases a month of severely injured patients requiring reconstructive surgeries to torn limbs and mangled body parts, from conflict zones in Nigeria and Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia to Sudan.

Take, for instance, Ajmal from Afghanistan. His face has been reduced to a mass of craters, and he walks with a stick, eyes hidden behind thick goggles. “I was shot three years

President Mohammed Morsy of Egypt welcomed by President Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit to India

metals leading to faster infection causing gangrene and septicemia.” (Times of India March 25)

Ford in Sanand Sitting in the temporary administrative office at the Sanand site (in Gujrat), Kel Kearns, an Australian Ford company veteran of 18 years, took reporters on a tour of construction activity and remarked: “In January, we surpassed 10 million working hours on the site and we had zero India reportable injuries….In our Thailand plant, there were 3 million hours.”

Everything, said Kel Kearns, is happening on time and safely.

There were about 5,100 workers on the Sanand site, belonging to the two contractors – Larsen &Toubro and Shapurji Palonji.

Kajima of Japan is the overall construction manager for the plant.

Ford India broke new ground for the Rs 4,500 crore plant, its second in India, which will have an initial capacity of 240,000 cars and 270,000 engines.

(Hindu March 18)

Aakash praised

BrahMos submarine missile under x head BrahMos launch

form. The flight lasted 400 seconds. Commending BrahMos scientists from India and Russia and officers of the Indian Navy, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the flight was a “wonderful achievement and a proud moment for India.”

BrahMos CEO Sivathanu Pillai and S.K.Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, described the launch as a “milestone in India’s military preparedness.”( Hindu March 21)

High-tech naval base shaping up India’s new futuristic naval base on the country’s eastern seaboard has begun to take shape. The strategic base will have underground pens to protect nuclear submarines from satellite surveillance and attack

Professor Vivek Wadhwa, of Duke and Stanford Universities, is an acclaimed innovation guru.

His critical approval of the Indian government’s Aakash tablet project is an educative read. (Mint March 27). He takes issue with the Indian media for “trashing the government’s attempts to transform education through technology.”

While Professor Wadwa is critical of government bureaucracy and the like, he believes the “Aakash tablet is something for which the government should be praised…..Aakash has achieved more success than its

originator, [Minister] Kapil Sibal had promised. It has accelerated a technology revolution that will not only transform education but will also disrupt the world’s PC industry. ” Having collected his Aakash tablet from Mr Sibal, a skeptical Vivek Wadhwa “showed the device to Silicon Valley’s top tech blogs and they were very impressed by its potential. They had never seen a tablet that provided such functionality at this price.” The first tablet was basic and primitive. “That is the way new technologies always are.

Version 1 of any product is a proof of concept. It usually takes three iterations to set it right.

Almost all of Microsoft Corp’s products went through such cycles and Apple Inc nearly went bankrupt and had to reinvent itself before it could ship products for the mass market.”

Improvements Aakash 2 is a huge improvement on Aakash 1. Professor Wadhwa s again: “The Aakash project is embroiled in petty politics – as is the fate of almost every government project in India….But Kapil Sibal will have the last laugh. After all the government didn’t invest billions in research and development [this was done at the Indian Institute Rajasthan and taken forward to production by the Canadian manufacturer Datawind]; it simply put out a tender for the purchase of 100,000 tablets at a price of Rs 2,263 each. That amounts to Rs 5 million….India will experience major transformation in this decade as its people become connected and networked,” concludes the absorbing Wadhwa report.s Science and technology innovation are India’s true drivers. Politics is mostly street or television theatre.

back by the Taliban. The bullet whizzed from behind my ear and exploded in my nose, tearing away a part of my face. I was operated in my country but it didn’t help. So I came to Delhi,” he says.

His injuries will be treated by transplanting tissue from the thigh to his face and putting titanium plates to support a damaged eye. Most of the injuries, doctors say, are caused by gunshot wounds or bomb blasts.

Dr Sunil Chaudhary, Aesthetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Max Healthcare, said: “Bullets cause severe damage due to direct impact….

Missiles BRICS Durban summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders shatter tissues…. see Comment page 3 Bombs have rusted

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

You’re hired – entrepreneurs in residence to advise government

The Most Dangerous Place and Men In The World As President Mushraff this past week returns to Pakistan, so we are reminded thanks to North Koreas that Kashmir is no longer the most dangerous place in, or to, the world. Nuclear war is more likely it seems with North Korea and the US. Let’s not forget who gave the North Koreans the technology for a bomb though.

Whilst movies like Argo favourably portray the work of the CIA in the Iran hostage crisis, movies like Charlie Wilson’s war also portray the other side of CIA influence in places like Pakistan.

Until the movie ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ starring Tom Hanks you probably had not heard of US Congressman Charles Wilson. I am not exaggerating when I say he was the single most dangerous and powerful man in the world of the past three decades. An enemy of democracy, a funder of terrorism, a backer of Osama Bin Laden. The last two of these three he did unwittingly – but no less culpably.

Wilson as a Congressman ensured covert funds routed through Pakistan to the Afghan mujahedeen to support their efforts against the Soviets. But it was beyond the wit of the Americans to see that the Pakistanis wanted to handle the funds in order to keep the funds, that they would buy arms themselves to attack their democratic neighbour India; that the American support for Pakistan simply put India more in the Soviet camp in the 80s which was a far bigger danger to US fears of global Soviet domination than the dustbowl of Afghanistan; that when the Soviets left, the vacuum would be filled by the Mujahedeen obviously – from freedom fighters to Taleban, what do warriors do without a war, they don’t start civil government, they find new enemies, using those selfsame missiles against US forces in Afghanistan to this day – amongst them a young man called Bin Laden. And to complete the circle, the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989 – just before the USSR collapsed – ie they would have gone in any event, without the need to arm Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Wilson was a man who so disrespected democracy, an enemy of India, the largest democracy in the world, to such an extent that he endorsed resolu-

tions in the US Congress for the establishment of a Khalistan, or independent Punjab, to be carved out of the disintegration of India. He supported resolutions in the US Congress to declare India a terrorist state. I have the documents. They came into my possession when working in the US Congress. As I write the US has refused to declare the 1984 antiSikh riots in India as genocide. Wilson’s funding and goading has a reach beyond his death 3 years ago.

Other sources have subsequently told me that 90% of the funds from Wilson to Pakistan to fight the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan stayed in Pakistan. Zia, who had in his office ‘Its Charlie what done it’ may well have been referring not to the Mujahedeen victory over the Soviets, but the funding of the Pakistani army in Kashmir against Indian troops.

The story of the CIA follows the pattern of the old saying, ‘when money meets experience, it is often money that leaves with the experience and experience which leaves with the money’. Well the CIA were the money and Zia the experience. One would like to think the CIA has matured.

If there were two things in the last 30 years you did not want to do, one was arm Afghanistan and the other was arm Pakistan to attack India.

George W Bush was wrong post 9-11, when he said, ‘You’re either with us or against us’ because the problem is his bumblings led to his country being against itself when his fellow countrymen armed the Afghans and Pakistanis. If you want to

Business Secretary Vince Cable is set to get advice from two successful entrepreneurs appointed to help the government address the needs of small and medium sized businesses.

Business owners Rekha Mehr and Lawrence Tomlinson are to become the entrepreneurs in residence at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) after fighting off competition from over 200 other applicants.

Rekha Mehr is the founder and owner of Pistachio Rose, a Londonbased business creating high-end Anglo-Indian cakes and sweets.

She has been hired specifically to be a voice for start ups and small firms.

Experienced Leeds-based entrepreneur Lawrence Tomlinson has run businesses in a number sectors including construction, software, chemicals, cars, and care homes.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “These appointments are about better involving businesses in government’s decision making process, so that we can support their growth in a more intelligent way.

"I've already visited Lawrence's company headquarters near Leeds and had exposure to his trenchant view on banks and of the high-performance cars that he manufactures. I will be visiting Rekha's main retail outlet at Fortnum and Masons today (2 April 2013).

“Rekha and Lawrence will be important voices for businesses in my department. Having them on hand to offer feedback and advice will be a significant asset and help

know the right thing to do in international affairs, find a young naïve country with power, and do the opposite of what they do.

Arm them with education, teachers. Give me a child at 5 and I will give you a man of character by 16 should have been their motto.

Next week I meet former President Mushraff at Chatham House. I look forward to asking him if he is saddened at the passing of Charlie Wilson.

I suspect I know the answer.

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Lawrence Tomlinson, Entrepeneur, Rekha Mehr, Entrepeneur, Vince Cable, Business Secretary and Michael Fallon Business Minister

keep our focus firmly on the needs of entrepreneurs.”

Start-up Entrepreneur Rekha Mehr said: “I am very excited to begin work as the new Start-up Entrepreneur in Residence. It’s easy to forget the early days and frustrations of starting your own business and I welcome the opportunity to share my experiences to help government improve their understanding of the needs of a start-up business.

“There is a wealth of guidance and support available to SMEs which can be critical to their success in the early stages and I look forward to working with Ministers in the coming months to raise awareness of this and contribute to ideas for future initiatives.”

Serial Entrepreneur, Lawrence Tomlinson, who was awarded ‘Overall Director of the Year’ by the

Institute of Directors in 2012 said: “I’m thrilled to be joining BIS and I’m eager to get straight to work and support the department’s efforts to address the issues businesses are facing on the ground.

“My key focus in office will be to tackle some of the key concerns around access to finance and improving bank lending to business and I will share the views and experiences of my peers with Ministers and officials on this issue.”

The entrepreneurs will be office holders (not employees) and will receive a £10,000 pa honorarium for one days work per week. The appointment will be in a personal capacity and will be made for one year.

Over 200 business owners across the country applied for the two available positions which were announced during last year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week.

UK

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Q & A: Visa to India I travel to India frequently for business meetings/to explore opportunities for partnerships with Indian companies. Which visa should I apply for?

You may apply for a business visa valid for multiple entries for either six months or one year along with the requisite documents as per the checklist.

Note that a business visa does not permit you to work in India. $ ( # If you want to work in India, you should apply for an employment visa.We also currently offer the service of an Urgent Business Visa for those applicants who are required to receive their business visa the same day. Conditions apply; please visit us at www.in.vfsglobal.co.uk for more details I have to go for internship/training in a university/institute/company in India for a short period.

Which visa should I apply for?

You should apply for an entry visa along with a copy of the offer letter stating the terms of internship. You may also be required to submit a copy of the inter-university student exchange agreement if the proposed internship is a component of such an agreement. If you receive any monetary compensation/salary from the Indian organisation, you will have to apply for an employment visa. For more details please visit us at www.in.vfsglobal.co.uk I will be going to India for work/employment along with my family. Which visa should I apply for? Would my children be able to study in India?

You must apply for an employment visa along with the requisite documents. Once your visa application is approved, your wife and children may apply for entry visas. Your children will be able to get admission in schools/colleges in India once they have been granted an entry visas. Note that you have to undergo mandatory registration formalities at the nearest office of the FRRO/FRO within 14 days of your arrival in India if you are planning to stay in the country for more than 180 days.

I will be studying in India for one semester/trimester in an IIT/IIM/IISc/Indian university. Which visa should I apply for?

You should apply for a student visa along with a copy of the letter from the institute/university confirming your acceptance as a student. For more details please visit us at www.in.vfsglobal.co.uk I had applied for a visa for India but I have changed my mind about visiting the country. Can I claim a refund of the visa fee?

Visa Fees are non-refundable once the visa application is accepted and visa fee cannot be refunded even if the visa is refused.

It's been a while since I submitted my application and passport. How can I find out the status of my application?

You can track your application online by visiting our website. Alternatively, you call our helpline on 0905 757 0045 between 0830 hrs to 1730 hrs from Monday to Friday (Calls to the premium rate number cost 95 pence per minute) A response of ‘No Record Found’ is a result of incorrect information being entered into the required fields on the website required to directly associate your specific status. If you continue to face such a message, please email info.inuk@vfshelpline.com Can I collect my passport from the High Commission of India, London or the Consulate General in Edinburgh and Birmingham?

Please note you have to collect your passport from the India Visa Application Centre where you submitted the application.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

For more stories visit www.scribbledesk.com

Short Story by Neha Garg

The Revenge of the Easter Egg There was a reward offered in FaerieRealm for anyone who could catch the thief, Sneaky. He was a green Goblin, clever and quick on his toes. He would run away with the Great Wizard’s boots or the Faeries’ magic dust. Other times, he would pounce on little old witches and rob them of all their groceries.

But this time he had crossed all limits. He had made off with the Queen’s favourite scarf and the King of FaerieRealm was very cross indeed.

‘Where is that cheeky little Goblin?’ boomed the King as soon as he saw his Queen crying. ‘A hundred gold coins for whoever catches Sneaky and brings him to me. I am going to ground his bones to dust.’

The news spread through FaerieRealm like wildfire.

‘Too right, he should be punished,’ said the Great Wizard, still walking around in his socks.

‘The King will show him not to steal from people,’ said the Faeries.

But Sneaky was nowhere to be found. Everyone searched FaerieRealm high and low but could not find him anywhere.

‘He must be hiding, the sly little thief,’ said the Faeries, grinding their teeth in anger.

‘What shall we do? We must find the scarf or the Queen will never stop crying.’

Witch Electra silently stood listening to this exchange. She was a tiny, round little witch who dearly wanted to catch Sneaky and make him pay for all the times he had stolen her groceries.

‘I think I am going to go home and eat a chocolate Easter egg,’ she suddenly declared.

Everyone turned to look at her.

‘A chocolate egg? Are you completely Bats, old woman?’ said the Great Wizard in anger. ‘Who cares about chocolate when our Queen is so sad?’

‘Neverthless, I want some nice sticky, chocolate Easter egg,’ repeated Electra loudly. ‘And I am going home to eat it right NOW.’ Everyone stared at her as she left. Unknown to everyone else, a shadow followed her.

Back home, Electra took a chocolate egg out of her fridge and unwrapped it.

‘Aah little egg. You are going to be my lunch,’ she said at the top of her voice. ‘But you are far too little.

I must cast a spell and make you grow, grow, GROW! With that, she took a peacock feather and stroked the egg.

‘Grow little egg, grow. May full of chocolate you flow.’

Sparks shot out of the peacock feather and to Sneaky’s great astonishment, the egg began to grow.

Slowly at first then quicker and quicker until soon it was as big as Sneaky’s head. His stomach grumbled

with hunger.

At the noise, Electra turned around and saw him.

‘Off with you, you little thief. OFF!’ she said, hitting Sneaky with her broom.

‘Don’t you go stealing my spells now.’

Laughing to himself, Sneaky ran off. He had the spell. He was going to be able to have as much chocolate as he ever wanted and he wouldn’t give anyone a single piece.

Back at his home, he took a chocolate egg out of its wrapper. He had already borrowed a peacock feather from his friend Mr. Brownie.

‘Grow little egg, grow. May full of chocolate you flow.’

The egg began to grow. It got bigger and bigger until it was as big as Sneaky’s head.

‘Still too small. I need enough chocolate for the rest of my life.’ said Sneaky, eagerly rubbing his hands. So he once again began to sing.

‘Grow little egg, grow. May full of chocolate you flow.’

‘GROW LITTLE EGG, GROW. MAY FULL OF CHOCOLATE YOU FLOW.’ At this the egg began to grow so fast that before Sneaky knew it, it was bigger than him. It kept growing until it was bigger than his fridge. It kept growing until it filled all the walls of his kitchen. Then it flowed out of doors and windows and into the street.

‘HELP!’ shouted Sneaky, caught in one corner between the egg and the wall. ‘HELP! The egg will kill me.’

Outside, all the citizens of FaerieRealm had gathered.

‘You are going to have to eat your way out Sneaky,’ shouted a Faerie, shaking with laughter.

‘Good job Electra,’ said the Great Wizard, clapping a large hand on Electra’s shoulder and making her knees buckle.

She grinned.

Sneaky whimpered.

Soon, the King’s soldiers arrived and after a lot of cutting and chopping, most of the chocolate and cream was hauled away on trucks, and soon they reached Sneaky who by now, was dripping in cream and chocolate and crying.

‘I am sorry. Very sorry. I shall never steal anything from anyone again,’ he whimpered.

He fished the Queen’s scarf out of his pocket and to this day has never stolen anything from anyone or ever eaten chocolate again.

Cat or dog meat in Britain's favourite dish, curry?

Continued from page 1 A BBC documentary, 'Horsemeat Banquet', aired on Thursday revealed how scientists were baffled after tests on Indian lamb curry showed no traces of lamb, chicken, pork, mutton beef or shockingly even horsemeat.

Thankfully it is not human flesh, but “the lab is unable to identify exactly which animal this meat came from”.

Rick Edwards, the presenter suggested that the unknown meat found in Indian dishes could be of cat or dog, while nutritionist Surinder Phull reveals that an animal with flesh similar to lamb could have been used.

Referring to the unidentified lamb, Surinder Phull said: “It's absolutely terrifying because if it isn't any of the meats we know, well what is it?”

“Where did it come from? Where was it slaughtered? Was it hygienic?

Are there any bacteria it was covered with?”, she added.

The filmmakers gathered a group of young diners, disgusted at the thought of eating horse, in an attempt to “confront their taboos as well as get a taste of what they will

be eating in the future.”

This led food experts to test products from Lamb curry bought to a shop in London, to Chinese takeaways to fast food burgers.

The tests found that a Chinese beef in black sauce predominantly contained chicken blood and other material from the animal and unfortunately only a tiny proportion of beef.

The burger was found to have no beef meat at all, instead just bovine blood with high levels of chicken blood.

The only fast food product on the high street to test positively was a donor kebab, which was found to be made completely from lamb, as the Independent reported.

Hindu groups across the UK have called for stricter norms after it emerged this month that over a third of curry restaurants in Scotland were serving much cheaper beef as a replacement for lamb.

Indian food has grown in its popularity, and the curry known to be the nation's favourite dish. While majority of Hindus would urge others to be a vegetarian, those who do eat meat may need to start being more vigilant when it comes to take-

aways.

The food industry is still battling to restore its reputation after the horsemeat scandal. A spokesperson for the show told the Mirror: “Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse, the results came in for an Indian curry.” Since the scandal erupted earlier this year, the Foods Standards Agency has conducted over 5000 tests on various meat products.

Dozens have tested positive for horse meat including meals from schools, care homes and day centres.

Welcoming volunteers to promote our culture Art and culture in a community is very important. Asian community is extremely vibrant and has many talented personalities who have achieved a great deal in the above mentioned field. But there is no comprehensive list of talents, that could be used for reference or promoting the thriving South Asian especially Indian culture in our country. We would like to welcome volunteers to come forward and help us make a list of proven talents and interview them weekly.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

15

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

MusIC

Tanveer Mann

ARJUN ‘CHAIYYA CHAIYAA’ (SUPER BASS REMIX) Award winning British Asian singer, songwriter and producer ARJUN shows his musical diversity with this unique take on the timeless ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’. Taken from the 1998 film ‘Dil Se’, Chaiyya Chaiyaa was produced by the legendary AR Rahman and was an international hit. Arjun returns to his fuse his unique style of contemporary pop/R&B sounds with the traditional Bollywood hit. Arjun, who has attained an incredible 19 million YouTube views on his channel, picked up the Best Urban Act award at last year’s Asian Music Awards.

Arjun says: "Chaiyya Chaiyya is a classic film song which I grew up listening to. It's a timeless track and I wanted to try fusing it with a contemporary Western tune. I experimented in the studio and then decided to try splicing in elements of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass". To me the 'east meets west' fusion sounds fresh and hope-

SOCIAL MEDIA The World Of Blogging Blogging! Everyone’s doing it and if they’re not doing it, they’re sharing information, opinions and stories through social media like Facebook. The Digital age has really taken over and blogging has truly become an outlet for people to express their opinions, talent, or simply share their interests. It can also be used to showcase your writing style for those people who wish to pursue journalism. I’ve come up with a list of top websites, which are perfect for getting you started in the blogging world get blogging!

Wordpress.com

Blog.com This is a top website and is extremely easy to use. You simply have to Sign up, Create Blog and hit Customize!

BlogSome.com BlogSome is the fastest growing blog host in the world.

It’s free, fast and easy to use.

Tumblr.com This is a micro blogging platform and a social networking website which allows you to post multimedia and other content to a shortform blog. Ideal for people who use a lot of photos and videos.

This website has increasingly attracted more and more users because of its easy-to-use instructions, stylish themes, and interactive facilities it offers.

Blogger.com This website is perfect for every new blogger. You can gain experience and skills here and then progress to more detailed sites like WordPress.

RECIPE

fully the fans will enjoy it. I'm also excited about my first mainstream release, which will be out next month."

Arjun's "Chaiyya Chaiyya" (Super Bass Remix) is available to watch on YouTube now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D89Ii JmAjk

Did you know..?

The largest milk producing country by volume in the whole world is India.

Word of the Week: Deracinate: to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; extirpate

If you haven’t had enough of all that chocolate yet, here is a great recipe for a traditional forest gateau cake, which I highly recommend.

You will need: 75g salted butter , plus extra for greasing 200g bar dark chocolate 300g plain flour 375g golden caster sugar 25g cocoa 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 medium eggs 200g buttermilk or natural yoghurt 425g can pitted cherries , 2 tbsp juice reserved, rest drained 100g morello cherry jam 4 tbsp kirsch (or more juice from a can if you want it to be non-alcoholic) 500ml tub double cream 3 tbsp icing sugar 1 small punnet fresh cherries (optional) METHOD: 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line cake tin. Put the butter and 75g chocolate broken into chunks in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted.

2. Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk or yogurt together.

Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 100ml boiling

water and whizz briefly with an electric whisk until the cake batter is lump free.

3. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins, swapping the tins round after 20 mins if they're on different shelves. To test they're done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean.

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

STUDENT LIFE

10 ways to improve your memory After the Easter weekend’s festivities have been laid to rest and the guilt sets in from all the chocolate and revelry, you’re reminded by the hours of revision and deadlines that loom ahead of you. Don’t worry though, if you stick by these refreshing tips, you could get your mind buzzing within minutes and ultimately improve your memory and limit those endless nights in the library.

1) Healthy Eating = Healthy Mind Even if you’ve heard this a thousand times, it is actually true! Eating food like fish, almonds, soybeans and tuna rejuvenate the mind and cause you to feel more relaxed and focused.

Though the KFC may be tempting, it’ll only put you to sleep straight after!

2) Take breaks It is proven that the average concentration span for a student is around 45 minutes; so attempting to do a 5-hour revision stint will actually prove to be less productive than if you had taken regular breaks. A short 10-minute break gets the blood rushing to your head again and makes you feel ready to tackle your work.

3) Exercise One of the best ways to improve your memory is to do physical activity. It increases the oxygen supply to the brain, which makes you work more effectively.

4) Sleep Those all-nighters may have you thinking that you’re getting a lot done, when actually you are so mentally and physically exhausted that you start churning out or soaking up only half the amount of work.

Sleep is crucial to ensuring your brain retains infor-

4. Prick the cakes a few times with a skewer. Mix together the 2 tbsp reserved cherry juice and the kirsch (or more juice) and drizzle over the cakes.

Cool the cakes.

5. Mix together the remaining drained cherries and jam. Tip 200ml of the cream into a small pan and heat until just below simmering point. Chop the remaining chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Set aside until spreadable.

6. When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream and the icing sugar together until softly whipped. Spread over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate cream over the third cake and sit on top of the other cakes. Pile the fresh cherries in and around the cake and serve For more delicious cake recipes visit: www.bbcgoodfood.com

mation and keeping your brain ticking.

5) Think smart It is scientifically proven that your brain needs around 8 seconds to fully absorb information so after every paragraph or so, look away and try to repeat what you just read. By the second or third time, it will be fully embedded in your brain.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

The Deols are ready to tickle your funny bone!

The wait is finally over. The official trailer of Dharmendra’s “Yamla Pagla Deewana 2” starring his sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol, is out! The film, which is a sequel to 2011 super-hit “Yamla Pagla Deewana” promises to double your anticipation as the trailer unfolds some of the most bizarre action sequences and hilarious dialogues. After ‘Apne’, the Deol trio- Dharamendra, Sunny and Bobby - will be seen sharing screen space together. Sunny’s son Karan has assisted director Sangeeth Sivan on this project, thus, announcing his arrival into the world of Hindi cinema. The film featuring veteran actors Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Johnny Lever is slated to hit the theatres on June 7.

Kangana Ranaut says no to tattoo

Director Vikas Bahl apparently wanted Kangana Ranaut to sport a tattoo in 'Queen' but she refused.

In 'Tanu Weds Manu', Kangana is seen pulling down her top to show the fake tattoo of her onscreen lover to scare off a prospective groom and Bahl wanted a similar element in the new film. In 'Queen', she plays the role of a small town girl whose boyfriend ditches her right before their marriage. But Kangana was not keen on doing a similar act again.

She didn't want any comparisons between her two roles and now Bahl has decided to drop the idea.

Sanjay Dutt turns to Salman-Ajay for help While there is a growing clamour for clemency to Sanjay Dutt on the one hand, the actor faces a very real possibility of imprisonment for three-plus years on the other.

Not surprisingly an anxious Dutt has been trying to tie the loose ends, given the limited time frame he has before surrendering to the court. The actor has been calling close friends, pleading with them to take care of wife Manyata and their three kids in his absence. Sources reveal that Dutt has approached his closest buddies, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn, to help them, and Salman and Ajay have readily agreed. So much so, the duo have promised to star in the films produced by the Dutt banner, should the need arise.

Sunny Leone's XXX secret!

Sunny Leone has been signed on as the face of energy drink XXX owned by actor-entrepreneur Sachiin Joshi. The name of the product makes one wonder if casting an actress of X-rated films was a convenient pun or just a co-incidence. Sachiin insists it’s the latter. According to an insider, Sunny got a whopping Rs 15 million to be a part of the campaign. The actor adds that her porn star status was not the criteria to cast her and neither do they intend to cash in on her XXX factor. “That is just a coincidence.

For us, the three Xs stand for Experience Extreme Excitement and that’s what Sunny represents.

Her porn star status has nothing to do with casting her. Sunny is an actress like anyone else.

The core team of the upcoming comedy caper “Settai” was gathered under one roof to meet the press and give out interesting bits of info about the film. The only notable absentee was Santhanam, who couldn’t make it because of his hectic schedule. One of the talking points was the infamous kissing scene from the original “Delhi Belly.” The team responded by saying that Settai too will feature two smooches. The one between Arya and Hansika is a trick shot while the lip-lock between Arya and Anjali is real. Anjali said she would be ok with kissing scenes as long as the script demanded it. She also said that the audience was used to seeing her in talkative roles but this film would be different.

Hansika was typically poised and gracious as she thanked the team for the opportunity.

Rajinikanth finishes first half dubbing of ‘Kochadaiyaan’ in a day Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, who is making a comeback on the silver screen with “Kochadaiyaan,” finished the first half of his film's dubbing in just a day.

Film's sound editor Resul Pookkutty was surprised by Rajinikanth's work.

"Look who is back in action?!1st day dub of Kochadaiyaan, I'm happy to see him hale and healthy as every Rajni fan," he tweeted. Resul, tweeting another image of the superstar, wrote: "It's unbelievable his dedication and commitment to work, he finished the first half dub in a day?"

“Kochadaiyaan” has been directed by Rajinikanth's younger daughter Soundryaa R Ashwin and also stars Deepika Padukone, Shobana, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Jackie Shroff and Nasser.

The film, which has music by Oscar winning AR Rahman, is likely to be released later this year.

Tamannaah says no to bikinis, kissing on screen Southern actress Tamannaah, who has made her debut in Bollywood with Sajid Khan's “Himmatwala,” has her reservations about wearing a bikini, as well as kissing on screen. "Even in down south, while I was working, I had a few restrictions that I followed. I don't wear a bikini on screen, I do not kiss on screen and I did not have lovemaking scenes either. I'm just going to continue what I always believed in," said Tamannaah. The confident actress, who is paired opposite Ajay Devgn in the film, said she isn't bothered about how these selfimposed constraints will affect her career. "As an individual, I have set some boundaries for myself and that's something I choose to follow. I am not worried about what are the consequences for the rules and principles that I am following. I do not judge anybody who does it. Everybody has their own right to do what they want.

Whatever comes after that is fine," added the actress.

Saif likes me in every colour: Kareena

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor, who looked fabulous in a pinkish-orange outfit designed by Namrata Joshipura at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer-Resort 2013, says her husband Saif Ali Khan likes her in all colours. The collection had a range of vibrant colours. Asked which colour her husband Saif Ali Khan likes to see her in, the actress promptly replied that he likes her in all colours. "Saif likes to see me in every colour. He has no choice," she told the media. Saif was not present to cheer the actress at the show, but she took it sportingly.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Neetu to charge extra for additional days Though Neetu Chandra's Tamil film “A a d h i Bhagavan” has worked wonders at the box office, the actress is ruing the fact that she had to shoot for the project for many more days than the stipulated time frame. The actress has now decided to charge her fee on a per-day basis while working down South.

Neeu says, “The film has given me good reviews and helped me get established in the Tamil industry. But I had to wait for a long time to complete the film. I have now decided to charge Rs 200,000 per day when I do films down South.”

The actress feels that by doing this she will not be wasting extra days and the producers would stick to the schedules and not waste her dates.

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ver since she was honoured with the Special Jury Mention for her role in at the 60th National Awards, the actress has been flooded with calls Eand“Ishaqzade” wishes from various eminent people from the film fraternity. A source said,

"The calls have not stopped pouring in and being very particular Parineeti has made it a point to attend and thank all the callers personally."

But the one gesture that Parineeti has yet to get over is by Amitabh Bachchan. "Amitabh Bachchan sent across Parineet a huge bouquet of flowers with a lovely note that was personally penned down by Bachchan himself. The message has moved her and she is touched by the veteran actor's humility. She feels that it is gestures like this that make Amitabh Bachchan the Amitabh Bachchan. It is gesture that she will cherish forever."

t seems to be the season of off-screen lovers displaying their love for each other I onscreen as well. According to sources, Katrina

Want to play modern Indian girl: Sonam Kapoor Sonam Kapoor, whose first film “Saawariya” was loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky' short story “White Nights,” has bought the film rights of one of Anuja Chauhan's novels for the sheer love of its female characters. Sonam, who describes herself as someone "who lives to eat and read in that order", says the book has characters that exit in reality and that's what prompted her to buy the film rights. If the story gets translated onscreen, it would be Sonam's third movie based on a novel after Aisha, which was a modern interpretation of Jane Austen's Emma and saw the actress playing a posh Delhi girl.

Kaif has been finalised to star opposite beau Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali’s next. This is the third time Katrina and Ranbir will be seen on the screen together.

They earlier worked together in “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani,” followed by “Raajneeti.” It was during the shooting of the former movie that the two became close. Though the couple refuses to talk about their relationship, their chemistry onscreen cannot be denied.

Katrina always wanted to work with Imtiaz as the leading ladies in his films always get both applause and appreciation. This should be a good change for Kat whose movies, barring a few, mostly see her adding only a glam quotient to the flick. From Ayesha Takia in “Socha Na Tha” to Kareena Kapoor in “Jab We Met,” followed by Deepika Padukone in “Love Aaj Kal,” all have gained both strong roles and appreciation. And also his love stories are different from all the other ‘romance’ films.

None of Imtiaz’s previous lead pairs have real-life couples. (Kareena and Shahid broke up during the making of the film) Now, this would be seen how the dream director handles the lovers in his love story.

Record liplock by Pooja and Ayushmann ooks like Ayushmann Khurrana can safely take over the tag of sharing the L longest on-screen kiss from Aamir Khan.

The actor smooched his co-star Pooja Salvi for a full two minute. The sequence has not been aired in the promos yet but the actress is already anxious for feedback. “The liplock is not to raise the glamour quotient, the script demanded it. Both Ayushmann and I are introverts by nature, so it was not an easy task.

Since I share most of the screen time with him, it eventually became easy to shoot the sequence,” says Pooja.

According to the director Rohan Sippy, the scene comes at a crucial part of the film. Says Rohan, “We kept that scene at the end of schedule as it was the turning point in the film. Another significant aspect is that it's for the first time that a woman initiates the smooch in a film. I think it will serve as a good message for the men.”

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I write to you having just finished at the BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. So financial issues are on my mind. Key points I know are on your mind and want to share with you.

Despite poor manufacturing figures, a all time US high sets the real scene. UK triple dips don’t matter when the world's largest market, to which we are highly correlated, grows as quickly as it is doing. The only danger is the US starts worrying about inflation.

Housing bubbles are for another day...another year.

European crisis cannot derail the Euro or the markets. A threatened nuclear attack on the US cannot do it. This market is bullet proof - nuclear proof! So climb on board and enjoy the show - whilst it lasts!

The Indian Sensex is back over 19,000 as I write as the country looks to reduce interest rates. And remember that as the interest Governments are paying on their debt around the world is at sometimes 200 year lows, the main thing we were concerned about – inability of Governments to make debt payments – is just not an issue. In fact if like the Italian Government you had to pay little interest on your debt, then wouldn’t you borrow more? Nothing to stop you really.

So when we consider the UK, what should the Government be doing? Well imagine the UK is a company. You can only cut costs so far. You really have to grow to meet expenditures. Cutting costs and ensuring proper use of resources is vital of course, but you simply do need to boost sales or GDP and the way companies do it is by investing. The poorer companies do it by fuelling demand for their product by offering kickbacks (this is the same as a country encouraging consumer spending as opposed to corporate investment).

What that means is that Government needs to find a way to get companies with all their hoarded cash to invest it. Governments are great at spending, but can be great at motivating. Because money motivates, if companies who invested had matched Government funding (maybe as a tax break) than as a grant, then that is worth it.

It’s a bit like the R&D credit – but more like an investment credit. Okay, so that’s the companies taken care of. What about the rich? Simple – hike up VAT based on region or store. Knightsbridge and Mayfair should be charging 40% VAT. Trust me, I’ve seen the posh places and the world’s super-rich gathering there are not going to notice their VAT double up on their food bills. That won’t raise lots of money, but given taxation should be based on ability to pay and necessity of goods and service, whilst not killing the Golden Goose – then this model works.

That revenue can easily be used to subsidise VAT in poorer areas of the country. What about our social services bill. Taking money from the rich is not the answer. The question is not even how much money.

The point is money spent should go only to those who can’t live without it – those who cannot work as opposed to wont work. The problem is working out which category anyone falls into. That will never be an exact science but appeals tribunals to make exceptions definitely would help on a case by case basis. Austerity should not kill compassion, but fairness should not be mistaken for foolishness either.

Vodafone slams DoT for not renewing licence

Vodafone India, in a letter to the department of telecommunications (DoT), said that its rejection of telco’s application seeking extension of licences suffered from “several fundamental flaws, contradictions and jurisdictional errors.” The firm said it never sought extension of licences for free.

DoT had rejected the demand of Vodafone India for licence extension in three circles Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata - on March 21 and asked the mobile operator to bid for spectrum to continue their services there. The rejection also suffers from “errors apparent on the face

of the record, which have rendered the said rejection legally unsustainable”, Vodafone India resident director (regulatory affairs and government relations) TV Ramachandran said in the letter.

Vodafone India had sought extension of its licence period for Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata circles, which were coming up for renewal in November 2014 under the licence agreement under which the government can extend the period of licence by 10 years at one go if the request is made by the operator during the 19th year of the licence period.

Asserting that foreign investors are convinced about growth potential here, global ratings major Fitch's Indian unit chief says that much of the investments would start pouring in after general elections.

"There are some investors already setting up plants here and putting money in other businesses, although there are some who have pulled back and are waiting on wings," Fitch Group's Indian unit India Ratings' CEO and Managing Director Atul Joshi said.

"These investors want to see how the reforms unfold in coming months.

But most of the investors are saying that once the elections are over, we will come in. "The questions

are only about the timing of investment and not about the investment as such," Joshi said in an interview.

General elections are scheduled to be held sometime in the first half of 2014. He further said that most of the foreign investors are convinced about the growth potential available in India and they have taken a decision to invest in India.

"That is a done deal,

what they are questioning is whether this is the right time to come in, or should they wait for 12 months or 18 months and then come in," the India Ratings chief said.

"These are the questions right now before most of the overseas entities planning investments in manufacturing and services sectors," he said.

It is being debated for many months now as to whether foreign companies are not opting for India due to lack of economic reforms and uncertainty over policy matters.

Joshi, however, ruled out any large scale exit of foreign investors from the country.

"If one was to simply go by the FII inflows in the last two months, the money is

Growth to pick up in 2013/14, room for more FDI: Chidambaram India's economy is capable of absorbing $50 billion in foreign direct investment per year, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Monday, adding that the government was committed to reforms to tackle a large current account deficit.

Addressing a news conference during a visit to Tokyo promoting India as investment destination, Chidambaram also reiterated that growth in Asia's third-largest economy was expected to accelerate in the current fiscal year to March 2014.

"FDI flows into India are quite positive... think we can absorb, easily absorb $50 billion of FDI every year into India," said Chidambaram who is regarded as a marketfriendly reformer.

India's financial

P. Chidambaram

account, which includes foreign direct investment, portfolio investment and overseas borrowing by Indian companies, showed a surplus of $31.1 billion in the December quarter for the fiscal year ended March 31.

The government is struggling to boost the economy, which has posted its weakest growth in a decade. Removing investment barriers, many of which date back to before India started opening up its economy in the early 1990s, has been key to the government's push to restoring

investor confidence.

"A new trade policy will be announced in about three or four days and that will show that we are committed to reform," said the Harvard-educated former lawyer.

Chidambaram repeated his recent pledge that the government would simplify "outdated" foreign investment caps in a bid to attract more investors and tackle its large current account deficit, but stopped short of specifying which sectors he wants to reform.

The current account deficit widened to a record high 6.7 per cent of GDP in the December quarter, driven by heavy oil and gold imports and muted exports, in a worse-thanexpected performance that will keep the rupee currency under pressure.

coming in big time. So, I don't think that FIIs are not convinced about our growth prospects," he said.

Joshi said that various estimates put India's economic growth rate for the next fiscal in the range of 66.5 per cent, while Fitch also sees it about 6.1 per cent.

"People are still talking about economic growth, that too for an economy size of $1.8 trillion which is huge by any standards.

"If you look at any of the luxury brands from across the world, the destination is India. Who's who of the world, be it in businesses like automobile, consumer goods, luxury products, private jets, they all are coming to India as the demand is very strong here," Joshi said.

India’s forex reserves up

India’s foreign exchange reserves rose for the second consecutive week, going up by $1.1 billion to $293.4 billion on a rise in the core currency assets, the Reserve Bank had said.

The total reserves had risen by nearly $2 billion to $292.3 billion in the previous reporting week.

Foreign currency assets, a major component of the forex reserves, were up by $1.1 billion to $260.4 billion for the week ended March 22, the Reserve Bank said.

Foreign currency assets expressed in US dollar terms include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of the nonUS currencies, such as the euro, pound and yen, held in the reserves, the apex bank said. The gold reserves remained unchanged at $26.3 billion, it said.

India, China split on BRICS bank initial corpus The idea of starting a bank was first mooted by BRICS countries during the New Delhi summit.

The bank will cater to the infrastructural needs of the members of the group which accounts for 43% of the world's population.

The bank and the Contingency Reserve Arrangement (CRA) provide a solid basis for greater cooperation among these countries whose economies are growing faster than the global average, and have the potential to influence decision-making on key international issues. Although the group is still to realize the potential that Jim O'Neil of Goldman Sachs saw when

he coined the concept in 2010, the block has gained in profile and aspires to be a rival to established economic groupings.

In his speech at the plenary session of the summit last week, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "It gives me great satisfaction to note that one of the ideas (the bank) that we discussed at New Delhi, that of instituting a mechanism to recycle surplus savings into infrastructure investments in developing countries, has been given a concrete shape during the Durban summit. Our finance ministers will now work to develop the details."

Members have agreed

to make suitable and sufficient initial contributions.

However, India’s finance minister P Chidambaram said the specifics of capital, governance and membership remain to be thrashed out. While China wants the bank to start with an initial corpus of $100 billion, India, according to Chidambaram, feels $50 billion as initial authorized capital will do. Also, there is no agreement on whether the voting rights should be linked to contributions - something which reflects the concern that China, with its huge financial muscle, may acquire the levers in the same way the US and Europe domi-

nate the World Bank and the IMF. China's offer to make up for any shortfall in contributions from other countries has only strengthened the anxiety.

The issue of membership whether it should be limited to members or others should also be let in - also remains unresolved.

Talking to reporters after the meeting of leaders, Chidambaram said India plans to prepare a complete document before March when the next meeting of BRICS countries is scheduled in Brazil.

He expressed the hope that officials from the five members would meet every quarter to take the process forward.

finAnciAl Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

19

You won’t know the answers until you ask the right questions

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Recently I met a client who has dabbled in property a little but now sees the need to start getting serious about building a portfolio. He appreciated his main business, as with all businesses, could go through trying times; therefore having properties in the background will serve to dampen any future dips in his business. The other reason for wanting to build a portfolio is that no one can run their business forever, property will serve to act as his pension post retirement when his business is no longer supplying his income.

Often many are surprised to learn that by investing in the right way they can compensate their whole annual income; the rate properties can rise is often far more than many can save per annum.

He has previously invested in a couple of properties with his partners; they are all in the pharmaceutical business and draw healthy incomes of over £200,000 each.

The properties they had decided to invest in were HMO’s (House in Multiple Occupation); I asked him why they went for these types of properties, as generally such properties have a high yield but the growth is not so great.

Th ere are o nly two ways to make money fro m pro perties, one is income and the o ther is capital growth.

He answered he didn’t know, they just thought this was a good deal.

The trouble is that at the level they are all earning from their businesses, going for high income producing properties doesn’t make much sense, as the government gains almost half of everything they earn; and I assume they did not do this for patriotic reasons.

It seems there was no thought behind this decision, had they gone for capital gain they may have been able to make use of their £10,000 per annum capital gains allowance as well as paying a lower rate of tax.

These were clearly astute business people, yet they failed to define the type of property investment which will suit their circumstances before purchasing an investment.

When most clients actually come to see us all they want is a property deal, they have no idea what will suit them. Part of our role is to help them define what it is they require. The shape of the return is also important, high rental returns may not be required by the investor in which case they can go for projects which are more lumpy, therefore we can be more adventurous with the investment, as the return period can be months or years, as long as the funds are working hard in the interim.

Some people have the notion of buying a property both as an investment and as a future place to ‘possibly’ live in; a two in one. Following this idea means you probably will not achieve either one well, as to live in a place depends upon one’s own taste where as the criteria for an investment is to maximise the returns on the funds you invest in the shortest possible time.

Last week, a client came to see me wanting to invest, I talked to him about his current circumstances and I asked him a few questions. This conversation made me aware of his parents’ family home which is worth over £1m in Wimbledon. It would be absurd if we started investing and ignored the fact he will be paying an IHT bill soon, this will neutralise any gains from the investment. It is not that we are able to advise on tax aspects; it is simply that we can point them out and in the right direction.

At times we meet people who have been looking for over six months and still are not able to close a deal simply because they are attached to purchasing in their locality and trying to purchase themselves. For example we had a client who was looking for months in Harrow, every time he would see something worth buying we would find out that the property had only just been sold to someone else.

In the end him and his brother in law decided to purchase through us, we sourced them a property in Hampstead for £1.110m; the property consists of 1400 Sq Ft and we anticipate a resell of £1.4m when developed, with £100,000 spent on it.

A good analysis is to ask Why, When, Where, How and What questions: Why is it you wish to invest in property? The obvious reasons are to make money, but there are other asset classes so why is it you wish to invest in an immovable and fixed asset?

Then consider when you would like to invest, tomorrow? Or are you waiting for something to mature. Generally money is sitting somewhere, for example in a policy here or abroad.

The next question is where do you wish to invest? Here the mantra Location, Location, Location should be the driving factor, this is what will keep your investment growing into the future.

It’s more a qu estion of what t he market wants, not you. It’ s impo rtant t o keep yo ur perso nal whims out of the investment pro perty you’re buyin g.

Another common criterion we get is for freehold flats or houses; the Indian psyche does not like the idea of leasehold. There are two reasons for this, the primary one is they wish to keep the property in their family for the next 21 generations, and the other is they do not like to pay service charges. However much of Central London property doesn’t fit this criterion.

One of the questions they should be asking is where will my money be working the hardest for me? This after all is the main objective of investment. There are many questions which need to be addressed in order to ensure the property purchased will be the right investment for you.

Many invest in the ir l ocal it y, howe ver this should not be t he d riving factor fo r you r investment.

How will this investment be done? Do you have cash or will you require funding? Even if you have cash should you use funding? And if so, from where? It may be prudent from a tax point of view to remortgage your own home rather than getting a mortgage on the new BTL property . It will probably be cheaper too.

What kind of income do you require? A steady cash flow or lumps of money? Perhaps a combination of these would serve you better. For example you may require a certain amount to be coming in as your steady income and after you have achieved this goal you may want to go for more lumpier gains. Lumpier gains are not as predictable but tend to be more lucrative and may not come in when you expect, but at least you will have a steady stream coming in, therefore you’re not dependent on the lumpier income to meet your day to day needs. I guess this is a little like receiving a salary and getting bonuses on top, you can’t live on your bonuses as they may not come in on time to pay the bills.

These are just some of the questions you should be considering before you embark on your property investment and we have not even considered the tax implications of these decisions. There is no point in going one step forward and two steps back when investing in property, so it’s important to address these questions prior to even commencing looking for a property.

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Tips of the Week l Decide whether to be an investor or a landlord, depending on how much time you can spare on your investment. Many first-time investors are surprised by the amount of work involved with directly managing a buy-to-let, so delegating day-today tasks is well worthwhile for most people. l Know the local rental market – Investors should always investigate how well similar properties have let over in their chosen location. It isn’t just rental income that is important but overall volume of demand, as this can reduce voids between tenants.

UK

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

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maria@abplgroup.com

Dissecting the Prime Minister’s speech

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We may teach schoolchildren economics, but rarely do we teach them finance. This situation is then compounded when, as adults, we are exposed to making extremely serious financial decisions without the necessary knowledge and education in order to try and get the best results. All too often financial investment is characterised in a similar manner to gambling.

Thus in my view it is not surprising that we end up with similar results – losing money. Few bookies or casino owners seem to lose money – just the punters.

Thus we need to ensure that whatever area of investment we are involved in, from cash deposits through to far more complicated financial constructions, we have to understand not just what is trying to be achieved, but what risk and with what potential outcomes. With products like “precipice bonds” where the dangers weren’t usually appreciated until a certain set of circumstances arose, you would have to have been an expert in the product to appreciate its risks. However with others, such as the risk to capital or income, we should be asking the questions before parting with any funds. Fundamentally if the person asking you to invest cannot explain the product with all its risks and responsibilities in a way that you can understand, then it is not you that is at fault but rather them – and thus it should be avoided.

Equally, we need to spend more time learning and understanding what investment tools, techniques and facilities are available to try to educate ourselves accordingly. However, none of us are going to be experts in everything, and thus we must apply the discipline that if we do not fully understand the implications of such investment – then we don’t do it!

The other key part of this is the transparency and visibility of where our money is. After all, it is your money not theirs, and therefore you should demand to have visibility of what is going on in a manner that is suitable for you. Increasingly this is now on-line, although there are still some dinosaurs who profess that they don’t wish to put their clients’ investments on-line for them to see. I have even heard one such creature state that this would only encourage complaints!

Nowadays, your financial data can be fed through and the introduction of more tablet based “apps” means we will be able to see our investments in a manner which we wish to see them as opposed to how investment houses dictate you receive them.

I am still horrified by the massed piles of paper sent to clients in the name of good communication.

This often merely acts to stifle knowledge by an overload of paper and with poorly presented data. This often includes benchmarks as set by the provider rather than by you, and key information such as performance and cost seem buried in amongst this plethora of paper.

I don’t think we can show investment as being entertaining, but we can at least make it interesting and engaging. Therefore, a golden rule is to be organised so as to be able to see clearly what we have and where, and in a manner which we can understand and interrogate.

Slowly but surely the providers are changing as competition forces them to become more client focused and less internally driven. However, it is up to us as investors to ensure that we are better financially educated to see, monitor and understand what is happening to our hard earned, saved and invested monies.

Justin

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hen the going gets tough, the tough get W going. Yet another week of

speeches by the Prime Minister, another by the Deputy Prime Minister, comments by Labour and a zillion articles in the paper by journalists. What is striking is the complete dirth of evidence for the figures quoted or the need for measures to be implemented. In fact on closer examination it is clear that the speeches are big on scaremongering and small on substance and political posturing at its worst.

Rogue landlords: One of the most worrying elements of the PM’s recent speech on immigration is the plan to introduce a requirement for letting agents and landlords to check the immigration status of the tenant and face fines if they are found to rent out properties to illegal immigrants. Those of us who arrived in the UK in the early 70s may remember signs on doors of landlords inviting applications by “Whites only”.

Is India losing its shine in the global car market? Car sales crashed to a negative in 2012-13, the fall coming after a decade, as the slowing economy and continuance of high interest rates kept buyer sentiment at its lowest. The industry is already worried as frequent production cuts and halt in investments are raising doubts over the earlier perception of India being one of the biggest-potential car markets in the world.

Demand for new cars has remained weak for most parts of the fiscal, and March did not prove to be any different. The fall in March will be the fifth straight month of decline for the car industry.

The introduction of this rule brings back the same principle but dressed in more modern language. It is easy to imagine racist landlords using this excuse to prevent renting to anyone that does not fit a picture. OrweIlian or what?

Stopping health tourism: There are plans to introduce stricter rules for charging for health services or requiring private health insurance.

Figures bandied about that the unclaimed cost of health tourism has ranged from £20 million to £200 million. Where did these figures come from? It appears from a report in 2003. The actual document no longer appears to exist!

Apparently the health department spokesman described the figures given by the Health Secretary as a “stab in the dark”.

The benefits argument: It was announced that benefits will be restricted. Presumably the only category being discussed here are EU nation-

Maruti, Hyundai and Tata Motors all finished March with negative volumes (year-on-year) and the industry is pinning hopes on new launches like Honda Amaze sedan and Ford Eco Sport SUV for incremental numbers.

The last time the Indian car market was in the red was in 2002-03 when it fell by 2.1%. The fall in 2012-13 will be even

als as non EU nationals do not qualify for benefits until they become permanently resident in the UK. The rules on these benefits already catch those who have not found work after 6 months. So if the law already exists for these limits to be in place, why are we discussing this? Ian Duncan Smith, the Welfare and Pensions Secretary statistics show that recent migrants are fr less likely to claim benefits, 6% compared with 16.6% of the local population.

As one of the journalist recently stated the leaders can do one of two things, bravely lead or feebly follow. It is clear that UKIP is the leader, the piped piper and everyone else follows.

The river awaits.

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.

sharper as the contraction has been much more now, sources said.

"A recovery is not coming anytime soon. The tough times will continue in the coming months," a top official at one of the country's leading car company, said while requesting anonymity.

While Maruti saw numbers slip by 4% at 1.07 lakh units, Hyundai, the country's second-biggest maker, saw domestic market numbers go down by 14%. Tata Motors also continued to stay in troubled waters as its passenger vehicle volumes crashed by 67% in March (at 12,347 units). For the second month in a row,

The telecommunication unit of Reliance Industries has signed a deal worth 12 billion rupees to use Reliance Communications Ltd's fibre optic network to roll out its 4G services, in what is the first business tie-up between two estranged billionaire brothers.

Reliance Industries, controlled by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is the only company to have 4G airwaves for all of India's 22 service areas, but has yet to launch services.

The fibre deal with Reliance Industries is positive for debt-laden Reliance Communications, which is controlled by Mukesh's estranged brother Anil, as it raises hopes for a bigger deal between the two companies to share Reliance Communications' telecommunication towers.

The agreement for fibre is the first in a "comprehensive framework of intended business co-operation" between Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Communications, the companies said in separate statements.

Tata Motors — once the second-biggest passenger vehicle maker of the country - lagged Toyota in overall volumes.

High interest rates and slowing economy have been the biggest dampeners for the car market. The spurt in fuel prices has only added to the woes of buyers who have remained away from the market for most part of the fiscal year.

Companies say that the market is expected to remain edgy over the coming months too and any improvement can be expected only when the RBI goes for a significant cut in interest rates or the economy shows some concrete signs of improvement.

UK heads for recession, current account gap worst since '89

Britain looks headed for recession and its current account deficit last year was the worst since 1989, data showed, dimming government hopes of a growth boost from exports and investment.

The Office for National Statistics confirmed that gross domestic product dropped 0.3 per cent in the October-December period compared with the previous quarter, dragged down by sharp falls in industrial production and exports.

Separate data showed Britain's current account deficit came in at 14.037 billion pounds ($21.3 billion) in the fourth quarter, overshooting forecasts.

For the full year, the

gap between what Britain earns from trade and foreign investment and money flowing out of the country almost tripled to a shortfall of 57.679 billion pounds or 3.7 per cent of GDP - the highest share of output since 1989. The pound slipped against the dollar after the two releases.

"The long-awaited rebalancing of the economy remains elusive. The consumer has once again bailed out underperforming exports and business investment," said Andrew Goodwin, economic adviser at Ernst & Young.

"Prospects for Q1 remain on a knife edge," he added.

An economic contrac-

tion in the first quarter of 2013 would tip Britain into its third recession in less than five years.

Economists say that a long spell of cold weather may be adding to the chances of a new recession because snowfall in many areas probably curtailed shopping and may have disrupted some supply chains and staffing levels at companies. So far, however, voters have shown a slight preference for the Conservative-led government's economic acumen over those of the opposition Labour party.

Consumers to the rescue: The figures showed that the household saving ratio fell to 6.7 per cent in

the fourth quarter. Britons' disposable income shrank 0.1 per cent in real terms, but household spending held up, rising 0.4 per cent and boosting the economy.

By contrast, the steepest decline in industrial output since early 2009 and a fall in exports weighed heavily on GDP. Weak exports combined with resilient imports were behind the deterioration in Britain's current account position last year, which was also hit by a sharply smaller surplus on its net income account. "The current account figures ... make for very dismal reading," said Monument Securities economist Marc Ostwald.

finAnciAl voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

21

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

Pound's biggest quarterly drop

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 2nd April 2013 @ 3pm GBP - INR = 82.29

The pound had its biggest quarterly drop against the dollar in more than four years as the economyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contraction in the 4th quarter of 2012 continues to fuel concern of an unprecedented triple-dip recession. However according to the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) the United Kingdom is set to avoid falling back into recession, thus we could see a reversal of recent moves for the pound.

The BCC believes a strong performance by Britain's service industries during the first three months of the year has kept the economy growing. The weakness of the pound has also given exports a boost, it said. The British Chamber of Commerceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey of more than 7,000 firms also showed improvements in the manufacturing sector, although employment had weakened. UK services figures are due for release on Thursday 4th April.

The BoE is also set to announce their rate decision this week on Thursday 4th April, and they are expected to leave rates steady at 0.5% with no increase to their asset purchase program.

This should also lend some sup-

port to the pound.

The euro remains near 4 month lows against the dollar and a month low against the pound as European markets reopen today after the Easter holidays. Markets continue to remain cautious over Cyprus and the implications of its rescue package for the rest of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s troubled nations especially following the comments from Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem last week who stated that the Cyprus rescue package represented a new template for future euro zone bailouts.

Manufacturing PMI figures from Italy, France, Germany and the euro zone as a whole all came in better than expected, however the data has done little to support the euro as fears over Cyprus continue to drive the euro lower this morning.

Cyprus announced over the weekend that large depositors would lose 60% of balances over â&#x201A;Ź100,000, an amount well over the initially estimated 30% to 40%. Banks in the country reopened last Thursday 28th March to strict capital controls and limits on withdrawals.

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As the economic downturn threatens price stability, central bank President Mario Draghi may deliver a more dovish policy statement at the rate decision scheduled for this Thursday, and we may see a growing number of ECB officials show a greater willingness to push the benchmark interest rate to a fresh record-low in an effort to steer the euro-area out of recession.

The Eurozone unemployment rate hit a record high at 12% in February. The number of people unemployed in the 17 member states rose by 33,000 during the month, to hit 19.07 million. Greece had the highest rate at 26.4%, although the most recent figure for the country was from December. Eurozone's manufacturing sector in March confirmed a further deterioration.

The United States economy grew at a faster than expected 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Department of Commerce has said. The annualised figure was better than an earlier estimate of 0.1% growth.

The latest figures were a marked slowdown from the previous quarter.

USD - INR = 54.41 EUR - INR = 69.75 GBP - USD = 1.51 GBP - EUR = 1.18 EUR - USD = 1.28 GBP - AED = 5.55 GBP - CAD = 1.53 GBP - NZD = 1.79 GBP - AUD = 1.45 GBP - ZAR = 13.93 GBP - HUF = 356.38

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 areâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFXâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

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Pakistan-Bangladesh-sri lanka

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 6th April 2013

In Focus 12 killed in Pakistan suicide attack Islamabad: At least 12 people were killed and 31 injured in a suicide attack, as a convoy of security personnel near the US Consulate in Peshawar city, was targeted.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a Frontier Constabulary convoy in a high security area of the city. Tehrik-eTaliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted the FC for their repeated operations against the Taliban and tribal people. Eight to 10 kg of explosive was used in the blast.

Bangla rights panel slams govt over Hindu safety Dhaka: Amid nationwide violence in Bangladesh over 1971 war crimes trial of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, the country's human rights body has criticized the government for inadequate steps to protect Hindus from recent attacks as the minority community demanded more security.

Hindus protest over conversion in Pak Islamabad: Members of Pakistan's minority Hindu community staged a protest in after a Hindu woman converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. Ganga, the daughter of gold trader Ashok Kumar, married Asif Ali, son of another gold trader Bahadur Ali Surhio, at Amrot Sharif Dargah after converting to Islam. Ganga changed her name to Aasia. The woman's parents and several relatives rushed to the shrine after learning about the conversion but the marriage had already been registered.

Pakistan record: 2 tribal women in polls Islamabad: Two women from Pakistan's restive northwest have made history by becoming the first tribal women to file nomination papers for the May 11 parliamentary polls. Forty-year-old Badam Zari filed nomination papers for a National Assembly constituency in the restive Bajaur tribal region while Nusrat Begum plans to contest elections from Lower Dir, a tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Suspected militants attack Pak power station, 7 dead Peshawar: Dozens of suspected militants attacked a major power station in northwest Pakistan with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and killed seven people.

The assault, in the run-up to May 11 general elections, destroyed the biggest power station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, suspending electricity supply to half of the major city of Peshawar. It served as a reminder that Pakistan's leaders have failed to tackle a Taliban insurgency.

Turkish woman jailed for funding Pakistan terror outfit Washington: A Turkish woman Oytun Ayse Mihalik was sentenced to five years in jail by a US court on charges of sending money to a terrorist outfit in Pakistan for attacks against American military personnel. When she pleaded guilty, she admitted that she provided money with the intention that the money would be used to prepare for and carry out attacks against US military personnel and other persons overseas, the US Justice Department said.

I am proud of Kargil operation: Musharraf Islamabad: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he was "proud of the Kargil operation", during which Pakistani troops had crossed the line of control (LoC) and occupied positions on the Indian side in 1999. Musharraf was the army chief when the operation was launched. He later toppled the government of premier Nawaz Sharif and assumed power. He claimed he had returned to Pakistan in the interest of the country and the people.

Karachi: This seaside metropolis is no stranger to gangland violence, driven for years by a motley collection of armed groups who battle over money, turf and votes.

But there is a new gang in town. Hundreds of miles from their homeland in the mountainous northwest, Pakistani Taliban fighters have started to flex their muscles more forcefully in parts of this vast city, and they are openly taking ground.

Taliban gunmen have mounted guerrilla assaults on police stations, killing scores of officers. They have stepped up extortion rackets that target rich businessmen and traders, and shot dead public health workers engaged in polio vaccination efforts. In some neighborhoods, Taliban

clerics have started to mediate disputes through a parallel judicial system.

The grab for influence and power in Karachi shows that the Taliban have been able to extend their reach across Pakistan, even here in the country's most populous city, with about 20 million inhabitants. No longer can they be written off as endemic only to the country's fron-

tier regions.

In joining Karachi's street wars, the Taliban are upending a longestablished network of competing criminal, ethnic and political armed groups in this combustible city. The difference is that the Taliban's agenda is more expansive - it seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state - and their operations are run by remote control from the tribal belt along the Afghan border.

Already, the militants have reshaped the city's political balance by squeezing one of the most prominent political machines, the Pashtundominated Awami National Party, off its home turf. They have scared Awami opera-

tives out of town and destroyed offices, gravely undercutting the party's chances in national elections scheduled for May. "We are the Taliban's first enemy," said Shahi Syed, the party's provincial head, at his newly fortified office. "They burn my offices, they tear down my flags and they kill our people."

The Taliban drift into Karachi actually began years ago, though much more quietly. Many fled here after a concerted Pakistani military operation in the Swat Valley in 2009. The influx has gradually continued, officials here say, with Taliban fighters able to easily melt into the city's population of fellow ethnic Pashtuns, estimated to number at least five million people.

Pervez Musharraf vows to change UN envoy urges Taliban to Pakistan's destiny if voted to power join Afghan peace process Islamabad: Former Pakistan president and chief of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Pervez Musharraf has vowed to change the destiny of the country if he is voted to power during the upcoming elections. The former military dictator, who was living in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai for the last four years, returned to Pakistan on March 24 to contest the elections on May 11.

Musharraf said Pakistan was presently passing through critical juncture and it was the right time to stand up for change.

Musharraf has received mixed response, most of which is against him, since his arrival from the UAE. An unexpectedly low number of people welcomed the APML chief while he also faced a 'shoe attack' for the first time by a lawyer in the court.

Earlier, Musharraf's counsel, Ahmed Raza Kasuri, filed his nomination papers for National Assembly constituency NA-48 in Islamabad. Musharraf has already filed nominations

Pervez Musharraf

from Chitral and Karachi to contest National Assembly election.

Mush barred from going out of Pakistan: Meanwhile, the federal investigation agency directed immigration officials at all international airports to stop Musharraf from travelling abroad, TV news channels reported.

The FIA formally issued written orders to immigration officials in this regard. The move came a day after the Sindh high court issued orders that Musharraf could not leave Pakistan without seeking the permission of courts that are hearing cases against him.

Kabul: Taliban was urged to join the peace process in Afghanistan as the bulk of Nato combat troops prepare to leave the country by the end of next year. "My message to the insurgency is basically a sort of long-term message: you are Afghans, you care, I assume, about your country, you care about peaceful stable future of the country," UN envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis told a news conference.

The withdrawal and next year's presidential election, when president Hamid Karzai will step down after 13 years in power, have lent urgency to the search for a negotiated settlement to end Afghanistan's decades of conflict.

The Taliban, ousted from power by a 2001 US-led invasion for refusing to give up alQaida after the 9/11 attacks, are leading a deadly insurgency against Western troops and the Afghan government.

When Nato troops leave, Afghan police and soldiers will take responsibility for security. There are fears that without some kind of settle-

Pakistan supports India's stand on UN Arms Trade Treaty United Nations: Pakistan has supported India's stand on the UN Arms Trade Treaty that would regulate the $ 70 billion conventional arms trade around the world, saying it favours the arms exporting countries and does not protects the interests of importers.

"The treaty may be seen by many as essentially a product of and by the exporters only. It falls short of striking an appropriate balance of interests and obligations among the exporters and importers as well as the affected states," said Pakistani Ambassador to the UN Masood Khan.

In his remarks to the Arms Trade Treaty Conference at the UN headquarters in New York Khan said the call for balance was

Mohammad Masood Khan

echoed by an overwhelming majority. "Some treaty provisions, however, legitimise in a global legal instrument what the existing national and pluri lateral export control systems cover. The interests of exporting countries have been accommodated in the form of special exemptions,

exceptions and protections," he has said.

The Treaty fell apart due to lack of consensus among the 193 member countries because of opposition from North Korea, Iran and Syria.

India said the treaty in its present form would compromise with its national interest mainly it does it favours the arms exporting nations and is weak on arms supply to nonState actors.

Pakistan, however, remained silent on the second concerns raised by India.

Proponents of the Treaty have now decided to put it to vote at the UN General Assembly.

While the final decision

by India is yet to be taken, New Delhi is most likely to end up abstaining, if not voting against the draft treaty.

ment, the country could return to the horrors of its 1992-96 civil war. Pointing out that a "strong motivation" for insurgents was the fight against foreign troops, Kubis said: "There will be no international fighting force at the end of 2014.

"Take this into account.

Adjust and take necessary measures to contribute to the surge of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan after 2014."

Efforts by the international community and the Afghan government to bring the Taliban to meaningful negotiations have largely been thwarted. The Taliban publicly refuse to hold direct talks with Kabul, considering it a US puppet. The militia broke off tentative contacts with the United States in Qatar in March 2012 after the failure of attempts to negotiate a prisoner exchange as a confidence-building measure.

Karzai said he plans to visit Qatar, with US backing, to discuss the proposed opening of a Taliban office in the emirate as a prelude to possible peace talks.

Asif Ali Zardari tries to placate Bilawal Bhutto Lahore: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari embarked on a two-day visit to Dubai amidst reports that the trip was aimed at persuading his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to return to the country and lead the Pakistan Peoples Party’s election campaign.

The 24-year-old Bilawal had left for Dubai over a week ago after a tiff with his father over the affairs of the PPP. A source in the PPP said Zardari had gone to Dubai on a “private visit” and the main purpose of his trip was to placate Bilawal.

“The PPP cannot afford to go into the May 11 polls without Bilawal. Many in the PPP believe the son of the late PM alone can mobilise voters in favour of the party,” the source said.

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In Focus Mandela back in hospital

Johannesburg: Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital with a recurrence of a lung infection. It gave no further details other than to say he was receiving the "best possible expert medical treatment and comfort".

Landslide buries 83 in Tibet

Beijing: No signs of life have been detected at a gold mining site in a mountainous area of Tibet more than 24 hours after a massive landslide buried 83 workers. About 2 million cubic meters (2.6 million cubic yards) of mud, rock and debris swept through the area. The miners worked for a subsidiary of the China National Gold Group Corp., a state-owned enterprise and the country's largest gold producer.

Fire kills 13 boys in Myanmar

Yangon: A fire caused by faulty electrical equipment killed 13 boys at an Islamic school in Yangon.

Although some Muslims voiced concern since it came after a wave of anti-Muslim violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, the boys were suffocated.

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India committed to support Africa, says Manmohan Singh

Durban: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that India remained committed to support Africa with the entire spectrum of its expertise and capacity.

Addressing the BRICS Leaders - Africa Dialogue Forum, Singh said: "India's resolve to assist Africa with the entire spectrum of our expertise and capacity.

The BRICS forum offers another avenue for our cooperation. Initiatives such as the BRICS bank could further leverage the collective capacity of the BRICS countries to assist the transformation of Africa. This is an objective that India remains committed to."

Asserting that India's relations with Africa is rooted in the history of its solidarity against colonialism and apartheid, Singh said: "Mahatma Gandhi developed the tools of peaceful resistance on this very soil. Our engagement with Africa has come a long way since then and today we have built a new template for partnership in the form of the IndiaAfrica Forum Summit."

"This partnership is guided by the vision and priorities of our African partners. India will assist Africa in charting its own course through institution-building, infrastruc-

ture development and technical and vocational skill development," he added.

Emphasising that India is ready to work with African partners on e-governance to help bridge the digital divide in Africa, Singh said: "The pan-Africa e-Network for tele-medicine and tele-education, which is functional in 47 countries in Africa, is a major success story of our institution-building partnership with Africa. India is also happy to share its experiences of participative political institutions, local governance, media and civil society with Africa."

"Human resource development and capacitybuilding assistance are at the core of India's cooperation with Africa, because they enable and empower people to take charge of their own future. Over 15,000 African students are studying in India.

Agricultural and scientific fellowships specially designed for African scholars are highly popular. Our assistance with vocational and entrepreneurial skill development, with particular emphasis on small and medium enterprises, is helping promote employability and job creation in Africa," he added.

Stating that India's enterprising private sector is one of the key drivers of the India-Africa partnership, Singh said: "The Confederation of Indian Industries and the EXIM Bank of India last week organized the 9th Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership, which generated interest in 500 projects worth 70 billion US dollars.

"A large Indian contingent is helping the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo carry out its mandate.

Patel, a popular surname among Gujaratis, was listed 172nd among the most frequently occurring last names in the US in the 2000 census. Nearly one in every 10 people of Indian-origin is a Patel.

There are 145,066 Patels in USA as per 2000 census. Many Patels have come to the US from East Africa, the UK and other countries, but their ethnicity is undoubtedly Indian. Patels incidentally outrank Singhs in the 2000 census by two to one. Surprisingly, in the Asian ethnicity, Patel trumps over Yang, Chang, Wang, Zhang, and Li, Lin, Liu, and Chen, Chung, Choi, and Wu and Yu, all of who making the top 1000. But Lee and Kim trump Patel as famous last names in US. Like Patels, Singhs too home in on America from all over the world, not just from India. The only other sub-continental sounding last names in the top1000 are Khan (4,6713) ranked 665, Shah (37,833) ranked 831, and Ali (36079) at 876, although all three could be from regions beyond the subcontinent.

Patels though are out-

ranked by several other oriental-sounding AsianAmerican last names, attesting to the earlier immigration to the US from East Asia and South East Asia. Lee takes the lead, at 22nd place. There are 6,06,860 last-named Lees in the US. They are followed by the Vietnamese Nguyen (57th place with 310125) and the Korean Kim (109th with 194067).

However, the Asian brigades are no match for the Hispanics, clearly the dominant immigrant community in the US. And the Census Bureauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last names count says it all.

Garcia and Rodriguez are in 8th and 9th position in the list of Top Ten last names which is led by typically Caucasian monikers: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller, Davis, and rounded off by Wilson at tenth place. But take the Top 25 and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Martinez at 11th, Hernandez at 15th, Lopez at 21st, and Gonzalez at 23rd - each with more than 500,000 people bearing that last name. Perez, Sanchez, Ramirez and Torres make the Top 50.

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South DMK members evicted en masse from TN assembly

Opposition DMK members were evicted en masse from the Tamil Nadu assembly with a couple of them being handed a two-day suspension for disrupting the proceedings.

Trouble arose when transport minister Senthil Balaji was replying a call attention moved by DMK and Left parties on irregularities in hand-held ticket vending machines for the state transport corporations. Balaji remarkd about DMK member MK Stalin which infuriated strong protest.

Minor girl allegedly gangraped

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by four persons, who posed as policemen, in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh After attending the religious programme, the girl and her male relative, were returning home on foot. The four men introduced themselves as policemen (in plain-clothes) to the girl One of them caught hold of the girl's relative, while another dragged the girl to some bushes nearby and raped her. Later, the other three also raped the girl.

Chennai to host meeting of political scientists

Political theorists and scholars will leave their ivory towers and research campuses in December to head for Chennai. The city will play host to the platinum jubilee conference of the Indian Political Science Association (IPSA) founded in 1938 by nationalist advocate Govind Ballabh Pant. The venue will be the Madras University, More than 1,000 delegates from all over the country will visit.

Punjab 4 accused sent in police custody

Four accused involved in the murder of Punjab and Haryana high court advocate, Amarpreet Singh, were produced before a local magistrate and remanded in weeklong police custody. The accused, Sunil Bhanot, 26, Rajat, 24, Dharminder Singh Grewal, 26 and Vishal Serahwat, 19, were arrested from Indore on March 25.

They were brought here on transit remand.

Avneet Singh, 19, who was arrested for providing shelter and SIM cards to the four accused on fake identity proof, was also remanded in five-day police custody.

Chandigarh cannot have a BRTS, finds survey

Introduction of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Chandigarh is a long shot in the current scenario. With most stretches having only two lanes, shifting of cars and two wheelers onto the second lane will only aggravate traffic congestion.The system can be made practical only if the corridor is optimally utilized for which the frequency of buses would need to be increased substantially. For BRTS corridor UT will have to carry out major road engineering with shifting of services like electricity poles.

Four booked for burning woman

Mansa police has booked four persons of a family for the death of the daughter-in-law due to burn injuries under mysterious circumstances. Abohar resident Mohan Lal' daughter Rajni Devi was married to Puran Chand of Mansa many years ago. Rajni had died after suffering burn injuries and her in laws had stated that Rajni was under depression and had committed suicide by burning herself. Parents of Rajni accused her in laws of killing Rajni.

Cops on trail of online sex racketeers

Police have booked unidentified persons for allegedly promoting prostitution while forming a website named Chandigarh Escort Girl online. In RTI activist R K Garg alleged that some unidentified persons are posting their numbers on the website on the pretext of providing the company of girls on demand and at "fixed rates". Sources said the complaint was made before senior police officials and an enquiry was marked to the Crime Branch.

Actors and other representatives of the Tamil film industry began a day-long fast demanding the rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils and an international probe into the alleged war crimes.

Film activity in Tamil Nadu came to a standstill as artistes, directors, producers, distributors and exhibitors, are participating in the hunger-strike being held at the premises of South Indian Film Artists' Association here.

Noted film personalities of Kollywood, including South Indian Film Artistes' Association president R Sarath Kumar, Ajith Kumar and Surya, are part of the agitation.

These personalities of the Tamil celluloid world are the latest to stage a protest over the issue, which has generated heat in the state in recent weeks with various sections of people, including students, taking to the streets.

Sarath Kumar, who is leading the protest, demand-

ed that the Centre implement the resolution adopted by the Tamil Nadu assembly recently demanding a referendum on separate Tamil Eelam and action against those who committed war crimes.

The protesters were likely to pass few resolutions later in the day on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

Left parties divided over TN resolution on Eelam The Tamil Nadu assembly resolution adopted last week evoked differnt responses from the left parties. The resolution demanded that the

Air pollution turning Charminar black

The 400-year-old Charminar - the most recognizable symbol of Hyderabad -and other ancient monuments within the 300 metre heritage zone in the area are turning black due to pollution and their plasters are peeling off due to constant vibrations caused by passing vehicles, is the considered opinion of conservation architects and environmentalists.

Conservationists blamed the government for failing to protect the Charminar precincts, a key requisite for acquiring Unesco's world heritage status. They have urged the government to immediately implement the longpending pedestrianization project, which involves traffic management and development of environs to conserve the heritage identity of the precinct. "The archaeology department and the GHMC are solely responsible for the bad state of monuments and their failure to educate the

government on the importance of taking immediate steps to protect the structures," said L Panduranga Reddy, noted historian of Hyderabad.

"The dust forms a layer after accumulating over a period of time. This is causing blackening of the surface.

The organic matter that settle on the structure along with the dust leads to moth formation when it rains," Suryanarayana Murthy, a conservation architect said.

The heritage precinct of Charminar comprises many historic structures dating back to the period Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad. Oldest structures in the area include the Jama Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Char Kamans (the four arches) and the Badeshahi Ashoorkhana, all in a 300 metres radius. The Unani Hospital, Pathargatti and Sardar Mahal are other important structures.

Centre take the initiative at the UN Security Council for a referendum among Sri Lankan Tamils for formation of a separate Tamil land, stop treating Sri Lanka as a friendly country and slap economic sanctions on it. CPM state secretary G Ramakrishnan remarked that the resolution would not serve the purpose of finding a solution to the issue and may aggravate the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.

He also said that the resolution had not factored in ground realities in Sri Lanka.

Students in Chennai

protest against war crimes against Tamils in Sri Lanka Scores of college and school students staged a mass protest against alleged war crimes committed on Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government and its army during the country's over two decade old civil war, which ended in May 2009.

Protesters gathered outside the All India Radio (AIR) building in Chennai and threatened to lock it down as a symbol of their anger against the Central Government. They were of the view that since the Central Government had not taken a strong stance against Sri Lanka in the war crimes case, all its symbols in the state capital have to be closed down. However, the police arrived in time to prevent the demonstrators from barging into the All India Radio premises. Some of the protestors were taken into custody for disrupting law and order.

It's countdown time for the assembly elections. And it's increasingly apparent that the title bout will be between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. As Rahul rides a wave and Modi banks on his charisma, the stage is set for a highdecibel battle between the two PM aspirants. Manu Aiyappa decodes their chances.

Can Modi xerox his Gujarat win here?

Narendra Modi's charisma has worked thrice in a row in Gujarat. Reason why the Karnataka BJP is banking on him to boost its poll prospects after its one-time star campaigner and former CM B S Yeddyurappa parted ways.With the Gujarat victory cementing his stature in the party as a future prime ministerial candidate, the state unit hopes Modi can replicate his magic in Karnataka. There is a creeping realisation that an incremental, positive vote in favour of Modi will consider-

ably cut down the antiincumbency vote against the ruling party in Karnataka.

The middle class support for BJP in the state is well known and can be attributed to the Hindutva ideology that the party propagates, reasons enough for Modi to flex his muscle in Karnataka. Also, Modi's development mantra may strike a chord with the electorate.

For Modi, the PM candidate, this election will test whether he has a pan-India image that goes beyond Gujarat Time for Rahul's big leap; Congress hopeful The Karnataka poll will be Rahul Gandhi's first real leadership test after his elevation as Congress vice-president. "A positive verdict for the Congress will have a big bearing on Rahul's leadership," admits a senior Congress leader. Yet with factionalism and oneupmanship bogging down the party, it may not be smooth sailing.

Karnataka assembly elections: All set for Modi-Rahul war

Space odyssey for budding astronauts from April 4

Space enthusiasts in the city are poised for the time of their lives with cosmologist Dr Jayant V Narlikar conducting the Space Science event at Tagore Theatre next week. Nearly 1,500 students from across the country will participate in the event, which will be organized on April 4 and 5 by the International Space Society (ISS) and Society for Promotion of Science and Technology in India (SPSTI). Narlikar, famous for his work on cosmology, will talk about the amazing world of astronomy and search for micro-life in

Dr Jayant V Narlikar

Earth's atmosphere. Other highlights of the conference are night sky-watching and a quiz on astronomy for children to be conducted by professors J S Bagla of IISER, Mohali and Sandeep Sahijpal of the department of

physics, Punjab University.

Six experts from prominent Institutions like IUCAA, Pune , ISRO, Delhi University, Punjab University and IISER, Mohali will make presentations. A special session on careers in astronomy will also be held.

Besides, there will be an exhibition on astronomy, showcasing various models and posters depicting planetary models. The conference is being organized by Dikshant International School, Zirakpur and supported by the department of science and technology, Chandigarh.

Punjab drug racket has Chinese connection

Having busted an international drugs racket worth millions of dollars operating from Punjab, police said that there is a Chinese connection to the crime. The drugs racket has already been linked to the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, and AfghanistanPakistan. Police said five Chinese associates had visited Chandigarh in 2010 for a quality check of methamphetamine, a substance known as "Ice" in rave party circles, and pseudophedrine, which is used as raw material in the manufacture of Ice. Punjab Police has already questioned Vijender in connection with the drugs racket. The boxer has, so far, refused to give his blood and hair samples.

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Amit Shah Made Gen Secretary Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi was appointed to the party’s parliamentary board, By BJP chief Rajnath Singh, after six years he returns to the top decision-making body.

Modi as party’s popular face, Rajnath shoved aside the opposition to Modi saying the latter deserved to be on the parliamentary board because of his stature as the only chief minister to have won three consecutive elections. This clears the way for Gujarat’s most powerful man to go for a bigger role on national front, lead-up to the 2014 elections against the backdrop of the ever growing clamour in the ranks for him to be projected as the party's candidate for PM. Few tried to thwart Modi, arguably the most popular saffronite, and failed, is significant by itself. This also signs for the obstacles that the Gujarat CM may be required to negotiate before his possible anointment as the party's face for the 2014 elections, as also to the support that he has acquired among the usually suspicious central brass and RSS leadership. The thump of Modi is seen while appointing his con-

fidant Amit Shah as one of the general secretaries.

Also in the re-nomination of Dharmendra Pradhan and Jagat Prakash Nadda as general secretaries and the appointment of Smriti Irani as a vice-president.

Pradhan and, to a lesser degree, Nadda were opposed by entrenched interests in the party, but managed to hold on to their positions because of the support from Modi and Rajnath. Rajnath has tried to reconcile the competing interests of all factions but without acquiescing into pressure from any. “ So, the appointment of Swadeshi Jagran Manch's Murlidhar Rao as general secretary, and that of Balbir Punj as vice-president was attributed to party stalwart L K Advani. Party circles said S S Ahluwalia's return to

prominence as a vice-president owed itself to leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj's clout.

Major Changes: Gujarat CM Narendra Modi back in parliamentary board after 6 years Amit Shah, accused of role in 2 fake encounters, appointed general secretary Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi made gen secy.

Smriti Irani, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, promoted to vicepresident. Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi made gen secy. Saroj Pande succeeds her as Mahila Morcha chief Former CM of MP Uma Bharti and S S Ahluwalia also made VPs Rajiv Pratap Rudy made general secretary Late Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Poonam appointed a secretary Rajnath Singh’s political advisor Sudanshu Trivedi made a spokesperson Anurag Singh Thakur retained as head of youth wing while Piyush Goyal stays as treasurer Significiant Omissions: No place for senior leaders Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh in Rajnath Singh’s core team Dropped: Najma Heptulla, Hema Malini and Shanta Kumar as vice-presidents.

Modi invited to visit America

Narendra Modi as one of the most serious contender to be Prime Minister has been invited to visit their country by a US Congressm and delegation invited Modi to visit their country – signalling the end of Washington’s long standing aversion to the man who is being dubbed as one of the most serious contender to be Prime Minister of India in 2014.

The 18-member delegation, led by Republican Congressmen from Illinois, Aaron Schock, met Modi at his official residence, following their visit to Sabarmati Gandhi

Charotar: Sahsikoni Bhomka

The launch report on special issue Charotar: Sahsikoni Bhomka will be published in the next issue of Asian Voice.

Ashram and held over an hour-long closed-door meeting with him and high ranking state officials.

"We are grateful to Chief Minister Narendra Modi. We learnt about the development. It is much easier to do business in Gujarat. Modi is very dynamic person. We have extended an invitation to the Chief Minister to visit USA and share his ideas with us," Schock was quoted as saying after the meeting.

However, Schock gave no assurance on a visa for Modi but said the members along with other Republican lawmakers will

work with the US administration towards this end. It was the highest-level US delegation to meet Modi since the riots.

Members of the delegation said they were "impressed" with Modi's efforts to transform the state's economy. Modi had been denied visa by the US since 2005 due to allegations of mishandling of the post-Godhra riots against his government.

Apart from Schock, Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming) and Cathy M Rodgers (Washington) were the other two Republican Congress members in the delegation.

E

The Story of Kartikeya – 6

ven after all the other Devas surrendered before the young Skandha, their lord Indra continued to attack him. Using his mighty weapon, the thunderbolt called Vajra, Indra struck Skandha on his back. Out of this injury, another warrior arose. He was young, covered in golden armour, seemed very powerful and wore divine earrings. Because he was born out of the wound of a Vajra, this warrior was named Visakha.

Visakha’s mere gaze filled Indra with fear and he instantly bowed before Skandha. Skandha blessed all the gods with fearlessness or Abhay, implying that he would protect them from the Asuras.

The rishi Markandeya continued to tell the story of Kartikeya to Yudhishthira. He said that from the same wound that Visakha was born, many other powerful warriors followed. These warriors were princes who would steal

children from their mothers’ wombs (the cause of miscarriages and abortions).

The wound then gave birth to a group of girls who were lustrous and powerful.

These maidens told the warrior Visakha that he was their father. Visakha turned his head into the shape of a goat, and all the young men and women surrounded Skandha as if to protect him and became his army.

Then the great Kartikeya sat on a special seat. He was adorned with golden armour, gold ornaments and a crown. All the Brahmins came to worship him and the great rishis spoke these words: “O Great One, you have been born of the six nights (Svaha had collected the sperm of her union with Agni over six nights). You are loved and respected by all. We name you the Indra of the three worlds.”

Chinese plans to dam Brahmaputra : a prospect fraught with the risk of reduced waters from the river for India.

The PM’s assertion is significant as it refutes the widespread perception that the Chinese plan to dam Brahmaputra and brightens the prospect of the process of smoothening the ties continuing apace by reducing the risk of a fresh irritant creeping into the delicate bilateral equation.

Saying he had raised the issue with Xi, Singh said the Chinese leader assured him “they were conscious of their responsibilities and the interest

The young Kartikeya responded, “Who is Indra?

How is he the Lord of the gods?”

The rishis answered, “It is Indra who gives all living creatures strength, lustre, children and pleasure. If satisfied, he fulfils the desires that lie in the mind. It was Indra who killed the rakshas called Bala and it is he who takes away the pleasure of and kills the evil Asuras. In the absence of the Sun, Indra becomes the Sun and in the absence of the Moon, he becomes the Moon. He can transform into wind, rain, fire, earth and water (here, the rishis are talking of the energy of sensitivity which becomes the five tan matras). Indra is strength and you are the foremost of the strong and so you become Indra for us.” Then Indra, who was also present, addressed the child. (To be continued)

All past articles on the Mahabharata can be accessed from http://epaper.asianvoice.com or from http://www.3stepbreath.com/mahabharata.html

Grand ‘Garden City’ residential project in Rajkot

Ladani Associates is a leading real estate developer in Rajkot for the last 20 years.

They have proved their success in residential projects, office and shopping complexes that are mostly situated in the heart of the city. They have completed their projects on time and received a huge response for their schemes. Now they have come up with a seven- tower ‘Garden City’ residential project of high standards in the central part of Rajkot.

Dilipbhai Ladani of Ladani Associates said that this project would be very ideal for NRIs, as it has facilities like wooden flooring and other amenities and situated at a very special area in Rajkot. For the first time in State, each apartment has a separate club house. Of the seven towers, four towers have luxurious flats of three bedrooms, hall and kitchen. The other three towers have flats of four bedroom, hall and kitchen.

The flat size varies from 1,484 to 4,446 sq feet. Three bedroom and four bedroom flats have separate compound

Dilipbhai Ladani

of the lower riparian countries”.

He also said Xi told him that his government would look into the demand for a joint mechanism for a verification of Chinese projects on the Brahmaputra in Tibet.

The PM seemed satisfied with talks with the new Chinese president on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Durban -- the first between the two leaders -and said they had agreed to continue with frequent high-level exchanges that started under former president Hu Jintao and exChinese premier Wen Jiabao.

Smit Kaneriya

with main entrance, two car parking for each flat (with cellar parking), separate club house, Gymnasium and swimming pool. Smit Kaneriya of Ladani Associates said that there was a separate 2,400 sq. yard common plot connecting all the towers. This is beautifully designed with full facilities and a very convenient place for senior citizens. Every flat has separate car parking facility, two separate lift along with service lift. For more information about this project, visit www.ladanigroup.in or contact on mobile no 9825215708, 99254-11111, 99740-94079.

Manmohan Singh eases tension on Brahmaputra Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Chinese projects on the Brahmaputra are not hindering the water flow to India and China’s new President Xi Jinping is ready to set up a joint mechanism to scrutinize such schemes in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

“As of now, our assessment is that whatever activities are taking place on the Brahmaputra region in Tibet, they are essentially run-of-the-river projects and therefore there is no cause for worry on our part,” Singh told media persons in response to a question whether he had discussed reported

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Opportunity for India to fuel UK power plant growth United Kingdom will require an investment of 110 billion pounds in its energy infrastructure by 2020, majority of which will be raised "from overseas markets like India."

The Foreign and Commonwealth office of UK said that majority of this investment will be made in building nuclear power stations and India has promised to invest in it.

"Nuclear power is low carbon, affordable, dependable, safe and capable of increasing the diversity of energy supply. New nuclear power stations will help the UK. It will also help us achieve our goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2015. It would be in the public interest to

allow energy companies the option of investing in new nuclear power stations," a senior official said.

India at present has 20 operational nuclear reactors in six nuclear power plants with a capacity of 4.4 gigawatts (electric). As of September 2012, seven reactors totaling 5.3 gigawatts (electric) are under construction and expected to come online by 2016. Planning consent was given for construction of the first new nuclear power station in the UK since 1995, in a boost to the move to a low carbon energy mix. The planned multi-billion pound project at Hinkley Point, Somerset will generate enough low carbon electricity.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 6th April 2013

Indian comes closer to become first South Asian circuit court judge in US Continued from page 1 both in private practice and on behalf of the United States for both Democratic and Republican administrations," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

"He has argued before the Supreme Court 24 times, drafted briefs and several dozen additional cases, and has also served as lead counsel in numerous cases before the federal and state appellate courts," Carney said after the announcement of dates for confirmation hearing for Srinivasan.

Tweleve former officials from the Solicitor

General's office - six of them Democrats, six of them Republicans - all announced their support for him.

The DC Circuit is often considered the nation's second-highest court, but it has twice as many vacancies as any other court of appeals, and its workload has increased by over 20 per cent since 2005, he said.

"Sri's confirmation will be an important first step to filling this court's four vacancies, and he will be, when confirmed, the first South Asian circuit court judge in history," Carney said as he urged the Senate to move swiftly to confirm the 15 additional judicial

Petition in support of Direct Flight between UK and Gujarat, organised by AV, GS and NCGO (UK) If you want a direct flight from London to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad; if you have a desire to get a permanent, easy connection with people of Gujarat, do sign and get others to sign this petition and send it to “Asian Voice” or “Gujarat Samachar” office by post or fax it to our office (Fax no: 020 7749 4081), at the earliest.

THE CAMPAIGN to facilitate direct flights between London Heathrow and Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport Ahmedabad, Gujarat has generated much interest amongst Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar readers and the entire community.

All those wishing to add their names to the list of petitioners, which includes several prominent politicians, business people and community members are requested to complete the tear-off the form and send it to the offices of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar,

12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW. We will forward all petitions to the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi. Who is renowned to be in the forefront of serving Gujarati people.

Please note: If you wish to register more than 10 names on your petition, then simply photocopy the tearoff form and add the extra names. All petitions must clearly state your full names, postal address and must be signed and dated.

REGISTER YOUR SUPPORT WE THE undersigned hereby support the direct Air India flights between London and Ahmedabad for the following reasons : l There are more Gujaratis living and travelling abroad than any other Indian community, and this figure is increasing. l About 40% of Air India passenger to the UK are Gujarati. Indeed on some flights, close to 80% to 90% are Gujarati. l India is the 2nd largest investor into United Kingdom, according to British Government figures. Many of these Indian companies are either owned, controlled, or significantly staffed by Gujaratis. l The UK is the Second Largest investor in India, and the largest cumulative investor in Gujarat. l Nearly 50% of all visas issued by British High

NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Commission in India are to Gujaratis. l Currently, air passengers travelling between the UK and Gujarat are required to change planes either at Mumbai or Delhi. This inevitably leads to considerable inconvenience, delay and expense – particularly for families with young children, pregnent women, the elderly, and the increasing number of business travellers. l We believe that the introduction of direct flights will not only be of benefit to the Gujarati diaspora, but also prove commercially successfully for Air India.

Form also available online at www.abplgroup.com to download and Fax on 020 7749 4081 Email: support@abplgroup.com

ADDRESS

SIGNATURE

DATE

Narendrabhai Bhailalbhai Patel has sadly passed away on Friday 29 March 2013 after a brief illness.

Originally from Bhadran, Gujarat, he lived in Nairobi, East Africa and Kenya before finally settling in London. He has been actively associated with the Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar newspapers for 45 years. Survived by wife Pravinaben and one daughter, his funeral will be held on Saturday 6 April 2013, 12pm at St Marylebone Crematorium, East End Road, London N2 0SE. nominees waiting for votes.

Of those 15, 13 were approved out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously, not a single Republican dissent. And four would fill judicial emergencies, six are repre-

sented by Republican home-state senators who support their nominations, he noted. Since the beginning of the year, the Senate has confirmed nine judicial nominees. "That is good," he said.

Rudraksha seller penalised for fake promise

Now there is a help for those who are lured into buying fake products in name of religious magic, ones who are easily conned to buy items in name of getting success & prosperity. Responding to the complaint of a city-based man who bought a yantra and a rudrakshamala but failed to get a job as he had hoped, the Mumbai suburban district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed the dealer and manufacturer of the products to pay him Rs 25,000 as compensation.

"Several religious persons and institutions are making profits by misleading the common public through such advertisements," the forum said.

Significantly, in order to prevent such cases, the forum said a copy of the order be sent to the MRTP (Monopolies & Restrictive Trade Practice) Commission, which can conduct inquiries into them.

The complainant, Bhanudas Dhotre, had bought a 'Shubh Dhanlakshmi Yantra' and a 'Rudraksha Mala' from a Mumbai dealer, Shri Ram Agency, for Rs 5,630 on December 21, 2010.

Dhotre, who was unemployed, had been taken in by ads on television channels naming several film stars and other celebrities.

What is more, Dhotre said the commercials had assured a full refund if consumers did not meet with success within a fortnight of using the products.

The items were manufactured by Delhi-based Himalaya Rudraksha Sanstha.

In his complaint to the consumer forum on July 4, 2011, Dhotre said he soon realised that he had been duped; he had failed to secure a job as he was hoping when he bought the items. In February 2011, he contacted the dealer and the manufacturer but got no response. Dhotre then visited the dealer's store in Goregaon and was assured that he will get positive results within 21

days. When that did not materalise either, the manufacturer directed Dhotre to perform a pooja. But Dhotre had enough and shot off two legal notices seeking a refund and compensation. He approached the consumer forum when the notices failed to evoke any response.

The forum pointed out that according to the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, giving the public any warranty or guarantee of the performance or efficacy of a product or of any goods, which are not based on adequate or proper tests, amounted to unfair trade practice. It said that in this case, too, the public was given false guarantees about their powers. The information leaflet that came with the products too did not mention about any tests to prove their efficacy, it said.

The forum passed an ex parte order as the notices it sent to the dealer and the manufacturer were not answered. It took into consideration the bill issued to Dhotre by the dealer, saying it established that the dealer and the manufacturer had profited by cheating a common man.

Asian Voice / Gujarat Samachar has banned advertisements of Black magic, Jantar-mantar, astrology etc Asian Voice/Gujarat Samachar has completely banned advertisements of Black magic, Jantar-mantar, astrology, dora-dhaga etc, as it can ruin the lives of innocent people. This tabloids are losing big revenue by not entertaining such advertisements but firmly believe that by banning such ads, it is doing a yeomen service to its readers. It is the duty of the media to expose the reality rather than giving publicity to sooth-sayers.

indiA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

In Focus Kerala minister quits over domestic violence allegation

Kerala's State Forest and Sports Minister K.B.Ganesh Kumar handed over his resignation to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy late Monday night after his estranged wife accused him of ill-treatment. Though earlier he refused to resign, K.B.Ganesh Kumar was forced to change his mind after his estranged wife Yamini Thankachi, a medical professional, complained about his ill treatment of her in written to Chandy. The chief minister, director general of police, and his senior cabinet colleagues held closed door discussions.

Man rapes aunt over property dispute

A man allegedly raped his aunt and assaulted his uncle and cousin over a property dispute in Bihar's Nawada district. Manoj Yadav, the accused, as arrested. A pistol and 11 ammunition were seized from his possession, they added.Raids were being carried out to nab Manoj's father Rameshwar Yadav, who, too has been named as an accused in the assault case.

Clever & cheat Congress takes people for a ride: Samajwadi Party

Amid speculation that his party might withdraw outside support to UPA, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav launched a tirade against the Congress. He accused it of being "cheat and clever" and taking people for a ride.

Speaking to Samajwadi party workers at his native place Saifai, Yadav said the Congress always does things keeping in mind the elections."

Chidambaram to inaugurate 300 new bank branches

Finance minister P Chidambaram will inaugurate 300 new bank branches in the presence of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. At the meeting with RBI governor D Subbarao on Jan 15, state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav requested him to open 3000 more bank branches keeping in mind the population of the state.

Now RBI and state government has fixed the time table to open these branches by March 31, 2014.

10 Maoists killed by rivals in Jharkhand

In a clash between the CPI(Maoists) and Tritioya Prastitui Committee(TPC), a splinter group of Naxalites, 10 top Maoists, including their area, zonal and platoon commanders were killed at Lakarbandha village in Chatra district. Police recovered ten dead bodies from the forests While nine were in their usual fatigue, one was in civil dress. Also one AK-47, two 303 police rifle, three .315 rifle and huge quantity of ammunition along with Maoist literature was taken from the site.

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Housewife-turned entrepreneur making her mark on international brands The success story of Ahmedabad-based Meena Kaviya is an inspiration for aspiring Indian housewives who want to become financially self-reliant. She started her business with humble investment around a decade ago. Today her small business has turned into a company making garments for famous European brands like French Connection UK (FCUK) , Lacoste, Tiffosi and Throttle man to name a few.

By Nayan Dave

M

eena Kaviya, 41, belongs to a wealthy family that didn’t require her services to remain financially well-to-do. She could have easily chosen a lavish life style of kitty parties and clubs like many other middle aged females belongs to affluent class do. In the year 2000, when her kids started going to school, Kaviya decided to do some constructive activity, rather than sitting idle at home.

It was not easy for her as she wanted to do something on her own, despite her influential background. Meena’s father C K Gadhvi is a renowned doctor and politician, while her uncle B K Gadhvi was former minister in Government of India. Her cousins are also actively involved in politics. But she never wanted to use their influence. At the same time, it was difficult to get a good job at the age of 30, and she didn’t want to start as fresher.

“The only option left was to plunge into business. As my husband Rahul is working with a cotton yarn trading company, I started exploring opportunities in textile value chain. Nearly a year later, I saw scope in job work of shirt manufacturing for well-known brands,” said Kaviya. The business model was just

right for her. Doing jobwork for well-known brands means, she would need to concentrate only on manufacturing quality garment. But how to get work without any experience, that too from wellknown brands was million-dollar question for a middle-aged woman in a conservative country like India.

However, she followed her husband’s advice in hiring consultants from

orders, nobody took her seriously. After around 810 months of hard work, her first order came from Ahmedabad -based textile company Arvind Limited to manufacture shirts for its brands - ‘Oxford Street’ and ‘Instinct’. Finally she decided to import state-ofthe-art sewing machines from Japan.

Right from the implementation of first order, the two aspects of the business quality and meet-

Meena Kaviya in her shirt making unit.

Gandhinagarbased National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to set up garment unit. Besides she took three months rigorous training to understand international trends in garment industry. "But that was not enough," said the mother of two kids.

According to her, garment manufacturing was predominantly a male bastion. When she started meeting people to get

ing deadlines were followed strictly, she said adding, “It paid rich dividend as repeated orders started pouring in.

Gradually job-work of internationally renowned brands like Lacoste, Clarie.dk, Brubaker, Soft grey, FCUK came through Arvind Limited.

She also catered to the leading chain stores of India like Pantaloons, Globus, Shopper Stop etc.

Over the period of time

she started doing FOB orders directly on her own.

More orders for manufacturing men’s shirt came from Arvind Brands, Arvind Exports, Reliance, Lifestyle-India, LifestyleUAE, Madura garments, ITC, Tiffosi-Portugal and Throttle man-Portugal.

Over a period of around 13 years, a small shirt manufacturing unit started with humble investment of Rs 15,00,000 and 10 workers has now turned in to a private limited company which employs 150 people. "My aim is to list the company on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in future,” says Kaviya.

Already a step towards fulfilling her dream to go public has taken. In order to meet bulk orders she has recently bought a piece of land near Pipalaj village and constructed a state-of-the art new unit.

"The new unit designed as per exports compliance has the capacity to make 50,000 shirts per month.

Already we are not able to cope up bulk demand of clients. I am clear on business plan and not going to develop own brand.

Besides, we don’t want to deviate from manufacturing apparel other than shirts. Our forte is shirt manufacturing and we are constantly improving in that niche”, she says explicitly.

Gujarat: The most sought after medical tourism hub in world Purvi Apurva Shah

N

owadays hospitals are not just places of treatment but are modified with the concept of ‘hospitality.’ Hospitality is rooted in the word hospital, which comes from two Greek words meaning "loving the stranger." It evolved to mean "house for strangers" and later came to be known as a place of healing. This concept applies a big way in Gujarat. The state has worldclass hospitals and when it comes to hospitality, Gujarat and Gujaratis are simply faultless.

Gujarat is rapidly emerging as the hotspot for medical tourism.

With world class health facilities, zero waiting time and affordable cost, Gujarat is becoming one of the most sought after medical tourism destination in India. A seminar on medical tourism was organized on 16th March at Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration, Ahmedabad.

Gujarat State Non-Resident Gujaratis Foundation, Gandhinagar and NRG Centre, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ahmedabad, had organized this seminar with the main purpose of solving medical problems of non-resident Gujaratis. Chief guest Mr

Arvind Agarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary (NRI), Government of Gujarat and Chairman, NRGF, Gandhinagar, addresses the gathering. Among the main speakers were Dr Satish Patel, M.S.FRCS, Orthopedic surgeon, Sarthak Orthopedic hospital. He enlightened the audience regard-

tips on how to improve the medical treatments. Special invitees were Mr Prakash Bhagwati, GCCI, Mr K.H Patel, Chairman, GCCI NRG Centre/NRG Committee and former Indian High Commissioner to Uganda and Ambassador to Rwanda and Burundi and Mr B.B Dwivedi,

Principal Secretary (NRI) Arvind Agarwal addressing the seminar. Others on the dais are, Chairman, GCCI NRG Centre K H Patel, GCCI Senior Vice President Shankarbhai Patel, GCCI President Prakash Bhagwati, Dr Satish Patel, Dr Bharat Barai, Dr Kandarp Parikh and Dr Bharat Gadhavi.

ing the present scenario and various concepts of medical services of NRGs in Gujarat. Dr Kandarp Parikh M.S, M. Ch, DNB (Urology), Shyam Urosurgical hospital talked about the medical expectations of NRGs. Dr Bharat Gadhavi, CEO & medical director, HCG hospital suggested some expert

member secretary, NRGF. Mr Patel said that NRG Centre is an alliance between GCCI and Government of Gujarat. The initiative was taken

by Government of Gujarat in order to provide genuine information and assistance to NRGs so that the problems faced them would be solved in effective and

efficient manner. Other than Ahmedabad, five other NRG centres - Surat, Rajkot, Baroda, Mehsana and Anand have been opened. The mission is to serve the Gujaratis who live abroad.

He said that Gujaratis living abroad have helped the development of medical tourism in the state and they should take advantage of it. Mr Patel had rendered services on special diplomatic assignments at United Nations in New York and other Indian Missions abroad. He had also been a director on the Board of Directors for the Non-Resident Gujaratis Foundation, Government of Gujarat. His other significant contribution is as a Trustee of the Gandhi Ashram Trust, Sabarmati.

There has seen steep rise in medical tourism in India. More and more ‘tourists’ are visiting India for treatment. They find the whole process convenient – not only do they get treated but also get a chance to tour a culturally rich and diverse country like India. There are 60,00,000 Gujaratis in foreign countries, half of them live in America, 7,00,000 in Pakistan, 5,000 in Hong Kong, 5,000 in Malaysia, 10,000 in Singapore, more than 1,50,000 in Uganda –Kenya.

And lot many in UK, Europe and Canada. Australia has more than 1,00,000 of them. Nearly, 40,00,000 Gujaratis live outside the state, in India itself.

Mr Bhagwati said, "Any place in the world where a Gujarati comes and resides soon becomes a Gujarat. is a popular saying. It can be any corner of the world. The enterprise is the same. Whatever be the odds, he will prosper.

However successful they may be, they will never forget their motherland. NRG centre helps NRG to remain updated about the happenings in their motherland. This update of business, trade helps NRG and also improves economic condition of Gujarat.”

India is poised to become the global destination for advanced medical care. Hospitals themselves have helplines and websites to let patients research the offerings, facilities and even the profiles of the doctors. This can be very reassuring to the patients and enables them to make an informed choice.

Medical tourism in Gujarat not only is beneficial for medical treatment but also gives a chance of tourism. It is said, “doctor is half God and if the treatment is in our own motherland, we are half cured.”

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travel

www.abplgroup.com - asian voice 6th April 2013

Where all Jain saints attained Nirvana

Purvi Apurva Shah

Punjab – smiling face of India

unjab, located in the north west of india, is one of the smallest and the P most prosperous states of India. Five

rivers - Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum - gave it its name 'punj-ab' or the 'land of five waters'. As a civilization, it is one of the most ancient in the world with a distinguished culture.

Punjab's glorious past is most visible in the architecture that flourished during the Mogul era followed by the Maharajas who ruled it subsequently. However, every monument in Punjab, be it a gurudwara, palace or fort, displays magnificence in its construction styles. The majestic palaces of Patiala deserve a special mention.

Qila Mubarak and Shish Mahal built by the erstwhile emperors of Punjab are representative of the excellence of detail and works of arts during their reign.

Archeological destinations: Due to its rigorous past, the best part of ancient Punjab is either in its ruins or underground.

Evidence of Harappan Culture, Ropar: At Ropar, called Rup Nagar (the ‘town of beauty’) in olden times, evidence of Harappan culture of the Indus Valley Civilisation and relics of Alexander’s Army have been discovered Dholbaha, Hoshiarpur: The excavations at Dholbaha, the ancient temple town at Hoshiarpur, date back to the Pleistocene period of Stone Age and show evidence of continued development of civilization right until the 7th and 8th century A.D. The museum containing these relics is situated in Hoshiarpur city.

Sanghol, Fatehgarh Sahib: Archaeological digs here have yielded relics which date back from Harrapan Culture of 6th century A.D. A stupa and a Buddhist monastery complex of the Kushan era (1st-2nd Century AD) have also been unearthed here.

Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar: Artillery attacks were frequent when Punjab was still open to depredations of the Afghan hordes. This early 19th century fort designed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh showcases special defence mechanisms against such attacks. The fort housed Gen Dyer during the British Raj. General Dyer got an execution house constructed in front of his bungalow and witnessed execution of prisoners from his house.

This execution house, called ‘Phansi Ghar’ still stands there acting as a witness to the bygone era of Freedom Struggle. The conservation and restoration work is currently underway thus is not open to visitors.

Bathinda Fort: This schooner shaped fort stood like a ship in a sea of sand.

With a design that is suited to the desert environment, this fort is reputed to be 1,800 years old. This imposing fort was built by Raja Dab an ancestor of the celebrated Vena Pal, during the early centuries of the Christian era. The fort built as a defensive measure against the invading Huns witnessed enormous additions and alterations at the hands of successive rulers.

Razia Sultan, the first female of Sultan of Delhi (AD 1236-1240) was kept as a prisoner in this fort and accord-

ing to tradition Razia Sultan escaped by jumping off the balcony in order to muster an army to fight back.

In 1745 AD it was captured by Maharaja Ala Singh of Patiala. The tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh also visited this fort and a small Gurudwara commemorates his visit.

Qila Mubark, Faridkot Fort: Situated 30 km south of Ferozepur, this fort is about 800 years old. The old fort was built by Raja Mokulsi on square-shaped land, measuring more than 10 acres. The beauty of this fort lies in its magnificent architecture. Elegantly designed in European style and constructed by skilled masons, it is a masterpiece of workmanship.

Qila Mubark, Patiala: Founded in 1764 by Maharaja Ala Singh, this was originally a kuchi-garhi or a mud fort.

The mud fort was later raised into a sprawling, double storied structure with a massive gate and beautiful arches. The highlight of the fort is its museum.

Qila Androon-The entrance is through an imposing gate. The architectural style of this palace is a synthesis of late Mughal and Rajasthani. Though the Androon is a single interconnected building, it is spoken of as a series of palaces.

Bathinda Fort

Each set of rooms makes a cluster around a courtyard, and each carries a name: Sheesh Mahal, Toshakhana, Jalau Khana, Chand Mahal, Rang Mahal, Treasury and Prison. Ten of the rooms are painted with frescoes, or decorated intricately with mirror and gilt. In a tiny portion of the complex is a little British construction with Gothic arches, fire places made of marble and built-in toilets perched on the Mughal Rajasthani roof!.

Anandpur Sahib Fort, Ropar: Picturesquely set against the Naina Devi ranges, this brick fort was built by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru.

Anandpur Sahib was defended by five forts and all of them have become victims of the ravages of war and times. The central fort Anandgarh Sahib is still extant in parts. Its highlight is the deep well that can be approached by a flight of stairs.

Every year during the Holi celebrations in March-April, thousands of Sikh pilgrims meet here to participate in a fair known as Hola Mahalla. The highlight of the celebrations is a re-enactment of a Sikh cavalry charge.

Phillaur Fort, Ludhiana: Designed by Dewan Mohkam Chand, the brave general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, this fort faced the British border along Ludhiana.

It houses a police training centre now.

Shahpur Kandi Fort, Pathankot: On the left bank of the River Ravi, is the little town of Shahpur, 7 km from Pathankot. It’s here the 16th century Shahpur Kandi Fort nestles at the foot of the towering Himalayas and overlooks the river. It was built by Bhai Bhao Singh who named the fort after the emperor Shah Jahan. Near the fort are some Muslim tombs and a mosque.

By AV Correspondent he Jain pilgrimage centre of Palitana T (Bhavnagar district) sits

atop the Shatrunjay Hill.

There are 900 big and small temples on the two peaks.

The sculptures that adorn the marble temples present a feast to the eyes. You need not be a Jain to admire the spectacle.

Generations of Jain all over India have contributed their mite to make Shatrunjay Hill what it is today.

It is said all the Jain Tirthankars, except Neminath, had attained nirvana on Shatrunjay Hill.

This fact adds to the veneration the devout have for the place. The place is therefore called Siddhakshetra where one attains moksha.The mountain is associated with Rishabhdev, the first Tirthankar who is also known as Adinath. The main temple at the top contains his idol in padmasan.

He belonged to the Ikshvaku Dynasty of Ayodhya. So Rama was his ancestor. Adinath visited the Shatrunjay Hill 93 times.

The temple chain starts with the shrine constructed

by Babu Dhanpatsinh of Murshidabad at the foot of the hill. The pilgrims have to ascend 3,745 steps to reach the 1,800 feet hill. It takes about two-and-a-half hours to reach the summit.

Those who cannot climb can use sling chairs. The steps were hewn out of the rock in the 13th century Ground corn cooked with nuts and khoya.

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 1015 minutes Ingredients: Corn kernels 400 grams, Ghee 3 tablespoons, Cashewnuts, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons, Raisins 2 tablespoon. Green cardamom powder a pinch Sugar 4 tablespoons, Khoya/ mawa, grated 1 cup Method: Coarsely grind corn without using water.

Heat ghee in a non stick kadai. Add cashewnuts and raisins and sauté lightly.

Add corn and sauté for 10-

during the time of Jain minister Vastupal. The visitors cannot take any eatable on way to it. They can, however, drink water and water posts are provided all along the route.

They have the footprints of Tirthankars. They can eat only after coming down the hill. Every shrine has idols of Tirthankars adorned with jeweled eyes.

Pilgrims make their offerings at the main temple containing the Adinath idol. The temple has been renovated and rebuilt several times since its inception. A Jain merchant Javad Shah renovated the shrine in Vikram Samvat 1018 for the 13th time.

Originally the temple was built of wood and Siddhraj Jaisimha's minister

Udaymehta got it built in marble at the cost of Rs 29.7 million. Siddhraj's descendant Kumarpal extended the temple.

The present temple was constructed in 1618.

The Adinath temple is situated on Dadani Tuk. There are nine tuks all along the route containing shrines.

The most famous temples are those of Adinath, Kumarpal, Vimalshah, Samprati Raja and the Chomukh which is the highest. Besides there are temples dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses like Saraswati, Shivji, Hanumanji, etc.

The Saraswati temple is near the foot of the hill. Angar Pir's shrine is situated at the top of the hill. Barren women pray for children at the Muslim saint's shrine.

How To Reach Palitana • Nearest Airport is Bhavnagar (36 Km.) • Nearest railway station is Palitana (5 Km.) • Bhavnagar (36 Kms), Ahmedabad (203 Km.) by road.

Makai Halwa

15 minutes. Add green cardamom powder, sugar and mix. Add khoya and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Transfer into a serving bowl and serve hot.

Health benefits: Corn is a surprising source of several vitamins, including folic acid, niacin, and vitamin C. The folic acid in corn is now known to be an important factor in preventing

neural-tube birth defects.

It's just as important in preventing heart disease.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 6th april 2013

CALCIUM + Magnesium + Vit. D3

SKIN, SKIN, HAIR, HAI NAILS

ere are tips for beating headaches, right from having sex to avoiding air H fresheners

Have lots of Sex! Sex can lead to partial or complete relief of head pain in some migraines, say neurologists from Germany’s University of Munster.

The study found that more than half of sufferers who had intercourse during a migraine episode experienced an improvement in symptoms. It is thought sex triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which can reduce or even eliminate a headache.

Avoid expensive painkillers: Avoid painkillers that say ‘plus’ or ‘extra’, advises pharmacist Angela Chalmers. “People choose them because they assume they will work faster, but they simply contain added ingredients like caffeine or codeine that might not be suitable for you.”

“I only advise people to take painkillers if they have severe dental, period or back pain until they can get to a doctor or dentist. It is a last resort and should never be taken for more than three days.”

Sit up straight: Slumping in your chair is the worst thing you can do if your head is pounding, says chartered physiotherapist Sammy Margo.

“When we slump forward in a Cshape, we kink the head upwards, which can stretch the neck and pinch nerves, causing headaches. So, sit with your feet flat on the floor and hips and knees

M

edical researchers still know very little about gender-specific differences in illness, particularly when it comes to disease symptoms, influencing social and psychological factors, and the ramifications of these differences for treatment and prevention.

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through the left arm are standard signs of heart attack in men, in women the usual symptoms are nausea and lower abdominal pain.

Although heart attacks in women are more severe and complicated, when complaining of these nonspecific symptoms women often do not receive the necessary examination procedures, such as an ECG, enzyme diagnostic tests or coronary angiography.

Colon cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men and women.

However, women suffer this illness at a later

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straight, looking ahead,” she advises.

Snack on nuts and seeds: These are a great source of the mineral magnesium, which is thought to act as a muscle relaxant. Depleted levels are linked with reduced blood flow to the brain and low blood sugar, which can trigger headaches.

Other good sources of magnesium include fresh green leafy vegetables, tomato puree, wholegrains, beans, peas, potatoes, oats and yeast extract.

Forget air freshners Perfumes, aftershaves, strong-smelling soaps, air fresheners and household cleaners contain chemicals that activate nerve cells in our noses, which send signals to the brain.

In some people these nerve signals are strong enough to cause headaches. Open windows and use chemicalfree fresheners instead. “Use a plant spray half-filled with water and two drops of essential oil and spritz around instead,” suggests natural health expert Janey Lee Grace.

Do not have a Lie-in Sleeping in for just half an hour can trigger a headache, particularly in coffee addicts. Because caffeine directly affects the blood vessels in the brain, withdrawal or reduction at weekends – exacerbated by low blood sugar due to a later breakfast – can cause pain, explains Professor Anne MacGregor, specialist in headache and women’s health.

If you’re a regular coffee drinker, try to ensure you have your caffeine fix at the same time every day.

Follow the 20/20 rule Dharmesh Patel, chairman of the Eyecare Trust, says: “Staring at a computer screen for too long can leave you suffering with headaches, sore or tired eyes and even blurred vision. So, look up from your screen every 20 minutes and focus on something 20ft away for 20 seconds.”

Medical research conducted over the past 40 years has focused almost exclusively on male patients.

A new article titled ‘Gender medicine: a task for the third millennium’ presents research on gender-related differences conducted by Giovannella Baggio of Padua University Hospital and her team.

The article highlights evidence for considerable differences between the sexes in five domains – cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and pharmacology.

Typically perceived as a male illness, cardiovascular disease often displays markedly different symptoms among women.

While a constricted chest and pain that radiates

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Relationship Etiquette Continued

his weeks article continues our initial discusT sion on Relationship

Etiquette.

Most people intuitively know the importance their impact can have on other people. It would be no exaggeration to say that people are the most valuable resources that we have. Since relationships are so central to life it is important to know the etiquette around creating and maintaining strong relationships.

Firstly, gain an understanding of the type of relationship you have created. If you feel you are being taken advantage of in any of your relationships take a step back and look at how the relationship has come to be as it is. What behaviour are you allowing others to get away with?

How did it come to be like this? Make a list of all the things you are unhappy with and then identify what you did to help create the situation and what you are have learnt from it.

Typically people feel taken advantage of when they have let somebody push their boundaries without saying anything. If you don’t want things to continue as they are, take a step back and change your

behaviour.

When you change – the world changes around you. A safe approach with others is to mirror actions, only give and take as much as others do to you. This way your expectations are not sky high and you refrain from feeling taken advantage of.

Secondly, believe in yourself because if you don’t nobody else will. You need to be confident in your interactions. If you are close and comfortable enough with someone share your thoughts and feelings. If someone continues to upset you, you may even decide to give your friend some constructive feedback on his or her impact. A great way to structure feedback would be to state the Situation, Impact: how it made you feel and what Change you would like to see in the future. This is empowering for you and lets your friend know what your boundaries and ultimately teaches people how to treat you.

Thirdly, create space.

It is always healthy to maintain space with any relationship. Space allows you to be you and creates a distance that is beneficial.

Spirituality talks about coming away from

attachment and being ‘detached’. This is important so that you avoid becoming reliant on other people to build your selfesteem. Also space gives you the time to appreciate others and for others to appreciate you.

If you don’t have this, relationships are then taken for granted.

Lastly be consistent with your behaviour. When you are consistent you create trust and credibility. If your behaviour changes on different occasions this sends out mixed messages around your authenticity and reliability as an individual. If you change when people are around ask yourself why you are doing this and what is driving your behaviour. Ask yourself if it is building or breaking your relationships.

Ultimately the world is a very small place and personal branding has never been more important than now. Seek to build relationships as opposed to damage them. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on FB, follow us on Twitter and if you are interested in Think Spa coaching or Workshops email us: mamta @thinkspalondon.com.

Good luck!

stage in life.

Furthermore, colon tumors typically have a different location in women, and they respond better to specific chemical treatments.

Gender also has an impact on the patient’s responsiveness to chemotherapy administered to treat cancer, such as colon, lung, or skin cancer.

In this way, gender impacts the course of the disease and the patient’s chances for survival.

Primary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that primarily affects women.

The authors of the study

provide clear evidence that for this disease and chronic hepatitis C, the genetic makeup and differing hormone levels of females are a primary risk factor.

This finding also applies to osteoporosis.

While typically viewed as a female disease because of the much higher rate of female patients, osteoporosis also strikes men.

The study contends that osteoporosis is too often overlooked in male patients, and it documents a higher mortality rate among men suffering bone fractures.

Baggio and her team also show variation

between men and women in the pharmacology of aspirin and other substances.

Differences in action and side effects are attributable to different body types, varying reaction times in the absorption and elimination of substances, and a fundamentally different hormonal status.

Thus, to administer medication safely and effectively, the dosage and duration of treatment must take the patient’s gender into account.

The study is published in the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM).

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Public Health Minister outlines future of diabetes care in new landscape of health Continued from page 8 Commissioning Systems and Strategy at the NHS Commissioning Board, Dr Chris Clayton, CCG Clinical Chief Officer, NHS Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Patricia Callaghan, Deputy Leader and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board at the London Borough of Camden, Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and author of ‘Diabetes for Dummies’ and Professor Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow.

Anna Soubry MP, Public Health Minister said: “We know the affect that being overweight has on type-2 diabetes, and as a nation we have to wake up to this, even if people don’t get the human cost then they have got to get the financial cost, and its frankly costing the NHS billions of pounds every year.

I accept that for lots of adults, the responsibility for your health primarily lies with yourself, manufacturers of food and drink do bear some responsibility, but with children its completely different, children rely upon their par-

ents when it comes to food.”

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Pictured, Founder Patron of Silver Star said: “The event bought together under one roof those responsible for delivering healthier outcomes in the new landscape of the NHS. The forum focused on the particular challenges posed by the twin epidemics of obesity and type-2 diabetes. An estimated 24,000 diabetic patients die needlessly each year because of a lack of joined up care.

With the changes due to come into effect in April it is essential that those who deliver and commission services, especially with regards to conditions such as diabetes, achieve the best outcomes for their patients.”

COMPETITION DEADLINE EXTENDED In what year did Mint Leaf open?

Vikas Pota selected as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum On 12th March 2013, the World Economic Forum selected Vikas Pota as a ‘Young Global Leader’.

This honour is bestowed each year to recognize the most distinguished leaders under the age of 40, nominated from around the world.

Young Global Leaders (YGLs) represent the future of leadership, coming from all regions of the world and representing business, government, civil society, arts & culture, academia and media, as well as social entrepreneurs. These young leaders are proposed through a qualified nomination process and assessed according to rigorous selection criteria Vikas Pota said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have been nominated and selected to join the World

Economic Forum’s ‘Forum of Young Global Leaders’. I hope to use this Forum to learn more about our world, and by doing so hope to inform how we achieve our aim to improve education outcomes for the most needy.”

Past YGLs include Larry Page, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Google, USA; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook; Abdulla Bin Ali Al Thani, Vice President of the Qatar Foundation; Salman Khan, Founder & Executive Director of Khan Academy; Marissa Mayer, Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo! Inc; Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico; and David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK.

Coming Events l Chaitra Navratri, Thursday 11 April 2013, 8pm-11:30pm/12am. Harrow Teacher's Centre, HA3 5PQ. Contact: 020 8903 4621 l Kali presents My Daughter's Trial. 8-25April, 7:30pm, Brown's Courtroom, Soho Theatrebox WC2 N4AG 020 7478 0100 l Friday 19 April 2013, 6:30pm. Music Panorama

by Urmi Chakraborty. Nehru Centre.

South Audley Street l Bhavan presents sanskrit play: Sakshee Shila, for the Southbank alchemy festival. Venue: Queen Elizabeth Foyer, Southbank centre

You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. Your thinking is inspired, so listen to your thoughts. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. A good time for restructuring and rethinking your aims and interests.

Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Although there are very intense amorous energies indicated in your chart, the trouble is that these are likely to be marred by feelings of jealousy. Do not therefore dabble in anything that could harbour such negative potential, as it is bound to end in heartache. Existing emotional differences can be sorted out now.

Your self-confidence

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 is riding high and at

times totally misplaced. It's good to be positive and optimistic but it can be destructive when you don't listen to others and always think that you are right.

This can lead to a fall in grace, so it is important to become a little more humble. Travel to far off lands are indicated.

Life appears to be focusing your mind on practical matters. So you will need to organise your time carefully if you are to avoid an "all work and no play" situation. Resist making any hasty moves when it come to finances - this is a time to focus on consolidation of current assets.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time. An influence that should help to enjoy the 'nicer' side of others brings out the best in friends and partners alike. A wind of change may be in the air; attention should turn to the wider world and benefits come from broadening of horizons and mental stimuli.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

This is a good time to cut back on extravagant spending and consolidate your finances. Your social calendar is likely to keep you very busy and you will have lots of opportunities to promote yourself. For some of you this is also a good time to meet likeminded people which could lead to romantic liaisons.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The pattern of significant relationships in your life will continue to favour you. It seems that a great deal of mutual benefit will accrue because of various interactions. The underlying trend indicates that deep creative energies are stirring within you and that seemingly insignificant events will play a vital role in the future enrichment of life.

A- 2001 B- 2002 C- 2003 D- 2004 E- 2005

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

The winner will be awarded a dinner for 2 from their a la carte menu with arrival cocktail and bottle of red or white wine. The prize can be enjoyed at Mint Leaf Restaurant, Haymarket SWIY 4HX or Mint Leaf Lounge, Bank EC2R 7HB. Please send your correct answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by Monday 8 April 2013. The winner will be chosen on lottery basis from the correct answers.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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Play your cards right and you can pull strings in your favour. You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. Developments during this week are likely to make you feel rather restless, perhaps because you have allowed yourself to fall into a routine that is now becoming jaded. If so, then the hint of change will be extremely welcome.

Anything or anyone that drains your time and energy should be re-evaluated. It’s time to use that creative imagination of yours to create grandeur in your life. Don't get too carried away and lose sight of little things that mean a lot to you.

There are a lot of opportunities around you.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change. This week the focus is your house of family and home. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

An inspiring boost to matters of communication, but make sure your curiosity on a range of topics does not lead to a scattering of mental energy.

With a surge of energy and enthusiasm, this is a favourable time to make fresh starts. Personal relationships may be more intense.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Your energy and attention will be very much devoted to financial matters. The tide of fortune continues to run strongly in your favour for some time to come. You will be working harder than usual, intent on getting things done. Close personal relationships may come under some stress and strain.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Sport World

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

31

Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina in top 10 in ICC T20 rankings Britain's Andy Murray defeated Spain's David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 in a gruelling and enthralling Sony Open final on Sunday to move above Roger Federer to second in the world rankings.

Murray was far from at his best against a dogged Ferrer but won the tiebreak 7-1 after surviving a scare when the Spaniard had match point at 6-5 up, with Murray serving, in the third.

Murray's forehand landed close to the line and he faced a challenge from Ferrer, who called out rather than play the shot, but the ball was shown in, and the Scot won the next two points to force the tie-break.

"It was such a tough match, it could have gone either way, both of us were struggling physically at the end," said Murray whose victory was his second at Miami following his triumph in 2009.

"It's so tough against him. He has a great attitude, he's a great fighter. I am sure we will have more tough matches in the future."

The last time Murray, who is behind Novak Djokovic in the world rankings, was ranked second was back in 2009 when Federer was the top player.

Lots of errors: The match was littered with errors, particularly in the third set when neither player could hold serve in the first six games.

But it was a gripping duel in the

mid-day heat at Key Biscayne with neither player flinching as they scrapped to the end. The victory was Murray's ninth in a Masters 1000 series event and the U.S. Open and Olympic champion drew on all his reserves of energy to secure it.

Ferrer, enjoying plenty of support from the many South Americans in the crowd, won the first set with solid tennis, making the most of the openings offered by Murray.

The Spaniard won all three of his break points, while Murray committed 19 unforced errors, including four in the final game and gave up his third double fault on set point.

The second turned in Murray's direction when he broke to go 2-1 up and then, serving at 3-2 up, he saved two break points.

Ferrer broke back to level the set in the eighth game but Murray broke straight back and held to send the contest into a third set.

The two exchanged six breaks to begin the deciding set before Ferrer managed to hold to grab a 4-3 lead.

Just as his opponent sensed victory, Murray won two straight games to get in control, serving for the match at 5-4 up.

But Ferrer, in no mood to roll over, provided another twist in the plot as he broke, Murray failing to return on the crucial point as he slipped on the baseline.

Both men then held serve, Murray helped by the Hawk Eye technology on the decisive call while facing championship point.

"That is the beauty of the challenge system," said Murray. "In some matches that would have been over. It just dropped in."

The only surprise left was that the tie-break was not extended, Murray romping to a 7-1 win as his strong serve emerged at the most opportune moment. “Neither of us played our best tennis," said an exhausted Murray. "But it was good to get there in the end".

Flower blames England's swing Michael Clarke skips bowlers for poor series against Kiwis IPL to stay fit for Ashes

England coach Andy Flower has blamed the inability of his swing bowlers to move the ball in New Zealand for their poor series against the spirited Kiwi team. The fighting spirit shown by England's batsmen to draw the final Test was the highlight of the Test section of the tour of New Zealand but it was a rare beacon in a series in which Flower blamed the team's lack of competitiveness on the bowlers.

Flower said his bowlers were out swung at least in the first and third Test match, adding if you don't move the ball sideways you are not

going to create many problems for international batsmen. Flower added he is not sure why they haven't swung it but it's something the bowlers and David Saker are going to have to get on to.

The Kookaburra ball used in New Zealand and Australia is not renowned for lavish swing, though England did manage to get some during the last Ashes series. The England bowlers were outdone on the conventional method, which requires good technique and fingertip control not only in the way the seam is angled but also the way it revolves, backwards.

It is a tricky business, which is why some days bowlers can hoop it round corners and on others they cannot get it off the straight which is what happened to James Anderson for much of this series. Flower added that skilful swing bowling was always going to take wickets and their guys were always looking how to combat that.

Cricket Australia (CA) said skipper Michael Clarke would miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) but should be fit in time for the Ashes as he endures a layoff for treatment of his chronic back and hamstring.

CA said after a medical assessment that Clarke was several weeks away from returning to training. He has had scans since returning home from India, but CA said it was confident the batsman would lead Australia in the Ashes in England starting July. He was due to take up the cap-

taincy of Pune Warriors for the lucrative IPL but will instead recover at home.

“Michael had scans that confirmed his current lower back injury is an exacerbation of previous issues he has had with his spine,” CA medical chief Justin Paoloni said in a statement.

“Michael is having intensive rehabilitation but is 7-10 weeks away from returning to training and playing,” he said. “We are confident it will not affect his preparation for Ashes but will know more over the coming weeks.”

CA said Clarke’s rehabilitation programme would be overseen by the organization’s medical team and back specialists. Clarke was the only batsman to perform consistently in the Test series in India, which Australia lost 4-0, scoring 286 runs at an average of 47.66. The first Ashes Test begins in Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground on July 10.

Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are the two Indians to figure in the list of top 10 in ICC Player Rankings for T20 batsmen, while India continue to hold onto the number three slot in the teams category. Kohli with 731 points is at number eight position, followed by Raina (719) in the latest rankings table, which is headed by New Zealand's wicketkeeper captain Brendon McCullum (810). Yuvraj Singh (14) and Gautam Gambhir (18) are the other two Indians to have found a place in the top20 batsmen's list. In the team rankings, India are placed third behind Sri Lanka and T20 champions the West Indies. Offie Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian to have featured in the list of top20 bowlers in the shortest format, which is headed by Sunil Narine of the West Indies.

Jesse Ryder feeling better after waking up from coma

New Zealand all-rounder Jesse Ryder said he was feeling 'heaps better' in his first public statement after a street attack put him in intensive care.

Ryder, 28, was admitted to hospital last week and placed in an induced coma after suffering multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, in an attack outside a bar. Ryder released a statement saying that he wanted to let everyone know that he was fine and feeling heaps better, but still really tired. He thanked everyone caring for him at the hospital - they have been awesome. Two men, a 20-year-old and a 37-year-old who police said are related, were charged with assault. According to the report, police believe Ryder was involved in an altercation with two people outside Aikmans bar in the Christchurch suburb of Merivale shortly after 12.30 am local time on Thursday morning.

He was then assaulted by one of the two, who followed him towards the car park of a nearby McDonald's. Ryder, a controversial figure whose career has been plagued by off-field incidents, has not played for New Zealand since February last year, the report added.

Pakistan drop 'out-of-form' Younis Khan

Pakistan has dropped out-of-form Younis Khan from a 30-man initial squad for the eight-nation Champions Trophy. The move comes after the middle order batsman failed to perform in recent one-day matches. The 35-year-old Younis managed to score just 116 runs in the series against South Africa earlier this month, which Pakistan lost 3-2 and has not managed to score a century since November 2008. According to sports24, Pakistan is in group B of the event to be held in England from June 3 to 23. The other teams in their group are arch-rivals India, the West Indies and South Africa. Defending champions Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England form group A. All teams had April 6 as the cutoff date to announce their initial squad to be trimmed to 15 in May.

NADA refuses to test boxer Vijender Singh for heroin The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has refused to test India's best known boxing star Vijender Singh for heroin after Punjab police on Sunday said that the pugilist consumed heroin 12 times from December 2012 to February 2013 while his colleague Ram Singh took it five times.

Vijender has denied the allegation but Punjab police said the 27-year-old boxer had taken heroin on 12 occasions, prompting the sports ministry to ask the NADA to carry out a test on him.

The NADA is willing to conduct a random dope test on the boxer but has conveyed that it cannot test the boxer for heroin as per World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

NADA chief, Mukul Chatterjee said that testing of Olympic bronze medallist, Vijender Singh for heroin intake would be

a breach of protocol as stated by the World anti-doping body.

The NADA chief also said that Vijender has missed three drug tests in the last one month and the last test conducted on him was in July last year.

Meanwhile, former coach of the Indian boxing team, Om Prakash Bhardwaj said that Vijender should come out in public to make a statement and clarify his stand.

Vijender, whose middleweight bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics helped raise boxing's profile in India, landed in trouble after last month's Rs 4.84 billion drug haul in Punjab when a fellow boxer told the investigators that he and Singh con-

sumed heroin supplied by the drug dealer.

In a communication sent to the director general of NADA, the ministry said reports have appeared in the media regarding alleged consumption of heroin by the pugilist.

"Such reports in respect of a sporting icon are disturbing and may have a debilitating influence on other sportspersons in the country. It has, therefore, been considered necessary that NADA gets a test carried out on Shri Vijender Singh for his reported use of heroin even out-ofcompetition. The communication has asked NADA to carry out the test immediately under intimation to the Ministry,"

said a statement from the ministry.

The Fatehgarh Sahib police had earlier this month (March 7), recovered over 28 kg heroin, worth Rs.1.30 billion in the international market, from Kahlon's possession and had arrested him. The drug haul was made from Kahlon's flat in Zirakpur, near Chandigarh, and his car.

Police also found a SUV, registered in the name of Vijender Singh's wife Archana, parked outside Kahlon's flat.

Kahlon reportedly told the police that Vijender and fellow boxer Ram Singh were his "clients".

The Punjab police have already questioned Vijender, who is a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in the Haryana Police, in connection with the drugs racket. The boxer has, so far, refused to give his blood and hair samples to police.

32

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th April 2013

Bhupathi, Bopanna to renew partnership

He has relinquished the Delhi Daredevils captaincy after last season but Virender Sehwag feels that his decision will have no bearing on his approach as he again shoulders the burden of being the batting mainstay of the franchise in the sixth edition of IPL. "I don't think it matters whether I am captaining the side or not. Captaincy has never affected my game. I have never ever felt the pressure on my batting while leading the side," Sehwag said.

I have never felt any pressure as captain, my approach to batting has always remained the same", he said when asked whether Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene donning the mantle of captain will lessen the burden on him.

For Sehwag, captaincy and performance are two separate entities which should not be mixed with each other.

"I have always maintained that captaincy and performance are two separate issues altogether. If you talk about pressures of captaincy, then I

had scored five consecutive half centuries during the last

Continued from page 1

brand ambassador of the state besides being a coowner of Kolkata Knight Riders, thanked Banerjee for her support and said, "I've always said our performances are in the periphery before the real show (cricket) begins."

It was a flying female performer's acrobatic descend on the dais with the trophy that stunned everybody. The performer handed the trophy to defending champions KKR's

dance numbers in the long Bollywood segment.

Khan kept everybody waiting before making his entry after 45 minutes into the ceremony with the popular 'main hoon don' number.

"The IPL is not only about excitement, it brings the happiness wherever we go. I am not going to stop now but will continue to dance to the party," Khan said while dancing to the tunes of 'main hoon naa', 'kuch kuch hota hai',

edition of IPL and the highest number of runs for Delhi Daredevils," he said.

Sehwag's five half-centuries in a row (he scored 495 runs last season) is an IPL record but he reckons that it might be surpassed this year.

"Someone can break it this year," he answered.

Sehwag admitted that Kevin Pietersen, who is out with knee injury will be missed a lot as his contribution was immense in helping the team reach last four stage in the fifth edition of the cash rich league.

IPL 6 opens with a bang

After that a collection of balloons rose slowly and smoothly into the hot air above to the sound of drums, music and the cheers of people, with a performer carrying the winner's trophy.

The 1 hour and 45 minute extravaganza, which was high on entertainment, has surely made the 60,000-plus turnout forget the controversial build up cash-rich T20 league.

The opening though, at times, appeared to have fallen short of the standards Khan had promised prior to the event.

Divided into six segments, the evening began with Khan doing a poetic rendition of popular Rabindra Sangeet Aguner Paroshmani with the popular poetry 'Where the mind is without fear' being played in the background.

As is the tournament's wont, the build-up to this edition, too, had been blighted by controversies, but the gala opening has put to rest all apprehensions.

The evening started with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lighting the ceremonial lamp in the presence of a host of dignitaries, which included BCCI president N Srinivasan, vice-president Arun Jaitley, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya, besides the cricketers.

Khan, who is also the

skipper Gautam Gambhir.

All the captains beginning with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, skipper of the most successful franchise Chennai Super Kings, signed on the ICC Fair Play pledge.

Padukone made an appearance on the stage from the cutout of her mask as she danced to the tunes of the 'tumi ho tumi ho shakha'.

Katrina made an entry on a chariot as the crowd roared to the tunes of her popular

and 'baazigar' among others.

Khan then invited veteran artists Bappi Lahiri and Usha Utthup, who added to the euphoria with yesteryear hit songs such as 'hari om hari' and 'rambha ho'.

The show concluded with American rapper Pitbull making the youngsters in the audience groove to some of his peppy numbers.

Before that, 300 dancers lit up the evening with gala performance to Pritam's

music in the opening act, aptly titled 'Poetry in Motion'.

Hundreds of drummers flew in an acrobatic act.

There were about 120 performers from across the world, including 19 Red Poppy artists and a band of Chinese percussionists, who brought the atmosphere alive with their performances.

It was technology that came into the fore in the third segment, titled 'IPL Universe'.

A huge balloon with the IPL logo embossed on it went up into the air as nine balloons (read planets), representing the franchises, made it look like a universe with about 400 artists performing on the stage.

The chartbusters 'Sheila ki jawani', 'chikni chameli', 'zara zara touch me' and 'chammak challo', made all danced to their tunes in the Bollywood segment. Much to the delight of those present at the venue, the dose of entertainment continued unabated with international rapper Pitbull performing some of his hits like 'let's start the party'.

Earlier, all roads led to Asia's largest stadium on the EM Bypass as people made a beeline to the venue, leaving the traffic choc-a-bloc since 5.30pm when the gates were open.

As the crowd poured in, local artists set the tone for the evening chanting 'It's Kolkata. We will make maximum noise...' even as record breaking track of Gangnam Style by PSY was belted out.

Following a good partnership in 2012 that saw them finish as finalists at the ATP World Tour Finals, tennis players Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi renewed their partnership. They experimented briefly with new partners earlier in the year.

Bopanna won the Marseilles Open with Scottish partner Colin Fleming and Bhupathi partnered Michael Llodra to win the Dubai Open. Currently India's top two doubles players, Bhupathi (No.10) and Bopanna (No.12) will be playing on the same side of the court, commencing with the Monte Carlo Masters. The duo believes that their experience of playing together on the tour during 2012 will hold them in good stead.

Speaking on the partnership, Bhupathi said: "We had a really good run last year and had found a rhythm in our game while having a great time playing together. We have a refined understanding of each other's games and gel well on and off the court. All strong characteristics that I know will translate into a successful partnership for us on the tour. Also as the country's top two doubles players, I don't think either of us could have asked for a more dependable partner." Echoing Bhupathi's sentiments, Bopanna added: "Playing with Mahesh has been a great learning experience for me and we make a formidable doubles team.

While we will work towards improving on last year's performances, we do make a solid team in the knowledge that we have each other's back throughout."

This year, Bhupathi, a veteran of 52 men's doubles titles, including four Grand Slams and eight mixed doubles Grand Slams, gets set to hang his boots following a long international career in the sport.

Afridi sets terms for retirement

All rounder Shahid Afridi has claimed he doesn't think there is currently any player who is good enough to replace him in the Pakistan team, adding he is ready to retire if a suitable substitute for him is available. Afridi stated that there was a dearth of talented all-rounders and the moment there was someone ready and able to take the responsibility, he would call time on his international career. Afridi said he would quit as soon as a replacement for him surfaces, adding at present it seems there is no one who has the talent to play as an all-rounder and make a sustained impact at the international level. The all rounder added he has said time and again he would not block anyone good enough for Pakistan. Afridi, who is regarded as the most popular Pakistani cricketer of the present times, also thanked his supporters for renewing their trust in him.