AV 6th February 2016

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INDIA WHITEWASH AUSTRALIA IN T20 SERIES

5 firsts at the 67th 14 ISIS TERROR R-Day parade in Delhi SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN MAJOR SWOOP

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6th February to 12th February 2016

Post-war, British Asians made UK their home

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Martyrs’ day observed at Gandhi statue in Tavistock square

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14 students on picnic drown in Maharashtra

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Averting a potential Jihadi attack, the National Investigation Agency has arrested or detained 14 Jihadi youths in a major swoop conducted across India before Republic Day. The crackdown came at a time when India was on high alert. The Jihadists allegedly formed a module on the pattern of dreaded ISIS to carry out strikes at different places.

The raids were carried out in five different states; Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, where 14 people were “arrested or detained”. They were part of a group named Janoodul-Khalifa-e-Hind, a terror group which has ideologies similar to the IS. While an official spokesman of the Union Home Ministry has maintained that five people have been arrested “so far” and nine have been detained, sources said that eight people were detained besides the five arrests in

Vol 44 | Issue 38

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Prime Minister Modi with French President Francois Hollande during India’s Republic Day

Mumbai and Bangalore, while one person has been let off.

The NIA has released the names of those arrested. Muttabir Mustaq Sheikh from Thane, Mumbai, Mohammad Nafees Khan from Hyderabad, Mohammad Shareef Mounuddin Khan from Hyderabad, Najmul Huda from Mangalore, and Mohammad Afzal of Bangalore. Family members of some of them maintain they have nothing to do with any terror plot and claim their innocence.

Sheikh had made himself 'Ameer' (Chief) of the group and Huda the

'Ameer-e-Wyulat' (finance) and they were in touch on Internet with some persons believed to be from ISIS based in Syria, sources said. These people were under surveillance for quite sometime and the decision to arrest them was taken as the group received 'instructions' to carry out 'some sensational' attacks in the country. All of them range between age group of 25 and 30 and were well educated, with some of them holding degrees in software engineering. The group had begun to receive money through 'hawala Continued on page 26

India celebrated its Republic Day on January 26. The main function was held at Rajpath, New Delhi with French President Francois Hollande as chief guest.

Along with the rest of the world the Indian dias-

Flag hoisting ceremony at the Indian High Commission in presence of High Commissioner Navtej Singh Sarna

pora in Britain also celebrated Republic Day with much pomp and gaiety. In London the High Commission of India organised a flag hoisting ceremony at India House on 26th January, that was open to public (on invitation). This was followed by a dinner reception at the Grosvenor House Hotel on 29th January, that was attended by MPs, Peers and creme de la creme of the community. PM Cameron’s Indian Diaspora Champion and Employment Minister Priti Patel was the Chief Guest and the event was hosted by the new High Commissioner Navtej Singh Sarna.

Extensive report on pages 16-18

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ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP Asian Voice |6th February 2016

to

Valeriu Zgonea

Valeriu Zgonea was born on September 3rd, 1967, Craiova, Dolj County. He studied at "Frații Buzeşti" in Craiova, one of the most prestigious colleges in Romania, and at the National Institute of Civil Engineering Bucharest - Faculty of Railways, Roads and Bridges. He has two M.A. degrees from the National Defense College and Superior College for National Security.

Member of the Social Democratic Party since 1996, he was part of campaign staff for local and national elections. From 2015 he is Executive President SDP. He has over fifteen years of parliamentary experience, being elected MP in 2000, at only 33 years. During this period, he held relevant positions for legislative work, being secretary, quaestor, group leader or vice president until his election in 2012 as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. Prior to Romania's accession to EU, in the period 2005 - 2006, he was euro-observer on behalf of Romania in the European Parliament Socialist and Social - Democratic Group, Budget Committee.

One of the main objectives declared when he assumed office was the modernization of the legislative body, which led to consultations in order to modify the Status of Deputies and Senators and the Rules of Procedure for Chamber of Deputies and to adopt a MPs Code of Conduct.

He also developed Prime Minister’s Hour” and “Minister's Hour” and has stimulated the process of EU Directives transposition into Romanian legislation.

1) What is your current position?

I am the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, one of the two Chambers of the Romanian Parliament. I began my mandate in 2012 and I can tell you that it is an honor to represent this fundamental institution of the democratic system.

I'm also executive president of the Social Democratic Party, the largest and most important political party in Romania.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

I think the most important things that I have done are the reforms ini-

tiated in order to improve the activity of the Chamber of Deputies by making it more transparent, more efficient and open to citizens. I wanted and succeeded to a large extent to transform the Chamber of Deputies into a genuine forum for debating the most important problems of the Romanian society. Together with my colleagues, I tried to find fair and effective solutions to solve problems faced by citizens. I initiated and passed laws with high social and economic impact, each being a success for all Romanians.

At the same time, the Chamber of Deputies actively participates in setting up a new legislative framework and consolidating Romania’s position among European states.

Another of my concerns was developing partnerships and collaboration relations with regional and international organizations, parliamentary assemblies, think-tanks, universities and NGOs. Alongside the legislative process, our efforts have focused on the need to make the parliamentary activity more transparent and for this matter, all debates held in committees and the plenary sessions are broadcasted live on our webpage.

Of course, I can tell you I'm proud of my children. For each parent, children are the most important achievement.

their goals when everything seems to be their adversary. There are many people that are giving everyday free lessons of dignity, patience, faith and hope.

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

To win people's trust and, especially, to keep that trust. For 15 years, since I am an MP, I made every effort not to disappoint citizens who have given me their trust and voted for me to represent them in the Romanian Parliament.

It is very difficult to win people's trust, but you can easily lose it.

3) What inspires you?

People who struggle to turn their dreams into reality and are characterized by determination, courage and the lack of fear against failure.

Honest and fair people, who do not infringe their principles under any circumstances. I feel inspired by the life stories of those who manage to overcome their limits, to achieve

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

Certainly, my mother, who unfortunately past away one year ago. She was strong, dignified, devoted and very energetic. She was involved in social projects for young people, promoting principles and values to help them overcome life's obstacles. She was the one who told me, as a teenager, that I have to be always honest and work seriously to achieve something in life, because things don’t fall out of the sky. I started from scratch, I went step by step on both professional and political plan. My mother did not

Oscar nominated film director, screenwriter, and human rights activist Ashvin Kumar, pictured, is visiting the UK to find the 16 year old actress to star in his new film Noor, which will be shot in both the UK and Kashmir later this year. Based on true events, Noor tells the story of a teenage girl from Britain trying to solve the mystery of her father's disappear-

ance in Kashmir. A feature length narrative film, Noor is about the human impact of the crisis in Kashmir. It's the story of three generations of women who are trapped in one of the world's forgotten conflicts, which has left over 100,000 people dead.

Speaking about the film, Kumar said: “I want to make this film to show people the human side of

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pace me at all, she was my biggest supporter and my toughest critic. She helped me achieve everything I had and to a great extent I owe these things to her.

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

Increasing and strengthening public confidence in Parliament, but also increase its role in European decision-making process, in representing the interests of the country. The Chamber of Deputies has the ability and means to engage in debates on European policy to promote Romania’s legitimate interest. I managed to develop a better cooperation with Romanian institutions representing the state in foreign relations and with the Parliaments of other countries. Parliamentary diplomacy has an important role in enhancing cooperation among states.

7) And the worst?

Oh, there are many!

Firstly, I haven’t had enough time to accomplish everything I wanted and for family I barely manage to find any time. My busy agenda made me forget what is like to have a quiet walk in the park on a Sunday, with my children.

On the other hand, limited resources do not allow us to adopt measures that society expects of us.

8) What are your long term goals?

To carry out the commitments I made to citizens and reach the major goals for Romanians. I cannot do this alone, but together with all my colleagues. I want to contribute further to consolidation of democracy and rule of law in Romania, to the welfare of the people in my country, so that I can look with confidence in the eyes of every citizen. At the same time,

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I want to be one of those that will strengthen the future modern social democracy in Romania, because I believe in social justice and solidarity.

Equal opportunities and public good are not just words, are principles which can influence the direction of the whole society.

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

It is a rather difficult question, because Romania was well governed in recent years, the economy revived. For the first time since we joined the EU, Romania has succeeded in having - in 2015 - the highest growth in Europe. This increase is due to sustainable companies and investors who have trusted in the Romanian economy, and good government decisions - reducing the VAT and CAS, attracting European funds. They have taken steps expected by citizens, increased wages, pensions and social support for disadvantaged groups while allowances for children were doubled.

What would I change?

State vision for a more effective state, serving its citizens. And I would promote more women in governmental positions. That is not because I want to follow latest trends from other countries, but because I have total confidence in the potential of women, their strength, ambition and ability to organize and manage things so as to achieve excellence.

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

I rather not be marooned on an island, but if this ever happens, I let the destiny choose my companion.

Film Director Ashvin Kumar to cast and film new movie Noor in the UK

what's going on in Kashmir; to change the narrative so that they can understand - there is still hope. I've made two docu-

mentaries about Kashmir over the last five years, Inshallah, Football and Inshallah, Kashmir; but my heart has always been in drama, and so I've spent the last two years distilling the many tales I've heard on my travels into one film: NOOR.” An exclusive interview with Kumar will be published in Asian Voice next week.

C MMENTS

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Republic Day: India’s continuing renewal Republic Day with its exuberance and colour is truly a national celebration. Its pageantry is an exhilarating experience for India’s billion and more citizens, who throw aside their cares and surrender to the magnificent spectacle unfolding before them, whether directly or through the reach of television cameras. Long years ago, a British prime minister, Anthony Eden, his country’s wartime foreign secretary and an experienced practitioner of diplomacy at the highest levels, pronounced a wise and measured judgment on India’s emergence as selfgoverning polity wedded to democracy and the rule of law: ‘Of all the experiments in government, which have been attempted since the beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A vast sub-continent is attempting to apply to its tens and thousands of millions a system of free democracy….The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for good. Whatever the outcome we must honour those who attempted it.’

President Francois Hollande of France as Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day celebration honoured his hosts by his presence, more so as a contingent of French troops marched alongside their Indian compeers at the military parade. In 2009, then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh was the chief guest at France’s Bastille Day parade, when a formation of the Maratha Light Infantry marched with French troopers in Paris.

Perhaps the French politician most responsible for the cordiality and trust between India and France that has come to pass was the country’s Gaullist President Jacques Chirac, who issued a ringing declaration of support for India’s Pokhran II nuclear weapon tests, in contrast to the economic and technology sanctions of the Clinton administration in the US and the Blair government in the UK. President Hollande was struck by the joie de vivre that was in evidence at the event. He was accustomed to military parades, but he said he was ‘delighted by the profusion of colour’ and ‘especially enjoyed the dances and tableaux, the diversity on view a veritable ‘3-D painting.’ Looking at his Defence Minister, Jean Yves le Drian, the French President exclaimed: ‘I wish that instead of more military hardware, we see more colour of the same kind in our next parade.’

However, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee took the opportunity to issue a note of warning to his compatriots that all was not well with the workings of the country’s democracy, that urgent reforms were required to ensure the proper functioning of Parliament, where frequent disruptions had eroded its dignity and disfigured its reputation. Measured had to be taken to stem the rot.

The BJP in opposition has much to answer for in initiating the decline, and the present Congress party for accelerating the process. As a politician with unrivalled experience of government and of opposition, he spoke from the heart and head. His message should be heeded.

Trump compliments India US Republican presidential contender, Donald Trump, appears set to win his party’s nomination for the 2017 election to decide the next occupant of the White House. Against most predictions, he has stormed his way ahead of his rivals in opinion polls; and the muscular support he commands shows no sign of drifting away, despite his combustible remarks on Mexicans and Muslims. He has recently extended his gaze beyond American shores. ‘India is doing great but nobody talks about it. And I have big jobs going up in India,’ where Mr Trump has a number of real estate interests.

Moving on, he said, ‘The United States has come down a long way, and it’s very, very sad.

We’re not respected.’ Mr Trump told his CNN interlocutor: ‘Look at everything I’ve told you… whether it’s Iraq, , whether it’s China, whether it’s India, whether it’s Japan…Just look at this country[the US]. We have gone from this tremendous power that was respected all over the world.’

Republican party candidates have only rancid solutions: higher military budgets, standing up to Russia, with no acknowledgement of American responsibility for the human catastrophe in the Middle East. Mr Trump blasted US policies in the region as an economic calamity for America with trillions of dollars wasted. on unworkable solutions. He promised to put an end to foreign adventures and concentrate on addressing his country’s ills. He would sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin and reach an understanding on the war against Islamic Caliphate. Obama speak is fast losing traction. Hillary Clinton is a ventriloquist’s dummy. The New York Times has recently exposed Washington’s covert involvement with Saudi Arabia in funding and arming the Syrian opposition. Israel’s Defence Minister has charged Turkey – the Administration’s foremost regional ally – of aiding and abetting Islamic Caliphate. Donald Trump marches on, breaking the mould of American politics.

Young brains opt for Indian careers Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are the jewels in the nation’s educational crown. IIT graduates are sought by the best domestic and foreign firms seeking the best talent.

Recruitment starts on IIT campuses. Catch them young appears to be their motto as 20 to 22 year olds come onto the job market.

Attractive salaries and job security are undoubtedly an allure, but other considerations such as research opportunities, openings to gain science and engineering experience at the highest levels play a crucial part in the decision making process. Young graduates have joined Airbus India to further their engineering skills, others

have opted for Rolls Royce, Tata, Reliance Industries, Shell India et al. They have frequently done so for lower salaries to the ones offered by IT conglomerates. The manufacturing sector is where their eyes are trained, since engineering is their consuming passion.

However, core companies are not restricted to manufacturing, explains Professor V. Babu of IIT Madras: ‘Core does not mean just manufacturing companies but companies which offer job profiles that fit the skills and knowledge of students.’ Certain public sector companies fall within this ambit, hence they, too, are talent oriented. There is much to celebrate here.

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The process of learning consists not so much in accumulating answers as in figuring out how to formulate the right questions - Gordon Livingston MD (2004)

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Shri Lalitbhai Thakkar leader of the ‘Samanvay Parivar’ The community in Harrow and wider areas together with the family members bid their farewell to respected Chinubhai Gangadas Thakkar, popularly known to us as Lalitbhai who passed away on 23rd December 2015 in Pinner – Harrow. Lalitbhai is physically not with us but his legacy will always remain with us – inspiring and supporting us.

First and foremost Lalitbhai was a devout disciple of Gurudev Swami Shri Satyamitranand Giriji Maharaj. For the hugely well attended prayer meeting, Gurudevji in his divine message said “Passing away of Lalitchandra is not a matter of sadness”. How very true - it is important that we celebrate the life of Lalitbhai – his immense contribution and his legacy. The Mayor of Harrow Cllr Krishna Suresh who could not attend the funeral service but conveyed his respect and gratitude to Lalitbhai for his services to the community. Lalitbhai a quite unassuming person was a true unsung hero of our community. Following is the background of Lalitbhai.

Born on 22nd October 1929 in Vadodara, India and passed away aged 86 years.

Lalitbhai married Hasuben in 1951 who’s remained backbone of the family and served as a true partner of Lalitbhai both in raising the family and in their combined spiritual pursuit.

He has five children: Mayur, Hansa, Sarika Dipika and Neena From India Lalitbhai emigrated to Kampala Uganda in 1952 and

Shri Lalitbhai Thakkar

moved on to the UK in 1970.

He worked in UK for National Grindlays and ANZ Bank (as a Bank Clerk).

In the 1970s established Samanvaya Parivar London and remained secretary and trustee of Samanvaya Parivar London until he passed away.

It’s worth noting some of the tributes from the Prarthana Sabha at K P Hall: One of the prayer we recited referred to living life like a lotus in water and submitting all good and bad aspects to the creator (god). That truly sums up Lalitbhai.

The family’s tributes highlighted ‘Shethji’ as a giant, a pillar, a guardian and a mentor. These were the true qualities of Lalitbhai which surely will be missed sorely. But best tribute to Lalitbahi would be to follow in his footsteps.

For me and many in the wider community, the community of Samanvay Parivar – the one he founded, he was the leader and inspiration. He was simple and selfless and he gave total commitment with warmth and smile. He dedicated his life to Gurudev and provided support to individuals and charities both in the UK and of course in India.

Continued on page 8

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Tareena Shakil jailed for six years for travelling to Syria to join Islamic State Sparkbrook mum Tareena Shakil, who fled to Syria with her toddler son, has been jailed for six years at Birmingham Crown Court Monday. She became the first British woman to be found guilty of joining the Islamic State terror group.

Shakil, 26, told her family she was going to Turkey on a beach holiday with her toddler son - but secretly fled across the border to Syria and was taken to the capital of the terrorist caliphate.

During a two-week trial, the jury heard Shakil, of Beechfield Road, Sparkbrook, said she wished to become a “martyr” but also claimed she only travelled to Syria to live under sharia law when she left the UK in October 2014.

Shakil, formerly of Burtonupon-Trent, told jurors she returned to the UK last February after realising she had “made a mistake” and was arrested at Heathrow Airport.

Police later released a video of her interview with officers where she denied the offences.

Sentencing the bright former college student, Judge Melbourne Inman said: "You embraced Isis, you sent messages on the day of your arrival in Syria that you were not coming back and by October

Tareena Shakil

28 you were sending a message to your brother-in-law that it was part of your faith to kill the murtadeen (apostates) and on December 9 you told your father you wanted to die a martyr."

The Recorder of Birmingham added: "You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter."

The judge told Shakil it was clear she had been "radicalised" following online conversations with prominent members of the terrorist group, including Fabio Pocas.

As an unmoving Shakil looked on from the secure dock, the judge said she had

Restaurant fined £30k for staff's fall and injury

Zizzi Restaurant, Leicester

On Thursday 21st January, a restaurant company has been prosecuted by Leicester City Council for an accident that had occurred on 24th January 2014.

Azzuri Restaurants Ltd were fined nearly £30,000 as an employee of Zizzi's Restaurant, Cosmin Mihut, slipped on some tiles in the kitchen area, making him land on his left elbow and injuring himself.

On 12th February 2014, the accident investigation officers visited the restaurant and noted that there were ceramic tiled floor surfaces in the rear and front kitchen, as well as in the area immediately in front of the front kitchen counter.

It is said that the tiled areas were so slippery that it posed a risk to health and

safety to staff and others.

Azzuri Restaurants pleaded guilty of three charges at Leicester Magistrates' Court. They were fined £12,000 for failing to ensure the floor was safe without risks to health and safety of its staff; £6,000 for failing to make a suitable and adequate assessment of the risks to the health and safety of employees from the ceramic flooring in the kitchen; and £6,000 for failing to inform employees about how to get first-aid treatment if needed.

Leicester Magistrates' Court also granted Leicester City Council's application for £5,967.75 costs. In total, the restaurant company has been ordered to pay £29,967.75 within 28 days.

In Brief

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

planned her flight to the de facto IS capital of Raqqa and researched travelling without arousing suspicion.

He said: "Exactly what occurred in Raqqa is far from clear. You told lie after lie to the police and in court between February and November 2015, including that you were kidnapped, were not responsible for any tweets and any incriminating photographs were staged against your will.

"You pleaded not guilty and told more lies to the jury which they have understandably rejected."

The judge described Shakil's decision to involve her young son, 14 months old at the time of travel, as a serious aggravating factor. "Most alarming, however, is the fact that you took your son and how he was used. The most abhorrent photographs, however, were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an Isis logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK47 under a title which, translated from the Arabic, means 'father of the British jihad'."

Shakil had also encouraged other women to join her in Raqqa.

The judge said: "Your role

as a woman in Isis was different to that of a man but you embraced it and were willing to support those in Raqqa and potentially those outside to come and play their role in providing fighters of the future and were willing shamelessly to allow your son to be photographed in terms that could only be taken as a fighter of the future."

Jailing her for four years for membership and two years to run consecutively for encouraging acts of terror, the judge said he had had to consider the total length of her sentence.

He added that she would be entitled to release on licence after the halfway point.

At trial, her defence barrister said the breakdown of her marriage had made her "vulnerable" to targeted recruitment by IS, but that did not make her a member.

Shakil, of Beechfield Road in Birmingham but formerly of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, told her father three weeks before her escape: "I can leave but I don't want (to). I want to die here as a martyr."

Nevertheless, she escaped IS territory, telling jurors she realised she had "made a mistake".

Hair salon owners from Manchester jailed for smuggling

Mohammed Kattany & Ahmed Al-Salaima

Mohammed Kattany (37), director of Unique Hairdressers in Bramhall, and Ahmed Al-Salaima (33), owner of Snipz hairdresser in Withington, have been jailed for allegedly smuggling more than 2.5 tons of tobacco into Britain, in a tax fraud of £450,000.

The men from manchester were arrested in July 2013, after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators associated them with many seizures of illegal tobacco at Manchester airport, Heathrow airport and the Port of Felixstowe by UK Border Force.

It is said that Mohammed Kattany had allegedly hidden smuggled fruit-flavoured tobacco in freight imports from Dubai, postal parcels and his own

luggage. Ahmed Al-Salaima is said to be his accomplice.

The pair received two years imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court for tax evasion on the tobacco products, on Friday 22nd January 2016.

Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation, HMRC said, “These determined smugglers used flimsy excuses to blame others for the hidden tobacco but all the evidence led directly to them. Nearly three tons of illegal tobacco were intercepted before making it to the street of Manchester thanks to the joint work of HMRC and BF [Border Force]. This was a serious attempt to steal hundreds of thousand of pounds from the public purse and undermine local businesses.”

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Used car dealer prosecuted for lies in Autotrader adverts

A used car salesman has been convicted of fraud after admitting making false mileage claims in adverts. Qais Kataria was prosecuted

by Leicester City Council trading standards officials after customers complained vehicles they bought from him were faulty.

Leicester Crown Court heard Kataria, director of 50 Cars.co.uk Ltd and Trade Disposal Centre based in Blackbird Avenue and at the Kilby Bridge site in Wigston, had consistently lied in adverts in Autotrader about the mileage of vehicles he was selling.

After reviewing vehicle adverts produced

by Kataria in 2013, trading standards officers found that eight were being advertised with false mileages.

Sexual assault accused Ajay Jetha appears at court

A man accused of sexually attacking a young boy in Knighton has appeared at Leicester Crown Court.

Ajay Jetha (32) is charged in Court artist's impression of connection with Ajay Jetha appearing at court via video link an alleged serious sexual assault involving a boy under 13, near a secluded footpath, off Knighton Lane East, on Tuesday October 13.

The defendant, wearing a grey tracksuit, appeared via a live video link from the prison where he is currently being detained.

Counsel, Adrian Langdale, appeared on behalf of the prosecution and barrister, Talbir Singh, was representing Jetha, during a 33 minute preliminary hearing.

Head defends ‘inadequate’ Islamic school

An Oldham Islamic high school for girls has been told it is not up to standard.

T h e Department for Education (DfE) ordered a review of Iqra High School in Glodwick after it was rated “inadequate” by Ofsted inspectors last year.

Inspectors returned unannounced this month to check progress and found it still doesn’t meet independent school standards.

But head teacher Mohammad Farooq said the report was a cause for celebration: the school fell short on only a couple of points he is confident of meeting.

The £2,000-a-year secondary in Waterloo Street has 40 pupils in years 7-9, for whom it aims to provide an education that “embraces the opportunities of modern Britain while maintaining the teachings of the Muslim faith”. The school opened in September 2014.

Docs missed leukaemia despite toddler being seen 35 times

A coroner is to write to a GP surgery and a hospital demanding action after a toddler died of leukaemia – despite the family asking for help up to 35 times.

Black Country Ryan Bhogal coroner Zafar Siddique said lessons must be learned from the death of Ryan Bhogal. The 20-month-old died on September 11 last year.

He passed away just two days after he was admitted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital having finally been diagnosed with leukaemia by doctors at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.

Ryan’s inquest heard of repeated failings to spot so-called “red flag markers” of leukaemia which was missed by doctors at New Cross and the city’s Raynor Road Medical Centre.

UK Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

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Changing company lightbulbs cost taxpayers £5m

Sainsbury's and Dixon Carphone, as well as many other British companies have been given excruciating amount of taxpayer's money to install energy-efficient lightbulbs, as a quest to avoid a towering power crunch.

Department of

Jonathan Isaby

Energy and Climate Change documents show that Sainsbury's was given over £830,000.

Jonathan Isaby, of the Tax-Payers' Alliance, stated that it did not appear to be “money well spent”.

Alleged Taliban bomb maker may sue armed force for detention Serdar Mohammed, an alleged Taliban bombmaker could possibly sue the army for his detention in Afghanistan, if the government is unsuccessful in overturning the ruling.

Mohammed claimed that he was held in custody

by British armed forces for an alleged 106 days, which breaches the 96-hour

limit, as well as his human rights.

In 2015, Serder Muhammed won a ruling in the Appeal Court under the Human Rights Act, which declared that he was illegally detained by the British armed forced, between April 2010 and July 2010.

The hearing continues.

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Lord Dholakia's Bill to raise age of criminal responsibility to have Second Reading in The Lords Advocating a Second Reading of his Private Member's Bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility Lord Dholakia, pointing out the inconsistent way children are treated in this country, declared "at present, children who are too young to attend secondary school can be prosecuted and receive a criminal record."

"In all other areas of law," he contrasted, "whether it is the age for buying a pet, the age for paid employment, the age of consent to sexual activity or the age of smoking and drinking, children are not regarded as fully competent to take informed decisions until later in adolescence." This conflicting approach can be seen at its most ironic, Lord Dholakia declared, where "a 30 year-

Lord Dholakia

old who had a mental age of a 10 year-old child would probably be regarded as unfit to plead and yet, by a strange twist of logic, a child of 10 is seen as capable of participating in the criminal justice process," something Lord Dholakia "simply cannot accept".

Lord Dholakia declared, "We must also accept that in any civilised society, from time to time, there will be heinous and serious crimes and it is how

we deal with such crimes that determines how civilised we are," as he addressed the Chamber.

The Bill, a testament to Lord Dholakia's efforts to ameliorate the criminal justice system, aims to change the law so that children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the age of 12 years will not be tried in a criminal court for any offences.

Lord Dholakia was keen to reassure doubters that "taking 10 and 11 yearolds out of the criminal justice system would not mean doing nothing with children who offend."

Lord Dholakia outlined that they would be dealt with by way of intervention by children's services teams, and, "in the minority of cases where court proceedings are necessary, it

would mean bringing children before family proceedings courts, which can impose compulsory measures of supervision and care". This way, Lord Dholakia believed would not "put the public at risk; "and in the most serious cases," it could mean longterm detention in secure accommodation, "arranged by way of "care proceedings rather than as a custodial punishment imposed in criminal proceedings."

It was illogical to think that these children should be dealt with in the criminal courts just because they are capable of understanding "right from wrong".

"Most six year-olds," he said, "have a sense of right and wrong but no one suggests that they should be subject to criminal prosecution."

Why Sikh regiments were not a part of Republic Day parade?

Sikhs across the world are raising concerns over the exclusion of Sikh regiment from the Indian republic Day parade, including Sikhs in the UK. Some believe that authorities kept them out because they are hostile to President Francois Hollande of France after

that country banned turbans and no one wanted the chance of an incident.

Perhaps the French security had asked for it. By the same token the regiment might itself have indicated to the army chief that they would not like to salute someone who had directly impacted on their religious sym-

bols. Perhaps the Centre and the army had mutually agreed to sit out the parade for what is probably the first time this regiment was absent.

Speculations are many.

However some others have justified the omission on the basis of shortage of time. Since the programme this year was

shortened by 20 mins, the time meant for the Sikh regiment parade was alloted to other communities- and perhaps had nothing to do with Hollande visit. Several regiments such as Gurkhas, Jats, Dogras and many more are said to be a part of the parade in some rotation.

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Martyrs’ Day observed at Gandhi Statue in Tavistock Square

Indian High Commission, India League, community leaders pay homage to the apostle of peace and non-violence

Anand Pillai

Indian High Commission in the UK in association with India League organised a function at Gandhi Statue, Tavistock Square, on January 30 to mark the Martyrs’ Day. Indian High Commission in the UK in association with India League organised a function at Gandhi Statue, Tavistock Square, on January 30 to mark the Martyrs’ Day. In India Martyrs’ Day is observed on January 30, the anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

Speaking on the occasion, Navtej Sarna, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, said Albert Einstein was right to an extent what he said of Gandhiji.

“Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”

Mr Sarna said it was 68 years ago Gandhiji fell to the bullets of an assassin and ceased to walk this earth in flesh and blood.

He died as he had lived, on his way to a prayer well in sight of God. Mr Sarna said: “Our generation scarcely believe that the world in which power actually flows mostly through the barrel of a gun that a person so bodily frail scarcely armed with anything ever more than a walking stick would have achieved so much that he would be remembered for generations to come.”

And that is because his was not a power of the body or of weapons, Mr Sarna said. His was the power of

Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Navtej Sarna, speaks during Martyrs' Day event at Tavistock Square in London on January 30 as Commodore Sandeep Beecha, Naval Adviser, Brigadier Rajesh Kumar Jha, Military Adviser, and Air Commodore G S Bedi, Air Adviser, look on

the soul. He was Mahatma – the great soul. And souls do not succumb to the assassin’s bullets. He had steel in his soul, Mr Sarna added.

Martin Luther King and many other leaders have drawn inspiration

lence. Let us also remember today thousands of others martyrs and sons of India who died for India’s freedom struggle and others who died subsequently guarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India on our borders,” Mr

India League Chairman CB Patel pays homage to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Tavistock Square in London

from Gandhiji and his concept of Satyagraha, Mr Sarna said.

“So let us remember the great soul and pray that his inspiration will impact the world which is surely in need of belief in non-vio-

Sarna said.

Mr CB Patel, India League Chairman, said: “Gandhiji is not with us but his thoughts are with us.”

Thanking the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Larraine Revah, Mr CB

Patel said this public place is the most important site for the statue of Gandhi outside India and in the UK. This statue is all because of Camden Council and India League which raised a contribution of £80,000 from ordinary persons.

Mr CB Patel said the best of Indo-British relationship is yet to come. For 409 years Britain and India are going on with beneficial partnership. The contribution of writers, thinkers, linguists is enormous, he added.

Acknowledging Mr Sarna’s contribution to the world of writing – who is a man of letters with several books to his credit – Mr CB Patel suggested to the Indian High Commissioner that this Indo-British relationship has to be strengthened and nurtured well through a special book written by him.

Mr CB Patel said it was a privilege on behalf of India League to work with India House, Mayor and councillors of Camden.

Inspirational man receives national honour Mayoor Patel (56), from Bolton, has received a British Citizen Award (BCA) for his services to international achievement. He was one of 33 medallists who were honoured at a prestigious ceremony on January 28th, at the Palace of Westminster, presented by Larry Lamb.

Armed with this philosophy, Mayoor has impacted positively on more than 2,000 children.

He is a passionate advocate of ‘education at any cost’ and believes that selfsufficiency is the key for communities and projects.

With this aim in mind, he relentlessly pursues fundraising and awareness programmes, undertaking presentations across his many networks, as well as at Lions clubs, schools, universities and temples.

Much of his work

those affected by polio; and Little Drops Shravana, which is the only project of its kind providing an integrated free service for hearing impaired children in India. He is also involved in numerous other charities and projects, including the Milapfest Trust – the UK’s leading Indian arts development trust.

Mayoor Patel shared, “It was a comFrom left: Lonnie Mayne, Mayoor Patel & Lord Dholakia plete shock when I age of 13 and has been focusses upon children found out that I would be instrumental in raising and adults with disabilities receiving a British Citizen more than £1.5 million for or from poor backgrounds Award, I was speechless. I three charities - the OKAS in countries and commudon’t do this work to be Fund, which helps acanities where they would rewarded, I do this for the demically-gifted but finanhave traditionally not been children and it is a big part cially disadvantaged stuaccepted and would have of my life. However, it is dents in Uganda; Polio been marginalised. nice to have been recogChildren, which works on He has been fundraisnised, and I feel very four continents to support ing for charity since the proud.”

“We appreciate this ‘Triveni Sangam’ – three-party co-operation,” he added.

Mr CB Patel said India House always looks after the statue and events and is grateful to all the officers for making this event a success.

C ou nc il lo r Larraine Revah, Mayor of Camden, said Mahatma Gandhi is truly an inspiration to many people all over the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Larraine world, especially for Revah, speaks during Martyrs' Day his message of nonevent at Tavistock Square violence.

Two women represenShe said peaceful tatives from Bhartiya Vidya protests can accomplish Bhavan’s sang Gandhiji’s more than violent protests. favourite bhajan – She quoted Albert Raghupati Raghav…… on Einstein who said Gandhi's the occasion. great contribution to our The programme contime was his great determicluded with Buddhist nation to modernise poliprayer by Bhikkhu G tics.

Nagase from London.

“Gandhi insisted that He recited “Na Mu Myo you can apply the same Ho Ren Ge Kyo”. moral values to politics, Gandhiji was interested business or industry – i.e. in the teachings of Lord love, truth, peace, non-vioBuddha and had adopted lence – all these ideals can this Japanese mantra as a be applied in every aspect permanent feature of his of life. He said in his automorning and evening biography – My prayers in the ashram.

Experiments with the Namu Myoho Renge Truth – 'Men often become Kyo is an ancient Buddhist what they believe themchant/mantra which is selves to be.If I believe I from the Lotus Sutra. cannot do something, it “Nam” means to honour makes me incapable of and Myoho Renge Kyo is doing it. But when I believe the title of the Lotus Sutra I can, then I acquire the which is the Universal Law ability to do it',” the Mayor of Cause and Effect. said.

Thus the mantra She added: “I think it is “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo” very fitting that this statue means “I honour the is placed in our garden of Universal Mystical Law of peace where he sits quietly Cause and Effect.” reflecting on the world.”

Earlier, floral tributes Dr Nandakumar, were paid to the statue of Executive Director, Gandhiji by Navtej Sarna, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan’s, Indian High Commissioner recited a peace mantra on to the UK, Councillor the occasion.

Larraine Revah, Mayor of Om Asato Maa Camden, Virander Paul, Sad-Gamaya | Deputy High Tamaso Maa Commissioner of India to Jyotir-Gamaya | the UK, CB Patel, India Mrtyor-Maa Amrtam League Chairman, and Gamaya | other community leaders.

Om Shaantih Shaantih Mr Sunil Kumar Shaantih || (Coordination/Press & Information) and Head of It means: Chancery High From ignorance, Commission of India, lead me to truth; London, welcomed and From darkness, introduced the prolead me to light; grammes taking place at From death, the function. lead me to immortality; A similar function was Om peace, peace, peace also organised at Lord Ranbir Singh Suri Parliament Square where said: “Gandhi was a man of Mr Navtej Sarna, Indian strong will power. He used High Commissioner to the his will power to achieve all UK, Mr Virander Paul, his goals. And that was Deputy High through peace and nonCommissioner of India to violence. He was not only a the UK, Mr A S Rajan, barrister and politician but Minister of Coordination, also he had learned Indian Indian High scriptures and religious Commissioner, and others books. He had inbuilt some paid floral tributes to the information of the ninth statue of Mahatma Gandhi. guru of Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur, who said: ‘I am Photo curtsey: neither scared of anybody Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix nor I scare anybody’.”

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Barnardo's to launch appeal to Till minimum-earning do us apart help sexually exploited kids The children's charity, Barnardo's, are launching an urgent appeal for £500,000 in public donations, due to the horrendous rise in sexually exploited children, who are being supported by the charity.

In the last five years, the charity has seen a 169% increase across the UK in the number of young victims and those at risk using their expert services.

Barnardo’s has opened 11 new services in the last 12 months. During 2014-15 the charity worked with 3,200 vulnerable children compared to 1,190 in 2010.

Bernardo's will also be marking its 150th anniversary in 2016.

Javed Khan, Barnardo's chief executive said, “We urgently need more funds to give sexually exploited children the vital support they need. Every penny the public gives will help us make a difference to a young person’s life.

High profile child sexual exploitation cases across the UK have raised people’s awareness about sexual exploitation and what it is. This has led to better identification of victims and those at risk but everywhere we go we find more young people needing our services.

He added, “We all need to be aware any child can become a victim of this horrific form of abuse,

Bernardo's chief executive, Javed Khan

regardless of where they live or their background.

Barnardo’s will always strive to help protect these vulnerable children.”

To find out more, visit: www.barnardos.org.uk/urg ent

Senior councillor resigns after alleged "Islamophobe" comment A senior Muslim politician, Muhammad Afzal, who is the lord mayor elect of Birmingham, as well as the chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque, who was asked to resign after he allegedly David denounced Cameron as being an “Islamophobe” has resigned from his position. It is also said that the politician allegedly accused Christians for the majority if domestic violences due to them being drunk.

The 72-year-old politician was also accused of disregarding the domestic violence threat to the mosque by the Muslim Women's Network UK charity, as well as allegedly denying that forced marriage was a problem in Muslim communities.

In a letter calling for the mosque to ask Afzal to resign, chairwoman of the Muslim Women's Network UK, Shaista Gohir, claimed that during a meeting, Muhammad Afzal stated that forced marriage is no longer an issue as “women these days are strong and educated”, and allegedly added that “more men than women suffered from domestic violence these days”.

Offering a personal message Cllr Rekha Shah – Deputy Mayor of Harrow – said Lalitbhai to her was like her own father. Full of love, good advice and helpful. Only a few months ago when her brother in law from America unexpectedly passed away in Laddakh – it was Lalitibhai who

clear it, most women don't.

Also it depends on the geography. In North East of the UK, twice as many will be ruled out on salary scale than in London. So far the new rules have affected 15,000 children, many even kept apart from a parent.

The government projected in 2012 that 13,60017,800 people per year would be prevented to coming to Britain as a result of the changes.

Though the actual figure of reduction is unknown. The number of spouse visa issued to women have gone down remarkably by threefourth, especially among Pakistanis.

However, Saira Grant of the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants argues there is no evidence that migrant spouses are a burden to the state. Studies suggest family migrants do have lower employment rates than British average, but more than half work after their arrival.

What the Supreme court may like to examine is whether the foreign spouse's income counts towards the threshold. In fact at present even British expats have had trouble moving back with foreign spouses, even if the partner is a high earner. The court could declare these rules are unlawful but it is unlikely given the situation, Ms Grant added. In the absence of other ways of reducing net immigration, the government would want to cling on to such strict new rules, whether it is for better for worse.

Another shocking rail death

Shaista Gohir

Shaista Gohir wrote, “He [Muhammad Afzal] went on to state that 'domestic violence was happening mainly in the Christian community because they get drunk'. I explained that the problem was also significant in Muslim communities and that women have been murdered as a result.”

Gohir also allegedly mentioned that Afzal was unfit for positions of authority due to his “misogynistic attitudes”.

Afzal, who has been a councillor for 33 years, had previously denied making such comments on David Cameron.

However, as reported in The Times, The Birmingham Mail obtained a recording where he described the Prevent anti-radicalisation programme as racist,

Muhammad Afzal

while also saying that “the prime minister himself has got too much Islamophobia”.

However, after days of pressure, the Labour councillor decided to call it quits. He said, “I consider it a huge honour to be chosen by the Labour Group to be the party's nominee as the next lord mayor. If the council had agreed to this nomination to be the first citizen of such a great city, it would have been the highlight of my career and a great privilege. However, recent publicity in the local media has given rise to unfair and indeed untrue comments being ascribed to me. I have tried to put the record straight but sadly, it has not been possible to do so as rumour and innuendo has replaced facts.”

Shri Lalitbhai Thakkar - leader of the ‘Samanvay Parivar’

Continued from page 3

Integration is not achieved by an artificial financial threshold, a critic said, attacking the government approach to stop citizens or permanent residents to bring partners to UK, depending on their income. In 2012 the government introduced a new requirement that British citizens and permanent residents need to meet an income threshold before being able to bring a partner from outside the European Union.

The minimum earning has to be £18,600, or almost double if children need to accompany.

According to the Migration Policy Group, this gives Britain the strictest policy on family unification of 38 rich countries.

The Economist reported that the Migration Observatory in Oxford University has calculated that 41% of British citizens will not meet this financial benchmark, especially women. While almost three quarters of men may

made arrangements for her sister to visit Haridwar for the rituals. He would be missed forever.

Harrow’s Councillors, MPs and all of us were regulars at the Navratri functions masterminded by Lalitbhai. Every-time one visited the Navratri sessions or the events organised by Lalitbhai there was that feeling of oneness and

an extended family. His organisation the ’Samanvay Parivar’ truly lived up to its name.

Lalitbhai was a community leader, a pillar of our society. Without a doubt we’d miss him but let us follow his legacy and his example and inspiration. Like Gurudev said in his message ‘let us pray that everyone gets strength’.

Travelling by British Tube stations can be a risky affair during the rush hour, if the right precautions are not taken. On Monday 25th January, a 22-yearold final year Malaysian student at Middlesex University, lost his life during the rush hour, as he made his way home.

Muhamad Aaron Maseri, who was studying for a business management degree, was killed by a Tube train at Marble Arch station, in London. His death is not being treated as suspicious by the police.

After the incident, the Central line was partly suspended as the London Fire Brigade and ambulance services were called to Marble Arch station on Monday, at 6:26pm. The paramedics pronounced

Muhamad Aaron Maseri

him dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for British Transport Police stated, “A 22-year-old man from London was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Deputy Chairman of

the Kelab UMNO London Club for Malaysians, Shauqi Amer said, “We were devastated and quite struck by the news. It has been quite distressing for us as we knew Aaron well.

We will offer the family a memorial service at Malaysian Hall but it is up to them if they want to go ahead with those plans.”

Aaron Maseri's older sister, Yelena Maseri, led tributes for him online. She posted, “Please keep my baby brother, Muhamad Aaron bin Maseri in your prayers. I lost a big part of my life today. Al-Fatihah.”

The Malaysian High Commission in London has expressed their condolences to his family and are assisting their process if having his body brought back to Malaysia soon.

US threaten to end visa-free travel due to fake passports The immigration officials in the US are threatening to take away visa-free privileges to many EU citizens, that allows them to enter America without applying for a visa at an embassy.

This is due to the heightening dispute between Brussels and Washington over fake passports. This could affect over four million Britons who travel visa-free to America every year. It is said that the US is worried about the rise in the number of fake passports purchased in black markets by immigrants who attempt to stay in EU countries. Washington is concerned that the increase in the circulation of fraudulent passports could allow

jihadists to enter America.

A diplomat stated, “The visa waiver programme is reciprocal and delicate.

Washington knows that by reintroducing visas for Europe's biggest countries it would be tearing up the scheme and Americans would lose visa-free travel rights too.”

The European Commission has objected to the US choosing individual countries; they argued that they should treat all countries equally, which will ultimately affect the UK as well.

The UK was the first country to be admitted to the visa waiver programme

in 1988. This entitles an overseas visitor to remain in the US for up to 90 days, subject to them having a valid machine-readable passport, as well as having successfully registered via a web-based system that reviews their information against relevant security and police databases.

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Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Presenting The Most Senior Asian Lady in the BBC; Anjula Singh Anjula Singh is a quiet achiever, and she’s quietly achieved herself up to the highest role to be held by an Asian lady in the BBC. Career highlights? The launches of World and News Channels from New Broadcasting House; launching BBC Persian TV, re-launching BBC Arabic TV, and creating a production unit within Global News to add on new Language TV in four other languages.

Anjula is currently attached to the News Strategic Change team, shaping up a Delivery and Change team to drive News’ Digital and future strategy. Her role is Deputy Head of Production Operations. She leads a department of 450 studio and gallery production staff in TV and Radio News in New Broadcasting House, with a small team in Salford. She said, “I am responsible for the creative and technical teams who work behind the scenes to get TV and radio programmes on air.

The creative teams decide how a story is told. So they plan the whole look and feel of BBC News….how

Anjula Singh

the audio sounds, the camera angles to lighting, whether the presenter stands, or sits, whether there is a still picture or film or graphic, the colours used to illustrate a story.

They also communicate with the presenter whilst on air. Currently I am working a range of projects which will transform BBC news for a digital future and a new charter.”

There is Global Language TV and Radio, the Today programme and

Newsnight, BBC World and The Ten O’clock News.

A first task was to get a big migration into New Broadcasting House, while integrating five teams into one.

Anjula started her BBC career as a studio manager.

How did that happen? She told us, “I went to visit a cousin who worked in the Hindi Service and fell in love with the magic of storytelling on radio – the voices painting the scenes and images of

EU denies Cameron the 4-year ban on migrant benefits The European Union has refused to give Prime Minister David Cameron the four-year ban on EU migrant benefits he had asked for.

Cameron had demanded that people coming to the UK “must live here and contribute for four years before they qualify for inwork benefits or social housing”.

However, according to a report in the Independent, documents of Brussels’ proposals show the European Union has instead only offered the UK the ability to partially reduce benefits for four years – rather than introduce a four-year waiting period as specified by the Prime Minister.

The document offers an “emergency brake” on inwork benefits for up to four years if there is pressure on a particular member state, which would have to be approved by the EU council.

This is not quite what Cameron wanted. Instead, there is a “graduated” limitation to “take account of

David Cameron

the growing connection of the worker with the labour market of the host member state”. That means EU migrants would not face a total ban on in-work benefits for four years.

European Council president Donald Tusk unveiled the draft deal with Cameron on Tuesday morning. Cameron also wanted a ban on people being able to claim child benefit in the UK and send it back to families in other EU states.

On child benefit, the proposal would not “end the practice of sending child benefit overseas”, just limit the amount that is remitted.

Out-of-work benefits are unaffected by the changes and Cameron had

not sought any changes to these rules, the report in the Independent said.

The deal also offers a ‘red card’ system on new laws and promises on the euro. But Boris Johnson raised severe doubts about the red card system – which will require Britain to ally with 14 other nations to stop EU laws – insisting it was ‘not going to be enough’ and warning there was ‘much more to be done’.

Cameron will visit Poland and Denmark on Friday, as he embarks on a whirlwind charm offensive to persuade the other 27 EU leaders to sign up to the Tusk package in Brussels on February 18-19.

If Cameron can get an agreement in February, he is expected to hold a referendum in June on whether Britain should remain in the EU. Cameron has until the end of 2017 to hold a referendum.

Cameron said there was “detail to be worked on” before a crunch summit on February 18-19.

news to information- poor countries. I liked the last minute changing nature of news – the buzz of it and the team work of putting together a programme.

As a Studio Manager I could work across a wide range of output, and played to my creativity. I enjoyed the physicality and dexterity of recording, mixing, and the different demands on my brain in a studio. I could also voice and report my own packages so liked the self-sufficiency of having the technical and editorial skills.

Seeing the impact on people’s lives of our broadcasting was the icing on the cake.”

No-one gets to a position like hers without courage and leadership.

Where were the challenges?

“Launching BBC Persian was a challenge and enjoyable – getting a brand new BBC Channel off the ground as quickly as possible, on a green field site. There was no studio, no newsroom, and no staff.

Only an editorial proposition and a vision for a multi genre channel which could leverage existing BBC expertise, collaborate internally with different BBC departments, and attract a youthful audience.”

Anjula was Project Sponsor for the bureaux built in Kabul, Islamabad, Cairo, Delhi and

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industry, tool yourself up – Kathmandu. your career is your respon“The most difficult sibility and not anyone thing in leading big departelse’s. ments is learning about Take risks and fail – pace of change,”she says. that’s how you grow, so put She is a formal BBC yourself up for things that and British Council menappear to out of reach; tor, a founding member of projects and promotions. the Transatlantic Have a strong network Leadership Network, of supportive individuals TN2020 and a memaround you who also ber of the Citycan be your supbased Inclusive porters / sponL e a d e r s h i p I think this is sors.

Network. probably it!

Have a Anjula There are not three year plan shared her – you don’t strategy and many Asian need to share it techniques women who have but know on how she run a where you are got to be a going, and department of BBC star. adjust to any “ H a r d such scale in the unexpected work! Working industry opportunities that in a male domicome along!” nated field, I think With Anjula having I had to grasp and risen to such heights in the absorb a lot of detail quickworld’s biggest news ly so I wouldn’t be blinded organisation, the mind by technical terms. fondly imagines where she Be authentic and be could go to. How far, how yourself. high can she go? She is Research before applypragmatic. ing for roles so you are “Ask me in a few years!! clear what is required – I think this is probably don’t be afraid to ask peoit! There are not many ple about roles.

Asian women who have Know your strengths. run a department of such Build teams around you to scale in the industry. shore up your weaknesses.

I do as much as I can to Be easy to work with pave the way for the next and always deliver so peogeneration by mentoring, ple want you on their projspeaking widely, training ects. others. It’s all about breakManage your own ing the barriers in peoples’ brand – be the person you minds and challenging want to be seen as. Manage their assumptions.” your own career, watch the

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Australia Day On January 26 the people of Australia celebrated what is called Australia Day. It is the day in 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip docked his ship at what is now called Sydney Cove and raised the British flag there and declared that the entire land was British colony from that day.

Once the forced occupation was established the British in 1880 named this day First Landing, later changed it to Anniversary Day and also Foundation Day. The aboriginal people were vehemently against such names. So in 1946 all the state governments of Australia and the Commonwealth together named the day Australia Day. It is normally celebrated by white Australians and immigrants to Australia but not by aboriginal people.

To them there is very little to celebrate. They take it as reminder of loss of sovereign rights to their native land, loss of their family, loss of the right to practice their own culture and follow their age-old tradition.

This day marks the arrival of the British with ship full of guns and gun powder. It also marks the day when merciless slaughter of the aboriginal people began and forced their submission to the occupiers of their motherland. The aboriginals called it ‘Invasion Day’, ‘Day of Mourning’ and ‘Survival Day’. However since 2006 they have named it Aboriginal Sovereign Day. The main significance of this day is the reminder to the world of how the western nations established colonies all over the world through sheer force and merciless brutality and got themselves very rich in the process.

Jatindra Saha By email

Mahatma Gandhi

Facing the Houses of Parliament in London graces the unveiled sculture of the demure figure of Mahatma Gandhi the Bapuji of all Nations from 28th March 2015 till eternity.

The spirit of love, freedom, peace and harmony invoking the message of goodwill of Gandhiji since 1893 through the emergency of South African satyagraha the drumbeats of Dandi March, self reliability through the home spun clothing and the ongoing struggle for independence seals India as the best example of democracy fully supported and advocated by CM Modi in all walks of life. Mahatma Gandhiji represents the non-violence as the way of action and life.

The fraternity and the universal love symbolised by Gandhiji and principles of truth, simplicity and purity prevents mankind sinking into abysmal depths of destruction and negativity.

Ashwin Pandya By fax

Landlords

When landlords or their agents /acquaintances undertake repair or maintainance work in their properties let to tenants, they should ensure that their workmen leave the tenancies nice and clean and also make sure that any fixtures and fittings are refixed.

If the fitters don’t do so then the landlords should take reasonable care to refix them without causing undue anguish to disabled, vulnerable or elderly tenants who live on their own. Many time some landlords make excuses or use delaying tactics which results in tenants being left vulnerable to burglars etc In such instancies the authorities should compel the landlard to do the needful at the earliest convience rather than expect the tenants family members or carers to do the necessary work.

Jaya Paw Leicester

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Probe ordered into Dalit Scholars’ Suicide It is a step towards the right direction by the present Government of India to set up a judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge to probe the chain of events leading to the death of Rohith Vemula.

Governments of India since Independence had been trying its best to finish the discrimination to lower casts people and giving them special facilities to come up and become the equal partners in the development of India. But there are plenty of people who consider them selves to be superiors and may behave very irresponsibly and go to any extent.

It is therefore very important to have some members from Lower cast people particularly Dalit in the Commission which is going to investigate Rohith case and also how the University bosses behaved with other lower cast and Dalit students.

Dharam Sahdev Ilford

Going down memory lane

I can't forget today 30th Jan., our Gandhiji left us forever in 1948 accomplishing his Mission of India Independence! It was a Mission Impossible but he did it with love and ahimsa without any hatred towards even the British!

In Ramayan Lord Ram himself had to kill Ravan. In Mahabharat Lord Krishna had only to advise Arjun as to how to kill Duryodhan and Bhishma, Dronacharya and others. In Kalyug God chose a simple man from some unknown corner of Gujarat like Gandhi with only tenets of Hinduism which gave him all courage and resolute mind to fight against the mighty British Colonialism in India and later destroy it from all the world over!!!

Upendra Kapadia London

Going down memory lane

Happily, Bhupendra Gandhi has joined the memory lane cavalcade initiated by C.B.Patel. All contributing subscribers appearing to be of the same age, their biodata, recollections and ethos appears to be similar. Bhupendra Gandhi and C.B. Patel have become prolific/ professional writers. I assume, Dinesh Sheth matches record.

I began writing to Asian Voice after my retirement in the year 2000. I have stopped counting my letters accepted by Asian Voice, but am sure it will pass 300 mark and more if rejects and omitted letters are considered. I consider every acceptance as a prize, especially when read by thousands of readers and attracted written and verbal comments.

Thus I personally feel that a certificate of merit or badge of honor would be superfluous.

We write to express spontaneous feelings that surface naturally, irrespective of expecting certificate or badge. Writing with anticipation of prize would defeat the surge of unselfish inspiration.

Each accepted letter can serve as an incentive to continue to add to the treasure chest of knowledge. Our intentions must be pure, shed light, without imposing on ones beliefs and convictions. It also serves to break the isolation of the writer. Congratulations to Editorial team too.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

Worth the wait

GS/AV calendar we were eagerly waiting for arrived last week. It has taken its pride of place in our dining room wall, next to small deri (temple) where we light divo and recite daily prayer early in the morning. Although we have several calendars, this one is the first to catch our eyes, thus I make all important notes on this calendar and plan my day accordingly.

In our culture, religion, each day is important, with so many special occasions impossible to remember unless boldly laid out in a calendar. No other calendar provides such in-depth information. Smooth glossy pages are bound in sturdy plastic ring rather than stapled, so we can just turn over the page without destroying it, thus we can refer back to any month. It only goes to recycling after serving faithfully throughout the year and it comes free for subscribers.

Kumudini Valambia By email

Could strike in medical profession be justified

Junior doctors (JD) are in the limelight for all wrong reasons. While no one appreciates their expertise and dedication more than British public, strike which should be weapon of last resort is welded like shield to settle dispute that should be resolved behind closed doors, through negotiations, understanding and sacrifice. It seems BMA is acting like Trade Union rather than professional body.

Public servants like police are not allowed to strike, deemed to be working in essential services. Government is seriously thinking putting medical and transport workers in same category. If JD go on all out strike, not attending patients in emergency which may lead to casualties, this will give Government perfect excuse to put all doctors in essential service category and impose new contracts which will put JD between devil and deep blue sea, either accept or resign.

This will be real test, as not many JD would put their hard earned career to test, as many have aspiration to be consultants, GPs earning salaries above 100K, thus putting them on top of financial and social league, as doctors enjoy God like status in many countries, although medical profession is riddled with corruption in developing countries throughout Africa and Asia, in line with dishonesty that prevails in society like cancer. Fortunately medical profession here is clean, dedicated and patient oriented. Let’s hope that sanity will prevail, resulting in an amicable settlement that every one wishes.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Certificate of merit

I am glad that the editor of AV and GS and others have come round to my view that contributors of long standing to this “Readers’ Voice” column and its predecssor, “Your Voice” column, be awarded a certificate of merit. I feel that to be eligible, one must have had at least 256 of his letters published in this column. ie to have completely filled up one whole edition of either AV or GS. Having written 292 letters so far, I feel I that I would be eligible. I have a folder containing all my letters which I can produce as proof of my feat! All those who have achieved this enviable goal may then be invited to a meet and greet ceremony at ABPL offices for a presentation by the publisher/ editor. We can then share views and opinions face to face and also meet representatives of both AV and GS. I had the privilege of chatting with CB, albeit over the wires, when he was a guest on Kanjibhai Ghedia’s Gujarati programme on NuSound Radio. I have also met Kamalbhai at our various social gatherings.

I would be glad to make acquaintace with Rupanjana and others while enjoying ABPL’s hospitality in the form of a cuppa at Karma Yoga House!

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

King’s College seeks further funds from India for establishing Satish Dhawan Chair in Space Policy King’s College, London, is seeking clearance of pending funds from the Government of India for the operationalisation of the Dhawan Chair in Space Policy at the college.

Visiting Professor Bhupendra Jasani of King’s College has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard and has also sought an appointment with him to apprise him of the ideas on the Dhawan Chair.

With this, the Chair not only aims to honour Satish Dhawan – the former Chairman of the Indian Space and Research Organization and architect of India’s highly successful space programme – but also intends to train the next generation of scientists through the teaching of human values in science, emphasising international cooperation and research that promotes social development.

The plan is to establish the Chair within the college’s Department of War Studies.

Funds to the extent of £3.5 million – partly to be raised in the UK and partly in India – were deemed necessary to operationalise the Chair on a sustainable basis.

In January 2012 the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, had offered some seed funding for three years to establish

Satish Dhawan

Prof Bhupendra Jasani

the Chair. “The funds were to come through the High Commission’s Office in London to King’s College.

However, subsequently the DST for administrative reasons preferred to change this and channel the funds through the National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bangalore.

We made a fresh application and submitted the same to DST in 2013. I also understand that DST sought the views of two eminent referees and DST is in receipt of the referee inputs supporting the establishment of the Chair.

In spite of all this, unfortunately the matter has not moved any further,” Professor Jasani, in the letter to the PM, said.

Professor Jasani also sought a one-on-one with the PM in this regard. “I also look forward to an opportunity to meet you personally at your convenience and seek your advice on the operationalisation of the Dhawan

Chair in Space Policy at King’s College, London,” he wrote to the PM. The Dhawan Chair in Space Policy to be established in King’s College, London, was conceptualised in 2009.

Professor Satish Dhawan was a humanist who saw technology, especially high technology, as a way of transforming societies.

Satish Dhawan (19202002) was a very unassuming man. Under his leadership, two of the major programmes – remote sensing and communications – were clearly defined and systematically executed. The third, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was developed, a modified version of which launched India’s first unmanned lunar probe, the Chandrayaan-1 in 2008.

The establishment of this unique Chair outside the sub-continent will be a fitting tribute to this great son and scientist of India.

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On Wednesday 23 March, we will be hosting our annual Youth Conference networking evening. We have a fantastic line-up of speakers who will share their success stories, give motivational short talks to inspire and advise the younger generation, so that young people can fulfill their aspirations and get ahead in the world of work. There will be a scope to take part in Q&A and brief workshops.

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Axed council cash to go to Diwali and Xmas lights switch on Council bosses are set to axe funding for Leicester's Navratri festival and the Braunstone carnival and put the money into the city's Diwali and Christmas celebrations.

Leicester City Council has been reviewing the £384,500 it currently spends supporting cultural events. It has put forward proposals to spend the same amount overall in 2016 but re-allocate some of the cash.

The city's £20,000 contribution to the Navratri celebrations staged each autumn will be stopped.

The council did give the

The Navratri celebrations at De Montfort Hall

money to Leicester Hindi Festivals Council which ran ticketed cultural events at De Montfort Hall attended by up to 2,000 people.

The popular Diwali cel-

ebrations run by the council will see it budget rise from £88,000 to £108,000 and £500 more will go to the city centre Christmas lights switch on which will cost £15,000.

Race equality chief says, 'Muslims are not like us'

Trevor Phillips

The Muslim population of UK has grown by almost three quarters in a decade to 2.7 million and is facing questions over how a community with such conservative values could fit into Britain's liberal secular society.

Trevor Phillips, the former head of the equalities watchdog has said that the Muslim commu-

nities are unlike others in Britain and the country should accept that they will not integrate in the same way others do, as they 'see the world differently from the rest of us,' The Times has reported.

The Muslim Council of Britain further added that demanding change from Muslims actually encourages discrimination against them.

12

MEDIA WATCH

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Amidst the pomp of circumstance and the boast of power, India’s 67th Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, was celebrated before a cast of thousands, and watched with joyful pride by many more millions of men, women and children across every corner of this culturally diverse and land, as it strides with measured steps towards the modernity of which the founding fathers of today’s Republic dreamed but never lived to see.

Security was tighter than ever before. This year’s Chief Guest was French President Francois Hollande, whose capital city, Paris, underwent the devastating experience, in November 2015, of a murderous assault, similar in many respects to the one carried on Mumbai in Republic Day with French President Francois Hollande and Narendra Modi November 2008.

This is one among many agreements Mahindra plans, as it positions itself as a major player in the country’s defence sector. A Mahindra spokesman said the company would be announcing a number of such joint ventures with a series of other partners in the coming weeks (Mint January 26)

tries are in lockstep against jihadi terrorism. The writer should see a NDTV documentary film of jihadi violence, opium cultivation and an emasculated police force in fear of their lives in the West Bengal district of Malda, which has sent shock waves across the State and the corridors of power in Delhi. .

BrahMos Aerospace has been conferred the ISI Industry Excellence Award 2015 for its remarkable role and contribution to manufacturing and processing the world’s foremost supersonic cruise missile ( to be upgraded to hypersonic status). BrahMos is an India-Russia joint venture,

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) tracked down and arrested 15 terror suspects across India at the weekend prior to Republic Day. Twelve raids on locations in six cities have yielded a rich catch, including an Islamic Caliphate operative, Mohammed

BrahMos lauded

NIA dragnet widens

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

civilian honour for their contributions in the fields of physics, engineering and medicine.

Chennupati Jagadish, an eminent professor at the Australian National University (AMU), Canberra,, Jay Chandra, an eye surgeon in Sydney and Sajeev Koshy, a leading dentist in Melbourne received the Order of Australia medal on Australia Day (January 26). Professor Jagadish was conferred the honour for his outstanding work in physics and engineering, particularly in nanotechnology.

Recognition

Professor Jagadish said: ‘This is a wonderful recognition for 25 plus years with my research group at AMU.’ Mr Chandra, head of vitreo-retinal surgery at Westmead Hospital since 1985, while Mr Koshy has made a significant contribution to dentistry in Victoria. (Hindu January 28)

Mrinalini Sarabhai

IEI Industry Excellence Awards 2015 conferred on BrahMos Aerospace

Republic Day Float – Rajasthan with camels

India’s invitation to him was clearly a gesture of solidarity with a major European power in its suffering. An India-France declaration states: ‘India and France resolved to step up cooperation to counter terrorism and radicalization, terrorist movements and the flow of foreign terrorists.’ (Hindu January 26). France expressed support for India’s membership of the UN Security Council (Times of India January 26)

Complaisant West

The West as a whole has been slow to awaken to the full dimension of the jihadi threat to democratic governments everywhere and not merely in Europe and North America. Paris has been the victim of jihadi violence twice within a year – for the first time in January 2015, when the editorial board of the magazine Charlie Hebdoe was assassinated by gunmen, and a Jewish grocery was attacked involving fatalities and injuries to innocent shoppers – and again some ten months later.

Indo-French ties

The relationship with France is arguably the closest India has in the West. Cooperation on intelligence sharing is set to acquire new levels, while commercial and investment ties and those in defence, space, solar and nuclear energy will follow suit. France has undertaken to invest $10 billion in India in the next five years. There will be joint venture for the production of 800 diesel electric locomotives in Bihar between Alstom and Indian

Railways (Hindu January 26).

France will also help with technology and planning in transforming Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Pondicherry into smart cities (French Ambassador to Karan Thaper, television interview, January 27)

Rafale MoU

and a role model for other such high value projects with suitable partners. It has redefined the business of selling military products from a purely buyer-seller relationship to joint research, design, development and marketing of state of the art military systems. BrahMos missiles are in service with the Indian Army and Navy and will be inducted into the Air Force in the not too distant future (Mint January 26)

Tale of two Republics

An article of surpassing mendacity in the editorial pages of the Times of India (January 26) censured France for its ‘majoritarian The much awaited deal for the way of life’ which supposedly dissupply by France of 36 Rafale criminates against the country’s warplanes for the Indian Air minority Muslim population.

Force, however, is yet to be This is compared unfavourably by clinched due to differences the writer to India’s tolerance of diversity.

The community of local women who were prevented recently from entering the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra may not French Rafale aircraft be quite as sanguine. between the two sides on pricing.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed. The IAF is far from happy. A former chief of the air staff complained on television that India at present had 34 combat ready squadrons ready for action in any possible conflict with Pakistan or China, when the numbers required were 44 squadrons.

(Business Line January 26).

Mahindra tie-up with Airbus Helicopters

At the private sector space, Mahindra Defence Systems has signed a statement of intent with Airbus Helicopters for the manufacture of helicopters in India.

Sermonizing irritates

Preaching to others can be an irritating exercise. India and France have different histories and geographies. India is more culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse, France with its different location and past is mono-cultural. Muslim immigrants in France enjoy more freedoms than they did in their countries of origin. France’s nonMuslim citizenry have every right to object to practices such as female circumcision, oppression of women or polygamy and the wearing of the burqha on the excuse that these are part of a ‘cultural tradition.’ Killing and inciting hatred of ‘infidels’ is as prevalent in India as it is in France - which is why both coun-

Hussain Jamil Khan, from Mazgaon (in Mumbai).

Following interrogations, the trail is likely to net a fresh haul of jihadis, lending relevance to the closer ties planned between Indian and French intelligence agencies (Hindu January 24)

Increased outlay for Industrial Corridors

The government is planning to increase the outlay on Industrial Corridors in the forthcoming Budget to be presented before Parliament on 29 February, through the creation of a National Industrial Corridor Authority. The sum involved is believed to be an additional Rs 3000 crore to the allocated Rs 1,200 crore. Bridging all the corridors under the ambit of an Authority on the lines of the National Highways Authority of India will increase the confidence of investors and those of multilateral institutions such as the Japan International Agency and the Asian Development Bank, to cite two examples. Japan (Hindu January 24)

No change in leopard’s spots

An orchestrated chorus on Pakistan television claimed that India had a hand in the recent bombing of the Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan University of Non Violence. Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdelaziz Al-Sheikh, describing chess as the work of Satan, has issued a fatwa against its presence in the country. Ludo or Snakes and Ladders may do. Islamabad may prohibit chess on the ground that it was an infidel Indian invention.

(Times of India January 23)

Australia honours Indian scientists

Three Indian-born scientists, now Australian citizens, have been awarded Australia’s highest

Mrinalini Sarabhai, who died recently in Ahmedabad, aged 97, was the ‘Grad Dame’ of Indian classical dance. Born into a Keralite family, she became a Gujarati ‘bahu’, after her marriage to the handsome, upcoming physicist Vikram Sarabhai, scion of a family of textile magnates, who became the father of India’s space science. Said Mrinalini may years later: ‘Vikram and I used to sit out in the open air at night and gaze at the stars, wondering what they were saying to us.’

As a star in her own right, she talked and wrote a great deal about classical Indian dance but more so through matchless representations of her art. Mrinalini’s Swiss education, American theatre training and superlative grace made her the embodiment

Mrinalini Sarabhai

of ‘the new India’ that was unfolding through triumph and tragedy and the pains of labour to take its rightful place in the world. She danced before kings, presidents and prime ministers, the world being her stage.

Jawaharlal Nehru, one of her most ardent admirers, said of her: ‘It is Mrinalini Sarabhai who has helped India understand herself in a mystical way.’

Using her favourite Bharatnatyam, Mrinalini Sarabhai delivered one of the most enthralling of her artistic legacies in which the body, the core of aesthetic appreciation of the world, became the most inspiring teacher.

(See page 15)

UK Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

13

Asian man allegedly attempted to assault 17-year-old girl

Make in India/UK/Taiwan

I write to you from Taiwan, at a time when the Government of India advertises strongly ‘Make in India’ and the British government has suffered huge losses as no one seems to want to make steel in Britain, but they sure do want to make cars…and those that don’t make physical projects are happy to pay very little tax – I think I pay more tax than Facebook UK. And you will all remember from your childhood how everything was ‘Made in Taiwan’. Has anyone even looked at how the Taiwanese did it? How India can ensure it does it? If a small island like Taiwan with so few people can become a global powerhouse in electronics to toy cars, what are the lessons for both India and the UK? Make in India cannot work if it relies on advertising India as simply cheap labour. The two major problems are infrastructure and skills. To get the infrastructure you need money, and the Indian Government is not rich like China with money to spend.

Time and again the issue comes up in our UK India Board Meetings with the leading financial organisations in Britain lobbying the Indian Government that it needs to make financial capital that much easier to bring to India – and at last it’s happened with Bonds. No one innovates as much as the British do in Finance. And thanks to them India will have the financial instruments the West is so good at developing to bring in new capital into the Indian economy.

Infrastructure takes decades to develop – just look at the HS2 in the UK, or Nuclear Power Stations, funded by the Chinese. If the British can consider

Chinese money, the money of an adversary, India too may want to swallow its pride, and consider Chinese money.

You need the finest global minds to teach the skills too. India can make Nuclear Missiles – these are complicated, it can make computer code, but it needs to make what the world needs that others cannot make as well.

The key sector it needs to focus on is pharmaceuticals. Those don’t just need to be made in India for foreign companies, but by Indian companies who create and invent. At the moment the best British and Indian minds get hired by American companies and those companies own the rights to profit.

So Britain and India face the same problem – how do we get those great inventions from the best Universities to be developed and owned by their own people? That’s key. You do it by ensuring the entrepreneurs who can capitalise on them learn how to commercialise, and also get access to money.

India and UK are both in a battle to build their own Silicon Valleys; those ecosystems of capital, and entrepreneurs that get the funds and then convert them into businesses. I work intimately with the Indian and UK entrepreneur space, from co-founding major entrepreneur networks, to having the then PM launch UK India venture capital groups between the two countries.

And I can tell you, you need to train entrepreneurs, give them the offices, and the tools to build, build. If you want Britain or India to make, build, grow – get the entrepreneurs what they need.

It’s how Taiwan did it, it’s how America did it. It still works.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to headline the Mela Coventry A global singing superstar will headline the new Mela Coventry, an exciting twoday South Asian cultural festival, at the Ricoh Arena in the Midlands in August.

Bollywood favourite Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who sells out shows across the world, will headline the Mela Coventry and take centre stage in a concert on Friday, August 12 to open the festival.

The show with the legendary performer on August 12 will launch the highlyanticipated Mela Coventry which will include Bhangra dance classes, fashion shows, a South Asian lifestyle exhibition, street food and a UK premiere of a latest Bollywood film.

The Mela Coventry will culminate on 13 August in an evening of Bhangra music and dancing in association with Touch FM, and will include top Bhangra acts Abrar Ul Haq, Shazia Mansoor, Sukshinder Shinda, Malkit Singh, The Legends Band and Dhol Drummers. The Mela Dance School will host a series of free lessons in Bhangra and Bollywood dancing; and for the latest fashions and trends, you can visit the

‘Mahal’ for a free South Asian lifestyle exhibition featuring around 25 Midlands-based retailers and manufacturers and showcasing three Mela fashion shows on a specially constructed catwalk.

The tastes and smells of South Asian cuisine will fill the festival as the best of Asian street food is on offer to visitors, with acclaimed local and regional restaurants and chefs serving guests in the ‘Baajaar’ throughout the day on Saturday, August 13.

The day-time activities

will also feature the UK premiere of a Bollywood film with 650 tickets priced at £10 per person available, starting at 2pm, in a specially created cinema.

Andy Gibb, Managing Director of the Ricoh Arena, said: “Rahat is a true global superstar and to hear him singing at the Ricoh Arena will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for his fans... This is the first Mela we have held and it will be unlike any other similar event in the UK since we will be providing a range of different entertainment to appeal to families from all communities in the Midlands.”

Tickets are available on www.ricoharena.com

A man had allegedly attempted to sexually assault a 17-year-old girl, near South Harrow Tube station, on Saturday 16th January, at around 3 in the morning.

The attacker has been described as an Asian man, aged between 19 and 28. He is described to be 5ft 6in tall, skinny, shaved head around the back and sides, and long black hair on the top. He was wearing jeans and a black puffer jacket. Detective Constable, Chris Dover, from Ealing CID said, “Although this incident took place in the early hours, Northolt Road is a main thoroughfare which would have had many cars

An Asian man allegedly attempted to assault a teenaged girl near South Harrow station

and people using it. This man may have been loitering in the area for sometime so I am appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time and noticed someone acting suspiciously to contact

Indian students affected by alleged immigration scam with both parties and their solicitor for their comments. Sources have also revealed that the matter is under Home Office investigation currently. Asian Voice is in the process of putting all the facts together and a report will be published in the subsequent aissues of Asian Voice.

Our attention has been drawn to an alleged immigration scam that has affected 20 students, who has been refused Tier 2 visa on the basis of fake Certificate of Sponsorship (COS). A protest was held outside the alleged immigration advisor's home on Sunday. We have been in touch

me.”

If you have any information regarding this incident, contact Ealing CID on 101.

You could also contact Crimestoppers anonymous on 0800 555 111.

Man charged with pensioner's murder

44-year-old Mohsin Manji, from Harrow, has been charged with murder, following the death of a Harrow pensioner, after an alleged assault. He was charged on 13th January, for the murder of Amirali Manji, who passed away on 3rd December 2015, after an alleged assault by Mohsin Manji, on 29th November. On 30th November, Mohsin Manji was charged with causing bodily harm with intent. He is remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 15th April.

WITH VERY SPECIAL GUEST

R A H AT FAT E H A L I K H A N Bhangra music and dancing with

A celebration of ASIAN

A B R A R U L H AQ SHAZIA MANSOOR S U K S H I N D E R S H I N DA THE LEGENDS BAND DHOL DRUMMERS MALKIT SINGH

MUSIC, FA S H I O N & FILM

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

MATRIMONIAL British born Gujarati female, 30 years old, 5 feet 8 inches, divorced (no children). Education: Masters.

Working professional.

Correspondence are invited from Gujarati professional males, vegetarian and non-smoker. Below the age of 36.

Please email photo(s) and details including name, age, height, location and profession to annie.patel.86@gmail.com

T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W AT RICOHARENA.COM #MelaCoventry

14

SP

TLIGHT

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6thFebruary 2016

Coldplay's new video gains criticism for cultural appropriation

Nisbah: Life is but an Adventure Sunetra Senior

Nominated as a finalist for the 2015 MAD Blog Awards for Best Family Travel Blog, and coming highly recommended by Tots 100 - a site cataloguing the UK’s leading parenting blogs – solicitor turned professional blogger, Nisbah, has traversed more than just physical landscapes. With such a strong reception for her advice and journal blog – a.k.a The Five Adventurers, which also features husband Ashiq and their three little trekkers, Maya, Raihan and Zayn – this worldly-wise writer navigates the emotional terrain too: “It is very rewarding” she told us, “your children can learn as much from being on the go as they can rote-learning in the classroom; travel is an indispensable source of life experience. It is important not to be afraid to experiment. If you keep your mind open, and have that sense of fun and fascination, you pass on good practice to your young ones too.” Having recently filmed with the National Trust, and securing partnerships with the likes of Universal Studios and The Hotel Collection, Nisbah and her compact clutch of eager adventurers don’t just demonstrate inspiration, but establish it as a calling.

Beyoncé, in Coldplay's new music video

Another outburst has taken place with Indian's portrayal in the western world. The music video, Hymn For the Weekend, by the music group Coldplay, has led to many criticism within hours of it being released.

Hymn For the Weekend is the second single from the band's new album, A Head Full of Dreams. The video stars Beyoncé as a Bollywood damsel, adorned in Indian attire and ornaments.

The video has received mixed reviews on social media and has started debates about integral difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Some have even gone one step ahead

and labelled Beyoncé's semblance as cultural appropriation.

The video shows the band roaming around India during the festival of colours, Holi, with street kids dancing away. The video also has Bollywood starlet, Sonam Kapoor in a 2-second cameo at the end.

There have been people who have disliked the use of India in the video, using it as a backdrop to allegedly portray the stereotypical notion of India- poverty and Bollywood.

While there are also some who do not see what the big deal is about this video. For them, it is just like any other musical- a means to express your creativity.

Split/Mixed- A one man show

How did you get into family blogging?

My husband and I always loved travelling. We didn’t really think much needed to change when the children arrived, though many people do. So I thought, why not start a blog showing the benefits of joint adventures? I think there can be a reluctance to go to new places, but it is good to go outside your comfort zone.

One of your articles reads: ‘Throughout 2015 the newspapers were rife with article upon article highlighting that experiences are much more conducive to happiness then material items and goods. We are keen believers in this philosophy and want to change our attitude towards holidays and travels’ Please elaborate?

My husband actually has this theory that children need to be a little less distracted in order to be creative; it encourages them to think for themselves. Nowadays kids get given so much - I-Pads, new gadgets, all the traditional toys and more - that to them what is technically a lot is actually closer to nothing. You need to give them that mind space to discover and that’s where physical activities such as walks and exploration, comes into it. Better to use the time and money to have quality time with your kids.

You have had a successful corporate career too; is that useful for blogging?

When you have worked in as big a

From left: Actor & writer, Ery Nzaramba; Tamasha's artistic director, Fin Kennedy; & director, Jude Christian

Reshma Trilochun

On Friday 29th January 2016, The May Fair Hotel was where Tamasha hosted its fundraising performance, Split/Mixed, which is a portrait of a boy and a country.

Tamasha Theatre Company, which celebrat-

ed their 25th anniversary last year, have been instrumental in launching the careers of many contemporary British Asian actors, including, Parminder Nagra, Archie Panjabi and Nina Wadia.

Split/Mixed, which was written and performed Continued on page 30

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

it's good to go outside of your comfort zone company as I did (Deloitte), you realise just how important confidence and thinking on the spot is and blogging is quite the same. It’s about how you interact with your audience— not just the figures. You need to know how to stand out personally.

You have taken a world trip with the family; could you share some highlights?

We went to Japan first and that was completely different and amazing- the toilets are pinnacles of technology!

Very colourful too! Other places included Hong Kong and Malaysia.

But New Zealand was the favourite.

The country was just so beautiful: we rented out a car and were able to explore with flexibility. We went to see the glaciers, Mount Cook, the glow worms in the caves of Te Anau, the Fjords. In 2018 we are planning another big trip, for about12-18 months, where we are thinking of ‘home-schooling’ the children on the road! My daughter wants to go to Hawaii for her birthday and we have already started planning routes; this time we want to include South

America and India.

How do you handle planning on the spot, especially with young children?

It’s important to have a chilled out attitude. When you have kids you learn that you don’t have control over anything and that’s ok! In fact you can use it to your advantage. The world is your oyster. In Malaysia there was a random Bhangra evening event, and my husband and niece, who we took with us too, just got up on stage and started dancing What for you is the key to writing a good blog entry?

Keep your audience in mind. I started for two reasons: to record all the adventures for myself, but also to help other families. With so much experience, I’m able to pick up on what’s useful e.g how to have a good flight with your children, what the most efficient way of sorting your travel documents is. After the Paris attacks, for example, people have been more rattled about travelling. I just raise awareness and assuage the fears.

Finally communicating widely on social media is important.

Have you always been creative naturally?

I’ve always loved reading and am always very hands on. I like to come up with all the creative solutions: wrapping and ideas for parties, we also did all our wedding photos ourselves.

Finally, what would you say are the top three ingredients for a great trip?

First off: a sense of adventure; practically speaking, think about enjoyable activities for everyone to do- I know adults tend to pick places with good restaurants, but think of the children’s needs too; finally look at the experiences most appealing for you. Don’t get bogged down by what you should do. For example if you like going to the beach, you can just as easily go to Spain as travelling across the world to Thailand.

W

fiveadventurers.com

SPECIAL TRIBUTE Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

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Dancing at Amma’s last journey: A tribute to Mrinalini Sarabhai, the mother of all dancers Anand Pillai Take a look at the picture (on your right) closely. This is no ordinary dance recital. This is an image people won’t forget for a long time to come. I have seen girls dancing at weddings, but never seen a daughter dancing at her mother’s final farewell – that too with so much poise and grace.

This is class personified, a fitting tribute by danseuse Mallika Sarabhai to her mother Mrinalini Sarabhai – the ‘Amma’ of all dancers – who passed away in Ahmedabad on January 21 at the age of 97.

She died of old agerelated complications.

The sad news was broken by Mallika on her Facebook post, saying, “My mother Mrinalini has just left for her eternal dance.”

Hearing the news the world came to a standstill for thousands of dancers who studied under her tutelage at the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, on the banks of Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, which Mrinalini and her late hus-

FITTING FAREWELL: Danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, dressed in a white kurta and blue kameez, is seen in a dance pose before her mother’s body as family and friends look on. Mallika performed Krishna Nee Begane Baro, a Carnatic composition in praise of Lord Krishna

was standing at the entrance of the shop. I knew she was Mrinalini Sarabhai and greeted her with a big smile. She reciprocated warmly, to my surprise and delight. I was a complete stranger to her.

She asked me: “Is the little one yours?” I said: “Yes”.

She gently patted on my son’s cheek and went inside

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK: Anahita, Mallika and Mrinalini

band Vikram Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme, set up in 1948.

Mrinalini was fondly called “Amma” (mother) by her students.

I met her once, accidentally. This was in 200405. With my family I was shopping at Adani Supermarket at Vijay Char Rasta in Navrangpura (Ahmedabad). My son, who was 10 months old at the time, started crying. So I took him out and waited outside the shop for my wife to finish the shopping.

While I was entertaining my son, there I saw a woman clad in a saree with a flower-bedecked bun and a large bindi on her forehead coming towards me. I

the shop. My joy knew no bounds. She made my day.

For me, she was the quintessential elite with a common touch.

Mrinalini was born in Kerala on May 11, 1918, to a famous family of freedom fighters. She belonged to Vadakath Tharavad family that has its roots in Anakkara village in Palakkad district of Kerala.

Ammu Her mother Swaminadhan was a known Gandhian and a member of India’s first Parliament, while her father an illustrious lawyer.

Her elder sister Lakshmi Sehgal became the commander of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian

National Army.

Capt Lakshmi Sehgal died in 2012.

Mrinalini and her siblings had a very English upbringing and had nannies to look after them.

Mrinalini trained as a ballerina when she was at a school in Switzerland in the 1930s. She then went to Shantiniketan and learned music and painting under the tutelage of the great Rabindranath Tagore. She also spent time studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Mrinalini moved to Ahmedabad after she married renowned physicist Vikram Sarabhai, one of the pioneering institution builders of science in India, in 1942. He belonged to the first family of Ahmedabad’s textile tycoons.

Mrinalini knew from almost the word-go that she was a dancer and her life was on stage.

In an interview to the Times of India in 1999, she said, “I knew I would be a dancer when I was four years old. I started seeing everything in images.

While listening to music at age four, I would create my own movement.”

She with the help of Vikram established Darpana. But then there she had to take on the ‘conservative world’ which had this notion that being a dancer was not meant for ‘respectable women’.

Her legacy is she brought the dance form out of the Devadasi closet and made it acceptable as well as respectable.

In South India, a Devadasi is a girl “dedicated” to worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life.

“Papa said my mother broke the negative aura

Vikram Sarabhai

around Bharatnatyam at a time when women who danced were known as Devadasis,” Mallika told the Times of India in an interview.

Mrinalini also gave Bharatnatyam a space in Gujarat.

For me another vivid memory of hers was her inspiring interview with writer and documentary filmmaker Rajiv Mehrotra on Doordarshan in a programme called Mind Scapes. This was in the 1990s. What struck home with me was her reply.

clarity is the main thing.”

An exponent of Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, Mrinalini was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1992.

Besides dancing, choreographying and training hundreds of students in these various dance forms for more than 50 years, Mrinalini was also a writer, poet and environmentalist.

She was well-read and concerned about society at large and used dance to depict social evils like dowry deaths, untouchability, rise of concrete jungle, etc. and bring awareness in the society. And it created quite a sensation not only in India but all over the world.

She had choreographed more than 300 dances in a career spanning over five decades.

While she learnt Bharatnatyam from M e e n a k s h i Sundaram Pillai, she mastered Kathakali under Thakazhi Guru Kunchu Kurup.

She is survived by her children Kartikeya Sarabhai, Mallika Sarabhai, four grand-children and three greatgrandchildren.

Kartikeya is founder director of Centre for Environment Education (CEE).

In her blog she writes her connection with dance: “Continuously through the years, people ask me ‘What is dance to you?’. My reply usually is, ‘It is my breath, my passion, my self’. I am only ‘I’ when I dance. I am only that ‘I AM’ when I dance. I am only eternity when I dance. Silence is my response, movement my

Mrinalini with Pandit Nehru and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

On being asked how much of work is inspiration and perspiration, she said: “Inspiration is rarer than perspiration. It’s the perspiration that leads to inspiration. If you sit at something and think about it, inspiration does come.

But the work and the effort that leads to invention or

answer.”

Mrinalini also wrote an autobiography titled ‘Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart’.

She was the first Indian classical performer to take Bharatnatyam and Kathakali abroad.

She was first noticed in the West when she did a

solo Bharatnatyam in the traditional way and a small dance drama with Kathakali technique but without the costume. This was at Palais de Chaillot in Paris. There was no looking back after that. La Bombe Atomique Des Hindous (The Hindu Atomic Bomb), read a French newspaper review headline in 1949 – a day after her performance.

In the interview to Rajiv Mehrotra, she says: “When the manager of the theatre saw me, he said ‘Oh dear, you are so tiny and small, how will you ever be seen by the audience’. And then overnight everything fell into place, and that’s the power of the dance.”

One of her first major successes was the dance drama “Manushya” in

Mrinalini Sarabhai

which she stripped Kathakali dancers of their make-up and costumes so that audiences could focus on the beauty of the movement.

When asked: Is it possible for an artiste to be a bad person and be a good performer? She said: “If you are not a good person, dance will help you become what you really should be.”

On being asked would she like to be reborn as a dancer, surprisingly, she said: “No, not a dancer. It’s lot of hard work. I would like to be reborn as an artiste. I would like to be a writer or a singer. Next to dancing, I like writing.

Words move me more than anything else. I like the sound of words.”

Mrinalini’s dance legacy is now in its third generation. She is survived by her daughter, Mallika, a dancer and political activist; grandson Revanta, an emerging choreographer; and granddaughter Anahita, who is into dance, choreography and poetry.

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

5 FIRSTS AT THE 67TH REPU

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

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India celebrated its 67th Republic Day last Tuesday (January 26), with French President Fr grammes highlighted the culture and achievements of the country at the annual parade in respective governors hoisted the Tricolour in the stat The main parade at the Rajpath was a big success, with the military prowess on full display and tableau from different states showing off their culture. The French leader joined President Pranab Mukherjee and Premier Narendra Modi as the military parade marched through a central avenue. The parade included marching troops, military bands, tanks, and other hardware.

Colourful floats from various Indian states, traditional dances, and gymnastics by children were also part of the event. The Sikh regiment, however, missed the day in what was called a “grave omission”.

The celebrations began with PM Modi driving to the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial

Ashoka Chakra for Valley warrior Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami, who had killed two terrorists and helped neutralise two others, while saving the lives of two wounded soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir last September, has been posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra. Goswami was a member of a 9 Para-Special Forces. He was chasing militants as part of a patrol in Kupwara's Haphruda forest on September 2 when four heavily-armed terrorists suddenly opened fire and he was killed in the encounter.

Defence Service Corps C) sepoy Jagdish Chand was among four honoured with the Kirti Chakra, the secondhighest peacetime gallantry award. He was killed by one of the recent Pathankot attackers after snatching his gun before he was himself shot dead by the other attackers. The other three are Subedar Mahendra Singh (9 Para-SF), head constable Rajesh Atra and constable Gautam Koch (posthumous).

Four of the 11 Shaurya Chakra awardees also received the award posthumously. Colonel Santosh Yaswant Mahadik (41 Rashtriya Rifles), Naik Satish Kumar (21 Rashtriya Rifles), sepoy Dharma Ram (1 Rashtriya Rifle) and constable Shri Rocky. Other awardees are Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj (12 ParaSf), Major Anurag Kumar (9 Para-SF), Major Sandip Yadav (55 Rashtriya Rifles), Lieutenant Harjinder Singh (3 Kumaon), Naik Kheem Singh Mehra (21 Kumaon) and Rakesh Kumar Sharma and Bikramjeet.

to the Unknown Soldier at India Gate and laying a wreath in honour of all the Indian soldiers who have died in battles since World War I. The President’s Bodyguard presented the national salute, the tricolour was unfurled and the national anthem was played to set the tone for a rather poignant moment - the posthumous presentation of the Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest gallantry award in peacetime. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, the three service chiefs, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, cabinet ministers, a host of dignitaries and a group of women achievers seated in a special enclosure witnessed the hour-and-half affair, along with a crowd of 10,000.

The Republic Day was a

reflection of the country's Prime Minister as it changed the conventions and braced the new. The annual parade was quite a sight this year as the Capital flaunted the country's military might with a hint of cultural diversity.

The French Army contingent became the firstever foreign military group to march in the parade for the first time in the history of the Republic Day. France's 35th Infantry Regiment marched alongside their Indian counterparts.

The country's participation was a reciprocal gesture after the Indian troops marched down Paris's Champs-Elysees on Bastille Day in 2009.

The long forgotten Army dog squad returned after 26 years to the parade. Clad in

Padma awards for Dhirubhai, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yamini Krishnamurthi Hundred and twelve people were selected for Padma awards on the eve of the Republic day, including 10 Padma Vibhushan awards.

The awards are given in three categories, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and, Padma Shri. The award recognizes distinguished and exceptional service in all fields like the arts, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, etc.

The official list released by the Centre is as follows.

PADMA VIBHUSHAN

1. Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi — ArtClassical dance — Delhi 2. Shri Rajinikanth — ArtCinema — Tamil Nadu 3. Smt Girija Devi — ArtClassical Vocal — West Bengal 4. Shri Ramoji Rao — Literature & EducationJournalism — Andhra Pradesh 5. Dr Viswanathan Shanta — Medicine-Oncology — Tamil Nadu 6. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar — Others-Spiritualism — Karnataka 7. Shri Jagmohan — Public Affairs — Delhi 8. Dr Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre — Science &

Rajinikanth Engineering — Karnataka 9. Shri Avinash Dixit(NRI) — Literature & Education — USA 10. Late Shri Dhirubhai Ambani (Posthumous) — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra

PADMA BHUSHAN 11. Shri Anupam Kher — ArtCinema — Maharashtra 12. Shri Udit Narayan Jha — Art-Playback Singing — Maharashtra 13. Shri Ram V Sutar — ArtSculpture — Uttar Pradesh 14. Shri Heisnam Kanhailal — Art-Theatre — Manipur 15. Shri Vinod Rai — Civil Service — Kerala 16. Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad — Literature & Education — Andhra Pradesh 17. Prof NS Ramanuja Tatacharya — Literature & Education — Maharashtra 18. Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard — Literature & Education - Journalism — Punjab 19. Prof D Nageshwar Reddy — MedicineGastroenterology — Telangana 20. Swami Tejomayananda — Other-Spiritualism —

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Maharashtra 21. Shri Hafeez Contractor — Others-Architecture — Maharashtra 22. Shri Ravindra Chandra Bhargava — Public Affairs — Uttar Pradesh 23. Dr Venkata Rama Rao — Alla Science & Engineering — Andhra Pradesh 24. Ms Saina Nehwal — Sports-Badminton — Telangana 25. Ms Sania Mirza — SportsTennis — Telangana 26. Ms Indu Jain — Trade & Industry — Delhi 27. Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati (Posthumous) — Others-Spiritualism — Uttarakhand 28. Shri Robert Blackwill (Foreigner) — Public Affairs — USA 29. Shri Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (NRI/PIO) — Trade & Industry — Ireland

PADMA SHRI 30. Smt Prathibha Prahlad — Art- Classical Dance — Delhi 31. Shri Bhikhudan Gadhvi — Art- Folk Music — Gujarat 32. Shri Sribhas Chandra Supakar — Art- Textile Designing — Uttar Pradesh

Avinash Dixit

Dhirubhai Ambani

33. Shri Ajay Devgn — ArtCinema — Maharashtra 34. Ms Priyanka Chopra — Art-Cinema — Maharashtra 35. Pt Tulsidas Borkar — ArtClassical Music — Goa 36. Dr Soma Ghosh — ArtClassical Vocal — Uttar Pradesh 37. Shri Nila Madhab Panda — Art-Film Direction and Production — Delhi 38. Shri SS Rajamouli — ArtFilm Direction and Production — Karnataka 39. Shri Madhur Bhandarkar — Art-Film Direction and Production — Maharashtra 40. Prof M Venkatesh Kumar — Art-Folk Artist — Karnataka 41. Ms Gulabi Sapera — ArtFolk Dance — Rajasthan 42. Smt Mamta Chandrakar — Art-Folk Music — Chhattisgarh 43. Ms Malini Awasthi — ArtFolk Music — Uttar Pradesh 44. Shri Jai Prakash Lekhiwal — Art-Miniature Painting — Delhi 45. Shri K Laxma Goud — Art-Painting — Telangana 46. Shri Bhalchandra Dattatray Mondhe — ArtPhotography — Madhya Pradesh 47. Shri Naresh Chander Lal

Anupam

— Art-Theatre & Cinema — Andaman & Nicobar 48. Shri Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah — Literature & Education — Assam 49. Shri Prahlad Chandra Tasa — Literature & Education — Assam 50. Dr Ravindra Nagar — Literature & Education — Delhi 51. Shri Dahyabhai Shastri — Literature & Education — Gujarat 52. Dr Santeshivara Bhyrappa — Literature & Education — Karnataka 53. Shri Haldar Nag — Literature & Education — Odisha 54. Shri Kameshwaram Brahma — Literature & Education -Journalism — Assam 55. Prof Pushpesh Pant — Literature & EducationJournalism — Delhi 56. Shri Jawaharlal Kaul — Literature & EducationJournalism — Jammu & Kashmir 57. Shri Ashok Malik — Literature & Education — Delhi 58. Dr Mannam Gopi Chand — Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery — Telangana 59. Prof Ravi Kant — Medicine-Surgery — Uttar Pradesh

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

UBLIC DAY PARADE IN DELHI

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rancois Hollande as Chief Guest at the national Capital. Vibrant parades and colourful pron Rajpath, New Delhi. Different states and also marked the day amid tight security as the te capitals, and delivered their speeches as per ritual. maroon and gold striped coats, a dog squad from the Army's Remount Veterinary Corps marched along with their dog handlers. Good looking Labradors and German Shepherds walked with pride after 26 years, at the Rajpath. Only 36 of 1,200 army dogs were chosen and underwent weeks of training in preparation for the parade.

A tradition was broken as instead of a marching continent of ex-servicemen, there was an entire tableau dedicated to them in the first part of the parade.

After last year's sudden pour down that had forced chief guest US President Barack Obama to take shelter under a large umbrella, this year's VVIP enclosure had a motorised sliding glass roof

r, Rajnikath, Anupam Kher, Sania Mirza

Kher

Barjinder Singh Hamdard

60. Prof Ram Harsh Singh — Medicine- Ayurveda — Uttar Pradesh 61. Prof Shiv Narain Kureel — Medicine- Paediatric Surgery — Uttar Pradesh 62. Dr Sabya Sachi Sarkar — Medicine -Radiology — Uttar Pradesh 63. Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale — MedicineCardiac Surgery — Andhra Pradesh 64. Prof TK Lahiri — Medicine-Cardio Thoracic Surgery — Uttar Pradesh 65. Dr Praveen Chandra — Medicine-Cardiology — Delhi 66. Prof (Dr) Daljeet Singh Gambhir — MedicineCardiology — Uttar Pradesh 67. Dr Chandrasekar Shesadri Thoguluva — MedicineGastroenterology — Tamil Nadu 68. Dr (Mrs) Anil Kumari Malhotra — MedicineHomeopathy — Delhi 69. Prof MV Padma Srivastava — MedicineNeurology — Delhi 70. Dr Sudhir V Shah — Medicine-Neurology — Gujarat 71. Dr MM Joshi — Medicine-Ophthalmology — Karnataka 72. Prof (Dr) John Ebnezar — Medicine-Orthopaedic

Hafeez Contractor

Surgery — Karnataka 73. Dr Nayudamma Yarlagadda — MedicinePaediatric Surgery — Andhra Pradesh 74. Shri Simon Oraon — Other -Environment Conservation — Jharkhand 75. Shri Imitiaz Qureshi — Other-Culinary — Delhi 76. Shri Piyush Pandey — Others-Advertising & Communication — Maharashtra 77. Shri Subhash Palekar — Others-Farming — Maharashtra 78. Shri Ravinder Kumar Sinha — Others-Wildlife Conservation — Bihar 79. Dr HR Nagendra — Others-Yoga — Karnataka 80. Shri MC Mehta — Public Affairs — Delhi 81. Shri MN Krishna Mani — Public Affairs — Delhi 82. Shri Ujjwal Nikam — Public Affairs — Maharashtra 83. Shri Tokheho Sema — Public Affairs — Nagaland 84. Dr Satish Kumar — Science & Engineering — Delhi 85. Dr Mylswamy Annadurai — Science & Engineering — Karnataka 86. Prof Dipankar Chatterji

Saina Nehwal — Science & Engineering — Karnataka 87. Prof(Dr) Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav — Science & Engineering — Maharashtra 88. Smt (Prof) Veena Tandon — Science & Engineering — Meghalaya 89. Shri Onkar Nath Srivastava — Science and Engineering — Uttar Pradesh 90. Ms Sunita Krishnan — Social Work — Andhra Pradesh 91. Shri Ajoy Kumar Dutta — Social Work — Assam 92. Shri M Pandit Dasa — Social Work — Karnataka 93. Shri PP Gopinathan Nair — Social Work — Kerala 94. Smt Madeleine Herman de Blic — Social Work — Puducherry 95. Shri Srinivasan Damal Kandalai — Social work — Tamil Nadu 96. Shri Sudhakar Olwe — Social Work — Maharashtra 97. Dr TV Narayana — Social Work — Telangana 98. Shri Arunachalam Murugantham — Social Work — Tamil Nadu 99. Ms Deepika Kumari — Sports-Archery — Jharkhand 100. S Shri Sushil Doshi — Sports-commentary —

which was rolled back for the Air Force fly past.

Also, young recipients of the National Awards for Bravery marched only towards the end of the parade. In the previous celebrations, the children rode on elephants, which used to be one of the highlights of the day.

Republic Day celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir were held with massive security clampdown and was uncharacteristically peaceful.

The flag was unfurled by bureaucrats as the state is under Governor's rule. The biggest function in the Valley was at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, however, the region observed a complete shutdown on a strike called by separatists.

Stunt women steal show in Gujarat

Sania Mirza Madhya Pradesh 101. Shri Mahesh Sharma — Trade & Industry — Delhi 102. Shri Saurabh Srivastava — Trade & Industry — Delhi 103. Sh Dilip Sanghvi — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra 104. Dr Keki Hormusji Gharda — Trade & Industry — Maharashtra 105. Late Shri Prakash Chand Surana (Posthumous) — Art Classical Music — Rajasthan 106. Late Shri Saeed Jaffrey (NRI/PIO/Posthumous ) — Art-Cinema — UK 107. Shri Michael Postel (Foreigner) — ArtArchaeology — France 108. Shri Salman Amin Sal Khan (NRI/PIO) — Literature & Education — USA 109. Smt Hui Lan Zhang (Foreigner) — OthersYoga — China 110. Shri Predrag K Nikic (Foreigner) — OthersYoga — Serbia 111. Dr Sundar Aditya Menon (NRI/PIO) — Social Work — UAE 112. Shri Ajaypal Singh Banga (NRI/PIO) — Trade & Industry — US

Gujarat celebrated the 67th Republic Day in Prabhas Patan, near the iconic Somnath temple in Gir Somnath district with stunning motorbike acts, marching contingents of police and armed forces, and cultural performances being the highlights of the parade.

Governor Om Prakash Kohli unfurled the tricolour on Sadbhavna ground, accompanied by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. After saluting the flag, both, the governor and the CM rode in an open jeep, inspecting the parade as a helicopter showered rose petals from the air.

Beginning a new tradition, a women contingent from Rajasthan state police participated in the parade, and were accorded the honour to lead the trail of platoons of police force. The contingent participated in the Gujarat parade after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for better cooperation and contacts among police forces of various states.

However, women platoons of the Gujarat police won the loudest cheers. Out of 30 platoons that participated in the parade, 10 were all-women and commanded by women.

The CM and the governor applauded the women per-

sonnel as they rode their bikes dressed as Jhansi Ki Rani, and jumped through a ring of fire. A platoon of Gujarat Forest Force and trainees of Raksha Shakti University, Ahmedabad also took part.

The march past was followed by a train of 35 tableau. They featured the proposed Statue of Unity being constructed downstream Narmada dam as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel. There were floats on Dr BR Ambedkar and on the industrial and agricultural achievements of the state.

Simultaneous cultural performances by several groups, featuring among others, the Dhamal dance by Sidi tribe and traditional Garba of Gujarat also won hearts of the spectators. Students also performed Surya Namaskar and Yoga during the parade.

Personnel from Gujarat police took the audience's breath away with their thrilling and high-risk motorbike stunts. Other than individual stunts, the policemen also demonstrated breathtaking balancing acts on their bikes in teams.

The dog squad of the police also put their skills on the show.

18

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

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High Commission of India celebrates Republic Day in London AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6thFebruary 2016

Rupanjana Dutta

The Indian High Commission organised the Republic Day celebration at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Friday 29 January 2016.

It was attended by whose who of the community including Indian origin MPs and Peers.

The Chief Guest was PM David Cameron's Indian Diaspora Champion and Minister for Employment, Ms Priti Patel and this was the first public gathering the new High Commisioner Shri Navtej Singh Sarna addressed.

Speaking to the present guests, Mr Sarna said, “It is an honour for me to have this opportunity to greet such distinguish gathering.

It was on this 66 years ago India and Indians gave themselves a consitution. It is one of the most complex and alive documents of a political nature in the world, besides being the longest constitution of a country. It was drafted after a thorough debate of nearly three years and therefore reflects the resilience and elasticity to handle every possible conceivable complexity that may rise and is just the document India as a federal democracy needs, so that every human being no matter which part of the country he belongs, which lan-

High Commissioner of India Navtej Singh Sarna with Chief Guest Priti Patel, Minister for Employment and PM Cameron’s Indian Diaspora Champion

Invited guests at the High Commission Republic Day celebration guage he speaks, what religion he professes has an equal chance for actualising his potential...

“As India grows and develops we are only two mindful of the challenges that we still face. These are the challenges of development of providing education, health, security and employment to our millions. And sometime such challenges can raise doubts, they can weaken the best of resource and in such

moments before looking forward, it is better to look back...

“There are greater vistas to explore and greater heights to still climb, but we have 1.25 billion people, 800 million people of which are still under 35.

We have the strength and the energy to climb further.

But in today's interdependent globalised interraletedd world, no nation can climb so, we need reliable dependable mutually

Parrikar hoists largest flag with tallest flagpole India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hoisted the largest Indian national flag on the tallest mast, at the historical Pahari Mandir, in the presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, and other leaders. While Pahari Mandir is known for its historical temple of Lord Shiva, it was used by the British to hang freedom fighters. The national flag is traditionally raised at the temple every Republic Day and Independence Day as a mark of respect to our fighters.

Both the leaders hoisted the 60-kg flag on the pole that stood at 293- feet, and was at 493 feet from the ground level. The flag was sent up by a motorised mechanism, in the presence of a large number of school students and supporters.

Officer-on-Special-Duty Amit Kumar, the brainchild behind the concept said, “We were planning for renovation of the Mandir.

Since, the national flag is traditionally hoisted here on every Independence Day and Republic Day, we thought why not make it a permanent and a grand feature. This happened in May.” The Pahari Mandir Vikas Samiti comprises of

government officials who manage its affairs.

When asked how the mammoth task was tackled, Kumar replied, “Among the foremost tasks was testing of the soil and creating anchors and a strong platform for the flag pole to be installed. Then, we needed a high quality flagpole, which is 293-feet. So, we floated a tender and the award went to the Indian unit of Walmart, which met our specifications for the flagpole. The flagpole was made and then brought in from Pune.” Nearly 40 workers were involved in preparing the flag and the entire work was done in Mumbai.

Speaking at the function, Parrikar lauded the

efforts of the Jharkhand government, saying the spirit of Republic Day was visible three days before, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

“Jharkhand has given a lot to the country. It has not been able to develop up to its potential. It is time the country gave back to Jharkhand. I can assure that there will be no hindrance to its development and whatever help is needed from our side, it will be given.”

It is said that more than 250 freedom fighters were hanged from Pahari Mandir by the British, which is the reason it came to be known as “Phansi Tinguri”.

A S Rajan, Minister for Coordination, Indian High Commission (centre), CB Patel (right) with other guests

Cultural programme at the celebration beneficial partnership. And we cant possibly know better example of such partnership than the one that exists between UK and India. We are two countries and inextricably linked by history and are working together in every possible path or sectors of engagement...”

He also paid tribute to the Indian community in the UK and committed that the High Commision of India would work harder to

keep this relationship between India and its diaspora alive.

Priti Patel, said: “The UK and India enjoy a longstanding friendship that is anchored in our own shared history, strong people-to-people links, democratic values and common interests. It is a relationship that continues to grow from strength to strength, supported by the talented, vibrant and successful Indian diaspora communi-

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ty in the United Kingdom.

“The enduring bonds between our people were highlighted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the UK, and during my visit to India last month, where I had the honour of meeting many more members of the Indian community and seeing first-hand the vast contribution they are making in all walks of life.

“The largest diaspora in the UK continue to make Indian culture a key part of British identity and remain a cornerstone of British life.

Every day, I am inspired by the rich diversity and ambition in our flourishing community. The binding of the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy throughout history to the modern day shows what we can achieve through partnership and shared goals.

“Republic Day is a hugely important occasion where we can all reflect on our hard work, success and achievements so far, as well as looking to the bright and prosperous future. Today we are celebrating our vibrant culture, heritage and aspirations, and uniting as one global Indian community.”

The event concluded with cultural programme and sumptuous dinner.

(Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix)

Indians living in other parts of world too celebrate R-Day The Republic Day was celebrated not only in India, but also by the Indians l i v i n g a b r o a d .

I n d i a n Ambassador to the US Arun K S i n g h unfurled the I n d i a n national flag at the Indian Embassy in Washington.

A large number of Indian Americans gathered to celebrate, even as the city struggles to recover from a blizzard.

Singh paid floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, before he hoisted the tricolour. He addressed the Indian American community and read out the speech of President Pranab Mukherjee delivered on the eve of Republic Day. Similar Republic Day celebrations were held at other Indian diplomatic missions in New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco and the Permanent Mission of

India to the UN. The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) hosted the Republic Day celebrations over the weekend in Chicago on January 24.

The Consulate General of India observed the event by hoisting a flag at Consul General Parvatheneni Harish's home. The Consul General and his wife welcomed all IndianAmericans, and friends of India. “It is indeed a great honour to be raising the Indian flag,” Harish said as he saluted the flag in Houston. He read out the Presidents' speech and extended his greetings.

Similarly, the Indian community in the Polish capital of Warsaw, braved the biting cold and rains to assemble at the newly built Indian embassy. Indian Ambassador to Poland Ajay Bisaria unfurled the Indian flag and read out President Pranab Mukherjee's speech.

Bisaria addressed the assembly and said that a Polish delegation led by the deputy prime minister will attend the 'Make in India' festival in Mumbai in February and, trade between both the countries will touch $5 billion by the end of 2017.

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

R EALESTATEVOICE Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Best of both worlds

19

Britain is a nation of property investors, the appetite we have for property is not shared with the rest of Europe. Some countries have a really low number of owner occupiers, for example in Germany only 40% of occupiers own their own properties, and Switzerland ranks even further below. In the UK the statistics show over 65% of the population are owner occupiers.

It seems the government wish to quell this hunger for property ownership, primarily because they need to raise more and more money to fill a hole which cannot be filled; property is the obvious choice.

The changes the government is implementing in the housing sector are twofold, one is to increase stamp duty and the other is a reduction of the amount of interest you can offset against your rental income. Unless you are geared up to purchase a property in a corporate structure owning the odd one or two properties could become a little challenging in times to come, depending on your circumstances.

Buying in a corporate structure allows you to still benefit by having the interest relief on the mortgage.

This of course may have its own problems. You will need to take into consideration the cost of setting up and maintaining a company which means accounts to be filed every year. The main issue will be the funding aspect. There are only a handful of lenders who lend to limited companies and there is the added due diligence that goes with this.

Therefore the rates offered by lenders who lend to companies are not as competitive as purchasing in your own individual name where the market is a lot more fluid; and though the due diligence has increased it is not as cumbersome as purchasing in a company.

What I expect to see in the BTL sector as time goes on is the growth of crowd funding for property transactions. This means instead of buying the whole cake you can chose to take a slice, and also you get to choose how big this slice can be.

This is a big sector in the US and in the UK the momentum is growing, the main players in the market at the moment do not offer any great deals, their USP seems to be just that you can purchase a piece of the property rather than the whole lump. As this market develops lucrative deals will start to appear on this platform.

When the changes in stamp duty and interest relief start to erode investment in property the average landlord will turn to syndicated deals via crowd funding which will allow them to evade stamp duty and get the full mortgage relief on their investment not to mention they do not have to go through the hassle of applying for a mortgage, which many may not qualify for in the first place. There is no income proof required and credit history is irrelevant.

Any investment in property done now has to take the above framework into consideration to prepare for the future.

Purchasing shares in a company which owns the property gets rid

of a couple of problems with one stroke.

The above lays the foundation for a great deal we have just agreed to purchase. The property is a freehold block of flats, in Brent Cross.

The property comes ready completed, tenanted and producing income.

The purchase price equates to only £630 per sq. ft., all properties come with parking and are well maintained. The block has been constructed in the last ten years, and therefore there is little due in terms of maintenance.

The property is minutes away from Brent Cross station, and will benefit directly from the massive regeneration which is taking place in this location. The regeneration aims to make this area of Cricklewood and Brent cross into a town, this will act as a centre of gravity. Brent Cross is one of the capital’s major regeneration schemes and among the most significant planned new developments in Europe.

The regeneration scheme aims to deliver a new town centre for Barnet and North West London, creating up to 27,000 jobs and acting as a catalyst for future economic growth.

Brent Cross will be a great place for existing and new communities with 7,500 new homes delivered as well as new buildings for three local schools, new health facilities, high quality parks and open spaces.

It will provide all the elements of a thriving town centre with a transformed Brent Cross Shopping Centre forming the heart of a new retail and leisure district.

More than £400m will be invested in transport infrastructure including new roads, increased capacity at key junctions and the creation of a new station on the Midland Mainline and Thameslink lines.

These are not pie in the sky claims, in late 2015 there have been many contracts which have been executed so this vision will be manifesting.

This investment will be lifted off the back of this regeneration already taking place.

This will be a long term hold where the investor will own shares in a company which will own the freehold of this block. The investment will insulate the investor from the proposed changes which are due to be implemented, allowing them to benefit from the upside in anticipated growth.

There is no development risk as the property is ready and occupied. There is however a possibility of going up another floor which requires further exploration.

This will be a cherry on the pie but the pie is a good one.

This deal is live and is taking in investment. Call the office now to find out more.

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

27 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8HU

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SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week

l It is essential to determine what you want from your property investment – quick gains (buy and sell) or a consistent second income (buy to let). If you are not sure consult an expert to know what would suit you best.

l Discounts are not the only means to make money in property, at times you need to see an angle which no one else sees.

20

BUSINESS

www.asian-voice.com

Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel

Dear Financial Voice Reader, I write to you from a flight to Singapore, having left Hong Kong. In both places I’ve been looking for the most outstanding technologies and entrepreneurs to bring to the UK. Speaking of entrepreneurial companies, the question I am being asked the most recently is where should people invest? Which companies? The strategy should be this: 1. Buy Apple, Facebook and Google and hold it for 3 years. The reason is that if there is a market crash, these cash rich companies cannot see their share price drop too far. And if there is not a market crash these companies are making so much money it makes my head spin.

2. Hold these for 3 years. Why? Because in any given year your return may or may not be great, but over three years if at any time it you make 30% in those companies, smile and pat yourself on your back.

3. If you want to cut your risk even more, then exit if you make 30%.

4. Another way to cut your risk is to put 90% of your money, say gbp9,000 in the bank, and with the remaining gbp1,000 put it into those stocks. One of two things will happen after three years. You will end up with gbp9,500 – but if that happens the you will have more money than others because something very bad will have happened to the whole stock market. Or you will end up with gbp 11,000 and made a 10% return, more than a bank account alone.

This year, despite massive falls then rises in January, I have never had so many people asking me where to put their money. That tells me that they both have money, and they are fed up with the poor returns they are getting.

For most people the answer of where to get a return will be to invest for the long term in companies which have lots of cash. A company in a dangerous volatile world can always go back to its cash stock pile. Those funds will see it through.

At the moment the companies which are running away with buying up other companies and baking billion dollar return bets are Google, Facebook, and Apple. They to me are the safest bet for a return.

I would not want to advise anyone to take greater risk and pick some unknown company out of China in the hope it makes a fortune from some exciting sector. These stories of the next big thing always sound compelling, but rarely pay off. So if I were you, stick to the cautious, sensible strategy.

RBI keeps key lending rates on hold The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the repo and reverse repo rates unchanged, ahead of the federal budget for the next fiscal. Ignoring the clamour for an easing of monetary policy, as an instrument to boost the fledgling economic growth, India's central bank maintained its short-term lending rates. The repurchase rate, or the short-term lending rate of the central bank, remains unchanged at 6.75 per cent and so does the cash reserve ratio (CRR), or the liquid money banks have to compulsorily hold, at 4 per cent.

Accordingly, the reverse repo rate, or the central bank's short-term borrowing rate, remains at 5.75 per cent. The Indian equity markets dipped immediately after the RBI came out with its final policy review for the fiscal.

The barometer - sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) plunged by 55 points. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 24,868.21 points, was trading at 24,770.26 points down 55 points or 0.22 per cent from the previous day's close at 24,824.83 points.

Lending to small businesses It's good news as far as bank credit is concerned.

Lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK is growing for the first time since the 2007-08 recession, a detailed survey by British Business Bank has found.

The state-owned wholesale lender, that compiled the study, hailed the availability of bank credit. It rose for four consecutive quarters in the year to October 2015 for the first time since 200708.

Cong should see reason and help GST pass: Arun Jaitley AsianVoiceNews

India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hopes the Congress will “see reason” and help in the passage of GST legislation, stuck in the Rajya Sabha, in the Budget session of Parliament beginning next month. “If (GST) is the important reform of UPA and if I had to credit the authorship of it, I have to give credit to them. Now, if the author turns against his own script, what do I make... I have reached out (and) I have spoken to them. I have explained to them and I hope they will see reason... (and) see the rationale behind passing GST,” he said. Speaking at the Economic Times Global

Arun Jaitley Business Summit, Jaitley said the three objections raised by the Congress “go against the brain of what they themselves had brought.”

“UPA allies like the RJD, the NCP, and the JD (U) are openly supporting

it. I don't see a reason why they (Congress) should have a rethink on the Bill. If there is a discussion on a particular idea in the bill, I am willing to discuss with them... certainly, we can't bound future generations to a flawed legislation,” Jaitley

Cairn India may shut down its operations due to high cess India's largest onshore oil driller, Cairn India may shut down its operations in the country due to high cess on oil output and, the government's failure to resolve a retrospective tax dispute, said the company's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mayank Ashar.

Administration is yet to deal on a £1.02 billion tax issue the firm faces.

Owned by billionaire Anil Agarwal, Cairn India is one of the largest foreign investors in India with cumulative investments of $6.5 billion and has a capacity to produce 170,000 barrels of oil a day.

However, it has already cut back production of products that have become economically unviable. “The sad part is that Cairn has one of the lowest cost structures in the world in oil production, but we are looking at potentially shutting down our oil business in India if the oil prices continue to come down, because of unreasonable government burden such as high cess,” Ashar said.

The cess on output of oil is fixed at 9 dollars a barrel, regardless of the oil price.

So while this cess was less than 10 per cent of costs when oil prices were $100 a barrel, it now accounts for about 33 per cent with oil prices below $30. “We are not looking for handouts from the government and understand market prices go up and down. But when oil prices marched in 2002 from approximately $25 to $147, the government was very quick in increasing the cess,” Ashar said. “When they were hiking excise duties, they should have also cut the cess,” he argued, calling it as one example of “unintended consequences” of government policy “overburdening” the industry.

The high fiscal and regulatory policy burdens have only exacerbated Cairns' troubles, as they now lie neck deep in one of the biggest disputes with tax

authorities. The company said that it will seek a billion dollars in damage from the government owing to the dispute. “I hope that the cess will be reduces in the Budget, a move due 18 months ago. Otherwise, it will kill both domestic investment and foreign investment in a strategic sector,” Ashar said.

He said in the longterm India’s import dependence for oil is expected to touch 90 per cent from the present level of 75 per cent of consumption at a time when oil prices may reverse upwards.

“The PM and FM’s announcements have been very clear, they don’t like retrospective taxation any more than we do. I would say the government is not knowingly doing the incorrect thing,” Ashar said.

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

said. The GST which will subsume all indirect taxes such as excise duty, service tax, and sales tax, into one uniform rate, is stalled in the Rajya Sabha as the Congress is pressing for three changes.

Clarifying that economic legislation is not about BJP versus all, Jaitley said it would be “very good” if the constitutional amendment bill to roll out GST is passed by consensus. “... it is very good to have laws passed by consensus. A law like this which impacts taxation structure of India being passed by consensus is our preference, otherwise it can be put to vote,” the minister said.

Google tax gives taxing times to Government

The Government is having a taxing time after its own minister’s statement on Google tax made grim headlines.

The Government collected £130 million from tech giant Google in back taxes, which Tory business minister Anna Soubry described as not a big amount.

She told BBC Radio 4: “Of course everybody is going to look at it and say it doesn’t seem like an awful lot of money.”

The agreement for Google to pay £130m in UK back taxes has been labelled as “derisory” and a “sweetheart deal” by critics.

The payment covers money owed since 2005 and follows a six-year inquiry by HMRC. (For more visit: https://www.asianvoice.com)

Minister Jaitley: Indo-British relation a continuous dialogue; not contract

Rani Singh

After India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met his British counterpart George Osborne, at a press meet for Indian journalists was held at the India House.

Discussing global situation on the economies of both countries, Minister Jaitley said: “We were particularly interested in British investors looking at investments in infrastructure in India. We are particularly keen that large

British companies that are particul arly involved in financing start investing in Indian infrastructure. The possibility of their investing either directly in projects or through the Indian Investment Infrastructure Fund that we have created were both discussed.

Additionally besides infrastructure, financing something in which we have interest, we also had discussions with regard to the Prime Minister’s announcement in November about the listing of the rupee

bonds in London. And the United Kingdom is quite keen that the Rail Ministry’s PSU which is coming out with a proposal should also consider listing at London. An indication to that effect had been given by the Prime Minister.”

Speaking to Asian Voice exclusively about the concrete decisions that were made, the Finance Minister added, “You see, concrete decisions...this is a continuous dialogue. And in a dialogue of this kind you don’t reach deals. You don’t

negotiate contracts. You explore areas of cooperation with each other. And if you want to know the concrete situation, the concrete specifics; Britain has agreed to cooperate with India in matters of infrastructure financing, that some of the Indian bonds should be listed at London, something with which we are also in agreement. And therefore these are two areas under the current economic situation which are of mutual interest to both the countries.”

CURRENCYVOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Global risks could slow inflation Currency Specialists.

This week in the UK Kristin Forbes a voting member of the BoE monetary policy has said that wage growth is not yet enough to lift inflation but that it may not be far off.

She said that if they regain the momentum they had last year we may see levels consistent with meeting the inflation target.

The Confederation of British Industry's (CB) headline total order books balance dropped to a score of minus 15 in January from minus seven in December. The export order balance dropped to minus 22 from minus 18. This is partly due to the GBP strength at the end of last year, however we may see a reversal in this as the GBP is now losing ground against all major currencies.

In a speech by Bank of England governor Mark Carney to the treasury committee, he focused on global risks that could rattle momentum and restrain inflation, prompting many economists to forecast no change in interest rates for at least another year. Carneys’ downbeat commentary on falling oil prices and China’s slowdown as well as Britain’s referendum on EU membership suggests that the BoE will not be raising rates any time soon.

Sterling lost ground against its rivals following the dovish statements from Carney.

According to news reports,

21

Foreign Exchange

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have made progress in Britain’s renegotiation with the EU. The Prime Minister is endeavouring to fulfil his pledge to secure a better deal for the UK before the in/out referendum which be held before the end or 2017. Although there is still a long way to go in the negotiations there is a strong possibility that a deal is possible.

The Pound gained across the board after the GDP figure showed the UK economy grew by 0.5% in the three months to the end of December, taking the annual rate of growth for 2015 to 2.2%. The final quarter growth for 2015 bettered the previous GDP figure of 0.4%, showing the economy is still performing despite global macroeconomic conditions.

Although the annual pace of growth was the slowest for three years it still showed the UK economy is one of the fastest growing developed nations. The slowdown, caused by weaker construction and production output, has prompted concerns over the UK’s over reliance on the services sector which grew by 0.7%.

The Eurozone also had an extremely quiet week in terms of economic releases. We had a speech

by Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, in which he

said "Meeting our objective is about credibility. If a central bank sets an objective, it can't just move the goalposts when it misses it".

This week we saw the Eurozone’s CPI figure for Inflation rising to its highest level since October 2014 despite the falling oil prices. The figures came after Mario Draghi, the president of the ECB, repeated his commitment to returning inflation to its target of 2%.

Although The CPI figures did show a healthy increase, it is still expected that Mario Draghi will deliver another shot of quantitative easing into the veins of the Eurozone economy at the ECB's next major meeting in March. This is amid fears the central bank is losing credibility and could even be forced to lower its inflation target.

Across the Atlantic in the US we witnessed a rise in consumer confidence with a three month high of 98.1 from a revised 96.3 in December. The Conference Board’s Lynne Franco said “For now, consumers do not foresee the volatility in financial markets as having a negative impact on the economy”.

Consumer outlook for the labour market improved this month, 13.2% of those surveyed anticipating more jobs, however the proportion expecting a reduction in income also climbed.

The first FOMC statement since their first rate hike last month for almost a decade was released this week.

With the Federal Reserve officials leaving interest rates unchanged at 0.25%.

Some more positive data was released from the US in the form of the MoM New Home Sales Change, which is the number of new homes sold the previous month. There were 544,000 homes sold up from 491,000 the month before, further proving the health of the US economy in recent months. Although the MoM New homes Sales change were better than expected the same could not be said for the core durable goods MoM and unemployment claims.

These came out weaker than forecast at -1.2% and 278k against forecast of -0.1% and 281k respectively.

Naturally causing the USD to lose ground against most of its pairs.

Growth has downshifted as producers contend with slowing markets abroad, the negative effect on exports from a stronger dollar and plunging oil prices that have caused drilling firms to retrench.

Consumers, enjoying the fruits of a robust labour market and cheaper fuel bills, will have to pick up the slack if growth is expected to get back on track.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 2nd February 2016 @ 12.45pm GBP - INR = 98.13

USD - INR = 68.00 EUR - INR = 74.23 GBP - USD = 1.44 GBP - EUR = 1.32

EUR - USD = 1.09 GBP - AED = 5.29

GBP - CAD = 2.01

GBP - NZD = 2.21

GBP - AUD = 2.04

GBP - ZAR = 23.22

GBP - HUF = 411.45

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

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UK

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Post-war, British Asians made UK their home AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

CB Patel & Anand Pillai

in Britain, these migrants have settled in the UK, and many have contributed to the political, economic and social life of the UK.

The family tree of British Asians who are contributing significantly to the UK economy and other walks of life can be traced back mainly to the post-World War II days, especially in the aftermath of India’s Partition in 1947 and Africanisation policies in East Africa.

Asian Voice attempts to take you through a brief history of British Asians and their contribution to their adopted country.

Who are British Asians?

British Asians are persons of Asian descent who resides in the United Kingdom. They are also referred as South Asians in the United Kingdom, Asian British people or Asian Britons.

The terminology British Asian was first coined in 1959 when the then Colonial Secretary Iain Macleod spoke in Parliament in the aftermath of the “Wind of Change” speech by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in South Africa.

Mr Macleod was referring to East African Asians who had invested some £800 million in British financial institutions when the sterling was on weaker grounds.

This huge amount was a great boon for the British economy. This East African terminology developed in the aftermath of Independence of two separate nations – India and Pakistan.

Earlier Mahatma Gandhi had helped in the formation of Kenya Indian Congress in the first decade of the 20th century, on his return journey from Congress annual session in Calcutta (Kolkata now), very soon Indian associations were formed in various cities of East African countries.

With separate country of Pakistan, the East African Association members from that part of undivided India (say 15%) were not willing to be part of Kenya India Association.

East African Asian was referring to people from Indian sub-continent and British Asian is confined to that sub-continent. It does not include Chinese, Malays, Japanese, etc.

Asian arrivals in Britain Majority of the South Asian population who arrived in Britain from India came after the Partition of India.

That was in 1947. Later there were many arrivals from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Post-World War II arrivals also included Indian indentured labourers who had migrated to sugar-producing colonies and Indian workers who had gone to work in East

Africa.

After Tanzania became independent in 1961, Uganda in 1962 and Kenya in 1963, there were many violent changes.

In 1966, Kenya terminated settlement rights for British passport holders of South Asian descent, paving the way to the first exodus of East African Asian migrants to Britain in 1969. Asians were expelled from Uganda in 1972 by dictator Idi Amin.

Asians living in Uganda had no choice but to leave.

Idi Amin seized power in Uganda in a coup in 1971, and on August 4th 1972 ordered all Asians to leave the country within 90 days.

Between 1972 and 1973, 28,000 Ugandan Asians arrived in Britain.

Many originated in India and had British overseas passports, and the then British Prime Minister Edward Heath said, “The UK had a moral duty to help them”.

The Ugandan Asians were quickly on their way to becoming one of Britain’s greatest success stories, with thousands seeking employment in a short span of 3 months since they started arriving.

Camps In spite of protest from some trade unionists, British politician Enoch Powell and others, UK Prime Minister Edward Heath accepted Asians,

and the Uganda Resettlement Board was formed under the leadership of Sir Robert Carr.

The board assumed that this new arrival will require special camps and

Uganda dictator Id Amin some 13 camps were established all over England.

Original assumption was that their arrival in the worst part of the year in winter, the problems of uprooting without financial resources would need the camp for some three years.

But that was the spirit of Ugandan Asians who found shelter with friends and relations and moved out of camps and did menial jobs to make a living. Many Ugandan Asian wives (mainly Gujaratis) – who had never worked in

Ugandan Asians arriving in Britain in 1972 – many of whom settled in Leicester. Photograph: Refugee Council

E a s t Africa, who had a legion of servants – were helping their husbands in the UK for running their business or taking over any work to help the family.

British Asian success has always been benefited from the women folk.

Today Ugandan Asians are in every possible profession – be it media, business, sport, public services or politics. Lord Dolar Popat and MP Shailesh Vara are some of the examples of it.

By 1980s a large number of independent retail shops in groceries, news agents, off licences, pharmacies, etc. were run by former Ugandan Asians.

The British media and the Government took notice of their entrepreneurial skill, their commitment to family, especially for the education of their children.

The Ugandan Asians' story shows just how much these minority communities have to offer to Britain.

These people have ingenuity, ideas, and business links across the world.

The post-war Asian migrants were skilled workers like artisans, teachers, doctors, and exIndian and British Armed Forces personnel. Their spouses and kin came to join their families who were now living in Britain.

Most of them were Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians and Christians (particularly Anglo Indians).

Some took anglicized names, as they wanted to fit in and be accepted by the locals. The majority did not change their names legally.

Reason for migration South Asian migrants to the UK after 1947 came for different reasons – to escape civil war, to seek better economic opportunities and to join family members already settled in Britain. In spite of facing discrimination at the time

Migration to the UK from Punjab Britain’s labour shortages shaped the post-World War II migration patterns from the Indian subcontinent. It was primarily men from peasant families in Punjab, particularly those who had been previously employed in the colonial army or the police force and their relatives, who took up this opportunity.

These Punjabi migrants found work in the manufacturing, textile and the service sectors, including a significant number at Heathrow Airport in West London.

After the C o m m o n w e a l t h Immigrants Act was passed in 1962 which restricted the free movement of workers from the Commonwealth, most workers from South Asia decided to settle in the UK and were eventually joined by their families.

Migration to the UK from Mirpur, Pakistan A large majority of Pakistani migrants in the UK originate from Mirpur (Azad Kashmir).

Pakistani migrants who came to Britain after the war found employment in the textile industries of

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

region of Bangladesh, as people fled from the civil unrest in their homeland, to seek a better life in Britain. They settled in the East London borough.

Bangladeshi men initially found work in the steel and textile mills across England, but when these industries collapsed, they turned to small businesses, including tailoring and catering. Many found work in the growing number of 'Indian' restaurants and takeaways in the UK, most of which are actually owned by Bangladeshis.

Migration from Sri Lanka During the 1960s and 70s, small numbers of professionals emigrated to the UK from Sri Lanka, and found work in the NHS and other white-collar occupations. These early migrants came from affluent backgrounds, were well-educated and have become established in British society.

The next distinctive phase of Sri Lankan migration to the UK happened from the 1980s onwards, during the civil war in Sri Lanka. A large number of Tamil Sri Lankans sought asylum in the UK. Seventy per cent of people of Sri Lankan origin live in London, 20% in the Midlands and the rest in other parts of the UK.Many Tamils in the UK have found employment in small businesses, including gro-

Map of major South Asian migration flows.

Lancashire, Yorkshire, cars and engineering factories in the West Midlands, and Birmingham, and growing light industrial estates in places like Luton and Slough.

Other groups who migrated from Pakistan in the 1960s include Punjabis who mainly settled in Glasgow, Birmingham and Southall in London, and migrants from urban areas who were more likely to be professionals and who worked for the NHS. Migration to the UK from Bangladesh There was a civil war between East Pakistan and West Pakistan in 1970-71, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.

Most Bangladeshi families in the UK in the present time are the result of mass migration in the early 1970s from the Sylhet

cery shops and news agents, with increasing numbers setting up their own business.

Indian Migration There have been three waves of migration of Indians in the United Kingdom.

The first wave was before India's independence in 1947. In the early 1960s the Conservative Health Minister the Rt Hon Enoch Powell recruited a large number of doctors from the Indian subcontinent.

The second wave occurred in the 1970s mainly from East Africa.

The last wave of migration began in the 1990s and included Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka and professionals, including doctors and software engineers from India.

Continued on page 23

UK Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Continued from page 22 British Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are much more religiously homogeneous, with Muslims accounting for 92% of each group, while their counterparts of Indian and Sri Lankan origin tend to be religiously diverse, with 55% Hindus, 29% Sikhs, and 15% Muslims.

British Gujaratis are predominantly Hindu, belonging to various caste organizations, with large minorities of Muslims, Jains and smaller numbers of Christians and Zoroastrians.

UK Population • The total population in United Kingdom was last recorded at 64.8 million people in 2014 from 52.2 million in 1960, changing 24 percent during the last 50 years.

• The 2011 UK Census recorded 1,451,862 residents of Indian, 1,174,983 of Pakistani and 451,529 of Bangladeshi ethnicity, making a total South Asian population of 3,078,374 (4.9 per cent of the total population), excluding other Asian groups and people of mixed ethnicity.

• British Asians have come to Britain from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Number Data Thousands of Asians left Uganda with no property and only the permitted £55 in cash each. About 28,000 Ugandan Asians came to the UK, while smaller numbers went to Canada, India and Kenya. While many Asians in Uganda already held British citizenship, there were others who were granted British citizenship after they lost Ugandan citizenship.

In 1968 there were 345,000 Asians resident in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Uganda. By 1984, according to the Minority Rights Group (1990), their numbers had fallen to about 85,000,

In 1972, Idi Amin expelled the Asian community from Uganda and as Uganda was a former British colony, many of these Asians had UK passports. which included 40,000 in Kenya, 20,000 in Tanzania, 3,000 in Zambia, 1,000 in Malawi, and 1,000 in Uganda.

Correspondingly, in 1971 the number of Asians from Africa who were resident in the UK was about 45,000. Following the emigration from African countries, according to the 1981 Census, there were about 180,000 East African Asians in the UK.

especially black Africans.

Many such displaced people who were predominantly of Gujarati origins had left behind successful businesses and vast commercial empires in Uganda, but built up their lives all over again in Britain, starting from scratch. Some of these “twice-over” migrants became retailers, while others found suitable employment in white-collar professions.

Africanisation Beginning around 1964 Africanisation policies in East Africa prompted the arrival of Asians with British passports from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Africanisation was to bring under the influence, control, or cultural or civil supremacy of Africans and

Contribution to GDP The Centre for Social Markets estimates that British Asian businesses contribute as much as 10% of total GDP. Influence on British culture The biggest influence of South Asians on popular British culture has probably been the spread of Indian

Between 1968 and 1974 some 70,000 Kenyan and Ugandan Asians landed in Britain. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

cuisine, though of the 9,000 Indian restaurants in the UK, most are run by Bangladeshis.

Education The increasingly competitive nature of the education system has led to a divergence between South Asian groups: with Hindu and Sikh Indians (including East African Asians) firmly established as educational 'successes', and Pakistani and Bangladeshi South Asian Muslims, in contrast, routinely considered as educational 'failures'.

Factors associated with religion and culture are more likely to affect South Asian Muslims.

Business The Asian entrepreneur transformed the UK from an 8-hour working day to 24 hours seven days a week.

Indian cuisine and restaurants became a key part of the British lifestyle. The restaurants are responsible for the success of many of the key players in Asian enterprise. Late Lord Gulam Noon, for example, credits the restaurants for opening the doors for his range of Indian chilled and frozen foods to be found in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, among other stores.

The same is true for the success of Karan Bilimoria

(now Lord) and Cobra lager. The contribution of the British Asian community to the resurgence of British industry is exemplified by the likes of Swraj Paul, Nat Puri and, Dinesh Dhamija, among others.

There has been a shift in activities away from traditional manufacturing companies towards newer, higher-tech, higher value companies in industries like pharmaceuticals. The growth of Waymade healthcare headed by the Patel brothers Vijay and Bhikhu demonstrates this trend. They came from Kenya.

Mike Jatania, the CEO of Lornamead too has enjoyed tremendous success with his acquisition strategy. He is from Uganda.

Perween Warsi of S&A Foods showed her determination in getting her Asian food range on the shelves of the major supermarket chain Asda. Warsi was born in Muzaffarpur, India, and moved to the United Kingdom in 1975.

Ethnic identities Within the national identities we have a host of ethnic identities, including Punjabis to Kashmiris, Gujaratis, Sindhis, Bengalis, Biharis, Tamil and Singhalese.

Religious diversities Religious diversities

23

range from Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity, to numerous varieties of Islam.

Adaptability Those born in Britain grow up speaking English, but they still grow up as Bangladeshi or Pakistani, Mirpuri or Punjabis, as Muslims, Sikhs or Hindus.

And they are loyal to Britain.

Bengalis in Britain Most of the Bengalis in the UK live in the borough of Tower Hamlets in east London. This is largely because the generations that first came to Britain worked as seamen on merchant ships. Almost half of all seamen employed in the engine rooms of British merchant ships were Lascars from Bengal. When the ships docked in east London, they settled there.

Mirpuris in Bradford Bradford is home to around 85,000 British Asians: there are 5,000 Hindus, and as many Sikhs; but the bulk of Asians, 75,000, are predominantly from a single area in Azad Kashmir – Mirpur.

(Source: Wikipedia, BBC, Ziauddin Sardar's book, “Balti Britain: a Journey Through the British Asian Experience”) *** (Image Source: Refugee Council, Keystone/Getty Images, www.robinsonlibrary.com)

Know Your British Asian Neighbour –

British Asian is a mosaic of people from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries of Indian sub-continent. They may be Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or of no faith.

They may be Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil or whatever.

Asian Voice has started a series of informative articles on various communities. *** For further information, advice or any offer of assistance, contact CB Patel at cb.patel@abplgroup.com *** P.S – The best way to know your Asian neighbour is to be a regular reader of Asian Voice. So be a subscriber of Asian Voice. See page number 26 for subscribing Asian Voice.

Veteran businessman VM Patel passes away in US VM Patel, a businessman who made it big in the UK in the financial and insurance sector in the 1970s, passed away on January 26, 2016, in the US. He was 76.

He was not keeping well and was admitted to hospital a week ago following infection in kidney after a minor operation for piles.

He was also a diabetic. His

VM Patel

family was beside him till his last breath.

Born on December 20, 1939, in Karamsad (Gujarat), VM Patel spent his formative years in Kisumu (Kenya) from 1949 to 1959. Looking for greener pastures, he came to the UK after getting married. Life was tough in the beginning.

He worked in a factory to

make a living and then got into the insurance sector.

He started selling Life Insurance in 1971.

Soon he started his own company called Unique Insurance & Finance (General, Life Insurance and Financing) carving a niche for himself in London and across the UK. In 1991 he moved to the

US. In 2002 he started Universal Mortgage and Financial in Orlando (Florida).

VM Patel was very active socially and in community events. He was actively involved in BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir and was a follower of Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

May God bless his soul

and give strength to his family.

Contacts: VM Patel (Residence) no.: 001-407 574 4675 Jayesh (son): 407 467 2022 Email of Jayesh: jpatel7784@aol.com Email of Niraj (second son): Niraj.universal@gmail.com

Gujarati journalist pioneered probe into Subhas Bose's death

By Ashis Ray, RayMedia The investigative work of a Gujarati journalist provided first incontrovertible proof that Subhas Bose died after a plane crash at Taipei, capital of Taiwan on 18 August 1945.

Harin Shah, a foreign correspondent of Mumbai's then premier daily, Free

Press Journal, visited Taipei in 1946 or a year after the accident. He thoroughly probed the matter, interviewing various people who had first-hand knowledge of the accident and the consequent demise of Bose.

This included crucially an interview with a Taiwanese nurse Tsan Pi Sha who attended to Bose when he

was brought to a Japanese military hospital after suffering third degree burns while escaping from the aircraft.

Shah's pioneering despatches were published in the Free Press Journal in September 1946. He thereafter wrote a book on the subject, which was called Verdict From Formosa

(which was the Japanese name for Taiwan).

Shah met and spoke to Tsan Pi Sha at the very hospital where Bose breathed his last. She began by telling him in no uncertain terms: “He died here. I was by his side….. He died on 18 August last year (1945), (Subhas) Chandra Bose.”

She added: “I am a sur-

gical nurse and took care of him till he died…..I was instructed to apply olive oil all over his body and that I did.” She further continued: “Whenever he regained briefly his consciousness, he felt thirsty.

With slight groaning, he would ask for water. I gave him water several times.”

She, then, took Shah to

the south-west corner of the ward and to the bed in the hospital where Bose passed away. Wanting to be doubly certain, Shah asked: “So you definitely know that he is dead?” She replied, according to Shah, with a tone of rebuke: “Yes, he died. I have told everything about it. I can prove that he died.”

24

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Asian Voice | 6th Februay 2016

Kohli's Pak fan faces jail for hoisting tri-colour LAHORE: A d i e - h a r d Pakistani fan of Indian batsman Virat Kohli is facing up to 10 years in jail after he was arrested for hoisting the Indian tricolour atop his home in Punjab province which he had done to show his love for the cricketer.

Umar Draz, 22, from Okara district of Punjab province, was produced before a district court after which he was sent to jail on judicial remand. He was arrested on January 26 when India beat Australia in a T20 match and Kohli scored 90 runs, when police raided Draz's home on a complaint that he hoisted the Indian flag on the rooftop of his house. The Police have registered a case under section 123-A of Pakistan Penal Code and 16 Maintenance of Public

Order against him. Section 123-A carries maximum punishment of 10 years in jail or fine, or both. The 22 year old tailor pleaded before the judge that he hoisted the Indian flag only for his love for Kohli. “I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. I support the Indian team because of Kohli. Hoisting of Indian flag on the rooftop of house only shows my love for the Indian cricketer,” he said. He also said that he had no idea he committed a crime, and urged the authorities concerned to pardon him as he should be seen as “an Indian cricketer's fan”.

Gordhan vows to protect South Africa's credit rating South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has vowed to protect the country’s credit rating and avoid it being downgraded to junk status, he told the Financial Times.

In December, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s had changed its South Africa outlook from stable to negative on its rating which is one grade above junk status.

“The consequences of (any) downgrade are well known, both within the Treasury and now within gov-

Pravin Gordhan ernment ... we make no secret of it,” Gordhan told the Financial Times. “We are very committed to restoring credibility in our fiscal path.”

Air India bans hair-raising moustaches

Anand Pillai This is no hair-splitting. Air India has decided to tidy things up and change for the better. It does not want a hair out of place.

The national airline has decided to give its staff and crew members a disciplinary makeover. It wants its men crew to chop their intimidating moustaches and long mane so that the passengers don’t have a bad hair day looking at their unkempt faces.

Smart is the latest buzzword in Air India. The national carrier has introduced a new dress code for its staff and has asked them to smarten up their act. Needless to say, if they act smart, they will get a

dressing down – because things are policed by flight captains and chief stewards.

In a communication to staff recently the company banned “long hair, long sideburns, intimidating moustaches or very long unkempt beards and… a pony-tail or earrings and nose ring” among its male crew members. The crew members have been asked to roll down their shirt sleeves and wear their caps throughout the journey.

The company’s new initiative is like a breath of fresh air.

The beleaguered airline has certainly put its thinking cap on and reserved an ace up its sleeve to impress its passengers.

Yes, change is in the air.

Global emergency over Zika virus

GENEVA: The recent outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America poses a public health emergency across the globe and requires a united response said the World Health Organisation. Experts worry that the virus is spreading far and fast, with devastating consequences.

WHO director general Margaret Chan called Zika an “extraordinary event” that needed a co-ordinated response.

“I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.” She said the priorities were to protect pregnant women and their babies from harm and to control the mosquitoes that are spreading the virus.

She justified declaring an emergency saying it was time to take action. The WHO had met with heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public emergency.

There is no vaccine or

medication available to stop Zika, which is why, the only way to avoid catching it is to avoid getting bitten by the Aedes mosquitoes that are responsible for transmitting the infection. The organisation has already warned that the virus is likely to “spread explosively” across nearly all of the Americas.

More than 20 countries including Brazil, are reporting cases. Most infections are mild and cause few or no symptoms, although there have been some reported cases of a rare paralysis disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust said, “There is a long road ahead. As with Ebola, Zika has once again exposed the world's vulnerability to emerging infectious diseases and the devastation they can unleash. Alongside the emergency response that Zika necessitates, we must put in place the permanent reforms, health systems strengthening and proactive research agenda that are needed to make the global health system more resilient to the threat of future pandemics.”

Indian B-school rankings scale up

Three Indian B-schools – IIM Ahmedabad, ISB Hyderabad and IIM Bangalore – figure in the list of Global MBA Ranking 2016 released by The Financial Times. Their ranks have moved up compared to last year.

IIM Bangalore has seen the most remarkable leap in the ranking position. From 82nd position in 2015, it moved to 62 in 2016. It was in 68th position in 2014.

IIM Ahmedabad improved its position by 2 positions in 2016. It moved to 24th position in 2016 from 26th a year before. Its rank-

ing was 30th in 2014.

ISB Hyderabad has also experienced rise in rank of 3 and 4 positions respectively in the years 2015 and 2016.

Its position was 36th and 33rd in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Its position is 29th in 2016.

The one-year full-time PGPX programme of IIM Ahmedabad has been ranked Number 1 worldwide for the career progress of its alumni this year.

INSEAD, France has topped the chart with Rank 1.

Last year, INSEAD’s rank was No. 4.

In Brief

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

US scholar locked up for 10 days in visa extension row

LONDON: An American Shakespeare scholar was put in an immigration cell facing deportation from Britain, despite having an open ticket to return to the United States. Paul Hamilton has been in detention for 10 days after being arrested at his home in Stratford-upon-Avon as an illegal immigrant. The Home Office officials have given him a five-day deadline to leave Britain voluntarily, even when he remains locked up. Upset over the treatment, he said, “Emotionally and psychologically I'm devastated.

Six months ago I was receiving my doctorate at the great hall at Birmingham University, now I'm in the 'big house'.” Dr Hamilton’s student visa expired in July this year and he immediately applied for further permission to stay in Britain and continue his research.

Sweden to deport up to 80,000 asylum-seekers

STOCKHOLM: Sweden will in all probability deport half of last years' record 163,000 asylum seekers, either voluntarily or forcibly, after bearing the brunt of the migrant crisis. Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said that around 60,000 to 80,000 are likely to have to leave, which is about 45 per cent of the total number of applicants. With a population of around 10 million, the country saw increased strain on immigration and police authorities last year. “We have a big challenge ahead of us. We will need to use more resources for this and we must have better cooperation between authorities,” Ygeman said.

Officials now fear that many of the people whose applications for asylum are rejected, will go into hiding.

Pak shuts 230 institutes due to inadequate security ISLAMABAD: Over 230 educational institutes, most of them government-run, have been shut down due to Taliban threats. Authorities have asked them to step up security or face action.

The institutions, in Punjab's Rawalpindi province have been asked by authorities to boost their security. Around 53 organisations in the region, including the Rawalpindi Medical College are served final notices asking to improve security, or the head of the institution would be booked. Fifteen educational institutions in Jhelum, including 10 government and 5 private schools were sealed. Police carried out a survey of security at educational institutions and found 205 schools and colleges, including 127 government and 78 private institutions, lacked adequate security measures.

3 Indian-Americans sentenced for student visa fraud

NEW YORK: Three Indian-Americans involved in a $ 7 million student visa fraud scheme have been sentenced to terms ranging from six months of home confinement to an year in jail, by a US court. Manhattan court has sentenced Suresh Hiranandaney, Lalit Chabaria and Anita Chabria in the over $ 7.4 million fraud. The three were also found guilty of participating in a student financial-aid fraud scheme in which they defrauded the Department of Education of $1 million in grant funds. The three are also ordered to forfeit $7,440,000 to the US from the proceeds of their student visa fraud and pay $1 million in restitution to Department of Education for losses from their student financial aid fraud.

Indian wins Amnesty award

LONDON: The Amnesty International Human Rights Award, 2016, has gone to Indian activist Henri Tighagne. A lawyer and human rights defender, Tiphagne will be awarded the 8th Human Rights Award by Amnesty International Germany, and will be presented on April 25 at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin. In a statement, Amnesty said, “For many decades now, Tiphagne has been tirelessly and bravely standing up for human rights. His organisation's invaluable work includes campaigning against discrimination and the use of torture in India.”

Henri is the founder of People's Watch, a human rights group in India.

UK Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

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Maoist leader jailed for 23 years; imprisoned daughter forgives him The Maoist cult leader, Aravindan Balakrishnan (75), who ran the Workers Institute of MarxismLeninism-Mao Zedong Thought from 1976 to 2013, has been sentenced to 23 years in jailed for raping two devotees, as well as imprisoning his daughter.

After all the allegations against him, his wife, Chanda Balakrishnan (67), remains loyal towards him, and is convinced that he has been framed. She was shocked when she got to know about his infidelity and his secret daughter.

She said, “We lived in small privately rented accommodation, so we were always on top of each other. I couldn't see how it happened.”

His wife remains loyal to him and accepts that he made a mistake. She also allegedly believes that the women involved had suggestively coerced him into having sex. She stated, “He is loving me all the time. It

Now, a 25p shop for groceries

Stelios Haji-Ioannou

Sir Stelios HajiIoannou, the founder of easyJet, has opened a grocery shop where every item costs 25p.

The billionaire entrepreneur has launched easyFoodstore shop in Park Royal, north-west London, in a bid to capitalise on the very cheapest end of the grocery market.

The easyFoodstore is selling all its grocery items, including noodle pots, sardines and tinned spaghetti hoops, for just 25p for the whole of February.

Aravindan Balakrishnan

was a mistake that happens. For 99.99 per cent of the time he is loving me and not these other people.”

Balakrishnan had father the daughter, which he had imprisoned, with Sian Davies, a former pupil at Cheltenham Ladies' College; she was one of his most devoted followers.

For the first time, his 33-year-old daughter, Katy Morgan-Davies, has come out in the open to the media, and stated that her father was “narcissist and a psychopath” whose actions were “horrible, so dehumanising and degrading”.

She spent the first 30 years of her life in captivation until she managed to escape at the age of 30.

Describing her father, she said, “The people he looked up to were people like Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein. You couldn't criticise them either in the house. They were his gods and his heroes.”

It was revealed in court that Balakrishnan had been diagnosed by a psy-

Katy Morgan-Davies Chanda Balakrishnan

chiatrist as having a narcissistic personality disorder and had caused psychological harm to his daughter.

Judge Deborah Taylor told him, “You were ruthless in your exploitation of them.”

Morgan-Davies spoke about the period when she was kept captive, and how she had befriended mice and rats. “I used to sit there and look at them and hope that I could pet them. They would come and look and I used to think they were smiling at me almost, telling me everything would be all right.”

The commune member, Josephine Herivel was the one who helped his daughter escape. However, she deeply regrets doing so as she believes Balakrishnan is innocent.

While leaving the court, she shouted, “This is a political persecution. AB [Aravindan Balakrishnan] has been framed. He is a good man.” It has also been said that Herivel has been diagnosed with Stockholm

Women set to rule the legal field by 2020 Women may be half of the workforce, but they have largely been concentrated in lower-paying service jobs like waitresses, retail workers and administrative assistants. However, they could be scaling up.

Women are beginning to pour into professional occupations that require more education and offer higher pay and status.

In fact, by 2020, women are expected to account for more than half of all solicitors – for the first time becoming the majority gender in the pro-

fession. This is according to a report – The Future of Legal Services – produced internally by the Law Society’s specialist committees. Law Society analyses the challenges facing practitioners and opportunities.

The report finds the solicitors’ profession is still growing overall – by nearly 35 per cent between 2004 and 2014 when there was a total of 130,382 solicitors in England and Wales with practising certificates. In that time, the proportion of women rose significantly.

Criminal freed to commit more crime Andre Babbage, an alleged Zimbabwean criminal who faced deportation and accepted that it was likely for him to abscond was ordered to be released by High Court judge, Justice Garnham.

Babbage, who has 13 convictions, including robbery, assault and supplying cocaine, was likely

to abscond and commit further offences.

However, Justice Garnham stated that it was unjustified to have Babbage detention continued, as there there was no reasonable potential that the home secretary, Theresa May, would be able to send him back to Zimbabwe.

Home secretary, Theresa May

25

Britain's top judge says veils should not be allowed in courts Britain's top judge have said that witnesses should not be allowed to wear a veil if the evidence is contested, and there is a question about her credibility, the Times has reported.

Britain's most senior judge, Lord Neuberger reportedly said this, backing Home Secretary's review on Sharia law publicly. In the course of an interview with the Times’s legal editor, Frances Gibb, Lord Neuberger clarified that a woman should not be allowed to have their covered where evidence is contested and there was a question about her credi-

bility.

He added, previously he has been misunderstood when he was credited with backing the wearing of veils in court. He clarified that the judicial policy on veil wearing was decided from case to case. There might be cases where the judge would allow the woman to keep her veil because her evidence was uncontested and it would not affect jury's view.

His comments came after Education Secretary Nicky Morga argued that being able to see a person's mouth was important for teaching.

‘Missing’ councillor found busy in meeting Josephine Herivel

syndrome.

Although she was kept in isolation for several years, Morgan-Davies said that she has forgiven her father, and would like to reconcile with him in the future. She mentioned, “Nelson Mandela said, 'If you leave the prison with hatred and anger and bitterness, then you are still in prison.'”

An untraceable UKIP councillor was so busy attending meeting after meeting that his family approached police and lodge a missing complaint.

Denis Crawford had not returned his daughter’s calls for two days, so she alerted the police.

Officers searched his flat where he lives alone in Thetford before finally tracking him down at another council meeting – his sixth in two days.

He apologised and said he would tell his family where he was in future.

Denis Crawford

Cllr Denis Crawford is in constant demand as he sits on Norfolk County, Breckland District and Thetford Town councils.

INDIA

26

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Gujarati man shot dead in Los Angeles Asian Voice | 6th Februay 2016

Patel (42) and his wife Shilpa Patel (29). The accident took place on January 23, when a speeding vehicle coming from the wrong side had a head-on collision with the car in which they were commuting.

Only one passenger, Silpa Patel (45), survived in the accident. The five were returning home from work at around 1 am when the accident happened.

Sources said that driver of the car that crashed into the deceased persons' car was drunk. They were working at Process Technologies and Packaging. While Vinod was a native of Khakhariya village of Savli taluka, Shilpa and Bhavesh were from Amreshwar village in Waghodia taluka. Komal was a native of Anand district.

According to the relatives of the deceased, Mitesh's brother-in-law was in washroom when the incident happened. “Two assailants had come to the store when Mitesh was counting cash before closing the store. Mitesh had handed over the cash to the assailants when his brother-in-law came out of washroom after which the assailants shot at Mitesh,” said a relative.

Mitesh Patel, a Gujarati man from Umreth town of Anand district, was shot dead after being robbed of cash in Lose Angeles city of United States last week.

Mitesh, 33, was killed when he was about to step out of his liquor store. According to Mitesh's elder brother Hetal Patel, a businessman, Mitesh had been residing in the US since 2002. “He was about to shut his store when he was attacked by unidentified assailants,” Hetal said in Anand.

“We are going to the US after which we will start the process to get his body to perform final rites,” Hetal said adding that the family in Umreth was informed about the death from USbased relatives. Mitesh is survived by wife Bhumika and a seven-year-old daughter, Vriksha.

Four Gujaratis killed in US accident Four Gujaratis residing in US were killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania.

They were cremated on Saturday morning at a crematorium in North-east Pennsylvania.

The deceased have been identified as Vinod Patel (68), Komal Raval (30) Bhavesh

Ahmedabad, Surat in Smart Cities list missioner said, “It is time to get to work and implement the projects now. We would be working in two phases now. First, we will take up pan-city programme on mass transport and connectivity issues with IT-based solutions to increase the mobility and connectivity.

In the second, area-based development would be taken up in textile market area to boost the city's economy.”

options for transport right from autorickshaws, BRT, city buses or metro rail through a mobile application. The second was a centralised command and control room for entire civic services. This will be realised when AMC lays its own optic fibre network. In terms of area-based plan, we had submitted the Vadaj area redevelopment and transit-oriented zone plan.”

Surat municipal com-

Ahmedabad and Surat have found a place on the list of the 20 cities which are to be turned into Smart Cities as a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious urban modernisation programme.

Ahmedabad municipal commissioner D Thara said, “As part of the pan-city plan, we had submitted two proposals. One was the integrated transit plan for the city wherein citizens can access all available

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Padma Shri for 3 Gujaratis AsianVoiceNews

Bhikhudan Gadhvi and Dr Sudhir Shah

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Dahyabhai Shastri

The Padma Shri awards were conferred on three renowned Gujaratis Neurologist Dr Sudhir Shah, Sanskrit scholar Dahyabhai Shastri and folk artist Bhikhudan Gadhvi.

Sudhir Shah, 56, is based in Ahmedabad and a leading name in neurosciences in Gujarat.

Currently working with a combination of science and spirituality, he looks to improve human intelligence, memory and potential. “My focus now is to build a stronger bridge between science and spirituality to enhance cognition and explore highest potential of human brain,” he said. Honoured to have received the award, he said,

“With the award, my responsibility towards people and my work has increased.” Dr Shah had led the observational studies on Prahlad Jani who has reportedly survived without water and food since decades for Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Science. Dahyabhai Shastri is the founder of Brahmarshi Sanskar Dham at Nadiad and is a noted Sanskrit scholar and a former president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. He has primarily contributed to the interpretation of Sanskrit grammar and literature. He has said that for the preservation of culture, nurturing Sanskrit, the root of a number of

Indian languages is required. Currently one of the honorary sanrakshak of the organisation, he has been awarded in the past by the government of Gujarat for his contribution.

Veteran Dayra or folk tale artist Bhikhudan Gadhvi (67) hailing from Junagadh was awarded for his contribution to folk art in Gujarat. He said, “I am happy that folk literature has been appreciated by the government. I am also happy that the tradition of singing among the Gadhvi community has been acknowledged. I am really grateful for this.” Gadhvi received the Sangeet Natak Akadami Award in 2009.

A college picnic ended in tragedy on Monday after at least 14 students drowned off India's west coast where they went swimming. The latest drowning incident in India, lax safety standards at the beaches mean no lifeguards. The dead include 10 girls and three boys. All of them were aged between 18 and 20 and were studying Computer Science.

Students from Abeda Inamdar Senior College in Pune were on a trip to Murud beach in Raigad district, Maharashtra when the fun came to a shocking halt. “A total of 155 students from Pune went to Murud main beach and some of them went swimming,” said assistant inspector of Raigad police Arvind

Patil. “Fourteen students are dead due to drowning.

The victims were all aged between 19 and 23,” he said, adding 10 were women and 3 men. In the afternoon, while some students were having lunch, others went for a swim, but the tide pulled them into' the sea, witnesses said. Locals and fishermen rushed to their help and the Raigad police and district administration soon joined rescue operations.

While some students were managed to be saved, 14 drowned and 1 boy went missing, said Inspector General of Police for Konkan Range, Prashant Burde.

Trustee of the college, P.A. Inamdar said all the other students have been accounted for, confirmed

by Patil that everyone on

the excursion was “safe” after a massive rescue operation involving the Indian coast guard and navy.

Commander Rahul Sinha said up to 18 students had got into difficulty in the water and 6 of them had been rescued and taken to the hospital.

Inamdar said between 8 and 10 college staff had accompanied the students on their trip and he had been told that there hadn't been any lifeguards on duty at the time of the tragedy.

“I don't think there were lifeguards on the beach. That is the basic problem,” he said. In a statement, the governor of Maharashtra, C. Vidyasagar Rao, expressed his condolences to the families of those who died.

Continued from page1 route. The Home Ministry said “Sheikh also received funds to the tune of Rs 600,000”. NIA and central agency officials recovered laptops, explosive material, detonators, wires, batteries and hydrogen peroxide besides 'Jihadi literature', the sources said.

The sleuths also recovered 42 mobile phones including eight from Ameer.

The Home Ministry spokesman said a total of 14 suspects were picked up in different states of which three were from Mumbai, four each from Hyderabad and Bengaluru and one each from Mangalore, Tumkur (Karnataka) and Lucknow. Regarding those detained, the spokesman

said some may be arrested while some may be let off, “depending on the investigation and information collected on them.” He said it was not immediately clear from where they received funds but added “all of them were somehow connected with one Yusuf, believed to be Safi Armar, a former member of Indian Mujahideen (IM).”

“We have been monitoring many people for their online activities. This is a larger group who have direct or cross link with Yousuf. His links with ISIS is subject of investigation as his location was not known as yet,” he said, adding they were radicalised elements belonging to ISIS who could have joined some

group. The youths, who were described by police as highly radicalised, were allegedly in touch with members of the Islamic State terror group in Syria.

They are also believed to be in the process of making an explosive. “The operation was on the basis of intelligence inputs. Akhlak-urRehman, Mohammad Osama alias Adil, Mohammad Asim Shah and Mohammad Meraj alias Monu were arrested from Roorkee and Haridwar. They have been taken to Delhi,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep.

Deep added that they had been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

14 students on picnic drown in Maharashtra

14 jihadi youths arrested in major swoop

INDIA Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

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Nomination deadline

All entries and nominations must be received before midnight on 29 March 2016.

27

Quota stir in AP turns violent, train set on fire

Finalists will be announced in May 2016.

NOMINATIONS OPEN NOW!

Are you a UK Based Charity who seeks to solve the most pressing social issues of our time, both in Britain and globally?

Nominate yourself for the Asian Voice Charity Awards 2016 by visiting our website www.asianvoicecharityawards.com

The Awards ceremony will be held on Friday 20th May 2016 at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, London

Award Categories

For Charities and Not-for Profit Institutions

I Charity of the Year

This award recognises a UK-registered charity for their outstanding work and contribution to society, as well as demonstrated excellence service and achievement in its work over the last five years.

There is are no criteria on the annual income, but the charity must demonstrate consistently delivered outstanding service for their size and yearon-year-growth I Start-Up of the Year This award is similar to Charity of the Year, but specifically for charities that have been operational for three years or less.

I Outstanding Achievement

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated dedication, professionalism and integrity throughout their career, and who has produced an identifiably profound effect on the sector in the UK or otherwise through their work and management over at least a 15-year period.

I Most Enterprising

This award recognises a social enterprise or the trading arm of a charity that has made a significant difference to beneficiaries through its ability to generate income to meet its social goals over the last two years.

I Fundraising Campaign This award awards an overall campaign that used a variety of innovative fundraising approaches to display real quantifiable results to achieve or exceed its targets in the last 12 months.

I Outstanding PR Team

This award recognises excellence in charity PR, either in-house at a charity, or an agency undertaking a PR campaign on behalf of a charity.

Benefits of the specific PR campaign must be proven to show extensive press and media coverage in the last 12 months.

For Charity/Corporate Partnerships:

I Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility

This award recognises the best corporate partnership and corporate responsibility programmes. It honours a company which goes beyond simply CSR projects to engage in partnerships in the last two years with either UK-registered or international charities, social enterprises or unincorporated charitable projects, to demonstrate quantifiably positive impact to the community.

The partnership should demonstrate significant positive outcomes and impact, as well as innovation in its approach

I Consultancy of the Year

This award recognises a consultancy firm that has demonstrated a real commitment to the sector and sector organisations in its work, showing a real worth

in sharing its expertise during the last 12 months.

The work could take a range of forms: such as on the overall strategic direction of a charities, advisory services for philanthropy, social impact assessments, M&A activity, change management, leadership and development, business planning for charities and social enterprises. It could also relate to work not for one organisation, but more widely, such as thought leadership that has driven positive change in the sector.

I Investment Management Award

This award recognises excellence in the professional services offered to the sector, showing evidence of real quantifiable investment returns, especially within the last 12 months, but also within a wider timeframe context, and show a real understanding of the investment needs of charities, with which they work.

FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND OTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

020 7993 8987 or 0207 749 4085 or email: moeketsi@economicpolicygroup.com

TIMES NOW & ICICI Bank to honour outstanding NRIs The TIMES NOW and ICICI Bank have invited applications from outstanding Non-Resident Indians to be honoured from the fields of Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Academics and Business Professionals.

People can nominate themselves or someone they know. Viewers can log on to www.nrioftheyear.com and register the names.

The awards are open to any NRI, OC or a PIO who has stayed in USA, Canada, UK, UAE, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand and Singapore for a stipulated period of time and has made a mark in his/her

respective field. In addition to the categories there are three distinct awards India’s Global Icon, Popular choice and The Special Jury Award. The entire process of the awards right from the nominations to choosing the winners will have a five tier evaluation process managed by EY. The last 2 editions of the awards have garnered tremendous response.

Celebrities, business professionals and entrepreneurs from all walks of life have graced the event before. From Amitabh Bachchan winning the Global Indian Icon of the

Year in the first season to Shah Rukh Khan wining in the second, there has been no dearth of prominent faces coming together for such a noble cause.

Ms Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank added “With each passing year, these awards have grown in importance as they have recognised achievers from different geographies and reached newer audiences. These awards reaffirm our commitment towards the NRI Diaspora, and give us an opportunity to celebrate their outstanding accomplishments.”

Naveen Chandra,

HeadInternational Business, Times Network added "Given the tremendous achievements of the Indian Diaspora globally, there wasn't an award recognising their success achieved through grit and perseverance in various countries.”

Atul Temurnikar, Chairman and Co–Founder Global School Foundation, Singapore added "The overseas Indian community, which includes illustrious industry leaders like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Indra Nooyi, among others, is an acclaimed source of inspiration for young minds.”

Hyderabad: The agitation by Kapu community members who were seeking reservation under Backward Class (BC) category turned violent on Sunday. They set a a train, a police station and police vehicles on fire and then blocked road and rail traffic for several hours at Tuni, in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh.

The powerful community gave a call for an indefinite “rasta roko”, unless the TDP government releases a Government Order soon.

Led by former minister M u d r a g a d d a Padmanabham, thousands of Kapus from all the districts participated in a “Chalo Tuni” protest march. Addressing the gathering, Padmanabam said: “This is not just a meeting of Kapus. It will turn into a major agitation soon if Kapus are not given BC status and reservation benefits with immediate effect. We demand that the TDP government should immediately release a Government Order.’’

The protest was supported by the YSR Congress Party, with its leaders, Botsa Satyanarayana and Ambati Rambabu, joining the protest at Tuni. Some people were injured in clashes with security personnel. A top police official said Padmanabham lost control over the crowd, and the public meeting soon turned unruly.

When P a d m a n a b h a m announced that they would block roads and trains, the protesters squatted on the ChennaiKolkata National

Highway and the railway tracks on the crucial V i j a y a w a d a R a j a h m u n d r y Visakhapatnam section of Vijayawada Division.

“They attacked the Ratnachal Express, which was the first train to arrive there, close to the Tuni railway station.

Passengers jumped out as the protesters started throwing stones... They set fire to four coaches, which soon spread and gutted the entire train. Then they attacked an office at the Tuni railway station, and later targeted the Tuni Rural police station,’’ said an official.

Condemning the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said: “East Godavari is such a peaceful district. I have never seen this kind of violence in the last 40 years.

YSRCP leaders organised and instigated the mobs which set fire to a train and clashed with police.

In the history of the state, police officials were never attacked by anyone. But today, six AP Police officials and six Railway Police officials were beaten up by the protesters.

One Circle Inspector and one constable are in serious condition. The train was pelted with stones and set on fire. You have a right to protest and hold meetings, but why instigate violence.”

Naidu said a Kapu Commission had been set up to look into the reservation issue. “I am assuring Kapus that we are working on giving them reservations. We have promised it and we will do it. There is no need for this kind of violence. I appeal to all communities to maintain peace,’’ he said.

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Malayalam Actress Kalpana passes away

Kamal Haasan joins Twitter

AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

P

opular Malayalam actress Kalpana passed away in Hyderabad, following a cardiac arrest at the age of 50, recently. She was given a state funeral as her body was earlier flown from Hyderabad and taken to her home where thousands of her admirers paid their last respects.

Kalpana, who began her career as a child artiste in 1983, was a popular on and off-screen character, due to her jovial nature. She had acted in more than 300 films, including other South Indian languages and had won a National Award for Best Supporting Actress in 'Thanichalla Njan' in 2012.

T

amil actor Kamal Haasan finally joined micro-blogging website Twitter on Republic Day, with his first tweet being a video of the rendition of the National Anthem in his voice. He also wrote, “India's freedom struggle remains unique even today.

Respecting it is d only way to keep it & set new world standards.” His Twitter handle iKamalhaasan is verified and already has over 31,700 followers. His daughter Shruti Haasan welcomed her father tweeting, “One of the happiest moments ever on Twitter!!!! Welcome my most favourite person @ikamalhaasan to twitter!!! Love you appa” The superstar was recently seen in Tamil films 'Uttama Villain', 'Papanasam', 'Thoonga Vanam'. He is currently working on the post-production of his controversial spy thriller 'Vishwapooram II'.

O

'Sanam Teri Kasam'

A sequel to the 1990- super hit 'Ghayal,” actor Sunny Deol will pick up from where he left off.

A romance movie directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, STK stars Ali Fazal, Harshvardhan Rane and Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane.

ollywood actor Dhanush will be making his debut in the West with 'The Extraordinary Journey Of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Cupboard', in which, he will share screen space with 'Kill Bill' star Uma Thurman. The actor thanked his fans and admirers for giving him the strength to tread new creative zones, saying that he hopes to explore and bring forward different “facets” of the character in the film.

Dhanush shared his views on Facebook, about venturing into Hollywood with the film. It read, “I am very excited by this opportunity to work in a full length Hollywood film The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir Who Got Trapped In The Ikea Cupboard for the first time. The director Marjane Satrapi felt I would be apt for this role and I feel there are many facets I can explore for this character. I thank my fans and media for constantly standing by me and pushing me to explore new endeavours and challenges all the time.”

The movie is based on Romain Puertolas's bestselling debut novel with the same name, which came out in 2014 and has been translated into 35 languages.

Catch', and 'The Undrafted', among others. Pookutty said a double nomination is a rarity in the industry and the beauty is that both of them are Indian work.

Expressing his concern over the ban imposed on both the films in the country, he said, “I don't understand why a progressive society like ours should react the way we do now. I am pained at the suppression of artistic freedom.” He said both the works are analysis of extreme violence, which should be welcomed by any progressive society. “By banning such films we are nullifying the will of the people,” Pookutty said.

Aamir hires international wrestlers for ‘Dangal’

F

'Ghayal Once Again'

Dhanush venturing into Hollywood

K

Resul Pookutty gets nominations for US awards

scar-winning sound artist, Resul Pookutty has won nominations for two films at the prestigious American Motion Picture Sound Editors' Golden Reel Awards. The 44 year old artist has won for his work in 'Unfreedom', a US production, and 'India's Daughter', a movie on the lines of the December 16, 2012, Delhi gangrape.

Ironically, both the movies are banned in India. The Reel Awards will be announced on February 27, a day ahead of the Oscar nights. Other films/television documentaries in the list include 'Beware Baltimore', 'Chef's Table', 'Deadliest

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

ollowing the footsteps of his close friend Salman Khan, Bollywood's Mr Perfectionist, Aamir Khan has been hiring a number of international wrestlers for his upcoming flick 'Dangal'.

According to a report, the wrestlers were called in because Aamir's onscreen daughters in the movie would be competing against wrestlers from different countries.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, 'Dangal' is scheduled for release on December 23, 2016. The actor will also lose 25 kilos for the role.

Waheeda Rehman honoured with special award

V

eteran actress Waheeda Rehman has been honoured with a special award for her contribution to the film industry at the Yashwant International Film Festival.

The “6th Y a s h w a n t International Film Festival2016” is a joint venture of Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan and Pune Film Foundation. Waheeda said, “This award will always be special as I was blessed with two opportunities to meet Chavan Sir in Mumbai and Delhi. And when I am presented with an award in this film festival named after him, I really feel honoured that my work in the last 50 years is recognised and being appreciated till today,” Waheeda said.

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I use awards trophies as doorstops: Rishi Kapoor

A

ctor Rishi Kapoor is outraged by the way popular awards are being given away, and for good reason. “I couldn't believe it when they gave an award to Parineeti Chopra for losing weight.

Can someone please give me an award for gaining weight?” he quipped.

“I never did believe in them. It's gotten much worse now. I use awards trophies as doorstops in my home. What they have done to film awards is truly tragic. They've reduced them to trivia. Shameless.

Agar sabko khush karna hai toh phir award ka matlab kya hua? (If they are only given to please everyone then what is the relevance of awards?) It's all for the television now. One or the other of these

awards keep playing in some corner of the world.

I've personally seen our awards functions being televised in Mauritius, New York, Los Angeles, and many other parts of the world.”

“Can you believe it, for one popular awards function they actually sold tickets prices at 40,000 rupees,” he continued lamenting. This year Rishi Kapoor has received another lifetime achievement award. “It's my fourth or fifth lifetime achievement award. They pleaded with me to accept it. They think my work is over, so they keep giving me lifetime achievement awards. But my work continues irrespective of whether they give me an award or not.”

Fawad Khan to play Alamgir in ‘Albela Rahi’

P

akistani actor Fawad Khan will play the role of legendary Pakistan singer Alamgir in his upcoming biopic 'Albela Rahi'. The 34 year old took to Twitter to share the news about his full-fledged debut in Pakistani films. “At the film announcement of @Albela_Rahi. Excited to play the role of the legendary #Alamgir.” One of the pioneers of Urdu pop music in Pakistan, Alamgir's style of singing is said to be inspired by playback singer Ahmed Rushdi. Meanwhile, back home, the actor will soon be seen in 'Kapoor & Sons', opposite Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra.

Yash Chopra memorial Award for Rekha

V

eteran actress Rekha was honoured with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award for her contribution to the film industry. The award was instituted by the TSR Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy, in the memory of the producer-director, who died in 2012.

“Am honoured to be bestowed this award in Yashji's memory. Yashji taught me how to love & I am eternally grateful for the memories & films that I have had the privilege to be a part of.”

“I can only say that this is not the climax, this is only the best phase of my life and there is a lot more to come. What I learnt from Yash ji is that if you love someone then you should love with all your heart so that there is no scope of loving anything else,” Rekha said.

The Foundation annually honours a distinguished senior film personality for outstanding contribution to film industry, with a Gold Medal and a cash prize for Rs 10 Lakh.

Rekha will be given the honour on February 2 next year, by the Governor of Maharashtra in a glittering ceremony in Mumbai.

Katrina mum on break up rumours

R

umours regarding Katrina Kaif's split with actor Ranbir Kapoor is the talk of the town since several weeks.

“Being in the public eye, you are going to be written about in media. It happened to me early in my career,” the actress told reporters at the launch of L'Oreal Paris' La Vie En Rose Signature collections. She said the media and the film industry need each other. “We need each other, we work together. The media also helps us in passing the message to the audience. It is part and parcel of the job. Take the good and the bad,” she added.

Neither confirming or denying the reports, the 32 year old, was visibly miffed when reporters kept prodding her about her break up.

“I am here as a professional... I am here in the capacity of my work

Hrithik lashes out at Kangana for referring him 'ex'

K

angana Ranaut has a knack of making the headlines, and this time she is in the news for referring to Hrithik Roshan as her 'ex'. When asked about her ouster from 'Aashiqui 3', the actress said the lame rumours have been doing the rounds and that she knew where they were coming from. Probably hinting at Hrithik, who is supposedly the reason why Kangana was removed from the project, she said that “exes” do silly things to get your attention. Not a person to take things as they come, Hrithik subtly lashed out at the actress, tweeting, “Ther r more chances of me having had an affair with d Pope dan any of d (Im sure wonderful) women d media hs ben naming.

Thanks but no thanks.” Yowza!

and as a woman one should respect that. I am sure you will agree with me,” she said.

Indian filmmaker to direct ‘Heidi’ adaptation

B

h a v n a Talwar, who made her debut with the National Award winner 'Dharm' (2007), will direct the feature adaptation of popular children's classic, 'Heidi', titled 'Heidi Queen Of The Mountains'. “Simon (Wright, producer) approached me about it and I jumped at the opportunity. I have obviously read the series as a child but this one will be a contemporary interpretation of the story,” said Bhavna. She plans to retain her style of storytelling in retelling the adventures of the six-year-old girl cared for by her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. While the film has completed its first schedule in the UK, Talwar is in the works on the second schedule of the film, to be shot in India. She is also looking for shooting locations in Spain and Austria.

“The intent is to work on a series of three but let's see who the first one shapes up as it will set the benchmark. I'm very excited about it,” she said.

‘Chudail’ Story a new breed of horror thriller

Asian Voice | 6th Februar 2016

‘C

hudail’ is a popular form of female ghosts, especially in rural areas.

These countless legends in our traditional culture are available in various forms of pulp fiction books, folklore and oral tradition; Like the succubus of western lore…

Dracula, Vampire.

Surya Lakkoju, the writer & director of the film, says that since he is a fan of Hitchcock films, he has given a Hitchcockian way to present the story.

“My approach has been innovative, different and I have adapted the narrative style of a thriller.

You can almost feel the suspense elements that arrests you with its sheer intense drama.

Taking a cue from the richly imaginative and fascinating traditional ‘chudail’ stories, I am triggered by its sheer audacity of holding power; I am attempting to tell a terrifying story, that one hasn’t seen till now.”

The trailer of the movie attracted more than 50,000 views on the first day itself.

The movie stars Preeti Soni, Amal Sehrawat, Nidhi Nautiayl, Sorab Rajput, Menka Lalwani, Sunny Charls and Akash Rathod.

Mallika wants to star in Kalpana Chawla biopic!

A

ctress Mallika Sherawat who is mostly known for her saucy roles, is tired of glamorous roles and would like to love to do a biopic if she was offered one. She even has her heart on a subject. Kalpana Chawla. She said, “Kalpana inspires me because as an Indian woman, she forged ahead with her dreams. To be what she wanted to be, to such an extreme, is greatness in itself. Nothing else matters. She has shown me to live and to die being what you want to be. Her life was at once triumphant and tragic.” Biopics are quite the rage this year, with several movies lined up for release already, the genre has given women in particular a chance to take the reins and play challenging characters on screen.

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UK

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Asian Voice | 6th February 2016

Split/Mixed- A one man show Continued from page 14

by Ery Nzaramba, was the reason behind the fundraiser, so that they could launch this beautiful play at the world's biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in summer 2016.

The play is about a young boy, Eddy, who is sent to an expensive Belgian school in Kigali.

His life is turned upside down after the Rwandan president's plane is shot down on 6th April 1994, starting a genocide and civil war.

Ery Nzaramba's performance is truly impeccable. He played an array of characters, solely performing to a full auditorium, showcasing his magnificent talent.

Engrossing crowd of over 100 people is no small achievement.

The talented performer moved to the UK from Rwanda in 2004, to train as an actor; he graduated from the

Birmingham School of Acting in 2007.

The play was directed by the BritishChinese director, Jude Christian, who has Lela & Co., as well as Harajuku Girls to her credit. About the play, she said, “I read it and I was instantly fascinated... I really admired the fact that it was clearly someone who was excavating their soul, and I think that kind of generosity and bravery is really fascinating. But I loved the sense of the struggle with that.”

The concept, the presentation, and the actor received a loud round of applause by the guests who were spellbound by what they had just witnessed. It was truly a remarkable play, making us wonder whether it was based on true events, or just a figment of the writer's imagination. This is a play that must certainly be seen by all.

Coming Events

l Daphna Sadeh & the Voyagers Featuring Jyotsna Srikanth- Balkan Jazz Meets Indian Music: Sunday 7th February 2016, 1:30pm. Pizza Express Jazz Cafe, 10 Dean Street, London W1D 3RW. l Bahamans by Shree Raaj Gambler & other artists: Sunday 7th February, 3pm. Ashy Shakti Mataji Temple, 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DZ. Visit: www.matajitemple.com Contact: 07882 253 540. l Awaz Ki Duniya- Renowned Singers from Mumbai: Sunday 7th February, Guild Hall, Lancaster Road, Preston PR1 1HT. Friday 12th February, De Montfort Hall, Granville Road, Leicester LE1 7RU. Saturday 13th February, Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow, London HA3 5BD. l BVG The Indian Choir of England- Sounds of Divine India by Rakesh Joshi: Sunday 7th February, 6pm. Peepul Centre, Leicester.

Visit: www.peepulenterprise.com Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Deputy Editor: Anand Pillai Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Email: anand.pillai@abplgroup.com Editorial Executive: Reshma Trilochun Tel: 020 7749 4010 - Email: reshma.trilochun@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Shabde Magazine, Shobhan Mehta Mob: 07846480220 (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912 Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad,

The rise of Muslim comedians

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Much enthusiasm goes into

professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. You will be determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Taking a broad perspective on the prevailing cosmic pattern, far-reaching change begins to gather momentum.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Strengthen close ties of

affection, sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to your loved one. You often sabotage your emotional interests by keeping too much inside. However, your inner pressure builds up and manifests as irrational moods that others find hard to understand.

Whether you’re single or

From left: Zahra Barri & Aatif Nawaz

Comedians Zahra Barri, and Aatif Nawaz will be performing at this year's Leicester Comedy Festival, as well as many other Islamic and Middle Eastern comics, compared to before.

Zahra Barri comically replied to the reason why there is a rise in Muslim comedians. She said, “I blame Donald Trump. If you repress a culture, that culture gets funny. You only have to look at the calibre of Jewish comics to see that.”

About British comedy, Aatif Nawaz said, “Comedy, particularly British comedy, has always been a fantastic

forum for social discussion and political awareness. Stand-up gives you a unique opportunity to subvert the prevailing opinions and expose their absurdity for all to see.

And Islamophobia in 2016 is certainly an absurdity.”

Regarding his show, Nawaz said, “Islam is very much in people's consciousness at the moment.

Everyone seems to have an opinion and, certainly within the Muslim community, there is a dissatisfaction with the way Muslims are portrayed in the mainstream. I can't speak for other comics, but I wrote my show for a non-Muslim audience.”

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GEMINI May 22 - June 22 attached you’ll have to go

through a lot, as deep psychological transformations are taking place in all types of relationships. Don’t be afraid to experiment, trust your hunches, go with your gut feeling. Solutions to minor problems should be considered very carefully.

A blast of personal energy comes your way, and showing your leadership skills works for you now.

Romance and pleasure are highlighted this week. The flowing, expressive, and spontaneous energy surrounding you attracts like-minded people. Be sure to take time to enjoy yourself, preferably around others!

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 You need to pay more attention than usual to your everyday work dairy. Meetings, work hours and organised breaks could play havoc, unless you're prepared to re-group on the spur of the moment. Try to be meticulous but flexible about your schedule. Play your cards right and you can pull strings in you favour.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 The Sun puts a spotlight on your solar sixth house. This is a busy period that finds you tending to many different aspects of your daily routine and health matters. You are in a very fortunate position to be able to improve your health and diet and also tackle any problems at work, which have been a source of irritation for some time.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Your focus is on material affairs and comfort issues. Security is a driving force for you at the moment, and you might find that you are especially interested in accumulating possessions. This is the time of year when personal finances and possessions receive maximum attention.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 With the Sun transiting your house of family and home, these areas are your instinctive focus during this period. This is a time when you put down roots and seek to belong. Besides, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations that support you and your growth.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

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Regardless of the limits, you have the capacity to turn the course of your life. Saturn in your sign will help you organize your priorities and systematically put them into practice. It is about time you moved beyond your established boundaries of safety. You will find ways to be more financially independence.

You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice. Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

There may be a certain amount of unfinished business to be dealt with. Therefore you will need to adopt a fairly flexible policy in order to accommodate the odd twists and turns of everyday life. There are planetary energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to calm you down mentally.

It is essential that you adopt a very open attitude now for this is a time of lucky opportunity and a chance to greatly enrich your life. New windows on the world are about to open and this is bound to have a maturing effect on you from now into the future. There is a rather secretive aura surrounding new romance, which could turn into something very special.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

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Sania, Martina win Australian Open women's doubles

AsianVoiceNews

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis beat seventh seeded Czech combination of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka to win Australian Open women's doubles title. Top seeds Sania and Martina, who are on a record winning streak, continued to rule the roost as they defeated the Czech pair 7-6, 6-3 at the Rod Laver Arena.

Hlavackova and Hradecka broke Martina's serve in the third game of the first set to take a 2-1 lead but the Indo-Swiss pair fought back in the next game to make it 2-2 by breaking Hlavackova's serve. The Czech pair then broke Sania's serve in the next game to take a 3-2 lead in the first set but not to be written off, Sania and Martina broke Hradecka's serve to make it 3-3.

Hlavackova and Hradecka again broke Martina's serve to take a 43 lead but Sania and Martina fought back again to break Hlavackova's serve to bring it level at 4-4 in the first set. But Hlavackova and Hradecka fought fire with fire and broke Sania's serve to take a 5-4 lead in the first set. But the top seeds displayed great skills to break Hradecka's serve again to make it 5-5.

Sania and Martina then made it sure to not let it slip

De Villiers appointed SA captain Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that AB de Villiers has been appointed as the full-time captain of South Africa's Test side.

Having served as the standin-skipper during the recently-concluded series against England, following Hashim Amla's resignation, de Villiers has agreed to take up the position fulltime. "I have been privileged to play in several outstanding Proteas teams over the past 11 seasons, and I believe we are witnessing the emergence of another great team.

There is plenty of hard work ahead of us; we are rebuilding and have a long way to go to being a finished product as a squad.

"We may have to fight through some tough times, but the recent performances of Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Dane Piedt, Dean Elgar and others have created an opportunity to build a team that delights and unites our country as never before. I could not be more excited about the future. I am fully committed to the Proteas, but more than anything, I am grateful for the support from my team-mates, Cricket South Africa and the people of our rainbow nation," he added.

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away by winning on Sania's serve to take a 6-5 lead but could not break Hlavackova's serve as the first set went into a tiebreak at 6-6. Sania and Martina won seven points in the tie-break against Hlavackova and Hradecka's one to win the first set 7-6 in 62 minutes.

Sania and Martina won the first two games in the second set before losing the third but won the next two games to take a decisive 4-1 lead. The Czech pair broke Sania's serve in the next game but could not capitalise on it and failed to win the next game after which Martina had the advantage of serving for the match but her serve was broken by the determined Czech pair to make it 5-3.

Hlavackova and

Hradecka saved three championship points on Hradecka's serve but could not avert defeat as Sania and Martina were successful on the fourth to win the championship.

Djokovic beats Murray In the men's singles final world number one Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win his sixth Australian Open title. The Serb, 28, won 6-1 7-5 7-6 (7-3) to claim his sixth Melbourne title, tying the record of Australia's Roy Emerson.

Djokovic also draws level with tennis greats Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver on 11 Grand Slam titles.

Second seed Murray, 28, has now lost all five Australian Open finals he has played, four of them against Djokovic. The Scot

becomes only the second man - behind his former coach Ivan Lendl at the US Open to lose five finals at the same Grand Slam since the open era began in 1968. He was expected to head straight to the airport after the final to return to London and his wife Kim, who is due to give birth to their first child in the next two weeks.

Djokovic has now won four of the past five major tournaments, including three in a row, and will try to complete his career Grand Slam with a first French Open title in June.

Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Angelique Kerber became the first German to win a Grand Slam title since her childhood idol Steffi Graf in 1999 when she upset world number one Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to clinch the Australian Open.

The 34-year-old American had been seeking her seventh Melbourne Park title and 22nd overall, which would have moved her into a tie with Graf for the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era. The seventh seeded Kerber, however, was not overawed by the occasion of her first grand slam final, breaking twice in the first set as Williams made 23 unforced errors.

Indian eves clinch T20 series

A historic series triumph already sealed, the Indian women’s cricket team faltered in its quest for a clean sweep as it went down by 15 runs to Australia in the third and final Twenty20 International following a spectacular batting collapse.

Chasing a victory target of 137, the Indians, who pocketed the series after winning the first two games, were comfortably placed at 94 for 3 in 13.3 overs before a middle order collapse led them to end at 121 for 8 at the SCG. The Indians scored just 27 runs from the last 6.3 overs and lost five wickets in the process to hand Australia a consolation win.

The visiting side made a flying start by scoring 33 runs from 4.4 overs for the first wicket between Vanitha and captain Mithali Raj (12).

After two quick wickets, the Indians picked up the pace and were comfortably placed at 94 for 3 in the 14th over, needing roughly run-a-ball for a win at that stage. But three quick wickets put paid to India’s hopes as Kaur, Auja Patil

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India regain top spot in ICC Test rankings

India reclaimed the top spot in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Test rankings last week after a gap of almost four and a half years, thanks to their recent series win over South Africa at home. India had previously held the number one Test position from December 2009 to August 2011. They were guaranteed the top position after South Africa trailed 0-2 after three Tests in the recent four-Test series in the sub-continent.The rankings were released following the conclusion of the Centurion Test in which South Africa defeated England by 280 runs. But the Virat Kohli-led Indian team cannot afford to breathe easy.

With only 11 points separating top ranked India from sixth-ranked New Zealand, there is potential for further changes before the April 1 annual cut-off date.

Australia and South Africa are on equal points at 109 but when the points are calculated beyond the decimal point, Australia are ranked second as they have 109.4 points as compared to third placed South Africa's 108.9.

In the ICC Test player rankings, South Africans Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and England's Ben Stokes have made impressive gains.

Rabada recorded figures of 7/112 and 6/32 in the two innings of the Centurion Test to vault 32 places to 30th in the rankings for Test bowlers. Rabada started the series in the 122nd position and has gained 92 places after earning 447 points following his 22 wickets in the series. As Rabada is still in the qualification period for bowlers, he is expected to move further up the ladder, depending on how he performs later this year. De Kock scored his maiden unbeaten Test century in the final Test against England. As a result, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman has broken into the top 50 for the first time, occupying the 48th position after rising 27 places. Amla scored 109 and 96 in the Centurion Test. For this performance, Amla has been rewarded with a jump of four places, which has put him in fourth place. Stokes, who scored 166 runs and took seven wickets at the U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 where England finished eighth, has achieved career-high rankings in the bowlers' and all-rounders' categories. He has moved up three places to 27th in the bowling table, while he has leapfrogged Vernon Philander and Ravindra Jadeja into fourth place in the all-rounders' list. The bowling table is headed by England's Stuart Broad, while Ravichandran Ashwin is the top-ranked all-rounder.

India-Pak Asia Cup clash on Feb 27

(3) and player - of – the series Jhulan Goswami (1) were dismissed in the space of 2.3 overs and for the addition of just 10 runs. In fact, India lost two wickets in the 16th over that ultimately made the difference in the match.

From a run-a-ball situation, India needed 27 from the last two overs and 23 from the final over. They could not accomplish the task though the Indians will return home with their head held high after their historic feat of winning their maiden series over mighty Australia. For Australia, Ellyse Perry produced an all-round show to

deny India a clean sweep.

She hit an unbeaten 55 after Australia were put into bat before claiming 4/12 in the Indian run chase.

Pacer Goswami was economical in her four overs, giving away 21 runs in her four overs while Rajeshwari Gayakwad claimed two wickets for 36 runs. Medium pacer Deepti Sharma (1/19) was also impressive in her T20 debut.

Earlier, Australia posted 136/5 as Goswami’s excellent bowling and visiting side’s sharp work on the field again made life difficult for the hosts.

The Indian cricket team will start its Asia Cup campaign against Bangladesh on February 24 before taking on arch-rivals Pakistan on February 27. The 11match tournament, which will be played in the Twenty20 format this year will be held in Mirpur from February 24 to March 6. India will play its third match on March 3 against a yet-to-be-decided qualifier. The last Indo-Pak cricket clash happened in 2015 during the ODI World Cup and efforts to revive bilateral cricket between the two sides have not worked out so far. After the preliminary Asia Cup clash, India and Pakistan could come face-to-face for the second time in the tournament if they make the March 6 final. Sri Lanka is the most consistent performer in the event, which has traditionally been played in the ODI format. The islanders have clinched the trophy five times, winning 34 of their 48 matches. Along with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh in the main event, the upcoming edition will also have Afghanistan, Oman, Hong Kong and UAE playing a qualifying tournament from February 19. Each team will play three matches and the top side will get entry into the main draw.

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India whitewash Australia in T20 series Heena Sidhu shoots her

Shane Watson's unbeaten 86-ball 124 was not sufficient as India clinched the third and final match of their Twenty20 International (T20I) series by seven wickets to blank Australia 3-0 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Watson's maiden century powered Australia, batting first, to a handsome 197 for five. In reply, India rode on blistering batting from their top four batsmen - Shikhar Dhawan (26 in nine deliveries), Rohit Sharma (52 in 38), Virat Kohli (50 in 36) and Suresh Raina (49 not out in 38) - to overtake the target in the final over.

With India needing 17 in the final over, Yuvraj Singh hit pacer Andrew Tye for a six and then a four off the first two deliveries to pave the way for the last-ball heroics by Raina. Chasing the 198-run target, India got off to a flying start. They raced to 62 in the first five overs, thanks to a quickfire 26 off nine deliveries by Shikhar Dhawan - who, after a dismal ODI outing, was getting into the groove in

T20I. The left-handed opener plundered four fours and a six. They forged a 78-run stand for the second wicket when Rohit got out after scoring 52 off 38.

The Mumbai right-hander was caught by Watson at midwicket off Cameron Boyce - but not before putting India strongly on track - at 124/2 in 12.3 overs.

Later, Kohli completed his 12th T20I 50 - third in the series - but soon lost his wicket being bowled by Boyce with India needing 51 runs in 5.1 overs.

Thereafter, Raina kept India going with two backto-back crucial fours in the 18th over, after which India were short of 22 runs in two overs.

In the penultimate over, Watson bowled brilliantly and gave away only five runs with Yuvraj struggling to hit big. The veteran southpaw, however, made amends in the final over collecting 10 runs off the first two deliveries bowled

by Tye. A bye off the third ball was followed by two consecutive doubles from Raina, who then hit a boundary as against the required two runs for the win.

For Australia, leg-spinner Boyce impressed with figures of 28-2 in four overs, while Man-of-theMatch Watson gave away 30 runs for a single wicket.

Earlier, Watson, making his debut as captain in

T20I, milked six sixes three off Ravindra Jadeja and two off Ashish Nehra and 10 fours during his maiden ton as the Indian bowlers conceded 117 runs in the final 10 overs. It was also the first time that India gave away a hundred to an opposition batsman in the shortest format.

Trailing 0-2 in the series, Australia came up with the scratch opening pair of Watson and Usman Khawaja as regular batsmen David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steve Smith did not play either due to injury or because they were being rested for the forthcoming series against New Zealand.

The hosts didn't get a good start as in-form Khawaja was dismissed for 14 with the right-hander edging a Nehra delivery to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the third over. However, experienced Watson, dropped from the One-Day International (ODI) series, showed why he is still a force to reckon with as he kept punishing the Indian bowlers.

way to Rio Olympics

India's top pistol shooter Heena Sidhu secured an Olympic quota for the country after she led from start to finish and claimed the gold medal in women's 10-m air pistol on day one of competition at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers for Shooting. The current world record holder and former world number one, Heena shot 199.4 in the eight-women finals to finish ahead of Chinese Taipei's Tien Chia Chen (198.1) and Gim Yun Mi (177.9) of Korea at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.

Heena shot an impressive 10.3 in the second last shot of the finals to extend her lead to 1.5 points over her rival from Chinese Taipei. The Indian shot exactly 10 in her final attempt and it was enough to get her the top prize, despite a 10.2 from Tien Chia Chen.

This was India's ninth quota from shooting for the upcoming Olympic Games. However, it was a bad day at the office for the

Heena Sidhu host country in men's 50-m rifle prone and women's trap as none of the Indian participants could clear the qualification hurdle.

In men's rifle prone event, young Swapnil Kusale finished 14th after aggregating 617.2 over a series of six shots. Sushil Ghale was 17th, while Surendra Singh Rathod was 24th in the pecking order.

In women's trap, where only one quota for Rio Games was on offer, Shreyashi Singh lost out in the shoot-off.