AV 6th June 2015 by Asian Business Publications Ltd

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Heat wave kills 2,330 people in India

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

See Page 26

Indian-Americans dominate US National Spelling Bee See Page 26

Suspected IS operative arrested in Bangladesh

Delhi billionaire Doshi becomes Jain monk See Page 26

VOL 44. ISSUE 5

Delhi's “plastic king” Bhanwarlal Doshi has given up his $ 600 million worth of business empire and embraced Jain monastic life in an extravagant ceremony in Ahmedabad. Doshi is now the 108th disciple of Surishwarji Maharaj and the 354th postulant to become a monk under him. The 3day affair was conducted in Ahmedabad and hosted more than 150,000 people. Doshi, 58, the son of a textile merchant of Rajasthan, started out selling paraffin from a street cart. He later built his own company, DR International, into one of India’s largest plastics manufacturers, earning him a fortune that until last week ranked him as one of nation’s richest 100 people. He was attracted to monastic living way back in 1982. His diksha ceremony began with a procession of painted elephants, camels, horses, musicians, sword

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

dancers and 1,000 Jain monks. Doshi's head was ritually shaved in a special hall, the mundan sthal and he was cheered by the crowd on his decision to give up his fortune to jain charities. The former business tycoon was greeted by spiritual leaders and Ahmedabad's top Jain industrialists such as Gautam Adani, a billionaire and a close friend of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jainism concedes nonviolence and the renunciation of worldly goods as the way to spiritual liberation. After his consecration, the father of 3 has now given up on his indulgent lifestyle that included multiple homes, cars and overseas vacations- he now looks forward to a life of asceticism. His phones, ornaments and colourful clothes are now exchanged for simple white robes. He is not allowed to cut his hair and Continued on page 26

Grooming gang jailed in Leeds

On 2 June, a court in Leeds brought 10 men who took advantage of a vulnerable 13-year-old to justice. In that light, to read our feature on grooming terror, please see page 16.

80p

6th June to 12th June 2015

Keith Vaz appointed ViceChairman of Labour party Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP, one of Britain’s longest serving Indian-origin MPs, has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Labour party by acting Leader of the Opposition Harriet Harman. Vaz, 58, who was reelected from his Leicester East stronghold at the 2015 general election, also serves as the chair of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons. Speaking about his appointment, Vaz said, “I am delighted to have been appointed as ViceChairman of the Labour Party. After coming through a difficult election, it is time for the party to regroup and bring fresh new ideas to the

Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP

table. Playing a part in that process is a source of great pride for me. “Having served on the National Executive Committee (NEC) for a number of years, I know that the Labour Party draws deep strength from its members. Continued on page 16

Panel discusses shifting party loyalty amongst Indians

Full story see page 17

Dr Omar Khan, Dr S Y Quraishi, Lord Prof Bhikhu Parekh, CB Patel, Keith Vaz MP, Ashis Ray Inset: Lord Karan Bilimoria

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Amit Shah

Amit is an NHS clinician who has specialised in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and currently works as a Microsurgery and Reconstructive Senior Clinical Fellow in London. Amit has worked in the NHS for over 12 years and completed assignments in California, Mayo Clinic, Toronto and at various private hospitals in Sydney. He has also spent a year as Chief Resident for the Division of Surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Throughout his career to date, Amit has been awarded multiple awards in healthcare innovation and sciences and enjoyed teaching and lecturing medical students, allied health professionals and fellow doctors. Amit gained his medical degree at the University of Cambridge, UK and prior to that attended St Paul’s School in Barnes, London. 1) What is your current position? Amit is an NHS clinician who has specialised in Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and currently works as a Senior Clinical Fellow in a London teaching hospital. Amit is also CEO and Cofounder of an online digital telemedicine and therapy platform called ‘Twealr’, designed to create better access to doctors, counsellors, psychotherapists and nutritionists online through voice and video consultations and health Q&A fora. 2) What are your proudest achievements?

(a) Co-inventor of the thinnest free tissue transfer (1.01mm) in the body used for microsurgical reconstruction. Free tissue transfer is used in plastic and reconstructive surgery to rebuild any area of the body ravaged by trauma and/or cancer. (b) Co-founding Twealr with my wife and partner, to create better access to healthcare for all. 3) What inspires you? Those living with adversity who still manage to go out and face every day with a smile. Particularly those who live with a chronic condition whether it’s to do with their

dramatically improve patient care, one of the principal reasons Twealr was borne.

physical or mental health, they inspire me, because of their resilience. 4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career? Funding constraints and limited infrastructure that prevent healthcare professionals from delivering much needed care and support to patients and communities. Slow adoption of new innovation and lack of cross talk that would otherwise

Supermarkets selling chicken heavily contaminated with food poisoning bug

Campylobacter bacteria is the biggest cause of food poisoning in Britain and kills 100 people each year. The Food Standard Agency survey suggests that many supermarkets still continue to sell chicken heavily contaminated with the food poisoning bug. The proportion of fresh chicken with the highest recorded level of contamination increased over the year-long testing programme. It increased from 17% in the first quarter to 21% in the fourth.

The survey showed that Asda had the worst record, with almost 30% of its chicken found to have

more than 1,000 campylobacter bacteria per gram. Morrisons came in next with the worst record at 22%, followed by Co-op at 19%. Tesco had the best score, Morrisons had the next worst record at 22 per cent followed by Co-op at 19 per cent. Tesco had the best score, with just 12% of its chicken heavily contaminated in the year to February.

5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? Atul Gawande, a prominent general surgeon and public health researcher, particularly his pioneering work on modern surgical practices and medical ethics including his role as director of the World Health O rg a n i s a t i o n’ s effort to reduce surgical deaths. 6) What is the best aspect about your current role? As CEO of Twealr, the freedom to innovate and implement new technology that improves access to health experts online, potentially on a global scale. 7) And the worst? The frustration from the limitations of the 24-hour day, juggling commitments across the NHS, Twealr and at home.

8) What are your long term goals? To grow Twealr and expand beyond the UK, to Europe, Asia and Africa, to reach out and help as many people as possible, giving them access to British doctors and mental health experts. To serve within UK public health policy, specifically mental health advocacy. To make a big enough impact through innovation to drive changes in health legislation and current models of service delivery. 9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change? Free childcare for all parents of children aged up to 12 years. 10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why? Robin Williams. He would be the most likely person through his unprecedented charm, charisma and wit to make me forget I was marooned and helpless. I admire his resilience and ability to help others in the face of his own internal plight. Perhaps I could help him through Twealr in return for his endless infective laughter.

100 heroic bystanders lift bus off unicyclist

the hospital. managed to pull the bus A horrific accident took A cafe owner at away a bit. We were place in Walthamstow, on Walthamstow, Sam Ullah, amazed- it was a heavy Thursday 28th May 2015. gave an account to what bus, a double-decker. The accident occurred just Police were here before 6pm, involvstraightaway and they ing a number 212 took over." double-decker bus A n o t h e r and a unicyclist, bystander, Kyra Sam which made the expressed, “I'm really cyclist trapped amazed at the between the wheels strength of of the bus. Walthamstow- no one Hearing and hesitated to push the seeing the accident bus off. I was in take place, up to 100 bystanders hero- A unicyclist was stuck under the 212 bus shock. Everyone really in Walthanstow came together to help. ically attempted to It was really nice to see lift the 12-tonne bus, in took place at the scene. that in the face of someorder to save the life of the “There were so many peothing so awful.” 55-year-old unicyclist. The ple gathered there. There The police have not cyclist was severally must have been about 50 made any arrests. injured and was rushed to to 100. They somehow

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COMMENT

Mamata, Modi lockstep to Dhaka

Writing off Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal’s feisty Chief Minister, is fraught with risk, as media gurus and other ambitious souls given to crystal ball gazing, simple star-gazing, or reading tea-leaves, have discovered to their cost. Like most beasts of prey – the tiger and the crocodile come readily to mind, the latter out of water, the former lost without its jungle – Mamata may be comically out of her depth beyond her accustomed Bengal habitat, but within its confines she remains the monarch of all she surveys. The bruised Communist Party of India (Marxist), the mainstream Congress and the BJP have attempted to unseat her, but ended unseating themselves and are now licking their wounds after the drubbing they suffered in the local municipal elections across the State. After all, it was this little known lower middle class woman, who flounced out of the Congress Party and created a party – the Trinamool Congress – in her own image, with grassroots tentacles in every village, town district and city, and who achieved the unthinkable in May 2011 by reducing the 34 year-old Communist-led Front regime in the State Assembly elections biting the dust. It was a political tsunami of unprecedented proportions whose effects are with us still. Any hope that she was a shooting star soon to disappear in the wider firmament has diaapeared too. Having assessed the ground realities with the unerring eye of a true national leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose job it is to carry the country, or as much of it he deems possible, with him on the great issues of the day, descended on Kolkata and dealt Mamata with exquisite skill: he said he wanted her on board on the issue of the boundary settlement with neighbouring Bangladesh as an Indian national interest, and he emerged aloft with her support, previously denied – a rare moment of triumphant, surely. The untidy geography of the current border, with Indian enclaves on one side and Bangladeshi enclaves on the other, whose respective populations have been in constitutional limbo has been resolved bar the formalities due to be undertaken shortly in Dhaka. In return, West Bengal will receive a generous package of financial aid from the Centre towards the resettlement of returnees from the

Bangladesh enclaves and for much else for the State’s benefit. All being well, that should open a new chapter of close India-Bangladesh relations, from power sharing through jointly constructed plants, greater Indian investment in Bangladesh, more bilateral trade, Indian help to the Bangladesh IT and closer liaison on intelligence sharing. The Burdwan bomb blasts in West Bengal, operated by an extensive jihadi network straddling the border, was directed principally at destabilizing the government of Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Dhaka. A stable, jihadi-free Bangladesh is a strategic imperative for India, remembering that under the previous jihadifriendly dispensation of her predecessor, Begum Khalida Rahman’s dispensation, there was a free flow of Pakistani-trained terrorists into the adjacent Indian States of West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. The recent foreign tours of Prime Minister Modi to China, Mongolia and South Korea, preceded by his visits to France, Germany and Canada have revealed a formidable statesman with an unfolding strategic vision. His one-to-one talks with former prime minister Manmohan Singh showed also a significant ability to rise above the fray of internal party politics in the wider interest of the nation, with both men discussing foreign policy issues in considerable depth. Some of this has clearly rubbed off on Mamata Banerjee, who of late has given more thought and energy to focusing on the larger picture, including tackling problems of development and attracting domestic and foreign investment to West Bengal. She is now more responsive to expert advice on economic issues instead of giving way reflexively to populist razzmatazz. For their part, domestic and foreign industrialists are detecting a welcome mellowness replacing the earlier truculence in the Chief Minister. This is all to the good. India being the sum of its diverse parts, the economic recovery of West Bengal, after decades of decline and stagnation, is good news for the rest of India. For India’s ‘Look East ‘ policy to succeed, its Eastern region, of which Bengal is the hub, must prope. The reinvention of Mamata Banerjee sends out the right signals.

Education in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the core area of South India, in scale and quality, has been ahead of the rest of India, except in the metropolitan cities, where it is up to par. Knowledge, which is the primary goal of education in modern societies, is fundamental to economic growth and social welfare in the better parts of the contemporary world. The trading class, ever dependent on native shrewdness and understanding of the ways of the market can get by with what they already possess in the intellectual locker without bothering unduly about the tomorrows. In the manufacturing, services and banking sectors knowledge is basic to progress and profit. Without science and technology and software where would modern industry be? What would the services and banking sectors look like without modern methods of accounting and management? This being so, the recent achievements of Bengali pupils in West Bengal’s tertiary education has given hope that the dark days of educational decline in the State presided over by the Communist-led Left Front government for three decades and more are finally coming to an end. What was once the pride of Bengali society became its enduring shame, which in no small way, contributed to the Left regime’s rout. Private sector fee-paying schools, which cater

to a large swath of the population, including the less well-off, are doing well in dispensing good quality education, the schools in acute disrepair are government-run and charge reduced fees. Ambitious parents, even when they are hard put to afford the higher fees, prefer to apply for bank loans to get their children the sort of education that would go a long way in setting them up for life. The achievements of Bengali boys and girls in their latest all-India CISCE and ISC board examinations have attracted the attention of mass circulation newspapers in the State and outside as well. For instance, the Chennai-based Hindu highlighted the outstanding performances of Arka Chatterjee from Kolkata’s Vivekenanda Mission School, and Saugata Chowdhury from St Xavier’s Collegiate School. A joyous Mamata Banerjee tweeted her thrill on receiving the news. There are numerous others who also excelled from the metropolis, with large numbers of students in the State’s rural heartland from local boards joining them in celebratory mode. India’s younger generation is clearly embracing the future. That said, the best achieving pupils in Bengal still prefer St Stephen’s College and Lady Sriram in Delhi for their university education in the humanitie , as such courses in Kolkata remain below par.

The American dream ever since the founding of the Republic has rested on the assumption that the country was (is) the land of opportunity. However, this perception is fenced with caveats and caution, as large numbers of Americans struggle to make ends meet with low salaries, unaffordable fees for higher education and medicare. If there is a community which seemingly abides with the unsullied dream of yore, it surely must be the country’s Indian Americans, the bulk of whose senior citizens made their way to the New World of hope and plenty and seen their expectations fulfilled in large measure. Much of what they were to achieve would have eluded their best efforts in the India they left behind. Today, so figures reveal, these determined men and women belong to the country’s leading class in wealth, education and dispos-

al incomes. They straddle every profession and occupation, from doctors, accountants, entrepreneurs, business executives, scientists, engineers, university academics et al. The evidence keeps piling by the day, week, month and year. Catch ‘em young is the old motto. They don’t come younger than school kids. One of the stiffest public competitions for them has long been, and continues to be, the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, which ended recently in a tie the second time in a row between two Indian American teenagers, Vanya Shivshankar,13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14 The two winners will share over $37,000 in cash and prizes. With this year’s success, young Indian Americans have won as many as 14 of the past 18 contests and the eighth in succession. Wow!

Bengal education in recovery mode

American dream lives on – for Indians

3 Today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday - Anonymous In the UN Post 2015 MDG Framework Report 'Road to Dignity by 2030’, UN Secretary General, Bank Ki-moon, sets out his vision and said: "We have a shared responsibility to embark on a path to inclusive and shared prosperity." Ban Ki Moo n, UN Gen eral Se cretary

Ten years on the campaign for widows’ rights continues

By Lord Loomba, founder of The Loomba Foundation Later this month on 23 June, the world will once again turn its focus to the plight of more than 258 million widows worldwide for International Widows Day. On the same date 61 years ago, my own mother was widowed at the age of only 37. Having witnessed the struggles she encountered, not only in bringing up her children alone but facing discrimination and alienation from society for nothing other than losing her husband, I knew I needed to campaign to tackle a situation faced by so many women and their children around the world. Ten years ago I sought to give the campaign a focal point and International Widows Day was launched. Since then, we’ve taken many positive steps forward and, in 2010, the day was recognised by the UN. Yet whilst I’m proud of the progress that has been made, there is still a huge amount to be done. As women’s rights across the world continue to gain prominence, and rightly so, it is disappointing that the substantial issues faced by widows, particularly in areas such as South Asia, are still largely swept under the carpet. Widows continue to face double discrimination not only on the grounds of being a woman but also in losing their financial security, social status and dignity when their husband dies. When a woman becomes a

widow she doesn’t just lose the one she loves, she often loses everything, making her and her children even more vulnerable. Worldwide each widow has an average of three children and six family members, meaning that this issue doesn’t just affect 258 million; the reality is that more than a billion people are disadvantaged, through no fault of their own. Devastatingly, 1.5million widows’ children in the world die before their fifth birthday. Raising awareness and tackling this intersecting discrimination is at the heart of the Loomba Foundation and International Widows Day. Through our ongoing advocacy and programme work, we give women the skills they need to survive on their own and support their families. The traditional role of women in many societies means that often they haven’t ever been given the opportunity to go to school or join the labour force. We give them this opportunity. This year we will interview 5,000 widows in the Indian city of Varanasi, with the aim of discovering what industry they wish to join, before ensuring they are suitably trained to do so. This will empower them to take control of their own career and future earning, ultimately providing for their family. Of course, social attitudes towards gender are interwoven with the experiences of widows and these are harder to change. However, change is possible and we must come together to take action – we must not tolerate the inhumane treatment of widows and their children across the globe. International Widows Day takes place on the 23 June for more information please visit www.theloombafoundation.org/internationalwidows-day.

Lord Loomba www.theloombafoundation.org The Loomba Foundation Loomba House 622 Western Avenue London W3 0TF 020 8102 0351

MIDLANDS VOICE

Car insurance conman jailed for 6 months

In a series of a conning incidents, a man from Blackburn, Lancashire was jailed for 6 months on Monday after duping a no-win-no fee solicitors' firm out of £1700 in a car insurance scam, the Daily Mail has reported. Imran Shah, 39, who reportedly lied to lawyers, told them that he wanted representation as he had been in a car accident and was seeking considerable damages. In return for bringing them lucrative business, he persuaded the firm to pay him an upfront fee of £1,700. Police investigated 17 other similar cases involving Shah, but the first 11 solicitors firms were unwilling to help with their investigation. In one case mentioned at his trial, Shah is said to also have pretended to lawyers that he was a surgeon seeking a £500,000 damages payout. The twelfth firm detectives approached agreed to help though, admitting Shah had duped them out of £1700 in a car insur-

ance scam. In an impact statement read to the court, the head of Parmar & Co Solicitors reportedly said: 'The defendant engaged with my firm over a period of time and deceived myself and my colleague into believing he was injured and we expended time and money

seeing him. 'He obtained the money by deception on two separate occasions. He also used the firm as a conduit to complex fraud, damaging the reputation of my business. 'It was an embarrassment to me personally and my business. He was calculated, deceitful and remorseless. 'He wasted valuable time and money of my firm which could have been spent helping genuinely injured and innocent victims.' At Preston Crown Court, university-educated Shah, who has allegedly used a number of false names - admitted fraud but escaped with six months jail as prosecutors stated that his crimes may be 'just the tip of the iceberg.'

A young couple have been arrested on suspicion of planning to carry out a terrorist attack in the UK. The 24-year-old man and his 23-year-old girlfriend were detained by the counter terrorism police in Reading and Wokingham on Thursday 28th May 2015. The couple are being questioned by officers from West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism. The 24-year-old man has been identified as Mohammed Rehman, from Reading, while his girlfriend was from Earley, Wokingham. During his arrest, officers were seen carrying a number of items, including laptops, computers and mobile phones from the property.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said, "A man aged 24 from Reading and a woman aged 23 from Wokingham have been arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism in the UK.” He further added, “The arrests were intelligence led and made to safeguard public safety.

However, the action taken was pre-planned and police assess that the pair did not posed any imminent threat. The man is from the Palmer Park area of Reading and the woman from Earley in Wokingham. They are being taken to a police station in the West Midlands area for questioning.”

around 5ft 10ins with greying black hair, brown

eyes and stubble. At the time of his disappearance he was believed to have been wearing a black jacket with an Adidas logo on the back and three stripes on the arms. He had a grey tshirt underneath with orange writing on, navy blue jeans, black shoes with red laces and a black cap. Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police on the 101 non-emergency number.

Imran Shah

Young pair arrested on suspicion of planning terror attacks in the UK

Concerns grow over missing Asian man

Concern is growing for the welfare of a 47 years old missing Asian origin man in Aston. Mansha Haidri, who is in desperate need of his medication, gone missing on Friday and was last seen at his home on Friday at 11:30pm. Officers have spoken to his family and friends and searched places he is known to visit. Mr Haidri requires regular medication and is likely to become unwell without it. He is described as slim,

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Couple left homeless after builder leaves home like a tomb

A couple from Birmingham has reportedly been left homeless after a builder they paid £139,000 to renovate their four bedroom bungalow was left like a tomb with no roof, full of debris. The Mail reported that Radcliffe Ogier and his wife Nashreen, 50 was promised by Scott Devlin featured on mybuilder.com to turn their house into a dream retirement home. The couple sold their house in Enfield in North London, and paid £280,000 for a bungalow in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham, close to their relatives. They then decided that their new home needed renovating and extending before they moved in with their three children and Mr Ogier’s 70year-old mother Sheila. So they saved up for a year and contacted Devlin, 41, in the summer of 2013 after finding him on the mybuilder.com website, after being impressed

with his sample work. The Ogiers agreed an eight-month plan for the work with Devlin and began paying him £5,000 every week to carry it out. The couple claimed that Devlin told them the major work would cost £160,000 and take ten months. But two years down, the couple are now living with friends, while they find another builder to make their home habitable again. The rooms are open to the sky, plaster is hanging off the walls, doors and windows are missing and the house and grounds are covered with mounds of debris. Mr Ogier noticed that the number of builders at the site had dropped off, by summer 2014, with lots more work pending. Then they found it almost impossible to contact Devlin, a former boss of Magical Kitchens in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, who was declared bankrupt in 2013. Finally the couple

managed to meet the elusive builder at a pub in January to complain. They agreed to sign a new contract. Workers then came back for a day before disappearing again. The couple claim they have not heard from him since, despite visits to his business address. Made bankrupt in 2013, Mr Devlin reportedly said Magical Kitchens, like so many small businesses, crumpled because it was the last link in a chain of unpaid bills. He was also allegedly let down by skilled tradesmen he recruited. Desperate to get any money in, Mr Devlin slashed prices. Personal problems also played their part, with one of Mr Devlin's daughters needing his help. A woman at a home in Tamworth, Staffordshire, where Devlin is listed as living claimed not to know him. But Mr Devlin added: ‘I’m not the kind of person to rip people off – all the positive reviews show that.’

Fourteen men and a 16year-old male have been charged with offences, including rape and sexual activity with an underage girl. West Yorkshire Police have revealed that most of the allegations

are said to have taken place between 2011 and 2012 and relate to one female victim aged under 16. One of the allegations relates to a second victim, who was also under 16 at the time of

the offence in 2009. Police said the accused, who are from Bradford and Keighley, had been released on bail and are due to appear at Bradford Magistrates Court on 30th June 2015.

14 men and a minor accused of rape and sexual abuse

The names of the fourteen men accused:

l Sufyan Ziarab, 22, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Yasser Kabir, 24, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x4) l Bilal Ziarab, 20, of Bradford. He is charged with rape (x2) l Tauqeer Hussain, 22, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x4) l Israr Ali, 19, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Rohail Iqbal, 21, of Keighley. He is charged with rape l Rohail Hussain, 18, of Keighley. He is charged with rape l Nasir Khan, 23, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x3) l Saqib Younis, 28, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Hussain Sardar, 18, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Zain Ali, 20, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Faisal Khan, 26, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x2) l Khalid Raja Mahmood, 34, of Keighley. He is charged with rape (x5) l Mohamed Akram, aged 62, of Keighley. He is charged with sexual activity with a child under 16.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Big B fans to erect his statue in Leicester

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Spriha Srivastava

Shikor Bangladesh All Stars comes to the UK

In conversation with Runi Khan, the brain behind the festival Shikor Bangladesh All Stars, a seven-strong group of top traditional musicians have come to the UK for the first time for Songlines Encounters Festival, organised by Songlines, the world music magazine. The magazine has been running since 1999 and covers music. It is published 10 times a year covering the most important traditional and contemporary artists around the globe. This is the fifth year of the Songlines Encounters Festival. The UK debut of Shikhor Bangladesh All Stars this week has been organised through a partnership of Songlines magazine, Ikon Arts management and Culturepot Global, run by Runi Khan. The visit sponsored by the Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs is led by Nazrul Islam, who is the dhol player of choice for dozens of musicians in Dhaka. The group also includes virtuoso singers Runa Laila and Mumtaz as well as contemporary groups such as Bangla and Arnob and Friends. “Even people who are knowledgeable about world music are completely unfamiliar with the sounds from Bangladesh,” says Simon Broughton, Songlines’ editor-in-chief. “That’s why I was keen to bring this glorious band to our festival. The great thing is that folk music in Bangladesh is still a thriving tradition while in India it’s rapidly dwindling. And this is music worth celebrating.” The band also includes Baby Akter, Nazrul’s wife, the fine Baul singer Rob Fakir, Anup Kumar Mandal, Mobaraq Hossain and, representing the next generation, Labik Kamal Gaurob. Dhaka’s leading bansuri player Jalal Ahmed weaves his flute around the vocals like the flowing rivers of Bangladesh. The group have just released their debut CD Soul of Bengal on Funkiwala Records. The festival will close with a special collaboration between Shikor and LoKkhi TeRra, the multicultural band led by

Runi Khan

pianist and keyboard player Kishon Khan. In order to find more about the festival, I had a chat with Runi Khan who is the brain behind the festival. Tell us the idea behind Songlines Encounters Festival? Songlines is an annual festival curated and programmed by Simon Broughton who is the Editor -in-Chief of Songlines Magazine which is probably the only one of its kind in the world which covers 'world music' and also the best from around the world whether known or unknown. It embraces

perform in London? To begin with, we are Londoners. London's hall mark is for us its rich cultural diversity. It is also the meeting point of the best of all world culture and has extensive cross cultural activities. Moreover, the musical collaboration that the Shikor team have been working on for some years now is with the London based band Lokkhi Terra, so London was the city of choice for Shikor's debut and that is also why the concert has been curated in two parts - to showcase both the tradition and the contemporary collaboration. Is the music from Bangladesh very popular in the UK? Do you think the concert will help in increasing the popularity of this band in the UK? The music is popular on doubt but is sadly restricted to the Bangladeshi Diaspora and to other's who have links with Bangladesh. But the music Baul and folk music is very rich and would be popular if it is presented at main-

Shikor Bangladesh All Stars and LoKkhi TeRra in a Dhaka TV studio before a performance

musicians of high quality and allows the exposure they would need to be heard to be recognised for the quality they are. It was therefore most appropriate to try and secure Shikors debut performance in London at the Songlines Encounter Festival. It is because of our objective that we have worked for months to get Shikor on the international stage and Songlines Encounter was out first choice, as it focuses on world music, the category that Bangladesh’s music would fall under. How did they decide to

stream venues and toured around the other cites of the the UK What sort of response have you received from music lovers in the UK? The response has been unexpectedly huge. Baul in particular is a philosophy and many serious music lovers are very keen to see and hear the real stuff. This is a great opportunity and we have Shikor showcasing at WOMAD on the 25th and 26th July -between these two festivals we are sure will secure a place for Bangladesh in the world music arena.

Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Amitabh Bachchan, Samantha Cameron and Keith Vaz

Fans of Big B in the UK have decided to immortalise the Shahenshah (Emperor) of Bollywood in a stone in the heart of Leicester city. Amitabh Bachchan's British fans in Leicester the city with the largest number of Indian origin people outside India, is planning to have a life size statue of him in one of its most prominent squares. In an exclusive interview with an Indian daily,

Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP, the member of parliament from Leicester and the longest serving Asian MP in the British parliament said "my constituents are keen we have a statue of Amitabh - one of the world's greatest actors here in Leicester. Personally I feel we must immortalise the icons of India from all walks of life". Vaz added "Amitabh is already in Madame Tussauds and so why not

51 years old Raj Singh Buller, from Slough, who is married with two sons, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia on Christmas Eve 2014. The diagnosis turned his and his family’s world upside down. Delete Blood Cancer UK found a matching blood stem cell donor for Raj Singh Bhuller. Raj has acute myeloid leukaemia and requires a blood stem cell donation to get better and will now receive blood stem cells from the matching donor in the next few weeks. The charity has been working with his family for months in appealing to the public to register with them, to find a matching donor for him, and for all those in need of a blood stem cell donation. The appeal was directed at those who shared Raj’s South Asian background in particular, as those with a similar background are most likely to provide the best suitable match for him. With only four per cent of those registered to be on standby to donate some of their blood stem cells in the UK having an Asian background, the appeal aimed to increase this statistic. Running over several months, the appeal has been really successful,

with thousands of people registering as potential blood stem cell donors in response to it, especially those with a South Asian background Speaking about a matching donor being found for Raj, his family have said: “We want to thank every single last one of you for the love, support and prayers you have provided on every step of Raj's journey so far. “Raj finding a match is in stark contrast to others who are struggling to find a donor but we all need to keep our efforts up and remain positive. We can't let people feel like they are alone on their journey. As a family we were all motivated by the idea that it only seems impossible until it is done. “Let's stand together, work tirelessly and continue to make the ‘impossible’ possible for those searching for a donor - for those like Sarbjit Matharu, whose family have been by our side throughout this.” Emphasising the importance of registering as a potential blood stem cell donor, Deirdra Taylor, Director of Communications and External Relations at Delete Blood Cancer UK, said: “It is wonderful that a

in the city with the largest number of Indian origin people outside India". Mr Bachchan has been to Leicester a couple of times. The last time he was there, he received an honorary doctorate of arts from the local De Montfort University and also visited the famous Walkers Stadium; home of the Leicester City Football Club. He is also the patron of Silver star, a charity that Vaz has set up for diabetes.

Matching donor found for Raj Singh Bhuller

Raj Singh Buller

matching donor has been found for Raj but it is important to remember that this match has only taken place because someone took the few minutes to register as a potential blood stem cell donor. That is why it is crucial that more people register, and as those in need of blood stem cell donation are most likely to find a matching donor from a similar ethnic background, it is vital that a diverse range of people register.” You can register in five minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will enable you to do your own tissue test to go on the database to maybe one day become a blood stem cell donor, through the Delete Blood Cancer UK website: www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Ladwa joins team Sadiq for Mayor of London election

Sadiq Khan

Manoj Ladwa

Manoj Ladwa, who served as the Communications director on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election campaign an year ago, has been appointed as the senior adviser to Sadiq Khan for the Mayor of London election. Lawyer by profession, Ladwa in 2014 headed the campaign’s Research, Analysis, and Messaging team in New Delhi working closely with the top BJP leadership and spokespeople to coordinate the national communications strategy. LSE graduate Manoj is the founder and chief executive of the MLS Chase Group. In 2010 he founded India Inc, a media organisation which includes brands such as the India Investment Journal and India

Investment Conclaves. In 2003 he established the London office of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) and has served on various trade promotion committees, including those of UKTI and London Chamber of Commerce. He is an accomplished media commentator and is frequently invited to speak at conferences, authoring over 100 articles and publications. Ladwa is also founder member and was the first President of National Hindu Students Forum UK, founder Trustee of volunteering charity SEWA Day. He is the chairman of the Labour Community Engagement Forum and campaigns actively within the Labour Party and outside on various community issues and strives for better political representation for people of Indian origin in the UK.

Teenagers jailed for torturing and carving initials on childhood friend

Two teenagers have been arrested for kidnapping and torturing a childhood friend. They carved their initials on the victim's forehead and arm and urinating on him. The pair had lured the victim to a secluded alleyway, where he was subjected to nearly three hours of horrific abuse. The incident took place on 24th August 2014, in Northolt, north-west London and the teenagers are starting their jail terms this week. Police said the teenagers launched a “prolonged period of abuse and torture” after trying to rob the victim and realising he had no money. The police further stated that Yousaf Khan (19) and Xavier Christopher (18) made repeated threats against the victim and his family before Khan punched him hard in the face. Khan, of Fulham,

Sameer Khan (23), had arranged for the victim to be attacked in the streets so that he was unable to give evidence in court. Yousaf Khan and Xavier Christopher pleaded guilty to kidnap, false imprisonment and wounding at Isleworth Crown Court, in February, and have been jailed for nine and eight years respectively. Jailed: Sameer Khan, Xavier Christopher and Yousaf Khan (Picture: Metropolitan Police) Sameer Khan received two years The pair had made west London, then carved after pleading guilty to him wear a helmet to hide his initials into the teenagwitness intimidation. his injuries and warned er’s forehead. Christopher, Detective Constable him to keep his phone on of Northolt, also grabbed Michael Currie stated, so they could hear what the knife and carved let"The victim was put he was saying. However, ters onto the victim's arm through a horrific ordeal the connection was disand they also urinated on by someone he trusted as connected when another him, torturing him for up a friend. I hope this sencall came in. to 3 hours. tence allows the victim to Khan and Christopher The victim was then move on and demonwere consequently arrestforced to go home to fetch strates that this type of ed and charged. After money. This is where he action will be met with being charged, Yousaf was able to raise the the full force of the law." Khan's older brother, alarm.

Survey finds Islam fastest growing in the UK A recent research in the UK has found Islam to be the fastest growing religion in Britain, even as fewer people are becoming members of the Church of England. According to NatCen's British Social Attitudes

Survey, in the past two years, the Church of England have reportedly lost two million followers, while the number of Muslims in Britain has grown by a million. In 2012, Muhammad had emerged as the com-

monest first name given to baby boys born in London. The name was also second commonest among newborn male babies across the UK and Wales the same year. The biggest group remained people who say they have

no religion, accounting for around half (49%) of all people in Britain, up from 31% in 1983 and 43% a decade ago. In 1983, 12.8 million people said they were atheists. In 2014, the number of people following no religion or having no belief in God rose to 24.7 million.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Murdered daughter's mum Queen's speech worries businesses employing foreign workers not happy with court's verdict

Post the 2015 General Election, Queen Elizabeth II conveyed her annual speech at the State Opening of Parliament 2015. The Queen had spoken about many concurrent issues, such as the EU referendum, full employment and welfare benefits, housing, childcare and national insurance contribution. However, in this session, she also mentioned that businesses employing foreign workers will have to pay a new visa levy. This will be used to fund apprenticeship schemes for British workers. This scheme, however, is yet to be started. Her Majesty also announced plans of setting up a new enforcement agency that would crack down on businesses employing illegal immigrants or smug-

gling people into Britain with the promise of work. She stated, “It is not right that unscrupulous employers can exploit workers, luring them here with the promise of a better life." She believes a new single agency will have the authority, power and scale to prevent this from happening. Furthermore, the Queen announced that the new immigration bill will require foreign offenders released on bail to be tagged, "So we always know exactly where they are. This will

Britain's Serious Fraud Office last week has recovered £5.4 million towards a £20 million confiscation order by selling of a mansion belonging to one of UK's wealthiest Asian businessmen Virendra Rastogi. He was convicted and sentenced in 2008 for his role in a multi-million pound financial trading fraud. The fraud was committed to support trading on the London Metal Exchange through a company structure based around RBG Holdings Limited. In August 2010 a £20 million confiscation order was imposed with the total sum recovered to be used to compensate the victims of the fraud.

In February 2013, following an application by the SFO's Proceeds of Crime Division, Rastogi was ordered to serve a further 2555 days (seven years) in prison as a result of his failure to pay the confiscation order. At the confiscation hearing the court found that Rastogi's family home, which was held in the name of a trust fund, was beneficially his and considered it available to satisfy the order. Litigation, which was contested by the trust fund, to secure possession of the property, located in Orchard Court, London, was commenced in July 2013. Control of the property was subsequently removed from

prevent absconding and increase the number of criminals deported". Although many may believe that Britain's attitude and behaviour towards immigrants are hostile, the Queen mentioned that “My government looks forward to an enhanced partnership with India and China.” The UK and India have previously had a good liaison, in regards to business and politics and the present and future connections between the two nations comes across as fruitful.

SFO recovers £5.4mn from Asian businessman

midway through the trial, at the Old Bailey. As a result, Hussain, from Whitechapel, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The verdict did not come as a relief for Sannah’s mother and she plans to lodge an appeal over the sentence. Qasia Ahmad expressed, “It’s been seven months of torture. Sannah should still be here. He’s taken her life and ruined my life – how am I supposed to live now? I’ve got no one. There was one hope and

now that’s gone. I can’t even go to her grave and say Sannah I’m getting you justice.” She went on to express, “There are days I don’t even want to be here. My suffering will never end. I’ve lost her forever now. He can get out in three or four years. She didn’t do anything to him. It’s not fair.” The court was informed that Sannah Javed was a vulnerable woman with a drinking problem, who was taken advantage of by Abu Hussain.

Gurnimrat Sidhu, an Indian-origin teacher was honoured by Oxford University for helping one of her students get into the world-famous educational institutions. Sidhu is the head of science at Oaks Park High School, in north-east London and was one of the 12 teachers to receive the 'University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher Award'. The awards were set up to encourage more state-funded schools to connect with the university. Sidhu had feared that an error was made while marking one of her student's, Esther Odejimi's exam. Sidhu had forced her to get her exams remarked, which would enable

her to get admission to Pembroke College, Oxford. In return, the 19-year-old student nominated her for the award. Odejimi said,

ually reassured me that I was academically adequate to thrive at an institution like this, despite my socio-economic background. I will never forget the fact that every single day the school cleaners would kick Ms Sidhu and I out of her classroom at around 7pm because we were the last people left in school and they needed to lock up.” "It is so humbling to be receiving this award and to be honest it still hasn't really sunk in. I am inspired everyday by the students that I work with and Esther is a prime example of that," said Sidhu.

Indian-origin teacher honoured by Oxford University

Virendra Rastogi

the trust fund by the High Court and the sale completed on the 15 May allowing the equity to be used to satisfy, at least in part, Rastogi's outstanding order. The total amount recovered from Rastogi is being used to compensate the victims of the fraud through the liquidator appointed over RBG Resources Plc.

2-year-old goes into care due to heavy smoking parents At a court in Hull, a judge has recommended that a two-year-old boy is taken into care, after social workers said he was suffering from breathing difficulties due to his parents smoking heavily. The two-year-old boy has been put up for adoption. The judge ruled that

Qasira Ahmad, with portrait of daughter, Sannah Javed

Qasira Ahmad, the devastated mother of 26year-old Sannah Javed, who was beaten to death by her boyfriend has said she is “disgusted” after he was jailed for only seven years. Sannah Javed died after being punched in the stomach at her home in Ilford, by her “abusive and controlling” boyfriend, Abu Hussain (37), on 2nd December 2014. Abu Hussain denied murdering Sannah Javed, however, on 21st May 2015, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter

the child should be taken into care after hearing that he was surrounded by a “visible cloud of smoke” at his residence and was suffering from breathing difficulties. The details of the case emerged in a written ruling by the judge, following a family court hearing in Hull.

Gurnimrat Sidhu

"Ms Sidhu, hands down, is the most inspirational, supportive and selfless teacher that I have ever had the privilege to be taught by and spend time with. She contin-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Acclaimed Indian Author Harsh Mander on India’s Poor Harsh Mander is a writer who constantly places the plight of India’s poor in front of the country’s middle and upper classes. Mr Mander is Director, Centre for Equity Studies and Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food case. He formerly worked in the Indian Administrative Service in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh for almost two decades. Mr Mander is a human rights worker and scholar. He works with survivors of mass violence, hunger, homeless persons and street children. He has authored 12 books and writes regular columns for the Hindu, Hindustan Times and Mint. Director Shyam Benegal adapted one of his stories into a film. Mr Mander’s latest book, “Looking Away, Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India,” has just been published to critical acclaim. The front cover photo-

Harsh Mander

graph of the book shows the underside of a street sleeper’s feet, with one of the big toes missing. Harsh Mander's work is characterised by the use of real life examples, children and adults from India's twilight world of destitution. In his latest book Harsh Mander asks the rapidly growing Indian middle class to shake itself out of its apathy and confront its attitude to the underclass it uses, sometimes abuses and mostly

ignores. Describing one of the reasons he wrote his current opus Harsh Mander has said, “We’ve exiled the poor from our conscience and our consciousness. We’ve erased them from our films, television and newspapers. Also, in the very manner in which we are raising young people, we have created bubbles of life where our children do not go beyond multiplexes, cars and air-conditioned schools. They

almost never encounter the poor in any capacity except those who are there to serve families. Today, advocates of the poor are considered illegitimate. It is believed that those who seek state interventions for the poor are dinosaur-age things that are holding the country back. We need to take care of each other. Art, culture, poetry, and films have a huge role to play in this. There are no people in the world who are as close to their cinema as we are. We learn how to love, weep, dress, make our hair from our films. But our cinema reflects our consciousness- which is why the exile of the poor from our cinema is extremely tragic because it reflects and reinforces a particular consciousness. For now, let’s at least revive some of those songs and films and get young people to engage with them.” As “Looking Away” launched in India recently, the Asian Voice asked Harsh Mander how he collects the poignant personal narratives displayed in his work. He said, “I have gathered all the stories in my book – of street children, homeless people, people battling hunger and destitution, survivors of religious violence – in the course of my work with them as a human rights worker. I am

a writer, columnist, teacher later –all I have learnt is through my work and solidarity with these people who live enormously hard lives.” The emotional toll of collecting and listening to the harrowing stories of deprivation and abuse must be high, one would think. But Harsh Mander finds light in the darkness. “If we adopt the global standard of two dollars a day adjusted for purchasing parity, 70 percent of India’s people are still poor,” Harsh Mander. “Looking Away” by Harsh Mander is published by Speaking Tiger. “Each story I encounter - of desperate hunger, sleeping rough, surviving hate attacks, and so on – weigh heavily on my soul, enough for several lifetimes. If I survive it is because so many

of these stories are illuminated with extraordinary resilience, spirit and generosity, even amidst mindnumbing suffering. I wonder often if I lived with what they have, would I be able to sustain even a fraction of their endurance, and their hope and compassion.” He points out that India adopts measurements of poverty which are minimal, more close to a starvation line. “If we adopt the global standard of 2 dollars a day adjusted for purchasing parity, 70 percent of India’s people are still poor, although India also has a huge wealthy middle class larger than all of Europe, and the third largest number of dollar billionaires in the world. A minimal framework of universal rights – to food, education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation and social security – would cost 10 percent more of GDP. India’s current tax to GDP ratio is just 17 percent. Adding 10 percent would still be much below a country like Brazil.” Harsh worked as Country Director, ActionAid India from 1999 to 2004. Among his awards are the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for peace work, and the M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award.

Devolution of powers

Plans to introduce legislation to provide for the devolution of powers to a number of major cities in North England was included in the Queen’s Speech. This needs further public debate and consultation. In Greater Manchester, the proposal was to give them more central government funding only if they agreed to a single mayor, so that the Mayor would have more power over transport, planning, policing and health. When power was devolved to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it was done after considerable research. They all now have their own regional parliaments. England is neatly divided into five unique and quite different regions: London, The West Country, The South East and East Anglia, The Midlands and The North. Why not consider giving them regional Assemblies similar to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales parliaments? Re-visit the idea of Regional Development Authorities on a bigger scale? The problems are many and the issues can be different in different regions. The idea of City Mayor for a handful of major cities may not be the right answer to empower local people to solve local problems themselves in a wider community sense. It may also not be democratic. Even central government ministries could be reorganised along these lines. Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Learn history before preaching

Every nation has tiny minority that bites hands that feeds them, live in bliss of ignorance. Fiduciary iconoclast D’Cruz is one of them obsessed with imaginary persecution. In one year India has overtaken China in growth, attracting $70 billion inward investment, stockmarket rocketing, 800 people under investigation for holding illegal money overseas and not a single scam emerging which was weekly occurrence under Congress. India is only nation that has never conquered another country; independent Israel’s first President David Ben-Gurion thanked India in his maiden speech for being only country never to persecute Jews. Does he know about Spanish inquisition in South America resulting in millions of deaths, that indigenous people of America, Australia and New Zealand were wiped out after Western colonization? Who started two world wars responsible for seventy million deaths, including twenty million Jews, that Hitler and Mussolini were supposedly Christians! How did Christianity spread, by conquest and bribes, unlike Buddhism that conquered hearts by love and selfsacrifice? India is most cosmopolitan country in the region where Christians and Muslims are thriving in sharp contrast to Pakistan and Bangladesh.Give credit where it is due before your sonorous ossified prophecy becomes reality. Kumudini Valambhia Via Email

Modi’s glorious one year Odyssey PM Modi has broken all records when it comes to foreign visits, making friends, isolating foes and renewing old acquaintances, attracting inward investment of $70 billion. Leading the way is Japan and China with $35 and $20 billion. Moreover he has succeeded in establishing close commercial relations with France, Germany and transfer of modern technology to India, implementing joint projects helping Modi in his “Make it in India” policy. Surprisingly China has taken the initiative to produce consumer goods, establishing manufacturing hubs, thus reducing huge trade imbalance between two countries. France will involve in Bullet Train, Japan in Metro, EU in outsourcing Air Bus worth two billion Euros and Israel in arid agriculture, missiles for Indian navy and fighting terrorism to safeguard India’s independence and security. India aims not only to be self-sufficient but major arms exporter to friendly nations. India now builds most of her naval ships and submarines, tanks and war planes some in joint ventures with Russia. While Modi is globe tottering with punishing schedule visiting 15 countries in 45 days, without a day off, Rahul was sunbathing in Thailand for two months, AWOL. Australia and Canada will provide valuable fuel for India’s nuclear power stations. The West with China and Russia will support India’s application to be 6th permanent member of UNSC. But if Modi solely concentrates on Foreign Affairs, neglecting Home Front, setback in forthcoming Assembly elections will be detrimental for BJP’s future at the Centre. Bhupendra M. Gandhi Via Email

Modiji’s promise

Jubel D’Cruz’s letter is thoroughly anti Modi. Modiji is not able to fulfill his promises due to rot generated by UPA/various governments over past 65 years. Indians should be grateful that rot is momentarily stopped. Voters can/ must keep away rot-generating governments for next few elections. Government’s secularism/tolerance are proved by zero support to Ram janmabhoomi temple in spite of majority BJP. Writer should appreciate reservations in jobs/ education, protection of Christians as in India’s Constitution. BJP cannot touch revenue of churches but is controlling revenue of Hindu temples. Majority of this revenue is utilised for upkeep of Christian property/ churches. Anti Christian crimes have proliferated in BJP rule, shows orchestration by persons/ groups to hurt specifically BJP. Outright blame on Modiji and BJP is surrender to media generated anti Modi frenzy. Temples of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsees are also vandalised by criminals, but media harps only about attacks on churches. Media suppresses reports of various measures to deter/ catch miscre-

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Gandhi in Parliament

Divided Hindus

When I came to the UK in 1968, at the time of the Asians’ exodus from Kenya and Tanzania, to get even a clerical job here was like plucking stars from the sky. There was covert and even overt discrimination. The only jobs we were good enough for were those on the production line in factories or as bus or train drivers. In those days, one would not have believed that a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will occupy a position in close proximity with that of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square! Now the times have changed. It must be noted with pride that many British politicians of Asian origin have made their impact in the 2015 election. Britons of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin either retained their seats or won for the first time in the recent elections. They represent all the big political parties. Black and minority ethnic representation in parliament is now over 6 per cent for the first time ever, an increase of 50 per cent on last time. Gandhiji achieved India’s independence by peaceful means: those of non-violence and his example was followed by many African leaders like Nelson Mandela of south Africa. It must be remembered that Gandhiji, though not himself a Jain, was deeply influenced by Jain doctrines, particularly that of love and kindness to all living beings. His spiritual mentor was Srimad Rajchandra who was a Jain monk.

For the last two weeks a very serious fissure has appeared in the Hindu unity. In the Indian Institute of Technology IIT Chennai a student society called "Friends of Ambedkar" passed a resolution in their annual general meeting that Hinduism should be banned because of their divisive structure, discriminating against the schedule caste and denying them Human Rights. This resolution got the wind of the Central Govt. and the Institute's Management. The resolution was believed to be spreading hatred in the society and hence the student society was banned. This was enough for Rahul Gandhi to raise his Flag of Rebellion and he ordered his Student Congress to spread out on the streets cursing BJP government. Rahul has no constructive agenda except finding faults with the BJP government. The Indian Media has been of late acting as if some foreign power is holding their hands. Whether Electronic or Print they are both now vociferously opposing BJP and Modi. Recently in a Panel discussion on NDTV all the panelists including the anchor were lined up against the BJP spokesperson. All were very supportive of Friends of Ambedkar insisting that they have a right to expression, as per the Indian Constitution. When the BJP spokesperson asked why this freedom is always used against Hindus and not Muslims, all the panelists said that it was a separate issue. My main concern is Hindu unity which is imperative for the survival of India.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

What are they like?

Proud to be Indian

This newspaper's special assignments editor Rani Singh could make her "Leading Lights" column even more interesting if she tried to get her esteemed guests to reveal something of their personalities. Rani gives readers a nice commentary every week on guests' career paths, their awards and other achievements, but we end up wondering: "What are these luminaries really like?" Rani should focus more on an interviewee's unexpected decisions, actions and moves and ask many probing "Why?" and "How?" questions to find out what makes them tick. She is a brilliant journalist, eminently capable of enhancing her column's already wide appeal.

It seems that the coming few weeks will be very turbulent in Indian politics. Presently there are two very hot issues circulating in the electronic media. One Delhi chief Minister Mr. Kejriwal's confrontation with the Lt.Governor of Union Territory of Delhi Mr. Jung. Second and most sensational is that PM Narendra Modi made a controversial comment about Indians living abroad who are ashamed of being born in India. Indians were never ashamed even when Mughals were ruling the country rather were proud that India had so much potential. So many Indian leaders and men of dignity visited other countriesRabindranath Tagore, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and many more and we Indians feel proud of them. Yes but we do feel ashamed when some people ask us about the deteriorating law and order in India, how people with criminal records are in the Indian Parliament and how a person could fight the election whilst in prison on serious charges of murder and extortion. Yes we feel ashamed when we are told that our leaders made false promises to bring reforms during their election campaign which they do not fulfil even after a year of their being elected to govern the country. Ahsan Ali Via Email

Rudy Otter By email ants/ statements by police e.g. reports about arrests of Muslim activist, Muslim jilted lover, kids damaging window panes of a church. Ghar-vapasi is equivalent to “Born Again” movement by Christians. Besides Catholics and Protestants, other factions also polarise Christians. Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

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Over 7,000 admitted in hospital after dog attacks

It has been said that the number of people being treated in hospital after having been attacked by dogs has increased three times faster than the rate of general hospital admissions. Parents have been warned to never leave their small children alone with animals as it has surfaced that 1,159 children who were under the age of nine

were admitted to hospital because of dog bites in 2014. A charity has proposed ministers to reconstruct “ineffective” new laws designed to control dangerous dogs, following the figures that showed there had been 7,227 hospital admissions linked to dog attacks in the past 12 months.

Misguided young muslims think going to Syria will take them to paradise

A Birmingham City University criminologist is urging young muslim “thrillseekers" to ignore the escapist vision offered by Islamic State. The warning follows the conviction of 20-yearold Zakariya Ashiq, who was this week found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism and trying to join Islamic State in November. Imran Awan, a senior

lecturer in Criminology who is researching how Islamic State is targeting people in the West Midlands, said: “Young people are going to Syria because they’re seeking a sense of identity and belonging. I’d call them thrillseekers. They’re going for an external reward and thinking that they’ll get some kind of paradise when they get there.

“Many of them may be leading mundane and ordinary lives and they’re looking for an adrenaline rush. Isis portrays a very cool image of extremism and it’s tapping in to young impressionable people.” Earlier this year, police revealed that at least 22 young women and girls as young as 15 have travelled to join Isis in Syria in the last 12 months.

While the West has always been a destination for the Indian students for higher studies, in a reverse trend, Britain is now witnessing a mad rush among its students to know modern India and become part of the country's amazing growth story. An Indian daily reported that over 6000 students from across British universities have applied to fill 400 spots under the first of its kind Generation UK programme - a project under which 25,000 British students will travel to India over the next five

years to understand the country and enhance their chances of employability in global Indian business houses. An additional 400 British students have applied for just 100 positions to teach across 60 Indian schools in India. Some of them are also getting internships to work in Delhi's ministry of skills development. The overall batch of 500 that will leave for India at the end of June, will be placed across five Indian universities Indian Institute of

M a n a g e m e n t (Ahmedabad), Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore), Delhi University, Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay) and the National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad). The programme starts with a Make in India initiative from July 1 and will see students spend two weeks in Mumbai, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi learning what drives India's manufacturing economy such as rural textiles, handicrafts and new technologies.

British students migrate to India to study

Harrow’s Heroes awards open for nominations To mark the launch of National Volunteers’ Week, nominations are now open for the 2015 ‘Harrow’s Heroes’ awards. There are hundreds of people in this borough who sacrifice their time and effort to make a difference and help others. Harrow’s Heroes awards are an opportunity for communities to honour some of them for their work. There will be 7 awards given out at the ceremony in October. Also the council is celebrating National Volunteers’ Week, which

begins on 1st June, is an annual campaign and has been running since 1984. Portfolio Holder for Community, Culture and Resident Engagement, Councillor Sue Anderson said: “Harrow has an army of unsung heroes who have a passion and commitment to help their community. On National Volunteers’ Week, we want to celebrate their work and inspire others to volunteer. “The launch of Harrow’s Heroes is a chance for us to say a big thank you, and give our volunteers a little bit of

recognition for their contribution in making our borough a better place. If you know a person or group who has gone above and beyond to help your community, please nominate them for this year’s Harrow’s Heroes.” Residents are also encouraged to give their local volunteers a big shout-out using the hashtag #shoutoutHarrow on social media. For further information on Harrow to nominate and for terms and conditions, please visit www.harrow.gov.uk/harrowheroes

EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

Minister tries to woo back Indian students

Rupanjana Dutta

UK Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson highlighted his commitment to attract more Indian students to come to the UK to study. On Monday, during his maiden speech on higher education at the Going Global 2015 Conference on International Higher Education in London, the Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “We have a strong offering to the world, which explains why we are currently the second most popular destination for international study, after the USA. “But I am concerned that some feel the UK does not welcome students as warmly as we once did and that there has been a decline of student numbers from some of our key partners, most notably India. It is a personal aim of mine to overcome misconceptions about the UK in such important countries. “Data tells a good tale. Once here, Indian students’ satisfaction rate is 90%. And most of those say they would recommend their universities to others. “We will engage and

Jo Johnson

explain. We will make clear that there is no cap on the number of students who can come to study in the UK and no intention to introduce one. “Nor is there any cap on the number of former students who can stay on to work - as long as they have a graduate job.” A survey of more than 100 institutions by Universities UK by the Higher Education Statistics Agency in September 2014 showed that despite growth in overall overseas recruitment, there appear to have been further drops in enrollment from certain countries. Indian students starting courses in the UK

fell by 49% in the two years to 2012-13, from 23,985 to 12,280. Over the same period, the number of students recruited from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia dropped by 38% and 35% respectively. MP for Orpington, Jo has a personal interest in India and Asia, has a strong personal connection with the subcontinent. Prior to his election in 2010, Jo was the Associate Editor of the Financial Times, based in New Delhi between 2005 and 2008, where he led the team of FT journalists that covered India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. He was also the Head of Lex, the newspaper’s agenda-setting daily business and financial column. Jo worked as a corporate financier in the investment banking division of Deutsche Bank before joining the Financial Times in 1997. A Londoner by birth, he is married with two children.

MEDIA WATCH

It has been the fifth worst heat wave in recorded history and has claimed around 2,500 lives at time so far. The worst affected areas are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, the Nagpur region, interior Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and cities, towns and villages across the plains of northern India. The country as a whole wilts the sapping pre-Monsoon conditions. Meanwhile, the hurly burly of party politics, of charge and counter charge carries on regardless. dirt low taxes and a fast buck at the other end of the rainbow. Business Line analyst Ashima Goyal (May 27) says there can be “no free lunch.” She writes perceptively: “Where there is treaty abuse taxes are being applied on past incomes internationally… ..Countries that offer unfair tax advantages are always being pressured…..Legal processes are part of tax systems all over the world, not just in India. Especially those Manmohan Singh with Narendra Modi who have paid no tax in any country should be a little less quick to conversation on the country’s pass judgment.” Quite so. economy and foreign policy, the latter a subject of special confidentiality, whose innermost Poverty alleviation workings are known fully to prime ministers alone Mr Modi Party political life may mostly be tweeted: “Very happy to meet Dr exercises in trading insults, but Manmohan Singhji and welthe honest citizen of such burcome him back to 7RCR. We had dens has the responsibility of a great meeting.” The Hindu’s engaging in considered disfront-page report (May 28) statcourse, where all things are coned: “Congress sources said there sidered in the cold light of reawere certain highly classified son before being accepted or details of foreign policy that rejected. The present governcould only be discussed by those ment’s Chief Economic Advisor who have held – or hold – the of choice, Arvind Subramanian Prime Minister’s post.” Yet, a has averred “that the rate of few hours prior to their poverty reduction achieved durencounter, the two men had ing the five-year period from directed barbs in the public 2005-2006 to 20011 was the space. Which is the essence of a fastest in the history of the mature democratic life: the cut country.” (Hindu May 27). and thrust of party politics Addressing a press conference should be no barrier to mutual on the present state of the econrespect, when deserved. The omy, he said the reforms agenda Modi-Singh exchanges on the had made substantial progress, economy were fruitful, given Dr even allowing for the argument Singh’s long and critical stewthat more could have been done. ardship of the nation’s economy. Dr Singh’s suggestions on the Defence reform government’s Land acquisition bill were received with interest Defence Minister Manohar by the Prime Minister. Parrikar is making a good fist of things. He is pressing for the Congress take appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff, a must for the Senior Congress spokesman and needs of combined operations in former commerce and industry modern-day warfare. He has minister, Anand Sharma, said promised to push through the apropos of the meeting, “There measure in the Cabinet is nothing abnormal about it as a Committee by July. (Hindu May former prime minister is privy to 26) important information about foreign relations, our strategic Christopher new partnerships with other counDRDO chief tries , and the incumbent Prime Minister is free to consult.” The S. Christopher, who has approval rating for Modi’s first “Distinguished Scientist” rank, year in office,India-wide, around has been appointed Director 75-77 per cent. General of the Defence Research Development Organization Wall Street Journal sneer and (DRDO) for a two-year term. He is the Director of the of the The Wall Street Journal last Centre for Airborne Systems in week sneered at Prime Minister the DRDO. G.S.Reddy, also a Modi’s first year in office as “Distinguished Scientist” has lack-lustre with “fading supbeen appointed Scientific port.” It cannot possibly include Adviser to Defence Minister the broad stream Indians, whose Manhohar Parrikar, the posts support he he firmly commands. having been bifurcated as per Methinks it is to sections of the government policy. Reddy, US business community for Director of the Research Centre whom foreign investment means Immarat, is also Programme A welcome moment of luminosity surmounted the conditioned reflex of cross-party broadsides when Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, for a quiet

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Director of the medium range surface-to-air missile development (Times of India, Hindu May 29)

Alstom-Bharat Forge unit operational

Alstom- Bharat Forge Power Ltd. A joint venture between the two companies, has commenced production of supercritical turbines and generators at its new Greenfield manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The new plant has an unusual capacity of 4,000MW, producing equipment for several major power projects in India. The facility presently employs a highly skilled workforce of 250. Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director Bharat Forge said: “The commencement of operations of the facility in Gujarat is the first of many milestones for the joint venture and we believe it will be a cornerstone in the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government of India (Business Line May27)

Systems under a government to government contract with the United States (Hindu May 25)

Germany in defence talks

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen met with her Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in Delhi for talks on defence cooperation between the two countries. The German Minister still hoped for an Indian purchase of the Eurofighter, now that India’s decision to previously buy 126 French Rafale warplanes has been

bigger and better known players such as Tata, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bharat Forge and Reliance Industries Ltd, that already occupy a niche in the defence design and manufacturing processes (Mint May 28)

Renault mounts challenge

Carlos Ghosn, the high profile Director and CEO of Renault India has thrown down the gauntlet to the company’s competitors with the launch in Chennai of the Renault Kwid

Rajnath apology

Home Minister Rajnath Singh issued an apology to India’s long established Chinese community for the ill-treatment and

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen with India’s Manohar Parrikar

reduced to a revised order for 36 aircraft. Germany is in line for the Indian Navy’s order for six conventional submarines under Project-751 to be built at an Indian shipyard. Earlier, in discussions with Prime Minister Modi, the German Minister described India and Germany as “natural partners.” (Hindu, Mint May 28)

Private sector in defence ventures

Rajnath Singh

harassment its members had to endure from Indian state agencies in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian border of war of 1962. Many were Indian citizens, having left the country of their birth long years ago in the 19th century. They were well settled in India and, for the most part, had nothing to do with the Mao regime in Beijing. A belated gesture, maybe, but heart-felt nonetheless.

Army to acquire Dhanush guns

The Indian Army’s quest for modern artillery has ended with an order for 114 Dhanush guns in a first followed by another 480 guns later. Having undergone tests in Sikkim under the most rigorous conditions, the Army expressed satisfaction at the performance of the weapon. Dhanush is the upgraded version of the Swedish 155-mm Bofors howitzers. The Dhanush range of fire is 38 km in salvoe mode, an improvement on 27km range of the Bofors gun. The Defence Acquisition Council, header by Defence Minister Parrikar has approved the purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers for mountain warfare from BAE

India’s private companies are girding up for a larger slice in the country defence projects in a bid to diversify their presence and its attendant profits in largely virgin territory. Among the list of aspirants are a raft of small companies including Tebna Shipyards (submarines) Neco Defence Systems Ltd (unmanned aerial vehicles), Chowgule and Co Pvt (warships), Maini Precision Products Pvt Ltd (rocket launchers)Solar Industries Ltd (helicopters) Titagarh Wagons Ltd (armoured Vehicles), Modern Infrastructure Ltd (warships) Besides these companies are the

compact. “To be successful in India, you have to develop the platform in India. That is why I expect the Kwid to do better than any other car because it has its genes in India,” said Mr Ghosn after the launch. “The Kwid is the latest emanation of our belief in frugal engineering and there will be more to come. We will not stop in this journey.” (Business Line May 22)

UP land acquisition

The Uttar Pradesh government has pulled off an astonishing feat without fuss and bother by acquiring 3,000 hectares of prime multi-cropped farmland for a six-lane Agra-Lucknow Greenfield expressway project without a murmur of dissent. At a time when farming groups are up in arms against land acquisition, 30,070 farmers have chosen voluntarily to give up their land for the right price through a mutually agreed figure that was generous by side-stepping the cumbersome bureaucratic process that would try the patience of the prverbial angel (Times of vIndia May 28).

Winners of the US Spelling bee contest Vanya Shivshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam. See comment page 3

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

India unveiled virtual memorial wall for UN peacekeepers

Western Women Will Have To Save The World Part II

As with most things political, there are the talkers and the do-ers. Those who talk about promoting women’s rights, and those who actually do it. I’d like to thank the women who stepped up when I asked for help in supporting a woman owned business. It astonishes me how many yapyap about promoting women (as if they’ve just discovered it) and those who actually go on and do it with money or meetings. There are many women, happy to stand on the shoulders of others, but raise them – just like men too! Following on from last week’s article about women investors, I wanted to add notes from a trip to Singapore. I was struck by how many are women entrepreneurs in a room in which I’ve delivered a speech. Far more than I would have found in the UK. A room with about a thousand entrepreneurs and about forty percent were women. There can be little doubt about male dominance when only one out of a hundred of the UK’s largest companies are headed by a woman. Even in the US, it’s a similar proportion of women who head Fortune 500 companies. How ironic. Research shows 46 per cent of all US businesses are owned by women, and employment at womenowned businesses is growing at 18 per cent, compared with 8 per cent for all companies, according to business magazine Forbes. And when it comes to investment, research also shows women make better investors than men. Women’s portfolio’s earned 1.4% annually more than men’s did in a study of over 35,000 investors by the University of California at Davis. Indeed single women earned 2.3% annually more than single men. Poor male performance is due to over-

trading according to the study. Men trade their accounts 45% more often than women. And single men shuffle their holdings 67% more than single women. Perhaps the adage about men’s fear of commitment is true after all. A National Association of Investors Corporation ten-year study found allfemale investment clubs outpaced allmale investment clubs by producing 23.8% average compounded lifetime annual returns compared to 19.2% for male clubs. So what lessons are there for men? After all, as a sex, we men are always ready and willing to learn from women, aren’t we? Do not male drivers at the first opportunity admit they are lost and ask passers-by for help? First, save transaction costs by not churning your portfolio. Second, men should spend more time researching before investing. Fear of making a mistake was 50% to 60% higher among women than among males according to the US National Center for Women & Retirement Research. Consequently, women spend 40% more time than men researching and are also less likely to trade on a ‘hot tip’. Third men need to reign in their overconfidence. 52% of men express confidence in their ability to invest wisely, compared to just 38% of women according to the American Savings Economic Council. Men are overconfident in their abilities to pick market beating stocks. This in turn often makes women better traders – more risk averse, awaiting clearer market signals for good trading opportunities and more diversified. So what do women need? A little more confidence to start investing, but not so much as to make them bad investors, appears to be the difficult resolution.

India launched a virtual memorial wall, to honouring the U.N. peacekeeping heroes who died in service, as the first attempt towards building a stable monument at the U.N. headquarters. Permanent Representative, Asoke Kumar Mukerji unveiled the digital memorial wall, at a reception hosted by India, in recognition to the 125 recipients of the Dag Hammarskjold Medal, awarded posthumously to peacekeepers on the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers. Two Indians were also awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal at an earlier ceremony presided over by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the U.N; Raju Joseph, a civilian who died while working for the UN operation in South Sudan, and Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served in the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The memorial wall has the names and details of 161 Indians who died in peacekeeping operations. Ultimately, a U.N. Peacekeepers’ Memorial Wall is intended to be built at the headquarters with the names of the heroes

Screenshot of the virtual wall hosted by the Indian mission in the United Nations

engraved on it. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, “India is justifiably proud of its own long and rich tradition of contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations towards the preservation of international peace and security.” India has so far bequeathed over 180,000 troops to 44 U.N. missions. Currently, 8,112 Indian personnel drawn from the military, police and civilian ranks serve in

seven U.N. operations. Under SecretaryGeneral for Field Operations, Atul Khare, paid tribute to the Indians who gave their lives for the U.N. “I am delighted with the virtual wall. The real wall will become a reality,” he said. Asoke Kumar Mukerji stated that the South Asian countries have highly professional military leadership and the Council could use their expertise

Former Lib Dem leader passes away

The former Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy was found dead at home on Tuesday 2nd June 2015, by his new partnerCarole MacDonald, the widow of his best friend, Murdo MacDonald, who was his rock as he battled alcoholism. Although they attempted to keep their relationship away from the public eye, close friends have revealed that they were very much together, also confirming that it was Carole MacDonald who discovered his body. In a Tweet posted this afternoon, Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications and a good friend of Mr Kennedy tweeted, “[I] can confirm Charles was found by good friend Carole MacDonald, widow of Charles' lifelong best friend Murdo.” It is said that Kennedy was “devastated” and “heartbroken” after losing his seat in the General Election on 7th May 2015, as well as the death of his father during the campaign. His friends were worried

Charles Kennedy

about him after his election defeat. Police are not treating his death as suspicious. Sources suggest that Kennedy may have collapsed and passed away after a night of drinking. However, there is no evidence suggesting that it was suicide.

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World Tamil organisation (UK) celebrated its 10th anniversary Chitrai Thriuvizha in a glorious way on 18 April 2015 at Whitgift school, Croydon. Tamil community who live in the south west London came in large gatherings to attend the successful event. WTO (UK) directors and executive members under the leadership of Mr Jacob Ravibalan conducted the function with noteworthy efficiency. It is estimated that there are around 100mn Tamils living globally including in UK, Europe, and South Asian countries such as India, Srilanka, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore. World Tamil Organisation or WTO (UK) is a charitable organisation working for the welfare of Tamil community in West London collaborating with other Tamil organisations across the UK. Chief Guest and Croydon Mayor Councillor Manju SahulHameed was felicitated at the function. She released the annual magazine on behalf of the organisation and praised the great work done by WTO for its Tamil community. Dr. R.Manivarman, VicePresident of WTO gave a welcome speech and

Photo courtesy: Gopi

WTO celebrates 10th anniversary in Croydon

highlighted the successful journey of the organisation for the past 10 years.

Cultural groups living in Greater London and all over UK participated with the utmost enthusiasm. Dr.Santhya Anantharaman and Dr.R.Manivarman eloquently compered the whole event in both traditional Tamil and English languages. A renowned stage Mimicry artist, Senthil

Jaanta Raja comes to London A play depicting the inspiring life of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

SSE Arena, Wembley is going to witness Indian Patriotism next fortnight in the form of Asia’s Largest Mega Epic Drama 'Jaanta Raja' (in Hindi) being presented by Pune based Trust, headed by eminent historian Shri Baba Saheb Purandare and supported by Bank of Baroda and Gujarat Tourism, along with many prominent personalities such as PM Shri Narendra Modi, Mohanji Bhagwat (RSS Chief), Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitraji Mahajan, Baba Ramdev, Hema Malini and many more Union Ministers.

The Magnum Opus depicts the ever inspiring life of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as he battles immense adversities to safeguard the freedom of his people from powerful invaders such as The Moghuls. The Epic Play is presented on an amazingly large scale with a 3,000 sq feet, 45 feet high revolving stage, which becomes a Fort too; 200 + artists, entourage of live animals such as camels, horses, bullock carts and elephants (In India) along with Grand Musical sequences and Fierce Battle scenes. The Committee in London has provided acting opportunities to locals in addition to the main ensemble of artists coming from India. The Committee is also giving 25% flat discount to children up to 16 years of age; thus, children can witness an extravagant display of Indian History and Culture.

came all the way from Chennai, Tamil Nadu to perform. Federation of Tamil association (UK)

members from various parts of UK also attended the function to show their support for WTO (UK). UK Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce was represented at this anniversary by their director Mr. Siv Matchendran. Other

founding members also participated actively. The highlight of the event was all its execu-

tive members wearing traditional dhoti and women members wearing sarees to represent the tamil traditions. A feast of South Indian dishes were served by Anjappar restaurant, and enjoyed by all the participants.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Empowering Donors. Supporting Charities. Help us change the world.

What is Asian Charity Clarity? When you donate money to charities, how do you know you are giving it to the most effective ones? If you are a charity, how do you stand out and best showcase the great work you do? Empowering Donors. Supporting Charities. That's what Asian Charity Clarity is all about. ACC have come up with a special rating system which assesses a charity across 18 metrics for Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency, and Accessibility. We have 110 charities on ACC right now, and will have around 500 in July. Every week, we will publish a Top 10 list looking at different aspects of Asian charities.

Top 10 Charities by Financial Health

These are the Top 10 Charities in the category of Financial Health from the ones we have measured. They are assigned a rating out of a maximum of 3, based on whether they submit accounts on time, working capital, expense growth, total net expenditure relative to income and employees. The ratings are based on Charity Commission submissions and may be updated regularly. 1. Sivayogam - 2.8 2. Lohana Charitable Foundation - 2.8 3. Shree Kutch Leva Patel Community (UK) - 2.8 4. The Community of Many Names of God (Skanda Vale) - 2.6 5. Leuva Patidar Samaj of London - 2.6 6. Vishwa Hindu Kendra Southall - 2.6 7. Gwalior Children's Hospital - 2.6 8. India Direct - 2.4 9. Divine Onkar Mission - 2.4 10. Frishta School & Orphanage - 2.4

www.asiancharityclarity.org.uk

Amitav Ghosh launches the final book of his epic Ibis trilogy Samiksha Pattanaik

Author Amitav Ghosh launched his muchawaited book ‘Flood of Fire’ at the Asia House Bagri Foundation Literature festival here on Wednesday. The book brings an end to the Ibis trilogy, which is based on the opium war between British India and China. At the event, Ghosh engaged in a lively discussion that took the listeners on a tour from the conception of the trilogy to its final culmination with ‘Flood of Fire’. Sea of Poppies published in 2008 was the first part of the trilogy and was followed by River of Smoke in 2011. “When I started writing my first book, I had the ideas for a couple of characters. Especially the central character of Deeti. I tried to think of the background from which such a person could enter the indenture.” The mental picture of his protagonist, Deeti, set him off to discover more about indentured migrations and this led to what has been described as “an epic 10-year project”. “I looked into the factors that sent millions of people flooding away. One of the strangest thing about the Indian indenture is that when you think of Diasporas elsewhere such as in England

Amitav Ghosh

or France, it starts from the coast as it is from the coast you would expect people to leave. But in India, the Diasporas start in the deep interiors of the Bhojpuri speaking regions. And that became a strange question to me. When I started researching the background, the thing that really jumped out was that this was exactly the area when British from the late 18th century onwards were expanding opium production,” he said. “When you create such a monoculture it massively disrupts local life that was a part of what was happening there. Opium production and displacement of people went hand in hand. This is how my interest in the history started and once I got into it, it became clear that what I

knew of Indian history was not so closely related to the people’s life,” he explained. As a post-colonial writer, in his trilogy he brings to life certain unexplored and underexamined events from the history of British Empire. He observed that when in Britain and China there is some mention of opium wars, surprisingly it is a “completely erased chapter” in the Indian history. When asked about ‘migration’ which also appears as a dominant theme in his trilogy, he identified climate change as a “major factor” for the mass migration in various parts of the world today. “We are already beginning to see climate driven migrations pushing into Java, and Indonesia. Yet there is something in the contemporary mindset which prompts us to interpret every problem as political problem and of course they take on political dimensions. But behind those political dimensions there are broader problems,” he said. Being from Bengal, Ghosh said he is acutely aware of the situation in Bangladesh “in which a 1

metre of sea level rise will swamp something like half the country.” “I have seen entire villages disappear in the Sunderbans. Land that was once fertile has just been gobbled up by sea,” he said. Ghosh is known to be vocal advocate against climate change. His novel “The Hungry Tide” has been hailed as a crucial environmental text that touches upon issues of climate change, conservation and environmental degradation in Sunderbans mangrove. “Nobody who pays attention to the South Asian sub-continent can be in any doubt how incredibly vulnerable South Asia is and yet even in South Asia people don’t seem to pay any attention to its broader impact. How does one account for the complete obliviousness that people have towards the situation?” he asked. Touching on the recent migration of Rohingiya refugees, he said: “It strikes me as so bizarre that America is lecturing Indonesia and Malaysia to take in Rohingiya refugees. Why don’t they take them in? I find it so inappropriate… because all Asian countries have taken in enormous number of migrants, India already has.”

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

What have been some of the highlights so far? At a recent conference, I got to meet Nobel Peace Prize winners, Kailash Satyarthi and Muhammad Yunus, who shared their journeys and philosophies. It was so inspiring to hear those speak who had a similar heritage. There are so many inspirational female role models too: when I was with London+Acumen, Motto: I got to meet Jacqueline 'Life is either a Novogratz. More personally, when daring adventure or I first volunteered nothing at all’ at Strategic Advocacy, we won ~ Helen Keller SOAS volunteer project of the year. We were just students and we were being approached by NGOs in Afghanistan.

Sunetra Senior

For Jethwa, conscientiousness is a core currency. Switching from her corporate background - an associate at Linklaters, the globally recognised law firm- she is now the senior programme manager at The Shiva Foundation: “I’m always looking to utilise my skills as a lawyer in ways that really help” she stated, “I'm striving to raise awareness in tandem with private companies. As a result, I always say we are cross between a traditional charity and an NGO.” As we discussed the plans to expand her unique organisation, its admirable ethos, and her wealth of consultative experience – from Aman Biradari, where she worked to give legal and social justice to the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots, to her time at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), it became clear that altruism can be a business, and not just a wistful lifestyle: You head an Anti-trafficking program at the Shiva Foundation. Tell us more? It’s a private foundation that was started in 2012. It was set up by two individuals who were particularly moved by the issue of trafficking when they heard about the CNN hero of the year, Anuradha Koirala, who was working in anti-trafficking at the time. No one knew that it even existed. We want to close that gap. We support organizations within and across sectors. There are lots of people doing work in silos and given that they all have same ultimate aim, we hope to encourage them to collaborate and work together, from the police force to the lawyers. We also engage businesses. Recently we’ve gone into hotels to train their managers on the issue of the sex trade. Finally, we look at prevention on a larger scale. It’s important to make a long term systemic change if there is to be a difference.

Yes, the idea of involving corporations to fund people in need reminds me of a less controversial Robin Hood! Encouraging such institutions to be more mindful is very interesting. Very much so. Certain groups of people

can be demonized, such as multinationals and governments. Of course there should be a critical focus on what people are doing, but a lot of the time we’ve found they want to help. They are willing to go very far despite making less profit. They just need a practical push from those who are experts.

becomes clear that if you want to get something across, you must not be aggressive. There is a whole line of thinking known as restorative justice where you involve the other side to come to a solution. Then again, it’s not always clear who the other side is! The issue is complex.

Were you always interested in Human Rights? I did PPE at university, and had that shared conundrum of ‘what shall I do?’ I thought maybe I’ll do law and then a friend mentioned they were going to India as part of Connect India’s ‘Learning Journey’ program. That was the turning point. I was really affected by the trip. For example we visited an organization called MASS – a collection of fishers in Kutchh who are being forcefully (often with use of private security companies) displaced from their homes to make place for ports and power plants, seen by corporations as moneymaking opportunities. The victimised families told us of how they moved to the coast for half the year to earn a small living, and have endured the dual forces of nature and modernisation for nearly two centuries. They are continually exploited - by middlemen who trap them in debts and the government who refuse to grant or enforce relevant land rights. I’d only ever thought about this in an academic way, but now I’d been immersed in it.

Tell me more about Strategic Advocacy. The website chronicles academic essays and has a strong female rights focus. Yes, Strategic Advocacy came about when the founder was visiting Afghanistan. She was doing research into rape law there and noticed there was a disparity between activists on the ground and the scholars Where do you hope to take your formulating the theories. The organization humanitarian work in the future? was founded to connect the two groups, I’ve always been sensitive to the fact that I taking academia that would be useful to want to work with individuals. I don’t want the NGOs, volunteers and lawyers on to be positioned as a rescuer, and the ground. It was good timing as come at it from a balanced they were re-writing a lot of the place; it’s not like we laws. It started off in the condon’t have these issues text of women’s rights, in our own backyard. Sharia Law and the I’ve always liked the 'if you Quran, and actually idea of working want to get grew over the years. with communities. We were asked to At the end of the a message comment on Afghan day if I see injusfamily law, and NGOs tice I feel pasacross, you would come and comsionate about can't be plete training on land making a change, rights etc. The project but at the same aggressive' became international, time you have to with contacts feeding in come at it from their from the US, Singapore, and side. With SAHR’s India. We now deal with a work, we had to be much wider range of human rights, incredibly sensitive about the including men and migrant rights. We are cultural paradigm we were operating also currently involved with the OHCHR in. regarding the problem of individuals who are suffering under corporations. How do you manage the emotional pressure with such an intense human element involved? What can people do in terms of the everyday to be philanthropic? Being grateful for what I have: friends; their lives and stories, a supportive family, all Embody what you want to see, and be the freedoms and privileges I have as a more socially conscious. There are so woman living in London, being able to many blogs out there detailing different travel. I think doing that (even subconstories; feminist perspectives. I always sciously) really makes an impact on my want to be bold and truthful in my work. As ability to stay grounded. Ghandi said, ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ If you can be that way, you’re closer to changing it. Has your cultural background influenced you? You have specialised in dispute As I say, the trip to India was huge; I do resolution. How has this informed now feel such a strong connection to my your work? heritage. At the moment it’s come in useful with migrant worker cases in the UK, espeComing from a litigation background, you cially those of Asian heritage. Those are always fighting with other people and it who’ve been trafficked have been so appreciative to speak to someone who can empathise. Finally, a big question as the world is a big place, but what do you feel is the most important concern for Human Rights at the moment?

Women’s rights is an issue that cuts across everything. I’m not saying it’s more important but it is always there: whether it’s war, peace and justice, trafficking, or economic development. We make up half the population! Similarly, it affects issues of social and family cohesion, the ability to work and lead and individual freedoms even here in the UK.

www.shiva.co.uk/shivafoundation.html masskutch.blogspot.co.uk strategicadvocacyhumanrights.wordpress.com

Families face Followers hope acknowledgement grooming terror for Sister Nivedita in London

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Reshma Trilochun

Gang jailed in Leeds

Sexual grooming of young British girls have created a widespread terror in the minds of parents, who now constantly worry about their daughters growing up in this country. The story of Emma Jackson, who was raised near Leeds is not a stand alone case. When Emma was 12, she was befriended by Asian boys around her own age who soon introduced her to relatives in their twenties and thirties. She did not realise that she was being groomed and brainwashed until one day, totally out of the blue, she was taken to wasteland and raped by the gang leader. The attack was watched by laughing gang members and recorded on a number of mobile phones. With a threat to petrol bomb her family home, Emma had to succumb to their pressure of repeated rapes, and felt trapped. This is the story of every girl sexually groomed in Rochadale, Oxford, Rotherham, Oldham, Slough, West Midlands, Lincolnshire or Buckinghamshire. Speaking to Asian Voice, an Indian family from South East England said, they were worried about their teenage daughter and friends, as the safety of school going girls in the country fell low, especially after the government and its several apparatus failed many families, repeatedly. While government spokespersons tried to remain politically correct, they led to a crisis that instrumentally destroyed young lives. According to some of these mothers, a fear of being branded racist made many of the police and social services reluctant to investigate the crimes as organised and connecteddespite the gravity of the situation. Some of these government officials were also very highly paid to do their job right, yet they failed to speak out about grooming gangs. Sue Berelowitz had her £960a-day contract with the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) recently cancelled for breaching such govern-

ment rules. She downplayed the role of groups of Pakistani men in committing child sexual abuse, and stood down from her £99,333-a-year post on April 30 after taking voluntary redundancy. However, the Times reported that despite her track record, she received a severance payment of £134,000 and on the following day was rehired on a consultancy basis to continue chairing an inquiry into sexual abuse within a family on whose case she had been working in her former role. GROOMING GANG JAILED IN LEEDS On 2 June, a court in Leeds brought 10 men who took advantage of a vulnerable 13-year-old and cynically “sexually corrupted” to justice and jailed them for a total of 51 years. Tariq Islam, Nasir Sultan, Amir Zaman and Zafar Iqbal are among ten men found guilty of a range of serious sexual offences committed against the youngster in the Beeston area of Leeds. They groomed systematically, abused them and sometimes forced the victim to have sex against her will inspite of knowing that she was under age.A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard the girl would be given cigarettes and alcohol, contacted via Facebook with demands for sex and picked up in the street and ordered to get into cars with the men. Jailing the men, judge Geoffrey Marson, QC, said: “(the victim) was systematically abused, in some cases by men who knew each other and exchanged their experiences with each other which no doubt led to further sexual abuse. “Over a period of more than six weeks I have had the opportunity of observing the defendants and hearing their evidence. “Not one of them has uttered a single word or sentiment of remorse. “Their only concern is that they have been caught and brought to justice.” PREDATORS IN THE COMMUNITY There is an established pattern in these grooming

There are many things that we usually associate with West Bengal or Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), such as the music, Rabindranath Tagore, or even Mother Teresa. But not many people are aware of Sister Nivedita who contributed immensely to the Indian society in Bengal. And it will not be farfetched to claim that not many people know of her in the UK either. Sister Nivedita was born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, on 28th October 1867, in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, and passed away in Darjeeling, on 13th October 1911. She was a schoolteacher and had established her own school at Wimbledon, in 1892. Margaret Elizabeth Noble became an influential spokesperson, promoting Indian national consciousness, unity and freedom, after becoming a follower of the Indian spiritual leader, Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda visited England in 1895 and this is when Noble met him. She was drawn to the prevalent principles of vedanta and to the Swami's classic teachings. Noble accepted Vivekananda as her spiritual guider (guru) before he left England in 1896. She then worked for the Vedanta Movement in England before moving to India in 1898. Noble had gone to India, primarily to help Vivekananda recognise his initiatives to educate women. She had also opened a small school in Kolkata (Calcutta), where she tried to fuse Indian

gang cases- perpetratorsmostly Asian men of Muslim or Pakistani origin, trying to take advantage of white or non Muslim girls, including Hindu and Sikh Asians, though most victims- were not from broken homesas opposed to the common belief. While most of the Pakistani community is aghast by this sexual there are, Julie Bindel in Standpoint Magazine wrote that a growing number of individuals within the Muslim communities are willing to speak out against the criminals. Mohammed Shafiq, the director of the Lancashirebased Ramadhan Foundation, a charity working for peaceful harmony between different ethnic communities, said: "I was one of the first within the Muslim community to speak out about this, four years ago... and

Blue plaque at Sister Nivedita's residence in Dungannon, Northern Ireland

traditions with Western ideas. She also introduced courses to train young women in arts and crafts, as well as basic academic subjects which were already being taught to them. After seeing the great level of devotion from Margaret Elizabeth Noble, Vivekananda gave her the name, “Nivedita”,

for the exclusion of imported British goods, in favour of domestically produced handmade goods. Her school continued to be in operation in the early 21st century in Kolkata, under the management of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, which is a sister organisation to the Ramakrishna Mission

Sister Nivedita's residence in Wimbledon

industry and history. Although Sister Nivedita's Irish residence has been bestowed with a blue plaque, her contribution and achievements are yet to be celebrated and acknowledged. Her followers in the UK are very much aware of Nivedita's contributions and believe it would be a respectable gesture if her residence in Wimbledon is also bestowed with a blue plaque; and are in the process of making an application for this move. Spokesperson, Sarada Sarkar feels deeply for Sister Nivedita. She said, “Even though the Ulster History Circle have arranged a blue plaque in Dunganon, Ireland in 1911, her [Sister Nivedita's] work is still unrecognised in England. She was a spark of spiritual fire born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, however, she was more popularly known as Sister Nivedita... Her writing expressed her Indian nationalist views. She was a motivational force for people in all walks of life. Her lectures and various discourses gave people, direction and guidance on how exactly to lead their lives. Throughout her life, she worked extremely laboriously for serving the people of India and society at large.” On contacting Stephen Hammond, MP of Wimbledon regarding whether he was aware of Sister Nivedita or the prospective proposal of a blue plaque at her Wimbledon residence, he stated that he was unaware of this, hence, would not be able to reply to our queries.

which means the dedicated one. Popularly known as Sister Nivedita, she also served the poor in Bengal during the times of flood, plague and famine. After the death of Swami Vivekananda, she turned her attention towards India's political liberation. She had strongly objected to the partition of Bengal in 1905 and also supported a movement that called

founded by Vivekananda in 1897. Sister Nivedita's residence in Ireland has been given a blue plaque by the Ulster History Circle as a commemoration. The Ulster History Circle is a small not for profit voluntary organisation that commemorates places with blue plaques in public places as a celebration of people who have contributed to in culture,

at the time I received death threats from some black and Asian people. But what I said has been proved right — that if we didn't tackle it there would be more of these abusers and more girls getting harmed." Mohan Singh, head of the Sikh Awareness Society, runs a helpline and was dealing with 19 such cases around the country.“We have dealt with 600 cases over 15 years. In the 50 worst cases it was more than one man, all of them Muslims,” he said. “Shame is a major issue. People don’t want to go to the police so they come to us.” In 2013 five of the six men convicted in Leicester were Muslim and one was Hindu. Ashish Joshi, chairman of the Sikh Media Monitoring Group, report-

edly said such gangs typically targeted girls “from outside their community”. The adversity and grim stories of the victims are heart breaking, what is more painful is the notion that the victims and in many case the local community face no remorse at such heinous acts- rather they just regret being caught. We will perhaps allow such gangs to oper-

ate with impunity if we deny their existence to avoid being politically incorrect or culturally insensitive. Some people, including many white liberals, are averse to admit the reality. If we do not face the problems headon, and work together to fight this dreadful abuse of children, the only beneficiaries will be the extremists.

Continued from page 1 I will ensure by working with Harriet Harman that we will continue to energise the party and reach out to communities in a positive and constructive way.” Speaking about UKIndia relations and the increasing importance of Indians in the UK, in an exclusive interview Mr Vaz told Times of India

that the Labour party can't take India's growing clout for granted and will get the new party leader to visit India as a top priority. He also gave a speech at the House of Lords in a panel discussion organised by Lord Bhikhu Parekh and Asian Voice. The NEC is the Labour party’s administrative authority which oversees the running of the party.

Keith Vaz appointed...

Panel discusses shifting party loyalty amongst Indians UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Rupanjana Dutta

The Committee Room 4A in the House of Lords, brimmed with excitement on 27th May, as the who's who of the community gathered to discuss the importance of Indian voters in electoral politics and how they are shaping the future of Britain, hosted by Lord Prof Bhikhu Parekh and Asian Voice-Gujarat Samachar, Britain's largest Asian newsweeklies. The timing of the debate was apt, especially in the wake of the recent research findings by think tanks British Future and Ipsos Mori. Incidentally it also coincided with the Queen's Speech, where there were particular emphasis on the importance of the bilateral relations between India and the UK. The discussion revolved around mainly three subjects: l The growing shift in voting patterns amongst Indians. l The attitude of Indian voters, depending on the country of origin. l And why Labour party failed to win the confidence of Indian voters this election. Panelists included Lord Prof Bhikhu Parekh, CB Patel, Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP, veteran Indian journalist Ashis Ray, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Runnymead Trust Director Omar Khan, Former election commissioner of India Dr S Y Quraishi and Deputy Indian High Commissioner to Britain, Dr Virander Paul. The panel was later joined by Senior MD at the Blackstone Group, Jitesh Gadia, Conservative MP Bob Blackman and Lord Raj Loomba. The climax of the evening was the new appointment of Rt Hon Keith Vaz, as the Vice Chairman of the Labour party, announced by Lord Bhikhu Parekh- that highlighted the increasing value of Indians amongst Parliamentarians, and a corrective step by Labour party, after ignoring Indian interests in their party manifesto, prior to the elections. While the British Peers and MPs discussed the importance of Indian diaspora to IndoBritish relations, with statistical examples from Dr Omar Khan, where he exemplified the voting pattern difference between East African Hindus and Indian Hindus, Dr Quraishi did a comparative study of the electoral process between UK and India, in his usual witty style. Former IJA President, veteran journalist and CEO of RayMedia, Ashis Ray kick started the discussion with statistics regarding the trend amongst Indian voters. Going through all the three manifestos, he was especially disappointed with the Labour party manifesto that he felt had deliberately ignored relationships with India. Conservative party however was able to secure that attention from Indians, because of their elaborate plan to engage with

Bob Blackman MP, Dr Omar Khan, Dr S Y Quraishi, Lord Prof Bhikhu Parekh, CB Patel, Keith Vaz MP, Ashis Ray Inset: Lord Karan Bilimoria

India on their manifesto. Ray also referred to the major goof ups by the Labour party while in power, that affected LabourIndia relations further. In 2009 David Miliband went to India as the Foreign Secretary. Ignorant with an alleged colonial hangover, Oxford bred Miliband caused a diplomatic storm after he wrote an article for the Guardian, in which he claimed that resolving the status of Kashmir – the disputed territory over which India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947 – would help undermine support for terrorist groups in south Asia. India views unrest in Kashmir as an internal matter rather than an international dispute. The reports suggested Miliband's comments had angered the Indian government, and Mandelson's requests for meetings with Indian ministers had been turned down as a result. Despite such anomalies and corrosive friendship with India, Ray went on to describe how Labour still continues to receive Asian endorsements. He said: “The Labour MPs have certainly looked after our community well. My study of 52 constituencies, show that only 22 have fair or large number of Asians. In these 22 constituencies, 20 were won by Labour party. The two seats won by Conservatives were not won by Asian candidatesBob Blackman and Edward Garnier, which also shows that Indians tend to vote for those MPs, whatever be their origin, who serve them well.” Speaking about Indo-UK relations, Mr Ray added, during this year's Queen's Speech, it has been highlighted that the government is looking at an enhanced partnership with India as well as China. In 2010, it was India alone. Perhaps this is a hint for India, to do a bit more with Britain. Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP spoke how in 1987 there were only 4 MPs from the BME background now increased to 41. He emphasised that for Indians to be mainstream, and have fair representation, it is important that we encourage our children to become politicians from early age. “This is a sign of great progress. Breaking down the barrier, making this a profession worth considering, is extremely important and healthy for the psyche of the people from ethnic background.” He also spoke about the importance of such roundtable

discussions on regular basis in the UK and the possibility to have an Indian chapter in India with the Indian Parliamentarians. Praising Bob Blackman for community service and PM David Cameron for the Indians including lifting the ban on Alphonso mango, Vaz added, “David Cameron has visited India four times, much more than anybody else in similar period of time. This is a good thing for relations and it inspires the Labour party to do better... However he went on to say, “Relations with India is above party politics. Do not wait for government to help to make it better. It is our (diaspora's) responsibility to ensure that India is an issue right at the forefront of British Public life.” Next speaker, the Cobra beer founder and Indian tycoon, Lord Bilimoria said, “On political basis we do not have enough interaction between the parliamentarians here and in India. Indians are by far the most successful community in this country. The barriers of aspirations do not exist any more. Earlier Indians would vote Labour, but now look at the huge shift. 49% Hindus and Sikhs have voted for Conservative. “Mr Cameron spoke about an Asian Prime Minister in the UK. But I think an Indian would become a British Prime Minister (earlier). David Cameron has shown huge commitments. Sadly the Indian PM has not made an official visit since 2006. PM Modi, we are waiting for you. Hinting on the government's immigration policies affecting the Indo-British relations negatively, Lord Bilimoria elaborated, “The Conservative government has sent out a very negative message on immigration. Yes cut down illegal immigration, get exit checks, but do not deter good immigration, as UK needs business. “Also whether we are going to stay in Europe- this uncertainty is unhelpful. India looks at UK as the gateway to Europe. We have better chances by staying within Europe, which helps the India-UK relations, and benefit India as well as UK. Concluding he spoke about the dynamism in Indian diaspora, “Narendra Modi often uses the word Taqat, which means power. There is soft power and hard power, India has both. But India's strongest element of hard and soft power is it's diaspora.

When you have a combination of soft power and hard power together- it is called smart power and Britain has 1.5mn of them.” Dr Virander Paul, the Deputy High Commissioner of India, speaking on behalf of the Indian government said, “There is a tremendous resonance across party lines. The Indian diaspora is the strong pillar of the UK-India relations. 2.5% of the British Indians contribute

Panelist Dr Virander Paul, Deputy Indian High Commissioner to Britain

6% of UK's GDP. It is natural for British Indians to expect a corresponding response. Lord Parekh, who was moderating the session rounded up the discussion on how this election revealed several important trends and reflected some of the profound changes taking place within the Indian community. He said, “First, like the South Asians and the ethnic minorities in general, Indians are no longer a homogeneous group. Apart from class divisions, there are also religious differences. More Hindus (47%) voted for Conservative than for Labour (41%) whereas Muslims from Pakistan and even India went predominantly for Labour (64% as opposed to 25% for Conservative). Sikhs voted broadly among the same lines as the Hindus. Among both Hindus and Sikhs, those from East Africa tended to vote for Conservatives in larger number than did their counterparts from India. “Secondly, Indians have traditionally been Labour supporters, largely because Labour government gave India independence and was later responsible for anti-racist legislation. Indians did vote for Conservatives in the past, but they generally felt embarrassed or uneasy about it. In this election they proclaimed their Tory sympathies and took positive pride in it. This is a major change in their self-understanding. “Thirdly, all political parties put up candidates from ethnic

minorities. UKIP put up 6%, Green 4%, Labour 9%, LibDems 10% and Conservatives as high as 13%. There were in all over 50 Indian Parliamentary candidates. For long Indians have tended to shy away from active politics, and not considered it as a career. These elections should change their attitude. There have been more ethnic minority candidates than ever before, their ethnicity was rarely held against them, and there are more of them in the Commons than ever before. There is every reason to believe that the ethnic minority including Indian youth should from now onward see politics as a career option in the same way as medicine or law. “Fourth, as many as 150,000 of ethnic minority voters voted for the Green party, a larger number than ever before, showing their political sophistication and their willingness to move beyond the conventional political spectrum centred on three mainstream political parties. “Fifth, nearly 70,000 ethnic minority voters including Indians voted for UKIP. In one constituency (Hull) an Indian UKIP a Sikh candidate collected over 3,000 votes. The fact that Indians were prepared to vote for UKIP shows their increasing self-confidence and a sense of security. They feel they are too deeply settled in Britain to need to worry about the threats posed by the UKIP. They also seem to feel possessive about the country and, like their white counterpart, want to protect it against new immigrants. “Sixth, George Galloway was defeated in Bradford. This shows that British Pakistanis are more interested in local issues and expect their M.P. to work for Bradford rather than Syria, Iraq or Kashmir. Like British Hindus and Sikhs, British Muslims are beginning to look at issues within a British framework, and resist the pull of long distance political and religious nationalism. “Finally, Indians made only a marginal difference to the outcome of the election, and David Cameron would have won even if no Indian had voted for him. Once labour lost Scotland and middle England, Conservative victory was a certainty. Some sections of the media however presented the matter differently and gave the ethnic minority votes greater importance. This has boosted the self-confidence as well as the sense of potency and power of the ethnic-minorities including and especially the Indians, the largest group among them. This should encourage them to become politically more active and assertive in future. The fact that nearly 45% of Indians are below the age of 30 means that Indian influence will continue to be felt in future elections too.” The evening concluded with comments and questions from the audience, and a demand to make such discussions a more regular affair.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Dear Financial Voice Reader, How do you learn a skill like trading and investing? Educating people about investing is important, and needs to be done properly to be effective. These things are critical in any education if you want to learn a skill and I’ve incorporated them all in my www.trading-champions.com Discussions Online technology means we should be able to interact with the mentor/teacher, such as me. Look over the shoulder of your mentor like an intern/employee Unlike a book, videos show you exactly step by step and that makes for great education. Education through videos is the best way. Bite Size Remember when the BBC used to do bite size revision on TV. The best skills training should be in little bite sizes. It makes it easier to comprehend. Quizzes It is vitally important to ensure you understand skills. To make sure that happens, the best way is through quizzes. Any skills training should have quizzes to test comprehension and recall. Comfort of your own home The best learning should come from being able to learn from home. So there you are – the essence of quality education and training in investing and trading. Now let’s turn to the markets for those who are already trained up in the markets. Just another week of ups and downs for the FTSE 100 over the past few days with the London index trading between its recent 7,000 highs and 6,950 points area. I have mentioned on my previous note to you that the FTSE looks directionless over the past couple of weeks and its outlook haven’t changed since. However I am expecting volatility to increase this week and the upcoming economic reports pretty much guarantee a more active week. That’s not to mean that the FTSE will finally decide on a direction since we could be looking at another week of sideways trading between the 6,900 and 7,050 points but nevertheless we’ll have something new to talk about. Regarding the tactics I am looking to employ, I will focus on the very short-term intra-day price action of the index and try to capture as many points as I can before the FTSE turns around again. This is due to the number of reports scheduled for release. My primary scenario at least for the first couple of days of the week suggests shorting the FTSE if it breaks below Friday’s low around the 6,960 points. My first target would be last week’s lowest level at the 6,920 points so I need to be fast and decisive if I am to make any profit from such a small movement. Other than that if the FTSE fails to break lower than this level I will probably look for a reversal towards the 7,000 points once again. But, like I said, if you really want to understand this and trade and invest like a professional, then try www.trading-champions.com .

Reliance is India's highest profit earner

Mukesh Ambani- lead Reliance Industries has reported a profit of Rs 235.66 billion for the year 2014-15. The consolidated net profit for the full financial year was up by 4.8 per cent as compared to last year's Rs 224.93 billion. Reliance has also emerged as the top Indian corporate to earn the highest net profit, followed by Coal India, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the state-owned Oil and Gas Corporation (ONGC). The company's profitability has helped sustain Mukesh Ambani's stature as the world's richest Indian with a net worth of $ 19.6 billion, according to

Forbes. Reliance was followed by Coal India, whose net profit stood at Rs 42.93 billion, IT major TCS came in at the third spot with 37.13 billion and was followed by Infosys at 30.97 billion. Indian Oil was the highest quarterly net profit earner this season. It stood at Rs 62.85 billion. However, the net profit was down 33 per cent from Rs 93.89 billion in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. IOC was followed by ONGC, whose standalone net profit stood at Rs 39.35 billion and SBI whose net profit stood at Rs 37.42 billion.

India's economy grows more than 7 pc in March quarter

The year 2015 seems to be a great year for India, economy wise. Official data reveals that India may have just fallen short of surpassing China as the fastest-growing emerging market economy in 201415, but its 7.3 per cent growth is expected to have matched that of the Asian neighbour. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the new figures as “recovery of the economy.” He said, “It's absolutely clear that economy is on the recovery mode. I say that because the services sector has significantly improved, it's doing well. What seems to be a silver lining is that manufacturing sector is now growing. This, coupled with the revenue figures of April 2015 holds out a hope for growth in the manufactur-

ing sector.” Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi believes the encouraging part of the data is the growth in manufacturing to 7.1 per cent from last year's 5.3 per cent. “The growth is 7.2 per cent at basic prices and 7.3 per cent at market prices. This is in spite of a decline in agriculture growth from 3.7 per cent to 0.2 per cent. The encouraging part of the data is the growth in manufacturing to 7.1 per cent

from last year’s 5.3 per cent which would also mean that we are creating jobs in our growth path.” The government estimated a growth of around 5.5 per cent, using the old methodology, but the Central Statistics Office’s reworking of the numbers has changed the official growth pace under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made economic reforms a priority during his first year in office. India may have just fallen short of surpassing China as the fastest-growing emerging market economy in 2014-15, but its 7.3 per cent growth is expected to have matched that of the Asian neighbour. Even as official data from Beijing is awaited, estimates on the Chinese economy also suggests a 7.3 per cent growth during

2014-15. Multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have also in their recent estimates said India may well be the fastestgrowing emerging market economy. The growth in India's gross domestic product (GDP) - which is a measure of the total value of goods and services produced in the country - was estimated to have expanded by just 4.7 per cent in 2013-14 as per the earlier estimate. But after a revision in base year to 2011-12, the growth stood altered to 6.9 per cent. The growth for the four quarters of fiscal 2014-15 was 6.7 per cent, 8.4 per cent, 6.6 per cent and 7.5 per cent, according to the release issued by the Central Statistics Office.

the same quarter last year. The regions contribution to sales also dipped to 19%, down from 24% a year ago. Jaguar Land Rover's overall profit fell to 302 million pounds ($466 million) from 449 million pounds a year ago, despite

an increase of 200 basis points in operating margin. Despite the slowing down in China's auto industry, Jaguar Land Rover is optimistic about increasing its market share with a strong product range. "The launch of new products and the new China JV are expected to support the continued growth of Jaguar Land Rover with strong EBITDA margins in the range experienced since JLR embarked on its growth strategy in 2011," the com-

pany said in a statement. "As previously indicated, however, model mix and launch costs associated with the new products, as well as the launch and reporting effect of the China JV and more mixed economic conditions, may result in somewhat lower EBITDA margins in 201516 than experienced in 2014-15." Despite a slack in demand for luxury and premium cars in China causing carmakers to slash prices, Jaguar Land Rover says it has not yet taken any decision on cutting prices and would rather watch the market for longer.

Slowing Chinese demand hits profit of Tata Motors

The slowing demand for its luxury Jaguar and Land Rover cars in China has rained heavily on Tata Motors' first quarter net profit, the lowest in the past nine quarters. The company's profit has also been affected by losses at its Indian operations. In the January-March period, the company's net profit plunged 56.2% to 17.17 billion rupees ($ 268.3 million), on net sales of 672.98 billion rupees, which increased 4% year-on-year. Sales of the marquee model in China, which were healthy for the past few years, fell 20% to 23,526 units against a 36% increase for

Come clean, Jaitley tells foreign bank account holders

“The world is increasingly moving towards automatic transmission of information with regard to illegal money held up. By 2017, the situation will arise that we will able to get information in real time,” India's finance minister Arun Jaitley said, stressing that the customer confidentiality promised by Swiss and other foreign banks is no longer iron clad. The Government is now preying on the disclosures with accounts in Swiss banks and emphasise that those with illicit assets abroad should come clean now that the wall of secrecy has been weakened. “I have been repeatedly saying that the era of tax havens has come to an

Arun Jaitley

end. It is no longer safe to keep your assets overseas illegally,” Jaitley told reporters in Ahmedabad. Since the Parliament has passed the black money bill in May; it seeks to unearth unaccounted wealth stashed abroad. “In the black money bill, which we have brought,

we have provided a provision of compliance window... you utilize this opportunity, declare your assets, pay tax and pay penalty. If you do not use this chance, then we will take strict action,” Jaitley said. He also added that the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Bill, 2015 provided for punishment up to 10 years for concealment and non-disclosure of overseas wealth. “I have been repeatedly saying that the veil of secrecy with regard to assets and monies kept by Indian entities outside India is going to be lifted...This should give a sufficient indicator to those who hold assets outside India.”

Jet Airways reduces loss

Jet Airways said it has suffered a net loss of 21 billion rupees in the financial year ending in March, which is about half of the loss they bore last year. The airline reportedly has not made an annual profit since 2007, due to tough competition and high operating costs in India's aviation industry making it hard for them to turn a profit. The company has announced a cost-cutting plan and said it expects to make a full year profit in 2017. "FY15 was an encouraging year when we set out to change the fundamentals of this business, allowing us to deliver a significant improvement in our net result," chairman Naresh Goyal said. He also said that India's aviation market still suffered from "structural challenges and robust competition."

REAL ESTATE VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

The head or the heart? Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Only yesterday my colleague and I attended an auction. The property we had our eye on was a garden flat in Balham, the third lot down. I was given a strict purchase of £430k from our general manager, who knows me a little too well, and knew I would get itchy if we didn’t purchase. See I have a disease, if a deal doesn’t happen it causes me psychological discomfort which in turn affects me physically. I was very pessimistic at this level given the guide price was £400k, therefore I discussed the deal with someone else more favourable to my disposition in the company and we managed between us to talk ourselves up to a purchase level to £475k. This was done through reducing the budget allowed for the refurbishment (so we do a bare bones fit out), coupled with us feeding off each other and just talking the property up between us.

H o we v e r s i n c e t h e e l e c t i o n , au c t i o n s re s u l t s h a v e b e e n g o in g t h ro u g h t h e ro o f s o I su s p e c t e d t h i s l o t wo u l d g o w ay p as t e v e n t h e r ai s e d l i mi t we p u t o n i t , a n d t h i s wo u l d b e a f u t i l e e xe rc is e . It wa s c l o s e t o t h e s t at io n a n d i t h a d a w o w f ac t o r t o it , I h a d n ’ t s e e n i t , my c o l l e ag u e h a d , h o w e ve r yo u c a n g e t a s e n s e o f t h e p ro pe rt y j u st f ro m t h e p i c t u re an d t h e d e s c r ip t i o n . T h i n g s l i k e ba ys w i n d o w s an d h i g h c e i l i n g h e i g h t s a s w e l l a s c h e c k i n g w h e t h e r t h e s u n sh i n e s i n t o i t . D o n o t u n d e re st i m at e t h i s l a st p o i n t , t h e pro p e rt y w e b o u g h t in B r ya n st o n S q u are is o n t h e s i d e we re t h e su n s h i n e s i n t o i t . If yo u s t an d i n t h e f ro n t o f t h e sq u are an d l o o k at b o t h s i d e s y o u c an s e e in st a n t l y w h i c h s i d e h a s the better feel to it. The first two lots went less than 20% below, so I started becoming confident that maybe there was a chance. However as soon as this lot came up there was a ruffle and we spotted about five different people bidding. This means like us there were many more sitting quietly on the fence under the radar. There’s no point interjecting, let the floor get on with it and then if the price is below what you’re prepared to pay come in. There was fierce bidding and the price went all the way to £550k, and as nice as the property was, it was hard to see were the margin was. You could buy a refurbished one down the road for £650k. Furthermore because the property down the road was refurbished you could get a decent mortgage on the property, 75% of the value at a decent rate. Buying the property which required work would not qualify for a Buy to Let mortgage as the property was not lettable. You then have two choices one is to use a bridging loan which costs normally 1% interest per month with a 2% arrangement fee, or use a refurbishment product which keeps you locked in for a few years. I can only assume the buyer for this property was a cash buyer or this was an emotional purchase, probably a combination of the two. With these kind of buyers creeping into the auction rooms, it is becoming increasingly harder for us property folk to put bread or chapattis on the table. This in my opinion is a direct result of televisual programming. As the auction programmes show casing property investors have increased so has the number of bored housewives coming into the auction rooms.

T h e a u c t i o n e n v i ro n m e n t h a s c h an g e d , s o y o u n e e d t o c h an g e w i t h i t . T h e s e n e w b u ye r s are m o s t l y n o v i c e bu ye r s o r at b e s t h a v e a l i t t l e e xp e ri e n c e . T h e re i s al w ays an an g l e . In t h i s e n vi ro n m e n t i t is be st t o c o n c e n t ra t e o n p ro b l e m at i c pro p e rt i e s . P ro pe r t i e s wh i c h h av e sh o r t l e as e s, p ro bl e m t e n an t s, pl a c e s w h e re t h e re are e n f o rc e m e n t n o t ic e s i n p l ac e . T h e se k i n d s o f i s su e s wi l l s c a re m o s t b u y e rs a wa y. With these new influx of buyers the auction now becomes a good market to even sell your stock, auctions will give you an almost guaranteed sale, especially in the current environment. Even properties which perhaps would get stuck in a conventional sale, due to some minor issues, will fly at auction, and you may find you might even get more money. Buying with emotions isn’t always a bad thing. I have been told to never fall in love with a building, but is it sooo wrong? I hope not as it’s happened to me on a couple of properties we have bought recently. One required an injection of nearly £900k and it cost only £1.3m, because the rental figures were so low. However in the same way I fell for the property so will the incoming purchaser – if I manage to let it go. T h e o t h e r i s a l arg e l u mp c o n si s t i n g o f 13, 00 0 s q . f t . i n Po rt l a n d P l a c e , ju s t o f f Ox f o rd St re e t . T h e o r ig i n al pl a n , an d a p l an s t i l l i n m o t i o n i s t o c o n v e rt i t i n t o f iv e l u x u r y ap a rt m e n t s , wi t h t h e e l e c t i o n re su l t s t h e ma rk e t i s ri p e f o r s u c h a m o v e . H o we v e r t h i s w o u l d me an l e t t i n g t h e b u i l d i n g g o . A n d t h i s wo u l d be d i f f i c u l t f o r m e , o n a d e e p e m o t i o n al l e v e l . T h e re f o re t h e n ex t o p t i o n i s t o c o n v e rt i n t o o f f i c e s . T h e b u i l d in g al re a d y h as o f f i c e u se , b u t i t ’ s i n a d at e d c o n d i t i o n , i f we po l i s h t h i s u p i t w o u l d at t ra c t a g o o d re n t a l y ie l d , wi t h a s o l i d re n t ro l l w e c o u l d t h e n re t ai n t h i s bu il d i n g . Lu c k i l y t h e m a rk e t c o n d i t i o n s are su pp o rt i n g my w h i ms .

The Real Deal

Marylebone, London, W1 Purchase Price: £2m l A beautiful large lateral apartment within a purpose built mansion block l Four bedrooms and four baths l Long lease l Lift l Properties in this location are being sold for more than £1,500 per sq. ft. while this is coming in at around £1,100 per sq. ft. l Close to March Arch and Baker Street l Very good buy and hold opportunity Call us now to reserve!

Not all the investments have been purchased with emotions, some have actually been done with some common sense too, for example we have just exchanged on a pub in Alperton called The Plough on Ealing Road. The area was researched thoroughly by our planning consultants and architects, this is a spot which has been earmarked for massive regeneration. There was much interest and bidding for this site, in the end we managed to snatch the deal. The aim will be to look at which will be the best way to fit as many units as we can on this site, the patch looks like it could take about 50 units, there is also the option to tie up with the neighbours and work out a JV which will push the numbers even higher.

0207 993 0103

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Tips of the Week l Buying at auction is a good way to pick up a bargain, provided you don't get carried away with the emotion of the auction itself. Set yourself a limit and stick to it and don't get carried away with winning at any cost. l Know your market - there’s no point transforming a three bedroom house into an eight bedroom house if there is no demand for eight bedroom properties in the area.

BUSINESS

2 Indian-origin among richest self-made US women

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

RBI lowers repo rate by 25 bps

in honour of her sister, who died of lung cancer. Forbes' first ever list of the nation's top 50 most successful and self made women include entrepreneurs, CEOs, entertainers, designers and an author. Other women to make the cut were Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, media moghul Oprah Winfrey, Singer Beyonce, novelist Nora Roberts and transgender and founder of the biotech firm United Therapeutics, Martine Rothblatt. SBI chief as 30th most powerful woman in the

world State Bank of India's first woman chairperson, Kolkata- based Arundhati Bhattacharya, moved 6 spots up in the Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women and now ranks 30th in the coveted listing. As the chairperson of SBI, Bhattacharya directs more than 200,000 employees across 16,000 branches that together serve 225 million customers and hold offices in more than 36 countries. Appointed when the economy was slow, she steered various initiatives in tech-

nology banking outlet, Bi Tech Learning Centres for educating customers and BI e-Pay, a payment service. Bhattacharya also has recognised the multiple roles by women and pioneered a two year sabbatical policy for female employees taking maternity leave to extend care to their families. Under her administration, the bank has reported an increase by 23% and a four fold modification in treasury gains. Other Indian women to make the list are ICICI Bank head Chanda Kochchar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT media chair Shobhana Bhartia. Forbes' 12th Annual List of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World features women who are transforming the world. They are ranked according to wealth, media presence and their overall impact.

India's manufacturing activity has risen the highest in the past four months in May owing to the rising domestic demand despite higher costs for firms and consumers, revealed a business survey. The HSBC M a n u f a c t u r i n g Purchasing Managers' Index, compiled by Markit, rose to 52.6 in May from April's 51.3. Readings above 50 usually indicate expansion and May was the 19th straight month of industrial growth. “PMI data signalled a further robust expansion of the Indian manufacturing economy in May,” said Pollyanna De Lima, an economist at Markit. She also said the outlook of the sector is, however, clouded by a stagnant jobs market as firms remain uncertain about the sustainability of the upturn.

What also causes the RBI concern is the rate of price rises - although April inflation was well within the upper end of the Central bank's target. The Indian GDP data that released on Friday, showed the economy grow 7.3 per cent in the fiscal year of 2014-15, and expanded faster than China for the second consecutive year. While that seems healthy there are doubts over the reliability of the data. Many economists believe that changes made earlier this year to the way government statisticians calculate GDP may have distorted the macroeconomic view.

Locked in a dispute with the company regarding its proposal to change their pension scheme, Tata Steel UK's biggest trade union voted to go on a strike, pushing for the biggest labour action in the British steel sector in the last three decades. Eighty eight per cent members of the community has voted in favour of going on a strike. “Steelworkers are determined to stand up to Tata,” said Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the community. "We stand on the brink of the first national strike in the steel industry for over 30 years.” The Union has not given any dates for the strike and said they were calling on Tatas to negotiate. On contacting Tata Steel, they said the vote was "disappointing" and that they were seeking to

work with employees in a balanced way to tackle a pension fund deficit of up to $2 billion. "We also remain hopeful that employees will avoid taking any action that damages our objective of building a successful and sustainable UK business capable of supporting a secure pension scheme." In an open letter to the employees, the company said Tata's UK operations as a whole were still losing money. The company's parent, India's Tata Steel Ltd, posted a $889 million quarterly loss on May 20, inflated by a hefty impairment on its UK business.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan on Tuesday cut interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) for the third time this year, citing mixed indicators of recovery against the backdrop of easing inflation. The central bank, however, cited upside risks to inflation due to an expected weakness in monsoon rains, higher crude prices and volatility in the external environment, suggesting further rate cuts unlikely in near future. One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. The benchmark repo (repurchase) rate now stands reduced to 7.25% from 7.5% earlier, effective immediately. The policy is a Goldilock one, in line with the economy, said Rajan at a postpolicy press conference, adding the central bank has used the room that was available for rate cuts. “We have to wait for the data to give us more room. We are data-contingent,” said Rajan. While reducing interest rates, RBI kept cash reserve ratio (CRR) steady at 4% and the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR), or the proportion of government bonds that banks need to hold, constant at 21.5%. “Banks have started passing through some of the past rate cuts into their lending rates, headline inflation has evolved along the projected path, the impact of unseasonal rains has been moderate so far, administered price increases remain muted, and the timing of normalization of US monetary policy seems to have been pushed back. With low domestic capacity utilization, still mixed indicators of recovery, and subdued investment and credit growth, there is a case for a cut in the policy rate today,” said RBI in its policy statement, adding the rate cut had been “front-loaded.” At the press confer-

Crisis-hit Sahara has entered the fray for buying its own Grosvenor House hotel, which was put on sale by its lender Bank of China after a “technical default.” The Indian group has been trying to raise funds to secure release of its chief Subrata Roy, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail for over a year, through monetisation of its various assets, including the iconic London hotel. Sources said that Sahara group is still negotiating a 'refinancing' deal to transfer the Bank of China loans to some other

lender, while it has also entered the bidding fray for Grosvenor House through a 'financier' backed by some global banks to ensure a better valuation of the property. Other bidders are said to be Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, China's Fosun Group, Constellation Hotels Holding and M&G Prudential. Sources said that the group is working with a 'two-way strategy' to ensure that it gets necessary funds to be deposited for Roy's release and also retains the control of the hotel it had purchased in

2010. Bank of China put Grosvenor House under "administration" early in March for recovery of its loans, while Deloitte and realty consultant JLL have been mandated to find a buyer. JLL did not reply to queries in this regard, while no comments could be obtained from Deloitte as well. Earlier in March, Sahara Group said it was working on a refinancing transaction to repay the loans to Bank of China and regain control of the hotel. Sahara had also said that the London hotel was being "treated under

default" because Bank of China has declared "an event of default" on the US loans due to some "technical breaches" in the financial covenants. The loan on Sahara's three hotels, Grosvenor House in the UK, The Plaza and Dream Downtown in New York is "cross collateralized and cross guaranteed". Sahara had said that the debt servicing for the UK and US loans "has always been completely proper and timely". The three overseas hotels have been at the centre of Sahara's fund-raising plans.

The Gatimaan Express, India's first semi-high speed train that will run between Delhi and Agra, at a speed of 160 km per hour is cleared to launch. North Central Railway General Manager Mahesh Mangal said, clearance from the Commissioner, Railway Safety, is all that is now required to flag the train. After a two day inspection of Agra and Mathura, he said that CNG powered rail engines could be used in the eco-sensitive Agra region.

Two Indian origin women have made it to the Forbes' inaugural list of America's 50 richest self-made women. India -born Neerja Sethi has been ranked 14 on the list with a net worth of USD 1.1 billion, while Londonborn Jayshree Ullal comes 30th with a USD 470 million net worth. The 60- year- old Sethi is the cofounder of the IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel. She served as the company's treasurer in its initial 16 years of operations and is currently the vice president of corporate affairs. Quoted as “one of America's wealthiest female executives,” by Forbes, Ullal became President and CEO of Arista Networks that has now become one of Silicon Valley's most valuable networking firms. Born in London and raised in New Delhi, Ullal has donated shares to a family foundation created

Nirja Sethi and Jayshree Ullal

India's factory growth accelerates in May

Workers at Tata Steel UK's union vote to strike

Sahara vying for its own Grosvenor hotel

Raghuram Rajan

ence, Rajan added that RBI had erred on the side of investment while deciding on cutting interest rates as the economy continues to remain below potential. “The potential growth rate for the economy under the new series is 8-8.5%,” added Urjit Patel, deputy governor of RBI. As part of its policy, RBI also reduced its estimate for growth in the current fiscal year to 7.6% from 7.8% in its April policy. “Reflecting the balance of risks and the downward revision to GVA (gross value added) estimates for 2014-15, the projection for output growth for 2015-16 has been marked down from 7.8% in April to 7.6% with a downward bias to reflect the uncertainties surrounding these various risks,” said RBI in its policy statement. RBI noted that sustained weakness in consumption spending, especially in rural areas, continues to be a drag on the economy, adding that capacity utilization has also been falling in several industries. RBI also adjusted its estimate for inflation saying poor monsoon and higher global commodity prices could put upside pressure on inflation. “Assuming reasonable food management, inflation is expected to be pulled down by base effects till August but to start rising thereafter to about 6% by January 2016 - slightly higher than the projections in April,” said RBI. In April, RBI had said that inflation is likely to be close to 5.8% by January 2016.

Green signal for India's semi-high speed train

Trials on the stretch are successfully completed and the fencing work on both sides of the track is almost complete. The communication and signalling systems have been upgraded and the train could be hauled by a 5,400 HP electric engine. The train will have 12 coaches to begin with and an automatic braking system and fire alarm. Railway sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the train in the second week of June.

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Sterling weaken’s after election Currency Specialists.

Sterling hit its weakest against the dollar since the aftermath of the UK's national elections, after a speech by The Queen set in motion a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union. An EU referendum by the end of 2017 is among a programme of new laws in the first Conservative Queen's Speech in nearly two decades. European head of FX strategy at Credit Agricole (Adam Myers) stated that "Even though it's likely that the UK wants to stay in (the EU), any political uncertainty is as good an excuse as any to cause a bit of a squeeze or reversal in sterling positioning after what's been a strong run." The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry has said it is “astonished” that the UK is considering leaving the EU, and that an exit would be “disastrous” for both countries. Volker Treier, deputy chief executive of the group, said scores of German firms could easily end up taking back investment from the UK. The 400,000 people employed by German companies in Britain are among those who would be negatively affected by such a change. "We are really astonished about this referendum," he told the BBC. He added that German chancellor Angela Merkel should not offer any

concessions. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she would work constructively with British Prime Minister David Cameron on reforming the European Union, reaffirming her desire to keep Britain within the bloc. "Where there's a will, there's a way," Merkel said at a news conference with Cameron in Berlin. "I will go into these discussions constructively. I want to find a solution," she added. Both leaders dodged questions about whether changes to the EU treaty were achievable before Britain holds a referendum on its membership in the EU, with Cameron saying the "substance" of reforms was the most important factor. The main issue concerning the strength of the EURO is the Greek situation. According to a Goldman Sachs Strategist the main scenario that is likely to occur between Greece and their lenders is that the deal will ultimately end in a compromise from both sides with a period that could witness missed payments. We saw recently that the Greek Prime minister has said openly that Greece does not have the money to pay 300 million euros to the IMF on June 5. Despite this Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis expressed confidence a deal with lenders would

be struck in time to avoid default. International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde said on Friday that a comprehensive deal with Greece to avoid it defaulting on loan repayments is "very unlikely... in the next few days". The news came as new figures from Greece showed bank deposits fell sharply in April to €139.4bn, a drop of €5.6bn from March and its lowest level in 10 years. The figures will raise the possibility of capital controls being imposed on the country. Although it has so far shied away from putting limits on how much depositors can withdraw, these are looking increasingly likely. Many central banks around the world are watching whether the US dollar can regain momentum and help stimulate their slowing economies. Countries are relying on weaker currencies to boost their growth prospects in the global low interest rate environment. The US dollar has pulled back, hit by weak economic numbers that have clouded the timing for when the US Federal Reserve may finally start lifting borrowing rates. Unless the disturbed signs of a pick-up in the US economy turn into something more sustainable, a further downward drift in the world’s reserve currency stands

to complicate policy for many central banks. The dollar rose against most major currencies, hitting an eight-year peak. The US economy contracted in the first quarter as it buckled under the weight of unusually heavy snowfalls, a resurgent dollar and disruptions at West Coast ports. Economists, however, caution against reading too much into the slump in output. They argue the GDP figure for the first quarter was held down by temporary factors. Economists estimate unusually heavy snowfalls in February chopped at least one percentage point from growth. Trade was hit both by the strong dollar and the ports labour dispute, which weighed on exports through the quarter and then unleashed a flood of imports in March after it was resolved. A measure of domestic demand growth was revised up slightly and business spending on equipment was much stronger than previously estimated, taking some edge off the slump in output. While consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, was revised down by one-tenth of a percentage point to a 1.8 percent rate, it could finally get a lift from the considerable savings households amassed because of cheaper gasoline.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 2nd June 2015 @ 7pm

GBP - INR = 97.74

USD - INR = 63.66 EUR - INR = 71.09 GBP - USD = 1.54 GBP - EUR = 1.37

EUR - USD = 1.12 GBP - AED = 5.64

GBP - CAD = 1.90

GBP - NZD = 2.14

GBP - AUD = 1.97

GBP - ZAR = 18.72

GBP - HUF = 428.72

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WORLD

Pak asks EU to relax travel curbs

Islamabad: Pakistan faced international humiliation last year when the World Health Organisation imposed travel restrictions on account of failure to curb the polio virus. The government, in a recent meeting, has asked the European Union to relax the travel restrictions. In a meeting with a German delegation, President Mamnoon Hussain asked to relax the restraints and said that the international community should be considerate and help Pakistan work towards the eradication of the virus. The President said the main cause of the increase in the number of polio cases in the recent years was terrorism, because of which many tribal areas in the country were still inaccessible. "Pakistan is not responsible for the situation, but the elements who caused the spread of terrorism in the region," he said. He assured the delegation that the country was committed to eradicating the disease and the situation was now seemingly improving. He also said that the government was taking effective measures to curb terrorism, violation of human rights, discrimination against minorities and gender inequality.

Murder charges against 41 over Rana Plaza collapse

Dhaka: The collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013 led to an international outcry as it left more than 1,100 people dead in what was the worst disaster in the history of garment industry. Bangladesh police have finally filed formal murder charges against 41 people, one of them is Sohel Rana, owner of the building. Also charged were his parents, owners of several factories in the building and at least a dozen government officials. Bijoy Krishna Kar, investigating officer who filed the charges said, if convicted, the accused could face death penalty. More than 2,400 workers were rescued or escaped alive after the factory collapsed. A high-level state report released in 2013 said the building was constructed with substandard materials in violation of building codes, and recom-

mended bringing formal charges against the owner, as well as against the owners of five factories in the building. It also stated that owners of the factories urged employees to return to work even after an engineer inspected the building the day before the collapse and deemed it unsafe. The upper stories of the building were illegally constructed, and heavy generators installed there caused

the building to shake, it said. Taslima Akhter, coordinator of Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity, a worker’s organization, pointed out that it took the police two years to file charges. Rana, who attempted to flee the country in the days after the disaster, was arrested near Bangladesh border with India, a week after the collapse.

Chicago: In an act of bigotry, a Muslim woman alleged discrimination over an unopened can of soft drinks on board the United Airlines. On asking for an unopened can of soda for hygienic reasons, Tahera Ahmed was told, “Well, I'm sorry. I just can't give you an unopened can, so no Diet Coke for you.” Ahmad said her fellow passengers

were of no help either. In her post, she says she was yelled at by another male passenger across the aisle, “you Moslem, you need to shut...up,” he also used an offensive word. He said she knew she would use it as a `weapon' so she should better shut up. Her Facebook post over the discrimination almost immediately went viral and

Muslim activists took to social media saying they would boycott United Airlines based on what they interpreted as open discrimination. United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart has said the airline was attempting to contact Ahmad in order to “get a better understanding of what occurred during the flight.”

Property tycoon Sohel Rana(C)

Muslim woman alleges discrimination

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

In Brief

Cancer trial yields 'spectacular' results

London: A British-led trial has produced 'spectacular' results with advanced melanoma tumours seen shrinking or brought under control in more than half of the patients using the drugs. More than 945 patients suffering from advanced melanoma were treated using the drugs ipilimumab and nivolumab. The treatments stopped cancer advancing for nearly a year with the tumours shrinking for an average 11.5 months. The combination of the drugs represented what is a 'powerful one-two punch.' Eminent oncologist Prof Karol Sikora, the dean of the University of Buckingham’s medical school, however, cautioned against the news. “I’m afraid it’s mixed news. There are breakthroughs coming, there is hope for cancer, that we will do much better in the future. It’s slow progress, rather than miraculous breakthroughs, as it’s likely to be reported.”

Fines amnesty for late tax returns

London: Up to 890,000 people who have filed late tax returns have been given an amnesty for missing the deadline and the tax officials are no longer checking why people are unable to submit their self assessment forms on time, as long as they provide a reasonable excuse. The unusual step was taken as HRMC faces a backlog of almost a million letters from taxpayers. An HRMS spokesman said, "We want to focus more and more of our resources on investigating major tax avoidance and evasion rather than penalising ordinary people who are trying to do the right thing."

Hawking expresses concerns for disabled students

London: Britain's high profile scientist Stephen Hawking expressed concerns at an event held to celebrate his 50th year as a fellow at the University of Cambridge's Gonville and Caius College. “I wonder whether a young ambitious academic, with my kind of severe condition now, would find the same generosity and support in much of higher education. Even with the best goodwill, would the money still be there? I fear not.” His comments come at a time when the universities continue to lobby for sufficient resources. Hawking had previously raised concerns about cuts to government funding for research budgets and had warned against the £80m of grant cuts saying they threatened Britain's international standing in the scientific community.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

In Brief

Bangla blogger gets death threat on Facebook

Dhaka: Another Bangladesh blogger has been threatened by extremist elements. A day after the story of how the 25 year old Bangladeshi blogger was living a life of fear, Ananya Azad received a message on a social networking site that mentioned him to be 'The Next.' Ananya, who is on a hit list of 84 atheist bloggers said he was shocked by the nature of the threat that addressed his father Humayun Azad as 'Nastiker Sardar.' The message read that his throat would be slashed at the Dhaka University's Bhaskarjya where he would meet his gruesome end. Apparently, Ananya isn't the only blogger suffering. A group of masked assailants chopped Ananta Bijay Das on May 12. His fellow blogger Monir Hussain has gone into hiding following the incident.

Gunmen kill 20 bus passengers in Pakistan attack

Islamabad: At least 20 bus passengers were killed when gunmen disguised as members of the Pakistani security forces opened fire at a bus which was travelling from western city of Quetta to Karachi. First the assailants asked the passengers to get down from the bus before killing them. The assault occurred in the town of Mastung about 40 km south of Quetta where 15 to 20 armed men in three pick up trucks wearing security uniforms kidnapped around 35 passengers. Twenty bodies were later recovered 2 km away from the main Quetta-Karachi highway. The attack poses a major concern for the government as it raises questions about the feasibility of a major new economic corridor Pakistan wishes to build with billions of dollars of Chinese investment.

New York millionaire woman jailed for killing autistic son

New York: A wealthy businesswoman who poisoned her autistic 8 year old son in a Manhattan hotel room has been sentenced to 18 years in a state prison for manslaughter. Gigi Jordan claimed to murder the child to prevent him from being sexually tortured by the child's father and asked Justice Charles Solomon to show some compassion. The judge, however, did not believe her story as there was no credible evidence presented at the trial showing Jude Mirra had ever been sexually abused. “The defendant appears to have psychological problems,” he said. Jude was found dead in a bed at the Peninsula on Feb 5, 2010, after the police and a hotel security guard broke into the room. Jordan was on the floor next to the bed, surrounded by pills, a pill crusher, a syringe used to force feed patients and empty bottles of vodka.

Rajapaksa’s wife questioned over graft

Colombo: Sri Lanka's former first lady, Sriranthi Rajapaksa was questioned over the alleged corruption in an NGO run by her during her husband, Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency. The Financial Crime Investigation Division questioned her for more than two hours. Her media coordinator quoted that the former first lady obtained funds from overseas for her humanitarian work in a transparent manner and has never gotten involved in politics. The Rajapaksas have called the investigations against several of the former regime members as a political witch-hunt. Mahinda said his successor Maithripala Sirisena's government was out to jail all the members of the family, including him.

Iran launches anti-Isis cartoon competition Tehran: In move to mock at the militant group and the atrocities it has committed, Iran has launched an anti-Isis cartoon competition, inviting submissions from around the world. Organisers said selected works would be displayed at four cultural centres across Tehran, and that a winner would be announced. According to the staterun IRNA news agency, artists were briefed by Iran's House of Cartoon to focus on "the crimes committed by the Islamic State (Isis)". Mohammad Habibi, the executive secretary of the contest, said 280 works had been selected from 800 submissions, including entries from over 40 countries such as Brazil, Australia and Indonesia. Habibi told the Tehran Times that some foreign cartoonists were attending the contest, but that they had been forced to travel under pseudonyms due to security concerns. He told Iran's Press TV: "Nowadays everyone around the world knows about the parasite by the name of Isis and what crimes they have committed against humanity and art and culture. Artists now have the duty to raise public awareness about this group by participating in such events." One contestant, graphic artist Massoud Shoajaei Tabatabaii, told Press TV the contest was being held "in order to reveal the true nature of Daesh" (the Persian name for Isis).

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WORLD

Joe Biden shows humanity even amidst personal tragedy

Washington: Joe Biden, the US Vice President, is known for his humanity. When he was 29 year old and newly elected to the Senate, he got a call in December 1972, that tumbled his life upside-down. Biden has faced his tragedy just as publicly as he has painfully. His first wife Neilia and daughter were killed in an accident that also left his sons injured, one of them with a possible permanent brain damage. A Senator, whose career almost ended before it even began, Joseph Biden almost resigned before he took the oath of office beside his son on the hospital bed. He was known as the Vice President who almost always says the wrong things at the most inappropriate of times. As the person who does not really comprehend the difference between personal and professional. But in the event of tragedy yet again striking the Biden family, as his 46 year old son Beau Biden died of brain cancer, we go back 40 years in time and remember him for the one thing he is human. In 2012, in a speech addressing the families of fallen troops, he said, “You are important. The

Joe Biden

ache in the back never goes away. And just when you think, ‘Maybe I’m going to make it,’ you’re riding down the road and you pass a field, and you see a flower and it reminds you. Or you hear a tune on the radio. Or you just look up in the night. You know, you think, ‘Maybe I’m not going to make it, man.’ Because you feel at that moment the way you felt the day you got the news.” Over the years of his political existence, he was never seen wash off the rugged distinctiveness of his personality, even though it got him in trouble more often than not.

Biden made this individuality, his biggest asset. It is his humanness that made the death of his son affect so many. Not the kind to shy away from showing his flaws to the people, Joe Biden made it easy for us to relate to him. Over the years, he allowed us to see the dark parts of him. In a commencement speech he gave in Yale University a few weeks back, he said, “The most successful and happiest people I’ve known understand that a good life at its core is about being personal. It’s about being engaged. It’s about being there for a friend or a colleague when they're injured or in an accident, remembering the birthdays, congratulating them on their marriage, celebrating the birth of their child. It’s about being available to them when they're going through personal loss. It’s about loving someone more than yourself, as one of your speakers have already mentioned. It all seems to get down to being personal.” For all the wrong he has done and all the negative media that has surrounded him, what is worth remembering is the remarkable humanity US Vice President holds.

INDIA

Telangana turns one year old, week-long festivities planned

Hyderabad: Telangana is one year old on Tuesday, and week-long festivities to celebrate India's youngest state began with a bang. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who too completes one year in office, started the day with a tribute at the Martyrs Memorial at the Gun Park in Hyderabad. Later, he unfurled the national flag and took a salute from a colourful parade at the main official function, held at the city's

Parade Grounds. After nearly five decades of demand, campaign, politicking and protests, Telangana was formed on June 2 last year. India's 29th state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh, triggering massive protests in the residual Seemandhra region. Over the last one year, the new state had to cope law and order issues, controversies over the government's household survey and ban on a few tele-

IIT Madras in eye of storm over banning students' group

Chennai: In yet another controversy over the Indian caste system, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste has sent a notice to IIT Madras regarding their ban on a students' group that consist of mainly Dalit members. The commission is expecting a reply at the earliest, Chairman P L Punia said. If the IIT-M is found to be in violation of the law, especially the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the commission could instruct the police to register an FIR. IIT-M is in the eye of the storm for de-recognising the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle on the basis that it was critical to Modi and his government. While the action has led to reflexive protests by the Congress and AAP, the Union Government has washed its hands off saying nei-

at three places in Hyderabad, the capital that Telangana shares for now with Andhra Pradesh, the Secunderabad Clock Tower, Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar and Kacheguda Railway Station. The state secretariat, assembly building, Raj Bhavan, the Chief Minister's official residence, government buildings and historic monuments were being illuminated.

woman offers to sell kidney to educate son

ther the party, nor the Centre has anything to do with the decision, and it was solely taken by the administration of the institute, on the basis of misuse of privileges and violation of guidelines. DMK chief Karunanidhi has asked for the direct intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the order immediately. “Because of this incident, the otherwise peacefully functioning institute has turned into a war zone,” he said. He also pointed his finger at union education minister Smriti Irani, saying ministers' interference on such issues will impact both, the youth of the country and the nation' peace. The agitated members have raised slogans against the Centre and sought to staging protests in front of the institute to condemn the ban.

Chennai: In a severe blow to the Indian education structure, transplant surgeons in Chennai recently received a mail from a woman who wishes to sell her kidney for her son's education. “I want sell my kidney... I am a 37- year- old married woman... I have no money for my son's education and I have family problems. So can you help me Sir? It's very urgent... My blood group is B Positive,” says an e-mail sent by the woman to a doctor. According to the Transplant of Human Organs Act and Rules, 1994, organ selling is a punishable offence and anybody caught buying or selling organs can be jailed for up to seven years with or without a fine of Rs 20,000. Dr Sunil Shroff, head of Mohan Foundation, an NGO that campaigns cadaver donations, has stated that e-mails are a

Robert Vadra these entities were eligible for grant of licenses as per the applicable laws, rules, circulars, notifications, guidelines etc. in the state including in the Town and Country Planning Department. The commission will examine whether the transfer of licenses within a short period of time to other entities were violative of the law, rules, circulars, notifications or guidelines etc. And whether the department had contemplated the transactions that had taken place before or after the grant of license, particularly with reference to the loss of revenue to the government.

Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the Haryana Government's recent notification reserving 20 per cent seats for the scheduled caste employees in departmental promotions. Introduced by the BJP government on May 15, the quota benefit for the class III and IV staff was put into effect from April 1, 2013. A petition was filed by Dinesh Kumar Sharma and other assistants in the Haryana civil secretariat. They argued that they were appointed as clerks in May 1990 and March 1992, before they were promoted, as per seniority, to the post of assistants. They argued that the recent notification would further reduce their chances of further promotions. It was also pointed out that the SC employees were already represented by more than 20 per cent in the cadre of assistants.

Haryana approves panel to probe Vadra land deals

Chandigarh: Haryana government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday gave its approval to the probe commission which will look into grant of licenses to some entities, including businessman Robert Vadra's company, for developing commercial colonies in Sector 83 of Gurgaon. The commission will investigate the circumstances under which the licenses were granted by the Town and Country Planning Department and whether these entities were eligible for grant of licenses as per the applicable laws and rules. It will give findings and recommendations to meet the ends of justice, particularly relating to the allegations of criminal conspiracy, criminal misconduct and private enrichment, if any, and the role of public servants and private individuals. It will probe whether

vision channels, the challenge of finding space for a new capital city, and lately, the spate of deaths in heat wave. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent greetings through a tweet: "My best wishes to the people of Telangana on the occasion of their Statehood Day. My best wishes for the State's development journey." Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture, BP Acharya said 3D illuminating mapping is set up

new trend. People impelled by desperation usually leave phone number or text messages, expecting a call back and more often than not, education for their children is what triggers parents to take such extreme steps. “Higher education is so expensive and parents get desperate. These are people who are not illiterate or very poor. Earlier most people who offered to sell organs were below the poverty line, trying to repay loans or marry off their daughters,”Dr Shroff said. The State Transplant Registry officials receive at least one such mail every two days. “ We call and counsel every person who mails us. We tell them it is illegal to offer organs for sale. We also talk to them about the medical complications,” said Dr J Amalorpavanathan, head to the State Cadaver Transplant Authority.

HC stays Haryana govt’s quota hike notification

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

South Brief

Karnataka to appeal against Jaya’s acquittal

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court’s verdict of acquitting AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa and three others in the disproportionate assets’ case. State law minister T B Jayachandra said that the decision to file an appeal had been taken purely on the basis of the "merit of the case as well as legal issues." He said the authorities have been directed to immediately commence the process of filing the appeal. Jayachandra only said various issues, including the reported error in computing the total loans treated as income of the accused, would be part of the appeal. When asked about the delay filing review petition, Jayachandra said the government had been given 90 days’ time to make a decision in this regard. Answering queries, he maintained that the Congress high command had not interfered in the process of taking the decision on appeal.

DMK not to contest in R K Nagar by-poll

Chennai: M Karunanidhi, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief, has decided not to contest the by-elections that are to be held for the RK Nagar constituency on June 27 where chief minister J Jayalalithaa will be contesting. When asked the reason, he made a sarcastic dig at the democratic measures taken in the by-polls. “One can easily understand the manner with which the by-election will be conducted in the government of those who have enormous influence over judiciary and the Election Commission,” Karunanidhi said. He further said, “the DMK had witnessed how money played a role in the Srirangam by-election and the police remained indifferent to the excesses of the ruling partymen.”

War veterans body given for medical research

Chennai: Honorary Flight Lieutenant S T Mariappan died last month at the age of 82. When he returned alive from the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he swore to serve his nation even in his death, by donating his body for medical research. On May 12, his body was draped in the Tricolour along with the IAF emblem, and a senior officer places a wreath. A team from Stanley Medical College and Hospital received the war veteran's body later. However, it wasn't an easy decision for the family. "There was always this psychological hurdle. We had to brace ourselves and stick to the decision of giving away his body for research. When we all dithered, it was our mother who stood firm and signed all the documents to hand over the body," said his daughter Dr Manju Gnanasekaran.

North Brief

256 child-beggars rescued in Haryana

Chandigarh: Under its campaign to make Haryana free of child-begging, police have so far rescued 256 children from 10 different towns. The rescued children were reunited with their families through child welfare societies. The police launched the drive to free the children forced to beg on the streets. To achieve the goal, police have formed 10 units and given 6 months to achieve the target. A police spokesman said, human trafficking units were also being set up. Earlier, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed concern over the rising practice of child-begging in the state in a recent interview.

High-level panel to resolve cases of Sikh prisoners

Manohar Lal Khattar An extended benefit of 20 per cent would cause immense injustice to the general category candidates. It was contended on behalf of the petitioners, that the vexed issue of reservation in promotion with accelerated seniority had been attracting attention of the high courts and the Supreme Court since 1962. After hearing the arguments, the court stayed the May 15 notification besides issuing a notice of motion to Haryana. The case will now come up for hearing on October 16.

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has constituted a high- level committee to ensure timely resolution of pending matters related to Sikh prisoners. This decision was taken during a meeting with the representatives of different Sikh organisations called to review the situation arising out of the fastunto -death undertaken by 80 year old activist Surat Singh Khalsa. The CM said that the committee would examine on priority basis each and every case as per the list of 82 cases submitted. He also assured that the state government would look into all the requests with 'sympathy and sensitivity'.

Landing of pigeon causes flutter in Punjab

Chandigarh: A white pigeon with a stamped message and a wire like object on its body has caused a flutter amongst the intelligence and the Punjab police. The bird landed at the house of a barber who lives in a village of Pathankot, 4 km away from the Pakistan border. The Urdu markings caused the barber's son to report the issue to the nearest police post. The pigeon was found on the very day an inter-state meeting was held to discuss and decide the launch of a joint search and the strengthening of the security set up in and around the area.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Yaduveer Wadiyar crowned 'Maharaja' of Mysore

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, an economic graduate from the University of Massachusetts, has been crowned the new Maharaja of Mysore, (renamed Mysuru) at a coronation ceremony at Amba Vilas Palace last week. It was conducted by more than 40 priests across 15 temples spread across the Mysore Palace grounds. He succeeds his grand uncle Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. Srikantadatta Wadiyar, who died in December 2013, was childless and did not name an heir, but his widow Pramodadevi Wadiyar adopted Yaduveer Gopalraj Urs, a relative, at a ceremony in February. After his coronation, the maharaja became known by his full title, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. The crowning ceremony was attended by more than 1,000 guests from India and abroad, including for-

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar crowned Maharaja of Mysore

mer Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah. Yaduveer performed several poojas at the Palace and offered prayers to the royal family's presiding deity Goddess Chamundeshwari. After this, he offered pada puja to his foster-mother Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, who adopted Yaduveer on 23 February this year and rechristened him as Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. Yaduveer will succeed his late great-uncle

Modi begins Bangladesh visit this week

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Bangladesh this weekend and the signing of the land boundary agreement is going to be the show piece of the visit. Meanwhile, a bus was set off on a trial run from Kolkata that will traverse across Bangladesh all the way to Agartala in Tripura. For those who live in Bengal and Tripura and the rest of the northeast, this is no less historic. "In order to reach Kolkata from Agartala, people have to traverse the whole of the northeast and cover about 1,600 km," said Alapan Bandopadhyay, Principal Secretary, West Bengal. The distance of 1,600 km will now come down to just over 500. The travel time too will be reduced to 15 hours, the ticket price will come down to around Rs 1,800 and the move will also have huge potential for both Bangladesh and India. "Not only Tripura, the whole of the northeast gets opened up. More interestingly, this also gives rise to the hope that

via Tripura, maybe the other expanses of south and southeast Asia also come nearer to your door step," said Bandopadhyay. To visit Israel, Palestine: Modi is set to become the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to Israel and finally bring the world's closest relationship out in the open. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has announced she would visit Israel later this year, along with Palestine and Jordan. The dates are yet to be confirmed. India recognized Israel in 1950. Diplomatic ties were established by Narasimha Rao government in 1991, though there had been some unofficial contacts earlier, as in the famous visits by Moshe Dayan. When Vajpayee was in power, Jaswant Singh and L K Advani, both had visited Israel. Former Israeli president Shimon Peres visited India, but in the past decade, while the relationship progressed quickly, it was only former foreign minister S M Krishna who travelled to Jerusalem.

S r i k a n t a d a t t a Narasimharaja, who died of a cardiac arrest on 10 December, 2013, and maintain the lineage of the erstwhile royal family. After the coronation ceremony, the new King greeted the people from the balcony of the Palace, after which he took a tour of the Amba Vilas. The new maharaja will now become the custodian of more than 1,500 acres of land spread across Mysore, Bangalore, Hassan, Channapatna and other places of Karnataka. But, he will also be inher-

iting a legal battle with the Karnataka government, which wants to take over the palace properties. He is also likely to face a legal challenge from one of the late maharajah's nephews, Kantharaj Urs, who is upset that he was not chosen as successor. The dispute over the inheritance is because the Wodeyar kings have never had children - legend has it that the dynasty has suffered from a 17th century curse. Historian Nanjaraj Urs says some of the members of Wadiyar dynasty had contributed greatly to the development of the state, but the crowning ceremony now is a "farce". "The real maharajas had an intimate relationship with the people. There was affection and it is that emotional attachment which makes this family popular. "But now it is just a function in a traditional family. You can call the ceremony by any name but all of it is within the family."

SEEKING CONTRIBUTORS FOR THE LOHANA MAGAZINE Asian Voice has set up an editorial board (Chairman Subhash Thakrar, Partner, CBW Blackstone Franks LLP) to produce an original account of the Lohana Community. The Lohanas have a unique history not matched by other Gujarati communities. Their origination is from the borders of present day Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. They were the warrior class or Kshatriyas. The present day Lohanas are noticeably successful business people and philanthropists. Lohanas also have unique physical features. Notable Lohanas include the Madhvanis, late Nanji Kalidas Mehta, Jalarambapa, Guru Nanak, Mohamed Ali Zina and others. The editorial board plans to produce an authentic and original report on the Lohana community with well researched articles, original historic and present day al The fin ay photographs as well as facts and m output ok, figures. We wish to create a legacy for the next generation of Lohanas so that the new generation are proud of their heritage.

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INDIA

Modi asks civil servants to join early morning yoga

In his drive to whip India's bureaucrats to shape, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now ordered the civil servants to join him for early morning yoga. It has been reported that senior civil officers received letters asking them to join a mass yoga session, led by Modi this month to mark a new international day celebrating the ancient practise. The Prime Minister is expected to lead approximately 35,000 people at the outdoor session at 7 am, June 21, in the capital, New Delhi. “It’ll be a 35-minute yoga demonstration programme led by the prime minister himself,” a senior government official said. The ministry in charge of yoga had sent training DVDs and booklets to government officials to help them perfect the yoga poses or asanas, to be performed on the day. “If they practise every day for even 15-20

Narendra Modi minutes, they will be ready for the big day,” he said. “It will be for their own benefit, it will be a good experience.” The UN last year proclaimed June 21 to be International Day of Yoga, following a proposal from Modi himself. The Prime Minister, a vegetarian who practises yoga daily and credits his strict regime for his ability to work long hours on little sleep, said he was “elated” by the decision. He has cracked down on India’s disreputably inefficient bureaucracy ever since he storm into power a year ago and continues to keep officials on their toes.

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INDIA - WORLD

Heat wave kills 2,330 people in India

The intense heatwave that is sweeping India took the lives of more than 2,330 people, with at least 1,719 of them killed in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana alone. Both the states were the hottest, with Andhra at a blistering 113 degrees Fahrenheit and Telangana at 109. The worst sufferers were the labourers and the elderly who endured sunstroke or severe dehydration. The state governments launched publicity campaigns, warning the public against the extremities of being outdoors in the condition. Andhra government set up tents or temporary stands that distributed free water and buttermilk. Telangana government resorted to the local media to promote awareness and methods on staying safe and taking precautions. India's Weather Department said monsoon, that begins on June 1, is most likely to be delayed by four to six days. Other parts of India has also taken toll by the rising temperature with Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, fluttering between 45 and 47 degrees. An Orange Alert was issued in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, last week, when 10 people succumbed to the heat. The current heatwave is said to be the second deadliest in India, by the International Database of Disasters. The worst was

recorded in 1998, when 2,541 people had lost their lives. Temperatures hit a high of 48 degrees Celsius in some cities last week that's 118 degrees Fahrenheit. On Monday, India's highest maximum temperature - of 45.4 C or 113.7 F - was recorded at Daltongan in Jharkhand state. Heat wave conditions remain in isolated areas of that state, as well as some areas of Bihar. Govt downgrades monsoon forecast: India cut this year's forecast for monsoon rains to 88 per cent of the long-term average, earth sciences minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday, raising fears of a drought in the country where nearly half of farmland lacks irrigation facilities. India in April had forecast monsoon rains at 93 per cent of the average. Rainfall of less than 90 per cent is considered to be a drought year. The latest prediction, however, has an error margin of 4 percentage points either way. "Let's pray to God that the revised forecast does not come true," Vardhan said. The government expressed concerns about

a below-par monsoon after the central bank, taking advantage of subdued inflation, cut interest rates for a third time this year on Tuesday. Prices of essential commodities have already started rising and they will rise further if the monsoon remains deficient as forecast by the government," said Harish Galipelli, head of commodities and currencies at Inditrade Derivatives and Commodities. "It's not good news for the farming community that is under distress. Last year their harvest was affected by poor rainfall and unseasonal rains. This year's drought will deepen their problems." Anger is growing in the countryside after unseasonal rain and hailstorms ravaged farms earlier this year, pushing many debt-laden farmers to suicide. Monsoon progress sluggish: The onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala has been delayed from the date forecast by the Met department due to its "sluggish" pace. The normal date for onset of monsoon over Kerela is June 1. It also marks the official onset on rains in India. This year, the India M e t e o ro l o g i c a l Department (IMD) had predicted that it will hit the southern state on May 30.

Delhi billionaire Doshi becomes Jain monk

Continued from page 1 will walk barefoot at all times to avoid the possibility of squashing insects. Before he goes to bed, each night, he will undertake a Jain ritual known as “alochana,” or self-criticism, in which disciples consider their day’s activities and the times they may have hurt something or killed an insect, while atoning their daily sins. “Taking diksha is not easy,” said Surishwarji Maharaj, a Jain guru from the order that Doshi has joined. “A Jain monk’s life is like that of conch shell that cannot be painted any other colour.” Jains see renouncement as a way to attain moksha, the escaping of the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth. His son Rohit, 33, said that he was proud of his father’s decision. “He would have taken diksha three years ago but the family stopped him then. It is always tough when the head of the family wants to seek diksha,” he said. “It took three years for him to convince us. We are proud of him. The honour and respect that he got when he announced his decision is something that can only be seen to be believed.”

According to Skymet, a private forecasting agency, monsoon arrived over Andaman and Nicobar Islands on May 16, three days prior to the onset date. Since then, the advance has been slow. By May 21, the southwest monsoon advanced over Bay of Bengal touching southern parts of Sri Lanka. But here on, the monsoon stagnated for a week. "The Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon made very slow advance and is yet to reach the extreme southern tip (Kerala) of India. Cloud build up on either side of the sea was looking promising till a few days back for the timely onset over Kerala. However, it slowed down as the cloud pattern became a little diffused and unorganized," Skymet said. However, the IMD has refused to call it a delay, but said that the progress was sluggish. "As per our forecast, there is +/- difference of four days, which is from May 27 to June 3. At this moment, monsoon has already entered the Arabian Sea, crossed Sri Lanka and entered the Bay of Bengal. We are closely monitoring its progress. During the progress of monsoon, it is often observed that its pace varies," said Krishnanand Hosalikar, deputy director, IMD. "In the last 24 hours, Karnataka has observed good rainfall. Kerala too experienced good rains on May 28.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Indian-Americans dominate US National Spelling Bee

Washington: Indian American kids have placed a stranglehold on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, winning it now for seven years in a row and all but four of the last 15 years. The streak has been much discussed and analyzed in recent years - except by the people who actually run the bee. For the first time, Paige Kimble, the bee’s longtime director, agreed to address the sensitive question of why IndianAmericans have come to dominate the contest. Indians were greeted with a barrage of racist comments on Facebook and Twitter. “We certainly followed the coverage last year,” Kimble said, “and we are aware of Twitter posts that are not nice, that indicate that we have a long way to go as a country in embracing all of our immigrant population.” Thirteen of the past 17 winners of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been of Asian Indian descent. Even she’s not sure how to explain the extraordinary performance of Indian American youngsters in the national bee compared with other groups. All bee wannabes devote thousands of hours

studying tens of thousands of words. The difference for Indian -American kids, Kimble said, may be a commitment to pursue the spelling championship over many years. “How hard a child works is a very individual factor,” said Kimble, who won the national bee in 1981. “But what might be happening with Indian American contestants is that there might be perseverance for the National Spelling Bee goal over a longer period of time.” Indeed, of the Indian American champions over the past 15 years, only one, Pratyush Buddiga, won on a first trip to the national bee in 2002. The others won after multiple trips, including last year’s cochamp, Sriram, who made it to the national bee five times before winning, and Kavya Shivashankar in 2009 and Sameer Mishra in 2008, who both won on their fourth trips. Kimble and other bee organizers were appalled by the reaction to last year’s contest, when Sriram, then 14, and his co-winner Ansun, then 13, were greeted with a barrage of racist comments on Facebook and Twitter.

Ansarullah Bangla Team. However, others could not be arrested, Alam said. He also said that police have seized 50 CDs, two portable hard disks, four hard disks, 43 Jihadi books, a computer CPU issues of the monthly magazine ‘Moinul Islamer Masik Patrika’ and a head cap used for prayers. A case under the Anti Terrorism Act has been filed against Galib Indian Mujahideen man bares links with 26/11 attack plotter David Headley A top Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative who escaped from a quake-damaged Nepal prison had hosted 2008 Mumbai attacks plotter David Coleman Headley

in the Himalayan nation, police sources said. Headley had done the legwork for Pakistanbased terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), identifying possible targets before the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed. He stayed with Irfan Ahmad, the IM's Nepal head who was a former Lashkar militant, during a reconnaissance sortie in the neighbouring nation, the sources said. He had gone to Nepal in June 2008, four months before the Mumbai attacks. The 49-year-old Irfan was caught by a Delhi Police special cell team at Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, where he was hiding after escaping from Sindhupalchok jail when the quake on April 25 reduced prison walls to rubble. He was imprisoned in 2010 for faking papers to obtain Nepalese citizenship. Irfan alias Pappu had apparently told police during interrogation about his links with Headley, who has been arrested by the US authorities after 26/11.

Suspected IS operative arrested in Bangladesh

Dhaka: The Bangladesh police have arrested a former army officer’s son on charges of planning to build an organisation like the Islamic State (IS) to establish Khilafat in the country. Abdullah Al Galib was taken into custody from the Baridhara area in Dhaka on Saturday night, reports said. Detective branch deputy commissioner Sheikh Nazmul Alam said Al Galib was one of the coordinators of the banned Islamic outfit, Ansarullah Bangla Team, and was also linked to two other banned Islamic outfits Hizb-ut Tahrir and Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh before joining Ansarullah Bangla Team. Galib recently started a Jihadi organisation ‘Junud At-Tawheed Wal Khilafah’ to establish Khilafat in Bangladesh, he said. Alam also said that he had attempted to travel to Turkey to fight with the IS militants following which his passport was seized. Galib was arrested during the raid at his house where he was holding a meeting with 10 to 12 other members of the

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

HEALTH WATCH

Chili peppers may help you win battle of the bulge

pice lovers rejoice! Scientists might have found a spicy way to keep your body toned and in shape. It has been found that adding capsaicin from chilli peppers, to a diet may help prevent weight gain. Researchers from Dr Baskaran Thyagarajan's laboratory, University of Wyoming, conducted a study on mice and have found potential in the component as a diet based supplement. They will soon explain how dietary capsaicin can stimulate thermogenesis and energy

M&S adds vitamin D to bread due to widespread deficiency

or the first time, vitamin D will be added to bread, over concerns of a rise in rickets caused by widespread deficiency. From next week, every loaf of bread and bread roll in the Marks and Spencer bakery range are going to be made with yeast that naturally produces vitamin D. This will provide a minimum of 15% of the daily requirement in two slices. M&S decided to add the vitamin to every bread from their bakery range due to the concerns regarding the insufficiency of vitamin D. The yeast will be exposed to UV light, naturally increasing its vitamin D content, which in turn is transferred into the bread.

Contact lenses could lead to infections

study has found that wearing contact lenses may interfere with the delicate balance of microorganisms, living naturally on the surface of the eye. This could explain the possible serious infections among some users. Researchers have also discovered that wearing contact lenses daily tends to transfer bacteria from the skin to the eye. This could result in wearers suffering from infections and inflammation.

burning by activating its receptors, which are expressed in white and brown fat cells. If the experiment results positively, this will help prevent

and manage obesity and other related health complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. However, these

effects have not been proven in controlled clinical studies. A member of the research group known as 'Baskilab', Vivek Krishnan explained the cause of obesity; an imbalance between calorie intake and energy dissipation. Eating calorie-rich food and a lack of physical activity cause an imbalance in metabolism that leads to obesity. The group's laboratory data revealed that dietary Capsaicin, a chief 'agonist' of transient receptor potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)

channel protein, suppresses high-fat-diet-induced obesity. High-fat-diet obesity and dietary capsaicin - 0.01 per cent of capsaicin in the total high fat dietprevented high-fat-dietinduced weight gain in wild type mice, but not in mice that genetically lacked TRPV1. The group's focus on counteracting obesity comes from the priorities on future healthcare laid down by both, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defence.

Obesity can Mouth, tongue exercises cancer can curb your noisy snores cause deaths

inally! A treatment for snores. A new study has found that one can control their snoring with simple mouth and tongue exercises. Normal treatment methods for primary snoring varies widely and includes avoiding alcohol and sedatives, avoiding lying flat on the back to sleep, weight loss, treatment of nasal problem, palate and upper airway surgeries, and the use of dental sleep activities. The Brazilian study found that in patients with primary snoring or mild OSA, Oropharyngeal, or mouth and tongue, exercises significantly reduced the frequency of snoring by 36 per cent and total power of snoring by 59 per cent. Exercises include: Pushing the tip of the tongue against the roof of

the mouth and sliding the tongue backward. Sucking the tongue upward against the roof of the mouth, and pressing the entire tongue against the roof of the mouth. Forcing the back of the tongue against the floor of the mouth while keeping the tip of the tongue in contact with the bottom, front teeth. Elevating the back of the roof of the mouth and uvula while saying the vowel "A."

eading doctors have stated that one on five cancer deaths is caused by obesity. Obesity is trailing in overtaking smoking as the main cause of the disease. Furthermore, according to experts, weight-loss programmes and exercise need to become routine parts of cancer treatment. Experts are also urging patients, as well as doctors to act on the growing , according to experts who are urging patients and doctors to act on the amplifying affirmation that obesity causes deadly tumours.

Home remedies for urinary tract infection

rinary tract infection (UTI) are extremely common among people, especially among women. These can be very dangerous if not taken care of properly. Here are some things you should keep in mind when suffering from one. UTI's can be diagnosed with the help of simple urine test. The urine samples show the presence of pus cells and depending on how many there are, it can be decided whether the infection is mild or strong. Once diagnosed you must increase you liquid and fluid intake by at least 5

times. Drink a lot of water and natural cranberry juice. While water helps flush out the infection from the system, cranberry juice has medicinal properties that disallow the bacteria from sticking to the tract. Stop using all public wash rooms and ensure personal hygiene at all times, wherever you go. Wear clean, dry and loose clothing when suffering

from an infection as rough, tight or synthetic fabric can irritate you even more. If not taken care of, the infection can spread up to your kidney and cause a lot of problems, so ensure that care is taken at all times. If the infection lasts longer, seek medical help immediately.

To Our Readers

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

Fertility doctor warns women should have babies before turning 30

onsultant gynaecologist, Professor Geeta Nargund, who is a lead consultant for reproductive medicine at St George's Hospital, London, has warned that women should attempt for a baby before the age of 30, if they hope to get pregnant. Geeta Nargund called on the government to include fertility lessons in the national curriculum. She said educating people about fertility was "very important for the public purse because it will help us to get more babies within the same NHS budget". She wrote a letter to the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, stating how teaching young women about the dangers of delaying motherhood would, "empower people to take control of their fertility". She also stated that, "Educated women are not necessarily educated about their fertility." In the letter, Prof Nargund also warned that fertility issues were placing a "costly and largely unnecessary burden on the NHS" as increasing numbers of women in

their 30s and 40s sought IVF treatment. She wrote, "I have witnessed all too often the shock and agony on the faces of women who realise they have left it too late to start a family. For so many, this news comes as a genuine surprise and the sense of devastation and regret can be overwhelming." She further added, "Information is power and the best way to empower people to take control of their fertility is through education. Ideally, if a woman is ready for a child, she should start trying by the time she is 30. She should consider having a child early because as a woman gets older, her fertility declines sharply." Prof Nargund also said that many young people were not rightly informed about the impact of age on fertility and were unaware about the impact of smoking, too much alcohol or taking drugs.

Fruits snacks are more unhealthy than sweets

pressure group have come to the conclusion that five out of six processed fruit snacks contain more sugar than a packet of sweets. Parents have been buying fruit snacks, such as fruit leathers, flakes, rolls and chews, under the misconception that these snacks are a more healthy alternative to a packet of Haribo, due to what has

been informed to them on the labelling of the packaging. In fact, these fruit snacks contain more sugar than Haribo. The analysis carried out by the campaign also found that many snacks, including Tescoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yogurt Coated Strawberry Fruit Bites and Whitworths Sunny Coated Custard Raisins, are more than two thirds sugar.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

'Piku' likely to be remade in Telugu

he word is, Suresh Babu was so impressed with the Bollywood movie “Piku,” he is seriously considering a remake of the hit film with Victory Venkatesh and Samantha most likely to play lead roles. Venkatesh's brother and Producer, has his heart set on making the movie in Telugu and is reportedly in talks with the makers of “Piku.” Always keen to work in remakes, Venkatesh has readily agreed to play the role of Amitabh, a hypochondriac father. Both him and Suresh

are keen on taking Samantha on board in the place of Deepika who played a Bengali architect and Amitabh's reel daughter in the movie. Samantha has not signed a single Telugu movie after her last and has been active in the Tamil film industry instead. The makers have put her on the list of actresses fit for the role in the remake and will approach her once they acquire the rights. If she says yes, this will be considered her comeback movie. Suresh Productions has not yet received the rights but the news is already creating a buzz on social media.

Trisha breaks silence on break up marriage plans T risha Krishnan calling off her engagement with beau Varun Manian was the most sensational news in Kollywood recently. Her silence on the matter only fuelled speculations and rumours, most of which pointed fingers towards Manian. The actress, however, finally broken her silence on the issue and in an interview with a Tamil daily, said, “Yes, marriage has been called off. This is an unexpected one. But if something happens beyond our control, we have to accept it. My focus is currently on films. Only my profession stands before my eyes now.” She

also added, “Things will happen only as per God's wish. Those who know me are aware that I am always outspoken. I am ready to accept whatever life gives me. I am God's child. He will take care of me. As of now, I want to do my job right.”

n recent promotions for Jyotika's comeback movie “36 Vayadhinile,” her husband Surya said something that left his fans drooling. “Talks are on. We are listening to scripts and if everything goes as planed, we may act together next year,” Surya said at the success of “36 Vayadhinile.” The real life couple were last seen together onscreen in 2006 Tamil romantic drama, “Sillunu Oru Kadhal.” He is over the moon with the response the movie has received, which is his maiden production venture. “My parents said Jo is a better actor than me and that

only makes me proud. With this film, I think she has proved it,” Suriya added. The movie earned Rs 100 million in the first two weeks.

“Dil Dhadakne Do” is a Bollywood comedydrama, directed by Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, it revolves around a dysfunctional

Punjabi family's cruise trip. The movie stars Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose and Zarina

ollywood actress Anushka Shetty is apparently not holding back for her role in Prakash Kovelamudi's upcoming movie, “Size Zero.” She has been asked to gain over 25 kg for the film that is tipped to be based on an obese protagonist falling head over heels in love with a guy. "The story is about an obese woman who runs from pillar to post to gain size zero. So, Anushka has gained weight. Soon, she will lose weight for a slim look. So, 'Inji Iduppazhagi' is going to be a surprise package for her fans," sources said. She already has gained 15 kg and needs to weigh around 100. Anushka has skipped gym entirely and depends on a high carbohydrate diet. The movie also features Bharath, Urvasi in lead roles and Shruti Haasan in guest appearance.

Jyotika and Suriya may come together next year I

Poet files case against Big B

'Dil Dhadakne Do'

Anushka to gain 25 kg weight K

Wahab, Vikrant Massey and Parmeet Sethi in supporting roles. The music for the film is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

ollywood star Amitabh Bachchan faces charges for copywrite violation on a social networking website. Haryanvi poet and director Jagbir Rathee, the original author of the poem has served a legal notice to the actor after he saw the credit given to another person. He claims that his comments on the ownership of he poem were deleted by Bachchan instead of being replied to. He also went to the actor's office and personally addressed the issue but did not receive any response. Consequently, he resorted to sue Big B for “damaging the poet's reputation and career.”

First look of Akshay-Amy starrer 'Singh is Bling' out

he first look of “Singh is Bling,” starring Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson is out and it is quite interesting. Keeping up with the trends of unveiling 'first looks', director Prabhudeva shared the photo of a pensive looking, muscle popping Akshay Kumar holding Amy Jackson, on a micro-blogging website. It is a sequel to the 2008 Katrina Kaif starrer “Singh is Kinng” and a comeback for Amy who was last seen in “Ek Deewana Tha” along with Prateik Babbar. After “Baby” and “Gabbar is Back,” Akshay Kumar might be looking at a third box office hit with this one. While Jackson looks beautiful and fits perfectly, she does more than play a mere prop in the film. Kareena Kapoor Khan is said to be a part of the cast and plays an all important part. The movie which also stars Bipasha Basu, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Lara Dutta; is set for release on October 2.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Dil Dhadakne Do: A cruise journey we can’t wait for!

Charusmita

oya and Farhan Akhtar have come to be associated with travel aspirational films for the Bollywood audience. Films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Chahta Hai have brought exotic locations to limelight. This is in no comparison to the Yash Chopra genre of films that have made us virtually visit Europe and the U.S.A. since decades, but the theme of ‘discovering oneself’ whilst visiting a faraway place. This time the duo has decided to take that journey on luxurious setting of a cruise ship. In an exclusive interview to Asian Voice, Farhan Akhtar, who has donned multifarious hats of a producer, actor, writer (dialogues) and a singer in the film, talked about how fortunate the filmmakers were in terms of getting a huge star cast together. The film boasts of stellar performers like Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Vikrant Massey, Rahul Bose and Manoj Bawa apart from himself. As Farhan, whose on-screen image is ‘calm and composed’, puts rightly, “Actors with different perceived energy levels in this film have complemented each other. It is fun to hang out with someone who is always up to something”. He is all praise for his sister and Director Zoya, “Her writing is matured and deep. The drama and characters she creates are never onedimensional. She and her team create an intriguing, believable world. You never feel that you’ve not met someone like these characters”. A bittersweet story of discovery and rediscovery, Dil Dhadakne Do is a comedy-drama set on a cruise ship. The story begins in the sparkling lifestyle of a popular Delhi socialite couple Neelam and Kamal Mehra. In celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary, they invite their family and close friends for a 10-day cruise around Turkey. A holiday that will change the lives of the Mehras forever. With their carefully constructed facade so rapidly falling apart, how will their glittering social circle judge their personal failures? Will the Mehras survive as a family? Having a brother-sister bond at the core of the story, it is at once a riveting emotional drama, a comic look at relationships and a meditation on

Memes made out of Sonam’s outfit at Cannes 2015

o n a m Kapoor's feathery yellow ensemble at the premiere of Inside Out at Cannes 2015 practically resulted in the internet exploding with ridicule on her fashion choice. Memes were made of her, comparing her to omelettes, Sesame Street characters and also, her father. However, she took the entire event sportingly and took to social media to convey how she feels. “This is hilarious..P. S. I felt like a princess just so you know!” her tweet read. Guess it will take more than internet trolls and memes to hit a nerve of this Kapoor girl.

the true meaning of family. With Priyanka-Farhan as singers, and Ranveer-Anushka as choreographers (for ‘Pehli Baar’, the track), there are a lot of promises to be kept. Recalling his fanboy moment with Anil Kapoor, Farhan says, “We did the iconic signature step of Anil Kapoor in one of the songs. It was our little tribute to him”. Dil Dhadakne Do is produced by Excel Entertainment and is set to release internationally on 5th June 2015. Consistently entertaining, with music by Shankar Ehsaan & Loy, the film is set against the backdrop of the exotic Turkish countryside and a luxurious cruise liner sailing the Mediterranean sea. Farhan was amused at our question of what is next on the cards for the brother-sister duo after a road trip and a cruise sail, “Maybe next time we will base the film on an airplane”, he quipped. Now all we need is to see the film with our family and friends and hope that someone among them too gets inspired enough to take us on that cruise ship celebration trip! Photograph courtesy Excel Entertainment, Photographer Abheet Gidwani

IIFA to honour Subhash Ghai

"Spy"-ing on Nargis Fakhri

Reshma Trilochun

n Wednesday 27th May 2015, the cast and crew of the Hollywood film, Spy, were in London to promote their movie, prior to the London premiere. The film stars many impressible names, such as Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Miranda Hart, as well as our very own Bollywood starlet, Nargis Fakhri, with whom we caught up with for an interview. Dressed immaculately in blue, Nargis Fakhri was friendly, vivacious and extremely spontaneous during the interview. She spoke about the director of the film, Paul Feig and how she was pleasantly surprised that he knew about Bollywood movies, as she thought not many non-Asians were aware of Bollywood. She stated, “It's really a surprise, but really lovely at the same time to know that people who are not Indian and live abroad still know about Bollywood and Hindi Cinema; and I think it's fantastic. Paul Feig, the director, surprisingly enough knows about Bollywood. He's seen the stuff that I was in. I remember over a meal, he was talking about this next film he was going to be working on... he told me about it and asked if I'll be available and like to be a part of it.” On her response about the stereotypes of Asians in the Western media, Nargis Fakhri replied, “You used to get the token black guy, or the token Asian guy. But I think it's changing and I think it's great. I think it's nice that now people are opening up to more ethnic actors. So I think that's great because you'll give more talented people an opportunity to be a part of big things.” She has been very selective of the Bollywood projects she takes up, humorously calling herself slow. “I'm slow, I'm like a tortoise... like the tortoise and the hare, but I'm a young tortoise.” She further adds, “I'm just

ong serving and established filmmaker Subhash Ghai will be honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Indian Film Academy ceremony in Kuala Lumpur next month. The 70 year old veteran is well known for his films like “Kalicharan,” “Karz,” “Hero,” “Ram Lakhan” and “Taal.” The award will be presented to him by Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff, one of the actors' whose career was kicked off by Ghai. Fondly called the Showman, Ghai has been associated with the Indian film industry since 1967. He had started his career as an actor, with small roles in movies like “Taqdeer.” He has a knack for cinema and appreciates and encourages young talent with his institute, Whistling Woods.

In conversation with Nargis Fakhri, prior to the London premiere of her Hollywood film, Spy

slow and I'm picky. I can't do everything, I've got to be honest. I don't fit everything and not every story resonates. And I think it's about the story. You want to feel connected and get really excited about what you're doing. So, it's really important.” As well as for her movies, Nargis Fakhri is synonymously known for her stint on the Koffee with Karan show, where she appeared as a guest with Frieda nto. When asked about who the real Nargis is, she refers to the show and says that it was a more toned down version of her. “Hang out with me for a couple of days. You'll

'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' creating new record

angana Ranaut is on a roll and seems to be just no stopping her. Her latest offering “Tanu Weds Manu Returns” has broken all records, proving yet again that one does not need to be a Khan to be in the 100 Crore club. The film opened to good collections and earned across Rs 460 million in the first 4 days. A sequel to the 2011 romantic comedy, “Tanu Weds Manu,” the movie also stars actors like Jimmy Shergill and Swara Bhaskar. Kangana's brilliant acting finds support in R Madhavan's versatile performance.

laugh a lot, that's for sure... I don't think you can pinpoint who I really am. I think I'm a little bit of everything. I know that I'm really moody, so it just depends on that day.” Furthermore, “I think people are getting to know a bit of me. In my interviews, I try to be myself. I'm like a little girl trapped in a sexy, big girl's body. That's what I am. I'd say I'm a little boy trapped in a big girl's body. I'm just fun.” Nargis Fakhri's laughter filled the room while her positive vibe was spread to one and all. To sum her up, she is chilled out, fun, and pure Nargis!

No superficiality in Mohit Suri's films: Vidya Balan

“E

k Villain” d i r e c t o r Mohit Suri seems to have moved Vidya Balan emotionally. After working with Suri, who is a member of the Bhatt family and related to E m r a a n H a s h m i , Vidya is all praises for the film maker and admires his storytelling qualities. During the promotion of the soon to release “Hamari Adhuri Kahani,” directed by Suri, the versatile actress said, “Mohit Suri has the ability to touch, stir, move you through all his films and that's what this film's love story requires. Mohit has made a mark in the genre of love stories and there is no superficiality in his films.”

Grand First UN International Yoga Day at London’s Alexandra Palace

An array of Yoga demonstrations and taster meditation sessions shall take place at Alexandra Palace grounds continuously from sunrise to sunset on 21st June, on the occasion of United Nations International Day of Yoga. 177 countries in the world have adopted the charter. In the UK, key organisations in Yoga field and community organisations such as Brahma Kumaris, Chi Kri Yoga, National Council of Hindu Temples, OM Yoga Magazine, Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence and the Art of Living Foundation have all come

together as an entity to form a core committee to host the flagship event at Alexandra Palace, backed by the High Commission of India, London. It is by far the most diverse and educational Yoga event in London, with 80 free Yoga and meditation classes to attend. There will be World Meditation Hour organised by Brahma Kumaris, which has been its norm to do on third Sunday of every month since 1970s. This shall create a powerful atmosphere and spreads peaceful vibrations across the world. The event highlights the importance of yoga practice, an

Coming Events

l Dr Nayana Patel, fertility specialist from India. Friday 12th & Saturday 13th June 2015, London, for private consultations. Text Rekha: 07748 706542. Visit: www. ivf-surrogate.com. Please not, appointment by pre booking only. l Hanuman Chalisa. Saturday 6th June 2015, 12pm. Bhajans. Sunday 7th June 2015, 3pm. Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple. 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DZ. Contact: 07882 253 540. Visit: www.matajitemple.com l Shiv Puran Katha. Sunday 7th June- Saturday 13th June 2015. Weekends, 1pm- 6pm. Weekdays, 3:30pm- 8pm. Cardiff Sanatan Dharma Mandir, Seaview Building, Lewis Road, Cardiff, CF24 5EB l Sangam Open Day. Thursday 11th June 2015, 10am- 2pm. Sangam, Meenal Mehta Auditorium, 210 Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware HA8 0AP. Contact: 020 8952 7062. Email: info@sangamcentre.org.uk l Blood Donation Session. Sunday 14th June 2015, 9:10am- 12:30pm & 2pm- 4pm. Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Kingsbury, Kingsbury Road, London NW9 8XE. To book, contact: 0300 123 2323 or visit: www.blood.co.uk l Arijit Singh Live Concert. Saturday 6th June 2015, 5:30pm. The SSE Arena, Wembley. Contact: 0844 815 0815. Visit www.ssearena.co.uk l Hanuman Chalisa. Sunday 7th June 2015, 11am- 5pm. Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ. Contact: 020 8459 5758/ 07973 550310. l Jaanta Raaja. Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st June 2015. SSE Arena, Wembley. l Trip to Suislip Lido. Sunday 14th June 2015. Contact: Mitul: 07846 297045. l British Carnatic Choir. Friday 12th June 2015, 11am. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, 75 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3DH. Contact: chithraramakrishnan@shruthiuk.com l Prabhat Rao & Friends- Indian Classical Music Live Concert. Saturday 13th June 2015, 7:30pm. All Saints Church, Wokingham. Visit: http://www.wokinghamconcerts.co.uk/prabhat-rao.html Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Sales Executive: Daxa Gami - Email: daxa.gami@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Europe Enterprise, Raj Surani Tel: 01530 481600 (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

ancient and invaluable tradition India has given to the world. “The celebration will provide a unique opportunity for existing Yoga followers to solidify their passion, whilst at the same time educating and welcoming many new faces on board the journey through this timeless tradition” says Neil Patel, the Director of this event. The event aims at drawing people to the concept of Yoga and encourages them to practise and enjoy its benefits in everyday life. Ravi Bhanot, Chairman of the event in the UK at

Alexandra Palace refers to the launch of the U.N. International Day of Yoga at the House of Commons in January 2015 and reiterates that the aim of such celebrations is to bring Yoga into the NHS, schools and businesses and should not confine it to a one day wonder to tell about it or do it for a day, but to remain connected to different varieties of Yoga offered in their own areas to reap the benefits for good health and wellbeing. Register at http://www.iyd.yoga/ for statistical purposes.

Duchess of Cornwall urges children to ditch YouTube, pick up a book instead The Duchess of Cornwall has urged children to pick up a book and ditch distractions, such as YouTube and smartphones. She has encouraged them not to forget the magic of reading and storytelling at the BBC Radio 2's 500 Words competition.At the national writing competition, the Duchess of Cornwall expressed that stories allow the reader to “meet impossible people” and “fall in love”. The Duchess stated, “They stretch imagination and get our brains buzzing. We fall in love with heroes and heroines and can’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens. We meet impossible people, travel to remote places and make hundreds of new friends.” She further encouraged, “I tell everyone that we must never

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

Mercury retrograde cycles affect communications in general and job or health-related issues because Mercury rules these areas of your life in your solar chart. This transit occurs in your solar third house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to written work and making phone calls.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Mercury retrograde cycles affect your solar 5th house of lovers or children, and solar 2nd house of financial affairs, because Mercury rules these areas of your life in your solar chart. Do not make major decisions regarding any financial projects as it is a good time to re-asses your finances. Be careful with affairs of your children and loved ones.

Mercury rules you and your solar 4th house. As Mercury is retrograde you should take care when it comes to communicating with family members. Re-assess your relationships with the people you love and some of you might even think about moving home. This transit falls in your solar first house this time, take extra care when it comes to your body language, as others may misinterpret it.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect your solar 3rd house of personal communications in general as well as your solar 12th house of behind-the scenes activities. This is a time when you may feel that your intuition is not serving you well. Be as non-judgmental as you can, but do keep an eye out for deceptiveness around you.

The Duchess of Cornwall at the national writing competition

forget how important reading and storytelling is. Close to home, everyone has family stories about our parents when they were naughty children; about grandparents living in a different world, without smartphones or YouTube; about families moving home, moving countries and making new stories of their own.”

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of personal finances, as well as communications with friends or groups, because Mercury rules these areas of your solar chart. Major financial decisions should be avoided. As this transit falls in you solar 11th house of friends, extra care should be used when communicating with them. VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect your body language as it rules your solar 1st house and solar 10th house of career and professional matters. As this transit occurs in your solar tenth house this time, extra care should be exercised when communicating with the public, superiors, and co-workers.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Mercury retrograde cycles affect your solar 9th house of legal affairs and travel, as well as solar 12th house of behind-the-scene activities. With Virgo ruling your twelfth house, somebody might be deceiving you or working against you. Put off making solid travel plans if possible as delays or complications are very possible in these areas.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22 Mercury retrograde cycles affect you in your solar 11th house of friends or groups, as well as communications and solar 8th house of joint financial resources. Group meetings may be postponed and friends may seem distant. This transit occurs in your solar eighth house this time, extra care should be exercised regarding any financial initiatives that involve shared resources.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Mercury retrograde cycles affect your career in general, as well as communications with a close partner, because Mercury rules these areas of your life. This transit occurs in your solar seventh house this time, extra care should be taken when dealing with your partners and loved ones. Misunderstandings can damage your relationship so if you need to talk about things then be careful about what you say. CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 All Mercury retrograde cycles affect your solar 6th house of job and health, and solar 9th house of travels and legal matters. This transit occurs in your solar sixth house this time, extra care should be given when it comes to everyday work, health matters, and daily routines. Double- check your work before submitting it. It's a fine time for researching health and nutrition programs.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 Mercury retrograde cycles affect you in solar 5th house of children or romantic partners, and solar 8th house of joint resources. It's not a good time to sort your taxes or apply for a loan. As this transit occurs in your solar 5th house extra care should be exercised when it comes to matters surrounding romance, children, and creativity. A good time to re-think relationships and communications with your loved ones. Mercury retrograde cycles particularly affect you in terms of communications with a partner, as well as with family and home, because Mercury rules these areas of your life. Avoid signing any contracts or making important partnership decisions during this cycle. As the transit occurs in your solar fourth house this time, extra care should be given to family relations and domestic issues.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Sachin, Sourav and Laxman in BCCI's advisory panel

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 6th June 2015

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has inducted former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in the newly-constituted advisory panel to guide the board in all matters related to the game. Sources said that BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and president Jagmohan Dalmiya will consult with the panel on all major cricketing decisions. While there had been lot of speculation of late regarding Ganguly's appointment as chief coach or Team Director, his appointment in advisory panel might mean that either Ravi Shastri will continue in his

Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Laxman to specifically speak to current role or a new chief Tendulkar before any coach and support staff tough international assignwill be taking charge. ment. Ganguly might well According to BCCI be consulted for preparing sources, the Indian cricka blueprint for success of eters can seek technical the team overseas with advise from the trio and Laxman working on the the Board wants batsmen

bench-strength and the new talent coming in through the system. The 42- year-old Tendulkar played 200 Tests (1,5921 runs) and 463 ODIs (1,8426 runs) apart from a T20 International before retiring in 2013. The 43-year-old Ganguly played in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India apart from leading the country to the final of 2003 World Cup. The 40year-old Laxman played in 134 Tests and 86 ODIs. Thakur took to microblogging site twitter to announce the induction of the three, a move which was on cards for some time.

SPORT WORLD

Boxer Amir Khan fails to impress

British boxer Amir Khan has won his bout against Chris Algieri by a unanimous points decision over 12 rounds at the Barclays Center in New York, but failed to secure a contest against Floyd Mayweather. Though Khan failed to impress the locals and Floyd M a y w e a t h e r, Algieri turned out to be a better and much more resolute opponent than expected and some of Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best qualities as a boxer were on display. His speed of hand was terrific and his bravery, which was tested, beyond question.

The MPCL commences

The Middlesex Premier Cricket League (MPCL) has been taking place since 1992. The legendary cricket, Sunil M Gavaskar has been acting as the Patron of the league since 2004. Gavaskar has always taken a keen interest in MPCLand has been present at several games and functions organised by the league in the past. This year, the league takes place

Discredited Blatter re-elected FIFA president

Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term despite separate US and Swiss criminal investigations into corruption into the soccer's governing body. The 209 FIFA member federations gave the 79year-old Blatter another four-year term after Prince Ali bin alHussein of Jordan conceded defeat after losing 133-73 in the first round. Blatter won despite calls for his resignation from UEFA president Michel Platini and others. Platini said that UEFA, which runs European football, could boycott the 2018 World Cup if Blatter was re-elected and the allocation of the Cup to Russia was not revoked. The election was forced to a second vote after Blatter failed to gain a twothirds majority in the initial phase. The first ballot was conducted with 133 votes going to Blatter, 73 to Prince Ali and three being invalid. Each of FIFA's 209 member associations gets a single vote. However, Prince Ali announced before the second vote that he was stepping aside. Earlier, when United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch released details of a 47-count indictment against 14 people either senior members of,

7 top soccer officials arrested on graft charges

Sepp Blatter or linked to FIFA, Blatter was considered to lose the battle. However, that was cast into doubt in the hours leading up to the election, as first European governing body UEFA, then US Soccer president Sunil Gulati, came out in public support of Prince Ali. Yet Blatter's core support came through, and although the ballot was conducted in secret, as per FIFA regulations, it is likely he maintained near-unanimous backing in his strongholds of Africa and Asia. Africa held 54 votes, Asia 46. Either contender needed 105 to win. Before the second round started, Prince Ali stood before the congress and conceded. "I want to thank all of you who were brave enough to support me," said the prince, who previously spoke of a culture of intimidation at FIFA. "It's been a wonderful journey in terms of knowing you, working with you." Blatter, 79, was not

Football, the world's most popular sport, was plunged into turmoil after US and Swiss authorities announced separate inquiries into the activities of the game's powerful governing body, FIFA. US authorities said nine soccer officials and five sports media and promotions executives faced corruption charges involving more than $150 million in bribes. In pursuit of the US case, Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials who are now awaiting extradition to the United States. US officials gave details of a case in which they said they exposed complex money laundering schemes, found millions of dollars in untaxed incomes and tens of millions in offshore accounts held by

mentioned in the case led by Lynch, on behalf of the Department of Justice and in conjunction with the FBI and IRS, though his past will be scrutinized as the investigation continues. Once again, however, the czar of soccer politics

FIFA officials. One of those indicted, former FIFA VicePresident Jack Warner of Trinidad, solicited $10 million in bribes from the South African government to host the 2010 World Cup, US Justice Department said. Those arrested did not include Sepp Blatter, the Swiss head of FIFA, but included several just below him in the hierarchy of sport's wealthiest body. US said it was not charging Blatter at this time. Of the 14 indicted by the US Department of Justice, seven FIFA officials, including VicePresident Jeffrey Webb, were being held in Zurich. Four people and two corporate defendants had already pleaded guilty to various charges, the department said.

has survived a crisis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least for now. Public opinion and even some of his former supporters have turned against him, but as ever, Blatter carries on, seemingly unbothered by the storm of controversy he inevitably creates.

from 3rd May- 6th September 2015. Middlesex Premier Cricket League was set up in January 1992, by 15 clubs, who were then playing in the Middlesex Club Cricketers League. The late Bipin Patel (Suraj Victor) and Jayesh Patel (Anson) were the principal leaders, who with the support of Arvind Patel (United Sports) laid the foundations for the MPCL. The league has received solid support in the committee with the likes of Dipu Patel (Neasden), Mohansinh Darbar (Rajput Samaj Sports Club), Shawn Dhaliwal (North London Drifters) and Hari Balasubramaniam (Neasden), who have all served on the committee in various posts for more than 5 years each. MPCL, which started in 1992 with 15 clubs in 2 divisions grew to 28 clubs in 4 divisions by the year 2000. Currently in 2015, there are 32 teams in 4 divisions with 27 clubs, 5 of which are playing their 2nd team as well. Recently, for the last two years, they started the T20 competition during midweek among the participating teams wherein, top four teams on the basis of their points play into Semi Finals and winners of both semi final matches into final. This year, the T20 competition takes place on 11th June- 30th July. At the end of every season, the league organises Presentation Night, distributing awards to the top teams in each divisions, winners of MPCL Cup, Plate and T20 tournaments. There is always a renown international cricketer who attends as a Chief Guest and hands over the respective awards to the teams and players. In recent years, they had Sunil Gavaskar, Vikram Solanki and Ravi Bopara as the Guest of Honour. This ceremony will be taking place on 7th November 2015.

Shastri to continue as Indian team director for Bangla tour

Former captain Ravi Shastri has been retained as director of the Indian cricket team for the Bangladesh tour starting June 10 as the BCCI continued its search for a new permanent coach to succeed Duncan Fletcher. Shastri, who served as team director during the tour of Australia and the subsequent World Cup earlier this year, is a stopgap arrangement for the short trip. Fletcher's tenure had ended earlier this year after the World Cup. "The BCCI wishes to

inform that Mr. Ravi Shastri, former India Captain, has been appointed as director of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh, starting on 10 June 2015," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement. "Sanjay Bangar, assistant coach (Batting), B. Arun, assistant coach (Bowling) and R. Sridhar, assistant coach (Fielding), will assist Shastri during the tour. Biswarup Dey will be the administrative manager and Rishikesh

Ravi Shastri Upadhayaya has been appointed as logistics manager for the tour,"

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said. Thakur said Shastri's appointment was a stopgap arrangement and the Board would name a permanent coach later. The full-time coach's appointment will be done after consulting the newlyformed advisory committee of the BCCI, which comprises former greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. "This (the appointment of Shastri) is for the Bangladesh tour and future decisions will be

taken after this," Thakur said. India will play one test and three One-Day Internationals during the tour of Bangladesh. From June 10 in Fatullah, India will play the one-off test against Bangladesh, followed by three ODIs in Mirpur (June 18, 21, 24). The team will leave for this assignment on June 7 from Kolkata. Shastri represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India and was part of the side, which lifted the 1983 World Cup. Shastri had trav-

elled with the Indian team to Bangladesh in 2007 as cricket manager after Greg Chappell resigned from the coach's post following the World Cup debacle that year. Under Shastri's guidance earlier this year, the Indian team lost the Test series in Australia 0-2 after a fighting performance but went down tamely in the ODI triseries that followed. In the World Cup in March, the Indians, who were the defending champions, were ousted in the semifinal stage.

SPORT

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Terror attack near Lahore cricket stadium

Pakistani authorities and broadcasters blanked out news of a suicide attack near Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium to ensure that it would not impact a game between the national cricket team and Zimbabwe, the country’s information minister has said. The attack has raised questions about whether the tour by Zimbabwe, the first by an international side since the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore in 2009, would continue. The blast occurred when a day-night match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was underway. The 50-over match continued uninterrupted and was won by Pakistan. Information minister Pervaiz Rashid confirmed to the media that the blast near the Gaddafi Stadium which killed two people, including a police officer, was a suicide attack. Rashid praised the Pakistan Broadcasters Association for "covering up" the news while the match was underway.

Soon after the blast, the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a statement that said it was a "power transformer blast" caused by malfunctioning. TV news channels initially reported there was an explosion close to Gaddafi Stadium but later removed news about the blast off air after it was claimed that an electricity transformer had blown up. The Pakistan Broadcasters Association decided in conjunction with the information ministry not to report the incident to avert any untoward incident such as a

stampede at the stadium, Geo News reported. More than 20,000 people were in the stadium and panic could have caused a stampede, Rashid said. The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has given "presidential" security to the Zimbabwe cricket team to ensure no terror incident takes place during its tour. Rashid said a sub-inspector lost his life trying to stop the suicide bomber. Six people were injured by the blast at a spot less than a km from the stadium. "An attempt to attack

the Gaddafi Stadium was foiled by the gallantry of a police official, who lost his life while trying to stop the attacker near Kalma Chowk," Rashid told Geo News. Media reports said policemen stopped the bomber before he could enter the outer wall of the stadium when he blew himself up. This is the first tour of Pakistan by any international cricket team since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore's Liberty Chowk, also located near Gaddafi Stadium, in which six members of the visiting team were injured. Pakistan win first ODI series in 17 months Pakistan won their first one day international (ODI) series in 17 months with a thumping victory in the second day-night international against Zimbabwe in Lahore. Azhar Ali hit a 104-ball 102 for his second one-day century to help Pakistan chase down a target of 269 in 47.2 overs at Gaddafi Stadium for a 2-0 lead in

the three-match series. For Zimbabwe Pakistan-born Sikander Raza smashed an 84-ball 100 not out with eight fours and three sixes while Chamu Chibhabha's career-best 99 had 11 fours and a six which lifted the score to 268-7. Pakistan won the first match by 41 runs in Lahore. The one-day win followed Pakistan's 2-0 win in the preceding Twenty20 matches in the series which marked the return of international cricket in the country after a six-year gap. International cricket remained suspended in Pakistan since terrorists attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009. Ali hit eight boundaries in his 104-ball knock and improved on his best score of 101 made against Bangladesh in Dhaka last month before falling with 69 needed to win. Haris Sohail made 49ball 52 with six fours and Shoaib Malik scored 20ball 36 with four bound-

aries and a six to seal the win during their unbroken 60-run fifth wicket stand. Ali set the victory tone by adding 46 for the first wicket with Sarfraz Ahmed (22), 85 for the third wicket with Asad Shafiq (39) and 56 for the next with Sohail. Earlier Raza was in brilliant form as he lifted Zimbabwe with a flurry of boundaries, taking 59 in the last six overs. This came after Chibhabha became the first Zimbabwean batsman to be dismissed for 99 in a one-day international. Before Chibhabha, three Zimbabwean batsmen - Malcolm Waller, Alistair Campbell and Andy Flower - all made 99 in a one-day for Zimbabwe but they all remained not out. Zimbabwe, forced to make four changes after their regular captain Elton Chigumbura was suspended for two matches over slow over rate in the previous game, were given a solid but slow start of 83 by Chibhabha and Vusi Sibanda (13).