AV 7th September 2013

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Tension grows between British Sikhs and Muslims

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Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal arrested

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Sex grooming revelations in Britain indicate a hidden pattern

Mohan Singh

Bharat Modhwadia (25), Hamza Imtiazali (25) and Chandresh Mistry (37) were all convicted for paying a 16 year old schoolgirl for sex, as well as inciting child pornography and internal trafficking. News of the girl’s sexual involvement with the men sur-

The recent jailing of six men at Leicester Crown Court last week, who were convicted of facilitating child prostitution, has finally brought the issue of sex-grooming young, Sikh girls to the mainstream.

Aabidali Ali (39), Rakib Lacub (20), Wajid Usman,

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September 2013, 60% of the Britons still believe immigration has damaged Britain. A recent study, commissioned by former Tory treasurer Lord Ashcroft, Continued on page 8

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Dal Babu

Keith Vaz MP heard Tony ever make a racist remark.

Dal Babu joined the Metropolitan Police Service in July 1983.

Since then he has been posted to various boroughs and units including Haringey, Islington, Redbridge, New Scotland Yard, District Support Unit, a six month secondment to Zimbabwe, Hendon Police College, Specialist Operations, Camden, Enfield, the Home Office, Tower Hamlets and the Public Order Branch. Dal retired from the Metropolitan Police in February 2013 and is now Chair of the Commonwealth Police Association.

1) Please tell me about your current position?

I am the Chair of the Commonwealth Police Association which is an organisation I set up after I retired from the Metropolitan Police Service after 30 years service as Chief Superintendent at Harrow Borough.

The Commonwealth is perhaps an organisation we would not invent today but as it stands we have the potential to work closely with 54 countries and one third of the world’s population.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Being appointed Metropolitan Police Borough Commander at London Borough Harrow, the most religiously diverse borough in the UK .

Personally I was very proud of my two daughters’ cycling prowess. My eldest daughter Shanti cycled London to Paris

for a cancer charity with me when she was 16 years old and my youngest daughter Suraiya cycled 20 miles for Pedal Power charity when she was 7 years old.

3) What inspires you?

My mother was my biggest inspiration, I was one of 10 children and my mum loved all of us and despite having very little money and not being able to speak English she made sure we had a great start in life. My Mother sadly passed away before I was awarded an OBE she would have loved to see the pomp and ceremony of the occasion.

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

Although I loved policing I am disappointed that the police did not value the importance of diversity sufficiently, sadly in my 30 years we have only gone from 1% BME offi-

cers to 5% BME officers. The police continues to be stubbornly white, I have welcomed Mr Vaz’s continued robust challenge to the police service to increase its diversity at every level.

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

My “Parent” PC Tony Wauby taught me the beat at Tottenham where I was a Home Beat and where I was PC on the Broadwater Farm Estate during the 1985 riots. Tony was very community orientated and at a time when racist language in the police was the norm I never

Tension grows between British Sikhs and Muslims

Continued from page 1 a Sikh victim of sexual abuse which has led to convictions in the UK. However, the Asian Voice issue on December 1st 2012, has previously urged the government to highlight the issue and confront the truth about sexual grooming of Hindu and Sikh girls.

The article highlighted a Times report, which revealed that 33% of the 1,266 group offenders whose ethnicities were known to be Asian, were mostly British Pakistanis and were of Muslim background. This is interesting because only 2% of the UK's general population is of Pakistani heritage.

Pakistani men were also found to be significantly over-represented among arrests and prosecutions during the past two years of men alleged to have been members of streetgrooming networks. A pattern has seemingly emerged, with this year's Times article by Andrew Norfolk, stressing that five of the six men convicted in Leicester were also Muslim.

The recent BBC1 documentary Inside Out, aired on Monday 2nd September, shed light on the fact that there are potentially dozens of other

young Sikh victims of sexual exploitation in the UK who are too frightened to report the case and bring the perpetrators to court.

Because the family's honour is preponderant, parents of the victims are usually the last people to find out, which by then it is too late to act. Even when they find out, most Sikh or Hindu parents will not report it and instead choose to send their daughter to another country. The programme suggests that it is this that makes Sikh girls 'easy' targets.

Mohan Singh, the founder of the Sikh Awareness Society, is leading the effort to decrease the amount of sex-grooming cases that take place every year. Discussing the issue with Asian Voice last December, Mohan said: 'We had raised concerns earlier and tried to spread awareness regarding such 'sexual grooming' as early as in 1998, yet nobody paid attention. The Hindus and Sikh girls are targeted, exactly as the White girls, their weak points are nudged, and these girls are mostly not from broken families at all.'

'Our helplines receive calls from parents, organisations and victims and that includes girls from

Punjabi, Hindu families and also Gujaratis. But Hindus from several communities who may be facing 'such issues' may shy away from making complaints for whatever reasons.'

'They must gather courage and do something to raise awareness against such heinous people preying on innocent girls. A mass campaign is much needed and Hindu organisations like Hindu Council of Britain, Hindu Forum of Britain etc need to come together to spread awareness widely. These issues 'concerning' our sisters and daughters are often treated as a social taboo, but we must not suffer in silence.

That is one of the main tools to end such crimes.”

When asked to comment, the City Sikhs Network responded saying: 'We are appalled by the sexual grooming of Sikh girls and young women by men of Pakistani origins as reported on BBC1 s Inside Out on Monday evening.

Such harrowing acts sadly take place within many communities, as the recent cases in Oxford, Leicester and Telford have shown. It is imperative for all people, regardless of background, to tackle sexual abuse and help the victims of grooming.'

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

As Chair of the Commonwealth Police Association I am able to draw on the huge experience of the Commonwealth Police Diaspora communities to enhance social cohesion. The first project we have undertaken is to provide security advice to places of worship.

Sadly there has been a 300% increase on mosques recently and we have visited Mosques, Temples and Gudwaras across England providing advice on security and capacity building amongst volunteers.

7) And the worst?

The Commonwealth Police Association is so new we are all very positive and so far nothing negative all very exciting.

Sorry!

8) What are your long term goals?

I would like to develop the Commonwealth Police Association into organisation that is well established across all 54 countries of the

'However, these are not the acts of religious people.

These are the acts of criminals, purely and simply.

No religious text supports or condones child sexual grooming, and anybody who commits such acts cannot be said to be a member of a religious faith. They are criminals who should be punished severely by the justice system.'

Interestingly, the head of the British Muslim Council, Sheikh Ibrahim gave a defensive response on the programme, citing 'not enough evidence' for these allegations in order for the Islamic community to act on it. It is, of course, an extremely controversial and taboo subject and can easily reignite the longstanding rivalry between Muslims and Sikhs.

Mohan Singh has made it clear that he is not blaming Muslims, neither is he pursuing predominantly Muslim suspects. He has shown his stance by tracking down groomers himself and bringing them to justice, whatever religion.

The City Hindus Network have also strongly urged Indian communities to break the silence on this issue. The Vice Chair of the Network, Aekta Mahajan, has said: 'The unspoken code of silence within Hindu and Sikh communities needs to

Commonwealth providing mutual support for policing.

Developing new ideas to enhance safety across the Commonwealth.

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

Police Specialist Departments across the UK are almost exclusively white men and women. I would set each Chief Constable across the UK a 2 month challenge to ensure that these specialist departments i.e. Counter Terrorism Commands, Firearms Units, Murder Investigation Teams etc reflect the diversity of the local communities they police, using their existing Black and Asian officers. Sir Robert Peel the founder of modern day policing said ‘The people are the police and police are the people’ sadly in modern Britain many aspects of policing remain largely white despite Black and Asian men and women queuing up to join the police.

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

I would have loved to be marooned on a desert island with George Orwell an amazing author who was very insightful into politics and people. He had actually served as police officer in the Commonwealth.

His book ‘Burmese Days’ drew on his experience as a colonial police officer.

break down. It is not only a form of torture for the victims; it is morally and legally wrong. By not speaking up, victims and families of victims allow those that commit crimes to continue doing wrong to others. If our community cannot support and encourage victims suffering from such incidents to fight for justice than our community is no better than those committing crimes. Both the Hindu and Sikh faiths are based on the core principle that evil must be eradicated and we must fight to protect women. As our community has failed to do this, we cannot call ourselves true Hindus or Sikhs until we break this code of silence.'

Representing young Hindu students all over the UK, the National Hindu Students’ Forum (UK) condemns sexgrooming as well.

Speaking to Asian Voice, a spokesman said: 'The conviction of six criminals partaking in child prostitutions combined with the attention drawn on such an important issue on Inside Out last night marks a triumph in both our legal system and the practice of investigative journalism.

However, there are three strands of caution to be considered.

This issue is not limited to

the Sikh community, education on the dangers of grooming is necessary within our communities and greater dialogue needs to take place within Hindu and Sikh families in relation to pre martial relationships.'

Priti Patel, MP, the first Asian Female Tory MP to join the Cabinet has commented: “Child sex abuse and exploitation of girls is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable.

Victims are left traumatised and struggle to rebuild their lives while many suffer in silence as they are too afraid to report this crime. Where these crimes are taking place they must be exposed and the perpetrators brought to justice.

Attitudes in communities must change so offenders are no longer protected through codes of silence.”

More communication is still needed between parents and their child, to avoid the child becoming easy prey. Though it continues to be a delicate issue, it is a relief that the mainstream national media has shown light upon this taboo subject, which hopefully will encourage the victims from Sikh and Hindu backgrounds to come forward and share their stories as learning experiences.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

COMMENT

Netting Yasin Bhatkal: Whither Indian Mujaheedin?

Intelligence agencies and police forces across India have long been on the trail of Yasin Bhatkal,30,(real name: Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa, origin Bhatkal, Karnataka), co-founder of the Indian Mujaheedin (IM), veteran terrorist mastermind, with bombings in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore to his name. He was finally caught on the IndoNepal border, makin him the second big catch of the past fortnight, following the earlier arrest of Abdul Karim Tunda,70. Bhatkal’s IM accomplice, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, too, fell into the police dragnet. The duo were flown in a special Border Security Force (BSF) aircraft to Delhi, where they are being interrogated at the National Intelligence Agency headquarters. Twelve IM operatives were subsequently snared in the security dragnet at Darbhanga, north Bihar, surely a tribute to excellent detection and coordination of various intelligence agencies, including RAW and IB, and special police units on anti-terrorism duty. Being in the right place at the right time paid off handsomely. The popular perception of India as a “functioning anarchy” can sometimes be overdrawn, as the late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto discovered to his cost.

Pakistan’s Mussolini boasted that his country’s 1,000-year jihad would lay India low in 1971; he had the quartet of Nixon, Kissenger, Mao and Zhou Enlai to help him to achieve his goal. The phantasmagoria ended in a whimper, with the Pakistan army surrendering in Dhaka and 90,000 Pakistani troops marching into inglorious Indian captivity.

To return, however to the Bhatkal hunt: it was last July that the special anti-terrorist cell of the Kolkata police picked up a suspicious courier with a stack of fake Indian currency notes on his person. He sang like

the proverbial canary during his detention. The chase was on, and it came to fruition a few days ago. It was a well oiled machine that trawled the catch. It wasn’t smooth sailing, their quarry, sharp and slippery, had eluded his pursuers on four different occasions over several years So where now? It would be naïve to suppose that the Indian Mujaheedin and its affiliates will disappear into the night. There will inevitably be fresh recruits coming in to replenish their thinning ranks, with new leaders to enthuse the faithful, new planners of bomb blasts and new hit squads to shoot and kill.

More: the war of shadows has an international dimension: it is central to Pakistani statecraft that India be weakened as prelude to its eventual dismemberment.

It is not what Pakistan’s mentors say and believe that will be crucial to the outcome of this murderous duel; it is India’s recognition of the reality and face up to the challenge and see it through that will tell in end. The Indian Mujaheedin and its ilk reflect and refract the deep fissures that are tearing the Islamic world apart.

The jihadis are imbued with a consumptive rage against the Other, whether they be Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jew, Sikh or perceived apostate. Hell is where they belong, and it is the believer’s duty to consign them to eternal damnation. Indian statesmanship will require civilized restraint and argument, the firm and just application of the rule of law, quality education and more and better job opportunities for all its citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity.

Affirmative action for inclusive values and practices is integral to India’s ordeal by fire. Proportionate force must be a weapon of last resort, but when used the mailed fist must hurt. Nothing is worse than a display of force going off like a damp squib. That would be the road to defeat.

Conservative MPs, who defied their prime minister and the party mainstream in the Commons debate on the desirability of a British military assault on Syria, may have damaged David Cameron’s political credibility, but by placing conscience before convenience, they have helped Parliament redeem Britain’s honour. A generation or two ago, the high Tory Leo Amery (later to become a member of Churchill’s wartime government) shouted to a prominent Labour MP: “Speak for England” when his prime minister Neville Chamberlain was preparing to make another of his infamous kowtows to Adolf Hitler.

The Conservative MP in the recent debate who protested his country’s role as “America’s poodle” was, likewise, speaking for England and, indeed, for the whole of Britain. The use of chemical weapons against the Syrian population is, without doubt, a heinous crime. But so, surely, was America’s use of Agent Orange in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s and, more recently, its use of depleted uranium in Iraq.

Thousands of Vietnamese and Iraqi babies have been born with hideous deformities as a result of these crimes against humanity. What should be utterly shaming is the lack of any acknowledgement of their suffering in mainstream American discourse. The moralizing substitute dished out by Secretary of State John Kerry, and by vacuous Nobel Peace laureate Barack Obama, nowadays something of a Chicago huckster, defies comprehension.

Master novelist John le Carre, unafraid to pull his punches, wrote: “America has entered one of its

periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long-term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War.” Henry Giroux was as excoriating: “America is descending into madness. The stories it now tells are filled with cruelty, deceit, lies…..The mainstream media spins stories that are largely racist, violent and irresponsible.” Chidanand Rajghatta’s piece in the Times of India - “Why America cannot live without wars”tells of a country which, in its 234 year history, has engaged in 70 wars, ten big ones. He quotes US business guru Paul Farrell: “America’s economy is a war economy….Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Thrive on war…..War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit.

War thrills the American soul…..we have a love affair with war.”

The choice before the Obama administration is either a troubled peace, or a grinding war with an unimaginable regional and global fallout. America loses whichever side comes out on top in the Syrian conflict. The Syrian opposition, funded by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with covert Western encouragement, bulges with Al Qaeda affiliates. A prolonged Syrian stalemate is Washington’s best bet, says US strategic thinker Edward Luttwak. American intervention in the country will ignite the entire Middle East, he warns. Indochina 1975, Afghanistan 2001, Iraq 2003, Libya 2011: American imperial power in the Middle East and elsewhere is beyond repair.

India’s Food Security Bill, guaranteeing a subsidy in food grain and millets to the poorest sections of Indian society is much to be welcomed on humanitarian and economic grounds. A well fed workforce is more productive surely than one that is malnourished and listless. Government intervention in this case, and its previous endorsement of the right to basic education are a cause for public celebration. Supplementing the diet of the poor through financial aid makes better sense than, say, nationalising an unprofitable airline. For buccaneering free market theologians the market is all, something of a divine construct fashioned by an all seeing, all wise Moloch. The global financial meltdown, stemming from the Wall Street crash of 2008 and its impact on Eurozone economies in Greece, Spain and Portugal and elsewhere, is the indecent exposure of a ruinous bubble. The state has a constructive role to play in economic and social development when it ceases to be overbearing and is open to partnerships and consultation with the private sector.

If rating agency Moody’s gives India a black mark for subsidising food for the needy, so be it. Moody’s is nei-

ther economic nor moral arbiter. In a different age, it would likely have opposed the abolition of black slavery on the ground of declining plantation profits in the Caribbean and southern states of America, approved children working in British mines, opposed the imposition of a British income tax, and traduced President Roosevelt for the New Deal, which put America back to work after the bleak depression of 1929 and its bleaker aftermath. The anti-polio mass vaccination exercise in India, with its extraordinary results, was government organised and sponsored and elicited warm praise from Bill and Melinda Gates. The Food Security Bill is socially conjoined. It will invigorate the dynamics of rural India, already on the march to better times.

The above views in a way are welcome. But if it is done predominantly for the political reasons, and just for the forthcoming elections to divert attention from the inabilities of the UPA government to modernise and strengthen the economy, then surely the slogan of Indira Gandhi like 'Garibi Hatao' could prove to be opportunistic and a very dangerous move.

Syria: British honour redeemed

Accountancy lobbyists have no moral or intellectual copyright...but...

3

Wealth, if you use it, comes to an end; learning, if you use it, increases - Swahili proverb

“Our London” Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

King's Dream

Mahatma Gandhi inspired India and the World through his philosophy of Ahimsa (nonviolence) and successfully fought the British Raj for India’s independence.

Gandhiji also fought all his life for truth, equality and fairness. Another inspirational figure who fought for the principles of equality is Martin Luther King Junior (MLK Jr) – the ‘King’ of the US civil rights movement. The March to Washington on 28th August 1963 was a mass demonstration organised by an umbrella of civil rights groups as a rallying cry for equal rights.

The peace rally was to highlight racism faced by black Americans across America - particularly in southern states with the laws of segregation of black and white Americans.

Anyone opposing the segregation faced violent racist attacks from the likes of Ku Klux Klansmen, who retaliated most violently bombing homes and black neighbourhoods.

The demonstration highlighted a number of protests against racism that had begun when seamstress Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger in 1955. This historical incident sparked a bus boycott campaign across Montgomery, Alabama.

It was 50 years ago (last week) that Martin Luther King delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech to 250,000 people speaking from the steps of Lincoln Memorial in the heart of Washington DC. Let’s recapture some key passages of his historical message that reverberates in the minds and hearts of people even now and destined to leave a legacy for ever.

“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation….”

“When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promisary note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men – yes, black man as well as white men would be guaranteed unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness….”

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character…."

The speech (worth reading in full) stresses his dream of America becoming a great nation by applying freedom to "all of God's children".

The question is, fifty years on after this historic speech and massive demonstration how does one judge America’s record on equality and race? There are mixed views and feelings whether MLK’s dream has been achieved? I feel that there is a remarkable progress but there’s a long way to go to achieve the equality of races.

Marking 50 years of MLK Jr’s speech President Barack Obama addressed a rally last week at the Lincoln Memorial when he honoured the contribution made by MLK as well as the many AfricanAmerican & white marchers who protested for equal rights for black citizens 50 years ago.

Continued on page 6

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4

MIDLANDS VOICE

Single sisters and sons chosen to represent 'The Real Birmingham Family'

Birmingham: A statue of sisters Roma and Emma Jones, along with their two young sons Kyan Ishann Jones and Shaye-Jones Amin, will be placed outside the new Birmingham library, after they were chosen as “The Real Birmingham Family�, a quest launched by local artist Gillian Wearing and the Ikon Gallery. The Joneses were shortlisted to four families, out of 372 who applied, by a panel of community, cultural and religious figures.

In a statement, the Joneses said: “Our family is made up of two sisters who are single parents that support each other and play a major part in each other’s lives. We have lived in Birmingham all our lives, in many different areas across the city. Being mixed race we feel at home here as it’s so diverse and multicultural. As a result, we believe the mixed race population in Brum will only increase. We feel truly amazed and honoured to be chosen to represent what it means to be a family in Birmingham.�

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

"We feel it highlights the fact ‘family’ is an indestructible bond between people that is universal It doesn’t matter how it is made up.�

The announcement marks the end of a three-year project led by Turner Prizewinning artist Wearing. There was no specific definition of what a 'real birmingham family' may look like.

Nominations included foster families and a group of friends.

Stuart Tulloch, curator at the city’s Ikon art gallery, said of the winners: “Their story is compelling and says much about contemporary Birmingham. Two mixedrace sisters, both single-parents with happy, lively young boys, who identify themselves strongly with the city of their birth. The variety of nominations to ‘A Real Birmingham Family’ has shown us that while the traditional, nuclear family may no longer be the norm, the ties that bind us together are as strong as ever.�

A fundraising campaign to raise the £100,000 needed to create the sculpture has been launched. Donations can be made via Ikon’s website www.ikongallery.co.uk. The statue will be unveiled outside the new library next year.

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Kausalyaa Su-Prajaa Raama Puurvaa-Sandhyaa Pravartate I Uttissttha Nara-Shaarduula Karttavyam Daivam-Aahnikam II Meaning: O Rama, the most Excellent Son of Kaushalya; in the East the Dawn is fast Approaching in this Beautiful Juncture of Night and Day, Please Wake Up in Our Hearts, O Purushottama (the Best of Men ) so that we can perform our Daily Duties as Divine Rituals unto You and thus do the Ultimate Duty of our lives.

Cafe reopens after mouse discovery Leicester: A cafe owner has been given the go-ahead to reopen, just days after closing his business down. Leicester's environmental health officers closed down the Daor Dhere Cafe, in St Matthew's, on Wednesday after finding evidence of mouse activity during a routine inspection. An emergency prohibition order was taken ordering the cafe to remain closed.

Family fights plans for a playground outside mansion

Birmingham: A family who bought their very own mansion worth ÂŁ775,000 in 2011, have suffered a major setback in their battle to stop a playground being built outside, replacing a disused car park.

A local newspaper reported that the Sandhu family bought the Grade II listed Georgian mansion Hawthorn House from Birmingham City Council.

But the council’s planning committee, on a narrow 6-5 vote, has given permission for a children’s playground on a disused car park at the entrance to the Handsworth Wood manor house.

The plans divided local residents with many agreeing with the Sandhu family that,

as well as spoiling views of the historic landmark building, the playground would become a magnet in the evenings for anti-social behaviour.

Malala Yousafzai opens the Library of Birmingham

Birmingham: Malala Yousafzai, the teenage girl who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for the educational rights of women and girls, officially opened the Library of Birmingham on Tuesday 3 September.

Malala, pictured, who was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham following her near-fatal shooting in Pakistan, received membership of the Library of Birmingham before delivering a speech and unveiling a commemorative plaque on Tuesday.

Just before the opening, the 16-year-old placed the very last book on the shelves of the new Library - her own copy of The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.

The first book to go on the shelves in April 2013, chosen by members of the public, was The

A previous playground near the back of the site, closed under the sell-off, had been allegedly used by drug addicts and frequently littered with needles, they

argued.

Council parks spokeswoman Anne Wood said that the playground is a replacement for the one lost when the house was sold, and that it’s location was known to the family when they bid for the property.

Cllr Peter Douglas Osborn (Con, Weoley), who is supporting the Sandhu family reportedly said: “We have to preserve the building as it is part of the character of Handsworth Wood.�

He suggested the council seek another site for the playground. But Cllr Barry Henley reportedly have said that “We are replacing a dead car park with a living playground.�

However, Environmental health officer Chris Ashford revisited the premises on Sunday, in Wharf Street North and gave the owner, Mohamed Omar, permission to reopen.

The hearing was adjourned until September 6 to ensure the presence of a court authorised Somali interpreter. After the hearing, Mr Ashford said: "We visited the cafe after talking to Mr Omar following the magistrates' hearing. I am satisfied that the cafe no longer presents an imminent risk to public health and he can reopen.

There are other issues which need to be addressed but we will continue to work with Mr Omar."

Spreading peaceful message of Islam

Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, who also grew up and went to school in Birmingham. Malala described it as an absolute 'honour' to be part of the opening of the Library of Birmingham.

"The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives," she told a local newspaper.

Bradford: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association have done a lot for the local community and charities over the years, from planting trees to improving library services, and promoting a message of peace. On the centenary celebration of the community's interfaith dialogue, Dr Mohammed Iqbal, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in Bradford, explained to a local newspaper how his community has spreads the message of social harmony.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community – whose ethos is Love for All Hatred for None – marked a historic milestone last month.

This is a reformist communi-

ty within Islam and ever since it was founded in India in 1889 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, it has stood firmly against those hate clerics inciting hatred and

violence.

Ahmadi Muslims throughout the world are well known for their very strong stance against extremist violence, and have been persecuted for their stance.

The community is now established in more than 100

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towns and cities across the UK – and it continues to build bridges between all faith and non-faith groups.

Ahmadi Muslims built London’s first mosque in 1924 and now operate Western Europe’s largest mosque in Morden, Surrey, with capacity for more than 10,000 worshippers.

The community has already hosted many local events to mark the centenary with friends and communities, and more are planned throughout the centenary year, as well as a major international Conference of World Religions as part of the community’s ongoing commitment to education and peace.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Kapil’s Spriha Srivastava

Satyagraha – another set template After reading so much about the film Satyagraha and being inspired by the whole anti-corruption movement I decided to watch the film hoping that this film will be a trend-setter in the bollywood industry. But I must say I was disappointed. The movie has a star-studded cast and they do complete justice to the roles, however the script lets you down at many places. The script is like Pandora’s box, it has a bit of everything – tragedy, drama, revenge, love, item songs and controversy – probably another of those set Bollywood templates.

There was enough controversy surrounding the film if the story is based on Anna Hazare’s life but Prakash Jha stood firm on ground claiming that the film had nothing to do with Anna Hazare movement but on how social media brings youth of the nation to protest against a certain institution. But for those of us who have seen and followed the Anna movement before the break up of Team Anna will relate to many scenes in the movie that have been completely inspired by the movement.

I understand Mr. Jha’s apprehensions to politicize the film at this stage, especially with general elections not so far away. But in this case defending the script is not the best strategy.

The film has many dimensions and that’s why it sometimes grabs your attention but the next moment leaves you wondering. For instance I thought the underlying plot of the film was strong with a case similar to Satyendra Dubey that sparks a controversy and brings some very interesting people together to raise their voice against corruption. However, the film strays into a romantic terrain with Kareena and Ajay and a song which was absolutely not required especially at that very moment when the revolution is just about to pick up.

The other thing that I found extremely strange in the film was brand placements during the most serious scenes. For instance, is it absolutely essential to specify that the lady of the house uses India Gate Basmati rice?

Even if we decide to ignore that one because

the scene wasn’t the most significant, how can you ignore the Ultra Tech cement ad that was positioned when a bridge falls down and kills seven labourers? There’s been some oversight on the part of filmmakers and even though viewers want a complete package when they go watch a film, I guess when it comes to Prakash Jha, their expectations are different.

together. I was speaking to a young girl who took part in the Nirbhaya protest at India Gate in December 2012 and she had this to say: “I never expected to see so many people at India Gate. Each of us shared the Facebook page with our friends and sent blast messages to contacts on Whatsapp and urged them to join the protest. I guess that’s how the message spread

Next one was this whole drama of professionalism and ethics that Kareena Kapoor did as a journalist. But next moment you see her living in Amitabh Bachchan’s house as a guest, covering his stories and giving strong opinions and advice to the Jan Satyagraha Committee. She is also seen attending a meeting with the Chief Minister to negotiate public demands. Since when did Journalism become so flexible?

But if there are bad aspects, there are some positives as well to this film. Social media has become an extremely important tool in this world today. Taking India’s example, one can say that with the introduction of social media our youth has become much more vocal and strong in voicing their opinions.

If we take the last few protest instances in the country, the mass mobilization was done using Facebook pages, Twitter and by creating Whatsapp groups. This is an extremely powerful way of bringing people

so quickly,” she said.

The other thing that the move has tried to bring out is the fact that we do need to fight corruption on our own. No one will come and fight for us. The film showcases that if you keep quiet and continue to pay bribes then nothing will ever change. However if you do raise your voice, you need to be ready for a long struggle ahead.

In terms of cast, Amitabh Bachchan was the main sticking point of the film. He was like the glue that kept the pieces stuck together. Very good performance by Manoj Bajpayee and Ajay Devgn too. Manoj Bajpayee provided the much-needed comic relief at times.

The film ended a bit abruptly but the message was clear. It seemed like the filmmakers wanted a bit of everything in the film and that’s what made it weak. One doesn’t really need an item number in a film of this level, but looks like item numbers and steamy scenes are part of Bollywood’s set templates now. Maybe it’s time to look beyond these?

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

KHICHADI

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

No Hope for the Middle East

The so called Arab Spring has all but turned into a raging fire that is burning the very soul of people who might have hoped for peace and reconciliation in their life time.

What the world has failed to understand is that the fundamentals for peace and reconciliation do not exist in the Middle East for any initiative to stand a remote chance of success. As long as you have extreme ideology and tribal warfare – peace will never get a chance to flourish.

It seems you have only two viable options for the time being, maintain or put in leadership that is dictatorial, or accept the extreme version of Islamists in charge.

Neither is acceptable and democracy as a notion has yet to be understood by the masses for it to ever work.

The imperial masters made the mess when first they tried to control the area with might and power. Later when they agreed arbitrary lines of separation to create the countries that make up the Middle East, and then when in the 40’s they created the State of Israel without a buy in from the Arabs. The combination of enslavement, extreme ideology and the west’s support for Israel has created a psyche and a mindset of hatred and revenge. Killing is increasingly becoming the norm, and death is accepted as a casualty of being an Arab or a Jew. When children grow up knowing nothing but death and hatred, what can you expect for their future?

Recent history has shown that even when one might feel the west has gone in for the right reasons, what transpires can be totally opposite to the best made plans. In Iraq, Bush and Blair destroyed the veracity of their crusade when they attacked under the pretence of weapons of mass destruction. In the end the weapons of master destruction were not man-made items, it was man himself.

The crusade left hundreds of thousands dead with many more injured. Families torn apart with children growing up seeing western troops as their enemy. Can you remember the day of triumph when Saddam’s statue was pulled down live on TV? That was an iconic image, though this changed ever so quickly with the very same people demanding the west to get out of their country. The lesson of Iraq is simple, are you sure that the people you wish to free really appreciate what it is that you are doing for them?

Or will you create more enemies even though your intention might be to help?

Likewise, Afghanistan will be singing to the tune of the Taliban and their likes

very soon. Egypt is burning, Libya lost in its own mire; not to mention Iran, Palestine and Lebanon. All the deaths, the destruction and the resources expended - for what?

The list of such countries is endless but let us now look at Syria. In the past 2 years Assad was given full reign to shoot, bomb and kill more than 120 thousand of his own people. Whilst this mass execution was taking place the west, apart from its normal rhetoric, held back and did nothing. Now with only a few thousand deaths due to the use of chemical weapons suddenly everyone has woken up and wants to do something. However what is it that the west wants to do? Basically bomb a few targets to teach Assad a lesson. In fact their objective is not to destroy even one ounce of the deadly chemicals. They will not land with foot soldiers given the humiliations of Iraq and Afghanistan. So what is the end game? And what are the strategic objectives? Is it to remove Assad, but for what? To be replaced by the extremist Islamic elements in the country? Is that what you call saving the people and the nation?

David Cameron no doubt wanted to do something good and tangible for the people of Syria. However was it necessary to bring Parliament out of hibernation to vote on an amendment that was going to fail? It failed because Tory MPs voted it down. Ed Miliband found himself in an easy position of only having to put in a small spanner to derail the whole motion. He won the day, but maybe his is a victory that will be short lived.

There is universal acceptance that the haste with which David Cameron moved was in fact his downfall. That it has damaged his credibility and standing in both his party and with the public.

However I am not sure this is all as bad as it might seem at first. It could be that Ed Miliband has done David Cameron a favour with the House of Commons defeat. Think about it, the possibility of things going wrong with any intervention in Syria are very high. If that does happen then the immediate wrath will not be so savage given the UK is not taking any part. So maybe the advice to David Cameron should be, don’t bring the matter to the vote again until you have Ed Miliband 100% on your side. Then at least you both share whatever spoils of war one has left post an intervention.

So what of the Middle East? Until they separate religion from the state, and begin a positive proactive educational process for the masses, I fear killings will remain the only currency of choice.

Sunrise Radio has 42 days to settle HMRC's payment An independent radio station for British Asians broadcasting from Southall since the 1980s has an unpaid tax bill which could take it off air.

The Royal Court of Justice has given Sunrise Radio Ltd 42 days to settle HMRC’s payment of over £400,000.

Chairman Avtar Lit, who did not attend the two minute hearing, was represented by his barrister. Lit has until Monday 14th October to make the

outstanding payment. If he fails to submit the outstanding money before the given date, the court will force the stations off air including Sunrise Radio, Kismat Radio and Buzz Radio.

A wound-up company cannot legally hold an Ofcom licence to broadcast.

Last week, it emerged that HMRC had filed a “wind-up” petition against Sunrise Radio for money owed.

King's Dream

Continued from page 3 President Obama linked his own rise to the White House with the efforts of the civil rights protesters decades ago and declared ensuring economic opportunity was "our great unfinished business".

The ‘unfinished business’ truly applies to the challenges facing equality in America and worldwide.

The best tribute we can pay to the life and work of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi is to do everything to achieve that dream of MLK Jr.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

EXCLUSIVE

Lentils and legumes may be the cause for allergy prevalence in Asian communities Meeting featuring talks and practical advices to take place at Wembley Sanatan Temple

It is not hard to notice that Indian cuisine has truly embedded itself in the UK's largest cities.

Whether you are looking for something spicy or mild, Indian food has truly become a taste loved by many. Recent research by the national charity, the Anaphylaxis Campaign however, has noticed an increase in the reporting of allergies from the Asian community. This has fuelled a new approach to tackle the issue at the root cause.

Evidence suggests that the increase in reported allergies could be due to the Indian diet, which relies heavily on dals and legumes, including lentils and fenugreek (methi).

Lentils are the most common legume involved in allergic reactions in the Mediterranean area and India. The prevalence of lentil allergy in the UK population is unknown, but it is likely that it is increasing in line with the general trend of rising allergy within the population.

Little is known about allergy to fenugreek, but it causes allergic reactions amongst a small number of people who also have a peanut allergy.

For this reason, the Food Standards Agency are holding a special event to raise awareness of and highlight specific foods used by the Indian community which cause allergies and address how best to deal with them.

Veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost dies of heart attack Veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost has passed away at the age of 74 after a heart attack while on board a cruise ship. A family statement said he was aboard the Queen Elizabeth on Saturday night where he was to give a speech.

Sir David's career spanned journalism, comedy writing and daytime television presenting, including The Frost Report.

Internationally, he will be remembered for his revealing interviews with former US President Richard Nixon.

Up until now there have been no statistics on the number of the people allergic to legumes within the Asian community in the UK. Professor John Warner OBE is a member of the Anaphylaxis Campaign's Clinical and Scientific Panel and a consultant paediatric allergy and chest physician at the Trust's St Mary's Hospital and pro-

fessor of paediatrics at Imperial College London and will be in attendance of the meeting in October. He said, “The number of children and adults suffering from food allergies is increasing at an alarming rate...[and] the range of foods causing reactions has widened as we eat an ever more diverse diet from different countries around the world...Allergists have become aware that Asian dishes containing a range of different lentils and other legumes are sometimes a cause of reactions which can [cause] anaphylaxis. I am, therefore, very pleased that we are collaborating with the

Asian community to raise all our awareness of the problem and how to deal with it”.

Lynne Regent, Anaphylaxis Campaign CEO said; “It is important it is for us to work with Asian communities to build awareness of these allergies so we can provide support and increase understanding.

The meeting at Wembley Sanatan Hindu Temple will focus on support structures for allergies in UK and discuss the recent sharp increase in allergies within ethnic groups, in particular in the Indian sub-continent.

The meeting will feature talks and practical advice on treating allergies and long term management of the condition from the Anaphylaxis Campaign, Professor Warner and the Allergy Team at Imperial College.

We really would wish to help as many people as possible at this initial meeting, so please do come along if you’re affected by this issue in any way.”

The meeting takes place at Wembley Sanatan Hindu Temple, Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4TA on Tuesday 10th September 2013 from 7 – 9pm. The seminar is free but places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis. Contact Mandy East for more information or to book a place: mandy@anaphylaxis.org. uk

A well known South London Restaurant looking for a person as the Banqueting & Restaurant Manager The candidate must have: I A certificate in hospitality or tourism industry would be highly desirablle I An in-depth understanding of the key business affecting the food & beverage industry; I Experience in planning and implementing restoring, inventory management and initiatives to increase the revenue; I Superior communication, training and presentation skills and the ability to relate to a diverse range of people; A competitive remuneration package will be offered to the successful candidates. A detailed job description may be requested from the email address below.

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UK

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Indian origin woman to help build world’s fastest car in the UK

A 29 year female mechanical engineer of Indian origin from Port Elizabeth will help design the Bloodhound supersonic car, which is currently being built by a team of about 30 engineers in a high tech centre near Bristol.

Ms. Singh, pictured who has won the Bloodhound Chevening Scholarship for her masters in Mechanical engineering at the University of West of England, is all set to join the team of specialist engineers building the world’s fastest car in the UK. She will work with engineers from companies such as Boeing and Rolls-Royce, who are assembling the car.

Beverley gained a national diploma in mechanical engineering in 2009 and a BTech degree in 2012. Ms. Singh has left her job as a process engineer in Port Elizabeth and will fly to Bristol soon. She will focus on her full time degree studies but will take time out to be with the team building the car. She has reportedly told an Indian media "I am very excited. It’s a

once in a lifetime opportunity”.

However, Singh added she had no idea what she would be working on in the Bloodhound project.

She hopes she will be able to join the team when the car is shipped to South Africa for testing.

The test runs and the record attempts will take place at Hakskeenpan in the Northern Cape Province. The rocket-powered car will go to South Africa in 2015 for a series of test runs (over several months) to break the sound barrier and current land speed record of 1228 km/h. In 2016, it will attempt to set a record 30 % faster than that: 1609 km/h.

Jewellery and Coins worth £40,000 stolen from family in Cardiff

An Asian couple, Prasad Sivaraj, 38 and his wife Joyce Arumaiselvam, 33, both nurses in Cardiff, suffered the robbery in broad daylight from their Llandaff North home on Thursday, August 15.The couple said they had bought a number of gold bullion coins bought from India and Dubai as investment funds for Rhianna, 5, and Sherina, 2. Apart from these, a pair of ear-

rings and a ring given to Joyce when she was born, jewellery from the cou-

ple’s wedding and gifts they had bought to mark their daughter’s birthdays, were also taken.

Joyce was returning from picking up her daughters from bible study on the day of the incident.

When they arrived, they found their doors wide open. They had left the house at about 10.20 AM that morning and returned 4.30 PM. Continued on page 30

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Study shows Asians more likely to be searched by police for drugs

People from ethnic minority are not only more likely to be searched by police for drugs than their white peers, but they also face almost double the chance of being charged if any are found, according to a study of racial disparity by the drug law charity Release and the London School of Economics.

The report, which analysed Home Office data in conjunction with freedom of information responses from police forces in England and Wales, also uncovered what the authors call a "postcode lottery" in the apparent racial basis for drug policing. While black people were just over six times more likely to be searched for drugs nationally, this was significantly higher in some places. In one police area, Dorset, the differential was 17 times.

Previous statistics have shown a likelihood for people from minority ethnic groups to be particularly targeted for police

EXCLUSIVE

stop and search. However, the new study, argues that drug checks are not only the biggest single reason for search operations but a cause of wider racial inequality throughout the justice system, particularly in that black people appear much more likely to be criminalised for drug possession.

The government's crime survey shows that drug use appears to be lower in most non-white communities than among white people, but the report shows that other minority ethnic groups are disproportionately likely to be searched for drugs.

Asian people were around 2.5 times more likely to experience it in 2009/10, with those identifying themselves as mixed race twice as likely.

However, these groups did not face a greater likelihood of being charged.

This disproportion also shows that black and Asian people are more likely to receive a harsher police response for pos-

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session of cannabis, the study found. In 2009/10, the Metropolitan Police charged 78% black people caught with cocaine compared with 44% of whites.

The study also found black and Asian people were subject to court proceedings for drug possession offences 4.5 times more than whites and found guilty 4.5 times more as well. They are also subject to immediate custody at 5 times the rate

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

of white people.

In July the home secretary, Theresa May, announced a consultation over police stop-andsearch powers, highlighting the excessive targeting of young black men as a particular problem, as well as a low arrest rate for the 1.2m searches undertaken each year. But the report's authors argue that their findings show there is a need for more fundamental change.

Niamh Eastwood, executive director of Release said, "More people are being stopped and searched than ever before, and the rates of disproportionality are at the very least the same, if not worse, than they were 30 years ago.

"The government needs to change policy, and take drugs out of police hands and treat drug use as a health and education issue."

In London, she noted, about half of all stop and searches are for drugs, against about 10% for knives and less than 1% for guns. "Drugs is what is driving stop-and-search and it's what is driving racial disparity within the criminal justice system," she said.

Her co-author, Michael Shiner, a social policy expert at the LSE,

said drug searches were being used by police in some areas as "a form of social control" rather than crime reduction. "There is very little, if any, correlation between crime rates and stop-and-search rates," he said. "To see it as being about crime is to miss the point."

A Home Office spokesman said it would consider the report as part of the review into stop and search. He said: "Stop and search is a crucial tool in the fight against crime but it must be applied fairly and in a way that builds community confidence in the police rather than undermining it.

"We want to see stop and search used only when it's needed, with better community engagement and better searchto- arrest ratios."

month visa has exactly the same voting rights as longterm residents, as long as they have an address, the research shows.

By contrast, the countries where they come from do not offer the same rights to Britons living there.

Sir Andrew Green, the group’s chairman, said the rules were an ‘anachronism’ from the days of Empire and should be scrapped.

He warned: ‘If the next election is close, and especially if there is a coalition negotiation, the number of seats gained by each party will be critical, so the outcome could be significantly influenced by a group of people who have not yet qualified to become British citizens or have not even bothered to do so.

‘One example is that a student visitor from a Commonwealth country planning to study for six months would be allowed to enrol on the electoral register and vote in a parliamentary election if one was held during the duration of his or her stay.’

‘This is clearly absurd.

The issue is one of basic fairness. If people want to participate in deciding the future of our country they should at least become citizens.’

Official figures suggest that in 2011 there were 960,000 Commonwealth citizens living in England and Wales.

They include 266,000 Indian nationals, 130,000 Pakistani nationals, more than 51,000 South Africans, 60,000 Australians, 51,000 Bangladeshis and 37,000 Sri Lankans.

There are also tens of thousands from Zimbabwe, Canada and Ghana.

Apart from a few Caribbean states, British citizens do not have similar rights in Commonwealth countries.

If the turnout is close to the national average, this could amount to more than half a million votes from non-citizens.

In 2007 a review by the then Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, called for the rules to be scrapped, and for the Government to make a ‘clear connection between citizenship and the right to vote’.

The review concluded ‘Ultimately, it is right in principle not to give the right to vote to citizens of other countries living in the UK until they become British citizens.’ Its conclusions were never acted upon.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "The right to vote in UK elections for Commonwealth citizens who live here reflects our close historical ties with Commonwealth countries.

Excluding Commonwealth citizens would be a significant step and would require careful consideration. Parliament has previously taken the view that these rights should not be changed."

While surveys by Lord Ashcroft claim Britons hold immigrants responsible for a job loss, a study by Global Visas, the leading immigration and relocation consultancy has revealed that Britons have started emigrating to different Commonwealth countries because at least 40% believe they have better job

prospects in other countries including equal rights, along with 21% citing the cost of living in Britain to be too high. Britain’s poor economic outlook was also blamed by 13% and just over 11% gave the overall tax burden in the UK as a reason. Australia is now the top destination for those leaving Britain.

In what is said to be UK’s largest ever poll of British nationals including ethnic minority who have taken the decision to emigrate the extent of Britain’s loss is revealed with almost 40% identified as skilled technicians and over 23% as the self-employed ‘job creators’, possessing entrepreneurial flair.

The survey received 5,600 responses in just five days from those who have already taken the decision to leave the UK. Over half of those responding earned between £20,000£100,000 with over 40 per cent earning between £20,000-£50,000 and just under 10 per cent earning between £50,000 and £100,000.

The survey held at the request of Dominic Raab, Conservative MP for Esher and Walton, who was keen to seek current statistics on the reasons for people leaving the UK to inform government thinking.

“These trends are economically and socially debilitating,” said Mr Raab. “The’ squeezed middle’ are increasingly amongst those searching for a better life abroad.

That is economically draining because they are net contributors of tax, and provide skills the economy needs.”

Commonwealth nationals in Britain to critically affect outcome of 2015 election

Continued from page 1

reveals widespread concern about the scale of immigration and its impact on jobs and public services.

This study is alarming especially after it was reported that the political future of the 2015 election pretty much lies in the hands of the ethnic minority in Britain- (who were originally immigrants). It has now been revealed in a fresh study that more than one million immigrants from Commonwealth countries, without British citizenships, will have the right to vote in the 2015 General Election and determine Britain's political future substantially.

Inspite of the thinktank- MigrationWatchUK concluding that the government should not allow Commonwealth nationals the rights to vote in Britain, it was slammed heavily by the critics. It appears to be another immigration control stunt by the Tory government, very similar to the 'Go Home' campaign that attracted severe criticism from all parts of Britain.

As per the pratctice now, people arriving from Commonwealth countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia and Nigeria, automatically acquire voting rights in the UK, even if they are only staying for a short time.

Research by the MigrationWatch campaign group estimates that by the time of the 2015 poll, more than one million Commonwealth citizens will be allowed to vote despite not having a British passport.

Even a student on a six

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The British Indian Polymath Scientist The Royal Society is currently showing an exhibition entitled ‘Scientists,’ which focuses on portraits of women. Sunetra Gupta is one of a series of four pen and ink drawings by Garry Kennard representing mid-career women scientists among the usual heavyweights like Marie Curie and Dorothy Hodgkin.

She is shown with her hands resting on a table inscribed with equations and images of parasites.

This is because Sunetra’s scientific career consists of applying mathematical methods to the study of infectious disease.

Sunetra is Professor of Sunetra Gupta T h e o r e t i c a l exactly 20 years since she Epidemiology in the moved to Oxford as a Department of Zoology at Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.

Merton College. In this She lives in Oxford with her husband, a professor time, she has ascended the in the Department of ranks, becoming a Senior Medicine, and her two Wellcome Trust Fellow in teenage daughters. It is 1995 and appointed to a

permanent job in 1999 before receiving a professorial title in 2006.

Sunetra was born in Calcutta in 1965 but spent much of her early childhood in Africa because of her father’s desire to roam

the world. However, her formative years were spent in Calcutta where she immersed herself in Bengali culture and published science fiction in Bengali while still a schoolgirl.

A twist of fate took her to Princeton, where she laid aside literary endeavours in order to concentrate on science.

At Princeton, Sunetra discovered that mathematics could be used to study biological phenomena, and this has remained her scientific passion.

From Princeton, she came to Imperial College, London to pursue a PhD in this area, but she was so keen to write that she stayed up late in her one-room apartment in Tufnell Park experimenting with the form of the novel.

In 1989, she came to the attention of Murray and Gina Pollinger who were her literary agents until they retired in 1996. Her first novel, “Memories of Rain” was published by Grove Press in 1991, and other successes followed, culminating in Sunetra being longlisted for the Orange Prize in 1999 for her fourth novel, “A Sin of Colour”.

In this time, Sunetra also produced two daughters (in 1996 and 1999) and wanted to devote the largest part of her attention to their upbringing.

She knew that she would not be as productive as

before, but she did not expect that parenting would take such a toll on both her literary and scientific careers. She was supported in trying to combine a scientific career with motherhood by her department, where a culture already existed of placing the needs of family above all else. However, it was still a struggle to remain visible as a scientist and she is grateful to her Head of Department, Paul Harvey, for nominating her for several awards that focused the spotlight on her achievements.

Sunetra’s scientific career consists of applying mathematical methods to the study of infectious disease Between 2008 and 2010 she won three prizes – the Scientific Award of the Zoological Society, along with the Royal Society’s Rosalind Franklin Award and Wolfson Merit Award.

Her literary career has taken a different turn. Her fifth novel “So Good in Black” was published by “Women Unlimited” in India and “Clockroot Books” in the US. She no

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longer has a UK publisher.

How does she feel about this state of affairs? She claims that, although it has been painful, it has allowed her to develop as a writer and realize what matters to her.

“I was always aware that marketability was not an important element in my writing but my books sold into the thousands and that was enough for me. The indifference of UK publishers to my work has taught me that I do not belong in the mainstream category of publishing where the market value of a piece of work over-rides its literary value. I am fortunate to have sympathetic publishers (like Ritu Menon of Women Unlimited in Delhi) who recognize that publishing is not just about producing saleable commodities.”

When her role as a mother permits, Sunetra is devoting her time to several scientific projects (she has a large grant from the European Research Council that gives her a lot of freedom in her scientific work).

She is writing her sixth novel, a book on the connections between science and literature, as well as a children’s illustrated book on women scientists (paid for by the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award).

“Life is utterly manic, but I’ve never been happier” – Sunetra says.

10

YOUR VOICE

Sonia visits America

I find it disgraceful on the part of Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party leader to go to America for routine medical check up for ten days when India is promoting medical tourism. Most of the Indian states have very good private hospitals with international standards and they are run by internationally known doctors mostly trained abroad. One such group is Apollo Hospital which has several branches all over India. Thousands of patients from Europe and America come to India especially to Gujarat where treatment is cheaper and provide better treatment than in their own country.

It is demoralising and frustrating for Indian doctors to see a senior politician to go abroad for ordinary medical check up as if Indian doctors cannot treat her. If that is the case what is the point in promoting medical tourism in India for patients abroad. The politicians should set an example.

It has been reported that Sonia Gandhi’s asset is only $200,000. I wonder who is paying for her stay and treatment and for her entourage to go to America.

Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

India’s unending shame

In her thought provoking article ‘It’s time to act!’ (AV 31 August 2013), Spriha Srivastava makes some useful suggestions as to what can be done to combat the ever increasing incidence of rapes in India.

At the very core of this national scourge is, to my mind, the objectification of women which ‘allows’ lustful men to treat them as a readily available commodity to be used as they please. Try showing men photos of goddesses Durga, Saraswati, Laxmi and they will point to the scantily dressed lust-provoking Bollywood dancers as their fanciful goddesses. Exploitative film-makers know this. It fills their pockets. If all fails, there are, of course, the prostitutes. The poor women have no choice but to satisfy men’s lust. Society has repressed and failed them. We hear stories of fathers-inlaw raping their daughters-in-law as ‘punishment’ for some wrong doing, only to be exonerated as if no offence had taken place. Where is women’s sanctity and honour? Man has control; woman is his subjugated slave. Man was born as a result of the woman, but that doesn’t count into his reckoning. He wants no reminder of this; his ego and hypocrisy have overtaken him.

The answer? Eradicate the roots of objectification. Empower women with equal status as men, in jobs, education, politics, in fact in every aspect of society in which men at present have sole control. Women have the capacity to surpass men and can even do better. And, oh, get rid of those oldies in politics! They are only there to fill their pockets. We need modernity - and today’s youth can bring it about.

Grooming of Sikh and Hindu girls

I am truly shocked to read about the programme this Monday aired on BBC about the tragic tale of grooming of Hindu and Sikh girls by certain group of Muslim men, this following a number of high profile cases involving mainly Pakistani men in similar alleged offences.

Recently the Jat community in the village of Palchand in Aligarh district UP India showed the way after one of their women eloped with a Muslim man.

Drastic as it sounds but they effectively boycotted the local Muslim community socially including employment or purchasing goods from Muslim owned shops.

Boycott is a time honoured tradition started by Mahatma Gandhi and had worked against the mighty British in every instance. Recently Bradford council approved planning for a meat processing plant for Pakeezah cash & carry right next door to a Gurudwara in spite of protests notwithstanding the hurt it would cause to the Sikh devotees. It is about time that concerned British Hindus and Sikhs or their friends from the indigenous population start a similar boycott of Kebab shops, mini supermarkets, Halal produce, barbers, taxis firms or even professional services owned by Muslims as show of support for the abused. Of course for a few bad apples one can not taint the whole community but such repression in a democratic country can not go on unless that community owns up the deeds of their brethren and complain about Islamaphobic media.

Jai Hind Bharat Parmar

Home Sweet Home

I was disappointed with the front cover of an otherwise splendid summer edition of “Asian House and Home” magazine produced by Asian Voice and its sister paper Gujarat Samachar.

The cover, black and bleak, would have looked more exciting with a multicoloured splash of paint to herald the encouraging news that the housing market is finally perking up.

There is plenty of useful and interesting information for home-buyers ranging from the choice of windows and doors as an investment, to whether or not to move, and how to get the best out of extensions.

Also included is a superb interview by Suresh Vagliani with property tycoon James Caan, a man who certainly knows his stuff.

As editor/publisher CB Patel writes in his foreword message: “Enhancing the value of one’s property is very much the focus. Readers would benefit from the various tips and suggestions as well as cautions...” Well done, everybody concerned, for this first-class production.

Subscribe Today Uttambhai D Mistry Bolton

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Asian Voice in UK for only £25 for one year

Rudy Otter Via Email

ASIAN VOICE

India and Empire

Article on Jay Varma

I am no historian but a keen student of Mahatma Gandhi and much of your editorial (24th Aug 2013) seeks to show how wonderful British Empire was.

Gandhiji was imprisoned by Winston Churchill, in 1942, and referred to him as “as a half naked fakir” during WW2 many Indian freedom fighters were in jail. The Indian soldiers fought for Empire, not for India. Britain was fighting for its own survival and in the process emptied the Indian coffers. If Asian Voice is what it’s title suggests, a Hindu Indian perspective on life, then this editorial does not reflect it. No self respecting Indian today will argue against the fight for Independence.

I suggest readers google the short “American Declaration of Independence” listing why the English colonists died to free themselves of the British, or the history of the Indian Congress party’s struggle for freedom, lead by Gandhiji who stopped speaking English in later life .

Neither mentioned the wonders Shakespeare or the British social order of the time as a reason to continue British rule. German Indologist admirers of Indian culture, in particular, Johann Gottfried Herder, (1780) started Indomania in Europe, which unfortunately lead to Nazi ideology, of race and much of it was part and parcel of Western thinking of all White Europeans until the late 60’s. We are reminded of the horrors of WW2 but for me reminds me of the British Raj. Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon

I write with much interest about the article ‘Indian artist Jay Varma’ AV 13th July. I was in a small Norfolk town of Holt a few weeks ago and whilst wandering around came across a small looking antique shop.

After a while walking through most of the quaint but packed rooms of amazing items, my wife reminded me of an antique shop we had visited in Stony Stratford some years ago, where I found a wonderful small ‘murti’ (statue) of Shiva, no more than 1 inch in height, sitting cross legged and his ‘trishul’ next to him. Quite marvellous. Made in Thailand by monks, I was reliably advised.

As my wife wandered along this shop, she wondered why could she not see anything like that. Just as she said this, from the corner of my eye, at the other end of the room, I noticed a picture/painting of a Hindu goddess. I said to her, here you go...and there was a picture of goddess Saraswati and also one of goddess Lakshmi. Both painted by Ravi Varma great grandfather of Jay Varma.

Exquisite and vibrant colours with old frames, not sure if they are original.

The shop owner only received them that morning, regrettably in my excitement, I did not collect much details as to their own history, but may be a reason for me to go back!

These prints now hang proudly in my living room. They would grace any house.

Thank you for the article, just wished it could be longer and have more details.

BovineTB

In continuation of my letter raising awareness of TB in south Asian people in last week’s Asian Voice, it has now come to light that a large number of badgers are being culled in the west country in an attempt to prevent TB in cattle. Is this the right approach to combat the outbreak of TB in animals? If overcoming TB in animals is achieved by the killing of these beautiful animals who cannot speak for themselves, then one wonders if stopping of TB in humans cannot be achieved by similar genocidal method.

The fact that more people from south east Asia succumb to this once deadly disease points to the fact that these people who visit their homelands contract the infection while over there because of unhealthy and overcrowded conditions.

Rather than taking drastic steps akin to the culling of badgers, we need to educate people who visit countries with a higher incidence of TB to get treatment as soon as they feel unwell after their return from these places in order that the spread can be stemmed.

We have been given to understand that if badgers are vaccinated, tuberculosis, the disease which is endemic in them, will cease to be a problem in 5 years.

Thus the conclusion is no cull, vaccinate instead. Similarly, it should be made mandatory on people who visit the countries where TB is prevalent, to be vaccinated in order that they do not catch it and in turn pass it on to others.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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Ed’s Finest Hour

Thursday, 29th August may turn out to be Ed Miliband’s finest hour, the day he shed his inhibition and proved to the nation that he could be successful PM. He stood up against bully Cameron, a cloned Tony Blair, refused to toe the line and behaved as an opposition leader of substance. He saved the nation from making another Iraq type war blunder, stopped relieving Britain’s imperial pretension.

PM is hell bent on dragging this nation through wars, trying to be the policeman, the conscious of the world when Britain is no more than an insignificant island nation of no consequence.

PM likes to hug limelight, be Obama’s PA with an illusion of Empire to run. With all the hoo-ha of Arab Spring, it has only brought extreme, non-tolerant regimes in Libya and Egypt. Yemen is on the brink of being taken over by Al Qaeda. Churches are burnt; Christians are being driven out in millions. This is the sum total of West and PM’s failed foreign policy.

America, a bully and an extremely selfish nation has showed its true colours, confining our special relationship to dustbin, a blessing in disguise for Britain, to be free from the clutches of US tyranny that only a poodle PM could stomach. Now France, a nation described during Iraq war as cheese and wine addict, has suddenly became the closest ally, friendship lasting less than a day Continued on page 13

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EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

EXCLUSIVE

Four out of ten current University students work to cover University costs Being a student now costs £16,804 per year

Four out of ten (41%) current university students are now in full or part-time employment to help cover university costs, according to new research from Santander Current Accounts. The findings reveal that students embarking on a three year university degree course now face a total cost of £50,411 but other than working, resourceful undergraduates are also making the most of cashback offers, charity shops and recycling sites to make university more affordable.

Tuition fees are now the biggest annual outlay, costing the average student who started university in 2012/2013 an eye-watering £8,123 per year. In addition to this, the average university student also outlays a further £8,681 per year on all other living expenses.

The research found that students studying in London spend the most, outlaying an average of £9,760 per year on general living expenses, which is on top of the annual average £8,123 tuition fee. In contrast, students studying in Glasgow spend around 28% less on their general living expenses, which currently average £7,020 per year.

Hetal Parmar, head of banking at Santander, said: “University education doesn’t come cheap, but university can be an important and useful stage of life. Students need to make their money stretch as far as

possible and Santander’s free 4 year Railcard offer is there to help students do just that.

“Santander is a long-standing supporter of higher education. The Santander Universities programme began in 1997 and over the years we have donated more than £500 million in the shape of scholarships, travel grants and support for special projects, as well as through academic and non-academic awards.”

On an annual basis, students enrolled in Medicine and Dentistry courses tend to spend the most, with annual living costs averaging £10,229. Those studying Business and Administrative subjects spend around a fifth less, with yearly living costs for these students averaging £8,149.

Categories of expense Aside from tuition fees, accommodation is the biggest expense, costing the average UK student £3,882 per year. Food (£1,132), travel (£886) and socialising (£691) are the next largest outgoings.

Despite receiving funding in the form of loans and grants, one in 10 (9%) students has taken on a personal loan to cover costs and 15% spend on credit cards.

Students saving money

sell items on eBay and 25% shop in charity shops or use reuse/recycling sites like Freecycle or MySkip. A third (33%) of students are regular users of cashback deals or group discount websites like Groupon and Student Beans and a quarter (26%) say they stack coupons, which involves using multiple discount vouchers to reduce the price of a single item.

Buying reduced price food at the supermarket appears to be standard practice with 78% of students doing so regularly. A further 83% say they make use of discount cards like Student Cards or the 16-25 Railcard, which is now free to all customers who open a Santander Student Current Account.

University city London Birmingham Edinburgh Liverpool Bristol Cardiff Oxford Sheffield Nottingham Leeds Manchester Glasgow

Annual cost (excluding tuition fees) £9,760 £9,208 £9,104 £8585 £8581 £8173 £8167 £8059 £7888 £7474 £7393 £7020

Teenagers failing English and Maths down to rise in GCSEs in foreign languages?

The recent government revelation that teenagers who have failed to obtain at least a C grade pass in Maths and English GCSEs will have to continue studying the subject, has raised serious concerns amongst many.

The government's plan emerges after GCSE results have recently revealed a decrease in the number of passes in English and Maths due to the increase in the number of passes and people taking up foreign languages such as Arabic (3607 entries), Chinese (3042) and Urdu (4519) amongst Asians.

Language exam entries have risen to 360,000, an increase of 16% from the previous year. Languages such as French, German and Spanish have become more popular than most other subjects this year with French up 15.5%, German up 9.4% and Spanish up 25.8%.

Yet parents and schools teaching Indian languages are concerned that foreign languages such as Gujarati, Hindi and Punjabi are, in fact, declining in popularity.

This is surprising because the 2012 Census reveals that Indians make up the largest ethnic group in the UK. According to an LSE survey, non English-

In an attempt to save money, a quarter (26%) of students say they

speaking children also help to drive up standards at British schools, which quietens those voicing the opinion that immigrant children are holding back British students.

Why the sudden lack

of popularity in studying Indian languages if they are advantages to British schools? Is it because we are not pushing our children enough to learn about their culture and their mother tongue? Or is

it the thinking that as parents who have had trouble assimilating into the British culture, children are encouraged to learn English to avoid any racism in the future? It could even be a lack of interest by this generation's youth to learn about their parent's upbringing and their culture 'back home'. A sociologist has described this tendency developing due to the diverse friends pupils have and the predominance of the use of the language English. Why then, is there an equal dissatisfaction with doing well in the traditional subjects English and Maths?

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11

Gap between student cost of living in North and South UK widens With South of the UK boasting the Capital, as well as many other cities with sought after universities, it is no surprise that many asian students come from up North to live the city life. Leaving their families in popular towns like Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham, they come to seek the more 'attractive' South, despite the more expensive living costs.

Yet Accommodation for Students (accommodationforstudents.com), the UK’s number one student accommodation website, has released its latest research that shows the average rental value (ARV) for student accommodation has risen 3.1% from £77.04 per week per bedroom in 2012 to £79.42 in 2013.

The reason behind this rise is the soaring rents in the South.

According to AFS, 70% of students prefer an ‘inclusive bills’ option to help them keep track of their finances, the availability of which has more than doubled since 2008. Whilst such stock is specific to individual rental markets and does not follow a specific pattern, research shows that there is an average addition of £8.08 in the South but £5.51 in the North for this option.

Despite a modest 2% fall, London continues to lead the way with an average rental value of £129 per week, followed in second place by Egham at £115. The third most expensive location, Newport, has seen this year’s biggest hike with rents doubling from £56 to a massive £113. Winchester and Middlesex also weigh in with average rents over £100 per week.

In contrast, rents have stayed the same or fallen in the northern university locations, including Manchester (£74), Leeds (£74), Sheffield (£69) and Nottingham (£76), and

all sit more than 6% below the national weekly average. This year’s best value locations for student rental accommodation are Walsall, Stockton and Wolverhampton with average weekly rents of £48, £49 and £52 respectively.

More and more asians are leaving their densely populated cities to seek a more multicultural South, it seems, where they are welcomed by an array of different cultures, not just the typically muslim or typically hindu communities of the northern cities.

The greatest increases of costs are in the South with Luton up 20% from £71 in 2012 to £91 in 2013. Chatham, home to the University of Kent, has seen its average student weekly rent increase 19%, from £73 to £87, Bournemouth is up 16% to £90, and Bath and Southampton have also seen 10% rises. These locations all sit between 5% and 15% above the national average, showing that they are increasingly sought after. The major exception to this is Uxbridge, which despite being located within the London Commuter Belt and last year charting as the third most expensive place for a student to rent, has this year seen rents fall by a staggering 28%, from £100 to £78.

Kingston has also seen a fall of 12%, yet with rents at £100 it still remains the sixth most expensive location, down from second in 2012.

Simon Thompson, Director of Accommodation for Students comments “The student accommodation market remains robust and is still one of the most attractive yield classes for property investment. We are still seeing large scale development in student accommodation up and down the country.”

Personal Details exposed after Council sells lists of voter's names and addresses The Council is cashing in on voters' personal details by selling it to private companies for as little as £5. Thousands of the registers have been sold over the past five years to pizza delivery shops, estate agents and direct marketing firms. Though the electoral register is unclassified, selling a database with so much private information allows companies to bombard people with thousands of un-permitted emails at a click of a fin-

ger. People who sign up to vote automatically have their names included on the ‘edited’ version of the register if they do not actively opt out of having their information passed on. The details are then repeatedly sold over the year to create the mass amounts of junk mail we see in our inboxes.

The scandal was revealed in a report by the group Big Brother Watch, which yesterday condemned the practice and called for it to be banned.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Critical bills before India’s Parliament these days appear to depend on a wing and a prayer, so one must be grateful for the odd moments when MPs recall what they are in the House for and their duties to perform. The people who elect them and pay them for their time and labour yearn to taste the fruits of their investment. If India’s Constituent Assembly of blessed memory, had experienced the bedlam to which we are now grown accustomed, India might still be awaiting its Constitution. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, deciding that enough was enough, suspended 12 MPs, of whom eight belonged to the Congress party and the rest to the Telugu Desam. Parliament’s Monsoon

session has been extended to Yasin Bhatkal September 6, to make up for lost time. Meanwhile, Yasin Bhatkal, co-founder of the Indian Mujaheedin and veteran terrorist mastermind was trapped and arrested on the Indo-Nepal border – an extraordinary catch it was. (See Comment page 3)

Food Security Bill, Sensex fall

The Food Security Bill was duly passed, an entitling socio-economic measure that subsidizes rice and wheat, and now millets, which should add much needed calories to the diet of the poor and needy. That said, the Bill perversely sent the Sensex into an initial nosedive by 590 points, taking with it the battered rupee, which midweek fell to 68.83 to the US dollar, before recovering to a less calamitous Rs 66.60 to the US dollar, its biggest (oneday) gain in 26 years, thanks to RBI intervention. The rupee’s recovery was matched by a 400 point Sensex ascent, followed by a further 218 points after Manmohan Singh’s weekend assurance to Parliament that India’s reform programme would continue apace. “India’s growth is heavily dependent on how soon the RBI can stabilize the rupee and roll back its July 15-23 tightening,” said Bank of America-Merrill Lynch economist Indranil Sen. India’s economy grew by 4.4 per cent in the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, close to the predicted 4.5 per cent, but a 4 year low, nevertheless, for the same first quarter period.

The long pending Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill was approved on a voice vote in the Lok Sabha with all the major parties joining in, the exceptions being Trinamool Congress and the miniscule Revolutionary Socialist Party.

(Hindu, Times of India, Mint August 27-30).

Basu’s prognosis

The World Bank’s Chief Economist, Professor Kaushik Basu, in the Indian capital recently, was interviewed by the Times of India (August 26).

Asked about the gravity of India’s economic stress, Dr Basu replied: “The situation is grim but not grave enough to require external assistance….. The

Indian economy has built up enough resilience for India to be able to deal with the current crisis out of its own resources.”

Global situation

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

a law prohibiting anyone convicted of a criminal offence from standing for election to the House from prison, thereby reversing a Supreme Court judgment. (Mint, Hindu, Times of India August 26-28).

Optimism

Some experts and economists predict an improvement in the current account deficit situation during the current fiscal ending March 31. “We believe India’s current account deficit has the potential to surprise favourably and we have cut our 2013-14 deficit forecast to around $68 billion (from around $80 billion) - under an optimistic scenario, we think a lower current account deficit of $57 billion - could be possible,” said Barclays economists Siddharta Sanyal and Rahul Bajoria in a research paper. Within hours Crisil opined India’s current account “would correct significantly in the second half of the year due to a decline in non oil imports including gold.” (Times of India August 24)

Larsen & Toubro revamp

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), India’s largest engineering and construction company, is to set up a new business unit to

Dr Basu explained: “The crisis has global roots….and in terms of relative performance India does not perform badly at all. A rating agency that downgrades India at this time will hurt its own rating…..I have to say India looks much better from Washington than it does from Delhi. The mood within India is indeed down. India has not fallen off the investor’s radar,” but there was serious work to be done, he said.

Naval satellite launched

GSAT-7, India’s first fully fledged military satellite was launched at the weekend from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The multiple-band spacecraft will be used exclusively by the Indian Navy, to bolster

A.M. Naik

security, and real time communications among its warships, submarines, aircraft and land systems. GSAT-7 marks a leap forward in the country’s networkcentric maritime operations and linkages with the Army and Air Force on security and intelligence gathering over a wide swathe of the eastern and western sections of the Indian Ocean. This will be augmented by a second GSAT-7A in 201415. (Hindu, Times of India, August 31)

Kashmir’s fraternity of separatist mullahs, one of whom issued a fatwa on a Kashmiri girl music group, are up in arms

strengthen its engineering services sector. “The restructuring is to bring focus to what L&T is best known for – engineering.

“We will become a very strong engineering services provider,” said company Chairman A.M.Naik. To counter India’s economic slowdown, L&T is putting greater stress on international orders. In the current fiscal, the company expects to increase the value of its projects in West Asia to Rs 30,000 crores. L&T is ahead of the game (Mint August 23)

Augmenting Defence

Dr Avinash Chander, Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) Director General and Chief Advisor to India’s Defence Minister, in a tour d’horizon of India’s defence capabilities and future plans, expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the indigenous fighter aircraft, Tejas, towards full operational capability by the end of 2014. It was “one of the cheapest warplanes in the world, a fraction of the cost of an

VHP stir, Mumbai gang rape The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) agitation to build a Hindu temple on the site of the demolished Muslim Babri Mosque attracted reams of print and the usual TV sound bites. Arrests of VHP leaders by the Uttar Pradesh police duly followed. India has moved on to other forms of mass entertainment (Hindu, Times of India August 25).

GSAT-7 Navy satellite

Bringing mullahs to heel

Chidambaram call for patience

Finance Minister P.Chidambaram called for patience in the face of the current storm. He reiterated that the fiscal deficit would be kept to its 4.8 per cent GDP target.

“The red line will not be breached,” he said. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said India had entered into a currency and interest rate swap with the Japanese government for the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. Similar deals are in offing with India’s other trade partners, in order to reduce pressure on the rupee.

Mr Chidambaram has laid out a 10 point programme for economic revival. The Cabinet Committee on investment has cleared 36 major infrastructure projects entailing an investment of 1,8 trillion rupees. Mining and other industrial enterprises have been banned by a socially activist Supreme Court, which was in danger of breaching the powers of the executive and legislature. New legislation might have to be considered, he said, to circumvent current Supreme Court rulings in these areas. A precedent has been set, Mr Chidambaram averred, when Parliament unanimously passed

American-built F-15”, and equal in performance to the frontline Swedish Grippen fighter, he said. (Hindu August 22)

The gang rape of a Mumbai photojournalist, in contrast, provoked widespread outrage across the country. The five accused have been arrested and will be brought to trial. The incident is a grim reminder of the continuing scourge involving the molestation of women and the patriarchy culture from which it is spawned (Hindu, Times of India August 27).

Meanwhile, the three-year jail sentence of an under-age, teenage rapist in the earlier Delhi Nirbhaya case has sparked justifiable outrage across the country.

If the adolescent was old enough to commit the crime, he is surely adult enough to serve a longer term of imprisonment (Hindu, Times of India September 1).

Australia, India

Zubin Mehta

against the German Embassy’s sponsorship of a concert of Western music in Srinagar, to be conducted by Israeli-based Indian virtuoso Zubin Mehta.

The separatists have written to the German Ambassador to India, Michael Steiner, protesting India’s alleged occupation of and oppression in Kashmir, having apparently forgotten their ethnic cleansing of Kashmir’s Hindu Pandits, one among the many blots on the House of Islam.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in election mode, made the following vision statement 2025: “Australia’s relationship with India has perhaps the greatest potential to grow out of all of Australia’s significant bilateral relationships in Asia.

There is no greater symbol of the ties we share with India than the contribution and successes of the Indian diaspora who have made Australia home.” (Hindu August 31).

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

UK

Trapped in a Foreign Jurisdiction -

13

Family lawyers can help with safe return to the UK

On The Rape of India

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in Mumbai, we shall fight in the villages and the towns, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Nation, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the riverbanks, we shall fight in the temples, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

I have a dream that one day down in Mumbai, with its vicious rapists, with its businessmen having lips dripping with the words of wealth and pride – one day right there in Mumbai men and women will be able to join hands as sisters and brothers.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

Great speeches change societies. This past week saw the 50th anniversary of the ‘I have a dream’ speech by Martin Luther King. Borrowing from history’s great speeches, this is what I think an Indian Prime Minister should have said to the nation on yet another gang-rape in India.

This is what India needs. More men willing to speak of, and do, their duty – as all nation builders ever have.

“I have full confidence that if all do their duty, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our nation home, to ride out the storm of criminality befalling us, and to outlive the menace of tyranny of corruption of our moral values.

Men and women, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil from this scourge, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength.

Continued from page 10

So died many men so you became free Indians. You, their survivors, must determine to have as unfaltering a resolution in the field. You must yourselves realize the power of India, and feed your eyes upon her from day to day, till love of her fills your hearts; and then, when all her greatness shall break upon you, you must reflect that it was by courage, sense of duty, and a keen feeling of honor in action that men were enabled to win all this, and that no personal failure could make them consent to deprive their country of their valor, but they laid it at her feet as the most glorious contribution that they could offer.

Every man here knows the temptations that beset all of us in this world. At times any man will slip. I do not expect perfection, but I do expect genuine and sincere effort toward being decent and cleanly in thought, in word, and in deed.

I expect you to be strong. I would not respect you if you were not. I do not want to see Hinduism professed only by weaklings; I want to see it a moving spirit among men of strength. I do not expect you to lose one particle of your strength or courage by being decent.

I desire to see in this country the decent men strong and the strong men decent, and until we get that combination in pretty good shape we are not going to be by any means as successful as we should be. There is always a tendency among very young men and among boys who are not quite young men as yet to think that to be wicked is rather smart; to think it shows that they are men. Oh, how often you see some young fellow who boasts that he is going to “see life,” meaning by that that he is going to see that part of life which it is a thousandfold better should remain unseen!”

YOUR VOICE

when Obama inexplicably changed course and postponed missile strike until approved by the Senate! I would say Britain had a close shave!

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

India on the slippery road to oblivion

Mr. Gandhi correctly expresses anger over brutal rape in Mumbai, futile protests by public and government’s lethargy. Laws, statutes, mandate exist but are not implemented to deter potential rapists.

Rapid passage of food bill by extending monsoon session shows that government can tackle rape problem. It is unwilling, as four culprits in Mumbai incident and one culprit in Delhi incident are not Hindus. “Shanti” of Hindu Anna Hazare and “kranti” by Hindu baba Ramdev were crushed.

Biologically man is at mercy of few drops of testosterone, which overrides all restraints. Rapists can be punished but rape cannot be eliminated from human nature. Thus rape has been with humanity since time immemorial. That does not mean we should condone any sort of rape.

Various communities condone rape as under: one community punishes the victim if four witnesses are not provided to prove rape allegation. Another community brushes allegations under the carpet, transfers culprit and in extreme cases apology is tendered by highest official. No punishment to culprit is meted

by any of these community verdicts.

India is burdened by such communities. Expectations of outraged public are not met with commensurate measures and swiftness by law and order machinery. It is not clear whether persons or institutions implementing the laws are unwilling, helpless or anti HINDU. Although fast track term is stressed, it is doubtful whether it applies to police, courts or lawyers; whether related to vote block community of victims /culprits involved; or time wise to few weeks / few generations.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

India’s shrinking economy

With indirect devaluation of rupee by as much as 20% in recent months, India is now facing a serious economic downturn.

This has a major impact on imports and domestic businesses as well as manufacturing oil depending industries. There could be a serious blow on its well-maintained GDP. The price of foods escalated and that has edged out many poor people, prompting government to pass the food bill in parliament to control the market.

But, this may be a token effort as thrifty business people are still piling the stocks.

There has been no overall control on illegal land and building transactions.

This has been a real magnet for some cash reach millionaires (crorepatis). This phenomenal issue has been contributing towards the corruption and damaging the revenue in real terms.

The finance minister is now stretching his hands for begging the gold from temples that have over 2000 tonnes in trusts to control and avoid the current imports.

There are numerous cases where women and children go abroad for the purpose of a family holiday only to find that it was used as an excuse to get them to leave the UK. Upon arrival, their passports are kept from

By Savita Sharma them and it is often the case that the relevant state authorities and legal system of such a foreign country will not assist with a return home. Consequently, these women and children are forced to remain in a country, which is neither their home nor their habitual residence; effectively becoming trapped in a foreign jurisdiction.

This scenario may sound unlikely, but unfortunately, it is all too familiar.

As experienced family lawyers in Child Abduction and Wardship proceedings, Duncan Lewis has seen an exponential increase in enquiries and clients facing these harrowing circumstances.

Although the situation may appear hopeless, especially if one is stuck in a country in which women’s rights are notoriously subjugated, there are clear legal remedies in this country to help victims to return to the UK. If you and your children are British citizens, or have resided in the UK with an intention to stay for over a year or have established your Habitual Residence in the UK prior to leaving, you can apply directly to the High Court of England and Wales for a Court Order to assist with the return to this jurisdiction with your children. The Court can make a child a Ward of Court and the High Court can use their inherent jurisdiction to assist. The Court effectively becomes the legal guardian of the child in cases where there are disputes between parents concerning children.

The Court can then make Orders to protect the children and make decisions regarding whether the children should

stay in a foreign jurisdiction or return to the UK that being their habitual residence.

If you find yourself in such a situation or know someone who is, it is crucial that they should seek advice from family lawyers urgently. Once you seek legal advice on this matter, your case can proceed to the High Court in 24 to 48 hours. Family lawyers can attend the High Court on an urgent basis and an order can be made to assist with the return of the family unit once the Court is satisfied with the merits of that particular case. If successful, the Court can make Orders immediately for the children to be made Wards of Court and for the return of the children to this jurisdiction, despite the father’s position.

The Court can direct that emergency travel documents are issued and for original passports to be returned.

Normally, the arrangements for issue of the emergency travel documents are made through the High Commission (or equivalent) based in the relevant foreign country so you are able to return to the UK. Family lawyers will often liaise with the British Embassy in that foreign country on your behalf to assist where ever possible with any potential issues that may arise at passport control. So, although the situation may appear bleak, obtaining the correct family advice urgently can assist in returning women and children back home to the UK. Legal 500 Law Firm, Duncan Lewis has extensive experience of working with clients abroad and in the UK throughout London and across the UK with family law proceedings. Duncan Lewis Family and Child Care Department, have specialist, accredited Law Society Panel members to ensure that legal rights are safeguarded promptly in cases of Child Abduction and Wardship proceedings.

Author, Savita Sharma of Duncan Lewis is a Director & Solicitor specialising in Family Law; accredited Child Abduction and Wardship specialist solicitor.

Offices across London and throughout UK l l l l l

City of London Cardiff Hackney Lewisham Southall

l Birmingham l Harrow l Islington l Shepherd’s Bush l Tooting l Leicester

With over 500 Staff to Assist Tel: 020 7923 4020 - www.duncanlewis.com The fact is, India’s inhabitant themselves have estimated 25000 tones of gold with market value well in excess of one trillion dollars! Vow! That could comfortably feed the starving 300 millions people. By comparison to other BRICS nations, India is now struggling to get the economy back on track. It would virtually go bankrupt unless this problem reverts rapidly by utilising the resources and commodities with cheap labour force by present UPA government to retain the power in next general election.

Lallubhai Patel Gloucester

Accountancy News

Last Friday I had the honour and pleasure of meeting two of the most prominent Gujarati accountants and learn about their future plans: Sri D Desai and Sri Shalesh Haribhakti. They had come for a few days to EU and UK for meetings with current and potential MNC clients.

Kolkota’s Dilip B. Desai Group and Mumbai’s Haribhakti Group entered into a

strategic alliance on 13 May 2013. It was a historic moment of coming together of two reputed Chartered Accountancy firms in the field of Indian Auditing, Taxation, Corporate Advisory and Accountancy. Their merged group is now called Desai Haribhakti Consultants India. The Group has a team of more than 1300 professionals with 80 partners and directors in 17 offices, with pan India and cross border presence with the best of the corporate houses as their clients.

DMC was appointed by the Government of India as Statutory Auditors to the Reserve Bank of India. It is now the biggest domestic accountancy firm. Both Sri Desai and Sri Haribhakti senior were gold medallists in their CA final exams. Their two books: Taxation of non-residents Indians and Bank Audits may be if interest to readers. So may be this news to those young British Indian students who may want to train under them.

Their industry sector knowledge makes them surpass The Big Four when it comes to Indian Businesses who want to expand in India and/or overseas.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

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ART & CULTURE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

'Unsung' touches hearts of Londoners EXCLUSIVE

Rupanjana Dutta

On last Friday I was at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington for Ayndrilla Singharay's play Unsung.

Reimagining of Tagore's short story Punishment (or 'Shasti' in Bengali, a short story from 'Golpo Guchcho'), directed by Lucy Allan, the story revolves around lives of two Bengali men and their respective wives at a house in London.

In Tagore's story the couples live in rural part of India years ago (probably a village currently in Bangladesh), where the brothers are farmers, struggling to earn enough to feed their family. It talks about the sacrifices a woman is expected to make in a patriarchal society, and how they are forced to live their lives according to the whims of their men.

However Ayndrilla's plot revolves around a household in present day London, where money isn't an issue, though a husband's super possessive, suspicious and obsessive nature sour relationships and trigger hatred and body harm. Ayndrilla proves that Tagore's sensitive observations about gender and culture made centuries ago in a remote part of Bengal, still have relevance in today's lives.

The actors Avita Jay (Joy), Niall Ray (Ash), Rez Kabir (Rana) and Nadia Nadif (Megh) are commendable.

Avita and Niall's chemistry is a wonderful delight on stage, while Nadia and Rez have portrayed the subtle tension of a childless couple very beautifully. The conclusion it arrives at, the denial of any wrong doing by a chauvinist Rana and the silence of a long suffering victim Megh (who also lives in denial, believing it to be a woman's fate), touches one's heart. It reflects the continuous strain between the giver and taker- not particularly a balanced bond, but one that dies a premature death.

It also proves how in the name of

family, a man with the most logical mind, is blackmailed to give up the best thing in his life- a loving wife and a potential of a happy family with progenies.

Avita, who is trained at Drama Studio London, plays a modern London bred girl with deceased parents, who has undying faith in her husband, and how her free spirit withers away with her trust breaking.

helplessness portrayed by her blank expressions or inexpressiveness enacted perfectly by Megh etches a very sentimental mark.

Rez, a story teller trained with Tara Arts, is very convincing as a chauvinistic, insecure, lying and arrogant Bengali man, who single handedly ruins four lives. Niall, who is a graduate of Manchester school of theatre is also credible in portraying a character split between love and obligation.

In a nutshell, while I have seen many of such adaptations including some of the Shakespeare’s plays in London (the Indian versions), I must admit, Unsung can be marked as one of the best adaptations or reimaging of yesteryear short stories.

The actors and Ayndrilla deserve a very large round of applause, and I wish them goodluck for more creations together in the coming future.

Dear Readers, Diwali is two months away. The New Year is knocking at the door waiting to bring in colours and light to our lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar as every year will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself.

This year in the English section, we are doing something special for our young readers.

-If you are between 10-25 years of age, write an article in English on 'how you celebrate your Diwali every year' or 'your most memorable Diwali' in no more than 700 words, along with a suitable photo.

Or - if you an organisation, which has a youth wing or support youth activities, tell us how your young members or youth wing celebrates Diwali in 500600 words with 2 pictures (in no less than 300dpi).

Last date of entry is Sunday 6th October 2013.

Please email your article to aveditorial@abplgroup.com with your full name, age and contact number.

London Mela rounds off a summer of Music on the BBC Asian Network - Asian Voice

On Sunday 1 September, BBC Asian Network rounded off their ‘Summer of Music’ with a live musical extravaganza from this year’s London Mela in Gunnersbury Park.

Teaming up with the London Mela for the eighth successive year, the Asian Network gave the thousands of people who had flocked to the event the live mela experience,

Monday, 2 September till Saturday 7 September in A Summer Of Melas on the BBC Red Button. The BBC Red Button programme is available on Digital TV across Sky, Freeview, Freesat and Virgin.

Listeners will also be able to listen again to the shows that broadcast from the event via the BBC iPlayer.

bringing them some of the biggest stars including Harshdeep Kaur, AS Kang, Jaz Dhami, iiSuperwomanii, San-2, Bally Sagoo and many more.

In addition to all the action on the Main Stage, Asian Network presenter Nihal hosted the New Music Tent where some of the rising stars of British Asian Urban talent performed alongside Asian Network DJs KanDman and DJ Limelight.

Highlights from the event were broadcast from

Mark Strippel, Head of Programmes for the Asian Network, said: “BBC Asian Network delivered the most spectacular range of programming yet from the London Mela and we delivered some unmissable moments from our artists Harshdeep Kaur, Bally Sagoo, Superwoman and more for our audience.

This event really cemented our distinctive commitment to new British-Asian talent with Lost Souljah, Steel Banglez and more in our New Music Tent.”

Bollywood legendary Director who loves Indianising Shakespeare Rani Singh

Composer Director Vishal Bhardwaj met with the Indian Journalists’ Association Friday 30 August at the India Club. In attendance was Minister Prashant Pise, Head of Chancery and Counsellor for Press and Information. IJA President Amit Roy chaired.

Vishal adapted Shakespeare’s Othello using a contemporary Indian setting and called it Omkara. That work is now on educational syllabuses. Born and educated in northern India, Vishal moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in music.

He won a Filmfare award for his debut music contribution, Maachis. Makdee marked his directorial debut. Maqbool (2003), his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, took him into Indian cinema's big league.

Vishal Bhardwaj pro-

Nadia acting as a simple village girl from remote India, is very convincing. The character's frustration and

prefers music making to direction.

“Composition gives me an inner satisfaction, inner peace, because I do it alone- I have as a maximum threefour musicians. In direction I have to depend on threefour hundred people; actors, technicians, spot boys, lighting men, it’s a Vishal Bhardwaj huge thing to vided us with the scoop achieve. Physically tiring. that his next film, an It’s hit and miss. What Indian adaptation of you plan in a day to Hamlet, will be set in shoot, the way you wantKashmir. He told us that ed it to be captured, his films play best and sometimes you do it, garner most attention in sometimes you don’t.

India rather than in diasBecause it’s very collaboporas, so he is meticulous rative work -with 300 in nurturing the Indian people! audience and catering to Most of the things it. That doesn’t mean come to me when I am diaspora Indians do not walking. If I walk, and appreciate his work, when I have had a very though. Afterward the good game of tennis, general meeting, Vishal after that, it’s the best gave AV an exclusive time for me to compose. interview.

Earlier I used to sit and He told me that he compose at the piano or

harmonium. Over the years I have changed the pattern and I don’t compose. I let the tune come to me.”

Vishal lives in Bombay and plays his tennis at Practennis in Andheri West every morning from 6.30to 8.30 and told me that that he’s already composed many songs on the journey home in his car.

His film inspirations are Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski, Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Serbian Emir Kusturica. “Good film always inspires you even when you don’t know the film maker.”

Satyajit Ray is one of his favourite Indian directors.

Vishal said that he has already filmed in Kashmir for an earlier movie.

“The Local Kashmiris, they love Bollywood films so they are always very happy and welcoming.” And was he worried about

security, I asked him?

“The administration provides you with full security over there,” answered Vishal.

As for locations, he was not yet sure where they might be; there were many choices including Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam.

Finally, how does

Vishal Bhardwaj put a script together and does he do it alone? The director replied, “The process of writing a script takes usually three to six months. You feed yourself and you keep working on it. You bounce ideas with friends, writer friends and then you physically sit and write it.”

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

MUSIC

Tanveer Mann

Jassi Sidhu returns after 2 years with brand new single 'Hipshaker'

More then 2 years after his last release, Jassi Sidhu is back with his brand new single ‘Hipshaker’. After the success of his 2011 album ‘singing between the lines’, Jassi embarked on a nonstop touring schedule which saw him perform in Africa, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Australia as well as the UK. He also featured in the 2011 international film breakaway (Speedy Singhs).

Now he has returned with a new sound & vibe for ‘Hipshaker’. Featuring the co-production skills of long time friend and international superstar DJ Bups Saggu & the rap debut of Canadian Youtube sensation & comedienne Superwomen, the song promises to attract listeners worldwide.

‘Hipshaker’ is traditional with a twist...traditional punjabi lyrics, modern day electronica beats, a new female rap artist with her own unique style & of course the unmistakable voice of Jassi Sidhu.

Did you know..?

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

STUDENT

The big budget video for the song directed by renowned actor Ameet Chana (Bend it like Bekham) & featuring international model & actress Jasmine Jardot (Jab Tak Hai Jaan) raises the bar for UK productions with its eye catching look, feel & picturisation.

After 17 years at the top of the Bhangra industry, Jassi Sidhu’s fans have come to expect something new every time and ‘Hipshaker’ definitely lives up to these expectations.

HIPSHAKER IS RELEASED WORLDWIDE ON ITUNES ON 29/08/2013 BY VANJHALI RECORDS

Word of the Week:

Turncoat - (n.) a person who switches to an opposing side or party

A mistake which seemed good at the time...

With term starting at University in a few weeks time, I thought it would be fitting to provide you with a list of things you will almost most definitely do and will most definitely regret after you finish university!

1. Bringing your car to university.

Perfect for driving to lectures, going to do groceries and going home for the weekends.

Not so perfect when your friends want a lift to the station or assume you will be the designated driver – everywhere. Be cautious of people with ulterior motives!

2. Buying every single book on your recommended reading list

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

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

BOOK REVIEW

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time,

by Mark Haddon Recently turned into a Broadway musical, British writer Mark Haddon's 2003 mystery novel is an amalgamation of a children's book with an adult's book and is truly emphatic on all levels. With it's protagonist as a 15 year old boy who suffers from autism and Asperger's syndrome, the author has cleverly intertwined a serious issue with a light-hearted storyline.

From the first-person perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone from Wiltshire, we learn about a boy who is obsessed with maths and science, a love of routine and his pet rat Toby; he dislikes the colours yellow and brown and hates anyone touching him. When his neighbour's dog is murdered, Christopher sets out to discover who was responsible for its murder.

During the course of this, he unveils some truths about his family which he never knew. Using a series of maths puzzles and science problems to calm himself down when things do not go according to plan, Christopher is an extremely likeable character whose observations on his life and surroundings will cause you to question the way you see things.

before lectures begin. Then either make a calculated decision on what you want to buy or wait until lectures have started, to see what is actually compulsory.

E L Y ST st-have Trends for

3. Choosing the largest room in your flat/house Having the best and biggest room in your flat is something every student wants to have . In the Summer when you are moving it in, it seems like the best decision, yet you will soon realise you won't use half the things you have brought over to uni and, quite frankly, it becomes dead space that will let cold air in the Winter. Pick the most convenient room over the size or space it has.

1. Animal prints A classic that has made it into AW13 catwalks again is the animal print. Its versatility but edgy nature makes it perfect for any day to night occasion.

4. Getting a part-time job Seems like a great idea when you start your first year – a little extra cash always helps. But come May and you are loaded with exams and coursework, the responsibilities and late night shifts you have to do could take its toll on your work. Remember you're at uni to learn so make that a priority.

5. Trusting all your new 'best friends' from freshers week It may seem like you have met your match by the second day of freshers but be careful who you trust. The true test is over the Christmas holidays when everyone goes home. You then realise who keeps in touch with you and who doesn't.

A common mistake that most people make when going to university, buying every single book before lectures have even started. Of course, the intention that you want to do well is great but it could leave you with no money to live! Think smart and email your professors for all syllabus's

15

u 2013 r e t Top 5 M in Fall/W

2. Pink – the colour of the season Be sure to grab yourself stylish clothing this autumn in shades of pink. From the dusty shades of pink seen at Topshop to the bubblegum pinks at Simone Rocha, there is something for everyone out there.

3. Oversized Shirts/Clothes/Sweaters The bigger the better this Autumn with oversized sweatshirts dressed up with heels and jewellery for a night out or dressed down for a comfy night in.

4. Leather Leather still remains a key style for winter in darker shades, as seen on the AW13 catwalks at Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. ` 5. Winter florals As seen on Dolce and Gabbana runways, florals have gone bold and dark for winter. Deep blues and rich reds set against black and navy will embellish your winter wardrobe.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

More trouble in for Anurag Kashyap

It seems there is more trouble in store for 'Bombay Velvet'.

First it was the film's budget that shot up by Rs 230 million, thanks to the sinking Indian rupee and now the director has landed in legal tangles with the service tax department. Anurag Kashyap will now have to leave the Sri Lanka shoot and fly down to Mumbai. With the director away, the shooting schedule, which was supposed to go on till November end, might suffer a setback and the film's budget can further shoot up too. A team of officials from the service tax department went to Kashyap's office and carried out a detailed investigation.

Kalki Koechlin, designer duo locked in verbal duel

Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin is miffed with fashion designer duo Riddhi and Siddhi Mapxencar after they allegedly called her "mentally unstable".

According to reports, 29-yearold Kalki, who was the show stopper for the designers at the fashion week forgot to walk the ramp with the duo. This move of hers angered the designers and they allegedly called her mentally disturbed.

"After a 4-hour wait in lehenga, jewellery make up they have the gall to call me mentally disturbed! Riddhi siddhi, dp designers, shame on you."

John Abraham seeks Oscars for “Madras Café” is making waves ‘Madras Café’ and for all the right reasons. While the box office numbers have been heartening enough for the makers John Abraham and Shoojit Sircar, it has also given them a shot in the arm to hunt for higher glories.

If inside information is to be believed, there is some serious planning being done to push the film as India's nomination for Oscars. “Both John and Shoojit are very serious about that," informs a source. "Last year they missed it when Barfi! was sent instead as a nomination. The disappointment of this miss was written all over their faces.

However they want to be well prepared this time around.”

Priyanka angry with Ram Charan?

Priyanka Chopra is one busy actress these days. With her music career and films going hand in the hand, Pee Cee seems to have her plate full. Her latest film to hit theatres soon is Apoorva Lakhia's “Zanjeer” where she stars opposite Ram Charan Teja, who makes his Bollywood debut. Off late it seems the actor has been upsetting Piggy Chops. As per media sources, Priyanka has been very busy with promotional events for Zanjeer while Ram Charan has been reaching all events very late. He falls behind schedule and has allegedly been keeping Pee Cee waiting well over an hour.

Suriya opens up on his love of life – Jo

The ever cheerful handsome dude of Kollywood has opened up in an interview on the love of his Life - Jo! The couple was last seen in the Coffee ad and their chemistry is intact!

Suriya has said that he didnt have the guts to get Jo's phone number for three years since their meeting. The actress who was already an established star then married after their love blossomed in “Kaakha Kaakha.” The actor further said that though he is a very shy person off the screen, Jo taught him to become more of an extrovert person. Jo was the person who gave him the courage to take up versatile roles and has made him realise his potential.

Topless Sherlyn Chopra wishes fans on Janmashtmi!

This controversial star never fails to take fans by surprise. Last year Sherlyn Chopra posed naked for the cover of international adult magazine Playboy, making her the first Indian to do so. Now on the auspicious occasion of Janmashtmi, Sherlyn has shocked all by posing a topless picture of herself on her Instagram account. This, apparently, is her way of wishing her followers. She further wrote on her account that before she started her day, she wanted to wish her fans a happy Janmashtmi.

Mallika Sherawat, Sunny Leone to come together

Mallika Sherawat and Sunny Leone will be uniting for the first time on-screen for an upcoming TV reality show – “The Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon ki Mallika.”

Mallika has already started shooting for her much awaited series, which is the Indian version of American competitive reality dating game show “The Bachelor.” The actress will soon have a friend and confidante in Indo-Canadian adult film star Sunny Leone, who will help her choose the best.

Sunny is headed to Udaipur to help Mallika choose the right man from the 30 contestants, vying for her attention.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

‘Vishwaroopam 2’ to beat its first part: Andrea B

“Vishwaroopam” was a cracker that exceeded the expectations of the viewers in a grand style, Kamal Hassan style. Now the sequel is touted to hit the theatres by Diwali. And most of the lead cast has been retained. In a recent media interaction, Andrea who had minor role in the original said that Kamal Hassan had made some changes in the script and she would be getting a dominating role. The film has been shot around Thailand and India extensively.

Ghibran has scored the music for this sequel.

Gowthaman to direct a film on Sri Lankan issue

Kollywood director Gowthaman's close relationship with late LTTE head Prabhakaran has inspired him to direct a film based on Sri Lankan civil war. The film is based on the novel, “Prabaharan Thamizhar Ezhuchiyin Vadivam,” written by Nedumaran.

Through this film the director wants to convey the truth about the war to the people. He said that some movies have misled the people about a LTTE and Prabhakaran. He said his movie would be a true reflection of the philosophy of Prabhakaran and LTTE.

Manoj Kumar to withdraw case against Shah Rukh Manoj Kumar who had filed a case against Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan for allegedly defaming him through the 2008 movie “Om Shanti Om,” has decided to withdraw all the cases. The decision was taken by the senior actor as he felt SRK and his team had let him down by not issuing a public apology, and by not taking out the objectionable scenes from the film. In fact, the scenes were reproduced in the new prints.. They didn't even show any remorse. As a result Manoj Kumar has decided to withdraw the case because it has failed in achieving the objective of bringing some sense of responsibility to Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan."

17

Kareena has no time to shoot with Anupam Kher

uzz is, Punit Malhotra is having a tough time getting Kareena Kapoor and Anupam Kher shoot together for his upcoming film “Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.”

No there is no bad blood between the two actors. It is the date diary that is acting as the villain. Although, Kareena and Anupam have already shot their respective scenes, there are a few scenes that require the two actors to shoot together.

A source said, "Anupam Kher had already allotted dates to shoot with Kareena but the actress could not

make it. Now, both the actors have got busy. Anupam is shooting David Dhawan's ‘Main Tera Hero’ and Kareena is promoting Prakash Jha's ‘Satyagraha.’ Punit and his team are trying their best to work out some common dates so that they can wrap up the shoot at the earliest."

When contacted, Punit said that he has a two-day shoot in Bhuj in the first week of next month.

However, it was not clear whether he has managed to get the dates of both his busy actors for the same.

Salman makes Madhuri blush!

B

ollywood star Salman Khan visited 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' to promote his upcoming reality show 'Bigg Boss 7' slated to go on air from September 15. The actor was seen having fun on the sets with the participants and the judges Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Remo D'souza. Especially with Madhuri Dixit, Salman's costar of many films.

Salman and Madhuri were seen creating some magical moments through dance on the sets. The actor also wooed the diva with some of his acts which made her blush.

Salman-Madhuri's chemistry has been lauded in the past in several superhit films like “Saajan,” “Dil Tera Aashiq,” “Hum Aapke Hain Koun” and “Hun Tumhare Hain Sanam” amongst many others.

The actor, who is on a promotional spree for Bigg Boss 7 would be hosting it for the fourth time and has been doing everything to promote it. The two eternal bachelors of Bollywood, Salman and Karan Johar were also seen bonding with each other.

Katrina and Deepika remain at loggerheads

F

orget and forgive seems to be a popular mantra in Bollywood (Shah Rukh and Salman's patch-up is a much cited example) this season but tinsel town's leading ladies, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone remain at loggerheads and the spat seems to be getting uglier. An obvious reason for their distaste for each other is a certain Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika's ex and Katrina's current flame. Though Katrina and Ranbir have recently been spotted together in Ibiza and Sri Lanka, it is wondered if Katrina has been able to forget Deepika's 'lingering kiss' with her boyfriend at the success party of “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.” And with Deepika's rising star, professional rivalry too has become an important factor in their already fraught relationship. With the blockbuster “Chennai Express” in her kitty, Deepika has become the only actress to cross the Rs 5 billion mark in a single year ( Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express) surpassing competitors, Katrina and Kareena Kapoor. According to a source close to Katrina, it was Deepika's recent 'holier than thou' comment on the bikini episode, which has incensed the actress.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

By the time you read this I will have visiting Chandigarh, Amritsar, Lucknow and Delhi and be back in London – all in one week from 0350 starts to get to the airport and finishing very late. This is my Government role when I work 18 hour days. But for my investments I never do. I said last week that Summer is a good time to think about your investments of course, but take a longer view on improving your investment self.

I said I would in this part 3 continue to explain the rules for creating time to improve your investments.

These are the final part of the rules: 1. My Microsoft Outlook tells most people I rarely check my emails. That’s your problem not mine. I rarely check my cellphone, actually, I rarely carry a cellphone.

Call the office if you want me, if I’m there. But doesn’t that make it difficult for other people? Ummm….and your point is? I have time, time is money. Why should I donate money to you? Time to help good causes remember. Are you a sex-trafficked woman, a hungry child, or a martyred soldier? Are you a client? Are you family?

What does this have to do with my Faith?

2. I rarely go to events, unless they’re very unusual or one of the causes I care most about.

3. I don’t multitask. I don’t do calls whilst brushing my teeth.

4. Only an idiot thinks every email deserves an answer. Think how to create time capacity. I recently met such a prize idiot – he nearly brought down an entire organisation because he thought every email deserves an urgent and immediate response, and from himself no less.

5. I ask ‘if this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?’ Sometimes that ‘thing’ may take only 5 minutes. Okay, that’s my day done. Why not work more? See above.

6. If anyone causes me stress, I kill them. I don’t do shallow socialites and prefer people to have 3-digit IQs. I found myself at a dinner with a TV presenter recently who claimed to have been educated at Oxford. I can only assume it was some charitable scholarship for the slow of thinking. Won’t be doing dinner with that person again. That was precious thinking time down the drain.

Remove those, and you will have more wealth.

7. I have post-its and reminders daily which ask me if I am being productive and effective or just trying to avoid doing the important. I know 80% of my results come from 20% of my work.

8. 9-5 is not a rule. I get in later than that, a throwback to when I was a barrister. And I leave usually for the gym around 4pm.

9. Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and lack of focus.

10. I automate as much work as possible. Time is freedom. Time is money is wealth.

11. None of this means I do not devote to good causes. It does means I actually have the time to do so, for my causes, my family, my faith, my business and never need to think ‘work-life’ balance.

12. And what is happiness? Having the time to do all those things and have adventures.

13. When I do Government work in India, I work 18 hour days. As has happened by the time you read this for the past five days straight. For my country – I kill myself!

Manmohan Singh hints at more difficult economic reforms

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stressed on the need to move to more difficult reforms like the reduction of subsidies, insurance and pension reform, elimination of bureaucratic red tape and implementation of GST, and sought political consensus for the same.

"The easy reforms of the past have been done. We have the more difficult reforms to do...These are not low-hanging fruit and need political consensus," Singh said in a statement in both Houses of Parliament.

"I urge members along the political spectrum to reflect on the need of the hour. Many laws that are necessary are held up for political consensus.

Reforms such as GST, which everyone agrees is essential to restore growth, require states to come to an agreement. I urge the political parties...to join in the government's efforts to put the economy back on

the path of stable growth," he said in a statement that was followed by a walkout by the BJP in the Lok Sabha in reaction to Singh's decision to leave the House immediately after the statement.

The Prime Minister ruled out capital controls or reversal of reforms in view of the sharp and sudden decline of the rupee.

He said that though the sudden decline of the rupee was shocking, the government was addressing this through measures including orderly financing of the current outfit.

Blaming the sharp depreciation of the rupee

on the markets' reaction to unexpected global developments like prospect of US Federal Reserve tapering its policy of quantitative easing and tensions over Syria, Singh said the rupee was also hit due to India's large current account deficit and other domestic factors.

He said the US central bank's indications in May that it would soon taper its quantitative easing had sharply pulled down not just the rupee but also the Brazilian Real, Turkish Lira, the Indonesian Rupiah and South African Rand.

Also blaming huge imports of gold, higher costs of crude oil imports and, recently, of coal, Singh said the country needs to reduce its appetite for gold, economize the use of petroleum products and take steps to increase exports.

"The RBI and government have taken a number of steps to stabilise the rupee. Some measures have

given rise to doubts...that capital controls are on the horizon...there is no question of reversing the (current economic) policies just because there is turbulence in capital and currency markets," he said.

PM highlights bright side of crashing rupee: Singh told parliament that the crashing value of the rupee was part of a needed adjustment that would make Asia's third-largest economy more competitive.

The speech was the veteran economist's first substantial comment to parliament since the rupee suffered its steepest ever monthly fall in recent weeks, bringing back memories of a 1991 balance of payments crisis that made Singh famous.

Reading from a written statement, the prime minister promised his government would reduce the "unsustainably large" current account deficit undermining the currency.

relations between the two sides, long strained by clashes about the Wireless dividend and who would eventually seize full ownership.

Under the terms, Vodafone will get $58.9 billion in cash, $60.2 billion in Verizon stock, and an additional $11 billion from smaller transactions in a deal that is due to close in the first quarter of

next year. The deal will become the third largest announced deal in the world after Vodafone's $203 billion takeover of Germany's Mannesmann in 1999 and AOL's $181 billion acquisition of Time Warner the following year.

Verizon has also managed to raise one of the largest ever financing packages at $60 billion.

"We think we have a balanced approach here," Colao told reporters, adding that he was "super committed" to the next chapter of the company. "We are reducing our debt level which will enable the company to be very robust and take opportunities if they arise."

McAdam said simply that the time was right to buy.

Verizon, Vodafone agree to $130 bn Wireless deal

Verizon Communications has agreed to pay $130 billion to buy Vodafone Group out of its US wireless business, signing history's third largest corporate deal announcement to bring an end to an often tense 14-year marriage.

The deal in cash and stock will give Verizon full access to the profits from the United States' largest mobile operator, handing it fresh firepower to invest in its mobile network and fend off challengers in a tough market that is fast becoming even more competitive.

For the British group, the accord will allow it to return 71 per cent of the net proceeds - or $84 billion, including all of the stock -

to shareholders while also ramping up investment in its networks to set itself apart from rivals.

The deal, in which Verizon will buy Vodafone's 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, is the defining event in the careers of Vittorio Colao and Lowell McAdam, the chief executives of Vodafone and Verizon, respectively. They had succeeded in rebuilding

Diaspora staying away as India’s economic outlook darkens

The patriotism of wealthy overseas Indians has helped the country avert economic crises in the past and it is little surprise that embattled policymakers are turning to them again to plug a record trade gap that is battering the rupee.

This time, though, big investors among the more than 25-million overseas Indian community - the world's secondlargest diaspora - are staying away as the economic outlook darkens and political instability looms ahead of national elections.

Shoring up inflows from the overseas Indians is a key weapon in finance minister P Chidambaram's arsenal to propup the rupee that has lost 20 per cent against the dollar so far this year and which dropped to a record last week.

The rupee's crash has boosted remittances, mainly from blue-collar workers overseas particularly in the Gulf - who can get more rupees for hard currency. However, it has not triggered a surge in high-value investments in real estate, private equity funds and stock markets, bankers and wealth managers said.

Underlining the hesitancy, flows from expatriates into bank deposits in the April-June quarter dropped to $5.5 billion from $6.6 billion a year-earlier, central bank data shows.

Investments in real estate by overseas Indians dropped about 30 per cent in the fiscal year that ended in March, according to the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI), an umbrella group of

local property developers.

"People feel like there are too many unknowns. The most recent government has been ghastly, and nobody quite knows what comes after it. I haven't been optimistic about India for quite a while," said Vasant Prabhu, chief financial officer of

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc in New York.

"What makes it hard, you don't know what the bottom of the rupee is," he said in comments underscored by a rupee that stumbled from 63 per dollar to almost 69 per dollar - a sharp move over such a short period of time for a currency.

His comments were echoed by wealth managers and bankers in Britain, the United States and India who said non-resident Indian clients saw too many uncertainties despite the tantalising prospect of buying assets with a record-low rupee.

Economic growth is at its weakest in a decade and seen slowing further, New Delhi is struggling to close a record deficit in the current account the broadest measure of a coun-

try's international trade - and a national election that must be held by May could tempt the government to spend to win over voters and so undermine its fiscal discipline.

In addition, emerging markets are losing favour with investors generally as the prospect of the United States reining in its economic stimulus draws cash into US assets.

In a bid to attract funds, India liberalised bank deposit schemes and some banks raised rates for overseas Indians this month. They could secure interest rates of more than 8.5 per cent on one-year rupee deposits and as much as 10 per cent on three-year accounts, a relatively high return compared with many other countries where rates remain near historic lows.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

FINANCIAL VOICE

When it rains it pours

19

We have been trying to close a deal in Ealing for about a month now, the property is in Ealing Broadway consisting of four shops and residential upper parts above. The residential is currently made up of rooms and is in a dilapidated state, surprisingly it's still rented to tenants.

The commercial is producing £183,000 per annum, and is made up of three private tenants who have been there for decades.

It has a good strong commercial tenant as well who are Ladbrokes.

The residential element has planning for 12 flats. A flat in Ealing Broadway will fetch £300,000 in a good condition; the expected end value will be £3.6m. We have been advised that the commercial element is expected to be £2.75m to £3m. When purchasing a deal we cannot ask the wrong people for advice, you have to keep your cards close to your chest.

Thus the end value of the project with the flat completed is expected to be £6.35m to £6.6m. With a purchase price of £4.6m and a refurbishment cost of approximately £1m this is a good deal.

We packaged the project up and raised a target £2.5m, just so we can be flush with funds to complete the purchase and develop the project.

We never intended to pay the asking price of £4.6m and wanted to reduce the purchase price and purchase the company the property was held in rather than the property itself.

The group selling the property owned many properties and weren’t in the habit of selling anything, and so selling was a new experience for them.

Th e pu rpose of selling was to sat isfy the ban k who they o wed mo ney to. There were many pro perties in the co mpany so it was n ot possible t o purchase the compan y.

Normally when one company own s o ne pro perty it 's easier for a purchaser to come and purchase t he compan y rather than the pro pe rty. This t hen redu ces t he level of stamp du ty paid fro m 4% to 0.5%.

We were supposed to exchange on Friday after clarifying a few points, then today on Monday (at the time of writing this article), so now hopefully we will put this to bed tomorrow morning.

The second deal we hope to exchange on tomorrow is a mews house in St John's Wood, which we're purchasing for £1.81m and we're going to spend £200k doing the property up with the aim of reselling it for £2.75m within a 12 month period. This is a freehold property which consists of 1,745 sq ft, this comes to £1,037 per sq ft. The price for St John's Wood is £1,500 per sq ft at least; we're confident of achieving a resell of £2.75m on this. The other factor is this is an area which is increasing month on month.

There was one property which we sold on yesterday which has an interesting story. This property was one which we had helped to finance many years ago for a client who had no money at all.

The property was a one bedroom in Stonebridge Park, Wembley, purchased for £121k in August 2010. The property was purchased by someone who had no money to put a deposit down, he had no job and no fixed income.

He managed to arrange an 85% mortgage through a high street bank and simultaneously arranged for a personal loan for £25k, which was then used as his deposit; he timed the two loans very well.

The aim was always to use a plaster board to change the flat from a one bedroom to a two bedroom. This clever procedure allowed him not only to rent the property as a bona fide two bedroom property for £300pw, but also to sell it a few years later, in fact only yesterday, for £180k! Making him over £30k in profit in two years with no money. It was miraculous.

We have also used the plaster board technique in other properties, for example one in Edgware Rd in an ex council property.

The property was a duplex and was purchased for £235k; with £15k of basic refurbishment and a plaster board it was changed from a one bedroom to a two bedroom property. It was then rented for £550pw and later attracted an offer of £325k. The landlord was too business minded to sell and so kept the property as a cash cow, generating a good income every month.

Currently we are also working on an office block outside Harrow on the Hill station. Harrow is an area which has a high concentration of Gujaratis, in fact I have heard it’s the highest in the country.

The office block is being purchased for £2.825m and we will be applying for planning to convert this block to 26 flats; perfect buy to let investments right outside the Met line which will take you to Baker St station within 30 minutes.

The block will require an exchange this week as well, though this one will have space for investors to come on board even after exchange. The refurbishment cost on this will be approx £1.5m and the resell is expected to be £6.5m within two years. The completed properties may be ones to keep hold of as I cannot imagine they will stay vacant for any length of time.

Even in this scenario the company can transfer the property from one company to another one without paying stamp duty, however their accountant for some reason was having none of it.

He was adamant for us to pay the HMRC the full level of stamp duty. Perhaps he was concerned the government currently needs all the money it can get.

So we only managed to achieve one of our two objectives, the one which was to reduce the price. We went back and forth with prices starting at a cheeky £4m and then to and fro till we agreed on £4.2m. We put our money where our mouth is and made sure the money was in our solicitors client account, before we started negotiating the price down.

It 's su rprising how man y peo ple go an d put offe rs forward and pu ll con tracts without havin g the mo ney to complete . It is the equ ivalent of pic king something u p in a shop and going t o t he c ount er kn owing fu ll well yo u don’ t h ave the money.

Some of these people are traders who have no money and so they try to sell on the property without themselves owning or exchanging on it. This is a risky strategy and one which will win you no friends and a bad reputation in the market. We managed to exchange on a pub, even though there was someone else buying at a higher price, but didn’t they have the funds to do so. They were trying to flip the property.

The Real Deal

Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 Purchase Price: £2.825m l Building in Harrow with development potential l Four floors l Freehold

l Net internal area of 18,759 sq ft

l End value after works expected to be £6.5m Call us now if you like to have a piece of the pie!

Call us if you want a piece of this pie.

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week

l Remember you don’t have to pay Capital Gains tax until you sell a property; and you never have to sell a property, you can still extract the increase in price by way of remortgaging and these funds can be reinvested in better opportunities.

l Decision making and speed are two characteristics which separate the investors who make money and those who do not. More people lose money by not making a decision than making the wrong decisions when investing in property.

20

UK

Maria Fernandes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

maria@abplgroup.com

Business visitors: rights and responsibilities Categories of visitors have expanded over the last few years and the result of this is that it can sometimes be difficult to decide which one to select. The business visa category appears to cause the greatest number of problems.

The following qualify as business visitors: • Film crew – in particular actor, producer, director, or technician shooting on location and employed by an overseas company • Representatives of news media making programmes for overseas publications • Academic visitors in certain specified circumstances • Religious workers undertaking some preaching or pastoral work • Advisers, troubleshooters, consultants or trainers employed abroad and not coming to the UK for employment paid or unpaid • Specific one-off training providing it is not on the job training.

• Secondees from an overseas company providing the UK company has a contract to provide goods or services but no corporate relationship with the UK company and paid by the overseas company • Doctors or dentists undertaking clinical attachments which involves observation only and is unpaid • Doctors taking the PLAB test In addition visitors

qualify if they carry out “permitted activities” which include: • attending meetings (including interviews arranged before you come to the UK) or conferences; • arranging deals, or negotiating or signing trade agreements or contracts; • fact-finding missions; • site visits; • delivering goods and passengers from abroad genuinely working an international route; • accompanying a tour group as a tour group courier, provided you are contracted to a firm outside the UK • speaking at a 'oneoff' conference not run as a commercial concern; • representing a foreign manufacturer by coming to service or repair its products within their initial period of guarantee; • representing a foreign machine manufacturer by coming to erect and install machinery too heavy to be delivered in one piece, as part of the contract of purchase and supply; • interpreting or translating for visiting business persons, provided you are employed by the overseas company and coming solely to provide this service for the person; • acting as a monteur (a worker such as a fitter or serviceperson) for up to 6 months to erect, dismantle, install, service, repair or advise on the development of foreign-made

machinery; • attending board meetings in the UK as a board-level director, provided you are not employed by a UK company (although you may be paid a fee for attending the meeting) • representing a computer software company by coming to install, debug or enhance their products.

If you use your expertise to make a detailed assessment of a potential customer's requirements, this is regarded as consultancy work for which you will need a visa under the points-based system.

• In addition there are prohibitions on activities other than employment.

• undertaking a course of study; • marrying or registering a civil partnership, or giving notice of marriage or civil partnership; or • receiving private medical treatment.

• Undertaking paid or unpaid employment or produce goods or provide services to the public Finally, applicants cannot live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits.

Business visits are only expected to last a few days in most cases and long stays are likely to result in closer scrutiny.

Business visitors are permitted to stay for a maximum of 6 months.

Those who have multiple entry visas can come and go but can only stay for 6 months on each entry.

Microsoft to buy Nokia's handset business for $7.2 bn

Microsoft Corp said it would buy Nokia Oyj's phone business and license its patents for 5.44 billion euros, making its boldest foray yet into mobile devices and bringing executive Stephen Elop back into the fold.

Nokia chief Elop, a former Microsoft executive, will return as Microsoft's board ponders a successor to current CEO Steve Ballmer, who will depart sometime in the next 12 months after initiating a reorganization intended to transform the software company into a devices and services group in the mould of Apple Inc. The sale of Nokia's phone business marks the exit of a 150-year-old company that once dominated the global cellphone market and remains one of Europe's premier technology brands, even though Apple and Samsung Electronics' ascendancy all

but reduced it to irrelevancy in Asia and North America in recent years.

"For a lot of us Finns, including myself, Nokia phones are part of what we grew up with. Many first reactions to the deal will be emotional," said Alexander Stubb,

Finland's minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, on his Twitter account.

The sale price of the phone business, at about one-quarter of its sales last year, represented a "fire sale level," according to analyst Tero Kuittinen at consultancy Alekstra, although others disagreed on pricing.

"What should be paid for declining business, where market share has been constantly lost and profitability has been poor?" said Hannu Rauhala, an analyst at Pohjola Bank. "It is difficult to say if it’s cheap or expensive."

Nokia - reduced to its networks business, navigation offerings and patent portfolio after the sale - is still the world's No. 2 mobile phone maker behind Samsung, but it is not in the top five in the more lucrative and faster-growing smartphone market.

Sales of Nokia's Lumia series have helped the market share of Windows Phones in the global smartphone market climb to 3.3 per cent, according to consultancy Gartner, overtaking ailing BlackBerry Ltd for the first time this year.

Still, Google Inc's Android and Apple's iOS system make up 90 per cent of the market.

Exporters in India run out of capacity to meet orders from US, UK the orders for October and December are much higher," said Sudhir Dhingra, chairman and managing director of Gurgaon-based apparel exporter Orient Craft. The rapid decline in the value of the rupee over the past few months has given an edge to sectors like apparel, which rely less on imported content.

Besides, the recent government efforts to boost exports by measures such as interest subvention have also benefited the apparel industry. "We are now able to compete against Bangladesh and China," Dhingra said.

Although sluggish, the recovery in the US and Euro zone has also helped the Indian apparel industry. The US gross domestic product grew 2.5% in the quarter to June, higher than the 1.7% growth initially estimated.

The Euro zone edged out of recession after nearly two years, growing 0.3% in the second quarter of 2013. "The recovery in the US during the last few months has resulted in a 25% rise in our order book for spring demand," said

Amit N Goyal, managing director at Sarju International, an apparel exporter to the US and Europe. Rafeeque Ahmed, chairman of Farida Group, said he saw an 18-20% growth in exports in July and August.

"Demand from the US and Europe improved tremendously, specially for footwear. For us, the UK recorded a 20% growth and Germany 12% growth," Ahmed said.

Engineering exports also expected to benefit from these developments, turning positive in August against a 1.5% decline in July. "August was better, we may see a positive number, but September will be bad due to an 8% increase in steel prices," said Aman Chadha, managing director at Indo Nikko Industries, an exporter of automotive components and bearings to the US and the EU. With high import content and high domestic input prices, engineering exports will take long to show a recovery at the pace of sectors like apparel and leather, he added.

With the economy in distress, leading industrialist Ratan Tata has said India has lost the confidence of the world and the government has been slow to recognize it. He also said the government has “swayed” under the influence of vested interests in private sector and policies have been “changed, delayed and manipulated”.

Tata, who demitted office as Tata group chairman last December, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held India’s “esteem high but in recent times we have lost that esteem.” He further said it would be good for the country if policies were implemented as they were written.

“The government has issued policy which vested interests, quite often in private sector have changed, delayed or manipulated that policy. So, for one rea-

son or the other, the government has swayed with those forces,” Tata said.

Recollecting the 1991 reforms, when “the brave moves were made,” he said “it’s the same team. What has happened in my view is that there have been forces...too many competing interests. By and large whatever is happening should be looked at to the benefit of the people of India not to few vested interests in India.”

While stressing that his respect for the leadership of Singh continued to be “very high,” he, however, said there was is a lack of leadership in the country to lead from the front.

India's plan to provide cheap grains to the poor is credit negative and will exacerbate the government's weak finances, Moody's Investors Service said in a statement. "The measure is credit negative for the Indian government because it will raise government spending on food subsidies to about 1.2 per cent of GDP per year from an estimated 0.8 per cent currently, exacerbating the government's weak finances," Moody's said.

Moody's currently has a "Baa3" sovereign rating on India, or its lowest investment-grade rating, with a "stable" outlook. The Lok Sabha approved a plan worth nearly 1.35 trillion rupees to provide cheap grain to the poor, a key part of the ruling Congress party's strategy to win a straight third term.

India could get its first London-listed dedicated feeder fund soon that would raise dollars from overseas investors and plough it into infrastructure debt funds (IDFs) in the country, said two finance ministry official familiar with the development.

"There are foreign investors who are willing to put in long-term funds...The feeder fund is an attempt at luring them," said a finance ministry official.

The fund could raise $2-3 billion to begin with,

said another official. India is eyeing several measures to boost long-term stable capital flows into the country to finance its current account deficit that it hope to contain below $70 billion (3.7% of GDP) in 2013-14.

The ministry feels this can help catalyze foreign capital flows into various infrastructure sector projects that the government has been clearing in a bid to revive investments.

Projects worth Rs 1,830 billion were cleared by the cabinet committee on investments in its last meet.

"Volume of projects eligible for debt funds is rising...Road projects under public-private partnership operations, in kms, will keep doubling every two years since 2011," said Manish Agarwal, executive director, PwC. The feeder fund would be structured like a fund of funds that will pool capital from foreign investors to be deployed in IDFs, the official said. The structure of the fund is being finalised with assistance from the British government.

India's merchandise exports in August are likely to have sustained the high growth of the previous month, with apparel exporters saying they ran out of capacity to meet the orders from the US and the UK. Commerce secretary S R Rao said that the numbers suggest that the export figure in August is likely to be as impressive as in July, when the country saw an 11.6% growth in exports.

"Exports have continued to do well even in August. We are likely to see a higher growth," Rao said. Rao said the increase in exports would help the government bring down the trade deficit to less than that of last fiscal's $ 191 billion. Trade deficit in the current fiscal has already touched $ 61 billion.

Large apparel exporters have seen an over 30% growth in shipments in August, against a 20% growth in July.

"We have no capacities at the moment, else we would have sold more.

August growth is over 30% for us. We are trying to build more capacities as

India has lost confidence of world, says Ratan Tata

Moody's says India's food subsidy bill ‘credit negative’

India's first UK-listed feeder fund likely soon

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

21

Foreign Exchange

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

Carney’s moves bolsters pound position The United Kingdom’s government rejected possible military action in Syria with a very tight vote of 285-272. With the UN, time will tell as to whether the UK will have to re-think its stance. Any global action over the Syrian crisis still remains in the balance however with the UK’s position now conflicting with that of the US, the UN’s conclusions over the use of chemical weapons is more important than ever. The potential global consequences of any military action are far reaching so the fallout onto global financial markets could be significant.

In the United Kingdom, house prices have continued to rise partly aided by the government backed help to buy scheme. UK house-price growth accelerated in August amid the strongest market conditions for six years as demand continued to outpace the number of homes for sale. Average values in England and Wales rose 0.4 percent after a 0.3 percent gain in July. Prices were up 1.8 percent from a year earlier, the most since July 2010.

We saw big movements on

Mark Carney

the pound on Wednesday following a speech made by Mark Carney in London. . The Bank of England Governor had been expected to talk about the forward guidance that the bank have implemented; linking the unemployment rate to the base interest rate in the UK. He didn’t disappoint.

Carney was quick to make one point very clear. Stating that the bank needs to see the unemployment rate fall from 7.8% to 7.0% before looking at increasing the interest rate (something the bank forecast in

three years) will not be a simple ‘trigger’ and that continued economic growth will be closely monitored to ensure that any rate increases will not be damaging to the recovering economy.

The second point Carney made was that he is increasing the amount of money that will be available for banks to lend by reducing the amount of capital the country’s banks need to hold on deposit with the Bank of England as a safeguard. He went on to say that this is possible as the risks facing the banks

have decreased sufficiently to allow such a move. Lending in the UK is estimated to receive (or at least have access to) an additional £90bn.

These moves by Carney bolstered the pound’s position as investor’s pounced on the positive steps taken by the bank to improve the credit situation in the UK. The decision on interest rates will now appear to be a waiting game. If the 7% unemployment rate is met within the bank’s forecasted timescale, will Carney implement any of the caveats to hold off on a rate increase?

Germany’s overall unemployment rate remains constant however inflation came in below expectation. US initial jobless claims figures came in broadly in line with expectation however more surprisingly perhaps was the revision of the Q2 GDP figures from the states which saw a significant rise from 1.7% to 2.5%. It may well be the case that when the Federal Reserve meet on September 17th they will find this data hard to ignore as speculation continues to grow over the QE program in the US.

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 3rd September 2013 @ 3pm

GBP - INR = 105.21 USD - INR = 67.63 EUR - INR = 89.05 GBP - USD = 1.56 GBP - EUR = 1.18

EUR - USD = 1.32 GBP - AED = 5.71

GBP - CAD = 1.64

GBP - NZD = 1.99

GBP - AUD = 1.72

GBP - ZAR = 16.04

GBP - HUF = 356.71

www.rationalfx.com

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

22

PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-SRI LANKA

In Focus

Indian firing kills 11, claims Pak

Islamabad: The Pakistan parliament was informed that 11 Pakistani citizens, including eight soldiers, have been killed this year in "unprovoked firing" by India across the line of control (LoC) in the Kashmir region, reports Xinhua. Speaking in the National Assembly, Sartaj Aziz, advisor to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, said that in addition, 31 people, including army troops, have been injured in the firing incidents since January.

The statement came amid escalation of ceasefire violations along the LoC that has caused diplomatic tension between the two countries. Aziz said Pakistan wants mediation on the Kashmir issue and wants to resolve it through talks.

Pak military official in Beijing for advice on top appointments?

Beijing: General Khalid Shameem Wynne, chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), met Chinese vice-premier Zhang Gaoli in Beijing last week. The meeting came just days before Pakistan is expected to make two important appointments in its armed forces: the next army chief and JCSC chairman. Wynne, one of the top two military officers of Pakistan, is believed to have consulted Beijing on the new appointments and assured it of Pakistan's continued friendship. China is particularly worried about the upcoming retirement of Ashraf Parvez Kayani, the Pakistan Army chief, who is seen as having ensured that Taliban militants do not spill over the border into its restive Xinjiang province.

Pak top court drops contempt notice against Imran Khan

Islamabad: Pakistan's supreme court dropped a contempt charge against former cricketer and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan. The notice had been brought against him for his use of the word "sharamnak" in a press conference on July 26 in reference to what he called inaction by the judiciary and election commission over alleged rigging in the country's general elections in May this year. According to local media reports, Khan told the court that he never criticized the judiciary. "Why is it being misconstrued... I only referred to the returning officers and never named the supreme court or the superior judiciary," Geo News quoted Khan as telling the court.

Reprieve for Pak doctor who helped find Osama bin Laden

Peshawar: Pakistan overturned a 33-year jail term handed down to a doctor who helped CIA agents find al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, a decision which may result in a new trial. Shakil Afridi, hailed as a hero by US officials, was arrested after US special forces killed bin Laden in May 2011 in the town of Abbottabad in a secret raid that outraged Pakistan and strained relations between the strategic allies.

Afridi's conviction in 2012 further soured the atmosphere. US senators withheld $33 million in aid in retaliation. Senior judicial official overturned the ruling on the grounds that another official had exceeded his authority when handing down last year's sentence.

Woman booked for declaring herself Prophet in Pakistan

Lahore: A woman was arrested by Pakistani police for declaring herself a “Prophet” under the controversial blasphemy laws. According to police, Salma Fatima, wife of Tanvir, who lived in the vicinity of Gulberg, a thickly-populated locality of Lahore, distributed 'blasphemous' pamphlets in the area. In the pamphlets, police said not only she declared herself a "Prophet of Muslims but also had committed blasphemy in the honour of Prophet Muhammad." The locals rushed to her residence. Police also reached there to control the situation. According to an eyewitness, before the mob turned violent, the police arrested the woman and shifted her to women’s police station.

Sri Lanka heading in ‘authoritarian direction’: UN rights chief

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Colombo: UN human rights chief Navi Pillay hit out against the Sri Lanka government, saying that four years after the end of civil war people were still suffering amid signs the country was headed in an authoritarian direction.

"It is important everyone realise that although the fighting is over, the suffering is not," Pillay told a news conference at the end of a controversial fact-finding mission to assess Sri Lanka's progress after the 26-year war between the government and separatist Tamils.

"I'm deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction."

Pillay visited the former northern war zones in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and the eastern district of Trincomalee, and met leaders in the capital of Colombo. The visit has sparked demonstrations for and against her mission.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that his people believed the UN is a biased organisation, and a report she was due to release next month had already prejudged the country.

A UN panel has said it has "credible allegations" that both sides committed atrocities and war crimes, and singled out the government for most of the blame. Pillay said the reconstruction and the redevelopment are important achievements in the former war zones.

"However, physical reconstruction alone will not bring reconciliation, dignity, or lasting peace," Pillay said.

"Clearly, a more holistic approach is needed to provide truth, justice and reparations of people's suffering during the war."

She also said that she was concerned about the degree to which the "military appears to be putting down roots and becoming involved in what should be civilian

activities, for instance education, agriculture and even tourism."

Pillay's visit followed a second US-sponsored UN resolution in March this year that urged Sri Lanka to carry out credible investigations into killings and disappearances during the civil war, especially in the final stages.

Sri Lanka has come under international pressure to bring to book those accused of war crimes and boost efforts to reconcile a polarised country. It has rejected the accusations of rights abuses, but Rajapaksa last month ordered an inquiry

into mass disappearances.

UN rights chief transgressing mandate: Lanka Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has accused UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay of transgressing her mandate during her weeklong fact-finding mission in the country.

"The high commissioner's observation that Sri Lanka is showing signs of heading in an increasingly authoritarian direction is a political statement on her part, which clearly transgresses her mandate and the basic norms which should be observed by a discerning international civil servant," Lankan government said in a statement.

The government charges that she had failed to recognize the freedom people now enjoy following the end to the conflict in 2009.

Her judgment on the leadership of Sri Lanka was "better left for the people of Sri Lanka to decide than being caricatured by external entities influenced by vested interests", the statement said.

Islamabad: The World Bank has said Pakistan would benefit from granting the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India. The World Bank also suggests the two countries sign power transmission and trade agreements.

The 293-page World Bank document - Pakistan the Transformative Path - presents a possible list of the 12 most urgent transformational reforms required to be taken by the Nawaz Sharif government and include the MFN status for India, the import of electricity from India, among others, The News reported.

On August 20, the World Bank had announced that it had put together a Country Economic Memorandum and 16 sector-specific Policy Notes for the Sharif government to consider.

Ignoring the tensions as well as the complexities of the irritants, the World Bank suggested

to Islamabad: "Completing the trade normalization process with India and granting it the MFN status would help Pakistan benefit quickly from the fast growth and large markets," the report said.

"Conservative estimates suggest that bilateral trade flows could multiply at least three times, and most observers agree that the growth-enhancing dynamics that this process would unleash would be even more significant for foreign direct investment (especially information technology and manufacturing), services (including financial and tourism), integrated value chains in manufacturing, and power projects," the Policy Note said.

The document says, "A power transmission link with India, under a power tariff arrangement benefiting both countries, could be implemented in the next 6-12 months.

Islamabad: Pakistan police registered murder charges against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with the death of a radical cleric during the siege of a mosque in 2007.

It is the latest in a series of charges dating back to Musharraf's 1999-2008 rule, which the retired general has faced since returning from self-imposed exile in March.

Radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was one of more than 100 people killed after Pakistani troops stormed the Red Mosque in Islamabad on July 10, 2007. Ghazi's brother, Abdul Aziz, escaped in a burqa.

The operation opened the floodgates to a Taliban-led insurgency that has killed thousands of people in Pakistan. "The HC ordered Islamabad police to register murder charges against Musharraf on a petition filed

by the son of Rashid Ghazi," said Tariq Asad, a lawyer who represented Ghazi in court.

"The court ordered police to register the case earlier as well but their instructions were not followed. Today, the court made Islamabad police officials write the case inside the court room and comply with the orders right there," he said.

Police confirmed that the charges had been registered.

"We have booked Musharraf under section 302/119 of the law, which deals with murder charges," Qasim Niazi, a senior police official, said.

Kabul: Women across Afghanistan risk being unable to vote in next year's presidential elections because of a severe shortage of women in the security forces, the country's election monitor said.

A f g h a n i s t a n ' s Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that there were just 2,000 of the required 12,000 women needed to carry out body searches required for voters entering polling stations set aside specially for women.

Voting is segregated as the two sexes are not permitted to mingle in public in conservative Afghanistan.

The shortfall of women staff is one of the greatest challenges facing the government

ahead of the vote, planned for April 5.

"This is a really important issue for the IEC. We must have the same opportunities for male and females," IEC spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor said.

Recruiting women into the police force was considered an important victory for Western efforts to promote equality after the toppling of the hardline Islamist Taliban in 2001.

However a report late last year found the aspirations of Afghanistan's female police force have been poisoned by a steady stream of taunts, molestations and even rapes by their male colleagues.

Recruitment has proved slow and numbers remain far below President Hamid

Karzai's target of 5,000 women by the end of 2014.

To make up for the election day shortfall, the ministry of interior is considering training female teachers to carry out searches at polling stations, the IEC said.

The ministry of education was prepared to "help in any way possible", a spokesman said, though it was unclear whether the plan was workable.

Election officials encountered similar problems at the 2009 presidential poll, with female staff present at only 30 per cent of polling stations set aside for women.

No figures for turnout of female voters are available, but officials say the numbers were very low, except in cen-

tral Bamiyan province and areas in the country's north.

In some areas in the less secure south and southeast, officials and international observers reported that almost no women voted.

Even if the ministry finds and trains the 10,000 women needed to secure polling stations, in Afghanistan's most conservative provinces, hardly any women have registered to vote.

"We have been visiting homes and trying to get women together to explain why voting is important, that they have a voice and despite government corruption their vote does matter," said Neda Khaihani, a member of the provincial council in Baghlan in the north.

Navi Pillay

Giving Most Favoured Nation status Lal Masjid operation: Murder to India will benefit Pak: World Bank charges against Musharraf filed

Lack of security may keep Afghan women from presidential vote

WORLD

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

In Focus

Indian-origin cardiologist named White House fellow Washington: Kapil Parakh, an Indian-origin cardiologist working in Washington area, is among a dozen people chosen by the White House for its prestigious fellowship programme for 2013-14. A Zambia University graduate, Parakh is the director of heart failure at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Centre and assistant professor in the Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Behaviour and Society.

Mandela returns home

Johannesburg: Antiapartheid leader and former South African president Nelson Mandela returned to his home in Houghton on Sunday, where he will continue to receive intensive care after three months in hospital. Mandela (95), spent 87 days in a Pretoria hospital after he was rushed there in early June suffering from a recurring lung infection, a legacy of the nearly three decades he spent in jail under apartheid. “Madiba’s condition remains critical and is at times unstable.

23

Facebook to pay over `800,000 Mombasa Pathologist to Indian for finding critical bug Knighted by Belgium

New Delhi: Arul Kumar, a 21-year-old engineering graduate, has netted a $12,500 bounty from Facebook after he found a critical bug that allowed anyone to delete any photo hosted on the social networking website. At the current rate of dollar, the bounty which Arul will get this month is worth around Rs 8,25,000.

This is the second time Arul has won a bounty from Facebook. Around a month ago, he discovered another bug for which he was promised $1500. He is yet to get this money.

Incidentally, Arul is not a software engineer or even a programmer or network expert. He completed his engineering in electronics and communications from Hindusthan Institute of Technology in Coimbatore just a few months ago.

"Earlier this year, I heard about the Facebook bug bounty programme through which the company rewards people find who flaws on the website.

Then I came to know about some Indian hackers who hunt for bugs and are rewarded," Arul said. "I started looking for bugs and learned programming and networking through tutorials on the web. The bug that I found on Facebook doesn't require some technical wizardry. I

found it because I keep an open eye when I use web services."

When Arul found the photo-related bug, he filed a report through a page that Facebook has set up for hackers. But after reviewing the report, Facebook rejected Arul's claim.

"I messed around with this for the last 40 minutes but cannot delete any victim's photo. All I can do is if the victim clicks the link and chooses to remove the photo it will be removed, which is not a security (vulnerability) obviously," a member of Facebook security team wrote in an email.

This was not new.

While Facebook has a healthy reward programme for those who find bugs, in the past it has rejected claims even when presented with valid bugs. This recently happened with a Palestinian security researcher. After his bug was rejected, the Palestinian used it to break into the Facebook wall of Zuckerberg and posted a message.

Arul, however, created a video, showing how he could delete any Facebook photo. "I made this video and demonstrated the bug using the profile id of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and a photo hosted by him. To recreate the flaw, I performed all the

steps except the last one that would have deleted one of the photos hosted by Zuckerberg," Arul said.

After he sent this video to the Facebook team, he got a better response. His bug was accepted on August 21. "Found the bug ... fixing the bug. Wanted to say your video was very good and helpful. I wish all bug reports had such a video," a Facebook staffer wrote back.

On the same day Facebook also approved payment of $12,500 as a reward for finding the bug.

The bug was fixed a few days ago and Facebook gave permission to Arul to talk about his exploit publicly.

Though many technology companies run bug bounty programmes, Facebook and Google are considered most generous.

While he has tasted some success, Arul says that he wants to learn more about programming and computer security practices.

"I am just a beginner as far as ethical hacking and security research is concerned.

In fact, I got my first laptop just in January," Arul said.

He said that he would give the money to his family in Attur, Salem district in Tamil Nadu. His father has a small shop in his hometown and Arul hopes to use the money to make his family more comfortable.

Belgian Honorary Consul Lou Dierick, Dr. Kishor Mandaliya, His Excellency Bart Ouvry and Prof. Marleen Temmerman

Dr Kishor Mandaliya, a prominent Mombasa Pathologist and the incharge of Pathcare laboratories in Mombasa, was conferred the award of The Knight in the Order of Leopold by the Belgian Government at a ceremony in Mombasa on the 23rd August 2013.

The award was conferred upon him by His Excellency Mr Bart Ouvry, the Belgian Ambassador to Kenya at an evening ceremony at the Mombasa Club. He was accompanied by the Mombasa honorary Belgian Consul Mr Lou Dierick and Prof. Marleen Temmerman from the World Health Organisation and The International Centre for Reproductive Health (CRH).

Dr Mandaliya was given this award in recognition of his exemplary services for more than 20 years to the Belgian people, the Belgian Government and to the teaching of Belgian medical students and doctors in Mombasa as well as in Gent (Belgium).

Besides his long experience as the Provincial Pathologist at Coast General Hospital for nearly 24 years, he has been instrumental in pioneering HIV and STD research and interventions in Mombasa and Kenya with both Belgian and European groups as well as several other international universities since the early 1980s when AIDS epidemic was first recognised in Mombasa.

24

INDIA

South

Rape accused escapes from Bangalore jail

A 36-year-old prisoner, involved in several criminal cases including of rape, murder and kidnapping, escaped from the central jail on the city's outskirts" We learnt that Jaishankar escaped from the jail by climbing two 15-feet inner walls and the 30-feet outer wall between 2 and 4 am," Karnataka's Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) K.V. Gagandeep said. The IGP has suspended three wardens, two jailors and six security guards who were on duty then and ordered an inquiry into the daring jailbreak.

Now a house for ‘human torch' Rahul

'Human torch' Rahul's family will soon get a concrete house in their village in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram under the government's Solar Powered Green House Scheme.

Parents of the three-month-old boy, who has been in the news for 'catching fire on his own', returned to Nedumozhiyanur village after he was treated at Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMCH).

Principal, vice-principal booked for misbehaving with student

Police have registered a criminal case against the principal and vice-principal of Krishna Institute of Physiotherapy for misbehaving with a girl student. In Hyderabad, the principal of the institute, Syed Ali Asad, and vice-principal Hareesh Babu were booked for misbehaving with a third year student. The incident happened when the victim, along with her sister, went to the principal's chamber to pay exam fee.

Punjab

‘Chandigarh pays `57,78,000 as bribe in 3 years’ As many as 98 city residents have confessed online to paying Rs 57,78,000 lakh as bribe to government officials in various departments over the last three years.

However, the actual amount could be much higher, since this figure has only been aggregated from voluntary posts on the website, "I Paid A Bribe," which is run by a Bangalore-based NGO, Janaagraha. Since its inception in August, 2010, 98 cases have been reported from Chandigarh.

Classmates shoot boy in school toilet

Parents of a Class IX student met commissioner of police Alok Mittal complaining about their ward's former classmates, who allegedly uploaded an objectionable video clip on a social media site. Video film was shot by a classmate in the school toilet, which shows this boy being beaten up by 10 students. He was helpless and was crying. But no one came to his help.

Punjab cities to have BRTS

Despite its not so successful run in New Delhi, the Punjab government plans to implement the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) in major cities in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal announced.

Ludhiana and Amritsar will be the first ones to have the BRTS. Badal took a ride on the BRTS in Istanbul. The BRTS transports over 750,000 people in Istanbul everyday.

Punjab Cong slams Sikh clergy for honouring Beant assassin

The Punjab Congress is not only trying to put ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in the dock over the honouring of Beant Singh's assassin Dilawar Singh's family at Akal Takht but has also criticized the Sikh clergy.

PPCC spokesperson Nimisha Mehta said, "The honouring of the family members of Dilawar Singh the head priest Jagtar Singh has once again brought back the dreaded memories of the black days of terrorism seen by Punjab." Attacking the Sikh clergy, she said that the act of Jagtar Singh honouring murderers of Beant Singh amount to humiliation of the sacrifices.

Doctors forcibly break Jagan's fast in hospital www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Doctors at a hospital here Saturday forcibly administered intravenous fluids to YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was on indefinite fast for seven days to oppose bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh without justice to all regions.

On the direction from Chanchalguda Jail officials, doctors at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) forcibly gave intravenous (IV) fluids to Jagan as his condition was deteriorating, a hospital official said.

Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly known, was shifted to NIMS for better treatment but he had

refused to end the fast.

Jagan's wife Bharati was by his side when doctors administered IV fluids to him. She reached hospital after the CBI court permitted her to stay with him daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Earlier, amid tight security, Jagan, who is in judicial custody in a disproportionate assets case, was shifted from Osmania General Hospital to NIMS. A team of eight doctors is monitoring the condition of the young leader, who may have to remain in hospital for two to three days.

As the sugar and blood pressure levels had consider-

ably come down and ketone bodies in urine were high, doctors had advised him to agree to take intravenous fluids.

The doctors had warned that his condition may fur-

There has been a disturbing surge in crime against women in Tamil Nadu. Statistics from the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) show an increase of 50% in cases of rape registered between January and July 2013 from the same period in 2012.

Police records show as many as 436 cases of rape were reported in the sevenmonth period in 2013, a steep spike from 291 cases in January to July 2012.

Police recorded the most cases of rape in Chennai, with 42 cases in seven months this year. Villupuram reported the second highest number, 32 in the same period.

The southern city also recorded 47 cases of molestation (more than Chennai's 24), 73 cases of abduction and 33 cases of cruelty to women by husbands and relatives in this period.

Coimbatore city regis-

tered 11 cases of rape, five cases of molestation and 22 cases of cruelty to women by her husbands and relatives.

Though cases of molestation and abduction dropped across the state, cruelty to women by husbands and relatives have increased by 32%.

Police recorded a total of 860 such cases in the first seven months of 2012 and 1,130 cases over the same period in 2013.

Women's rights activists say they have observed a welcome trend in recent times: Policemen are recording cases instead of brushing them aside and are also acting fairly in most instances. However, they do not attribute the rise in cases to this phenomenon.

Women's Struggle Committee advisor R Geetha says an increase in alcoholism and drug use could be responsible for the increase in cases of rape in the state.

because, despite my repeated Noting that India "remains a letters dated 8.7.2013, mute spectator", Tamil Nadu 1.8.2013, 2.8.2013 and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa 6.8.2013, seeking to impress has urged Prime Minister on you the imperative need to Manmohan Singh to immediensure the early release of the ately and effectively interpoor, innocent Indian fishervene to secure the release of men belonging to Tamil Indian fishermen arrested by Nadu, the government the Sri Lankan Navy.

"May I request your of India remains a mute immediate and effecspectator," Jayalalithaa tive personal interventold Singh. tion in this matter She wondered which has been a whether the Indian severe source of aggragovernment is taking vation in the coastal the issue seriously "as it districts of Tamil Nadu ought to be" and its for many months Jayalalithaa muted response to the now?," Jayalalithaa said in a problem has "emboldened the letter to Singh, text of which Sri Lankan Navy to repeatedwas released to the media. ly arrest our fishermen and Jayalalithaa was referring their aggressive actions are to the arrest of 35 Tamil worsening day by day".

Nadu fishermen by the Sri "I yet again exhort you to Lankan Navy Aug 26. take immediate action Referring to reports, through diplomatic channels Jayalalithaa said the 35 fisherto secure the release of all the men have been apprehended Indian fishermen from Tamil by the Sri Lankan Navy and Nadu who are in Sri Lankan taken to Kalpitiya police stacustody along with their tion there for further action. boats and arrange for their "I write with a deep sense immediate repatriation," of anguish and agony Jayalalithaa said.

CBI court in Panchkula issued non-bailable warrants against two Haryana MLAs, Om Prakash Jain and Zile Ram Sharma, in connection with a case of abetment to suicide. The court has issued the orders after both leaders failed to appear before it for hearing of the case. They were also not accepting summonses issued by the court.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday before the special CBI court, both legislators did not turn up. Thereafter, the court issued non-bailable warrants against them to ensure their presence before the court.

The case has now been fixed for October 3 for further hearing. Counsel for the accused Vishal Garg Narwana said that they would be filing an appeal against these orders before Punjab and Haryana high court. On August 21, the CBI court had rejected the bail plea of Jain, independent MLA from Panipat (rural), after upholding

investigation agency's stand that he may influence witnesses in the case.

On August 8, the premier agency had filed a chargesheet against three persons - Jain, his personal assistant (PA) Rajinder Sharma and former chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Zile Ram Sharma - in the case of death of Karam Singh, former sarpanch of Kambopura village of Karnal.

In its chargesheet, CBI had held it a case of suicide and found Jain, Zile Ram and Jain's PA responsible for it.

They were charged by the agency under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of IPC. Agency also found that Karam had committed suicide because he was fed up with both Jain and Sharma as they were not returning the bribe amounting to Rs 12.5 lakh, which they had taken for providing jobs to three people. Karam was found dead under mysterious circumstances in June 2011.

Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy

ther deteriorate if he continued his fast.

Jagan's mother Y.S. Vijayamma, wife Bharati and brother-in-law Anil Kumar were not allowed to meet him.

They left the hospital after seeing him from a distance.

The MP was only drinking water since he began his fast in Chanchalguda Central Jail Sunday. He was shifted to Osmania Hospital.

Vijayamma, who is also honorary president of the party, and other party leaders had Friday appealed to him to call off the hunger strike.

Jagan is in jail since May last year in a disproportionate assets case.

Jayalalithaa seeks Manmohan’s Rape cases rise by 50% in Tamil Nadu intervention in fishermen’s arrest

2 Haryana MLAs get After eight-month absence, non-bailable warrants Sidhu to face hostile voters Navjot Singh Sidhu

After posters surfaced in Amritsar offering Rs. 2 lakh reward to anybody who found the ‘missing’ member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu, the cricketer-turnedpolitician is all set to return to his constituency early next month.

Sidhu chose to stay away from his constituency for the past eight months, even as it faced collapsing infrastructure, worsening civic amenities and deteriorating law and order. However, the three-time MP was seen regularly on TV shows and as a cricket commentator.

Things came to a head when posters offering a reward of Rs. 2 lakh to anybody who could bring back

the missing MP surfaced all over Amritsar.

Sidhu’s wife and chief parliamentary secretary Dr Navjot Kaur had promised that he will return to the constituency and face the people at the earliest. Sidhu, the one-time poster boy and also the most prominent Sikh face of the BJP, is likely to find himself on a sticky wicket on his return.

The cricketer-turnedpolitician, who had made a dream debut after defeating Congress veteran RL Bhatia by over one lakh votes in 2004, has been losing ground consistently with his victory margin shrinking each time.

And even though his wife and supporters would like to blame his neglect by the party for his foray into the television world, Sidhu has a lot of explaining to do to people for abandoning the constituency. There is a widespread feeling among the city residents that he should have stayed on and fought for their cause.

INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

25

‘Nirbhaya’ wins Amnesty International South Indian engineer develops ‘Freedom of Expression’ award machine which converts plastic waste into diesel

"Nirbhaya," Yael Farber's powerful play about the Delhi gang-rape victim which vowed audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe, has won the Amnesty International “Freedom of Expression” award.

The critically acclaimed play used the story of "Nirbhaya", the name given to the 23-yearold victim of the Delhi gang rape, Jyoti Singh Pandey, to tell five separate stories of abuse and featured actors who had suffered abuse in real life.

"Nirbhaya" had earlier won the Scotsman Fringe First and Herald Angel Awards at the Edinburgh Festival.

"Nirbhaya” was produced by Assembly, Riverside Studios, and 'Delhi Belly' actress Poorna Jagannathan, who had contacted Farber to create the piece, having previously seen her testimonial-based play “Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise” in New York.

The ensemble cast comprises Sapna Bhavnani, Priyanka Bose, Sneha Jawale, Rukhsar Kabir, Japjit Kaur, Ankur Vikal and Jagannathan.

Farber said in a statement that winning the award from Amnesty International would ensure that the issue will

be highlighted globally.

She added, “Growing up in the isolation of Apartheid South Africa, Amnesty was a distant light shining in the dark... the sense that someone was watching, and was committed to being a gatekeeper of human rights. It is especially significant for Nirbhaya to be recognized today, following the reported gangrape of yet another young woman – in Mumbai. I would like to pay tribute to the ensemble cast for their generosity, humanity, and bravery.

This is the first modest step – that we must all collectively take – in our journey to break the silence which surrounds and protects the perpetrators of sexual violence.”

Critic and the award’s panelist Joyce McMillan said that the play “was such a powerful performance. The feeling of the women of this huge nation

beginning to rouse themselves at last against routine sexual abuse and violence – it is hard to overstate its importance.

‘Nirbhaya’ really is giving a voice to people and experiences that have been voiceless for a thousand years.

We are happy to be able to recognize a very strong runner-up with the Highly Commended award for ‘Our Glass House,’ which reflects on the same issues in a Western context.”

Minor guilty, gets 3 years in reform home: The juvenile in the December 16, 2012 gangrape-murder case of ‘Nirbhaya’ has been found guilty of rape and murder by the Juvenile Justice Board.

This is the first judgment in the gangrape case that created a nationwide outrage. He has been sentenced to three years in a correctional home subject to review. His sentence will include the period he has already spent in the remand home.

Court concludes trial, reserves verdict: Meanwhile, a fast-track court in Delhi on Tuesday concluded the trial against the four accused in the Nirbhaya’ case. After hearing the final arguments in the matter, the court reserved the verdict till

sq ft has been set aside in the immigration section in the International airport.

Exclusive visa desks are manned by officials of the intelligence Bureau and special enclosures have been built for photographing visitors, signage.

Foreign exchange counters too have been set up at the facility.

The Visa fee will be USD 60 and the visa will be valid for up to 30 days. It will be issued twice a year and is for those who are visiting for sightseeing, meeting friends, recreation etc.

Those applying for the visa should not have residence

or occupation in India and should hold a passport with a minimum validity of six months. They should also produce proof of confirmed hotel booking and return tickets while applying for the T-VoA. “The introduction of TVoA facility in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airports marks a new chapter for Kerala tourism and will help attract more foreign visitors to the state,” Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, after inspecting the new facilities which had been put in place at the airport here.

Visa on arrival in Kerala: A boost to Kerala tourism

A new facility – Tourist Visa on Arrival (T-VoA) was introduced on 15th August in Tiruvanthapuram airport which is expected to raise the Unique Selling Point/proposition (USP) of Kerala further.

This “God’s own country” is likely to attract more foreign tourists from the following countriesCambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxebourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Phillipines, Singapore and Vietnam. TVoA allows tourists from these nations to request a visa upon arrival at either the Kochi airport or Thiruvanthapuram airport.

The facility is limited to the 11 countries mentioned above but is expected to target 3000,000 foreign tourists by 2021.

Kerala recorded 7,89,698 foreign tourists in 2012 and the forex earnings touched Rs 45.48 billion.

Kochi and Thiruvanthapuram airports are one among the 8 airports in India to offer tourist visa on arrival. The noteworthy fact is that Kerala is the only state to have 2 airports offering the facility. T-VoA was rolled out in the first phase in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai airports. The facility is also available at Bangalore and Hyderabad.

A holding area of 250

New subscription rates w.e.f 1st October, 2013

September 10, 2013.

Prosecution has essentially relied on the dying declaration of the Delhi braveheart, the male friend's statement and the scientific evidence to show that all the six accused were involved in the act.

The defence has argued that Mukesh was not involved in the crime.

The defence has also claimed that the police tortured the main witness.

On December 16, 2012 at 9:10 pm, 23-year-old brave heart and her male friend's journey home from a movie screening in a private bus turned horrific.

Six people on board, including the driver and the bus assistant, allegedly inebriated, raped the young woman and thrashed her friend severely.

The six people in the bus were - Ram Singh, Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Pawan Gupta, Mukesh and a juvenile, all of whom took turns to rape the girl. The case against Ram Singh was dropped after he was found dead in his cell in Tihar Jail. The 23-year-old succumbed to injuries on December 29 at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

"( #"

Chitra Thiyagarajan, a South Indian engineer, has developed a machine which converts plastic waste into diesel. Her invention has indeed brought a plastic smile rather a go green smile, we must say, on everyone’s faces.

She was determined to find a cheap and sustainable fuel and finally developed a unit that converts plastic waste into fuel which is similar to diesel.

It took 3 long years of effort to perfect the device and apply for a patent. In June 2013, she applied for patent- the patent authorities checked the machine for two months and verified that it could be patented.

Explaining how her ‘pyro-plant’ functions, Chitra Thiyagarajan said, all plastics, except PET bottles, are put in a chamber and heated in the absence of oxygen over chromium micro band heaters (similar to those used in water immersion rods) to temperatures of between 350oC and 375oC. The gas generated passes into another cham-

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ber with a water coolants coils on two sides. It is then pumped into another compartment half-filled with water. The fuel floats on the surface. Non-soluble gas that passes into a condenser can be used as an LPG alternative.

The device is cost effective too and generates fuel in just three hours. A 5 kg unit costs around Rs 75,000 and a 25 kg variant, Rs 300,000.

Each kg of plastic produces 800ml of diesel.

While the diesel can be stored, the LPG generated has to be used directly and cannot be compressed. A similar process is used to generate fuel in China but the production costs are high and it is a time-consuming process,” Chitra said.

Chemical Engineering professor of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Madras said the invention is feasible and could be used to produce fuel.

Chitra’s other inventions include a night vision camera and an electro magnetic belt for physiotherapy.

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Dear readers,

The present subscription rates have been pegged since 11th July, 2002. In view of the steep rise in the postage as well of the increased cost in printing, the subscription rates have been increased-lot less than the cost itself. From 1st October, 2013 the rates are increased only by 10 %.

Till 30th September, 2013, new subscribers can take the advantage of the present subscription rates. The existing subscribers are entitled to pay for up to 2 more years at the present rate if paid before 30th September, 2013.

Along with the weekly edition of Asian Voice, all paid subscribers receive several complimentary theme based magazines.

Yearly subscription can be a valuable gift on Diwali & other festivities as well as for other family events.

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INDIA

NHS to tie knot with India for medical surgeries

26

Former health secretary of Labour party in Britiain Patricia Hewitt said that NHS patients could be sent to India for surgery owing to cheaper health service available there.

The scheme would see NHS doctors being flown to India to treat locals in a bid to raise money for cash- strapped UK hospitals – while cheaper Indian doctors come to the UK to perform operations.

Health campaigners are outraged over shock plans for the NHS to go into business with private Indian healthcare firms.

And they warned that it could lead to British patients being flown over to India for cheaper treatment. Up to 20 hospital trusts are already in talks with Indian companies.

The cost of surgery in the UK is many times dearer than in India. Brits who can afford to go private are already taking advantage of the bargain prices in India. They avoid NHS waiting lists for operations like hip replacements for a fraction of the UK cost.

Devi Shetty, 60, owner of 21 Indian hospitals said he has cut the cost of heart bypass surgery to just £1,000 – and expects prices to fall further. The same operation in the UK would cost £35,000.

Ms Hewitt said there were several areas where

Samvatsari The Festival Of Forgiveness

Samvatsari is the festival of forgiveness, which is celebrated by Jains on the last day of Paryushan.

This day arrives on 9-10 Sept after the religious period of ‘Paryushan’ that started on 2-3 Sept as per derawasi-sthanakwasi Jains. Jains seek forgiveness on this auspicious day from all creatures of the world they may have hurt knowingly or unknowingly by thoughts, words or actions, by uttering the phrase “Michhami Dukkadam”. On this pious day of Samvatsari, Jains keep fasting and next day they take breakfast which is known as Parna. Why do Jains fast? Fasts may be done as a penance. In Jainsim, a person’s life is a reflection of his karmas.The prevention is undertaken through penance. Fasting also purifies body and mind, and reminds the practitioner of Mahavira’s emphasis on renunciation (Tyag) and asceticism( Saiyam).

Indian doctors could deliver similar or better clinical outcomes at much lower costs, including heart procedures. Private clinics in cities such as Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai rate highly for both medics and facilities.

She said lower grade workers were tasked with carrying out less skilled work so surgeons only had to carry out highly skilled tasks.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “We have no intention to send NHS patients to India for treatment. “NHS patients will always come first, but we should help and support the health service to compete internationally for the benefit of its patients in England.

“Under no circumstances will the quality of NHS services at home be compromised by the sharing of NHS expertise

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

abroad.”

More than 70,000 Brits already fly abroad each year for private surgery – mainly dental and cosmetic work. A hip replacement in the UK costs around £12,000, while in India it is £4,500.

A coronary bypass is just £1,000 compared with £35,000 in Britain. Patients can already go abroad for treatment on the NHS. Many are sent for hip replacements and cataract ops with the approval of local authorities because of long waiting lists.

Ms Hewitt said between 10 and 20 NHS trusts are in talks with local healthcare providers about opening branches in the country.

The NHS has strong brand recognition in India and UK hospitals hope selling their expertise abroad could generate new income.

“Our ambition is to get

as many (NHS trusts, health companies and charities) there as we can,” Ms Hewitt told the Health Service Journal.

The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust in North London is in early negotiations with the MIOT Hospital in Chennai to help run a screening programme for the fatal blood disorder thalassemia.

Other NHS organisations, including the Royal Free and King’s College hospitals and the London Ambulance Trust, travelled to India in May as part of a delegation led by Cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke.

India, along with the Middle East, China and Brazil, are being targeted by the cross-government unit Healthcare UK, which acts as a matchmaker for British organisations and possible clients overseas.

The growing middle class in emerging economies are demanding world-standard healthcare that Britain excels at.

King’s Heath Partners, a group that includes three London hospital trusts, has signed contracts to open clinics in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The Department of Health said: “NHS patients will always come first, but we should help and support the health service to compete internationally for the benefit of its patients in England.

Mujahideen (IM) cofounder Yasin Bhatkal and his associate Asadulla Akhtar by a Delhi court.

Before being flown to Delhi, NIA officials interrogated Bhatkal and Asadulla in Patna where the top IM operative reportedly confessed to his links with Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), a TV channel reported. He also told his interrogators he had been living in Nepal for six months and had readied around 100 hardcore associates who could do anything at his bidding.

“Both are required for custodial interrogation in the instant case (pertaining to the activities of the IM), to unearth the larger conspiracy to effect recoveries related to the case and getting leads for the

arrest of other absconding co-accused (10). The two accused are also required to be taken to various places in and outside Delhi for the recovery of material evidence in the case,” read the NIA application.

The agency brought Yasin and Asadulla to the Special NIA court of District and Sessions Judge I S Mehta. Heavy security arrangements were put in place for the in-camera proceedings.

“The accused have been produced before the court on the issuance of non-bailable warrants (NBW) on July 18. In the present application (filed by the NIA), it is stated that Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa is Yasin Bhatkal and he is the same person against whom the NBWs were issued. In these circumstances, and looking into the contents of the application, I grant police custody to the NIA for 12 days for further investigation,” ordered Judge Mehta.

Besides Yasin and Asadulla, the court had also issued NBWs against 10 more suspected IM terrorists on July 18 this year.

Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal arrested

Indian Mujahideen cofounder Yasin Bhatkal and his associate was flown to Delhi by a special plane.

The special plane with Bhatkal and his associate Asadullah Akhtar and National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials on board took off from the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna.

Earlier, the duo was brought to the airport from the BMP camp under tight security arrangements. NIA officials interrogated Bhatkal and Akhtar before taking them to national capital.

The top IM operative has confessed to his links with the Pakistan’s premier spy agency Inter Services Intelligence, which has been accused of sponsoring terror attacks against India, a news channel reported.

A joint team of Bihar police and NIA had arrested Bhatkal and Akhtar, carrying a reward of Rs 1000,000 each, from Nahar chowk in Raxual along Indo-Nepal border.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was allowed 12-day custody of Indian

IIT Madras students to launch satellite to predict earthquakes

An electric model, named IITMSAT, with a 15 kg satellite was designed by Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) that will monitor the radiation belts on the earth’s surface and help in predicting earthquakes.

This is the largest ever model developed in the history of the IITs and is almost ready.

20 undergraduate students and a few post graduate students laboured after their class hours and additionally during weekends to make this dream a reality. The IITMSAT nearly took 4 years for completion.

The team members had the opportunity to work in these laboratories through their summer break.

Working in such high-end laboratories with expensive and rare equipment specialised for nuclear instrumentation was the highlight of the project, said team members. The students never stopped working on the project and were studying the nature of charged particles in the ionosphere and how they get impacted by natural phenomena such as lightning and earthquakes.

Holding a mission life of one year, the satellite will accumulate all the data and hand over to analysts

who will study the correlation between them and those of earthquakes. The students said data from a few previous missions had been used to study effects on the radiation belts due to seismic activity, but the IITMSAT is being designed to make more sensitive measurements.

Equipped with sophisticated devices, the model of the project is supposed to ready by the end of the year. While the team now works at a laboratory in the Central Electronics Centre on the IIT-M campus, they will soon be provided with a new, private laboratory.

Though many other universities have already launched satellites into space, IITMSAT, had a unique sense for collecting data about radiation belts with a high temporal resolution to understand earthquake precursors better.

Sources say that the idea and the technology are not new but the difference lies in the precision that IITMSAT will offer.

As they would need a PSLV slot, the satellite will be launched in May 2015.

The group has sought the help of ISRO (Bangalore), TIFR (Mumbai) and IGCAR (Kalpakkam) with the technical details of the satellite.

Nagpur-born Swati Dandekar, now a naturalized citizen of the USA, has announced that she will be campaigning to become a candidate of the Democratic Party for the Congressional district of Iowa.

Dandekar believes the foundation for success is an excellent education.

She was brought up in Nagpur and went to the JN Tata Parsi School. She holds a bachelor's degree from Nagpur University and a postgraduate diploma in dietetics from Bombay University. She reached Iowa in 1973 and has been there since.

After holding several public service posts, Dandekar became a legislator from Marion area in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009 and served in the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2011. From 2011 until recently she served as a member of the Iowa Utilities Board. Over the years, Dandekar has become known for raising a voice for job creation and advocating advanced technology.

Dandekar is the fifth to announce a run for the Democrat 2014 nomination to run for the seat.

She has made agriculture, advanced manufacturing, technology and renewable

energy the main planks for her campaign.

"I am running for Congress because I truly understand the promise that the US offers and I want to make sure that every Iowan is given the same opportunity that I had. I am a living testament that the American dream is alive," she said.

Having chaired the Senate Commerce Committee, and discharging duties as vice chair of the Economic Development Budget subcommittee, Dandekar was elected president of National Foundation of Women Legislators in 2011. The same year she was appointed as Democratic member of the Iowa Utilities Board.

Until her resignation from the board she was a member of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and served on the NARUC Committee on Tele-communications and the Committee on International Relations.

Indian-American Swati Dandekar in race for US Congress

An institution for competitiveness

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

By Mayuri Dave

With a view to make interaction between industries and academic institutions and to make them capable enough to compete in international market, a group of management consultants in Ahmedabad have created a first of its-kind Gujarat Institute of Competitiveness (GIC).

Apart from industries, GIC plans to work with faculties of educational institutions to enable them to teach industry in India as well as abroad.

Competitiveness has been recognized the world over as the central strength that alone can sustain development of any country, be it in industry, non-profit organisations, academia or governance. Competitiveness hence has come to be recognized as the central goal of developmental policies and interventions. GIC endeavors in this area.

The institute was inaugurated during Vibrant Gujarat 2013, says Jayesh Ganatra, one of the founders of GIC. He said, “The idea is to work with academic institutions to help them become international powerhouses.

Besides, steps will be taken to increase their competitiveness in their existing programmes and build capacity in areas they are not presently involved with. It will also help to create a conceptual framework for a district level of decentralized professional institution on the model of public- private partnership (PPP) basis.”

Ganatra says the institute would conduct capacity building training programmes for the stakeholders and also hold business fairs to increase the business, learning and

work opportunities for its stakeholders. “We intend to go beyond boundaries as the institute is aimed to work for academia and industry in India as well as overseas too. Case study developments are also envisaged as part of it,” he added.

Another founder of the institution, Jagat Shah, said that GIC would try to leverage the Intellectual Property (IP) holder through industry-academia interaction. “We also intend to help industry in the area of innovation and R&D in work as well as setting up capacity,” says Shah.

A study in innovation area related to bottom of pyramid possibilities will also be carried out during the year that can be scaled to BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India & China) as well as African countries, he said adding that the linkage of academia and industry would help business meets of countries, joint studies on competitiveness, cluster twining and would improve overseas entry approaches.

The founders of GIC said that unfortunately competitiveness as a concept has not received due attention in developing countries like India. The Institute focuses on enhancing competitive-

ness of five major constituents, including industry, academia, non-profit organizations, government and professionals. GIC would work to help build and enhance institutional capacity and leverage the process of globalization.

“It is necessary to create an active information flow of global opportunities to Indian players. A mechanism to offer consulting clinics on-line as well as offline, where institutions can access consultants free-of-cost to enhance their competitiveness and business will also be created,” say the founders.

GIC also plans to bring technology and innovation news to stakeholders enabling them to engage with the most contemporary of perspective. It also works with Government in the areas of policy and developmental interventions.

Recently, GIC held a seminar for SME sector on the subject ‘The Power of Brand.’ The idea was to sensitize the SME participants on the necessity to leverage the power of the brand to withstand low price competition coming from China and also to enhance their own margins. During the seminar participants also brought their real-life issues, which were discussed elaborately.

World’s largest Buddhist Stupa to come up in North Gujarat

AV Correspondent

While Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting Buddhist religious sites for quite some time now, the Gujarat government is now gearing up to set up the world’s tallest Buddhist Stupa in the state to attract Buddhist tourists around the world.

With a budget of Rs1 billion, the stupa is to come up at Mori near Shamlaji in North Gujarat. According to the director of Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikash Board Anil Patel, the officials from the board have toured important Buddhist religious places before zeroing in on an architect to design the mammoth project.

The Stupa which is to be set up on 80 acres of land is currently being designed by an Ahmedabad based architect and the preliminary plan would be ready by August. The biggest Stupa at present is in

Thailand, which stands at a towering 125 feet and the proposed Stupa would be even bigger than that.

After archaeologists in 1959 discovered the remains of a Buddhist monastery of third centrury AD, Dev-ni Mori shot to fame. The excavation had also unearthed a casket containing relics of Lord Buddha.

In 2010, an International Buddhist Heritage Seminar was organized at Vadodara, which was attended by Dalai Lama. Chief minister Modi during the event had announced to start a centre for religion studies at M S University in Vadodara apart from his resolve to construct a Buddhist temple in the state.

“This will not just be a place of worship or a revenue generation exercise to attract tourists, but will also be developed as a centre of research on Buddhist philosophy,” he had said.

INDIA

27

What will be your legacy?

8 simple steps to avoiding a challenge to your will Nobody likes to think about their death, but failing to plan properly could lead to your loved ones facing the prospect of a stressful and costly dispute at a very difficult time.

Many people think that making a Will is all that is

By Sarju Kotecha needed to ensure peace of mind for their relatives. While this is an important step, it is equally important to ensure that the Will itself is a true reflection of your wishes and is not challenged after your death.

Challenges to Wills and other postdeath disputes are becoming increasingly common. Such disputes can have a devastating and costly impact upon families.

Unfortunately, if somebody is determined to challenge your Will then you cannot stop them. Happily, the risk of a challenge can be significantly reduced by taking a number of simple steps when thinking about making a Will:1. Have your Will professionally drafted.

The best way to minimise the risk of a challenge to your Will is to have the Will professionally drafted by a solicitor.

Homemade Wills (even when using approved precedents) can give rise to ample scope for challenge. They will often fail to comply with the necessary formalities or result in an outcome that was not what the maker intended. Using an experienced solicitor to prepare a Will gives peace of mind.

2. Make sure that your Will is properly executed Even a professionally drafted Will is worthless if the proper process for it being signed and witnessed is not followed. Your solicitor will normally be happy to supervise this process for you and will often act as one of the witnesses to the Will, thus ensuring that the Will is signed and witnessed correctly.

3. Make sure your relatives know where to find your Will A Will that cannot be found can cause much distress and dispute within your family. There is no legal requirement in the United Kingdom to register your Will and there is no official register. However, there are a number of Will registration companies with whom you can register your Will (often for free). In addition your solicitor or bank can normally store a Will for safekeeping. Keeping a record of where your Will is kept will avoid additional distress for your family.

4. Talk to your family Uncomfortable though it may be, it is important to think about your wishes and to discuss them with your family. If that is not something you feel able to do directly, then it is important that you

fully discuss your wishes and reasons for them with the solicitor who prepares the Will. Additionally, you can write, in your own hand, a statement of reasons for the decisions you have made, which can be kept with the Will. These steps are particularly important if you have changed your wishes from a previous Will or if somebody who might expect to benefit from your Will is going to be left out.

5. Make sure your Will reflects your wishes It is crucial that you make your Will free of any undue influence. The chances of anyone challenging your Will because of undue influence will be minimised by ensuring that nobody else is present (particularly anybody who might benefit under the Will) when you give your instructions to your solicitor to prepare the Will or when the Will is executed.

6. Capacity Wills made by elderly or infirm people are often challenged on the ground that the maker lacked the mental capacity to make the Will. If you are concerned that someone might try to suggest this then your solicitor may recommend seeking an opinion as to your capacity from a medical professional and perhaps also suggest that a doctor witnesses the Will.

Although this process can increase the time and costs of preparing the Will, it will significantly reduce the likelihood of a successful challenge to the Will upon the ground of lack of capacity.

7. Review your Will regularly Circumstances change, and many disputes can be avoided by Wills being regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.

For example, many people make a Will when they marry, but then fail to update it when they have children or grandchildren. Failing to review a Will on a regular basis (at least every five years) will increase the scope for a dispute.

8. Take professional advice If you believe that your Will may be challenged, then you should discuss your concerns with your solicitor. Your solicitor will then be able to recommend appropriate measures, for example including of non-contest/non challenge clauses to the Will, obtaining medical evidence or even video evidence of the Will making process, to minimise the risk of a successful challenge. In the case of larger estates which include property and businesses it may be appropriate to review the structure of ownership and control so as to ensure the succession of assets is both tax efficient and in keeping with your intentions.

Whilst probate disputes are becoming more common, following these few simple steps can greatly help to minimise the risk of disputes and to ensure that your true wishes are ultimately fulfilled.

The writer is a Litigation Solicitor at Turbervilles Solicitors and a Member of the Association of Contentious Trusts & Probate Specialists.

BJP meets Pranab, seeks early elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called for early parliamentary elections to end what it said was the present atmosphere of "uncertainty" in the country. BJP leader LK Advani said the request was made to President Pranab Mukherjee.

"The way to end the present scenario of uncertainty in the country is that the Lok Sabha election, scheduled to be held in 2014, should be held in 2013 itself along with assembly elections," Advani told the media.

Advani submitted a memorandum to the president on behalf of BJP MPs "on the unprecedented crisis facing the Indian economy".

"The free fall of the Indian rupee against the US dollar is only a symptom of the deeper malaise afflicting the Indian economy today," said the memorandum.

Advani said the government was blaming everyone for the current crisis — except itself.

"We have not seen this kind of a government

where the present finance minister blames the earlier one (for the economic problems), who is not in a position to answer now," he said.

The memorandum added that the country can ill-afford a government which is "paralysed".

"We have come to urge you, therefore, to end the prevailing uncertainty by advising this government to seek a fresh mandate at the earliest and not later than the state elections due in the next three months," it said.

28

TRAVEL & WOMEN

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

AV Correspondent

F

rom towering Ghats at one end and the sparkling Arabian Sea at the other, Kerala manages to connect the two with an abundance of natural beauty in between. This magnificent Indian state has 44 rivers all for its self, with paddy fields and tea plantations dotted along the lush countryside.

Kochi, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea is without doubt one of the finest natural harbours in the world.

Starting from the Dutch, Portuguese and the British, Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlements in India.

A city tour takes in the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, Fort Cochin, St.

Francis Church and Chinese fishing nets.

Munnar, soaring 1600m above sea level, is one of the most popular hill resorts of South India. The entire area is abundant with thick forests and tea estates. The specialty of Munnar is jungle honey, tea and a rare flower ‘Neela Kurunji’ which blooms once in 12 years.

You can enjoy visits to tea plantations and the Tata Tea Museum to learn about the cultivation and processing of a variety of Indian teas. The cascading waterfalls of Attukal and Nyayamakad are a site not to be missed.

Periyar is the wildlife and spice plantation hub of Kerala. You’ll enjoy a spice plantation tours to learn about the mystery and history of Indian spices. You also get the opportunity to shop for fragrant spices at a local market.

Spend a few days discovering the backwaters of Kerala and then onto relaxing on the beach. The backwaters are an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals. You can experience them in a traditional thatch-roofed houseboat, known as 'Kettuvallam'.

You’ll see life on the banks: fishermen with large palm-leaf hats, shallow edges where women are immersed up to their necks in water searching for tasty Karimeen fish; and as you cruise through the canals, see lush green rice fields, coconut groves, and occasional temples and churches.

After enjoying the cruise, why not spend a few days in Kovalam, relaxing on one of the most serene and beautiful beaches of south India. Here a must do is to experience the magical hands that deliver “Abhayanga” a full body massage that will leave you relaxed and rejuvenated.

There are a few little known facts

about Kerala, and these include the fact that it has 100% literacy rates and is also home to the largest domesticated population of elephants in India, and it has 12 wildlife sanctuaries and two national parks. So much beauty is crammed into this magnificent state that you will return again and again.

To book a tour to Kerala or your choice of personalized tours around India, Brightsun Travel have unbeatable offers available. For 8 nights including flights, accommodation, transfers tours as above, prices start from £739pp. To book, call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or book online at www.brightsun.co.uk

he ancient Guru Gorakhnath Temple was T damaged in 1819 earth-

quake but was reconstructed in 1821 under the guidance of Sundarjee Khatri.

The temple situated in the hills of Dhinodhar in Nakhtarana taluka in Bhuj is about 1,000 feet high. The temple belongs to the Nath Sampraday who is staunch follower of Guru Gorakhnath and was established in 644 AD. The architecture of this temple is around 1,200 years old.

Not much is known about the construction of the temple. After it was devastated in the earthquake in 1819 it was of course reconstructed by Khatri, a rich merchant in Bhuj.

The beautiful 3 feet idol of Guru Gorakhnath has been carved from a special black marble. The most unique feature of the temple is that a small oil lamp has been burning constantly ever since the temple was built. The fireplace that was used by Guruji for pujas can also be seen close by. It has developed as a pilgrimage centre and attracts thousands of visitors every month, who believe that those who come with a pure mind get their wishes fulfilled. A mela is held on his birthday every year that draws thousands of visitors. Known for the black statue, the temple is connected to major cities of Gujarat like Ahmedabad and Surat. The place though frequented by followers of the Guru is now getting recognition with the Gujarat government too taking interest and trying to include in the map of Gujarat Tourism.

Paneer Pakora are marinated paneer cubes dipped in batter and then deep fried Ingredients: 4 oz paneer thinly slice in about 1” squares this will make about 14-16 slices 2 tablespoons yogurt 4 tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot 1 teaspoon ginger paste 1 green chili minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped (hara dhania) For Batter: 1/2 cup besan, gram flour, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, Approx. 1/4 cup water.

Method: First marinate the paneer- in a mixing bowl add yogurt, corn starch, salt, ginger, green chili and cilantro and mix it well. This should be consistency of soft paste. Add paneer pieces and mix gently. All the pieces should be coated with yogurt mix. Set aside for an hour or more.

For batter mix besan, cumin seeds, salt and baking soda add water slowly

Guru Gorakhnath Temple - solid on faith

The hilly trudge to the temple is not encouraging

for many to go up the hill and with not much of basic facilities and only a dharmashala, the temple is frequented by followers on the birth anniversary of the Guru. But those who have managed to travel and reach the top swear by the purity, sanctity and beauty of the location and the architecture of the temple.

Though the exact history of the Guru too is unknown but for visitors it is not the history but the faith that matters. The temple is known by its followers to be answer to miracles and blind faiths too are attached to it by the followers.

Paneer Pakora

to make a thick batter consistency of a paste.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Frying pan should have about 1 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should come up but not change color.

Dip the marinated paneer slices in the batter one at a time and slowly drop into the frying pan.

Fry the Pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.

Turn them occasionally. Fry the Pakoras until both sides are goldenbrown.

Repeat this process.

The crispy, delicious

Paneer Pakoras are ready to serve.

Serve Paneer Pakoras with a dip of your choice. I like to serve them with Cilantro Hari Chutney or sweet and sour Tamarind Chutney.

Health benefits: Paneer is a great source of calcium, which is helpful in maintaining strong teeth and bones. Due to its low lactose content, it protects the teeth against harmful sugars.. Paneer. contains Vitamin D, which along with calcium.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Appetite hormone misfires in obese people

CALCIUM + Magnesium + Vit. D3

The research says that the obese people lose their ability to feel full after a meal because a hormone involved in regulating appetite misfires in them.

However, the hormone, glucagon, continues to suppress hunger pangs in people with type 1 diabetes.

The primary role of glucagon, secreted by the pancreas, is to signal the body to release stored glucose when blood sugar falls too low.

But growing evidence suggests the hormone may also play a role in controlling food intake and feelings of fullness, or satiation, through signaling the body to reduce levels of other appetite hormones like ghrelin.

"Once a person becomes obese, glucagon no longer induces feelings of fullness," said the study's lead author, Ayman M Arafat, of ChariteUniversity Medicine in Berlin, Germany.

"Further research is needed to determine why glucagon no longer suppresses appetite effectively in this population, even though they are otherwise healthy," Arafat said.

The prospective, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study investigated glucagon levels and appetite among 11 obese people, 13 people with type 1 diabetes and 13 lean people.

Feelings of fullness did not differ between obese study participants who received glucagon injections and those who were given the placebo. In comparison, participants who were lean or had type 1 diabetes reported feeling significantly more full after receiving glucagon.

To Our Readers

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Young women who drink alcohol at greater risk of breast cancer SKIN, SKIN, HAIR, HAI NAILS

The more alcohol a young woman drinks before motherhood, the greater her risk of future breast cancer, a new study has warned.

If a female averages a drink per day between her first period and her first full-term pregnancy, she increases her risk of breast cancer by 13 per cent, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

This is first such research that shows the link of increased breast cancer risk to drinking between early adolescence and first full-term pregnancy.

Previous studies have looked at breast cancer risk and alcohol consumption later in life or at the effect of adolescent drinking on noncancerous breast disease.

"But, according to our research, the lesson is

Consuming Kiwifruit a day can boost your mood and ward off depression, this is the latest findings, Researchers from the University of Otago, Christchurch (UOC) in New Zealand studied healthy young men over a six-week period who either ate two kiwifruit a day or half a kiwifruit daily.

Researchers found those eating two kiwifruit daily experienced significantly less fatigue and depression than the other group. They also felt they had more energy.

Changes appeared to be related to the optimising of vitamin C intake with the two kiwifruit dose.

Kiwifruit are an exceptional source of vitamin C. The study was carried out with 54 young male university students who generally ate little fresh fruit and whose vitamin C levels were lower than desirable due to this.

"The two kiwifruit per day ensured that the study

women omenn over over 40 years years Gentle IRON+Vitamin syrup TABLETS TABLETS For all w

clear: If a female averages a drink per day between her first period and her first full-term pregnancy, she increases her risk of breast cancer by 13 per cent," Colditz said.

The researchers also found that for every bottle of beer, glass of wine or shot of liquor consumed daily, a young woman increases her risk of proliferative benign breast disease by 15 per cent.

T h e findings are based on a review of the health histories of 91,005 mothers enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1989 to 2009.

Researchers didn't consider the effects of adolescent and early adulthood drinking on women who didn't have a full-term pregnancy because not enough were represented among those studied, Liu said.

It is heard that one is either "left-brained" or "right-brained" thinker.

Researchers have said the theory of "left-brained" or "right-brained" thinkers is nothing more than a myth Previous studies over the years have suggested that we use one half of our brain more often than the other, playing a part in the type of personality we have.

While the left side of the brain is usually associated with logical, analytical and detail-oriented behavior, the right side has been connected to creative, thoughtful and subjective thinking.

There is no evidence within brain imaging that proves some people are

Eating Kiwifruit can prevent depression

group's vitamin C levels were optimal, and this was needed to see an effect on mood and energy," said researcher Professor Margreet Vissers.

"The amount of vitamin C required for this is higher than the current recommended intake. Our study provides good evidence to support the view that there are measurable health benefits to be obtained from eating a good amount of fruit and

vegetables daily.

"For best benefit, it is important to include high vitamin C foods in your daily diet," Vissers said.

Vitamin C helps activate a number of enzymes in the body that enhance the levels of metabolic energy and different neurochemicals in the brain, Vissers said. This means taking in more vitamin C could decrease feelings of fatigue and increase physical and mental energy.

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right-brained or leftbrained.

The connections in the brain were studied, and all possible combinations of the brain regions were correlated for each brain region that was left-lateralized or right-lateralized.

The results of the scan showed patterns indicating that a brain connection may be strongly left or right-lateralized. But they found no relationship that individuals "preferentially" used their left-brain network or right-brain more often.

It is true that some brain functions occur in one or the other side of the brain. Language tends to be on the left, attention more on the right.

'No such thing' as left or right brained people HEALTH HEAL LTH & VIT VITALITY TALITY ALITY TY TTablets ablets

But people don't tend to have a stronger left- or right-sided brain network.

It seems to be determined more, connection by connection."

Jared Nielsen, a graduate student in neuroscience at the University of Utah and one of the study authors, adds: "If you have a connection that is strongly leftlateralized, it relates to other strongly lateralized connection only if both sets of connections have a brain region in common."

"Everyone should understand the personality types associated with the terminology 'left-brained' and 'right-brained' and how they relate to him or her personally," he says.

Bioactive compounds halt Alzheimer's disease progression

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by an unnatural accumulation of amyloid plaque aggregates around nerve synapses that block the transmission of electrical and chemical transmitters that allow the brain to retain a high level of cognitive function and to store and retain memories. Millions of middle aged and older Americans suffer from some stage of Alzheimer's disease, as the illness continues to escalate at an epidemic rate. It is projected that the prevalence will nearly quadruple in the next 50 years, by which time approximately one in 45 Americans will be afflicted with the disease.

Few uncovered that a small handful of natural, bioactive compounds that easily cross the blood-brain barrier where they have been found to alter the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the University of Leeds in the

UK have determined that natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer's disease pathway. Publishing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists have identified the process which allows harmful clumps of protein to latch onto brain cells, causing them to die.

Bioactive compounds in green tea and red wine (EGCG and resveratrol) distorted the shape of the amyloid balls, preventing them from binding with prions and disrupting cellular function.

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30

UK Mahabharata – Beyond the Story

The Mahabharata is one of the great jewels of Indian literature and encompasses all aspects of the human condition.

From devotion to spirituality; good to evil; ultimate loyalty to deceit and treachery; love and joy to death and grief; creation of wonders to wanton destruction; the multifaceted epic has it all.

Each character and each incident in this magnificent epic provides a fascinating insight into the human mind, for what they embody on both a physical and a spiritual level.

Two sets of cousins, the five Pandavas, and the one hundred Kauravas have a rivalry that goes on to divide the land of Bharata, resulting in a cataclysmic war causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. It is a battle of Dharma (duty and righteousness) in the form of the Pandavas against the forces of adharma (evil and unrighteousness)

embodied by the Kauravas.

Was it simply Duryodhana and his evil and deceitful actions to blame? Perhaps it was Dhritarashtra and his blind love for his son?

Maybe it was Draupadi, whose desire for revenge after her humiliation spurred the Pandavas towards war? Or Kunti, who withheld the truth of her firstborn son, Karna, for fear of the shame it would bring?

From the very first verse to the last, this great epic provides lesson after lesson about how to win the inner battles within us.

This great work will be brought to life through a series of inspiring talks in English by Swami Swaroopananda from Chinmaya Mission on Monday 16 September to Sunday 22 September 2013 at Byron Hall, Harrow Leisure centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow, HA3 5BD from

Coming Events

l Thursday 5th September 2013 – Chinmaya Mission UK Study Group – 7.30pm – 9.00pm in South Croyden.

Contact: 07960525728 l Sunday 8th September 2013 – Sri Ganesha festival, puja and homas using Vedic Mantras – 11.00am – 1.30pm at Euro Datta Yoga Church Centre, 51 Beech Avenue, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 8NQ. Contact: 07939021016 l Subday 8th September 2013 - Bal Vihar South London giving special BV, teenage and parent session with Swami Swaroopanandaji - 10.30a,-12.30pm at Chinmaya Kirti, 2 Egerton Gardens, Hendon Central, NW4 4BA. l Monday 9th September 2013 – Ganesh Chaturthi – 9.30am to 6.00pm at Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple, 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DX. Contact: 07882253540 l Monday 9th September - Ganesh Chaturthi Pujan Aamantran - 10.30am onwards at 16 Alington Crescent, Kingsbury, NW9 8JN. Contact: 07932790245 l Saturday 14th September 2013 – Ek Sham Bhagini Ke Naam – 6pm till late at Navnat Centre, Printing house Lane, Hayes, UB3 1AR. Contact: 776155024 Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Editorial Executive: Tanveer Mann Tel: 020 7749 4010 - Email: tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Financial Officer: Surendra Patel Tel: 020 7749 4093 Mobile: 07875 229 220 Email: surendra.patel@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Alka Shah Tel: 020 7749 4002 - Mobile: 07944 151 893 Email: alka.shah@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 Nihir Shah - Email: nihir.shah@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Kalpesh Shah Tel: 07539 88 66 44 Email: kalpesh.shah@abplgroup.com Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel / Fax: +91 79 2646 5960

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Jewellery and Coins worth £40,000 stolen from family in Cardiff

Continued from page 7 As she was parking the car, she saw the main door open. She said that she was shocked and didn’t know what to do & said she was in a state of panic.

At first, Joyce could only spot a few kitchen cupboards hanging open and, in the living room, her laptop still on the side where she had left it. But when she went upstairs to her bedroom the full extend of the break-in became apparent.

“I couldn’t even put my foot in the room because the floor was covered,” she said.

“Everything was out – all the drawers, all our bedclothes, it had been

turned upside down.”

After fleeing to a neighbour’s house with her daughters and dialling 999, Joyce gave statements to police – but the family had to spend Thursday night at a friend’s house while they waited for forensic’s officers to go through the rooms.

When they were able to return to their home, they found £40,000-worth of jewellery stashed in locked suitcases under the bed and in-between clothes in their drawers had all been taken. But they said it was the sentimental value of the gold that had made losing it even more difficult.

7.30pm – 9.00pm.

All welcome. Visit www.mahabharata.org.uk or call 075333 63475 for more information.

Talks are free, in English and open to all, no pre-booking required.

Find us on Facebook: /ChinmayaUK l Sunday 15th September 2013 - Royal Sarees presents an Exhibition of Exclusive Ethnic Contemporary Sareers 11.00am-5.00pm at Best Western The Watermill Hotel, London road, Bourne End, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 2RJ.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

It is certainly going to be a fortunate time for those already married or in an established relationship. The keynote is emotional enrichment through close interaction with a loved one. Facets of your life that have been a source of restriction and dissatisfaction will begin to loosen their hold.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

You will find added scope and greater incentive to push full steam ahead with your cherished aims. You must be careful not to tread on other people's toes. This is the right time to talk things over with your loved one - especially anything that has been worrying you or making you feel insecure.

Regardless of the lim-

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 its, you have the capaci-

ty to turn the course of your life. Saturn in Scorpio, will help you organize your priorities and systematically put them into practice. It is about time you moved beyond your established boundaries of safety. You will find ways to be more financially independence.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Relationships are complex at the best of times, but Saturn's motion can make things even more complicated now. Misunderstandings can plague partnerships or potential romances - be more careful and forgiving. A good time for completing unfinished business and reassessing your future projects.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The paid readers of Asian Voice will receive a copy of our special magazine on Vadodara with their newspaper this week.

The prevailing cosmic pattern packs a powerful punch early this week. Having such potent energies, make you feel positive and confident in whatever you do. This is not the time to hold back or underestimate your potential if you wish to further an important aim. Some of you will try to get away from the routine chores.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

Anything or anyone that drains your time and energy should be re-evaluated. It’s time to use that creative imagination of yours to create grandeur in your life. Don't get too carried away and lose sight of little things that mean a lot to you. There are a lot of opportunities around you.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Much enthusiasm goes into professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. You will be determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Taking a broad perspective on the prevailing cosmic pattern, far-reaching change begins to gather momentum.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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Strengthen close ties of affection, sort out emotional differences and proffer the olive branch to your loved one. You often sabotage your emotional interests by keeping too much inside. However, your inner pressure builds up and manifests as irrational moods that others find hard to understand.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The pattern of significant relationships in your life will continue to favour you. It seems that a great deal of mutual benefit will accrue because of various interactions. The underlying trend indicates that deep creative energies are stirring within you and that seemingly insignificant events will play a vital role in the future enrichment of life.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 Don't take shortcuts in legal or official matters. It will be only too easy to feel exasperated by bureaucracy but you won't be doing yourself any favours if you lose your cool. This is a fine time for you to get away from the mundane realities of life and relax. Some of you will probably go abroad.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 The planetary activity in your chart signals a time of mixed emotions as well as personal issues to be dealt with.The accent’s very much on relationships. The outlook remains optimistic, so don't be afraid to act if your instinct tells you it's time for change.

Professional and financial pressures will begin to ease.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 You need to pay more attention than usual to your everyday work dairy.

Meetings, work hours and organised breaks could play havoc, unless you're prepared to re-group on the spur of the moment. Try to be meticulous but flexible about your schedule. Play your cards right and you can pull strings in you favour.

SPORT WORLD

Saina-led Hyderabad Hotshots wins Indian Badminton League title

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

Saina Nehwal once again inspired players of her team as Hyderabad Hotshots defeated Awadhe Warriors 3-1 in the final of the Indian Badminton League at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Mumbai.

Ajay Jayaram, one of the pillars for Hyderabad in the tournament, made a spectacular comeback in his men’s singles match against Guru Sai Dutt to help his team win the best-of-five tie.

Ajay Jayaram was the favourite ahead of the match but Guru Sai Dutt stunned everybody by winning the first game and then dominating for the most part of the second, before Jayaram bounced back to win the second game. Guru was leading 16-12 in the second game and Jayaram found it difficult to find his rhythm, but once he did, it was he who dominated in the 10-21, 21-17, 11-7 win.

Earlier in the day, Saina Nehwal once again thrashed P V Sindhu, icon player of Awadhe Warriors 21-15, 21-

7, for the second time in the tournament.

Sindhu wasn`t quick enough on the court and Saina made full use of it by targeting the former’s backhand and creating opportunities for smashes.

Saina kept her unbeaten record in the tournament intact and won her seventh successive match. With this victory, Saina levelled the tie 1-1 for Hyderabad.

Earlier, in the first men’s singles match, K Srikanth put up a brave fight against

S Tanongsak to win 21-12, 21-20.

Tanongsak had been unbeaten in the tournament but Srikanth came up trumps with an aggressive play. Tanongsak looked clueless in the second game and trailed 5-13 at one stage.

Srikanth then lost focus with Tanongsak catching up.

Towards the end both the players had a game point each and Srikanth sealed the match with a cross court smash.

It was a major upset for

Hyderabad as Awadhe Warriors took a 1-0 lead against them.

After Saina’s match Hyderabad Hotshots’ men’s doubles pair of Shem Goh and Khim Wah Lim defeated Awadhe’s Mathias Boe and Markis Kido 21-14 13-21 11-4.

The men’s doubles match proved to be the turning point of the tie as Boe and Kido were the favourite to win the match but that was not to be and they gave Hyderabad a lead of 2-1 after which Jayaram finished off things in style.

Saina thanked the crowd and credited them for her success in the tournament saying even she hadn’t expected to win against Awadhe Warriors as they had all the top players.

Results: Hyderabad Hotshots vs Awadhe Warriors 2-1 (MS: S Tanongsak lost to K Srikanth 12-21 20-21; WS: S Nehwal bt PV Sindhu 21-15 21-7; MD: VS Goh/ KW Lim bt M Kido/ M Boe 21-14 1321 11-4)

England's cricketers have issued an apology for any offence caused during their celebrations of their Ashes series win over Australia at the Oval. The statement, released on the England and Wales Cricket Board's website, followed allegations that England players urinated on the pitch hours after the series had ended. "The England cricket team would like to state that during our celebrations after winning the Ashes at no time was there any intention to disrespect Surrey CCC, the Oval or anyone else involved in the game we love," the statement on www.ecb.co.uk read. "As a team we pride ourselves on respecting all things cricket including the opposition and the grounds we play at. We got carried away amongst the euphoria of winning such a prestigious series and accept that some of our behaviour was inappropriate.

It is an acknowledged fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the unofficial Big Brother in world cricket and national boards world over tread cautiously in their dealings with the BCCI. The Cricket South Africa, for once, sidestepped the unwritten law by appointing Haroon Lorgat as its Chief Executive Officer against the wishes of the Indian board. The result… it was made to pay dearly. The BCCI did not waste time to react and drastically cut short Team India’s forthcoming tour of South Africa, the supposed money spinner for the South African board and its broadcasters Super Sport.

The tour, per se, has not been scrapped, but it is evident and CSA can conclude

that the proposed two Twenty20 internationals, seven ODIs and three Tests are not going to take place as scheduled. The itinerary will have to be altered – and moreover, cut severely.

It is likely that the twomonth long series will be reduced to just a month as the BCCI has proposed to host a home series against West Indies in November.

How many matches India will play against the West Indies has not yet been decided, but it will not be less than two Tests and three ODIs. “There could be three Tests as well,” a BCCI official said.

India’s Africa tour was scheduled to commence on November 18, however, now it may be delayed by a month, which could see CSA’s lofty plans of celebrating a Boxing Day Test going kaput.

Big financial blow to CSA: The series against West Indies means Sachin Tendulkar will celebrate playing his 200th Test in India. In announcing the Windies series, the BCCI has also ensured South Africa is unable to bite into any of the lucrative marketing rights that would come with the Little Master reaching the magical milestone.

A smaller India tour means lesser income for the South African board, which made killing the last time India toured the country for a full-fledged series. The CSA earned 727,472, 000 Rand ($70.79 m) in the year India toured the country (2010-2011). A year later, their income fell to 295,579,000 Rand.

Obviously, there was no India tour that year.

England’s cricketers apologise

Cricket South Africa appoints Lorgat as its CEO; irks BCCI

31

Gambhir cuts short county stint due to family reasons

Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir has been forced to cut short his stint with Essex due to family reasons but the English county club is hopeful of his return before the end of the season. "Gautam Gambhir returned to his native India on Sunday for family reasons. At this stage Essex Cricket and Gautam are unable to Gautam Gambhir make any further comment," Essex said in a statement. "Essex Cricket is fully supportive of Gautam and very much hope that he will return to Essex before the end of the 2013 English domestic season," it added.

Gambhir's stint with Essex started only last month and had failed to make much impact with scores of 31, 21, 2 and 0 before striking a hundred on August 30 against Gloucestershire in a drawn match in Bristol. The left-handed opener has been ousted from the Indian team due to poor form. He was not selected for the Champions Trophy, the tri-series in the West Indies and the ODI tour of Zimbabwe after that.

His most recent appearance for India was an ODI against England in January. A bout of jaundice after that didn't help his cause either.

Vijender, Nanao book World Championship ticket

Vijender Singh (75 kg) made a return to the Indian boxing team along with Thokchom Nanao Singh (49 kg) as the selectors picked the team for the World Championships after a two-day trial at Patiala. There were hardly any surprises in the team, which will compete under the International Boxing Association’s banner

Vijender Singh

Thokchom Nanao Singh

due to India’s provisional suspension. Also making a comeback in the squad was Nanao Singh, a former youth World Champion and Asian Championships silver medalist. Nanao’s cause was helped by the fact that rising star L Devendro Singh was forced out of the trials due to a cut above the eye. Laid low by injuries, Nanao defeated Commonwealth Games gold winner Amandeep Singh among others to secure his place. In the 52 kg division, former national champion Madan Lal of Haryana piped the experienced Suranjoy Singh among others to grab the spot in the team. Suranjoy was ousted after losing his trial bout. Asian Championships gold medalist Shiva Thapa expectedly grabbed the 56 kg slot after coming out trumps in the trials.

Vikas Malik was picked for the lightweight 60 kg division after some established names such as Jai Bhagwan, who is busy training for his job in the Haryana police, missed the trials.

10 out of 12 international stars pick IPL teams

A large majority of players have declared their allegiances to IPL franchises over their respective countries' domestic sides ahead of the upcoming Champions League Twenty20, with Sri Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara being the only exception.

Ten out of the 12 international cricketers have chosen to play for the IPL franchises instead of their domestic sides competing in the $6 million event starting on September 21. While Sangakkara will be turning out for Sri Lanka's Kandurata Maroons instead of his IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, players such as Mike Hussey, Dwayne Bravo and Shane Watson will be playing for the Indian clubs.

IPL 6 winners Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals will kick start the 2013 CLT20 with a Group A match in Jaipur on September 21 in a tournament which will witness the world's 12 best domestic teams fighting it out for the coveted prize.

A total of 29 matches will be played.

Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals apart, Group A will comprise Highveld Lions (winner of South Africa's domestic T20 competition), Perth Scorchers (KFC T20 Big Bash League runner-up), and a team from the Qualifier.

Group B will comprise Brisbane Heat (KFC T20 Big Bash League champion),

Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies T20 champion), Chennai Super Kings (runner-up in the Pepsi IPL 2013), Titans (South Africa's domestic T20 runnersup), and a team from the Qualifier.

The CLT20 2013 will follow a format similar to the two previous editions, with a group stage preceded by a qualifier.

The qualifier, to be played from September 17 to 20 will feature four teams: Q1 - Otago Volts (New Zealand's HRV Cup champions), Q2 - Sunrisers Hyderabad (Fourth-ranked team in the Pepsi IPL 2013), Q3 - Kandurata Maroons, the winner of Sri Lanka's domestic T20 competition, and Q4 Faisalabad Wolves (Pakistan's domestic T20 Champions).

The teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing to the group stage.

The top team from Group A will play the second-ranked team from Group B in the first semi-final in Jaipur on October 4.

The top team from Group B will play the second-ranked team from Group A in the second semifinal in Delhi on October 5.

The winners of the semis will play in the final on October 6.

Explaining the process for deciding which teams these 12 players would represent, CLT20 Governing Council member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs, Dean Kino, said: "Players who were named by more than one team were asked to select which team they were going to play for. Teams were then allowed to replace any player that withdrew from their squad and elected to play for another side."

"CLT20 regulations state that when a player elects to play for their 'away' team, that team must pay the 'home' team $150,000 compensation per player. A 'home' team is classified as a team from the country a player is eligible to represent in international cricket.

SPORT

32

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 7th September 2013

India to play five Tests, 5 ODIs against England next year

India will play five Tests in England for the first time since 1959 during next year's tour, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Monday. The tour schedule also sees 50over world champions India, who beat England by five runs in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston in June, involved in five one-day internationals and a one-day international.

Three of the five Tests will be played at southern venues, Lord's and The Oval in London plus Southampton's Rose Bowl although, as the latter is a relatively new international ground, the Test there is still subject to confirmation following an ECB inspection visit.

Nottingham's Trent Bridge in the English Midlands will stage the first Test with the fourth at Manchester's Old Trafford in the north of the country.

Bowlers on both sides may be concerned by a schedule which sees five Tests due to be crammed into the space of just over a month.

The fact that cricket is the leading sport in India, the world's second most populous nation, makes the coun-

try the economic powerhouse of the global game.

This is reflected in the hugely lucrative television deals the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can command, as well as its promotion of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League which sees many of the world's top players earning millions of dollars to play for franchise teams.

Meanwhile, the large Indian expatriate community in Britain means matches involving the India in England usually attract large crowds. This was clearly seen during India's 2011 tour of England when more than 850,000 spectators, a record for an international season saw India defeated four-nil in the Test series and three-nil in the one-dayers, with the T20s shared at 1-1.

"This will be the first time England has hosted India in a five Test series in more than 50 years and the length of the series reflects the iconic status which contests between these two great cricketing nations now enjoy," said ECB chief executive David Collier in a statement.

"We anticipate significant demand for tickets both for the Test series, and for the One-Day International series which will be the first encounter between these two countries in the 50-over format since India's triumph in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy competition at Edgbaston earlier this year.

"We thank the BCCI for their support and also our international venues who between them helped bring a

record number of spectators more than 850,000 -- to international cricket over the course of the season when India last toured here in 2011."

India itinerary for their 2014 tour of England June 23: India team arrives in UK June 26-28: Three-day tour match v Leicestershire, Leicester July 1-3: Three-day tour match v Derbyshire, Derby July 9-13: 1st Test, Trent Bridge July 17-21: 2nd Test, Lord's July 27-31: 3rd Test, Rose Bowl (Subject to confirmation) Aug 7-11: 4th Test, Old Trafford Aug 15-19: 5th Test, The Oval Aug 22: 50-over match, v Middlesex, Lord's Aug 25: 1st ODI, Bristol Aug 27: 2nd ODI, Cardiff Aug 30: 3rd ODI,Trent Bridge Sept 2: 4th ODI, Edgbaston Sept 5: 5th ODI, Headingley Sept 7: T20, Edgbaston Sept 8: India team departs UK

India go down fighting in Asia Cup hockey final

India made a spirited fight back in the second half but failed to earn a direct berth in next year's hockey World Cup as they lost the highscoring summit clash 3-4 to defending champions South Korea on Sunday.

The Indians, who are virtually assured of a place in the game's showpiece event to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, needed to win the eight-nation tournament to secure a direct entry in the World Cup. Korea's fourth title win means Malaysia are certain to return to the World Cup after a gap of 12 years.

The Indians will now have to wait till the conclusion of the Oceania Cup in November, which either Australia and New Zealand is expected to win, for the official confirmation of their participation from the FIH. Both Australia and New Zealand have already made it to the World Cup through FIH World League.

The Koreans scored through Jang Jong Hyun (28th minute), You Hyo Sik (29th), Nam Hyun Woo (57th) and Kang Moon Kweon (68th). For India, Rupinderpal Singh (48th), Nikkin Thimmaiah (57th) and Mandeep Singh (64th) were the goal-getters.

It was a case of near yet so far for the Indians who did a tremendous job in the second half, after going into the breather trailing by two goals.

But the Indians eventually fell short as Korea eked out a hard-fought win and also got their revenge over the Sardar Singh-led side against whom they lost 0-

2 in the pool stage.

However, it was a great show by a young and inexperienced Indian team considering the fact that the country finished a lowly seventh in the last edition of the event in 2009.

It was a fitting contest between the two top teams of the Asia as both India and Korea matched each other stick to stick.

The Indians started the match on a bright note and dominated the early share of exchanges, India made some good moves from the right flank but the forwards fizzled after entering the opposition circle.

Korea's game was all about putting the Indian defence under pressure through counter-attacks. The Indian defence was tested to the core by the quick, nimble-footed Koreans from the beginning as goalkeeper P R Sreejesh made a valiant double save in the 21st minute to keep a clean slate.

Soon India had their first scoring

opportunity through their first penalty corner but VR Raghunath's flick was blocked by a Korean defender. In the 26th minute Nithi Thimmaiah had a good chance of giving India the lead but his reverse hit from close range went wide.

Korea soon earned their first penalty corner and tournament's top-scorer Jang Jong Hyun made no mistake, converting the set piece with a variation.

A minute later Korea stunned India again when You Hyo Sik tapped home from Nam Hyun Woo's cross from the left flank to go into the breather with a morale-boosting 2-0 lead.

The Indians, however, made a strong comeback after the lemon break and put the Korean defence under continuous pressure with repeated raids. But goals eluded India till the 47th minute as Korea defended in numbers.

India pulled one back in the 48th minute from their second penalty corner which was perfectly converted by Rupinder to bring smiles back on the faces of the Indian crowd present at the stadium.

The goal lifted India's spirit as they went for relentless attacks and finally managed to reduce parity through young Nikkin Thimmaiah.

Nikkin scored in the 54h minute with a fierce reverse hit from top of the circle after receiving a pass from Manpreet Singh. But India's joy was short-lived as Korea regained their lead three minutes later.

England's Hales is No.1 ranked T20 batsman

England's Alex Hales has become the number-one ranked batsmen in the International Cricket Council Twenty20 rankings after his match-winning innings against Australia on Saturday.

Nottinghamshire opener Hales's 94, off just 61 balls, provided the platform for England's 27-run win that saw them level the two-match series at 1-1. Hales received 65 rating points for this performance and that helped him leapfrog New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum at the top of the ICC's Twenty20 international batting standings.

Australia's Aaron Finch, who struck a Twenty20 international record 156 in the series opener at Southampton earlier, moved up into the top 20 for the first time in his career after a huge rise of 78 places into 20th spot.

Meanwhile, England seamers Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach have entered the top 10 of the equivalent Twenty20 international bowler rankings for the first time. Finn, who took two wickets in the series, is now in sixth place (up by six) and Dernbach's six wickets saw him jump 12 places into seventh position.

West Indies' Sunil Narine still heads the bowler rankings, with two more spinners in the Pakistan duo of Saeed Ajmal and Mohammed Hafeez second and third respectively.

The 1-1 series draw saw England remain sixth and Australia seventh in the ICC Twenty20 team standings.

New Zealand confirms trimmed India tour

New Zealand Cricket on Monday announced a shortened schedule for its home series against India after reports that the visitors wanted to keep the tour as brief as possible.

NZC said India would play two Tests and five one-dayers against the Black Caps between January 19 and February 18, in the first tour by the world number two Test nation since 2009.

Under the ICC's Future Tours Programme, the trip was supposed to include three Tests, five one-dayers and one T20 in February and March. However, India were reportedly keen to curtail the visit so they can participate in the Asia Cup, which begins in late February.

NZC chief executive David White admitted last month that discussions with the Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) over the tour "have taken longer than we hoped".

He did not address the shortened itinerary in a brief statement issued on Monday, saying only: "It's brilliant that the Black Caps will be playing five ODIs against the world's top one-day side given the proximity of Cricket World Cup in 2015."

It is not clear whether NZC will receive compensation from the BCCI for potential revenue lose after one Test and one T20 were cut from the tour.