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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 19th April 2014
St Luke’s prisoners are freed and raised over £18,000
Vishu celebrations in the UK Spriha Srivastava
UK-based Malyalee & Tamil community celebrated Vishu on April 15. Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala and inthe Mangalore and Udupi districts of Karnataka. It marks the New Year in accordance with the Malayalam calendar, known as the Kolla Varsha. In the UK, Vishu was celebrated by a number of groups including the Harrogate Malyalees Association and the East Midland Hindu Samajam. The Kent Hindu Samajam celebrated Vishu on Tuesday, 15th April 2014 in its traditional way, at The Millennium Centre in Kent. “This is the fourth year in a row that Kent Hindu Samajam is bringing the real Vishu spirit to whole Hindu Malayalee Community in Kent with a variety cultural programmes and Vishu Sadhya,” said a press note issued to this website. In addition to this, the Cardiff Malayalee Association will be celebrating Vishu on 03rd May Saturday 2014, between 7pm to 10pm and the West Yorkshire Malayalee Association is celebrating it on 26th April. The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani, which literally means "the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up". The
Vishukkani consists of a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles like raw rice, fresh lemon, golden cucumber, betel leaves, areca nut, metal mirror, yellow flowers, and a holy text and coins, in a bell metal vessel called uruli in the puja room of the house. A
women and kids joined the men and had the meals together. This was followed by sharing of several stories of traditional importance to the occasion. The festival will also be celebrated in Birmingham where a number of Malayalees
lighted bell metal lamp called nilavilakku is also placed alongside. This is arranged the night before. On Vishu, the custom is to wake up at dawn and go to the puja room with eyes closed so that the Vishukkani is the first sight of the new season. Celebrations also took place in some other areas in the UK too. The sadhya (food) was prepared by the men when women and children were enjoying their time by sharing the fun time in another house, local reports said. Once the sadhya was ready the
and Tamils will come together to celebrate the auspicious day along with good food and lots of sweets. "Vishu" is celebrated with much fanfare and vigour in all parts of Kerala. Setting off fire crackers is part of the celebration, especially for children. People wear new clothes for the occasion and elders of the family gift money, called Vishukkaineetam, to youngsters. Vishu is also a day of feasting. The foods consist of equal proportions of salty, sweet, sour and bitter items.
Christie’s concluded Islamic Art Week in London from 8 to 11 April 2014 with a combined sales total of £ 1 0 , 2 3 0 , 1 8 8 ($17,028,757). An auction record was set for any piece of pottery from today’s Islamic world when a rare Iznik bowl sold for £1.4 million. William Robinson, International Head of Islamic and Indian Art, said: “Christie’s consistent success in the London week of Islamic Art sales this spring was underpinned by rare and beautiful works with strong provenance sourced from private collections. A celebration of creativity and technical excellence from the Islamic and Indian worlds encom-
passing works of art, carpets and rugs and manuscripts, the works offered throughout the sales at both King Street and South Kensington drew competitive international bidding across media, periods and price levels.” Christie’s, the world's leading art business, reached a total of £2.4 billion/$3.68 billion in global auction and private sales in the first six months of 2013. Christie’s has consistently offered the finest Indian works of art since James Christie, the charismatic founder of the firm, offered four fine India pictures painted on glass in his inaugural sale on 5 December, 1766. Growing interest in
Indian Art led to the opening of Christie’s first representative office in India in 1994. The following year, Christie’s held its first stand-alone Indian Art sale in London. Today Christie’s holds regular sales in New York and London and is the market leader in all categories of Indian art. Collectors from India make an increasingly important contribution to the global art market across international categories. In the last one year, Christie’s has lent its support and international reach to the India Art Fair in January and to the Homelands exhibition, organised by the British Council and exhibited in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Christie’s Islamic art week breaks record
Let us know what you think. Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com
13 local community members were arrested and put behind bars in an effort to raise money for St Luke’s Hospice. CB Patel, L George and 11 other prominent community figures were arrested and put behind bars at Pinner police station as part of St Luke’s Jail and Bail event on Friday 4 April. Our detainees collectively raised over £18,000 for the Hospice. The Publisher/Editor of Asian Voice & Gujarat Samacher, CB Patel, pictured, said, ‘I think being arrested is something of a humbling effect. I have never been to any such detention of imprisonment before but it is for a worthwhile cause so it is worth it. It is illuminating that there is some sense of human dignity while being arrested. St Luke’s is a noble cause and this is a very small effort to support them on my part. I’m happy to be a part of this.’ Asian Voice’s Chief Operating Office, L George, said, ‘This is the first time I was arrested. Because I knew it was fictitious I thought it was a funny experience that I’ve never had. If I ever commit a crime, I now know what to expect at the police station. The Jail and Bail was
for a worthwhile cause and I hope more people continue to support St Luke’s and join us to get locked up next year.’ CB Patel and L George were locked up with: Navin Shah, Cllr & Assembly Member for Brent & Harrow; Mohammed Rahman, Trustee of Harrow Central Mosque; Graham Buckland, husband of St Luke’s Trustee; Ramesh Bhanderi, St Luke’s Trustee; Nigel Orton, Bench Chairman, NW London Magistrates; Mahesh Patel, Halifax Wealdstone Branch Manager; Dorab Mistry OBE, Director of Godrej International; Kathleen O’Connor, St Luke’s Supporter; Gopaljeet Bhachu, Chair of Harrow Sikh Association; James Mercer, Vicar at All Saints Church Harrow Weald and Sherry Sendanayake,
Local Business Owner. St Luke’s Hospice provides free end of life care to people whose illnesses are no longer curable. The Hospice give their patients the best possible quality of life during the final stages of their illness and relies on the support of the community to raise £3 million each year in order to do this. You can still make a donation to the Hospice by contacting Aneka on 020 8382 8063 or visiting CB Patel’s page a t www.justgiving.com/CBPatel. St Luke’s Hospice would like to thank everyone who took part in the event, the local police for their support and to West House in Pinner for providing a free lunch for our hungry convicts. CB Patel and L George would like to thank all those who donated to bail them out.
Tagore Celebrated at the Palace of Westminster
Rani Singh
MP Virendra Sharma hosted a historic event at Westminster last Thursday 3rd April 2014. It was conceived and directed by Bithika Raha Basu, Founder Director of the Nrityakala Dance Heritage. Bithika had organised a powerful event, called “Remembering Tagore-The Legend,” to commemorate the centenary of the Nobel Prize being awarded to Tagore. Portraits of the great and the good looked down on a packed room of Tagore fans. There was the Bangladesh High Commissioner, HE Mijarul Quayes; the Indian High Commissioner, HE Ranjan Mathai, and Lord Navnit Dholakia, PC, OBE, DL, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Patron of Nrityakala Dance Academy. Lord Loomba was present, as was Sangeeta Bahadur, Director of the Nehru Centre and Minister for Culture. Virendra welcomed the High Commissioners, Lord Dholakia and special guests, saying that it was important for younger
Bithika Raha Basu, HE Ranjan Mathai, the Indian High Commissioner, Virendra Sharma MP, Bangladesh High Commissioner HE Mijarul Quayes, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Lord Raj Loomba and senior journalist Ashis Ray
generations to know about Tagore. He told us that the poet influenced his own life, and he recalled how in a room in his childhood home, a portrait of Tagore was placed between those of Gandhi and Nehru. Mr Mathai said that Tagore was a “Towering figure.” Lord Dholakia commented, “Bengal has produced erudite people,” so it is not surprising that Tagore comes from there. He added, “I always find his poetry and literature unique.” Lord Dholakia sagely finished with; “The Indian High Commissioner coming here means that everything that is good about India is being celebrated in the Houses of Parliament.” The noble Lord had previously hosted an event for Bithika’s
Nrityakala Dance Heritage and its international work, along with a reading of Tagore’s poem in the House of Lords. HE Mohamed Mijarul Quayes said, “Tagore celebrated the essence of man. He was the quintessential Bengali and man of the world.” H.E. added that rather than be elevated by the Nobel Prize, Tagore elevated the Nobel prize to a world level. The Bangladeshi High Commissioner also pointed out that Tagore was promoting human rights along with the right of all people to have freedom from fear and freedom from want. Bithika is clearly a visionary on a mission and it might not be long before she is recognised by Continued on page 30