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Narendra Modi with chief minister for 13 years, a prime minister for less than a year.”

“Today, my top priority is to make states in India

21st March to 27th March 2015

Gandhi returns to London

Win hearts and heal wounds, Modi tells Lanka

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a forceful pitch for devolution of powers and resources to provinces in Sri Lanka, a key demand of the island’s Tamil-dominated northern and eastern provinces. But, he underlined that the unity of Sri Lanka was “paramount”.

The first Indian prime minister to visit Sri Lanka after Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, Modi travelled to Jaffna where he met Tamil politicians, including the northern province chief minister C V Wigneswaran.

Addressing the Sri Lankan parliament, Modi said: “When we empower states, districts and villages, we make our country stronger. You can call this my bias. I have been a

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

VOL 43. ISSUE 44

Rupanjana Dutta

On a sunny but crisp cold Saturday morning in London (14 March), Prime Minister David

Maithripala Sirisena stronger. I am a firm believer in cooperative federalism. So, we are

Shri Arun Jaitley to unveil the new statue in Parliament Square, but the third one in Britain.

Cameron celebrated the incredibly special friendship between 'the world's oldest democracy and it's largest', as he joined India's Finance Minister

Continued on page 17

Proud moment: Unveiling of Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square by Shri Arun Jaitley, PM David Cameron, Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Lord Meghnad Desai and Lady Kishwar Desai

Continued on page 26

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Mandira Bhimjiyani, Community Development Manager - Karuna Manor

Mandira began her professional career at JP Morgan Investment Bank in 2007 within the equity division, working across Equity Hybrid products, new equity product issuance and hedge funds.

She made the transition from finance to financial conferences and events in 2011, joining Incisive Media as a Senior Conference Content Producer. Here she ran large scale industry events for Institutional and Retail Investment Management Executives for example the Fund Management Summit.

Mandira moved to the care industry to give back to her community, joining the team at Karuna Manor as a Project Manager in January 2014. Her expertise in event management and community knowledge has enabled her to forge key links, as well as utilising her cultural knowledge to cultivate an authentic Asian environment encompassing everything from arranging menus to temple activities and interiors.

BSc in Business Mathematics and Statistics, London School of Economics, 2006 1) What is your current position?

Currently, I am the Community Development Manager at Karuna Manor, working towards creating a new community and creating a fulfilling environment in our Home for our elderly residents that require convalescence, nursing and dementia care.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

It has been inspirational playing an integral role in such a comprehensive project to create a wonderful home that delivers something that is both relevant and innovative for our Gujarati community: a place that we can be proud of, and

3) What inspires you?

Seva – there are so many kindhearted people in this world who spend their time working on good causes and helping people to achieve a better quality of life.

for you?

My career to date has been a journey of self-discovery, working in a wide range of industries, including finance, events and now care, but I feel I am now in a position where I can help make someone’s day better, which is the most powerful impact one can have.

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

I have been blessed with a supportive and loving family and a good education that has provided a solid foundation to build on. The biggest struggle is perhaps one that many of my generation face – with countless opportunities available, how do you find the right one

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

I am surrounded by an adult generation of hard-working individuals who came to this country with nothing and have achieved so much in such a short space of time. These inspirational people are now giving so much back to the

(heaven forbid) would consider for our own loved ones.

Finance Minister Jaitley presents NRI award to G.P. Hinduja

Britain-based industrialist G.P. Hinduja was presented with the inaugural NRI Foundation Award by visiting Indian Finance

Minister Arun Jaitley.

"The India-UK partnership is furthered by a very strong 1.5 million British Indian community,

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which has come into this land, adopted it as its own," Jaitley said at the awards ceremony last Friday night.

Hinduja, the co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, was honoured for establishing a global business presence across various sectors. His philanthropic works in Britain and India were also recognised.

The other NRI Foundation Award winners were the Asian Media and Marketing Group, Lloyds Banking Group's Head of Responsible Business Kamel Hothi and the British government's Dealmaker for India Alpesh Patel.

The three Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash figured in the Bofors scandal that came out in 1986.

In 2005, the Delhi High Court dismissed the allegations against them.

world through charity, and tireless dedication to voluntary work and offering service and our the unsung heroes and role models to us all.

we would like to deliver the highest and best standard of care whilst adding to quality of life.

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

Satisfaction. Knowing that we will be able to give something back to help make a difference to our Gujarati community. At Karuna Manor we do more than assist our residents with daily living. We also offer support to anyone who needs it through our educational programme and events, sharing the knowledge and experience of the experts that we trust.

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

Our social services system does a fantastic job in providing support to those who need it, but it can be struggle with increasing costs and tightening budgets. I would increase healthcare funding to ensure that everybody gets the support they need and to educate people on the importance of saving for later life to ensure they can maintain the lifestyle that they deserve and want. For those who may eventually need it, 24 hour professional nursing and care is a big commitment and one that we all need to plan for.

7) And the worst?

Working in elderly care naturally means that over time we meet and get to know some wonderful people who have led long, rich and diverse lives, and it is always sad when their journey ends. The other struggle is the limited number of hours in the day! It is a fulfilling but challenging role that requires a great amount of perseverance and dedication.

8) What are your long term goals?

To create a new hub and community centre that everyone is welcome to visit. At this place,

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

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.” ― Mother Teresa Mother Teresa. Her inspirational work and wonderful achievements have always spoken to me and it would be fascinating to hear first-hand about her life experiences.

Swedish prosecutors offer to question Assange in London The Swedish public prosecutions authorities offered last Friday to question Julian Assange in London over alleged sex crimes, hoping to break the current standoff before the valid prosecution time limit expires, a development that took the Wikileaks founder's spokesman completely by surprise.

Sweden's Public Prosecutions Director Marianne Ny made the offer in a statement last Friday morning to Julian

Assange's legal representatives on "whether Assange would consent to being interviewed in London and have his DNA taken via a swab", Xinhua news agency reported.

Assange, pictured, is wanted for questioning over the alleged rape and sexual assault claims made by two women in Sweden in 2010. But Assange denied the allegations, saying they were part of a smear campaign against him.

In 2010, Wikileaks

reportedly began publishing 250,000 US diplomatic cables and 500,000 classified military reports, covering both US diplomacy and the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

British inquiry calls for overhaul of surveillance laws but clears spy agencies A parliamentary inquiry last Thursday called for an overhaul of the country's electronic surveillance laws, but it cleared British spy agencies of breaking any laws by monitoring vast amounts of communications.

The investigation, by an oversight panel of lawmakers, was set up after

Edward J. Snowden, the American former intelligence contractor, leaked details about the huge scale of information-gathering by agencies in the United States and Britain.

Like many Western countries, Britain is struggling to reconcile the desire to preserve the privacy of individuals with

the need to gather intelligence that could prevent terrorist attacks.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

COMMENT

Modi waves the flag

In a masterly monograph entitled “India and the Indian Ocean: An essay on the Influence of Sea Power on Indian History,” written way back in 1945,the historian and diplomat K.M. Panikkar questioned the centrality of Ahimsa in Hindu thought. Pacifism, he averred, was essentially a Buddhist and Jain heresy. He writes: Once we are free from the effects of this idea, and are thus enabled to look facts in the face, it will be clear that Indian freedom can be upheld only by firmly deciding to shoulder our share at all costs in the active defence of the areas necessary for our security. To the Indian Ocean we shall then have to turn, as our ancestors did…..”

This famous passage gives Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent tour of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka its appropriate context.

Surrounded on three sides by a vast maritime expanse, India’s economic well-being, dependant as it is on trade with countries near and far, is the bedrock of Indian security. Naval strength and outreach is thus vital to India’s defence. Mr Modi’s visit to Seychelles was a success, more so was his next stop Mauritius, whose people are largely of Indian descent. The country’s transformation from a sugar plantation economy to a robust services, with flourishing tourism and banking have led to an exponential improvement in living standards.

In the mid-1970s, a coup in the country engineered by outside forces hostile to India, prompted India’s then Iron lady, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to take swift action. An Indian naval taskforce was dispatched to the Mauritian capital, Port Louis, and the democratically elected prime minister restored to office. Indo-Mauritian ties are now especially close.

Mauritius was invited to join SAARC leaders at Mr Modi’s inauguration as prime minister. Prime Minister Modi gifted his hosts a patrol ship, the

“Barracuda, ” built at the Garden Reach shipyard in Kolkata, with a promise of a second to follow.

Standing on the deck of the Barracuda, Mr Modi said: “Today, proudly flying the flag of Mauritius, she will sail as a symbol of our partnership.” He also announced an Indian aid package to Mauritius worth $500 million. From Mauritius, PM Modi flew to Sri Lanka for a keenly awaited three-day visit that has restored the relationship with India to its previous level of trust and cordiality. Addressing Parliament in Colombo, Mr Modi spoke firmly and honestly of the need to fully implement the country’s 13th Amendment on devolution for the Tamil populated area of Jaffna and its surrounds. He also appealed to Tamil leaders to give the central government more time in bringing about the desired changes since it, too, had Sinhalese community concerns to address.

Indian Oil Corporation will service Colombo’s fuel requirements. Also, India has been entrusted with infrastructure projects in the strategic eastern port city of Trincomalee, which has a direct approach to the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, where India has a significantly large naval and air base.

Investment, enhanced trade, close security cooperation, easier two-way travel were the staple in talks between Mr Modi and President Sirisena. Indian aid for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Sri Lanka’s war-torn Jaffna area is set to grow.

Summing up, India’s diplomatic exercise in western and eastern perimeters of the Indian Ocean, from the Straits of Hormuz to the Straits of Malacca, are conjoined in a strategic and commercial arc. The Andaman and Nicobar island chain gives India a footprint in South East Asia. Here, territorial disputes between China and Vietnam, and China and the Philippines have muddied the waters. India’s presence in the region has a visible military dimension driven by geostrategic compulsions.

Gender bias in India has been much in the news of late. The recent BBC documentary film, “India’s Daughter,” highlighting the deep male prejudice refracted through the unrepentant attitude of Mukesh Singh, one of the accused in the horrific gang rape case in Delhi in December 2012, and the equally truculent attitude of his two lawyers, sent shock waves across the country. As the International Women’s Day, a fortnight ago, showed, with its wealth of data, gender bias, from the workplace to the family home, is a deeply ingrained phenomenon spread across continents. Statistics reveal that India, China and Japan (in that order) have the lowest incidence of rapes. An audit of the progress women have made in all walks of Indian life is well worth close, critical scrutiny. Air India captain Nivedita Bhasin created history on Women’s Day, when she took command of a Dreamliner jumbo jet on the Delhi-Australia route with an all-women crew. Thirty years ago, she was a co-pilot on an Indian Airlines domestic flight.

Captain Bhasin is the world’s first woman commercial airline commander. She first piloted a Boeing aircraft in 1990, aged 26.

Tenali, a town in Andhra Pradesh, recently hosted a stellar event – the annual Nayudamma Memorial award lecture. Two outstanding women scientists were recipients of the award: they were Tessy Thomas, the head of India’s Agni IV missile team, and Geeta Varadhan, who belongs to the civilian space sector. The award was presented by Shantha Sinha, a former chairperson of the National Commission on Women and Child Welfare, who said, “It’s a remarkable achievement for the two scientists to overcome several challenges in both professional and personal lives and contribute significantly to the advancement of science and its application to the benefit of the common man.” Geeta Varadan, Outstanding Scientist, Data Processing Research Institute, Indian Space Research Organization

(ISRO), showed images of Tenali to illustrate how image processing techniques had improved clarity, accuracy and precision of satellite images. ISRO now has a constellation of 11satellites in orbit sending to various earth stations information with myriad applications in agriculture, environment, forests, water resources, urban and rural development.

Speaking on ‘Make in India’ – Defence Applications,” Tessy Thomas, Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad, illustrated Agni missiles on a screen as an example of India’s neartotal indigenization in missile systems in the face of the technology denial of the NATO-led Western powers in the early stages of its development by India, a lesson well learned.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Indra Nooyi, are distinguished CEOs of thriving companies. Some of India’s leading banks, including the State Bank of India’s Arundhati Bhattacharya, are headed by women. In software engineering, medicine, academia, media, government, civil services and the armed forces, women are playing an increasingly visible role. Away from the public eye, quietly and effectively, large numbers of Indian fathers are determined to see their daughters enjoy the same education, the same family privileges accorded their male siblings. A newspaper tells how a farmer father sold his small plot of land to enable his promising and talented daughter fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor and blazing a trail for her younger brothers.

There are examples of such enlightened parenting across the country, more so in some parts than in others. Despite the glacis and fortresses of gender prejudice, seen most clearly in India’s male-female ratio, progress in women’s emancipation has been, and is being, made. The traction grows steadily. The road is still long and hard, but what has been achieved should serve as a beacon to future generations of Indians.

Bullying at the State and central levels of government and intimidation by religious bigots have received a fitting response from the judiciary and public spirited organizations. Several years ago, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra drew an unflattering cartoon of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who duly went ballistic.

The professor was arrested, then released, as public anger mounted. The West Bengal Human Rights Commission took the State government court. The Calcutta High Court upheld the Commission’s compensation to Professor Mahapatra of Rs 50,000 plus legal costs, to be paid within a month of the judgment.

A naval officer was sacked by the Indian Navy on

the plea of his extra-marital affair with the wife of a fellow officer. The Supreme Court of India, in a withering judgment, ordered the officer’s immediate reinstatement, saying that a consensual relationship was none of Navy’s business, its primary task being the protection of India’s maritime security, not playing the moral police. Finally, a Tamil television channel was attacked and vandalized by an extremist group calling itself Hindu Munani, on the ground that one of its programmes allegedly offended Hindu sentiment. Hindu women who had suffered abuse had appeared on the show, just as Muslim women had done earlier. The channel in question refused to bow to such intimidation. Three resounding cheers for its chairman.

Audit of women’s progress

Bullies, bigots called to order

3

You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.

- Aristotle

Lord Dolar Popat

of Harrow, Government Whip and Lord-in-Waiting with responsibilities for Business and Transport

Let’s end the General Election segregation In the build up to May’s General Election, we’ve seen in Asian Voice and elsewhere the launch of a number of community specific manifestos.

A Sikh Manifesto, a Muslim and a Jewish Manifesto have all been circulated to raise the issues deemed most relevant to a particular sector of British society.

And in this paper in February, Kapil Dudakia – a friend and someone I greatly admire- penned an article calling for a Hindu manifesto, before outlining what he felt it should contain.

I find these manifestos deeply troubling.

They seek to divide us; to see ourselves as subgroups of a nation rather than being part of the whole.

The greatest strength of the Hindu community and the British Indian community has been how we’ve integrated into society. We’ve maintained elements of our culture and faiths but married them perfectly with the values of the country and society we live in.

When we approach the election, we should be basing our decisions on what is best for our country, not on what promises we can extract from politicians based on our faith, skin colour or homeland.

The national debate on the election is focusing on the economy, the NHS, education and leadership; these mirror exactly the issues that most British Indian voters raise with me. Caste discrimination, Kashmir and religious conversations –however important- simply aren’t mentioned.

A call for a Diwali Bank Holiday also seems particularly divi-

sive. We live in a Christian country that celebrates Christian holidays. It raises the question of where does this end; do we extend this principle to holidays of all faiths? I’m not sure we’d ever get to work!

Britain allows people of all faiths to celebrate their own festivals.

Our Temples are already full at Diwali –and many other times in the yearwe don’t need the state to intervene to make that happen.

Kapil was absolutely right when he said that not enough members of the Hindu community have got involved in the political process. We need more British Indians, particularly younger members of the community, to come forward as Councillors and MPs. We put too much emphasis on success in business and the professions at the expense of political engagement.

But this is a separate point; we need them to come forward to ensure politics is representative of our society, not just to demand concessions for one community.

Last year the people of Scotland voted to keep our Kingdom united; the tactics of the SNP were to fan the flames of envy and segregation. These manifestos are the same tactic; forcing us to see ourselves as different and diverse when we have so much in common. They divide us rather than uniting us.

I urge the British Indian community to vote on May 7th, but not based on the politics of Kashmir, but on who you think will be best for your constituency and for our United Kingdom.

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications www.abplgroup.com AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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4

MIDLANDS VOICE

Sixth man charged over Leeds Shuel Ali Hussain shooting

A sixth man has been arrested and charged with assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice after a man was killed in a Leeds shooting.

Shuel Ali Hussain, 33, was found shot in the stomach in Markham Avenue in Harehills at about 21:00 GMT on Monday. He later died in hospital.

Mohammed Nadeem Ahmed, 42, of Airlie Avenue, Harehills, is to appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court later.

Det Supt Simon Atkinson said he was appealing for witnesses to the murder.

Yakub Miah, 41, who has been charged with three offences including assisting an offender is

also to appear later at Leeds Magistrates' Court.

Four men have been charged with conspiracy to murder and were remanded in custody until Tuesday when they will appear before Leeds Crown Court.

Masum Ahmed, 19, of Airlie Avenue, Rajak

Miah, 20, and a 17year-old, from Harehills - who cannot be named because of his age - have been charged with conspiracy to murder.

A 16-year-old from Chapeltown, who must also remain nameless, is charged with the same offence and possession of ammunition.

Police said Mr Hussain, from Harehills, was shot in his silver Vauxhall Astra on Pasture Road, before he managed to make his way to a supermarket on nearby Markham Avenue.

A post-mortem examination showed he died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Shopkeeper fined after haul of counterfeit goods are discovered in his store

A shopkeeper has been fined after a haul of counterfeit goods were seized at his store.

Fake Thomas the Tank Engine toys and JML personal grooming products - including Ped Eggs - were discovered at Bits n Bobs on Dale Street in Radcliffe, Bury, in July and October 2013.

The store owner, Mohammed Amir, pleaded guilty at Bury magistrates' court to seven offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994.

Amir, 36, of Mellor Road, Longsight, was fined £500 and ordered to pay court costs of £500.

Counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes were also discovered.

Council trading standards officers - accompa-

nied by police and a tobacco detection dog visited the store twice.

Civic leaders have now issued a warning over counterfeit products.

Andrew Johnson, the council’s head of trading standards and licensing, said fakes can be danger-

ous and added: “Only by not buying fakes can we help stop the organised criminal gangs supplying shoddy and sometimes unsafe goods. It’s not just big businesses that suffer over this type of activity, but local retailers struggling to compete with the black market.”

Van hire company operator Hammond Kumar banned for three years

A businessman who ran two rogue van hire companies has promised not to work in the trade for the next three years.

Hammond Kumar (42), of Oulston Lane, Hamilton, Leicester, had been accused of ripping off customers by keeping their deposits and making unexpected charges. He was taken to court by Trading Standards and now faces jail if he breaks his promise.

The Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards team first investigated Kumar in

2013 when he ran the online businesses UK Van and Minibus Hire Ltd and UK Van and Minibus Rentals Ltd. Later that year he was issued with a court order requiring him to trade fairly but he ignored that.

After the order was made, Trading Standards received more than 40 further complaints from people left out of pocket after hiring vehicles.

Many reported that they were not told a deposit of between £200 and £400 would be taken as soon as their booking

was placed. When returning vehicles, many customers were not given back their deposits.

Some complained that the terms and conditions led them to think that they could cancel at short notice, whereas they actually found themselves stung by an administration fee of 15 per cent.

During a recent hearing at Leicester County Court Kumar promised that for the next three years he will not be employed or have any connection with vehicle hire businesses.

A Birmingham teenager has been arrested on suspicion of preparing to travel to Syria allegedly to join up with IS fighters.

The 18-year-old youth was detained at approximately 7am this morning

by officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.

Unconfirmed reports said the operation was carried out in Hodge Hill.

The operation was preplanned and intelligence

led. There was no immediate threat to public safety.

The man was arrested at his home address on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

Brum teenager arrested in terror probe

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Moazzam Begg denies claims he trained Jihadi John

A former Guantanamo Bay inmate from Birmingham has denied helping to train the Islamic State killer Jihadi John.

Moazzam Begg, from Sparkhill, was subject to claims he was at the same Syrian training camp as so-called Jihadi John, unmasked last month as Mohammed Emwazi. But CAGE, the campaign group for which Mr Begg is Director of Outreach, have released a statement branding the allegations “unsubstantiated”.

In a video posted on YouTube last week by CAGE, Begg reiterates accusations that UK security services are to blame for the rise of Islamic State.

Speaking at a community event, Begg says: “This government and

Moazzam Begg

Jihadi John

the previous government are the ones who gave us ISIS. “I’ll say that again.

MI6 isn’t responsible for creating, for making Jihadi John execute those men, of course they’re not.

“They’re responsible for something much bigger. They’re responsible for the creation of ISIS,

that gave him the order to execute.”

Begg also talks about his own attempts to negotiate for the release of Islamic State hostages and claims that British police bugged his car. He describes meeting Foreign Office officials while he was in Belmarsh Prison to discuss how to free the British hostage Alan Henning.

false invoices.

After submitting false

invoices for VAT repayments, which netted him £500,000, Sandhu, pictured, created a bogus handwritten cash book to support the lies.

Sandhu, of Swithland Lane, Rothley, admitted furnishing bogus VAT returns between January 2010 and January 2011. He has since borrowed £500,000 from "friends and business associates" to repay all the money.

Businessman jailed for VAT fraud

A businessman who swindled the taxman out of half-a-million pounds in a sophisticated VAT fraud was jailed for two years.

Bulbinder Singh Sandhu (51) falsely claimed his firm, Isher Fashions, in Constance Road, North Evington, supplied £4 million worth of ladies' clothes to a dozen small shops in Paris.

Leicester Crown Court was told an investigation revealed the sales – which he claimed were in cash – never took place.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recruited the help of the French authorities and visited all the shops in Paris over the

Courier who stole Apple iPhone 5s given non-custodial sentence had been subcontracted to transport the goods by TNT parcel delivery service.

Adhiya, of Bucksburn Walk, Northfields, Leicester, pleaded guilty on the basis another person traveling in the delivery van with him took the boxes of phones, after insisting it was in lieu of an £800 cannabis debt Adhiya owed him.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

A self-employed courier who stole 120 Apple iPhone 5s worth more than £51,000 has been given a non-custodial sentence.

Deep Adhiya, 20, pleaded guilty to theft of the batch of gold-coloured smart phones belonging to Apple on December 12, 2013. Leicester Crown Court was told the phones – part of a bigger consignment of Apple mobiles were taken after Adhiya, pictured, took delivery of them in Hinckley and before they reached their destination in London. He

Hunt for 77-year-old missing Leicester man Concerns have been raised for the safety of a 77-yearold Leicester man who has gone missing. Makham Basra has not been seen since last week.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: "It is out of character for

Mr Basra to go missing and his family are keen to know he's safe and well."

He was last seen at the family's home in the city at about 10.30am. Police have not said where in Leicester the family lives.

When he was last seen, Mr

Basra was wearing a lightcoloured coat and cream trousers. He is about 5ft 10ins and of medium build, with dark hair.

Anyone who has seen him, or knows where he is, is asked to call police on 101.

Islamaphobic Graffiti on Birmingham University Wall

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

This is the third time this year that despicable Islamaphobic graffiti has been found at the University of Birmingham.

The police discovered on 14th March that this incident is believed to have links to a previous hatefuelled vandalism incident at the Edgaston Campus, Edgaston in January.

Sources also suggest that these incidents were also associated to the racist graffiti in January which was found near the Jahalabad Mosque in Selly Oak. At the scene of this latest attack, the words “kill

Islam before it kills you” were sprayed on a storage box at Edgbaston campus, while “Islam must die” was found on the wall of Guild building.

A Muslim chaplain at the University of Birmingham, Shanin Ashraf stated, “I'm shocked and alarmed that this Islamophobic incident has taken place on more than one occasion. It’s deeply disturbing and can be very unsettling for all of us at the university and the wider community. I hope we all come together to have zero tolerance against any bigotry and

Graffiti on the walls of University of Birmingham

hatred.”

Furthermore, A West Midlands Police spokesperson reveals, “a member of university security staff alerted police to racist graffiti on

campus at 7.20am this morning (March 14). This has been classed as a criminal damage hate crime and an investigation is underway to try and find those responsible.”

Boy killed after father accidentally hit wall with truck

A recovery truck that hit a wall which collapsed on to a toddler and killed him was driven by the boy's father, police said.

Nineteen-month-old Amaan Yaseen suffered a fatal head injury on Queens Road, Stechford, Birmingham, on Monday.

The truck "accidentally struck" the front wall at the home address while it was being parked, family friend Mohammad Hafeez said.

He said the parents were "distraught and shocked".

Mr Hafeez said Amaan was "a lovely little boy who brought with him a lot of joy and happiness for the entire family, particularly his parents".

Addressing the media near the scene, Mr Hafeez said the boy would be "deeply missed" following "this accidental and tragic incident" at about 16:55

Political Snapshots No SNP: Ed Miliband stated, “the Tories, the party that haven't won a majority for over 20 years, are now running a misleading campaign based on the idea of a Labour-SNP coalition.

This idea is nonsense. It will not happen. There are big differences between usnot just on the integrity of the United kingdom and another referendum, but on a fair funding between the countries of the UK. And on fair taxes. In continuing to repeat this claim, the Conservative Party and David Cameron are simply trying to scare people.

Labour will not go into coalition government with the SNP. There will be no SNP ministers in any government I lead.”

Second Job: Grant Shapps has used a Conservative law firm to pressurise a constituent to remove criticism about his pursuit of business interests after becoming an MP. Shapps has been accused of having a second job as an MP although it is against the law. Shapps denies these accusations. “I have never had a second job whilst being an MP. End of story.”

Exclusion: Karie Murphy, a Labour activist has not been included in the selection list and found out last moment. Murphy states, “I am disappointed that the Labour Party advised the media of my exclusion from the selection list more than three hours before they informed me. It is a credit that the shortlist is made up of so many local women, this is a new welcome precedent for the Labour Party but it's regrettable that it wasn't applied more rigorously in the past.

NCGO Organises a Political Conference Mohammed Hafeez

GMT on Monday.

The barrister said: "You will appreciate that this is a very tragic and traumatic incident for any parent to have to experience. [The father] is obviously and understandably distraught and upset and he is being supported quite properly by his immediate family and friends."

Mourners have paid their respects at the semidetached home, where broken masonry still lies

Driver appears in court accused of causing death of 80-year-old THE driver accused of causing the death of an elderly man who was knocked down when crossing the road has appeared in court.

Alan Wilsdon stood in the dock at Brighton Crown Court last Friday (March 6) to answer a charge of causing death by driving without due care and attention while over the drink-drive limit.

The prosecution had an indictment prepared for Wilsdon, 52, to enter a plea to, but the defence argued that they still need to examine CCTV footage and expert evidence. As a result Wilsdon did not

5

Victim: Mohamed Shamim

enter a plea.

Wilsdon, from Wilmington Close, in Broadfield, is alleged to have caused the death of Mohamed Shamim, on London Road, in Manor Royal, on May 18 last year.

Flower tributes at scene of tragic accident

by the driveway.

Rosa Knight, who left a candle at the scene, said: "I did it for that baby and the family... when I was told, I shed a tear."

Roy Ives, who was walking back from a friend's house, said: "Out of the corner of my eye on the right I saw this block of bricks fall down... It was horrendous. It really upset me."

A 17-year-old girl, who lives next door, said she heard screaming and "just assumed it was kids".

Crawley man accused of driving without a licence or insurance A MAN accused of driving dangerously without a valid licence or insurance has had his case transferred to crown court.

Vickesh Patel appeared at Crawley Magistrates' Court on February 26.

The 23-year-old, from Waldby Court, in Nevile Close, Bewbush, is alleged to have driven a Ford Puma on West Green Drive on August 19 last year while holding only an expired provisional licence. He will appear at Lewes Crown Court on March 27 ahead of a trial.

She said: "We heard a lot of screaming... I can't believe that just happened right outside our door."

Inspector Paul Bennett, of West Midlands Police's collision investigation unit, said: "This was a tragic incident and officers continue to support the family and establish what exactly happened."

The National Congress of Gujarati Organisations (UK) have organised a Political Conference in view of the forthcoming general elections. This meeting is due to take place on Monday 23rd March 2015 and will have representatives from the Conservative Party, Labour Party and Liberal Democrat present.

The National

Congress of Gujarati Organisations (NCGO) were established in 1985 is joined by over 100 Gujarati associations from various parts of the UK. It will give an exemplary contingency for the three main parties to give details of their proclamation in about 15 minutes each.

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are the Media Partners.

East London woman jailed for possessing extremist material A woman from east London has been jailed for possessing material likely to be useful for terrorism.

Afsana Kayum, 22, (29.11.92) of Stock Street, E13 was sentenced Monday 16th March at Snaresbrook Crown Court to 18 months' imprisonment.

On 19 February 2015, she was found guilty of one count of possessing material of a kind likely to be useful for the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism.

During her trial the court heard how officers from SO15 Counter Terrorism Command carried out a search at her address in east London on 5 September 2013.

Electronic devices were

seized during the search, including a USB stick which was later found to contain a copy of 1-10 'Inspire' magazine and 'The Lone Mujahedeen Handbook' breaching section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. This material contained practical guides around bomb-making and other violent attacks.

On 17 October 2013, Kayum was arrested under PACE on suspicion of offences contrary to section 58 Terrorism Act 2000 and a further search of her address was carried out.

She was released on police bailed to allow officers more time to carry out further work examining evidence found at her address.

Later in the year,

Kayum returned from bail and was questioned by officers about the material seized from her home address.

On 23 December 2013, she was charged with one count of possession of material likely to be of use to a person committing or preparing an Act of Terrorism under Sec 58 of Terrorism Act 2000.

Commander Richard Walton Head of Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) said: "We are becoming increasingly concerned about women and young girls gaining access to and becoming influenced by illegal extremist material that promotes and glorifies terrorism. This is a serious offence and I welcome today's sentence."

6

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Kapil’s

KHICHADI Follow me on Twitter: @kdudakia

Spriha Srivastava

One more Gandhi statue unveiled in the UK The unveiling of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Parliament square may have taken India-UK relations to a new level but it has thrown a lot of questions in front of us – questions on what this million pound statue brings to the UK? With one statue in Leicester and now two in London, Gandhi has become an international figure, being added to the likes of Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, but wasn’t he one already? Many say, it’s a new step towards stronger UK-India relations, but aren’t we already considered natural partners? UK has a strong and affluent Indian diaspora and the present government has made trips to India to hold discussions and strengthen partnership.

So why did we need another statue?

While it was a moment of pride for many Indians to see Indian and British flags at he Parliament Square and the statue being unveiled by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley, Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, I couldn’t stop thinking of other ways this whopping donation amount of a million pounds could be put to use.

While India is developing at a fast pace, it is also growing with a lot of domestic problems – gender inequality, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment to name a few. In the face of all these inequalities, shouldn’t the money from affluent Indians around the world go to a cause that will help India fight its social evils? What do you think the Mahatma would have wished for if he was alive today?

Women’s safety is one of India’s top priorities at the moment – and it has become an international issue after the launch of BBC documentary called “India’s Daughter”. The documentary along with all the crimes being committed against women shows the inequality faced by women in their daily lives.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi in his speech at the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi statue made a very interesting point about us worshipping

women goddesses but not respecting women in our daily lives. He said we still need Gandhi in this world.

“We need him in India today more than we ever have. He said there was so much he had left unfinished he would like to be re-born. But he would not want us to be looking out for the reborn Gandhi. In any case, that would be a loser’s way of doing things. India is no loser.

India finds herself, from the debris of her mistakes, the ruins of her aspirations. Whenever she has been considered ‘lost’, she has been found by an astonished world, a relieved world, to be as true as she can be to the message of her greatest son, Gautama the Buddha, and to the genius of her immensely wise and even sagacious people, of all faiths and of the other great faith – faith in their striving hands. I have used ‘she’ for India with deliberation for that ‘she’, the woman in India, worshipped in concept but neglected, exploited, abused in reality, is the one of the scorching truths of India,” he said.

Apart from the unveiling, a number of events were organised last week with Arun Jaitley in town. One of them was a panel discussion organised by FICCI and UK India Business Council (UKIBC). The event brought together a number of dignitaries from various sectors – IT, banking and finance, journalism, automobile, textiles and so on.

Organised in associa-

tion with the High Commission of India, the event’s panellists included Arun Jaitley, the Indian Finance Minister, Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt, chair for UKIBC, Shri Ranjan Mathai, High Commissioner of India to the UK, Ms. Jyotsna Suri, President of FICCI, Sir David Wright, Vice Charman, Barclays Capital and Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman and MD, Bharti Enterprises.

Mr. Jaitley addressed the audience on investment opportunities in India and discussed the key points from the Union Budget of India delivered on 28 February, 2015. He focussed in particular on how the announcements will impact UK Businesses and asked the vast Indian diaspora in the UK to support the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. He urged the Indian diaspora in the UK to remain connected.

He also said they have the best of both worlds for being a British citizen but also because they are of Indian origin.

Mr. Jaitley took advantage of his UK trip to address a number of gatherings to speak about the present government’s initiative and UKIndia relations. He also met with the UK Chancellor George Osborne and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The discussions revolved around areas of cooperation between India and Britain and what more can be done to ensure both countries work together.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

by Kapil Dudakia - email: kapil@abplgroup.com

GE2015 – The Mathematics With less than eight weeks to the General Election the polls from almost all polling organisations are showing that we are heading towards an unprecedented election. Under any other circumstance it would be as thrilling as entering a fairground ride of monumental proportions with screams and danger lurking at each and every turn. This ride will take millions on a journey that may well define how the UK is set for the 21st century. The significance of the decision by the people of Great Britain cannot be underestimated. And those who delude themselves into thinking it’s just another election may well do disservice to the generations to come.

The latest poll of polls gives us the following: Conservatives 33%, Labour 32%, Liberal Democrats 7%, UKIP 15% and Green 6%. How might this translate to actual seats? Now this is a dangerous game, especially given we have two new phenomena that has destroyed the foundations of traditional analysis. Yes, I am talking about the UKIP and SNP effect. So based on current polls one might predict seat distribution to be: Conservatives 281, Labour 264, Liberal Democrats 24, UKIP 3 and Green 1. And therein we have the making of political Khichadi like none other.

This is where you and I come in.

After five decades plus in this country (in reasonably large numbers) our community can actually make a difference.

A few percentage points is all that it will take to change the mathematics.

The minority ethnic communities have never been in such a powerful position before, and the political parties know it. So before you decide (as opposed to voting blindly as usual) think about the following.

The Labour Party was in power for some 13 years. Ask yourself the questions, ‘how many Gujarati MPs did they manage to secure?’ The answer is none of course. So after decades of getting our votes, the Labour Party with all its bravado did nothing to get even one Gujarati MP in parliament. That tells you everything you need to know.

I hear you ask, but what about the Tories? Well it turns out that in less than a decade since enlightenment dawned to them about the importance of minority ethnic votes, the Tories have already got two Gujarati MP’s (Sailesh Vara and Priti Patel), both holding important positions within the Government. So in my view rhetoric and platitude don’t count for much, my interest is totally in outcomes and as far as I can make out, the Conservatives have overtaken the Labour Party when it comes to representing our community in parliament.

What else do you need to know?

Well some of you will recall that during early 2014 (just before the Indian elections) we had some Labour MPs in bed with extremist organisations such as ‘Avaaz’, who held several anti-Modi (anti-Hindu) events at the House of Commons. Shortly thereafter we even

had a major donor to the Labour Party, Anish Kapoor (the chap responsible for the multi-million pound scaffolding erected for Olympics 2012) come on BBC Newsnight and state that PM Modi was a mass murderer. To my knowledge (and I have asked many times now) the Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband has not denounced these activities. That begs the question, ‘what is the Labour Party playing at?’

Several months ago I wrote a piece titled, ‘Is Labour going Sharia’, in which the discussion highlighted a possible Labour strategy of enticing the Pakistani vote bank. In particular the Pakistani Kashmiri voter. One may well conclude that if a party is to be so much in bed with one particular ethnic community, then it’s likely that the interests of the Hindu community will be compromised in that process.

UKIP have thrown a curve bowl in British politics. The rise of ‘National Front’ like organisations across Europe has been startling. I am therefore not surprised that a milder more palatable version has become so successful in the UK. UKIP will be lucky to get more than 5 seats, but the votes they take away from the other parties will be damaging to the equation. Tories may well suffer disproportionately and with that, lose seats by small margins that they might otherwise would have held.

The SNP have taken the whole of Scotland by storm.

Remember Scotland has been a fortress of votes for the Labour Party for decades. In May 2015 Labour will be lucky to hold onto even 5 seats in Scotland. The SNP will get close to 50 seats, and that my friends is an earthquake and a tsunami both rolled into one.

What is astonishing is that the Liberal Democrats will plummet to under 10% yet by the quirk of the British electoral system; they might still end up with some 25 seats. The relationship between the number of votes received and the number of seats gained will be compromised in these elections, leaving the LD’s still in a position to be part of the next Government either with Labour or with the Tories.

The Tories have rejected a coalition with the SNP, and rightly so. After all how can any political party even think of doing a deal with the SNP when its primary objective is to break up Great Britain? Interestingly it took Labour a very long time before Ed Miliband was forced to finally follow the Tories and state they would also not work the SNP. The Indic vote is important. Politics has changed in this country. The traditional view of the parties has changed as well, as has their own internal politics. We must now be guided by what is good for us as a community. Over the coming decade, which political party is more likely to be in line with our needs and expectations? Is it the one that is in bed with the Pakistani Kashmiri vote bank? Make your decision wisely.

Devon & Cornwall come together in bid for overseas visitors The announcement of an investment of £5 million to boost international tourism in the South West has been broadly welcomed by Devon tourism authority Visit Devon.

Official figures show the county saw a 39%

growth in international visitors across Devon in 2013, with increased numbers also expected for 2014.

Visit England will administer the Fund on behalf of the government, using the money to back initiatives aimed at increas-

ing awareness of the South West of England as a tourist destination in Europe and beyond. Money will be allocated for marketing activity, travel itineraries and to promote the transport links between Bristol, Exeter and Newquay.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

London schoolgirls 'stole jewellery' to support IS fight

Three London schoolgirls who fled to Syria are believed to have stolen family jewellery to fund their travel, police said last Wednesday as the trio's relatives expressed disbelief at their actions.

Schoolfriends Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-yearolds Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, left their homes last month and flew to Istanbul, from where they are believed to have joined Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria.

Giving evidence before parliament's home affairs committee, Britain's national police lead on counter-terrorism, Mark Rowley, said the girls paid a travel agent more than 1,000 pounds for their flights.

Asked where they found the money, he said: "We think it's linked to theft from families. We think it's linked to taking jewellery from one of their family members."

The girls are among 26 British young women who have gone to join IS fighters in Syria, according to

Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum

Rowley, who is assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. But he said that so far "we have no evidence to suggest they are involved in terrorism", and they could return home to Britain without facing charges.

Earlier, Abase's father Hussen Abase told the committee that his daughter was a victim -- adding that he believed she had been "terrified" by police attention following the flight of another schoolfriend to Syria in December.

Police spoke with Sultana, Begum and

Shreya Ghoshal and Zakir Hussain to Perform at Alchemy, Southbank

Zakir Hussain

Alchemy is an expedition of the cultural links between UK and the Indian subcontinent, held at the Southbank Centre.

It is back for its sixth year and will be held between 15th- 25th May 2015.

Some of the festival highlights include internationally-renowned tabla musician, Zakir Hussain, Bollywood singer and playback artist, Shreya

Shreya Ghoshal

Ghoshal, World-famous Jaipur Literature Festival and searing Indian play, Nirbhaya, among many others. Gurinder Chadha, the director of popular films, Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice will also be there, along with a panel of stars from the popular television show, Desi Rascals.

Abase and four other girls from the same London school after the 15-yearold girl went missing in December, and gave them a letter requesting further permission from their parents to talk to them.

None of the trio passed on the letters, and their relatives have complained that they could have acted to stop the girls going to Syria if they had known the situation.

In her evidence to the committee, Begum's older sister Sahima also said there was no indication that the younger girl had been radicalised.

Human Stories and The East India Company A unique project will be held by Brick Lane Circle on 19th March 2015. For those who are interested to learn about the East India Company and how it impacted on diverse people's lives, this event will be a great opportunity for you to learn about this historical aspect. To know more about the project, attend the launch and they will give you further details.

The project is being supported by the London Metropolitan Archives, National Maritime Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Library, Rich Mix Centre, Bow Drama Group and many community groups.

At this event, not only will you get to learn about the East India Company,

Sikh community tightens grip, asks candidates to adhere to manifesto Britain's Sikh community are tightening their grip over the outcome of the upcoming general election with the Sikh Federation writing to the main candidates in over 100 constituencies urging them to adhere to their recently released election manifesto demanding allocation of a site in central London for a permanent monument to Sikhs who lost their lives in the World War 1.

They have also called for a statutory code of practice on items of the Sikh faith in order to prevent discrimination in the workplace and public spaces besides an independent inquiry into the actions of the British government in relation to the Amritsar and Delhi massacres of 1984.

Bhai Amrik Singh, the chair of the Sikh Federation said each candidate in the 100 constituencies are being asked to provide a general endorsement of the Sikh manifesto and indicate those items they are prepared to specifically commit to and work on if elected.

Singh said "So far the Labour leadership continue to take the Sikh vote for granted. We will publish a summary of the responses from candidates in the 100 constituencies one month before the general election on May 7.

“We are also planning meetings with the leadership of the main parties to but you will also get the opportunity to brush up your writing skills, specifically heritage fiction writing. In addition to that, there will be a short film on East India Company as well as presentations from guests and experts.

The project launch takes place on Thursday 19th March 2015, 6.30pm- 8.30pm, Lab 1A Idea Store Whitechapel, 321 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BU

Free with Asian Voice this week Global Indian Rich List This week paid subscribers of Asian Voice will receive the first ever 'Global Indian Rich List' magazine with their newspaper

Liability clause: This list is compiled for information purposes only. This list is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the richest Indian’s in the World and is based solely on the information and accounts made available to us at the time of going to print.

ABPL does not make any representation, guarantees, promises, assurances or warranties as to the accuracy of the estimates of wealth provided in this list. Nor do they make any representation, guarantees, promises, assurances or warranties as to the sources of reference.* This list is not and shall not be construed or used as financial advice. Neither ABPL, nor any of its affiliates including its directors, shareholders, employees or officers shall be held liable for or take any responsibility for the information provided in this list or for any loss or damage or negligence that any person, any company or any form of corporate entity may incur as a result of relying on the information in this list. Readers of this list must make their own investigations of any member named in this list. Readers must acknowledge that in reading this list they do not rely on any of the information stated in the list, and they shall not be entitled to any remediesin respect of any information stated in this list (whether made innocently or negligently). Readers also acknowledge that they shall have no claim for innocent or negligent misrepresentation or negligent misstatement based on any information stated in this list. *Source: Refer to page 3 of 'Global Indian Rich List' magazine.

7

Sikh Federation launch campaign manifesto ahead of general election

get their commitment to specific issues that will be shared widely with the 700,000 strong Sikh community. Sikh voters will then look at both the support of the party as well as the individual candidates before casting their vote".

The candidates include the 50 target constituencies with a strong Sikh presence and 50 additional constituencies where Sikhs may hold the balance of power.

The 50 additional constituencies are mainly due to the surge in support for UKIP and the collapse of the Liberal Democrat vote.

In the manifesto, Sikhs have also demanded more

effective Sikh representation in the Houses of Parliament.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said "I think the Sikh Manifesto 2015-2020 demonstrates the commitment of British Sikhs to be actively involved with the political process and is a great way of empowering the British Sikh community".

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said "The British Sikh community's energy and devotion in campaigning to drive forward our shared values of fairness, compassion and tolerance is a priceless contribution to the modern Britain we live in today".

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Send your CV with a covering letter to: L George Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House 12 Hoxton Market (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW or email: george@abplgroup.com

8

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As I See It

Non violence is the only way for world peace Most of the present day religious hatred and painful bloodshed is occurring in Muslim majority countries. This is sad but true. It is certainly not due to the teachings of the holy Quran. It is happening because some opportunist - a tiny minority pretending to be the followers of Islam - wrongly believe that they can bully the vast majority and force their views upon them.

In my view never before have so many Muslims been killed everyday and mainly in the Muslim countries.

The saddest fact is that most of the murderers happen to be their fellow

Muslims.

What is the way out?

The average Muslims, and I know many of them, wish to live in peace and they strive for the prosperity, well being and happiness of their loved ones.

Please read carefully the extracts from one of Gandhiji’s books ‘The non violent way to world peace’ that was read so eloquently by Amitabh Bachchan last Saturday and also the speech by Gandhiji’s upright grandson Gopalkrishna.

Surely there is a better way to coexist. The present day India, though imperfect in many ways, is a shining beacon for all to see and perhaps to

learn from as well.

India today is a much better place to live and work for all its citizens irrespective of several contradictions and faith traditions.

Compared to its neighbours and several other nations were bigotry is bleeding so painfully, in India Muslims - both Shias and Sunnis - coexist in peace with their fellow beings be they Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, adherents of other faith traditions or none.

Non violence is the only way forward. There is no other option!

Gopal Gandhi’s speech at the unveiling ceremony

He looked rather like this, sixty-eight years ago, to his assassin. He looked straight into his eyes, quite exactly like this.

Gandhi was walking, of course, not standing. And he walked straight into those three bullets. He embraced those darts, he did. With the might of his pain for others, the depth of his faith in God. He hugged them.

He had fought for years to prevent the division of India along the lines of religions. But with that division a fact, he fasted for peace amongst the two main peoples of India – Hindus and Muslims – and for trust between the newly independent India and new-born Pakistan. Had he lived, he would have fought to have the man who shot at him, freed.

And he would have fought to have trust return, stay and grow.

Gandhi had just begun to dream to work for a new India that may or may not be rich, may or may not be powerful, but which will be fair and just, to its own poor, and to the miserable everywhere. He believed in facing the truths of India, not running away from them, papering them over or pretty-fying them, for, he said “the way of truth is the way to peace”. And peace for him was not a pigeon. Gandhi scorched by his love, he healed by his fire.

We need him in India today more than we ever have. He said there was so much he had left unfinished he would like to be re-born. But he would not want us to be looking out for the reborn Gandhi. In any case, that would be a loser’s way of doing things.

India is no loser. India finds herself, from the

debris of her mistakes, the ruins of her aspirations. Whenever she has been considered ‘lost’, she has been found by an astonished world, a relieved world, to be as true as she can be to the message of her greatest son, Gautama the Buddha, and to the genius of her immensely wise and even sagacious people, of all faiths and of the other great faith – faith in their striving hands. I have used ‘she’ for India with deliberation for that ‘she’, the woman in India, worshipped in concept but neglected, exploited, abused in reality, is the one of the scorching truths of India.

The fact that London, the capital of the then Imperial Power he disengaged India from, raises a statue for him even as India has some of her people contemplate a temple for his assassin, shows that Gandhi’s work for truth in freedom succeeds in the most unbelievable ways.

You were not infallible Mohandas Gandhi, you erred often, as your wife, Kasturba knew more than any other person. But you owned your

- CB

errors, tried always to be better than your best.

Bronzed and hearkening , here, in what is your ‘opposite ground’, you will give heart to those who believe in a world without fear of the bully, fear of the bomb and fear of the blatant lie. You will show us, too, that money cannot buy, nor power suborn the truth.

On behalf of the ‘Gandhi family’, by which I mean not his biological descendants – for he did not elevate family descent – but all those anywhere who fight against the tyranny of bigotry and exploitation, I felicitate Great Britain and Her Majesty’s Government for creating space for this Gandhi statue on this great Square. That large ‘family of Gandhi’s values’ celebrates the fact of his statue taking its place right beside that of his political descendant , Nelson Mandela. On behalf of all present here today and the generations of pedestrians, young and once-young, from all nationalities and customs who will see it, I offer to the mastersculptor of this statue, salutations.

Reading of Gandhi’s teachings by Amitabh Bachchan at the unveiling Non-Violent Way To World Peace” by M K Gandhi

“Perhaps never before has there been so much speculation about the future as there is today. Will our world always be one of violence?

Will there always be poverty, starvation, misery? Will we have a firmer and wide belief in religion, or will the world be godless? If there is to be a great change in society, how will that change be wrought? By war, or revolution? Or will it come peacefully?

“Different men give different answers to these questions, each man drawing the plan of tomorrow’s world as he hopes and wishes it to be. I answer not only out of belief but out of conviction.

“The world of tomorrow must be, will be, a society based on non-vio-

lence. That is the first law; out of that all other blessings will flow. It may seem a distant goal, an impractical Utopia. But it is not in the least unobtainable, since it can worked for

here and now.

“An individual can adopt the way of life of the future - the non-violent way - without having to wait for others to do so. And if an individual can do it, cannot whole groups of individuals?

Whole nations?

Men often hesitate to make a beginning because they feel that the objective cannot be achieved in its entirety.

This attitude of mind is precisely our greatest obstacle to progress - an obstacle that each man, if he only wills it, can clear away.”

Speech by Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance

Mr. Prime Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am extremely grateful to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and all those who made today’s event possible, for inviting me to this historic and nostalgic occasion when Gandhiji’s Statue is being unveiled.

Nobody embodies the deep and enduring connections between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy as well as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – the Mahatma – whose statue is being unveiled in Parliament Square today. Gandhiji will find himself set permanently in stone very close to the place he occupied transiently, in flesh and blood, on his first night in London more than one hundred and twenty five years ago.

Gandhiji’s struggle to break Britain’s imperial hold over India and to force the world’s oldest democracy to create the world’s largest one are the stuff of history and legend.

But even as he waged this struggle, he admired Britain, valued many of the things it stood for, and cherished his friendships with scores of Britons.

During the Battle of Britain he was moved to tears at the thought that Westminster Abbey might be bombarded. So great was his regard for British values that he would condemn many unfair and unjust practices as “unBritish”.

His closest friends, confidantes, and counsellors, in South Africa, which proved to be the training ground for his experiments with non-violent means of resisting oppression and satyagraha (truth force) were English.

One of his deepest

spiritual bonds was struck with C.F. Andrews, the only person who called him by his first name “Mohan” whereas the world referred to him more respectfully as Bapu or Gandhiji.

In short, Mohandas Gandhi became the Mahatma not just because Britain gave him the cause that would define his life but also the human and other connections that made the fight for that cause possible.

Today, India and Britain have come a long way since the parting at the “midnight hour” of 1947.

Historical legacies form the ties that bind our two countries: language, the enlightenment values of democracy, free speech, pluralism, religious freedoms, and rule of law, and institutions such as the merit-based civil service, civilian-controlled army, independent judiciary, and a raucously vibrant press.

These bequests have had lasting effects on us.

Mature nations transcend bitterness and acrimony.

In Parliament Square

there is also a statue of Sir W i n s t o n Churchill, arguably the man who o p p o s e d Gandhi most r e s o l u t e l y.

Some would detect an irony in the great Prime Minister sharing a public space with the man he once decried as a ‘halfnaked fakir’.

May be there is irony but even Churchill would have acknowledged that the resolve, determination and even cunning he showed in standing up to a mighty military machine that threatened the very existence of a proud and free people was replicated by Gandhi in his seemingly unequal battle against the world’s mightiest Empire.

What will link Churchill and Gandhi together is their strength of character. But it is a greater tribute to Britain to recognize Gandhiji’s contributions and choose to place the “seditious, half-naked fakir” next to his one-time nemesis, Churchill and, of course, next to the man Gandhiji inspired, Nelson Mandela.

For that gracious gesture, my government and all of India are deeply thankful to the tireless work of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust, including its Chairman, Lord Meghnad Desai, to the prodigious talent of sculptor Philip Jackson, and above all to the capacious, Gandhilike spirit of the British government and its people.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

“The Modi Effect” Author; Lance Price

Lance Price is the first foreign book writer to have interviewed Indian PM Narendra Modi. He talked to us for “Leading Lights” before leaving for Delhi to launch his fourth book, “The Modi Effect” published by Hodder and Stoughton and Hachette India.

Mr Price is a British writer, journalist and political commentator. He was a BBC journalist from 1981 to 1998, then became special adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair, eventually assuming the role of Director of Communications for the Labour Party. He coordinated the Labour Party election campaign of 2001and has written three other books.

He had four face to face sessions with Mr Modi; “Plenty of time,” the author said.

Lance explained how the Modi book came about. “I’d followed the campaign from a distance, seen it on radio and television in Europe, and word was passed onto me that Modi and the people

Lance Price

around him thought it might be a good idea to have a book about the campaign, to explain it better to the world outside India that had seen some

of it but didn’t really know the detail.

I got a call from one of the people around him.

They don’t particularly want to be drawn into it

all. The opportunity was there to go and meet him.

To see whether he liked me and whether I thought I was going to be given enough freedom to do the book in the way that I wanted to do it.

I said to the Prime Minister, ‘it’s a great honour to be invited to meet you but we do have to be clear that I’m an independent journalist. That’s where my reputation lies and I’m only prepared to do this if I can be free to write this on my terms.’

He was fine about that, he said yes.”

Mr Price interviewed and hired two Indian researchers from a selection he was given and was helped by his subject’s staff. “Modi’s office was great and if I had questions on anything, they were very quick to respond and dig up stuff.

They’re great at storing information; they’d done it through the campaign anyway. They had massive databases so it wasn’t too difficult for them to find the stuff I wanted. But they took the time to do that.”

Mr Price wrote the book in just over six months, including the research, averaging 2,5003,000 words a day. He and the publishers wanted it in bookstores quickly because it was about the election.

“It’s in my journalistic training; I gave myself a strict number of words to write each day. It was a tight deadline but I work better with deadlines. It’s nice doing a book where you’ve got an editor, Rupert Lancaster at Hodder and Stoughton in the UK, who had a way of looking at the book. But also Thomas Abraham of Hachette India was a great help. He said, ‘Have you seen this, have you seen that, don’t forget, make

I said to Modi, ‘it’s a great honour to be invited to meet you but we do have to be clear that I’m an independent journalist.’ sure you get this in;’ right up to the last minute. I was constantly trying to keep up with the story as the story keeps changing.

That’s the nature of politics.”

From Mr Modi’s office, Dr Hiren Joshi, who was particularly responsible for social media, and his team, supported Lance.

“He invited me to his home. I met his wife and his son. You need to spend a bit of time doing that. I

9

also met Union Minister Piyush Goyal and his wife.

You learn so much more from these sorts of encounters than you do from formal sit down interviews with politicians- because they’re being politicians.”

He said that British politicians could learn something from the Modi campaign.

“Our politicians can learn how social media creates a genuine open discussion.” Lance said that young people often get their information from social media, and the Modi campaign successfully connected with them this way.

“Modi was giving a big speech at Fergusson College in Pune. His staff crowd- sourced it and asked people on social media what Modi should say. The answer came that he was being far too negative, attacking Congress and the UPA. So he chucked his speech in the bin and started again.

That responsiveness and willingness to allow social media to do what it’s good at, is useful.

It’s important to give out an optimistic message.

A sense of ambition, of what the country can do and how you can put the country on a different path. That’s sadly lacking in Britain at the moment from all parties.”

10

UK

Time to say goodbye, Rahul

Your writing on the future of Rahul Gandhi and of Congress party is very timely and thought provoking.

Congress party is the oldest party in India and it was responsible for freedom struggle and it produced several top Indian leaders. It was the ruling party in central government for very many years and in most of the Indian states. During the last term of office the coalition government was evolved in several political scandal resulting loss of several cores of money to the government.

Sonia Gandhi is the Congress President for more than 20 years and she never allowed other members of the party. She appointed her son to be the vice-president who is politically novice, Rahul Gandhi has no political experience. Sonia Gandhi wanted to continue Italian dynasty and wanted to make her son to be future Prime Minter of India.

This does not work.

If a party loses the general election, the leader should resign and elect a new person. This did not happen in the congress party. In recent years India has two major parties Congress in the south and the BJP. Recently in Delhi elections the Congress party was wiped out completely. The regional organisations are run by his cronies. The Indians and the congress party should realise India needs the Congress party and it needs to be reorganised. Somehow or other Sonia Gandhi and her son are destroying the Congress party. There should be some political and sinister motive to stick to power Now it time for Indians to get rid of Sonia‘s families dynasty rule. Indians are hero-worshipers and slave mentality that foreigners are better than true Indians Arun Vaidyanathan By email

Slaughter of Cows

Bharat was the cradle of civilization since time immemorial. India has never conquered, colonialize any nation, gave birth to great souls in the annals of human civilization, including Lord Rama, Krishna, Chandragupta, Ashok, Guru Nanak, Tagore, Gandhi and thousands more.

Noble, peaceful, culturally rich religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism originated from Bharat.

Pacifists, caring people gave refuge to persecuted from every religion and culture. Parcis driven out from their homeland Persia when Islam became dominant religion; came all the way to Gujarat to seek shelter. When Israel became independent state, their first PM Ben Gurion thanked India being only country where Jews were never persecuted.

It is an age old tradition; sign of maturity requires that minorities respect cultural, religious, social tradition of majority to cultivate harmonious society, as British Indians have so ably demonstrated, not to act as fiduciary. Hindus consider cows, favourite of Sheppard Krishna as holy, not to be butchered for food.

Bland statement that beef is cheapest meat is fundamentally flowed. Pork is

Gandhi Statue unveiling I was privileged to be invited to attend the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi's statue, on 14th March 2015 in London, and was followed by a reception at the Foreign Office.

Gandhiji inspired me, for his fight against Imperialism and British Empire, he said that India is a rich country but just lacks money, referring her vast culture and ancient history. He felt the English language kept the Indians enslaved, he was a Hindu, of the "vasudhaiva kutumba", (the world is my family), to the core.

I was just out of a UK University in 1982 when first came across the man and the film "Gandhi". He was Gujarati, lived on same three continents, as I did, so his message struck me.

I read many of Gandhiji's books.

Gandhi reminded followers, "my life is my message", and the message for him was the Gita, a Hindu holy book he was shamed into reading, it for the rest of his life, after English scholars approached him in London, seeking his help as a Hindu. He looked up to Madan Mohan Malaviya (India's fourth freedom fighter) a Sanskrit and Gita scholar, for the rest of his life.

Something is always missing when you mention the Mahatma without the Gita, and that was missing at the unveiling, and by a twist of fate, I was invited to the ceremony of a man, who went from being ridiculed to revered, by his former Imperial adversaries.

Jayesh A Patel Wimbledon

Missing flight MH370

Sunday 8th March was the anniversary of the missing MH370 Flight. To our surprise and sorrow despite long search in the Indian Ocean by Australia, America and others, no trace of any wreckage or dead body has been found! It's a mystery and the families of the dead are frustrated and weeping and wailing for their loved ones! I myself feel very sorry for them.

Now what I think is the co-pilot willingly or unknowingly went into some nearby Island or Country and crashed there. I am more confident that's what happened. I have some suspicion on the intention of co-pilot himself! I am sure a search on land will be successful.

Upendra Kapadia By email cheapest and not restricted to Hobson’s choice either! Could we demand pork in Pakistan?

We could only give “through whacking” to politicians in democratic India.

Try living in Mesolithic Saudi Arabia for a month in order to appreciate freedom you enjoy where minorities have more rights, privileges than majority, increases their numbers by leaps and bounds while minorities are ethnically cleansed into oblivion in neighbouring countries. Lets’ call spade a spade and stop playing second fiddle.

Subscribe Today Asian Voice in UK for only £28.50 for one year

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Switching Energy Suppliers

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have launched a campaign called Power to Switch in which they are encouraging consumers to take control of their energy bills.

The aim of the campaign is to stop consumers paying more than they need for gas and electricity by making sure that they are on the cheapest deals available.

They have posted hoardings at street corners advising us to switch energy suppliers and save as much as £200 per year.

This initiative is in addition to a refund of £12 towards the cost of our electricity bill which was made earlier this year under the Government Electricity Rebate (GER) scheme.

But Is it really necessary to change the suppliers? It could turn out to be “out of the frying pan and into the fire” when that energy supplier raises its prices to the level of the one whom we made the switch from.

We need to have power, we need to use gas to stay warm in winter. People who suffer most from the indiscriminate high prices are retired senior citizens who have nowhere to go during the day, and to avoid heating bills, they stay in cold and damp houses and suffer from depression and other illnesses and be a burden on the health service.

Instead of giving aid to foreign countries which in fact carry a chip on their shoulders against us, the Government could do even more to subsidise our energy bills.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Travel to India

In his letter last week Vinod Dattani hightlighted difficulties at India House in obtaining visa to travel to India. I fully agree and the staff behind the counter are least interested to serve Indians holding British Passport and do not co operate even to senior citizens. I also agree with Laxmichand Shah's letter appeared last week.

But now the BJP government at center the visa on arrival will be soon introduced as promised by prime minister Mr Narendra Modi and then Mr Dattani and others need not worry of paying fine. In my recent visit to India the facilites at Mumbai Airport has improved and hope visa on arrival is introduced very soon.

Bhupendra N D Watford

Terrorism in India

Now-a-days, terrorism in India is increasing more and more. And for that, we are responsible because among us there and some people who are at higher post in government sectors. They take bribes from terrorists and allow them to enter the country freely.

Terrorism is a major problem today not only in India, but in the whole world.

The roots of terrorism are so vast and it is growing day by day and thus we cannot eliminate it completely but we can

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India’s daughter

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The transmission of Leslee Udwin’s documentary India’s daughter by the BBC has generated a huge debate on women’s status and rights in India and rightly so.

Sex discrimination and sex abuse are not specific or unique to India they have been going on all over the world.

Instead of making a film on sex scandals on a huge scale in the UK the BBC has gone for a film on India’s daughter.

Why? It is an indication that the BBC and possibly the British are still suffering from the old nostalgia of British Raj. The British media used to say ‘after Nehru – who?’ as though without British rule India would fall apart. It will need more time for such a mindset to change.

Asian Voice has rightly given a comprehensive coverage on this very debateable subject but unfortunately there is no hint of any way forward. Despite the controversial nature of the documentary it must be recognised that India has to find a strategy if it were to raise women’s status and rights in the country.

In India there are a good number of women politicians with power and influence and also thousands of Swamis. The tragedy is none of them have been doing anything about this issue.

India is now the biggest democracy in the world. The most important thing now is to have a strategy for better, caring, just and fair society. The way forward is to reform both academic and public education.

Dr Jatindra Saha By email

Request from a reader

Is it possible to reproduce The Sunday Telegraph (15-03-2015) article (on page 24) by Christopher Booker in the next edition of AV? Even publication of an extract from it will be beneficial for your readers, with regard to the dirty games being played by the public funded organization.

The article at least partially. if not fully, explains the other side of the story.

Narsibhai Patel By email restrict it to some extent.

Terrorists have no religion nor do they have any softness in their hearts towards people. Even children and infants are not spared. They just want to sow seeds of fear and terror in every human mind. But since it is a problem in the world, every country should come forward to fight it.

As one of my friends said, the causes of terrorism are poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, hatred and corruption and I fully agree with him.

In my opinion, terrorism is nothing but a fight for something in a cruel way.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai, India

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Pupils need 'grit' as well as exam passes, education secretary says Schools cannot afford to focus solely on academic attainment, education secretary Nicky Morgan has insisted.

The warning came as Ms Morgan, pictured, presented the first Character Awards for schools. The £400,000 government prizes are part of her plan to encourage schools to teach character education so that pupils develop “grit and resilience”.

Ms Morgan told the winners that qualities such as confidence and assertiveness had got her through her first days as a City lawyer. They “weren’t the ones I’d learned by reading textbooks or taking exams”, she added.

“I could have known the British legal system inside out, but without the right personal skills, I’d never have had a successful – or enjoyable – 16 years as a lawyer. So in much the

same way, it’s obvious to me, and I’m sure to anyone with an interest in education, that we can’t afford to narrow our focus to academic attainment alone,” the secretary of state said.

Asked afterwards by TES if there was any research evidence showing it was possible to teach good character in schools and that it produced results, Ms Morgan conceded “it is a hard thing to measure”.

But she said: “Parents and families know when a child has had lessons in character or behaviour and that sort of thing and when they haven’t."

The national winner of the awards – King's Leadership Academy, a free school in Warrington – gives its pupils daily lessons in character and also teaches leadership as a distinct subject.

The secondary, which

was awarded a total of £35,000 in prize money, also provides weekly public speaking, philosophy and ethics classes, teaches all pupils fencing, and ensures they all participate in its brass orchestra and have three hours a week of formal team sports. Students take it in turns to greet visitors to the school in order to boost their self-confidence.

Another 26 schools received £10,000 each as regional winners in the competition, which received more than 550 entries.

EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

11

Hindus express need for temple in Swindon The Hindu community of Britain has expressed urgent need of a Hindu temple in Swindon in South West England. In the absence of any local temple, the Hindus of the area, have to visit London (about 80 miles) and Birmingham (around 84 miles) for worship services.

A registered charity, Swindon Hindu Temple Trust, has reportedly been formed to build Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre in Swindon to meet the religious, cultural and social needs of the community.

Objectives of the Temple, once established, besides worship services, will also include promotion of Hinduism and its doctrines, organizing cultural activities and religious events, performing religious rites, providing a meeting place for area Hindus, conducting Hindu religious studies

and discourses and educational programs, be a medium for social interaction among people in wider community, doing charity, etc.; reports indicate.

Currently, the Trust is reportedly raising funds and organizes monthly Bhajan-Kirtan followed by community dinner at area community centers.

It is conducting the “religious ceremony of the Divine Marriage of the Supreme Lord” on March 15 at Punjabi Community Centre and Hindus from all over South West England and Wales are expected to attend this unique ceremony.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, stressed that a Hindu temple was urgently needed for the spiritual needs of about 20,000. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged the British Hindu

community to come forward to help the locals who were trying to raise a temple.

Swindon Borough Council lead by Mayor Teresa Page should also contribute towards it so that its Hindu citizens also had their own worship place like other major religions and thus feel included, Zed added.

He commended efforts of the leaders and the community involved in realizing Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre in Swindon.

Prominent people associated with Swindon, known for annual Swindon Mela and the birthplace of rock band XTC; include golfer David Howell, actresses Diana Dors and Billie Piper, and artist Antony Micallef. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents.

Grammar schools 'dominated by well-off, pushy parents who won't pay for private education' England's remaining grammar schools have become "Meccas" for ambitious parents hoping to avoid paying to educate their child privately, a leading academic has said.

These schools are dominated by youngsters from wealthy homes, according to Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education

and Employment Research at Buckingham University. His comments come in a collection of essays published by the Civitas think-tank, which also sees Conservative MP Graham Brady call for new free schools and academies to be allowed to select pupils based on academic ability.

There are around 164

grammars - which are state selective schools - in England.

Some of these are individual schools located across the country while others are in selective areas such as Kent and Buckinghamshire where pupils are offered school places based on ability.

No new grammars have been set up for

decades, and Labour introduced new laws in 1997 banning them from being set up.

In his essay for Civitas, Professor Smithers says: “The sur-

viving grammar schools have brilliant academic results, but they are a caricature of what once was.

Without defined catchment areas, the few remaining have become

Meccas for ambitious parents who jump for joy when a place saves them the tens of thousands of pounds that an independent school would cost."

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MEDIA WATCH

The government at the centre is caught in a coalition bind in Jammu and Kashmir, where it recently struck a deal with the Valley-based People’s Democratic Front (PDF) led by Mufti Mohammed Sayid. With Sayid carrying the Valley in the State Assembly elections and the BJP coming out on top in Jammu, a coalition government between the two, with Sayid as Chief Minister appeared to be the only feasible solution. But such an arrangement requires compromises on both sides. The Modi government believed Sayid would concentrate on development for starters, with other issues such as the place of the secessionist Jammu & Kashmir Hurriyat in the scheme of things put on Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayid hold.

The leopard has never been known to change its spots as the Mufti showed when his first act in power was to order the release from detention of the Valley’s Muslim League leader Masarat Alam. Alam organized riots against the State administration several years ago in which hundreds died. His stated goal is to create an Islamist polity in the Kashmir Valley.

Likeminded jihadis indulged in a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing, expelling the Valley’s Hindu Pandits from their ancestral abode. Opposition parties in Parliament have been up in arms, and with momentum gathering pace in the House and outside it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now come out firmly against Sayid’s decision to free Masarat Alam and open the jihadi secessionist can of worms.

Development is out, Islamism is in. The SAARC yatra, which took the Indian foreign secretary Subramanyam Jaishankar to Islamabad, turned out to be an exercise in futility. It has gone the way of all such meetings these past sixty seven years. The karmic cycle of futility goes on regardless. (Times of India, Hindu March 10)

PDF gets the message

The unfolding anger across India at Masarat Alam’s release has given pause to Mufti Mohammed Sayid and his colleagues in the PDF. This isn’t a party issue, but a matter of national concern. He has thus come out with a mollifying statement that no further releases of jihadi elements in State would occur. The question before the country is not civil rights but the eventual establishment of an Islamic state in the region which, by definition, will leave such rights for minorities beyond the pale. Sayid would be wise not to test Indian resolve (Telegraph March 11)

Lok Sabha passes Land acquisition bill

The Lok Sabha (the lower house of parliament) has passed the government’s contentious Land acquisition bill, which was placed before it with several amendments on compensation and farmers’ rights. Getting it through the Rajya Sabha (the upper house) will be more problematic as the government lacks a majority in the chamber and will need the cooperation of some opposition parties. Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh told

reporters after the debate, that the measure was very much in the national interest. “We are only making a correction to the law…..All the amendments are in the interest of the farmers and the country.” (Business Line March 11)

India Inc cheers

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

major economy [at a projected 8-8.5 per cent per annum] and its most populous country…..It has been a remarkable turnaround story,” wrote Tom Stevenson in the Daily Telegraph, London, March 7.

Much still had to be done including boosting manufacturing and infrastructure development, subjects on which most domestic and foreign investors and economic gurus are in broad agreement. Stevenson made a special point in emphasizing India’s demographic dividend for its future rise. The IMF has upgraded the country’s current growth ending March 31 to 7.5 per cent from the earlier estimate of 6.9 per cent. According to the latest data manufacturing is buoyant (Hindu, Mint March 12, 13)

EU to step up India funding

The European Investment Bank (EIB),the financial arm of the

Indian industry was upbeat about the new Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, expressing optimism that it would boost manufacturing and infrastructure projects. It will now be looking at proceedings in the Rajya Sabha.

What has been achieved, said the corporate sector, was an encouraging first step. Once the momentum gets going, other steps would hopefully follow (Business Line March 11)

Narendra Modi with Sri Lankan President Sirisena in Colombo, See comment page 3

Budget: Step in right direction

Ed Royce, Chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that the Indian Budget would encourage US investors to look at India with greater interest. “I think the commitment for infrastructure spending is important. I think the 25 per cent tax rates down from 30 per cent will bring in more foreign investment.

More governance less government

Congressman Joyce continued: “ I generally agree with the Prime Minister’s [Modi] thesis that of minimal government and maximum governance, in other words getting more efficiency out of government….is clearly a step by step approach….not a quantum jump, but a big step in the right direction.” The current level of bilateral trade could rise from the current$100 billion to $500 billion over the next few years. However, he issued a caveat, pointing out that it took 80 clearance forms for an approval to set up a hotel in India compared to six in Singapore.

Period.(Business Line March 11)

Remarkable turnaround

“Whatever you think about India…..you can’t ignore it.

Years of playing bridesmaid to China look like they are coming to an end. On current trends, the South Asian giant will soon be the world’s fastest-growing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Prime Minister of Mauritius Sir Anerood Jugnauth, See comment page 3

Women scientists Tessy Thomas (Left) and Geeta Varahan See comment page 3 UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

European Union, is planning to increase financing projects in India. “The bank is in talks with Indian officials regarding several projects, including financing the Lucknow Metro project,” said Sunita Luckkhoo, Regional Manager, South Asia, EIB, in Luxembourg during a conversation with Indian journalists. The Lucknow Metro project, one of the flagship schemes of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. This will be part of two corridors – North South and East West. The 23 kilometre North South corridor, which will connect Lucknow airport to the city is the first phase of the project (Business Line March11)

India tea exports boom in Russia

Russia’s reponse to the quality of Indian tea has been encouraging, according to an Indian tea delegation in Moscow. Russian retail chain major “7 Continent” had submitted a proposal to the Indian Tea Board for the exclusive promotion of Indian tea in Russia through its 56 outlets across the country. India and Russia, buoyed by the success of this venture, are now preparing to base their trade in the product on a rupee-rouble mechanism.

“The [Russian] authorities informed the Indian delegation that they have not received a single complaint on the quality of

Indian tea,” said Indian Tea Board sources (Business Line March 11)

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi top girls’ education

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are India’s top ranked States in the education indices for girls.

Using district-level indicators of girls’ education, health and social disadvantage, these States have performed outstandingly well, according to data released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and UNICEF. Earlier, we used to look at the gender gap in indicators, and this is narrowing..

However, this was no longer adequate,” said Vrinda Sarup, Secretary, Department of Education and Literacy. The new data from the Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girls’ Education will help States to improve the disbursement of their resources to areas most in need of help, she said (Hindu March 10)

Shaping future of Internet

With the Internet’s next billion users likely to be Indian, Internet Cooperation for Assigned Names and Numbers CEO Fadi Chehade told reporters in Delhi that India’s role in this development could be a game changer. “India is central to what the Internet is at the

global level…..India is not simply getting into the digital world.

The country is already an incumbent , a driver in the digital world in every sense of the word,” he said.

Digital economy

He noted that since his last visit to India in October 2013, India’s place at the global level “has taken a new energy that is remarkable.” He continued: India’s “shaping how digital economy would look like, not tomorrow, but ten years from now because the next billion people who will shape the Internet will come from here… you will shape the future of the Internet.” (Business Line March 10)

Manmohan Singh for CBI questioning

The court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to appear before it to answer questions on the award of a coal block to Hindalco, privare company headed by Kumaramangalam Birla. Also summoned to appear in court is former coal secretary P.C. Parekh. Dr Singh said: “I respect the judicial process and hope….to establish my total innocence. I am sure that the truth will prevail and I will get a chance to put forward my case with all the facts.” (Times of India, Hindu March 12).

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

13

All votes are not equal Why getting the vote out is more important than ever this election

I write to you from the US. Here the ‘Get the vote out’ campaign during elections is as you can imagine slick and effective.

What voters in the UK probably don’t realise is just how important it will be in the upcoming UK election to get the vote out – especially if you like these figures: The FTSE is up – reaching a record high close last month. The day before the election the FTSE 100 closed at 5,341.90. On 24 February 2015 it closed at a record 6,949.63 – up 30 per cent (Yahoo finance) The economy is 8.8 per cent bigger since the last election – based on the growth from the first quarter of 2010, to the last of 2014 (ONS, GDP, 26 February 2015).

Employment is up by 1.85 million since the election. (ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 18 February 2015).

You see all votes are not equal in the British system.

First, Labour’s dispersion of voters is such that they can at merely 36% of the votes still win an election – as in 2005.

Never before in the history of British elections has a party won with such a low percentage of votes.

To understand this – think of it this way; we have a system whereby if you win a seat by 10,000 votes, you win it just as much as

if you won by 1 vote. Tory voters tend to give themselves thumping large majorities and so in a way to say the Conservatives have a poll lead is irrelevant because you are only counting a lot of people in constituencies you’ve already won not people in ones where you need to win from Labour.

Labour tend to have lower majorities, but more of them – it’s just the way their vote is spread and so they tend to win more seats per voter.

So pronounced is Labour’s advantage that in 2005 more people actually voted Conservative than Labour in England– but the Conservatives won 92 fewer seats than Labour within England (285 to 193). Talk about the need to get the vote out!

Put another way Labour can get 55% of the seats with only 36% of the votes cast.

Whereas everyone else combined with 64% of the votes can only manage 45% of the seats. That’s not fair. But it is the way the things are. So unless you are a Labour voter – you better get out and get the vote out to be heard. Basically you need to shout louder.

But it could be worse – you could be LibDem - with 2/3rds as many votes as Labour they only got 1/5 as many seats as Labour!

Junior doctor admits child sex abuse A junior doctor working in paediatrics who sexually abused a child and groomed and abused others over the internet has been jailed for seven years.

Dr Raza Laskar, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was arrested in a police operation targeting men who accessed online images of abuse. He was caught with more than 1.2m images, Manchester Crown Court heard.

NHS England confirmed Laskar worked in a number of Greater Manchester Hospital but the charges were not work-related.

In May, police executed a warrant at Laskar's home after 1,605 files believed to contain indecent photographs of children were uploaded from

an IP address at his home.

The files had been uploaded between Christmas Day 2013 and January 2014.

Police found hundreds of chat logs and videos of Laskar engaging in sexual acts with a child who had been taken to a hotel room he had booked.He pleaded guilty at at an earlier hearing to 31 charges including sexual activity with a child and possessing images of abuse.

Det Sgt Guy Laycock of Greater Manchester Police said: "Laskar was a paediatric doctor who spent his working day with children. He has an affinity with them and knows how to engage and communicate with them.

"A significantly aggravating factor is that he used this knowledge to

incite and groom his victims, all of whom were very young, vulnerable boys."

Photo credit: Vinookumar Sachania

Centenary commemoration of the Second Battle of Nueve Chapelle observed

In the First World War (1914-1918), troops from the undivided India immediately came to the colours. Their first major engagement was at the Second Battle of Nueve Chapelle, where they were involved in the Western Front on 10th March 1015. To mark the exact centenary of the Battle, a formal Commemoration Service took place at the National Memorial Arboretum on 10th March 2015, attended by Ministers, Diplomats and representatives of Interfaith community.

The service took place on the impressive and imposing platform within the circular walls engraved with the names of the fallen heroes. The wall had a small gap, so designed to allow a shaft of sunlight to fall across the sculpted wreath on the central stone at exactly 11AM on the 11th day of the 11th month. The inscription on the obelisk is "They died serving their country. We will remember them". Of course, in

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the case of Indians, 'they died for the country not theirs'.

A moving programme included a welcoming speech by the officials, tributes to the soldiers for their courage and sacrifices by the Diplomats, reading of extracts from the letters written by the soldiers to their families back home, the recital of a poem, "The Gift Of India" by Sarojini Naidu about the war, a musical tribute followed by a Punjabi song in praise of the soldiers.

A total of 1.5 million Indian soldiers came to the colours at the beginning of the war. Nearly 65 thousand lost their lives, including 4,200 at the Battle at Neuve Chapelle.

Much has been written and broadcast about the centenary of the First World War. Much more needs to be put on record

the honourable contributions of the Indian soldiers in Britain's war against Germany. Indian and The Commonwealth soldiers deserve to be remembered for their heroic deeds, fighting shoulder to shoulder with their British comrades in the war, all fighting for the same cause. No event, commemorating the Centenary of the First World War should be without equal recognition given to the Indian soldiers as that given to the British soldiers. This is particularly so at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal,Albert Hall in November. King George V was right when he said about the Indian soldiers that , " ....history will record the doing's of India's sons and your children will proudly tell of the deeds of their fathers...."

NEW TRUSTEES SOUGHT

St Luke’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care services in Harrow Brent to people coping with a terminal illness in the last year of their life. As an independent hospice, all of our services are free of charge and we rely on fundraising and income from our charity shops for over 70% of our annual income.

We are seeking to appoint new Trustees in June 2015 to fill current and forthcoming vacancies on our Board.

Trustees are responsible for the governance of the Hospice, setting its strategic direction, monitoring its performance and prioritising its role and activities. As volunteers, Trustees receive no payment for their contribution to the Hospice.

We welcome people from the widest possible diversity of background, culture and experience to help ensure that the Board is representative of the communities we serve.

Please visit our website, www.stlukes-hospice.org to download the Role Description and information on how to apply.

For further information, please contact the human resources department on 020 8382 8000.

Closing date 10 April 2015 Interviews TBC

UK

Sadiq Khan encourages the Youth at BME Unemployment Event

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

The Modi Effect with Lance Price

On 11th March, the BME unemployment event took place at the Roundwood Club Youth Centre in Brent, which hosted many Year 10 students from Newman Catholic College.

Reshma Trilochun

The Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Jonathan Portes has criticised the statistics which claimed over 49% of Black and Ethnic minorities youths are unemployed.

Portes states, “high levels of unemployment in this group are a long-standing problem and a serious one, but, as the sample size for this group is small, it's difficult to conclude from this data that things are necessarily getting worse.”

As mentioned in the previous edition of Asian Voice, the Labour Party have pledged to guarantee every young person who are out of work for over a year and claiming benefits a paid starter job as well as training, which will help over 3,200 black and ethnic minorities young people back into work.

However, Jonathan Portes underlines that the suggested approached by Labour may not be sufficient in dealing with the problem as a whole. Portes says, “Labour's Jobs Guarantee clearly doesn't address the scale of the problem- 3,200 young people is a very small proportion of the total.”

On 11th March, the BME unemployment event took place at the Roundwood Club Youth

Author Lance Price with IJA President Aditi Khanna

The Indian Journalists Association and Foreign Press Association organised the press launch of the book 'The Modi Effects: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India' by Lance Price at the FPA office.

Royal family honour troops who died in Afghanistan

Centre in Brent, which hosted many Year 10 students from Newman Catholic College. At this event, Labour MPs spoke to the students to see what their future ambitions were, what their career goals are and what help or advice they were getting in order to accomplish them in the future. MP Sadiq Khan spoke about the encouraging statistics of women in apprenticeships and the downslide of Black and Asian youths in employment.

“It's good news that unemployment has gone down and for young women joining apprenticeships. The bad news is though for Black/Asian minority ethnic britons, it's going the other way.

We've got a real problem where disadvantage communities are going backwards rather than forward and since 2010,

things have got worse for the readers of Asian Voice, for their families.

And the reason why it's so serious is if somebody is longterm unemployed as a young person, they won't get the training or skills to get a decent job as a young person. But imagine in ten years time; what chance have they got of starting a family and being able to support them and to be able to get a property as well.”

He went on to talk about his disapproval of the lack of work experience available to GCSE students. “The bad news is that the government of this last four years have got rid of a lot of careers teachers; careers advisor is less good, work experience is happening less and less as a result... it [work experience] gets you ready and prepared for work in life; it means

your CV looks better and it means you learn life skills. I think we need to reintroduce that, we need to have proper careers advice in schools and a few colleges. We need to have proper role models for young people so that they can fulfil their potential.”

Sadiq Khan was more than encouraging to the students and the youth of Britain. He spoke about the opportunities available in the country and how it is possible to make something of yourself. He inspirited, “Don't give up.

Be optimistic, be confident; don't be a pessimist.

I accept there are too few examples of successful British role models, but they're out there. Work hard- you can do it.

Sometimes opportunities will present itself, sometimes you've got to grab it yourself.”

Over 1,400 Women celebrate International Women’s Day at Neasden Temple BAPS Women’s Forum, UK welcomed more than 1,400 people to celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday 14 March 2015 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.

The day, recognised by the United Nations, was aimed at inspiring change, raising awareness and empowering women to make positive changes in their lives, families and the wider community.

The event marked the beginning of a year-long initiative by the BAPS Women’s Forum focussing on respect, independence, health and safety – all deeply influential for women striving to lead a progressive and more fulfilling life.

The evening began with prayers for world peace, followed by an enlightening programme which included a thought-provoking game show and a powerful debate exploring the views and challenges associated with the first component of the year: ‘Be Respectful’.

A contemporary shad-

A former political Spin doctor Price revealed the amazing story behind Narendra Modi's 2014 Indian election victory, and answered questions from the audience.

For our exclusive interview with Price, see page 9.

Chief Guest Ritula Shah addressing the audience

ow dance depicting the stages of a woman’s life provided a fitting conclusion.

Chief Guest at the event was Ms Ritula Shah, a journalist and news presenter for The World Tonight and the Saturday edition of PM on BBC Radio 4. She has also previously presented Woman’s Hour on Radio 4.

In her keynote address, Ms Shah shared her vision of what women can achieve with the right support and guidance, and by being progressive whilst maintaining integrity to one’s culture, profession and families. She spoke of being inspired by “the many lessons learned to

help women be financially independent, healthy and kind.” She also added: “As women, we can join together and build our relationships. Let’s unite and help one another.”

The programme provided valuable information

and inspiration for women of all ages. One of the attendees spoke of her “new-found energy” to “move forward in life while still being grounded in my values and beliefs.”

Amee Desai, one of the lead organisers of the event, shared: “A woman’s life is so multi-faceted.

Trying to progress and find meaning whilst remaining respectful is an important challenge that the event addressed. The feedback from many of the attendees has been overwhelmingly positive and we hope it will inspire many more to progress in whatever is their calling.”

Guests attending the event

The Royal family paid tribute to the 453 men and women who died fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The memorial service was held at St P a u l ' s Cathedral.

The commemoration Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip held also erans and family members marked the end of the 13 of those who passed away. year long warfare. The The Ministry of Queen was joined by Defence revealed that many veterans and famithere were 140,000 UK lies of British soldiers who troops in Afghanistan and died in Afghanistan. the total operational cost Concurring services was £19 billion. As well as were also held across the the 453 UK troops that UK, in Afghanistan and in were killed, 108 died in Germany.

2009 - proving to be the Prime Minister, David worst year. Additionally, Cameron also gave a read500 mentors stayed on in ing at the ceremony and Afghanistan. prayers were given by vet-

Introducing UK Artist Hemina Shah with her enchanting debut single ‘Aa Bhi Ja’ 2015 introduces a talented British performing Artist Hemina Shah, with her highly anticipated debut single ‘Aa Bhi Ja’ from her forthcoming album, produced by acclaimed Pakistan producers Zain Khan and Sonu Khan.

The single is set for release worldwide on Thursday 19th March 2015.

‘Aa Bhi Ja’ is a sad love song with deep Urdu heart-touching lyrics and stunning vocals by Hemina expressing a broken relationship. This musically rich Bollywood rock style composition with its catchy chorusexquisitely portrays the sentiments of a missing loved one longing for them to come back.

“It’s always been an ambition of mine to release my own music one day. The past year has been a great musical journey for me in the studio working on the album. Aa Bhi Ja is a beautiful composition with deep lyrics that I’m sure people will be able to connect to. It’s an exciting time and I’m really looking forward to sharing the rest of my music”, says Hemina Shah.

Sister to popular

British artist Avina Shah, Hemina has been charming listeners with a range of Indian music and has performed all over UK and internationally alongside various celebrities including Shahrukh Khan, India’s ‘Antakshari’ guru Annu Kapoor, and Producer Bally Sagoo.

Her lead vocals have also been used for an international Coca Cola advertisement and UK production companies for remix and fusion albums - One of which reached No.1 in the Asian charts for 12 weeks.

Watch out for Hemina Shah as she completes her album and sets to release a string of singles, each one totally different from the other with a combination of Hindi and Punjabi catchy tracks.

‘Aa Bhi Ja’ will be released worldwide digitally on Thursday 19th March 2015 and available to download on iTunes.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

I

Sunetra Senior

f universities are a microcosm for the future’s best and brightest, City University London is excelling. Rima Amin, their current student President, shows all the qualities of an ideal leader.

After just the first question, you can tell she is well-versed and switched on – she has done literally volumes as a 23 year old, her work spanning all the way to LA- and also most importantly, she comes across genuine. As we talked about her Presidency, her particular journalistic interests and the challenges she has faced so far, it became clear that her openness- both to others and herself- has paved the way for opportunities and appreciative voters’ support. Her insights not only carry a political awareness, but connect to issues of the everyday. Maybe, dare I say it, our MPs could learn a thing or two...

more journalistic content. SliceofSimplicity is more personal. I like to talk about people and their journeys; what I’m observing every day. For example my cousin and I have a project ‘Hello 2015’ where we went around LA with my cousin interviewing homeless people about their New Year’s resolutions. Their aspirations are very often overlooked but they are people with dreams too! So, the website was started at university in 2010, and it’s a platform I now use to spread other people’s stories. I have a natural curiosity and fascination for talking to different people, and that ties in again with my passion for journalism; having society see those other perspectives.

You are the first female President to be elected for 11 years. As a young journalist and activist, what more can be done for women’s progress?

Empowering ourselves, and realising the potential in whatever profession we are doing. When barriers are placed in front of us, we need to be more vocal, having the faith in our talents and experience. It can be intimidating when you are the only Asian woman in a meeting. There’s this perception that you should remain rational as opposed to emotional, but I think that can be a strength. To be passionate about something is what helps.

Those qualities are vital in a job, especially if you’re a journalist. Becoming the first female President was embodying that truth. Actually, this year was an all female team, and we managed to get over 150 students attending the annual Students’ Union meeting which has never happened before; that’s more women and students in general who came along on their Friday night to have a say in the policies and the direction of their establishment.

Tell us a bit about the journalism?

We are encouraged to send out our writing along with the degree, so that’s how I got blogging with ‘The ndependent’. However, strangely enough, I wasn’t always geared towards the profession. My strengths were in maths and science, and it actually took me a few tries at my AS English to build the platform. I was still fascinated by science and healthcare, but then my AS in media studies really lit up the writing for me. I was drawn to ideas of representation and production, which was further fuelled by a trip to India.

Another possible avenue would have been law, but that would be more about wealth than the passion for me. Journalism is what sparked the latter. That’s what encouraged my love of sharing stories – not necessarily my grammar or spelling, or ability to write, but my caring and commitment. That’s what got me through to this point.

You have a website www.sliceofsimplicity.com. Tell us a bit about that?

Yes, all of my thoughts and those narratives come out through there. I have my section with ‘The Independent’ and I’ve written for the Huffington post, but that is

15

awareness, not to argue about politics or religion. When children and people don’t have healthcare, I think we can all agree that that isn’t right and we should all be working together to try and help. Recently, within my 'My motto current role, I also ran a is "Peace and housing campaign, backing Love" - It reflects who students with difficulties in I am and what I stand halls. Construction work was happening, and they for. It's also strategicwere living in unfinished I genuinely believe rooms, and being shiftgreater power to create ed from one place to change lies in peace another. It’s not correct and love than to be treated like that – being uncomfortviolence able and having your and hate.' studies disrupted especially for the international students for whom this is home. With that it was also great being a facilitator, seeing people speak up for themselves.

And have you faced any race barriers along the way?

People do get surprised that I’m an Asian woman in journalism because Asian outlooks are not mainstream in the media and that can be intimidating. But by putting yourself in it, you can contribute to the solution in terms of representation. A lot of the time you don’t have people telling those stories.

Now, you have also been subject to election controversy early on in your career. You ran against nephew of Pakistani politician Imran Khan, Hassan Niazi, and were accused of winning (Amin led by two votes) only because he was smeared. How did you tackle this?

It was intense because it was difficult to speak out. A lot of articles were coming out each day where I was accused of Islamophobia, and I was harassed on social media for 4 months by an anonymous troll. That was tough because I’ve spent all my life fighting the very prejudices I was attacked for. It’s one of those things where you have to be careful with what you say because you might end up stirring the fire. I could have spent all my energy this year defending the allegations. But I know if I had done this, I would have no energy left to support students and commit to my duty as President. I’ll say this too, if I did feel in my heart any of the rumours were true I would have stepped down. I knew what I was standing for.

Yes, I can tell you have a very altruistic agenda from reading your work. Could you tell me more about your campaigns?

Well when I was younger, I fundraised for a hospital in Palestine. Obviously the whole conflict is very political, and people focus more on that than actually helping the people in need. I was even asked about my alignments as the charity was Muslim-orientated “Why do you care when you are not a Muslim?” I was just there to raise

'My most powerful stories are the ones that come from the heart.'

What is the focus with your political pieces?

Issues surrounding liberation such as racism and sexism. I discuss social structures that obstruct people from doing things. In Dec 2013, I did a healthcare piece called ‘My problem with India’s Drug Problem’. In a country where drugs are so readily available over the counter, they are not administering morphine for people who are dying in pain in hospitals.

That had a personal dimension too because my grandma passed away suffering like that, and it is not spoken about enough. My most powerful stories are the ones that come from the heart. I talk about anything that is worth talking about and can offer my own take on.

Finally, who is your favourite journalist and/or role model?

There is a great book: ‘The Flying Carpet to Baghdad’ by Hala Jaber. It’s about the Iraq invasion and the reporter is from the UK. She talks about helping orphans because she and her husband couldn’t conceive, and despite some weaknesses, the writing is so honest and strong. Having said that, there are a lot of people I affiliate with - we have the potential to be inspired by every person we meet. www.facebook.com/rima.amin

twitter.com/rima246

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Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley concludes two day visit to the UK UK

The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley during his 2 day visit to the UK, had a number of engagements.

On Friday 13th March, the Minister met Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer at 11, Downing Street.

He then made his way to the London Stock Exchange (LSE), which put in all possible efforts to welcome Mr Jaitley.

The iconic building was decorated in tricolours with a special welcome

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with Xavier Rolet, CEO of the LSE

Indian companies listed on our equity and debt markets than any other international market and provides cutting edge technology to some of India's leading exchanges.

"India's most dynamic companies have access to the world's largest pool of institutional investment capital here in London.

"The Indian government's recent significant reforms, such as the 2014 Depository Receipts Scheme, have made it even easier for Indian UK Chancellor George Osborne to shaking hands with Mr Jaitley outside companies access London's 11 Downing Street. Photo courtesy: PTI international investment community to message. Jaitley described realise their global ambithe stock exchange as tions and we look forward “one of the premier hubs to working with Indian globally for any financial partners to maximise activity.” these opportunities.”

He was welcomed by Following that Jaitley Xavier Rolet, CEO of the addressed more than 30 of LSE, who said, “London London's leading instituStock Exchange has more

tional investors, discussing the steps taken by his government to increase foreign investment into India's infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

Exchequer Secretary

partnership".

Jaitley also met Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour party and Her Majesty's Opposition.

Speaking to about the meeting Miliband said, “I was delighted to meet Mr Arun Jaitley, Indian Finance Minister...

“We spoke about the continuing importance of Gandhi's legacy in politics, not just in India, but across the world.

“We also discussed the invaluable contributions British Indian’s make to our society and the Labour Party’s desire to deepen the relationship with India.”

In reference to that meeting, when asked Jaitley said, “India has

Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition Ed Miliband meets Indian Finance Minister

to the UK Treasury and the UK Prime Minister's 'Indian Diaspora Champion' Priti Patel, who led the roundtable discussions, said, "We established the India-UK Financial Partnership, to encourage greater financial co-operation, trade and investment between the UK and India, and the roundtable today is an important part of that

In reference to his other key meetings during this visit, the Finance Minister spoke about his meeting with Prince Charles at Clarence House on Friday.

“This was really in connection with his charities and expansion of those activities in India.

There is some activity and an advisory Finance Minister meets Prince committee he has in Charles at Clarence House the context of India meeting with Indian origin and he is quite keen that ournalists, spoke about his some of those programmes meeting with the Prime could be expanded, so we Minister David Cameron. shared some ideas on He said, “This morning I that,” he explained. called on the Prime

Finance Minister meets UK Prime Minister David Cameron

also had historically close ties with the Labour party.”

He also attended the formal launch of Union bank of India in London, followed by a conference organised by the High Commission of India, UK India Business Council and FICCI. On Saturday after the Gandhi statue unveiling, Jaitley at an exclusive

Minister (David Cameron) and with regard to what is happening in the Indian economy, as far as the reform process is concerned, there is a huge amount of interest that all British leaders have.

“The passage of Insurance Bill in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) on the eve my visit here could not have come at a better time.

between Great Britain and India which is probably one of the most paradoxical relationships. For a country which agitated against the British for its freedom, and I always believe that we got freedom almost by mutual consent. We got freedom without bitterness. And almost 1.5 million Indians accepted Britain today as their own home, have

done exceedingly well.

Our political systems and our faiths in various institutions which strengthen and preserved democracy is almost identical.

Economic integration of the two countries to trade is yet another area where we've grown.”

Over the decades, the relationship between Britain and India has proven to be fruitful,

Speaking about his meeting with the Chancellor, Jaitley added, “it was really about the economic cooperation between India and UK. “We recently met when he came to India and then in Davos, both of us had a meeting. There are not too many outstanding issues.

India's investments here and the UK's investments in India are quite strong and improving.

Gandhi returns to London UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Continued from page 1

The bronze statue is the focal point for those commemorating, this summer, the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, to start the struggle for self-rule.

The unveiling that was open to the general public, was attended by Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi and featured personal reflections from the former Governor of West Bengal.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, one of India’s most prominent actors read words written

by Gandhi.

The ceremony was also attended by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid,

the multi-faceted legacy for Britain of Gandhi, and said, “This statue is a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics and by putting Mahatma Gandhi in this famous Square we are giving him an eternal home in our country.

“Many of his teachings remain Prime Minister David Cameron as potent today as addressing the audience when he first made who broke into applause them. ‘The best way to as the statue was unveiled. find yourself is to lose It was Gandhi more yourself in the service of than anyone else who others’ and ‘Be the change “embodies the deep and that you want to see in the

India's Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley addressing the guests

Mr Amitabh Bachchan reading a selection from Gandhi’s writings on world peace

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid welcoming the guests

Lord and Lady Desai of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust- the charity that has raised over £1million to fund the statue.

The nine-foot bronze statue of Gandhi was created by Phillip Jackson, a

enduring connections between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest,” said Mr. Jaitley in his address.

Drawing the connections between India and Britain, countries both freed from the shackles of colonial-

world’ remain timeless, profound and inspiring words of wisdom.

“This statue celebrates the incredibly special friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest, as well as the universal power of

Arun Jaitley content with the UK-India relationship

Reshma Trilochun

Arun Jaitley made a visit to the UK last week. He not only visited the UK to unveil Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square on 14th March, along with Amitabh Bachchan, but he also inaugurated the 95 year old bank, Union Bank of India in London. Along with Jaitley, Arun Tiwari was also at the inauguration as he is the Managing Director of the Union Bank in India.

At the event for the inauguration of the Union Bank of India, Jaitley spoke about various subjects, one being the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square. “For all those who are Indians, living in India or British indians, as also for many others world over, this is a

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing the audience

great occasion. If we look at the last century, they've broadly been three persons who represented a cause of their own. And historically got accepted by even the most fierce of the their adversaries. Dr Martin Luther King got accepted in that manner.

Nelson Mandela was the second one and Gandhiji would certainly be the third person in that category. All three had the strength to use their moral power in order to drive over point. And this

was particularly the greatness of Gandhiji that he used his moral power in getting us that independence.”

Jaitley went on to speak fondly about the relationship between Britain and India and similarities in ethos and values between the two cultures, in terms of politically as well as economically as well. “I see a lot of very successful British Indians in the galaxy of this audience today. And it's this relationship

especially in terms of investments and with further developments in the UK by Indian organisations, such as the recent opening of the Union Bank of India and the honouring of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square shows that further prolificness and eminence is definitely certain.

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix

Students from faith schools attending the unveiling

Guests during national anthem

renowned British sculptor, and will stand in the company of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, and Abraham Lincoln, among others.

The audience included MPs, Peers, invited guests, students from Hindu and Sikh faith schools, as well as members of the public,

ism, Mr. Jaitley paid tribute to Britain which had risen above the colonial past to recognise Gandhi’s contributions, choosing to place him on the same square as Churchill who had once described him as a “seditious, half-naked fakir.”

Mr. Cameron recalled

Gandhi’s message. Our ties with India have remained close throughout history and continue to go from strength to strength – through mutual respect as equals, cooperation and trade, and of course through the oneand-a-half million Indians who do so much to make

17

Mahatma's grandson and former Governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi giving his speech

Britain the country it is today, bringing our two countries closer, to the benefit of both.”

It was Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s eloquent and moving words that were appreciated the most. “We need him in India more today than we ever have,” he said. He spoke of Gandhi’s last fast against the partition of a country where he hoped Muslims and Hindus could live together, and for which he was assassinated. In contrary, he also spoke about Mahatma Gandhi helping to bring about India's independence that now ironically enables its people to contemplate building of a temple for his assassin (Nathuram Godse).

Amitabh Bachchan read a selection from Gandhi’s writings on world peace.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, said: “This statue will stand as a reminder of Gandhi’s ideals and Britain’s historic relationship with India and its people. Our nations’ friendship as equals, which brings growth and prosperity to both our countries, owes much to Gandhi’s determination to achieve independence though peace.”

The UK’s longest serving MP of Indian-origin, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, was the official representative of the Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, at the historic unveiling ceremony. In a statement he told Asian Voice, “There are very few events which bring with them such a sense of symbolism, as today's unveiling ceremony.

“Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most influential individuals in history, and to have him to be immortalised outside the world’s oldest Parliament truly demonstrates the strength of the United Kingdom’s relationship with India.

“It is also a special day for 1.4 million British

Indians, a community which has so powerfully influenced the United Kingdom’s greatest institutions, such as the National Health Service.

It is the diversity of cities like Leicester which make them truly special, and I look back to the incredible unveiling of our Gandhi

statue in 2009.

“It was also an incredible honour to meet with Arun Jaitley, the man overseeing India’s economy of 1.3 billion people.

He is in every sense of the word, a true statesman.”

Photo credit: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix

16

Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley concludes two day visit to the UK UK

The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley during his 2 day visit to the UK, had a number of engagements.

On Friday 13th March, the Minister met Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer at 11, Downing Street.

He then made his way to the London Stock Exchange (LSE), which put in all possible efforts to welcome Mr Jaitley.

The iconic building was decorated in tricolours with a special welcome

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with Xavier Rolet, CEO of the LSE

Indian companies listed on our equity and debt markets than any other international market and provides cutting edge technology to some of India's leading exchanges.

"India's most dynamic companies have access to the world's largest pool of institutional investment capital here in London.

"The Indian government's recent significant reforms, such as the 2014 Depository Receipts Scheme, have made it even easier for Indian UK Chancellor George Osborne to shaking hands with Mr Jaitley outside companies access London's 11 Downing Street. Photo courtesy: PTI international investment community to message. Jaitley described realise their global ambithe stock exchange as tions and we look forward “one of the premier hubs to working with Indian globally for any financial partners to maximise activity.” these opportunities.”

He was welcomed by Following that Jaitley Xavier Rolet, CEO of the addressed more than 30 of LSE, who said, “London London's leading instituStock Exchange has more

tional investors, discussing the steps taken by his government to increase foreign investment into India's infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

Exchequer Secretary

partnership".

Jaitley also met Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour party and Her Majesty's Opposition.

Speaking to about the meeting Miliband said, “I was delighted to meet Mr Arun Jaitley, Indian Finance Minister...

“We spoke about the continuing importance of Gandhi's legacy in politics, not just in India, but across the world.

“We also discussed the invaluable contributions British Indian’s make to our society and the Labour Party’s desire to deepen the relationship with India.”

In reference to that meeting, when asked Jaitley said, “India has

Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition Ed Miliband meets Indian Finance Minister

to the UK Treasury and the UK Prime Minister's 'Indian Diaspora Champion' Priti Patel, who led the roundtable discussions, said, "We established the India-UK Financial Partnership, to encourage greater financial co-operation, trade and investment between the UK and India, and the roundtable today is an important part of that

In reference to his other key meetings during this visit, the Finance Minister spoke about his meeting with Prince Charles at Clarence House on Friday.

“This was really in connection with his charities and expansion of those activities in India.

There is some activity and an advisory Finance Minister meets Prince committee he has in Charles at Clarence House the context of India meeting with Indian origin and he is quite keen that ournalists, spoke about his some of those programmes meeting with the Prime could be expanded, so we Minister David Cameron. shared some ideas on He said, “This morning I that,” he explained. called on the Prime

Finance Minister meets UK Prime Minister David Cameron

also had historically close ties with the Labour party.”

He also attended the formal launch of Union bank of India in London, followed by a conference organised by the High Commission of India, UK India Business Council and FICCI. On Saturday after the Gandhi statue unveiling, Jaitley at an exclusive

Minister (David Cameron) and with regard to what is happening in the Indian economy, as far as the reform process is concerned, there is a huge amount of interest that all British leaders have.

“The passage of Insurance Bill in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament) on the eve my visit here could not have come at a better time.

between Great Britain and India which is probably one of the most paradoxical relationships. For a country which agitated against the British for its freedom, and I always believe that we got freedom almost by mutual consent. We got freedom without bitterness. And almost 1.5 million Indians accepted Britain today as their own home, have

done exceedingly well.

Our political systems and our faiths in various institutions which strengthen and preserved democracy is almost identical.

Economic integration of the two countries to trade is yet another area where we've grown.”

Over the decades, the relationship between Britain and India has proven to be fruitful,

Speaking about his meeting with the Chancellor, Jaitley added, “it was really about the economic cooperation between India and UK. “We recently met when he came to India and then in Davos, both of us had a meeting. There are not too many outstanding issues.

India's investments here and the UK's investments in India are quite strong and improving.

Gandhi returns to London UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Continued from page 1

The bronze statue is the focal point for those commemorating, this summer, the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa, to start the struggle for self-rule.

The unveiling that was open to the general public, was attended by Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi and featured personal reflections from the former Governor of West Bengal.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, one of India’s most prominent actors read words written

by Gandhi.

The ceremony was also attended by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid,

the multi-faceted legacy for Britain of Gandhi, and said, “This statue is a magnificent tribute to one of the most towering figures in the history of world politics and by putting Mahatma Gandhi in this famous Square we are giving him an eternal home in our country.

“Many of his teachings remain Prime Minister David Cameron as potent today as addressing the audience when he first made who broke into applause them. ‘The best way to as the statue was unveiled. find yourself is to lose It was Gandhi more yourself in the service of than anyone else who others’ and ‘Be the change “embodies the deep and that you want to see in the

India's Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley addressing the guests

Mr Amitabh Bachchan reading a selection from Gandhi’s writings on world peace

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid welcoming the guests

Lord and Lady Desai of the Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust- the charity that has raised over £1million to fund the statue.

The nine-foot bronze statue of Gandhi was created by Phillip Jackson, a

enduring connections between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest,” said Mr. Jaitley in his address.

Drawing the connections between India and Britain, countries both freed from the shackles of colonial-

world’ remain timeless, profound and inspiring words of wisdom.

“This statue celebrates the incredibly special friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest, as well as the universal power of

Arun Jaitley content with the UK-India relationship

Reshma Trilochun

Arun Jaitley made a visit to the UK last week. He not only visited the UK to unveil Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square on 14th March, along with Amitabh Bachchan, but he also inaugurated the 95 year old bank, Union Bank of India in London. Along with Jaitley, Arun Tiwari was also at the inauguration as he is the Managing Director of the Union Bank in India.

At the event for the inauguration of the Union Bank of India, Jaitley spoke about various subjects, one being the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Square. “For all those who are Indians, living in India or British indians, as also for many others world over, this is a

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressing the audience

great occasion. If we look at the last century, they've broadly been three persons who represented a cause of their own. And historically got accepted by even the most fierce of the their adversaries. Dr Martin Luther King got accepted in that manner.

Nelson Mandela was the second one and Gandhiji would certainly be the third person in that category. All three had the strength to use their moral power in order to drive over point. And this

was particularly the greatness of Gandhiji that he used his moral power in getting us that independence.”

Jaitley went on to speak fondly about the relationship between Britain and India and similarities in ethos and values between the two cultures, in terms of politically as well as economically as well. “I see a lot of very successful British Indians in the galaxy of this audience today. And it's this relationship

especially in terms of investments and with further developments in the UK by Indian organisations, such as the recent opening of the Union Bank of India and the honouring of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square shows that further prolificness and eminence is definitely certain.

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix

Students from faith schools attending the unveiling

Guests during national anthem

renowned British sculptor, and will stand in the company of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, and Abraham Lincoln, among others.

The audience included MPs, Peers, invited guests, students from Hindu and Sikh faith schools, as well as members of the public,

ism, Mr. Jaitley paid tribute to Britain which had risen above the colonial past to recognise Gandhi’s contributions, choosing to place him on the same square as Churchill who had once described him as a “seditious, half-naked fakir.”

Mr. Cameron recalled

Gandhi’s message. Our ties with India have remained close throughout history and continue to go from strength to strength – through mutual respect as equals, cooperation and trade, and of course through the oneand-a-half million Indians who do so much to make

17

Mahatma's grandson and former Governor of West Bengal, Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi giving his speech

Britain the country it is today, bringing our two countries closer, to the benefit of both.”

It was Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s eloquent and moving words that were appreciated the most. “We need him in India more today than we ever have,” he said. He spoke of Gandhi’s last fast against the partition of a country where he hoped Muslims and Hindus could live together, and for which he was assassinated. In contrary, he also spoke about Mahatma Gandhi helping to bring about India's independence that now ironically enables its people to contemplate building of a temple for his assassin (Nathuram Godse).

Amitabh Bachchan read a selection from Gandhi’s writings on world peace.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, said: “This statue will stand as a reminder of Gandhi’s ideals and Britain’s historic relationship with India and its people. Our nations’ friendship as equals, which brings growth and prosperity to both our countries, owes much to Gandhi’s determination to achieve independence though peace.”

The UK’s longest serving MP of Indian-origin, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, was the official representative of the Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, at the historic unveiling ceremony. In a statement he told Asian Voice, “There are very few events which bring with them such a sense of symbolism, as today's unveiling ceremony.

“Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most influential individuals in history, and to have him to be immortalised outside the world’s oldest Parliament truly demonstrates the strength of the United Kingdom’s relationship with India.

“It is also a special day for 1.4 million British

Indians, a community which has so powerfully influenced the United Kingdom’s greatest institutions, such as the National Health Service.

It is the diversity of cities like Leicester which make them truly special, and I look back to the incredible unveiling of our Gandhi

statue in 2009.

“It was also an incredible honour to meet with Arun Jaitley, the man overseeing India’s economy of 1.3 billion people.

He is in every sense of the word, a true statesman.”

Photo credit: Raj D Bakrania, Prmediapix

18

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Dear Financial Voice Reader, I write to you from the home of Silicon Valley, California. The UK stock market is at an all time high, but over the past decade it has been outperformed by the American market. So if you have a business, if you invest in companies, what is it about American companies that makes them grow so much?

First, they are confident. Their confidence feeds into their valuations. Trust me I’ve listened to hundreds of companies pitch, from start ups to established listed companies. Their confidence, even if in a hole, is just always greater than for British companies. I’ve seen this time and again.

Second, momentum. They pitch when they have sales, they have awards, they have revenues and things are accelerating. So I feel like I’d be stupid not to invest.

Third, they do not apologise. The British companies too often in my experience are almost apologetic in asking for money.

Fourth, they understand valuations. How is it they want $1m for 20% of their company? Because they explain they have just signed deals with five supermarkets, have sales of $10m projected for the year ahead and a profit margin at 50% and based on their growth projections – they think they’re worth it.

Five, they have arguments for your objections. They have reasons and plans at hand to questions like –who are your competitors, how will you sell, how are you different, what stops others copying you?

Six, they show you how you as the investor gets rich. They explain their exit to sell to a bigger company if they are private, or new exciting products if they are public.

Seven, they brag. They are out there. They are in the media. Soon it gets a following. This is why crowd funding had to be invented in the US – because they get crowds of strangers excited who follow them.

So whether it is Apple, Google or Facebook – I love the big American companies for my portfolio – but I also love hearing from the young Silicon Valley companies too.

With over 10 years of hearing business pitches from over 1,000 companies worldwide, putting them in front of Venture Capitalists – I’ve decided we desperately need to teach how to pitch for money in the UK – and I’ll be doing just that. Watch this space.

As for the stock market – the UK is at an all time high – but we’re catching up on what the US markets did last year! See what I mean.

Alpesh Patel Alpesh is the senior most member of a UK Government team which has brought to the UK entrepreneur led companies worth $1billion+ over the past decade as part of the UKTI Global Entrepreneur Programme. He runs a Private Equity fund from the UK.

Cairn Energy gets $1.6 bn Indian tax notice

India's income tax department has slapped a Rs 102.47 billion ($1.6 billion) tax demand on Cairn Energy, which termed the action as “very disappointing” and said it would contest the order. The tax demand relates to an alleged Rs 245 billion worth capital gains it made in 2006 while transferring all its India assets to a new company, Cairn India, and got it listed on the stock exchanges.

The company said the order came at a time when the BJP government has been publicly talking about the negative impact of retrospective taxation on “international reputation and investor sentiment towards India.” Its CEO Simon Thomson said, “Cairn has consistently confirmed that it has been fully compliant with all rel-

evant legislation and paid all applicable taxes in India and we are confident of our position under the UKIndia Investment Treaty...

Against a backdrop of regular engagement with the Government of India since January 2014 it is very disappointing to have received a draft assessment order at this time.”

The I-T department had in a January 22 order held that the Edinburgh-based firm made capital gains of Rs 245 billion when it transferred its entire India business from subsidiaries incorporated in places like Jersey, a tax haven, to the newly incorporated Cairn India in 2006. According to the I-T department, Cairn received Rs 266.82billion for the asset transfer against its entire investment of Rs 21.78 billion in the India business.

India poised as world's fastest growing economy: Lagarde

Internation Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde said India was on its path to becoming the world's fastest growing economy, as she bagan her two-day visit to the country.

"Wondeful to be back in vibrant India - poised to become world's fastest growing large economy," Lagarde tweeted, as the multilateral funding institution predicted a 7.25 per cent growth for the country this fiscal, rising to around 7.5 per cent the next year.

As per IMF officials here, Lagarde's itinerary during her two-day India visit, which takes her to Mumbai, includes meetings with Prime Minister

Christine Lagarde

Narendra Modi and key leaders such as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

In addition, she is scheduled to deliver a speech at Lady Sri Ram College in New Delhi besides attend a public

event hosted by the central bank in Mumbai. She then travels to China on a five-day visit.

Lagarde welcomed the government's latest budget as "a step in the right direction", and singled out higher infrastructure spending for praise. A pact between the government and the Reserve Bank of India to formalise inflation targeting "should provide a robust institutional foundation for maintaining price stability", Lagarde said in a speech to women students.

But to anchor longterm growth and employ a workforce that will grow to become the world's largest by 2030, India needs to open up its

labour market to women, boost financial inclusion and invest even more in infrastructure, she said.

Lagarde cited a new IMF working paper which found that only 33 per cent of women in India worked - below the global average of 50 per cent and the average in East Asia of 63 per cent.

Not only is female participation in the labour force low, but it has been declining since 2005.

Lagarde called this a "huge missed opportunity" and called for urgent remedies.

In an interview she said India was better positioned to cope with external financial shocks than most emerging market economies.

Discussing UK-India trade relations with FICCI delegates

FICCI, the High Commission of India and the UKIBC organised an exclusive event to hear from Shri Arun Jaitley on Union Budget of India. A high-level CEOs delegation led by FICCI President Dr Jyotsna Suri was present. I was privileged to interview a selected few of the delegates, who discussed the future of UK-India trade relations with Asian Voice.

Rani Singh

Dr Jyotsna SuriPresident of FICCI Chair and MD of Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.

Harshavardhan Neotia, President and Chairman of Ambuja Neotia Holdings Pvt. Ltd The next FICCI President and Chairman of Ambuja Neotia Holdings pvt. Ltd. The

Patricia Hewitt, Chair of UK India Business Council Patricia Hewitt gave us an interview straight after the event Friday 13th March arranged by UKIBC and FICCI at the Institute of Engineers in which Finance Minister

It has hotels all over India and one opening in 2016 just by Tower Bridge, to be called the Lalit London.

“UK-India Trade relations are quite positive.

From our interaction over the past year, I find there’s more and more UK interest in India. Of course Indian businesses are already quite estab-

lished in the UK. I see trade relations as good. A few challenges, here and there, are being looked into.

The present government is focused on a development agenda and is trying to handle every challenge in a positive way.

There’s a question over retrospective taxes.

They have made announcements that there won’t be such incidents again. I’m talking about the Vodafone case.

They’re not really challenges anyway; it was more like a one-off.

I’d like more UK investment into India in education, the health sector, and infrastructure areas.”

Arun Jaitley was the Chief Guest. Here is what Mrs Hewitt said.

“One of the longstanding British investors in India said to me today that at the age of 70 he was more optimistic about India than at any time previously.

India is at an extraordinary turning point. As Minister Arun Jaitley implied, what is happening now is as important as the first opening up of India in the 1990s.

There are strong trade relations between the UK

and India. UK is the largest G20 investor in India. India is investing more in the UK than the whole of the rest of Europe put together.

Nonetheless there is so much potential to do far more investment, far more trade, far more business building and job growth between the two countries.

I’m optimistic.

Minister Jaitley’s visit and speech will confirm optimism among British business leaders, many investors, financial insti-

tutions and businesses.

BUPA is the first foreign insurer to announce that they will avail themselves of the new raised limit for FDI in insurance.

Rolls Royce this evening asked how they could continue to strengthen their 80 year old investment in and 60 year old partnership with India.

There are 700 companies in India, many planning to do more, and many more looking at India with new eyes.”

group handles real estate development, housing, hospitality, and health care. Recently, it was granted permission to set up a private hospital in West Bengal.

“UK-India trade relations are very encouraging and promising.

There’s a renewed optimism about prospects in India post the recent national elections. The government is also taking a lot of proactive steps to encourage investment

and to ease doing business.

It is still a work in progress. Already we see initiatives being taken and are confident that they will bear fruit.

The UK and India have had a long relationship; more importantly, a strong commercial relationship. So with these new initiatives I see them getting a further fillip and, going forward, lots of opportunities for investments in both

countries.

I think the UK has been fairly welcoming of Indian investment and there are opportunities for Indian businessmen to work here. I believe they contribute significantly to this part of the world.

And the UK, with its historic links with India, has the opportunity to provide us with capital and technologies on certain fronts. It’s a win-win relationship.”

REAL ESTATE VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

19

PROPERTY THE SAVING GRACE

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Recently a client of ours sold all three properties he had purchased through us, making a handsome profit along the way. His background is a modest one, he works as a carpenter and has a salary in the mid-twenties, two kids and a wife who works part time. They live in a semi-detached house. Probably the profile of many Asian working class families.

Some years ago they got together with some other people and decided to enter into a business. A franchise; which is almost fool proof hence the banks will lend you a generous amount of the money you need to invest. The money was extracted mostly by way of remortgage.

Even though the franchise model may be water tight it still needs to be implemented by humans, and humans are not infallible.

If the person executing the blueprint of the franchise has issues and they spill out into the business, whether there’s a blueprint or not the business will fail, which after a couple of years it did. The business was sold on leaving the partners with larger mortgages and nothing to show for it. It was at this point one of the partners approached us and decided to start investing in property. This meant the couple would have to borrow even more in order to invest as they had paltry levels of savings.

L u c k i l y t h e o r i g i n al m o r t g a g e t h e y h ad t a k e n o u t w a s an o v e rd r a f t m o r t g ag e .

M e a n i n g t h e y c o u l d d i p i n a n d o u t a s t h e y w i s h e d u p t o a pre d e f i n e d l i m i t . T h i s c an b e k n o w n b y m a n y n am e s s u c h a s o f f s e t s , f l e xi , d ra w d o wn e t c . l e n d e r s l i k e t o g i v e d i f f e re n t a n d i n n o v a t i v e n a m e s b u t t h e y a l l m e a n t h e s am e t h i n g . Yo u b a s i c a l l y h a v e a n o v e rd ra f t f a c i l i t y, o n t h e v al u e o f y o u r h o u s e . T h i s t y p e o f p ro d u c t i s v e r y u s e f u l f o r m o v i n g q u i c k l y o n d e a l s . E sp e c i a l l y u se f u l f o r b u y i n g d i l a p i d a t e d p ro p e rt i e s wh i c h d o n o t q u al i f y f o r a c o n v e n t i o n al B T L m o r t g ag e , o r p u rc h a s i n g at a u c t i o n s wh e re a l l t h e m o n e y i s re q u i re d wi t h i n 2 8 d a ys .

Due to this setup already in place they were in a position to invest at short notice and without any further underwriting required. This put them in a strong position to pick up deals at short notice.

The first property they purchased was an ex council two bedroom flat in Westbourne Grove, with the usual long lease and low service charges. These are ideal for BTL in many ways. They actually make you an income, which is getting to be a rarity in London as the rental values are not keeping in pace with the capital growth of properties. At the time of this purchase the rental was circa £500 per week and the mortgage only £264 per week. This is based on the whole amount of £275k borrowed at 5%. This gave them the equivalent wage of a third person working which was very valuable considering their financial condition. The property was purchased in June 2010, it was later sold in November 2014 for £440k, giving them a gross profit of £165k. A couple of years after the deal was done, in July 2012 I was again approached for another deal this time and I was told the budget was really low, working with a £50k deposit. I told them it was very unlikely for me to source a property at this level but I would keep an eye out. Lo and behold in a couple of weeks I got a call from one of my contacts, they had a studio in PortobeIIo Rd, again ex council with the usual low service charges and long lease. This was purchased for £235k however it didn’t give

the kind of cash flow the previous purchase had done. Times had moved on and it was actually a struggle to rent out. The government was capping the amount of housing allowances it was handing out, and so the honeymoon period had ended. Nonetheless, it was a good deal. The property location overrides everything else, and this was in a strong location, which was actually rising in value being pushed by the surrounding hot spots. Often landlords get preoccupied with the smaller details of a property such as the rental or service charges taking their eye off the bigger picture, which is the bottom line profit. In the case of property it is the rise in value.

This little property was sold in April 2014 for £325k, a return of £90k in less than two years.

I give credit to his appetite for property investment. In December 2012 because he didn’t have the amount of money required for another deal, he partnered up with a relative to raise the extra funds required. Together they purchased an ex council home in Maida Vale for £325K. Here there was a high service charge on the property which was eating into all the rental income.

And the deal even required a cash contribution from them. This didn’t go down too well despite my assurances, and getting them to visualise this as a pension policy where they contribute small amounts in return for a large lump sum later on down the line. The first deal had corrupted them.

The Real Deal

D e s p i t e t h e s h o rt t e r m u p s an d d o w n s t h i s p ro p e rt y w as so l d i n J u l y 20 1 4, f o r £4 2 5k g i v i n g t h e m a g ro s s p ro f i t o f £ 1 00 k i n ro u g h l y o n e a n d a h al f y e a r s.

In total b e t w e e n t h re e pro p e r t i e s t h e p ro f i t m a d e w as £ 35 5 k i g n o r i n g as s o c i a t e d e xp e n s e s . T h i s n o t o n l y m a d e u p t h e m o n e y l o s t i n t h e f ai l e d b u s i n e s s b u t a l s o p l a c e d t h e c o u pl e i n a s o l i d f i n a n c i a l f o o t i n g f o r t h e f u t u re .

Ac t u a l l y m y a d v i c e t o t h e m wa s n e v e r t o s e l l , b u t t o re m o r t g a g e i n s t e a d . As I c a n n o t s e e t h e m b u i l d i n g u p t h i s q u a l i t y o f a s s e t i n t o t h e f u t u re . A s s o o n a s y o u r we al t h i s i n c as h i t d e p re c i a t e s , i t i s n o t a s a f e p o s i t i o n t o b e i n . T h e c o m e b ac k i n t o t h e s e d e a l s a g a i n wi l l n o t b e e as y a s p ri c e s h a v e i n c re a s e d . E v e n m o re s i n c e w h e n they sold less than a year ago .

The treasure chest!!

Battersea Square, London, SW11 Purchase Price: £1.3m l A large property in the heart of Battersea l Freehold l Four floors l Properties in this location are being sold for around £1,200 per sq. ft. while we are getting this for around £700 per sq. ft. l End value expected to be around £2.3m after works l Battersea Square is a popular hub of commercial and leisure activities with restaurants, bars and numerous other commercial occupiers Call us now to secure this deal!

They have purchased one more property for £330K in October 2014 in Ealing which is currently worth £400k.

Most of the deals listed were not seen by the buyers they were purchased on blind faith. Even more impressive as I never saw one of the properties either!

This shows with a little ambition and a little equity a lot can be achieved when it is applied in the right way.

0207 993 0103

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info@sowandreap.co.uk

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SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l When renting a property tell the agents you're only prepared to take 12 month contracts, this will reduce void periods and expenses.

l It is important to pay attention to the type of job your tenant has and not just that they are working. Doctors, nurses and teachers tend to be hit very little by economic downturns. This will reduce the rotation period.

LEGAL VOICE

20

Jaitley believes India ready for foreign investments

Rani Singh

FICCI, the High Commission of India and UKIBC organised a meeting with UK companies to meet with Indian Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley and his delegation from India on the evening of Friday 13th March at the Institute of Engineers in Westminster.

Panelists were Mr Rajan Bharti Mittal, Mrs Patricia Hewitt, Chair, UKIBC, the Indian High Commissioner, Mr Ranjan Mathai, Dr Jyotsna Suri, President FICCI, and Sir David Wright, Vice Chairman of Barclays Bank. There were also many more dignitaries present at the event.

Minister Jaitley said that if the process of India's economic liberalisation had started in the 1970s the course of history would perhaps have been different. “Economists the world over used to sarcastically refer to it as the “Hindu growth rate.”

“Unemployment was high, inflation was high. But after the nineties, for almost four years in a row, we grew by nine per cent.

But somewhere we decided to blur our vision and go back to the politics of the 1970s...instead of concentrating on higher growth and more productivity.”

Mr Jaitley devoted much of the first part of his speech to the Land Acquisition Law. “I asked one of the senior most persons of the previous government, what persuaded them to bring changes to the Land Acquisition

Maria Fernandes

The Immigration Act changes

Shri Arun Jaitley speaking on investment opportunities in India, watched by a panel consisting of (left to right): Rajan Bharti Mittal, Former President FICCI and Vice Chairman & MD, Bharti Enterprises; Dr. Jyotsna Suri, President of FICCI; Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt, Chair, UK India Business Council; HE Shri Ranjan Mathai, High Commissioner of India to the UK; and Sir David Wright, Vice Chairman, Barclays Bank

Law...why is it they brought in a law which made land availability for housing, for industry, for infrastructure almost impossible?”

The reply to his question, Mr Jaitley said, was that it was a way to win elections. But, he added, now Indian has changed, with an educated near 35% middle class, the poverty index had come down, India was more aspirational and wanting to grow, “so this populism itself was not sufficient.”

He said that there was still 65% Indians without adequate housing and low quality infrastructure.

“You have a huge amount of infrastructure yet to take place. From hospital to graveyard you need land for every activity.

And...you have a law which makes acquisition not just difficult but...impossible. I asked the framers of this law, do you seriously believe any piece of land can be acquired under this law?

How then will India grow?” Mr Jaitley said this was why land was being acquired through malpractice.

Mr Jaitley turned to correspondence between

the last PM and the then telecoms minister, and commented that it as likely that the previous PM knew that there was “foul play in this [previous] government.” He referred to a “sense of helplessness” in the previous regime that prevented a transparent market mechanism.

He spoke on the topic of coal. “The former Prime Minister announced within two months of taking office that there would be an option on coal and till he relinquished office that option never happened.

“In fact I am given to understand that the party in power used to issue chits and whoever got that slip for a collateral consideration got the land, got the mine.”

Turning to the Modi government, he said that it had added five to the existing 13 exemptions to the “onerous procedure” of the Land Acquisition Law. On the latest Budget, Mr Jaitley said he would have liked to spend more on irrigation but with the Land Law still in place it would be a futile exercise.

Speaking on Dr Manmohan Singh's talk

on coal options, Jaitley states, “the crisis he faces today would never have taken place...it is these changes and reforms that we have been making. But that challenge is those who want that obsolete process to continue. There is a raging battle between reform and obstruction.

The seems to be a sadistic thrill in preventing so and so. But the government is determined. Do we waver, do we blink. And if we show any signs of blinking, the sadistic thrill reaches a higher level. The crisis Mr Modi faced a decade ago, he didn't blink and I am sure the government isn't going to blink.

Most of the decisions don't require legislation, just executive decision making. The road map is we need a lot of investment in India, we therefore hold our doors wide open. We need to improve the credibility of the Indian economy. We are trying to get the world to show a lot more interest in the Indian economy. We are trying to rationalise and lower our taxes and have a non adversarial system. We hope to get to eight per cent growth next year.”

Union Bank of India inaugurates its first branch in London

Reshma Trilochun

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

On 13th March, the Managing Director of the 95 year old Union Bank of India, Arun Tiwari visited the UK to inaugurate their first branch in London.

Arun Jaitley was also a chief guest at the inauguration.

On speaking Arun Tiwari, Arun Jaitley, HE Ranjan Mathai and other panelists about opening the background of accountanBritain as well. He also bank in the UK and about cy or a science graduate, if hopes to open more further opportunities, you cross those two hurbranches in the UK in the Arun Tiwari stated, dles, you're in. and if I near future.

“Britain, if you ask me look back, having been in On asking him about honestly as a banking perthis industry for 36 years, how he forayed into bankson, we don't look at to be retiring from the top ing, Tiwari answered, London as just a place to post, which is possible, I “Back in india, the educado business. To us back in think for the industry and tion system for a long time India, London or Great for me both was not the was not job oriented.

Britain is a gateway of wrong choice. For them to Having said so, there was global financial services; select me and for me for a process to get into the therefore, we are here.” joining this industry.” banking sector. You have Tiwari also added that he On describing whether written exams, you have doesn't aim to just cater to he has faced any chalinterviews; if you get Indians from the Indian lenges in banking, he through both, you get the diaspora, but aims to do described banking as job. Whether there's a business with the locals in

“Symphony.”

He adds, “the best part of banking services is you have that connect with the people. The kind of gratification which you see in the eyes of your customer, that is the real reward for the organisation and the individual who deals with such situations. I don't think that there are challenges. If there are no challenges, life is too dry. There must be challenges; it raises your bar of efficiency.”

Further on, Tiwari also spoke about how reputed the Union Bank of India is and how he would be desirous of this bank when he used to work for another company. Such was the prestige of the Union Bank of India. “It has that kind of brand equity back in India and what out tagline says, 'Good people to bank with'. It absolutely is.”

This week’s article provides further areas where changes have or are about to be introduced.

Investigations of marriages: New regulations in force from the 1st March 2015 introduce provisions for investigation into proposed marriages or civil partnerships. There is a 28 day period of notice in which a non EU national can be extended to 70 days. All marriages where one of the parties is a non EU national must be referred to the Secretary of State who must decide whether or not to investigate it as a “sham” and must serve a notice of her decision under s48 of the Immigration Act 2014 before a marriage can take place.

Removal procedures: New regulations have been introduced. The aim is to simplify the process of removal. It will allow the Secretary of State to remove a person if they require leave to enter or remain and do not have it, there is no requirement for a notice to be served and enables their families to be removed without a separate notice.

Biometrics for British Citizenship: Intended regulations to come into force within 21 days after introduction (although the instrument has not yet

been published) Introduction of biometric information to be required for registration or naturalisation applications as British Citizens. There will also be special provision for taking biometrics of children under 16.

Residential tenancies: This is still being piloted and the cities chosen for this include Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell from December 2014.

Landlords will have a duty to check the immigration status of tenants and will be fined £3000 for each tenant for failing to do so.

Banks and building societies required to check status of applicant: Formal regulation bar for those who do not have leave from opening bank accounts. Although these regulations have now formally been introduced, it has in practice been impossible for those not lawfully present to open accounts. Even worse there have been cases of those who are in the UK lawfully who are denied the ability to open an account easily.

Driving licences: Those who do not have lawful status will not be entitled to apply for a driving licence. In reality this has been an unwritten rule for many years.

To contact Maria Fernandes, please email at: info@fernandesvaz.com

Upcoming Budget

The budget taking place on 18th March will be crucial for the upcoming elections in May. Chancellor George Osborne has pledged that there will be no gimmicks in this year's budget. Osborne proposed that the budget before the elections would be for “national recovery.” “This Budget is all about securing a truly national recovery from building a Northern powerhouse, connecting up other regions of our country, committing to long-term plans that support science and high-speed transport... so no giveaways, no gimmicks a Budget for the long term."

It is said that George Osborne is expected to extend pension charges from April 2016 in order to grant existing pensioners to exchange their annuity for a fixed lump sum.

Osborne has mentioned that it was about “trusting those people who have worked hard and saved all their lives”.

He further added that it

George Osborne

was condescending to adduce that people may spend their money on expensive items, such as sports cars and then come back to ask for more when they have run out of money.

On Wednesday, George Osborne is expected to promulgate: • Aid for technology clusters around the UK. • Investment in the chemical sector in northeast England in the form of funding the Centre for Process Innovation.

• Plans to establish ultra-fast broadband around the UK. • The establishment of two new "enterprise zones" in Plymouth and Blackpool.

• 45,000 new homes to be built on brownfield sites.

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Inflation likely to remain close to zero Currency Specialists.

In Europe last week the Dutch finance minister acknowledged Greece was under pressure to find the cash to pay upcoming debt commitments.

However the new left-wing Greek government is keen to show voters it is keeping election promises to break with EU-imposed austerity.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras again tried to reassure Euro-zone partners that Greece would stick to an extended bailout agreement with its international creditors even as a war of words rumbled on between Athens and Berlin. Tsipras used a visit to the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to make his case for a long-term restructuring of Greece's debt while promising to implement agreed reforms.

Greece successfully sold €1.3bn of Treasury bills, covering the amount it needed to refinance a maturing issue. The issue was more costly for the government however, with the paper sold at a yield of 2.7%, up from the 2.5% yield at a previous sale in February.

In Germany the BGA trade association raised its forecast for

exports, expecting the weaker euro to offset uncertainty surrounding crises in Greece and Ukraine. It said it expected exports to grow 4.5% this year, up from a previous forecast of 4%. Imports are forecast to rise 4% which would increase Germany's trade surplus to a record €231bn, BGA said In the UK Bank of England Governor Mark Carney spoke in the House of Lords. He stated that Inflation is likely to remain close to zero for much of 2015. Carney also mentioned that Most of the falls in CPI were due to weakness in commodity prices such as oil. He also stated that he sees UK output growth remaining solid and increasing signs that wages are picking up. A Gentle rise in interest rates is likely and consistent with mandate. Finally Carney said that the medium term risk to financial stability remains from the housing market.

The pound climbed for a seventh day against the euro, reaching its strongest level in more than seven years.

Bank of England member Martin Weale also spoke, stating he sees a risk of a sharp fall in sterling because

of the country’s large balance of payments deficit. Britain’s current account deficit was equivalent to 6% of GDP in the third quarter of last year, matching the biggest deficit on record.

British construction output unexpectedly fell in January at the sharpest monthly rate since late 2013, dragged down by a worsening decline in house building. Construction output shrank by 2.6 percent in January after rising by 0.6 percent in December, the Office for National Statistics said. Total new house building dropped by 5.0 percent on the month, the steepest fall since February last year. While most signs points to a strong start to the year for Britain's economy, construction output has disappointed.

The pound hit its lowest level against the dollar in 20 months, amid growing expectations that US interest rates will rise in coming months. The dollar has gained more than 10% against a basket of six major currencies so far this year, led by its rise against the euro. This puts it on track for its best quarterly performance since 1992.

The Dollar strengthened after the number of Americans

Monday 16th March 2015

filing for unemployment benefits declined more than forecast, returning to a level that’s consistent with an improving labour market. The slump in claims indicates the elevated readings in previous weeks were probably due to companies temporarily dismissing workers because of inclement winter weather, rather than underlying weakness in the labour market in another great sign for the US economy.

Consumer confidence declined in March to a fourmonth low as optimism about the U.S. economy was tempered by weaker income expectations and a rebound in gasoline prices. The University of Michigan said its preliminary consumer sentiment index decreased to 91.2 this month from 95.4 in February. Consumers were less upbeat this month as cold weather boosted utility bills, the cost of gas climbed from the almost six-year low in January and wage growth was limited among middle- and lowerincome households. At the same time, a better job market is among reasons Americans may feel comfortable sustaining a steady pace of spending.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 17th March 2015 @ 2pm

GBP - INR = 92.48

USD - INR = 62.69 EUR - INR = 66.65 GBP - USD = 1.48 GBP - EUR = 1.39

EUR - USD = 1.06 GBP - AED = 5.42

GBP - CAD = 1.88

GBP - NZD = 2.01

GBP - AUD = 1.93

GBP - ZAR = 18.28

GBP - HUF = 422.44

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.

Monday 16th March 2015

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Monday 16th March 2015

22

WORLD

Blasts at 2 Lahore churches kill 15, trigger violence

Islamabad: Two Taliban suicide bombers blew themselves up at two Christian churches during the Sunday mass in Pakistan's cultural heart of Lahore, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 70. In a staggering blowback subsequently, mobs lynched two suspected accomplices of the terrorists and set their bodies on fire.

The dead included 11 Christians, two police officers deployed for security outside the churches, and the two suspects who were lynched, in addition to the two bombers, making it a bloody Sunday on a day Pakistan was just beginning to celebrate its cricket team's entry in the World Cup quarter finals.

The bombings occurred at Catholic and Christ churches, around half-akilometre apart, in quick succession in the city's Youhanabad area, one of Pakistan's biggest Christian neighbourhoods, and home to about a million Christians.

The first suicide

Pak lifts ban on hangings

Islamabad: Pakistan's interior ministry has directed provincial governments to proceed with hangings of prisoners who have exhausted all avenues of appeal and clemency, a senior official said. Pakistan has hanged 24 convicts since resuming executions in December after Taliban militants gunned down more than 150 people at a school in the restive northwest.

The partial lifting of the moratorium only applied to those convicted of terrorism offences, but officials said it has now been extended. “The interior ministry has directed the provincial home departments to expedite the executions of all condemned prisoners whose mercy petitions have been rejected by the president,” the interior ministry official said. He said there are around 1,000 condemned prisoners around the country whose appeals and clemency petitions have failed.

The home secretary of south western Baluchistan province, Akbar Hussain Durrani, confirmed that the government had issued instructions to resume executions. “We have received a letter from federal government asking to expedite all death penalty cases for executions whose mercy petitions have been rejected,” Durrani said.

Until December's resumption, Pakistan had not witnessed a civilian hanging since 2008.

bomber detonated his strapped-explosives outside the main gate of St John's Catholic Church when the security guard tried to stop him from entering the premises. The second blast occurred minutes later in the compound of Christ Church, said Nabila Ghazanfar, said a Punjab police spokesperson.

Television images showed police struggling to keep the angry crowd away from one of the men who was later lynched. Dr Muhammad Saeed, the chief doctor at Lahore's general hospital, said many of 70-odd wounded were in critical condition.

Witnesses said the terrorists targeted a crowded gate when a large group of worshippers was waiting to enter one of the churches. “One bomber exploded near that gate, that created chaos. Shortly later, there was another blast,” said a witness. Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, a Pakistani Taliban (TTP) splinter group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. Ihsanullah Ihsan, the group's spokesman, said it was the work of two suicide bombers.

Two die in protests Hundreds of angry Christians on Monday hit the streets across Pakistan in protest against the

church attacks, leading to communal clashes which claimed two lives, forcing authorities to call in paramilitary forces to maintain calm. Authorities had to call in Rangers to maintain law and order in Youhanabad on Monday.

Hundreds of Christians gathered at Ferozpure Road and blocked it for hours.

The violent protesters damaged public property and pelted stones on the police. Police said protesters also blocked roads in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Gujranwala. A speeding car driven by a woman ran over five people, killing two of them and leading to violence in Lahore.

Police arrest 17 suspects Police arrested 17 suspects in connection with the attacks and also registered two FIRs -one against Taliban militants and the other against those responsible for burning alive two “suspects” who were detained after the blasts.

London: A Commons committee has called for a legislation to ban female genital mutilation and cosmetic surgery to create so called ‘designer vaginas’ Keith for the under 18s.

The call came after police told MPs they were unsure if the existing ban on FGM also covers doctors carrying out cosmetic surgery on young women wanting to alter their genitalia.

Figures show the number of female cosmetic surgeries, or labiaplasties,

carried out by the NHS has rose five fold in nine years to reach 2,000 in 2010.

But many more are carried out in private clinics which do not Vaz have to provide statistics to the Government.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said: “The law relating to female genital cosmetic surgery is ambiguous and must be clarified. We cannot tell communities in

Sierra Leone and Somalia to stop a practice which is freely permitted on Harley Street.”

He added: “Just because it is done by cosmetic surgeons in private clinics does not mean it is something that should be allowed unless it is for medical reasons”.

Vaz said no one had any idea about how many under 18s had cosmetic surgery on their vaginas in private clinics with or without consent. The doctors are not going to report it, they are being paid to carry out the surgery.”

MPs demand ban on 'designer vagina’ surgery

Anni Dewani's Father Suffers a terrible Accident

Anni Dewani's father, Vinod Hindocha has suffered a terrible accident which caused his right arm to be ripped off just below his shoulder. Anni Dewani was murdered while on honeymoon in South Africa in 2010.

Vinod Hindocha (65), who is an engineer was fixing a lift when a chain slipped and he fell to the ground, “looking up at his severed limb.” He was flown to a hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden where he was operated for a gruelling 13 hours, with surgeons trying to reattach his limb.

Hindocha has regained some movement in the arm at the elbow.

However, he will have to wait approximately 18 months before finding out

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

In Brief

Protest against Muslim prayers in Church

London: Christians have protested against a Church of England vicar for allowing Muslims to conduct prayers at St John’s church, Waterloo in central London.

Dozens of Muslims took part in the event at the church in what is thought to have been the first time a full Islamic prayer service has been held within the Church of England. The vicar, the Rev Canon Giles Goddard, a prominent liberal cleric, joined in the event, reading a passage from the Bible and inviting the congregation to give thanks to “the God that we love, Allah”. But evangelical clerics were angered by the service which they said marked a breach with canon law which forbids any variation from the official liturgy if it contains “any departure from, the doctrine of the Church of England in any essential matter”. It was also “offensive” to Christians being persecuted for their faith around the world, they said.

Tycoon sells BHS to Retail Acquisitions Limited

London: BHS chief Sir Philip Green has sold his struggling retail chain for just £1. BHS, which has 171 stores and 11,000 staff, has been sold to a vehicle called Retail Acquisitions Limited, which is led by Keith Smith, a former broker. There were at least two “high net worth” individuals backing the consortium who have not been named.

Morrisons to close 23 stores following heavy loss

London: Morrisons, Britain’s fourth largest grocer, plans to close 23 of its M Local convenience stores with the loss of 300 jobs, although it is yet to confirm which ones. The company made the announcement as it posted a £792m pre-tax loss for the year to February 1.

Avoid coffee, TV and fad diets to stay slim

London: An NHS watchdog has said that coffee, smart phones and fad diets were undermining the healthy lifestyles of Britons. They said that children should not be given sweets as a treat and water should replace fizzy drinks, according to detailed guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). The treatments adviser has issued practical suggestions for the first time on how to avoid becoming obese.

Experts criticise pension buy-back plans London: Experts said that plans to allow pensioners to sell their annuities for cash could become a big scandal. They warned that cashing in a life-long income for a one-off lump sum could leave some people penniless in their old age. The buyback scheme could feature as a consultation proposal in the budget.

It would not have time to become law in this parliament, but could be enacted by a future government.

Loneliness, isolation can claim your life

Washington: Researchers from Brigham Young University in the US found that loneliness and social isolation can claim the lives of people under 65. Tim Smith, a co-author, added: “Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we’re at the highest recorded rates on the planet. With loneliness on the rise, we are predicting a possible epidemic in the future.”

Rail companies accused of looting passengers

London: Rail companies were accused of looting passengers for parking their vehicles. According to reports some passengers were being charged more than £200 a day for parking. Figures show that train operators made almost £800 million from non-railway charges such as parking and catering last year, an increase of more than 4 per cent. Some station car parks charge £215 for a 12-hour stay. The most expensive annual parking ticket stands at more than £ 3,000.

Vinod Hindocha with Wife Neelum Hindocha

whether there will be more movement.

Ashok Hindocha (54), Vinod Hindocha's brother stated, “He is getting feeling back. He has movement in his elbow, which surgeons say is the most important thing, and his finger tips are getting

warmer. Thank God for that, but it could be another year to 18 months before he knows how much movement he will regain. He may not get 100 per cent movement below the elbow, but they have all sorts of techniques to help with his hand movement.”

Police accused of not giving priority to sex abuse probe

London: Police are not giving the much needed seriousness to sex-grooming cases and entrust the inquiry into the hands of junior officers, it was revealed. Mistakes made by Greater Manchester police exposed vulnerable Rochdale children to a further two years of abuse by a group of fast-food workers and taxi drivers of Pakistani origin. An inquiry report notes that a police “community impact” assessment seemed more concerned about the welfare of serial child abusers than the “threat and risk of harm” they posed to so many young girls.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

In Brief

Centenarian drivers on the rise

London: Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency revealed that more than 200 people who have crossed the age of 100 are still driving their vehicles. In all, 226 people born before 1915 hold a valid driver’s licence, including two aged 105 or over. The data showed 4.3 million motorists aged 70 or over and some 1.16 million motorists are aged 80 and over, while 82,811 are aged 90-plus.

Women on the pill warned against Crohn’s disease

Washington: According to US doctors women who were taking contraceptive pill have three times more chance of developing Crohn’s disease, the incurable complaint affecting the digestive system. Research in the US suggested there may be a previously unidentified link between a huge upsurge in cases of Crohn’s in the last 50 years and the explosion in oral contraceptives since the Swinging Sixties.

Belle de Jour author insists she was a call girl

London: Brooke Magnanti, the writer and commentator, went to court to defend her claims that she worked as prostitute, saying she will "present evidence that I was a sex worker" in an unusual libel battle with her former boyfriend Owen Morris.

Magnanti’s legal team is expected to argue that such a claim would be instead damaging to the reputation of a woman who made her name writing a blog about her time working as an escort, which went on to become two bestselling books and the successful TV series starring Billie Piper, Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Britain advised to stay in EU

London: Open Europe, a think tank, said in a new report that leaving the European Union would do little to cut the £33 billion burden of red tape on Britain.

Instead, Britain should stay and fight to reform the EU from within, they said.

Cyclone Pam devastates Vanuatu

Port Vila: Super Cyclone Pam killed at least 6 people and injured 30 others in Vanuatu capital Port Vila alone and brought widespread damage to island archipelago.

Vanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale said climate change was a key factor in the devastation wrought on the Pacific nation. Aid agencies estimate more than 90 per cent of housing has been damaged or destroyed in the capital, which has a population of about 45,000.

China must pardon corrupt officials, says author

Beijing: He Jiahong, a leading legal scholar and author, said that China must pardon two million corrupt Communist Party officials to avoid falling into a “vicious cycle” of sleaze that could ultimately lead to the government’s collapse. Xi Jinping, the party’s chief, has been waging a determined offensive against corruption since taking power in late 2012, purging a succession of powerful political and military leaders.

Great grandmother celebrates 100th birthday with a sky dive

Cape Town: Georgina Harwood, a 100-year-old great grandmother has celebrated her birthday by undertaking a sky dive in Cape Town. Georgina performed the jump which saw her plummet to earth at 125 mph with instructor Jason Baker. She was watched by friends and family who flew in from Australia and England to celebrate the birthday with her and handed her a glass of pink champagne on landing.

German churches open their doors to refugees

Frankfurt: Parish churches across Germany have opened their doors to asylum seekers in an unprecedented challenge to EU rules they say are turning genuine refugees away. Some 222 Protestant and Catholic churches are currently providing sanctuary to 411 people, according to the German Ecumenical Committee on Church Asylum. The overwhelming majority are asylum seekers.

3 teenagers arrested over bid to join Isil militants

London: Three teenagers suspected of being on their way to join Isil militants in Syria were arrested after the parents of the boys alerted police. Upon their return to the UK from Turkey, counter-terrorism police arrested the trio - a man aged 19 and two 17-year-old boys, from north-west London - on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. They were given bail but would be required to return to the police station for questioning.

WORLD - INDIA

Lakhvi detained after Pak court orders his release

Islamabad: Pakistan has again detained LeT terrorist and Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi for one month after a court ordered his release. The development came a day after a court cancelled an earlier order under which Lakhvi was detained for three months in December.

An "outraged" India summoned the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi to lodge a strong protest against the court order and said freeing him will pose a threat which "cannot be ignored".

The officiating foreign secretary Anil Wadhwa summoned Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit to South Block and conveyed India's unhappiness over the order in strong words. "India today conveyed its outrage at the release of Lakhvi, one of the key accused in the Mumbai

Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi terror attacks. This goes against Pakistan's professed commitment to combat terrorism, including its recently stated policy of not differentiating amongst terrorists," spokesperson in India's external affairs ministry Syed Akbaruddin said.

He further added that "If such a person, who is also a designated international terrorist by the United Nations, is released it will pose a threat that cannot be

23

ignored." The matter was also "raised at high levels" in Pakistan through Indian high commission, official sources said.

After his meeting with Wadhwa, Basit said, "Lakhvi may have been granted bail, but the trial continues. We all are working to complete the trial. Let the judicial process take its course."

Blaming Pakistan for the Islamabad high court order to release Lakhvi, India's minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju told reporters that Islamabad did not produce the evidence against him despite having enough of it.

Lakhvi is one of seven suspects who are being tried by Pakistan in connection with Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people and seriously damaged relations between Pakistan and India.

Earlier, the Islamabad high court termed Lakhvi's detention illegal.

High court judge Noorul

Haq ordered the immediate release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

The Pakistani government had on March 5 filed details of charges Lakhvi, 55, is facing in the Mumbai attack case, his alleged involvement in the abduction of an Afghan national, and the judgment of the Supreme Court in his detention case. Lakhvi's counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi had said in court that the government was planning to register another case against his client like it did when he was granted bail in the Mumbai attack case. He argued that the government had earlier filed a false case of abduction of an Afghan national, Anwer Khan, against Lakhvi but it could not prove anything against him in court.

Lakhvi last month had challenged his 'fresh' detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) act.

115 killed in Bangladesh's political war

Dhaka: Since the beginning of the new year, the political war between Bangladesh's two main parties has bled on to the street. At least 115 have died, 60 of whom were burned to death. Bitter feuds are nothing new in Bangladeshi politics, but the depth of this year's violence is unprecedented.

As the crisis has spiralled, the country's garment industry, which turns out many of the clothes destined for the British High Street, has seen orders drop by nearly a third. "Never has there been these kinds of attack against the public, where the public has been victimised by the crisis," said Iftekaruzzaman, the executive director of T r a n s p a r e n c y International, an anti-corruption watchdog.

The killings started in January, when Khaleda Zia, the leader of the main opposition party, the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), called for her supporters to blockade the country's roads, railways and canals in protest at an unfair general election. Her supporters, including allies from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, started setting fire to vehicles that tried to pass the barricades, leaving scores of bus passengers and truck drivers dead.

Sheikh Hasina, the country's prime minister, has blamed the deaths on her opponent, calling them deliberate murders as part of a "desperate effort" to destabilise the

country and grab power. A court has issued an arrest warrant for Zia on corruption charges, but her lawyer has said she would not appear unless the government could guarantee her security and allow her to return to her office.

The police have arrested as many as 15,000 of Zia's supporters and at least 35 have died in what human rights activists said were extra-judicial assassinations. A significant number of party leaders have been detained and hundreds of activists have gone into hiding. Gowhar Rizvi, the prime minister's

foreign affairs adviser, said the BNP had "not drawn any popular support" and blamed "paid agents" for carrying out the violence.

"Since these major political parties will govern Bangladesh for the foreseeable future, they have to find a long term and permanent method where they can agree to transition power to and from each other through a democratic process. And they need to start talk about this," said Syed Nasim Manzur, the president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The BNP said it was fighting for democracy itself. "I am one of the biggest aspirants to stop the violence, to stop the hartals. As a nation we can't go for a period like this. But dialogue is the only solution,” said Mahbubur Rahman, a retired lieutenant general and a member of the BNP standing committee.

London: The Liberal Democrats are facing a probe by parliamentary authorities over the apparent 'misuse' of a Commons pass by a former chief fund raiser of the party. The Serjeant-at-Arms, the official responsible for security at Westminster, suspended a pass which had been given to Ibrahim Taguri, after it was disclosed how he had used it to cajole a potential donor in Parliament. Commons rules state that parliamentary facilities should not be used for “party's political campaigning.”

The move raised the prospect of two simultaneous investigations into the

Lib Dems as a Conservative MP wrote to police requesting that officers “urgently investigate” disclosures. The parliamentary investigation, and the prospect of a police inquiry, will be highly embarrassing for the party as it prepares to meet for a final conference ahead of the general election.

Commons officials are understood to be compiling a list of individuals who hold parliamentary passes directly sponsored by political parties. Their names do not appear on any public register, unlike those of Commons and Lords staff members with passes sponsored by the

MPs and peers who employ them. The probe could lead to more officials being stripped of their passes.

Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, questioned why the pass had been issued to Taguri and said Parliament should publish a list of all party officials with Commons passes. Taguri has had free access to the estate for up to six years with a pass sponsored by the Lib Dems.

He was chief fundraiser for the party until last summer, when he left to focus on his duties as its parliamentary candidate in Brent

Central. He has since stood down from the role, also resigning as Nick Clegg’s spokesman on racial equality, after it was revealed how he had accepted a potentially illegal donation for the Lib Dems.

Taguri has denied any wrongdoing and pledged to clear his name. He said he held the pass as a Lib Dem “staff member” and “candidate”. He said he had not banked the cheque and would have declared it properly. He added that he thought the “cousin” had given his own money and he was “publicly declaring all donations”, even those he was not required to disclose.

Lib Dem faces probe over pass ‘misuse’

24

INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Rape survivor argues in court against accused

Chennai: Perhaps for the first time, a rape survivor appeared before a Chennai court, narrated the chain of events and made a powerful case for denying bail to the accused. Besides creating a buzz in legal circles, she also managed to convince the court to reject the bail plea of the suspect. “This indeed is a special case,” said activistadvocate Sudha Ramalingam. The survivor, instead of getting weighed down and frustrated, channelled her anger in the right manner, she said, adding: “It shows that there is a sense of empowerment among rape

victims to oppose and fight perpetrators of the crimes.”

“As a prime witness in the case, the survivor has every right to intervene and oppose the bail plea of the accused. Normally, rape survivors don't approach the court in person to oppose bail plea, as they fear exposing their identity,” said advocate and criminal law specialist S Elam Bharathi.

The matter pertains to Shanthi (name changed), 21, who filed a complaint against D Suresh at All-Woman Police Station, Vepery.

According to the prosecution, Suresh of Teynampet

TV channel targeted for talk show Chennai: The office of Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai was attacked by a motorcycle-borne gang with crude bombs, just days after it was forced to cancel the telecast of a programme at the instance of Hindutva outfits. No one was injured in the incident.

The bombs stuffed in a food carrier and a ‘soap box’ exploded outside the office, but caused no damage to property. While the police arrested six persons involved in the attack, the president of Hindu Ilaignar Sena, Jayam A Pandian, surrendered in a Madurai court claiming responsibility for the incident.

Four men on two motorcycles hurled two bombs into the compound of the channel’s office.

Both exploded with a loud noise shocking security personnel and mediapersons on night shift in the building. It was a low-intensity blast as the bombs were assembled using firecrackers, police said.

CCTV cameras installed on the office premises captured the images of the

recorded it on his mobile phone, too. Suresh started blackmailing her that he would upload the video clip on the internet if Shanthi did not oblige him. He then raped her on several occasions. At one stage, when she became pregnant as well, Shanthi approached the police. An FIR was filed under Sections 417 (cheating), 376 (punishment for rape) and 506-II (criminal intimidation). Suresh was arrested on February 25. He then filed an application for bail stating he was innocent and was ready to marry Shanthi.

Ministers go on padayatra for Jayalalithaa

attack and a preliminary examination by the police of the footage revealed dark pictures of the suspects, who were spotted loitering in the area 30 minutes before the attack. Later, a cameraman of channel was attacked allegedly by some Hindu Munnani cadres, who had gathered outside its office to protest against the scheduled telecast of a controversial debate by the channel. The debate was on the question whether the ‘thaali’ (the ‘mangalsutra’ worn by married women) was still relevant in this day and age. Hindu outfits claimed it was an affront to Hindu culture.

Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu): Led by minister for revenue R B Udayakumar and minister for sports and youth welfare S Sundararaj, members of the district unit of ‘Amma Peravai’ undertook a 67-km long padayatra carrying kavadi for party leader and former chief minister Jayalalithaa.

After offering special pujas and worship at the Murugan temple, 67 bare chested volunteers, clad in saffron dhoti, began the walk on barefoot, praying for the return of Jayalalithaa as chief minister of the State. Jayalalithaa was convicted in a disproportionate assets case last September leading to her disqualification as MLA and stepping down as chief minister.

Since then, the ruling AIADMK volunteers, led by ministers had been offering special prayers, taking out

milk pot processions and performing yagnas in the district, seeking the divine intervention. The padayatra was led by Sethu Balasingam, president of the district Amma Pervai.

Udayakumar, Sundararaj and former Minister Va.Thu.Natarajan walked the first leg from here to Thangachimadam covering a distance of eight km.

The padayatra culminated at Vazhi Vidu Murugan temple in Ramanathapuram, after which they perform special pujas and offered worships.

The ministers received the padyatris at the temple and took part in the rituals, party sources said.

Parkash Singh Badal minister Parkash Singh Badal earlier during the day.

Meanwhile, on his way to the joint legislature party meeting of the ruling alliance, Badal sought to play down the development by dismissing all questions on the issue saying “the media should not worry itself.”

Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh, who also holds the home portfolio apart from being the president of the Akali Dal, claimed complete ignorance about the boycott by the BJP. Subsequently, he admitted efforts to bring them around as parleys with the BJP leadership were on.

Chandigarh: Tension prevailed in a village in Haryana's Hisar district after an under-construction church was attacked and vandalized by miscreants and the idol of a Hindu god was placed inside the premises on March 6. The police later took away the Hanuman idol and a redcoloured flag related to Lord Ram from the premises to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.

Police officials said that 14 people were booked for rioting, damaging place of worship, theft and promoting enmity following a complaint lodged by the church priest on March 13 in Kaimri village in Hisar district, 260 km from here.

The attackers damaged the cross at the church and allegedly took away some other items. The priest told media that certain activists of the Bajrang Dal and others had threatened him earlier. He alleged that the same people could be behind the attack on the

church. "I was threatened by Bajrang Dal activists and other locals last month," the priest, Subhash Chand, said. Local residents alleged that the priest was trying to construct the church despite the fact that there was no Christian in the entire village. Villagers said that the priest had bought the plot to build a house but he started converting it into a church. They alleged that the priest was trying to convert people in the village and surrounding areas.

The local villagers have called a panchayat (village council) meeting to discuss the incident. They are likely to oppose any arrests of locals. "The priest is unnecessarily trying to complicate matters. He has got the case registered against some former sarpanches (village headmen) and others, whom we do not even know.

He was illegally constructing the church in the village and vitiating the atmosphere through conversions," a village resident said.

Punjab’s ruling alliance plunges into crisis

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has plunged into a major crisis as BJP, the ruling partner, has decided to boycott all meetings, including those of the cabinet and joint legislature party with Akali Dal, till its demands about justice in the Tarn Taran incident were not met.

The BJP is protesting the failure of the state government to take appropriate action against the Akali leaders and workers, who carried out a murderous attack on Rajesh Joshi alias Raja, who is the younger brother of the local bodies minister, Anil Joshi. The incident took place in the Tarn Taran district deputy commissioner's office complex during the second week of last month, on the eve of the civic polls.

The core committee of BJP’s state unit at a meeting decided to boycott all cabinet meetings in the future. It also endorsed the decision of the party legislators to stay away from the joint legislature meeting chaired by chief

was a school dropout and worked as an errand boy.

Shanthi, a commerce graduate working in a private company, was planning to open a savings bank account.

Suresh came to know of it and posed as a bank employee and collected her application. For several months, Suresh called her over the phone. Eventually, they became friends and went to a movie and visited few restaurants together. He had asked Shanthi to visit his home but she refused. Finally, Suresh cajoled her to come to his residence. He then had forcible sex with her and

Tension in Haryana village after church attack; 14 booked

South Brief

TN cop publicly thrashes daughter

Chennai: A police sub-inspector has beaten up his 20-25 -year-old daughter in public in Tamil Nadu. Passers-by were mute spectators to the incident. She was rescued when two women rushed to help her before alerting the police. The victim was beaten up by her father Rajaram, a sub-inspector with Madurai police. Rumours of the victim’s alleged “affair” triggered the incident and the parents said that they were “teaching her a lesson.” Her mother, a teacher by profession, did not give a helping hand.

Originally from Madurai and currently working in Bengaluru, the victim has denied the rumours. Her parents wanted to force her to move back to Madurai and arrange a wedding as soon as possible to someone of their choice as she had brought “shame upon the family”

Tearful farewell to Sydney victim

Mangaluru: The mortal remains of Prabha Arun Kumar, 41, the IT consultant who was stabbed to death in Sydney on March 7, was consigned to flames at her birth place in Dakshina Kannada district's Amtoor village, about 30 km from Mangaluru, on Sunday.

The funeral pyre was lit by her husband Arun Kumar and younger brother Shivaprasad and was witnessed by her father Mahabala Shetty, brothers, kin, villagers and friends among others. The body, which had arrived in Bengaluru from Sydney, was kept for public viewing at Prabha's uncle's house in west Bengaluru on Sunday morning.

AP plans international airport near Vizag

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government is planning to develop one Greenfield international airport at Bhogapuram, near Visakhapatnam and upgrade a few more in the state. According to the Socio Economic Survey 2014-15, which formed part of the (2015-16) budget documents, the airports in Tirupati, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry are to be modernised. The upgrade would be to international standards. The state government is also planning to develop six no-frills airports.

North Brief

Former Cong MLA joins Akali Dal

Chandigarh: Former Congress MLA Satwant Singh Mohi joined the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal welcomed Mohi, also a a former member of Punjab Public Service Commission. Badal noted that the electorate of Punjab gave a clear verdict in favour of SAD-BJP alliance in the civic polls, asserting that people were in favour of development oriented politics. He said the results of Assembly, parliamentary and civic body polls have proved that Congress is an "issue less, leader less, vision less and outdated political outfit" with no future in the state. Several senior Congress leaders, including MLAs have made up their minds to come into the SAD fold and they would be inducted in the party at the right time, he said.

Haryana to introduce Gita in schools this year

Chandigarh: The Haryana government will introduce the teaching of Bhagwad Gita in the school curriculum from the new academic session this year, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said. The opposition Congress had earlier, in guarded criticism of the BJP government, accused it of trying to give a religious colour to the introduction of Bhagwad Gita in the curriculum. Former chief minist Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said that the BJP government was trying to push its Hindutva agenda. “The Bhagwad Gita belongs to all and no party can lay claim over it,” Hooda had said. Kurukshetra, the battlefield described in the mythological epic “Mahabharata” and where the sermon of Bhagwad Gita was given by Lord Krishna to Pandava warrior Arjun, is located in Haryana.

INDIA - TRAVEL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Court summons Manmohan in Coalgate scam

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25

An Indian court summoned former prime minister Manmohan Singh over accusations of criminal conspiracy and corruption in the illegal award of a coal field. A special court under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) ordered the 82-year-old Singh, billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla and another official to appear before it on April 8, the court said in an order.

"I am upset, but this is a part of life," a visibly distressed Singh told reporters in parliament, where he sits in the upper house. It is rare but not unknown for former Indian prime ministers to be called into court.

Known for his personal integrity and humble lifestyle, Singh has not been charged with any crime but is being investigated for criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption, a prosecution lawyer said.

The CBI, India's federal law enforcement agency, had earlier excluded Singh from the investigation. His Congress party called the summons a backlash against its opposition to economic reforms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to push through parliament. In the past, the Supreme Court has accused the CBI of acting on the wishes of the government.

Singh to move SC:

Manmohan Singh's lawyers, led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, are likely to move SC to challenge the trial court's order. The option of moving Delhi HC to challenge the trial court decision, the normal course of grievance redressal in a threetier justice delivery system, is ruled out because of a July 25, 2014 apex court order, which monitored the CBI probe into the alleged irregular coal block allotments during the UPA and previous NDA governments and cancelled all 214 allocations during that period.

“We make it clear that any prayer for stay or impeding the progress in the investigation can be made only before this court and no other court shall entertain the same,” the July 25 order said.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar, trying the coal scam cases investigated by CBI under SC supervision in his summoning order focused on Singh's role, not as PM but as coal minister. The trial judge said Singh as coal minister allowed reopening of the allocation “even though he himself had permitted approval of the minutes of 25th Screening Committee recommending allocation of the same block to Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC), a PSU.” “Repeated reminders from PMO, written as well

as telephonic, to ministry of coal to expeditiously process the matter in view of letters received from Kumar Mangalam Birla prime facie indicate the extra undue interest shown by PMO in the matter,” the judge said.

Singh's action, the judge said, defeated NLC's efforts to set up a 2,000MW power plant in Odisha. “His action prima facie resulted in loss to NLC, a PSU, and facilitated windfall profits to a private company , Hindalco.”

Cong shows its solidarity: Congress president Sonia Gandhi led a march from the party headquarters Manmohan's house to show its solidarity.

Speaking to reporters during the march, Sonia said: "We are here to show our solidarity.. we shall fight it legally." "We are here at the news of summon being served to the former prime minister Manmohan Singh.... He is known not just in our country but also in other countries for his integrity and probity," she added.

"We are here to offer our unstinted support and solidarity. The Congress party is fully behind him.

We shall fight this legally and with all our means at our command and we are sure, convinced that he will be vindicated," she added. Several senior Congress veterans also participated in the solidarity march.

prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, late Balasaheb Thakre and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Film legends like Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Hrithik

Roshan termed it as a must-see item.

Children up to 16 years of age will be offered 25 % discount on tickets. This play gives an opportunity for those who are interested in acting. Children, women and men between 6 to 65 years of age are invited to send their resume with latest photograph to info@jaantaraja.uk. The final selection will be done in the third and fourth week of April.

All the selected participants will be given an eight-day training and costumes will be provided to them. The participants will be honoured with certificates and free passes worth £150.

‘Jantaa Raja’ to be staged in London

India's mega play “Janata Raja” is all set to be staged in London for the first time. The play created by historian Babasaheb Purandare will be staged in Hindi at Wembley Arena in London on 20th and 21st June. More than 40 artists from India and around 125 participants from London will be taking part in this play. Reallife animals, a 50ft fort and ready-made set of 3,000 sq.ft will be shipped from India to give spectators an experience of 17th century.

Based on the life of Maratha warrior, Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje, this play was highly appreciated by former

26

INDIA

Intrepid Capital Partners to lend Rs10 bn for Indian infrastructure

Intrepid Capital Partners (ICP), an investment firm promoted by Londonbased Indian businessman Cyrus Vandrevala and legendary American venture capitalist Warren V “Pete” Musser and headquartered in the United States, is to lend Rs 10 billion of capital to infrastructure and real estate developers in India.

A source at the London office of the company revealed this was a first tranche of what could in due course become a Rs 50 billion facility. Joe Deluca, managing director

of ICP, said: “This is an underserved market as it requires very specific onthe-ground experts to make such investments.

ICP has that expertise and experience.”

The disclosure came on a day when the Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley had arrived in London and was scheduled to deliver a lecture on the union government’s budget presented by him two weeks ago and investment opportunities in India arising out of it in the British capital.

ICP said the proposed

debt fund is a first of its kind. It focuses on participating in the debt segment of a capital structure as opposed to equity, providing loans to cash-strapped mid-size developers with one to four year projects.

ICP stated: “The fund will have a debt corpus of Rs 10 billion and will target a 20% IRR.” It will lend primarily to developers of residential projects and selected commercial properties in and around Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru.

The fund is co-led by

Deluca, who has previously managed US $1 billion of transactions for ICP, including many in India, and Roy Rodrigues, a former India head of Oak Investment Partners and previously a managing director at Bear Stearns. Speaking from Mumbai, Rodrigues said: “We are very excited to use ICP’s platform in India to invest in debt.”

Since it was founded in 2001, ICP has invested into India, primarily as an equity investor in ITITES-BPO, infrastructure and real estate.

Continued from page 1 devolving more power and more resources to the states. And, we are making them formal partners in national decision-making processes.”

“All of us in this region, indeed every nation of diversity, have dealt with the issues of identities and inclusion, of rights and claims, of dignity and opportunity for different sections of our societies.

We have all seen its diverse expressions. We have faced tragic violence. We have encountered brutal terrorism. We have also seen successful examples of peaceful settlements.”

“Each of us has sought to address these complex issues in our own ways.

However, we choose to reconcile them, to me something is obvious: Diversity can be a source of strength for nations. When we accommodate the aspirations of all sections of our society, the nation gets the strength of every individual.” Underlining that Sri Lanka has lived through decades of tragic violence and conflict, he said: “You now stand at a moment of historic opportunity to win the hearts and heal the wounds across all sections of society. The recent elections in Sri Lanka have reflected the collective voice of the nation, the hope for change, reconciliation and unity.”

Describing the steps taken by the new government as “bold and admirable,” he said: “For India, the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka are paramount.” After talks with Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, he turned to an expression first used by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2009 that they will implement 13th amendmentplus. “I believe that early and full implementation of the 13th amendment and going beyond it would contribute to this process,” he said. Rajapaksa did not fulfil the commitment he made shortly after ending the war with the LTTE in May 2009.

Sirisena, who called Modi’s visit a “fortunate

event” and a “blessing”, said: “I trust it (the visit) will help to further improve current relations between the two countries and assist in taking the relationships with minority communities to greater heights.”

On the issue of fishermen of the two countries who stray into each other’s waters, Modi said this “complex” issue involved “livelihood and humanitarian concerns” on both sides, and should be handled from this perspective.

Last week, Premier Ranil Wikcremesinghe kicked up a row when he said intruding Indian fishermen would be shot by the Lankan navy.

Modi also spoke on the Indian Ocean being “critical” to the security of the two countries. Arriving in Colombo after visits to Seychelles and Mauritius, he said they can be more successful if they build a “climate of trust and confidence” and remain “sensitive to each other’s interest”.

“We deeply value our security cooperation with Sri Lanka. We should expand the maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives to include others in the Indian Ocean area,” he said, in the wake of growing Chinese interest in the region.

India, Sri Lanka sign 4 pacts: India and Sri Lanka signed four bilateral pacts agreement on visa, customs, youth development and building Rabindranath Tagore memorial – during Modi's visit. Modi said his meeting with Sirisena has been very productive. It "gives me confidence and optimism about the future of our relations," Modi said.

"The agreement on cooperation between our customs authorities is a step in that direction. It will simplify trade and reduce non-tariff barriers on both sides," he said.

Modi said the progress made by two countries reflects "our shared commitment to stronger economic cooperation. Our trade has seen impressive

growth over the past decade. I am aware of your concerns about trade with India. As I said in Delhi, we will try and address them," he said.

Modi said India stands ready to help Trincomalee become a petroleum hub and announced that New Delhi will provide a fresh Line of Credit of up to USD 318 million for the railways sector in Lanka.

"This will be used to procure rolling stock, and to restore and upgrade existing railway track," he said. Modi also said that the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka have agreed to enter into a Currency Swap Agreement of USD 1.5 billion to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.

He lauded the efforts of newly elected President Sirisena and assured him of all help from India. "We stand with you in your efforts to build a future that accommodates the aspirations of all sections of society, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, for a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka.

Modi flags off train service: Mosi flagged off a train service at the northwestern Lankan town of Talaimannar - the closest point to India -restored after decades of civil war, completing the reconstruction of the entire Northern Province Railway Line.

Accompanied by Sirisena, Modi also unveiled a plaque inaugurating Talaimannar 1650 Pier Railway station. Modi flew in there by an IAF chopper from the ancient holy town of Anuradhapura where he offered prayers at the sacred Mahabodhi tree.

Assurance to Lankan businessmen: In his address to Lanka's business community at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Modi acknowledged that there were concerns in Sri Lanka about the huge trade imbalance. "I am prepared to work with you to address them. I want balanced growth in trade. We will try to make it easier and smoother for you to access the Indian market,"

he said.

Sri Lanka is India's major trading partner in South Asia. The bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka in 2013-14 was USD 5.23 billion with Indian exports amounting to USD 3.98 billion and Sri Lankan exports amounting to USD 678 million. "I often say that a nation's fortunes are linked to its neighbourhood. There are many in India who would argue that India is too large to need her neighbours.

"There are many in our region who worry that India's economic size will hurt them. I disagree with both views. For one, we all need a stable and peaceful neighbourhood to concentrate on national development," he added.

"There are already powerful examples in South Asia that show us that differences in size is no constraint to beneficial partnerships, if we use our strengths and seize our opportunities".

Underlining the need to expand the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) that was signed in December 1998, Modi said India would take all necessary measures to ensure that Sri Lankan goods enter Indian markets smoothly.

India to develop two islands in Indian Ocean: In a major boost for India in the Indian Ocean, the government has bagged ''infrastructure development rights'' for two islands in the region - Agalega from Mauritius and Assumption from Seychelles - during Modi's ocean outreach comprising visits.

New Delhi marked its Indian Ocean presence with Modi offering to set up joint working groups with the two blue economies in the region to harness potential for economic cooperation. The understanding to allow India to develop these islands is of huge strategic significance for India which is widely seen as having lost out to China in having a purposeful engagement with the littoral states despite its own central location.

Win hearts and heal wounds, Modi tells Lanka

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

In Brief

Lack of sleep linked to high BP

London: A new study has suggested that people who regularly fail to get enough sleep appear to have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major cause of heart attack and stroke. However, it rarely carries any signs or symptoms. In fact, a person can look and feel well even if they have it. The only way to know if you have it is to have your blood pressure checked by a health professional.

Christians urged to speak for their beliefs

London: Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, urged Christians not to hide their religion at the work place and speak up for their beliefs. It follows a report commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which asked people about any incidents in the workplace relating to their religion.

Nick Clegg blocks laws banning extremists from varsities

London: Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has blocked new laws intended to stop extremist speakers from universities, raising fears that Britain will be left more vulnerable to attack. Clegg vetoed the plan during private talks with David Cameron, after one of the worst Cabinet rows in the coalition’s five-year rule.

Liberal Democrat leader said he could not support moves to require university bosses to vet visiting speakers and prevent impressionable students from falling under the spell of extremists.

CPS accused of blocking prosecution of abortion doctors

London: Prosecutors have been accused of allowing gender abortion in Britain after blocking an attempt to bring charges against two doctors accused of agreeing terminations based on the sex of unborn baby girls. Dr Prabha Sivaraman and Dr Palaniappan Rajmohan were facing the first ever private prosecution on gender abortion charges after being filmed while apparently agreeing to arrange terminations because of the gender of the foetus in an undercover investigation in 2012.

They were summoned to courts to answer allegations in what would have been a landmark prosecution. But the CPS has announced that it would use its powers to quash the case.

Dental student from India shot dead in US

Albany (California): A 37-year-old dental student from India was shot to death at her San Francisco Bay Area apartment hours after attending services at a Sikh temple. The body of Randhir Kaur was discovered on March 8 by her cousin after UC San Francisco officials became concerned about her well-being. Investigators seeking tips from the public said that they believed Kaur was accosted and shot sometime after arriving home. She had spent the afternoon at a Sikh temple and had planned to spend that evening studying. The San Francisco Chronicle reports there were no signs of forced entry. Her personal belongings were found inside a trash can about 2 miles from her apartment.

Ex-Iranian President Rafsanjani's son jailed for 15 years

London: The son of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has reportedly been jailed by an Iranian court after being convicted of security offences and financial crimes. Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani was accused of provoking unrest in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 elections and was taken into custody on his return from exile in the United Kingdom in 2012.

Unofficial sources said that the Tehran court sentenced Mehdi Hashemi to 15 years in prison. However, the claim has not been confirmed. A judicial official said that he had 20 days to appeal against the ruling. The sentence is also said to include an undisclosed amount of fine and a ban from holding public office.

Sikh in New Zealand gets $ 45,000 for race bias

Melbourne: A Sikh student has been awarded $45,000 in damages by a rights tribunal in New Zealand for racial harassment and humiliation he suffered at the hands of his Indian-origin employers. Satnam Singh told the Human Rights Tribunal he suffered racial abuse, culminating in a physical assault, while employed for two months at Scorpion Liquor in Mount Roskill, a suburban area in the city of Auckland. Singh was also paid less than minimum wage, earning between 6 to 7 dollars an hour. Store manager Shane Singh and his mother Raj Devi, who owns the business, did not respond to the claim and took no part in proceedings. The tribunal's decision said Singh had taken the part time job in January 2012 after coming to New Zealand on a student visa.

27

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Genetics study seeks South Asian health clues Pakistani and Bangladeshi people in London's least healthy boroughs are being asked to provide spit samples and health records to researchers hoping to find genetic clues to why they are disproportionately affected by certain diseases.

The East London Genes and Health project will focus partly on socalled "knock-out" genes rare in the general population but more frequent in communities where cousins and other close relatives marry and have children, as is more common in Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.

The largest community genetics study in the world will recruit 100,000 volunteers from East London, which have substantial South Asian populations.

Researchers leading the study say

health signals buried in the data could have a big impact on peoples' health worldwide.

Richard Trembath, a professor at Queen Mary University of London, told reporters at a briefing, "This is the first time a large-scale genetics study has focused on two distinct ethnic minority groups, with high levels of health concerns in the community and the potential for significant genetic variation. These findings will play a key role in tackling health inequality locally and in the UK, (and) we hope to reveal crucial information

about the link between genetics and common diseases which will have significant international impact."

Studying genetic variation is crucial to improving understanding of the "normal" variation in genes in certain populations, which can then help the diagnosis of inherited rare diseases.

The so-called "knock-out genes" occur when a healthy person has two copies - inherited from both parents - of a gene that functions differently to the norm. The team hopes to use these findings to understand how knock-out genes impact health and eventually to help develop new drugs or treatments which block bad genes and enhance good ones.

East London districts

- and their Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in particular s- are among Britain's least healthy.

Life expectancy is lower, rates of heart disease and diabetes are higher and infectious diseases like tuberculosis are far more prevalent than in other more affluent areas.

David van Heel, the study's co-leader, said, "Not only do South Asian people have some of the highest rates of poor health in the UK, they are also markedly under-represented in medical research. We aim to change this by gathering a unique dataset which will then be harnessed ... locally, nationally and internationally."

The team will look specifically at heart disease and diabetes and also examine why people of certain ethnicities suffer poor responses to some medicines.

Home grown produce healthier and tastier It has long been claimed by allotment-holders that their fruit and vegetables beat those from supermarket shelves.

Now scientists have proved home-grown produce is not just tastier but healthier too.

A study, carried out by experts at Kew Gardens, found that tomatoes are sweeter and richer in health-improving nutrients than those that are mass-produced.

The concentration of natural sugars, anti-oxidants and nutrient rich compounds called phenols peaked in the home-grown tomatoes, the study for a BBC show revealed.

Professor Monique Simmonds, deputy director of science at Kew, claimed mass-market tomatoes are often bred

for their appearance rather than quality, that herbicides are used and that they are harvested early and artificially ripened to improve shelf life.

She said all these things can damage the flavour and the nutrient level in the fruit.

'Supermarkets are often looking for tomatoes that are a particular size because that's how the public want it. Some of these tomatoes are smaller and they don't grow in a uniform size, which makes them difficult for supermarkets to sell. It's about educating the public.

People don't mind if something grown in their garden is not beautifully round but would they buy it from a supermarket?,' she said.

One example is the

Diet, exercise and social activity can delay dementia A healthy lifestyle can preserve the brainpower of those at risk of dementia, according to a landmark study.

The study is the first large-scale human trial to show that healthy living can help maintain or even improve brain function. It found those at risk of dementia put on a twoyear lifestyle programme performed 25 per cent better in brain tests than those who received only basic health advice.

The University of Eastern Finland, the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, and Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, assessed almost 1,300 people aged

60-77.

The latest research split participants into two groups – one receiving simple health advice, and the other in-depth guidance on nutrition, exercise, cognitive training and social activities.

The diet included high amounts of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lowfat dairy and meat, less than 50g sugar a day and fish at least twice a week.

The scheme recommended muscle training between one and three times a week and aerobic exercise two to five times a week.

Brain training included sessions with psychologists and regular computer-based exercises at home.

Gardener's Delight cherry tomato, which was found to contain three times as much sugar as the shopbought variety, giving it a far sweeter taste.

While this experiment was with tomatoes, Professor Simmonds said results would be similar in other fruits and vegetables.

Professor Simmonds, who led the research for

BBC2 show Kew on a Plate, said: 'They are not going to be a cure for a disease but if you are eating them as part of a mixed diet they will definitely contribute to a healthier life – it's the Mediterranean diet effect, having natural anti-oxidants in your diet. If you're eating enough of these it will build up to have an effect.'

New cholesterol-lowering drug 'halves risk of heart attack or stroke A new type of cholesterollowering drug may halve the risk of a heart attack or stroke, new research suggests.

People taking the experimental drug for high cholesterol were half as likely to die or suffer a heart attack or stroke as those taking conventional statins.

The results could offer an alternative to the estimated one in three Westerners with high cholesterol who have been unable to manage their condition with diet, exercise and statin drugs currently on the market.

The U.S. government will decide this summer

Growing old can actually boost brainpower Like a fine wine, some parts of the human brain can take decades to mature and reach their peak, researchers have found. They say rather than peaking in our twenties, in fact some areas do not reach their full potential until we grow old.

In fact, the ability to evaluate other people's emotional states, the peak occurred much later, in the 40s or 50s.

The ability to evaluate other people's emotional states does not peak until we are in our 40s or 50s, researchers said.

'At any given age, you're getting better at some things, you're getting worse at some other things, and you're at a plateau at some other things,' said Joshua

Hartshorne of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and one of the paper's authors.

The study, which appears in the journal Psychological Science, found that different components of fluid intelligence peak at different ages, some as late as age 40.

'There's probably not one age at which you're peak on most things, much less all of them,' said Laura Germine, a postdoc in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental genetics at MGH and the paper's other author.

'It paints a different picture of the way we change over the lifespan than psychology and neuroscience have traditionally painted.'

Zumba and aerobics classes to prevent diabetes

Obese patients will be sent on cookery courses and to Zumba fitness classes by their GPs as part of a drive to tackle diabetes.

Family doctors are being encouraged to target patients most at risk, including those who are seriously overweight.

Under the plans, GPs will refer patients to gym classes such as Zumba, aerobics or spinning – intensive cycling – funded by the NHS. They will also be advised to attend cooking sessions teaching them how to poach, boil and grill food instead of frying it.

Around 3.8million Britons have diabetes.

The figure has doubled in 20 years, mainly due to

obesity. The new scheme was be announced by NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens.

The cookery and Zumba classes have been piloted in Bradford. GPs have been pinpointing patients most at risk of diabetes, including the obese.

Patients are initially sent to two hour-long sessions at GP practices and community centres which teach them basic tips on healthy eating and losing weight. They are then offered vouchers for membership at local gyms.

They can also choose to attend cookery classes, specialising in healthy techniques for preparing food, usually held in community centres.

Inactive children 'become middle-aged couch potatoes' whether to allow two of these drugs on the market.

The drugs are evolocumab, and alirocumab, lower LDL or bad cholesterol more powerfully and in a different way than existing drugs, by blocking PCSK9, a substance that interferes with the liver's ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

Children who lead inactive lives are likely to grow up to become middle-aged couch potatoes, a study suggests.

Researchers compared the TV viewing habits of more than 6,000 British people born in a single week in 1970, at the ages of 10 and 42.

Parents should

increase children's physical activity to ensure they become fit and healthy adults, the University College London authors conclude.

The authors acknowledge that for today's children TV viewing is often replaced by time on computers, smartphones or tablets.

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Nithya Menon aims Number One Spot!

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parkling beauty N i t h y a Menon has enjoyed great success as a l e a d i n g heroine in not one, but three south Indian industries Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. But the one industry which remains elusive to her is Tamil where in spite of her starring in prestigious projects like ‘180’ with Siddarth, Gautham Menon produced ‘Veppam’ and ‘Malini 22 Palayamkottai’.

Nithya feels that her luck in Tamil is about to change and she is confident of becoming a top notch star after the release of Manirathnam’s ‘OK Kanmani’ on April 14 and Raghava Lawrence’s ‘Kanchana 2’ in which she plays the title role, hitting the screens on April 16th.

The multi lingual actress is obviously not worried about two of her films competing with each other for she has much to gain as both the films are crowd favourites and carry the potential to give her the breakthrough to gain the top spot in Kollywood.

'Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend'

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Amala Paul Maddy to rock again with Bollywood beauty! caught between two Senior Heroes!

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Madhavan or Maddy as he is lovingly called, is one actor who went off the limelight even though his huge fan base is still intact. After his special appearance in ‘Vettai’ with Arya, Tamil audience has not seen much of him. There is some good news for die hard fans of

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Trisha replaces Kajal Agarwal

ctresses in general cut down on their work once they decide to enter into family life.

Trisha seems to be an exception as she is continuing on a signing spree.

The “Yennai Arindhaal” actress apart from her “Appa Takkaru” and “Boologam,” has a heroine oriented film “Bhogi” under her belt. Sources reveal that Trisha has been signed by Thiagarajan for the southern remake of “Special 26,” the Rs 1 billion grossing Hindi film that had Akshay Kumar, Kajal Agarwal and Anupam Kher in the lead. Trisha is doing Kajal Agarwal's

duced by Tarnpreet Singh and Manjeet Kaur under JAP Films. The film features Divyendu Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Prachi Mishra and Ira Dubey in lead roles.

Dhruv (Divyendu Sharma) an aspirant IAS officer, takes a private loan from a company in order to buy a car to woo the girl he loves, Sakshi (Prachi Mishra).

Soon enough, life turns upside down for him as he is unable to pay back the loan and the car is seized. From then on, begins Dhruv's encounters with today's super materialistic girls (where money comes above love), the finance company, the system and a hardened criminal named Minocha (Jackie Shroff).

'Hunterrr'

“Dilliwaali Zaalim Girlfriend” is an upcoming Bollywood romance comedy film directed by Japinder Kaur and pro-

Maddy as he is going to make a grand comeback this year with a couple of films which are nearing completion. One of them is ‘Irudhi Sutru’ in Tamil which stars the ‘Alaypayuthey’ star as a boxing trainer and the other one is ‘Tanu weds Manu2’ in Hindi which re-unites him with Kangana Ranaut reprising their roles as Tanu and Manu from the original super hit film!

“Hunterrr” is an upcoming Hindi comedy film written and directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni. The film features Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte and Sai Tamhankar in lead roles. The film revolves around an unassuming sex addict and his lustful journey in life. The film is about the life of a guy called Mandar Ponkshe and his quirky ways of getting a girl. Gulshan Devaiah will be seen playing the role of Mandar.

Interestingly, "Hunterrr 303", the title

other cast and crew details will be revealed soon.

role and she will be pairing up for the first time with actor Prashanth for the Tamil version while Ravi Teja will be her leading man in the Telugu version.

The title of the film a n d

track sung by Bappi Lahiri, is a tribute to Lord Kamdev. The song is about Mandar Ponkshe who is obsessed with girls and he considers himself the biggest devotee of the God of Love. That is why the makers of the song decided to dedicate the song to Lord Kamdev.

aila O Laila” is an u p c o m i n g Malayalam film directed

by Joshi in which Amala Paul plays the heroine.

The story revolves around Mohanlal and Sathyaraj who play rival business tycoons and pretty Amala Paul’s character gets caught in the crossfire.

“Laila O Laila” marks the Malayalam debut of noted Bollywood script writer Suresh Nair who was behind such mega hit Hindi films like “Zanjeer,” “Traffic,” “DDay,” “Bang, Bang” among others. The shooting is complete and the film is expected to be released soon.

Shraddha Kapoor to train in rock music

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ollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor, who has been busy with the shooting of her dance film “ABCD 2” with Varun Dhawan, likes to get into the detailing and nuances of her roles. And the “Haider” actress has already started preparing up for her role in the film.

Shraddha will soon undergo training in rock music to learn more about the genre and she also plans to do a rock music appreciation course to understand the context of the music. Shraddha will be seen playing the lead girl in the sequel of the hit cult classic “Rock On.” Shraddha, who has won accolades for her singing debut in ‘Ek Villain’, is fond of rock music and has grown up listening to The Beatles.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Amitabh, Aamir launch trailer of 'Broken Horses'

'On A Quest,' a movie about Swami Chinmayananda

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“O

ollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan have launched the trailer of filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra's maiden Hollywood venture “Broken Horses.”

Munnabhai series, “3 Idiots,” “Mission Kashmir” and “Parinda” were some of the movies of the filmmaker. With “Broken Horses,” Vidhu Vinod Chopra has become the first Indian to produce, direct and write a Hollywood film.

Speaking at the event, Vidhu Vinod Chopra said: “I am grateful to Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan who agreed to launch the trailer of my first Hollywood film. It is a very special film for me and special people launching the trailer will make the moment even more memorable."

Set in the shadows of the US–Mexico border gang wars, “Broken Horses” is an epic thriller about the bonds of brotherhood, the laws of loyalty, and the futility of violence. Broken Horses’ cast features Vincent D’Onofrio, Anton Yelchin and Chris Marquette. The cast includes popular Spanish actress, Maria Valverde, Thomas Jane and Sean Patrick Flanery.

The film will be released in cinemas on April 10.

New trailer of 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'

Director Dibakar Banerjee, along with lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput, launched the new trailer of “ D e t e c t i v e B y o m k e s h Bakshy.”

They spoke about the significance of the villain in the movie - the nameless one - Yang Guang! The monstrous gangster from Shanghai who has come back from the dead… and the only one who may turn out to be Byomkesh's lifelong nemesis, threatening everything and everyone he loves and values.

The film is based on S a r a d i n d u

Bandyopadhyay's fictional detective, Byomkesh Bakshy and is a contemporary interpretation of Calcutta during the 1940s. This first of its kind detective film is an adventure thriller mired in deep political intrigue.

A young, astute and intelligent Byomkesh, fresh out of college, pits himself against a mega world villain, depending more on his intuition and instinct rather than concrete proof, to solve the case, sometimes overstepping the law if needed. Produced

by Yash Raj Films, the movie will be released on 3 April.

Aamir Khan quits non-vegetarian food

B

ollywood actor Aamir Khan, who used to enjoy fish, chicken, meat and eggs, has turned vegetarian. The “PK” actor has not only gone green, but also given up milk and milk products.

Aamir’s decision was prompted by a video that his wife Kiran Rao showed him about 15 most common diseases that cause death and how a diet change can prevent them. Aamir Khan says that the video showed him how to lead a better life and therefore he turned vegan. Aamir has also decided to not to have milk, ghee, paneer as well as sweets made of milk. But the one thing that actor misses is curd. Since Aamir’s character in his next film ‘Dangal’ is a vegetarian, the change has come in handy for his role.

n A Quest,” a movie about Swami Chinmayananda, was screened for the first time in the UK recently.

Produced by Chinmaya Creations, the movie had over 100 screenings across India and the Far East.

The film depicts the transformation of Balakrishna Menon from a freedom fighter to a successful journalist, then to an avid but rational seeker of the truth and finally to Swami Chinmayananda.

This year marks 100 years since the birth of Swami Chinmayananda. The film has been produced by the Chinmaya Mission to honour and celebrate the birth centenary of this seeker of truth.

The cast and crew of the film were from diverse fields such as professionals, amateurs, and devotees.

This biopic has captured the essence and magic of the selfless teacher Swami Chinmayananda who through his steadfast quest for the truth, logical enquiry and ardent study of the Vedas,

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Amitabh to speak in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam

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ollywood icon A m i t a b h Bachchan, who is known for his effortless chaste Hindi and eloquent English, will be seen speaking in three southern languages for an advertisement, featuring younger southern stars. Big B will speak Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam in the commercial which will also star Prabhu, Vikram Prabhu, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Shiva Rajkumar and Manju Warrier. The 72-year-old says he took a little help from the southern stars to polish his pronunciation. “The rapid changes of clothes and scenes. The completion of about 15 of them. The joy of being in front of the camera and mouthing Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam dialogues, with a little help from the ‘departments of Madras’ speech. And finally it is all done in record time,” Big B posted on his blog.

Sachin asks fans to suggest movie title

aster blaster Sachin Tendulkar has invited his fans to suggest the title of a “docu-feature” based on his life.

He has also promised a treat for those who suggest the best names. “There is something very special in store for the ones who come up with the most ideal title for my movie. I am waiting to hear from you,” he added. Sachin too will star as himself in the biopic, conceived

by Mumbai-based production company 200 Not Out in coordination with World Sports Group, the firm that manages Brand Sachin. The movie, to be directed by London-based writer-filmmaker James Erskine, promises “never seen

T

found the answers to life’s most widely-posed questions and delivered these to the masses in a succinct and articulate yet profound and poetic manner.

Here are some of the dialogues from the movie: “Start walking and the path will become clear; without the petrol, the car cannot run. But it is the driver who determines where the car goes; without the touch of life (read God), a sinner cannot sin nor can a monk meditate; India is free, but are Indians free?”

Anil Kapoor turns handsome old man

he forever young Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor has turned a handsome old man in his upcoming Bollywood film “Dil Dhadakne Do.” The producer Ritesh Sidhwani, took to a microblogging site to reveal the look. "Meet the Super cool Suave and Dashing Mr Mehra #DilDhadakneDo @AnilKapoor," he wrote along with a photo.

Standing on a cruise, the charming actor is looking dapper sporting the salt-and-pepper look. Anil Kapoor was the first one whose look from the film has been revealed. The film also stars Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Rahul Bose, Shefali Shah and others.

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment, the film is slated for a 5th June release.

before facets and footage” on the cricket legend, Apart from his presence in the movie, Sachin is said to be making a lot of contribution to the project, which will capture his phenomenal rise in the world of cricket.

In his career spanning 24 years, the cricketer scored 15,921 runs from 200 matches at an average of 53.78. He also has most batting records under his belt in Tests as also in the 50-over format.

Having started as a 16-yearold, the ‘Little Master’, at five feet five inch, holds the record for the maximum number of appearances and is the highest run-getter and century maker in both versions.

Ranbir, Anushka to share 7 liplocks in 'Bombay Velvet'?

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a n b i r Kapoor will be seen romancing A n u s h k a Sharma in their muchawaited movie “ B o m b a y Velvet.” The film’s trailer will also be out soon and reports say that the two actors will be seen sharing passionate lip lock in the Anurag Kashyap movie. According to a report, Ranbir and Anushka will have seven liplocks. Ranbir plays the role of a street fighter Johny Balraj while Anushka plays Jazz singer Rosie and the characters are set in the ’60s, but the treatment is contemporary. Since Kadhyap has presented the movie way ahead of its time, the kisses are important and have been woven into the story.

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Congratulations Congratulations to Amrita Kakad and Ritesh Sachania who got married on Sunday 9th March 2015.

Amrita, the daughter of Shrimati Jayshree and Shri Tejaskumar Kakad, (grand daughter of Sant Mata Pujya Bhanu Ma)

and Ritesh, the son of Shrimati Suman and Shri Krishnarai Sachania tied the knot at VIP Lounge, Edgware.

Asian Voice wishes the newly-wed a very happy married life.

Jayshree Kakad, Rajat and Meera Vats, bride Amrita and groom Ritesh, brother Pranav and Tekaskumar Kakad (Lisbon)

New Vibrant Shopping Mall on Green Street East Shopping Centre is Europe's first purpose-built boutique Asian shopping mall, opened on 14th March 2015. The launch had 12,200 shoppers visiting and the inauguration was done by Chief Guest, Lyn Brown MP for West Ham. People from Leicester, Birmingham, Huddersfield and from across the country came especially for the launch of the shopping centre. Other dignitaries who attended the launch were Cllr Rohima Rahman, Cllr Ellie Robingson, Cllr Mukeh Patel and Cllr Hanif Abdulmuhit.

One of the partners at ACR Investments which is the force behind East Shopping Centre, Bob Popat stated, “The launch of East Shopping Centre is incredibly proud and exciting for us. As the first of its kind in Europe, we are confident that East Shopping Centre will enhance the already vibrant shopping district of Green Street. It’s wonderful to have the support of local politicians, like Lyn Brown MP as well as

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar twelfth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Letting go of the past is necessary in order to move forward. These themes will be with you for the next six months.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar eleventh house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. You need a different approach to friendships and new associations. There will be plenty of social activity around you.

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar tenth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. You need to adopt a new approach to your career and standing in society. More responsibilities will also come your way.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

the community, who were wonderful in welcoming us at our launch.”

This high-quality shopping centre will also have a positive impact on the local community through commerce opportunities by generating approximately 200 jobs.

East Shopping Centre has eco-friendly features which include solar panels to save electricity usage, flow restrictors to help save water and carefully sourced materials for the entire development.

This vibrant shopping centre is built on the site of a former bus depot and it hopes to build on Green Street's important cultural heritage.

Picture courtesy: Monir Ali

Coming Events

l Chaitra Navratri Gayatri Maha-Yagna will take place on Sunday 22nd March 2015 at 1.00pm at Mandhata Youth and Community Centre, 20a Rosemead Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 7EE. For further details, please contact Phone: 0208 907 3028 ; Mobile: 07525 327 193 ; Kapilben Patel: 0208 883 9540 ; Minaben Kataria: 0208 491 2205

Asia House Film Festival The seventh Asia House Film Festival is taking place in London from 27th March to 31st March 2015. The theme for this year is New Generations, which will resonate on new talents, styles, landscapes as well as new techniques of film production from and about the Asia Pacific region, such as from Cambodia, India, Japan etc, with a special focus and recollection on Mongolia.

The festival includes a selection of features, documentaries and shorts films, including two European premieres, eight UK and one London premiere, fol-

lowing a showcase of classic films.

This festival’s newly appointed Artistic Director, Jasper Sharp has mentioned, “We are excited to be presenting a diverse range of titles in a diverse range of genres, including a vintage Uzbekistani “Red Western” and a Vietnamese sci-fi, as well as documentaries on the Burmese punk scene and a Japanese didgeridoo player. We hope this eclectic selection will thrill and enthrall, while inspiring London audiences with exciting and unique visions of Asia from some of its best filmmaking talents.”

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LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar eighth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. A new way to deal with your taxes, joint resources, loans etc and also your partnerships as in business or relationships.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar seventh house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. This is a time when you need to be in a stable relationship and if already in one then reinvigorate your partnership.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar sixth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. The area it falls in is all to do with your daily routine and health issues. Try to find a new approach to work and also find new ways to improve your health.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar fifth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Children, creative projects and love affairs will be the focus in this period. Try to find new ways to improve and express yourself spontaneously.

l Dharma Rising Conference is being held by NCHTUK at the DLHC Hall, Harrow, on 5th April from 12.30pm till 10pm. There will be panel speeches, Hindu Question Time, “Dharma Rakshak” Awards and VIP Dinner. If you have any queries please call Satish Sharma on 07711 245000 Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Sales Executive: Daxa Gami - Email: daxa.gami@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar ninth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. Find new ways to widen your horizons be they be higher knowledge or literally travelling for adventure and learning about different cultures.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

MP Lyn Brown inaugurating East Shopping Centre.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

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The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar fourth house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. A new approach is required to put down roots and own a home. Some of you will be looking to secure your future by investing in other assets.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar third house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. This is a period in which there will be increased awareness of your environment and your communications will also be heightened.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar second house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. In this period you will learn a lot about your finances and how to handle them in a productive way. You will also be very materialistic and your want will increase.

The Solar eclipse occurs in your solar first house on the 20th March 2014. You should avoid major decision-making in the week before and after an eclipse. It marks a new beginning for you. This is a great phase to enhance your image. Personally a very busy time ahead when you will be full of beans. Some of you may reinvent yourselves.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Indian women beat Poland to win Hockey World League Round 2

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Indian women's hockey team lifted the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 defeating Poland 3-1 in a high-intensity final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.

The final also marked the completion of 200 international caps for skipper Ritu Rani, who scored in the 59th minute, and 100 caps for goalkeeper Savita.

Deepika was declared the player of the match while Polish skipper Marlena Rybacha was declared the player of the tournament.

"I hope after watching us win on the home turf more girls will get attracted to the sport. It was a tough match. Any team can win an easy match," Ritu said.

On her 200th appearance, she said: "For a moment I thought of the journey I have completed since my first cap in 2006. It was an emotional moment."

The Indian women, in the fourth minute, had their

first opportunity to take the lead through a penalty corner but the Poland defence stood firm. Indians had another penalty corner in the ninth minute but Poland was not going to let the hosts have it easy.

Poland's marking and India's fast-paced attack saw an action filled match that was heading towards a goalless first half when Vandana Katariya took a reverse shot from the left in the 15th minute to put the home team 1-0 ahead in the match. The Polish girls

showed a lot of fight and equalized in opening minute (17th minute) of the second quarter through a penalty corner which was executed with planned variations. Oriana Walasek finished a well-orchestrated move.

Giving the spectators enough to cheer for, the Indians launched fast counter attacks. Vandana Katariya, who finished as the top scorer of the tournament with 11 goals, got injured after colliding with the Polish goalkeeper.

SPORT WORLD

Both teams looked for opportunity through the third quarter with India conceding two back-to-back penalty corners.

But the hosts soon launched a counter-attack and Rani, playing her first tournament since the Asian Games after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, netted the ball from an acute angle in the 44th minute to make it a 2-1 lead.

The hosts kept up their attack and Ritu Rani deflected a pass from Poonam Rani in the 59th minute to seal the issue with a 3-1 scoreline.

In earlier matches, Malaysia beat Thailand 3-0 to take the third spot while Russia stunned Kazakhstan 9-0 for fifth place. For seventh position, Ghana overcame Singapore 2-1.

Chris Harris ready to be India's fielding coach

Chris Harris, former New Zealand all-rounder, who is in India as cricket expert in a channel for the World Cup, works as a medical representative these days but won't mind a coaching job - specifically, India's fielding coach. A cult figure in New Zealand cricket, Harris - veteran of 250 ODIs and 4,379 runs in a 12-year career - redefined the art of fielding in the 1990s along with names like Jonty Rhodes and Guy Whittall. And he won't mind sharing his experience in a coaching capacity with an international team.

"I've done a little bit of coaching. I don't know if it's a dream, but I would certainly love to get involved with an international side in a fielding capacity," Harris told Cricketnext.

And he

board was lookChris Harris ing for a fielding coach.

"I would certainly love to come over here and help coach the Indian side in their fielding because I think it's probably one area that India could see some improvement.

Their batting is stressed: fielding coach obviously quality and they only. have got some quality "There are so many bowlers. We have seen that great coaches now and they can bat, they can bowl, most of the good coaches but I think they can always want to be head coach or work on their fielding," the bowling coach or batting former Black Caps player coach. But I would love to insisted. have an opportunity to take When asked to reflect one of the sides and work on the standard of fielding on fielding," the Kiwi said. compared to when he used Being in India, he didn't to play, the four-time World miss sending a reminder to Cupper said it has considerBCCI, in case the Indian

ably improved over the last decade. "It's improving all the time, and we've seen that in this World Cup. There has been some brilliant fielding, but I think there are always those little things that you can do," he said, adding that attitude matters when it comes to becoming a world class fielder.

"To me, good fielding is about attitude, it's about wanting to be a good fielder. There are a lot of cricketers out there who hate fielding. So if you hate fielding, it's very hard to be good at something you don't like. So you try to encourage people to enjoy it more and realise how important fielding is.

There's an old cliche in cricket: catches win matches. And I firmly believe in that," he said.

KP likely to give up IPL contract to play county

Kevin Pietersen is likely to give up his Indian Premier League contract as he intends to play county cricket in a bid to win an England recall in time for this year's Ashes. Although six counties have expressed an interest in signing Pietersen, he might turn up for his former county Surrey.

The move comes after conciliatory comments made by Colin Graves, the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, earlier this month.

"The first thing he has to do if he wants to get back is start playing county cricket," Graves had said. "If he does that and scores a lot of runs they can't ignore him I would have thought, but that is up to him. The selec-

Kevin Pietersen tors and the coaches are not going to pick him if he's not playing. It's as simple as that. I'll leave it at that."

Pietersen, 34, has not played for England since the ECB effectively called time on his international career following the disas-

trous Ashes tour of 201314. But with England out of the World Cup and the batsman having spoken of his eagerness to return to the team, Graves' stand could open the door for a dramatic comeback. And with opportunity knocking, Pietersen appears eager to kick the door down.

He was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the February auctions for his base price of Rs 20 million.

The IPL 2015 starts on April 9 and runs until May 24, three days after the start of England's first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's. He also turns out for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League and made his presence felt at the Big Bash League with

Mebourne Stars.

Pietersen, who was upset over a parody Twitter account, had sent "provocative" texts concerning Andrew Strauss, then the England captain, to the opposition South African players, and was dropped from the side. He was later "reintegrated" before the tour of India where England won a Test series after 28 years.

Pietersen's second coming, however, ended abruptly after he was dropped from the team in February last year following England's 5-0 Ashes rout.

He subsequently released an autobiography in a blaze of publicity claiming the England dressing room had been beset by a bullying culture.

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Mary Kom to be brand ambassador of Northeast

India's Olympic medal winning boxer MC Mary Kom is being appointed as the brand ambassador of the Northeast to showcase the potential of the region which offers vast business opportunities across various sectors. An official announcement in this regard would me made soon, minister of state in the ministry of development of North East Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh said.

“We are going to have a brand ambassador for Northeast. So, after a lot of deliberations we have zeroed in on the name of MC Mary Kom as the brand ambassador. We will make a formal announcement in a couple of days,” Singh said while addressing the 10th North East Business Summit in New Delhi. The twoday Summit “Development through

partnership with ASEAN and BIMSTEC Countries” was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Hailing from Manipur, one of the eight northeastern States, Mary Kom is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. Singh said he wanted to rope in a person to showcase the various aspects of the region including the cultural and business, “who is not only an icon locally but the one who is a source of inspiration for the youth of the Northeast region or abroad.”

World Cup 2015 Results

Date

Teams

11 March Sri Lanka v/s Scotland SL won by 148 runs Brief scores: SL 363/9 (50 overs); SCO 215/10 (43.1 overs) 12 March South Africa v/s UAE SA won by 146 runs Brief scores: SA 341/6 (50 overs); UAE 195/9 (47.3 overs) 13 March Bangladesh v/s New Zealand NZ won by 3 wickets Brief scores: NZ 290/7 (48.5 overs); BAN 288/7 (50 overs) 13 March Afghanistan v/s England ENG won by 9 wickets Brief scores: ENG 101/1 (18.1 overs); AFG 111/7 (36.2 overs) 14 March Zimbabwe v/s India IND won by 6 wickets Brief scores: IND 288/4 (48.4 overs); ZIM 287/10 (48.5 overs) 14 March Scotland v/s Australia AUS won by 7 wickets Brief scores: AUS 133/3 (15.2 overs); SCO 130/10 (25.4 overs) 15 March West Indies v/s UAE WI won by 6 wickets Brief scores: WI 176/4 (30.3 overs); UAE 175/10 (47.4 overs) 15 March Irelan v/s Pakistan PAK won by 7 wickets Brief scores: PAK 241/3 (46.1 overs); IRE 237/10 (50 overs)

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Teams

Match Won Group A New Zealand 6 6 Australia 6 4 Sri Lanka 6 4 Bangladesh 6 3 England 6 2 Afghanistan 6 1 Scotland 6 0 Group B India 6 6 South Africa 6 4 Pakistan 6 4 West Indies 6 3 Ireland 6 3 Zimbabwe 6 1 UAE 6 0

Lost

Points

0 2 2 3 3 5 6

12 8 8 6 6 2 0

0 1 2 2 4 5 6

12 9 8 7 4 2 0

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 21st March 2015

Quarter-final line-up of World Cup

India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies have booked their place in 2015 World Cup cricket quarter finals. Earlier West Indies and Pakistan registered easy wins over Associate teams from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland respectively on the final day of round-robin actions to confirm their passages into the knock-out stage.

In the early kick-off, the Caribbeans cantered to a 6-wicket win over UAE. Jason Holder and Co. exploited the perfect bowling condition to rock a relatively inexperienced UAE batting line-up. Batting second, the winners of 1975 and '79 editions reached the target of 176 runs with 117 balls remaining.

In the second match, Pakistan walloped giantkillers Ireland by seven wickets with wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed notching up his maiden ODI ton. Earlier in the Ireland innings, skipper William Potterfield defied an all-out Pakistan attack to post his seventh ODI hundred and helped his side to a modest total of

237 runs.

Windies and Pakistan, both from Pool B, were on the verge of elimination, but they kept their cup hopes alive with Sunday's wins. India – having won all their six matches – along with pre-tournament favourites South African, have already qualified for the last-eight stage from the group.

In Pool A, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have booked their knockout spots.

Quarter-final line ups First: South Africa vs Sri Lanka on March 18.

Second: Bangladesh vs India on March 19.

Third: Australia vs Pakistan on March 20.

Fourth: New Zealand vs West Indies on March 21.

Sunday's results confirmed that India finished on top of Pool B, followed

by South Africa (second), Pakistan (third) and West Indies (fourth). In Pool A, New Zealand claimed top spot, followed by Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

First semi-final will be played between the winners of New Zealand-West Indies and Sri LankaSouth Africa matches on

March 24 at Eden Park, Auckland, while the winners of Australia-Pakistan and Bangladesh-India matches will play the second semi-final two days later at Sydney Cricket Ground. The final will be played in Melbourne on March 29.

The tournament organisers have scheduled a reserve day for each of these seven knock-out matches. If a quarter-final or a semi-final match is tied, abandoned or if it is a no-result, the team that finished higher in the pool stage will progress.

Big win for West Indies: West Indies bowled out UAE for 176 in 36.2 overs and chased down the target in 30.3 overs to book their place in the quarter finals. Johnson Charles,

brought in for the injured Chris Gayle and Jonathan Carter playing his second tournament took West Indies past the target without much incident.

Raina, Dhoni lead India to emphatic victory: Suresh Raina hit a rollicking century as India recovered from a top-order collapse to prevail over minnows Zimbabwe by six wickets, finishing their group league engagements with a clean slate. Riding on Raina's brilliant unbeaten 110 and an equally important 85 by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India overhauled commendable target of 288 in 48.4 overs, recording their highest run chase in a World Cup match.

Mitchell Starc stars as Australia pummel Scots:

Mitchell Starc continued his impressive World Cup campaign with a fourwicket haul as Australia overpowered Scotland by seven wickets. Starc took four for 14 in 4.4 overs as Scotland, in their last Pool A match of this tournament, collapsed to 130 all out in barely half their allotted overs after losing the toss at Bellerive Oval.

There were five ducks in the innings, with fast bowler Pat Cummins, recalled in place of dropped spinner Xavier Doherty, taking three for 42 in seven overs.

England's failed campaign ends with a win: England brought an end to their miserable World Cup campaign with a ninewicket victory over Afghanistan under the DuckworthLewis method in a rain-disrupted final Pool A match. Set 101 to win from 25 overs after the wet weather had curtailed the Afghan innings at 111 for seven from 36.2 overs, England romped to their target with 41 balls to spare.

New Zealand complete unbeaten group run: New Zealand completed an unbeaten run by defeating Bangladesh by three wick-

ets. A third-wicket partnership of 131 between Martin Guptil and Ross Taylor rescued the New Zealanders after their leading batsmen Brendon McCullum (8) and Kane Williamson (1) had departed in the space of an over while chasing 289 to win their sixth consecutive tournament match.

South Africa into World Cup quarter-finals: South Africa defeated the United Arab Emirates by 146 runs to make sure of their place in the World Cup quarter finals. The Proteas made 341 for six with skipper AB de Villiers scoring 99 from 82 balls, Farhaan Behardien contributing 64 from 31 and David Miller (49) falling one run short of a half century. In reply, the UAE were dismissed for 195 in 47.3 overs with Swapnil Patil making 57 not out.

Sangakkara, Dilshan tons set up big win: Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka became the first man in ODI history to score centuries in four consecutive innings, and the first to make four hundreds in one World Cup, and together with Tillakaratne Dilshan he ensured a comfortable win over Scotland.