AV 23rd November 2013

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In the Name of Ugandan Asians....

See Page -13 VOL 42. ISSUE 29

Australian brewery apologises to Hindus

See Page 25

PM Cameron sends best wishes for the community on Guru Nanak Gurpurab

Indian origin doctor to become US surgeon general

See Page 7

See Page 25

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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23rd November to 29th November 2013

Sachin says goodbye

A teary-eyed Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday brought the curtains down on his phenomenal career by giving a heart-warming speech to thank his family, coaches, teammates, friends and fans, saying it was hard to believe that his life between "22 yards in the last 24 years" has come to end.

Trying hard to control his emotions, Tendulkar had the Wankhede crowd spell-bound with a thanks-giving speech every word of which drew applause.

"Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional! It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end," Tendulkar said immediately after his 200th and final Test which India won by an innings and 126 runs.

Continued on page 26

Cameron sets deadline for Lanka on human rights issue

British Parliament honours Tendulkar The British Parliament honoured Sachin Tendulkar on Monday, for his selfless dedication to cricket and for being an able ambassador of the game. A Motion has been laid in the House of Commons congratulating him on his ‘magnificent’ career. The Early Day Motion, written by Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, says that Tendulkar has served as an ‘inspiration’ for millions around the world and recognises his ‘selfless dedication’ to the sport. Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP said, “This motion is a fitting tribute to such an exceptional batsman. Tendulkar is adored almost as much in the UK as he is India so it is only right that Parliament pays tribute to him.”

Sending tough message to Sri Lanka, British Prime Minister David Cameron set a deadline to the island country to put its human rights issues in order by March 2014 during his visit to the South Asian country. In spite of severe Continued on page 26

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Cameron also visits India • He says no restriction on Indian students in UK • Visits Kolkata • Focusses on business See Page 25

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Kaushal Niraula

Keith Vaz MP date?

My family

Kaushal Niraula is a fashion designer based in London.

“London Collections: Men” in June 2013 saw the launch of menswear designer Kaushal Niraula's eponymous label.

Thecollection is designed in London with the very best fabrics acquired as close to the source, ensuring each piece is signature in its own right.

His designs include the same that are used in the oldest and most traditional British tailors but Kaushal Niraula dares break away from the mould by providing something much more daring.

1)Please tell me about your current position?

I have just started a new venture in luxury menswear. The Kaushal Niraula collection plays on a classic design with a contemporary feel. Offering two approaches to men’s luxury dressing; ready-to-wear and bespoke by private order, the collection presents something different but beautiful to the style conscious male. The unique approach to the range is inspired by a multi-cultural background, having travelled between India, Nepal, Brunei, Dubai, Hong Kong, and the UK from an early age.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Being a father just a year ago, I

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

I love the responsibility and the fact that I am present as a very small force in Fashion today but I do understand that we are heading in a direction of growth and a challenger to the pre-existing players in the marketplace. My focus has always been on welcoming new challenges and leading it with pride which I will continue to do.

believe that this has to be the most heart warming experience that one can ever imagine.

3) What inspires you?

My inspiration takes a multicultural upbringing and various countries I have travelled and lived in. In terms of fashion I love the colours and the vibrancy taken from all the countries and cultures I have visited. These can been seen in my work with the use of velvets and silks taking inspiration from Asia/Middle East; alongside the cut and tailoring which are inspired by an English gentleman of the Edwardian Era. My designs are an amalgamation of oriental and occidental visions of grandeur.

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

I have recently launched a luxury menswear line and the perception of a new start-up in the fashion world is rather ambiguous. As a new entrant the barriers to entry are hard which I am overcoming with time. But to put it plain and simple it isn’t easy and a lot of hard work and convincing is paramount.

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

Labour Party HQ Celebrates Eid

Rani Singh

As I went into Labour Party HQ in Victoria, London, my name was not checked off against a list and there were no scanners or vetting of any sort.

Either this is an indication of the open door policy of the Labour Party or else a worryingly relaxed attitude concerning visitors to the HQ of the party that would like to lead the next British government.

Either way I’m not complaining.

When I arrived, I found a room full of mainly darksuited men but as the evening went on more ladies started to appear.

The Rt Hon. Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting and Shadow Justice Secretary, Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Minister for London, organised and hosted proceedings. This was quite some challenge given how excited and photo-manic South Asians tend to be around any perceived “important” person like MPs and leaders of political parties- the Rt Hon. Ed Miliband being no exception.

Sadiq had arranged for the charming children of Al Noor school to sing to the gathering and was protective of them in the company of a group of focused adults.

The event was used to

introduce various Muslim MPs and also prospective Labour parliamentary candidates like Tulip Siddiq, niece of Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina. Tulip will be standing for Hampstead and Kilburn, where she grew up and lives now, and I will be following her progress keenly (a good Leading Light candidate, Ed). Tulip is committed and articulate, and said to me privately, “What you see today is the real face of the Labour Party- people who support the party from all backgrounds, all cultures, all faiths. The Labour Party is a party of diversity and equality.” Sadiq’s pretty lawyer wife Sadia stood loyally by too.

“This has been a great evening.

It has been a celebration of British Islam” Sadiq Khan, MP

Sadiq had arranged for Shokat Ali, Chairman of the Muslim Friends of Labour, to sponsor the plentiful bites to eat, (no alcohol of course, just soft drinks) and Shokat told me that “Labour believes in the British Muslim community.” I’m sure it does, considering how substantial a voting bloc it can be!

I noted the presence of another friend of Sadiq’s, investment banker Dr

and would like to be a driving force behind this paradigm shift.

Tariq J. Abbasi MBE in the audience. One of the speakers asked attendees to fund raise for and support the prospective candidates.

MPs Rushanara Ali and Khalid Mahmood were also present, and Khalid said to our readers that he was delighted to welcome people to Labour Party HQ. Though Sadiq tried to choreograph an orderly meet and greet for the Labour Party Leader, everyone went hyper when the Rt Hon Ed Miliband entered the room even though there was plenty of opportunity to have photos taken with the star of the show. The Labour Leader welcomed guests to “The first Eid celebration and Eid party at HQ.” He paid a tribute to Sadiq for arranging the event.

Mr Miliband said he was privileged to have PPCs Rupa Haq, Tulip Siddiq and other named candidates present, and that “we need to do more to make Parliament look like the community it serves.”

Afterwards, Sadiq Khan kindly took time aside to tell me “This has been a great evening. It has been a celebration of British Islam with MPs, councillors of Islamic faith and non-Muslims. It’s been brilliant to see a true example of one-nation Labour.”

7) And the worst?

The barrier to entry that any new business faces; many entrepreneurs and obviously start-ups always face the same problem of convincing and persuading. However I am learning ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ 8) What are your long term goals?

I want to make a stand in fashion and provide a fresher / new approach in luxury menswear. I believe that personalisation and customisation is the future

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

Wow! What if I was a prime minister; I believe that sustainability is the key and I would have a great emphasis and focus on sustainability be it resources, infrastructure, businesses and aid for that matter.

Policies should be driven to achieve a long term goal which might be unpopular in the short run but it will be a defining outcome in the future years to come. The world is seven billion and growing and we are not well equipped to mange or lead this change when this figure will touch the 10 billion mark very soon.

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

It has to be Mahatma Gandhi because he is a true global icon of sustainability. He believed strongly in expanding human being's capacity to love and to give. He also believed very strongly in devoting oneself to helping others. I find this exceedingly inspirational. ‘It is a privilege to give’

Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia auction held to celebrate 100 years of Bollywood Celebrating 100 years of Bollywood, Conferro Auctions, on 14 November, held a special preview of its upcoming inaugural auction of Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia, at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair.

The auction features original collectables such as LPs, film banners and Bollywood posters from some of the milestones of Indian film history, including Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which were recently voted the top two greatest Bollywood films of all time.

Indian cinema has become one of the world’s largest film industries since the debut of its first official film on 3 May 1913, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. Producing some 1,000 films a year (twice the annual output of Hollywood), the stars of its

silver screen are internationally renowned.

As reported by The Telegraph, the UK is home to the largest audience for Bollywood films outside of India, contributing 15-20 per cent of the industry’s profits.

Friday 29 November 2013 will mark an important milestone for the Indian art and collectables market in the UK, as Conferro’s Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia goes under the hammer at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair, W1.

Leaked audit of Muslim School reveals governors 'compromised' A leaked classified audit of Al-Madinah School in Derby has revealed that a number of governors may have had conflicts of interest. The Department for Education (DfE) report, which was taken by Channel 4 news, revealed that some governors “are closely involved with suppliers to the school either directly or through family connections”.

The audit also reportedly stated that the Muslim faith school "cannot currently demonstrate that it is maintaining proper accounting records" and revealed that auditors had identified "irregular payments" of almost £20,000.

The audit was published in September, a month before the school was branded "dysfunctional" by Ofsted, who ordered that it be placed in special measures, and that Shazia Parveen, the chair of governors, should step down from her position. Channel 4 News has said the leaked document revealed the

"complicated" governance situation after the resignations of the principal, vice principal and business manager.

There was also found to be no complete record of expenditure or receipts from September 2012 to August this year and many gaps in the schools policies. Ofsted's report, published last month, had stated: ''The basic systems and processes a school needs to operate well are not in place. The school is in chaos and reliant on the goodwill of an interim principal to prevent it totally collapsing.''

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

COMMENT

Sri Lanka and CHOGM: Questions and answers

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opened in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo amid continuing controversy about the conduct of the Sri Lankan Army at the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers in 2009. A United Nations report has claimed that 40,000 Tamil civilians in government-designated safe areas were killed by indiscriminate shelling from government forces.

Serious charges of rape and torture have also been levelled against them, and allegations of persons disappearing after being picked up my mysterious white vans are rife. A chilling documentary film has been made on these events. Subsequent charges of human rights violations include members of the Singhalese community involved with the media and civil society activities. The introduction of Article 18 in the country’s constitution is seen by many Sri Lankans and foreign observers as a repressive measure designed to curb freedom of expression. Several Commonwealth leaders have kept away from CHOGM. They include the prime ministers of Canada, Mauritius and, most significantly, the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Dr Singh’s decision has drawn fire on both sides of the political divide in India. The mainstream media have accused him of buckling under pressure to domestic Tamil Nadu politics; whilst the Tamil Nadu State government and legislature have criticized the Union Government for not instituting a total boycott of the event. India’s Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid was in Colombo with a large delegation of senior officials. It was clearly a tough call.

That way Tamil Nadu voices would be given weight but the Union Government’s authority on India’s external relations would be upheld. This signals India’s continuing engagement with Sri Lanka.

India’s aid package worth $270 million makes it Colombo’s largest donor. The money is being spent on reconstruction, rehabilitation and infrastructure in Jaffna, Sri Lanka’s Tamil populated Northeast. Dr

Singh has domestic compulsions which he understandably finds it impossible to ignore. In every democracy leaders have to keep a finger on the public pulse. The Indian response has been calibrated with care. It takes to tango at such moments, hence it is significant that Sri Lanka’s opposition United National Party (UNP) has placed responsibility for the Indo-Sri Lankan glitch on the Rajapaksa regime.

Beyond the limits of Indian concerns and representations, President Mahinder Rajapaksa and his senior ministers would do well to take into account the deepening anxieties of other Commonwealth leaders. CHOGM is for plain speaking, for searching questions and honest answers. In no way does this infringe national sovereignty, as a Sri Lankan minister claimed during a BBC interview. To instruct British Prime Minister David Cameron on what he can or cannot say on human rights is arrogant, hence utterly unacceptable. Mr Cameron, not to be bullied or intimidated, spoke out for devolution for Jaffna in Jaffna itself, which he visited and, hearing first-hand accounts of the sufferings of the Tamil people, called for a full and independent inquiry into alleged wartime atrocities, and for national reconciliation.

CHOGM is not simply a garden party for the exchange of pleasantries. President Rajapakse told reporters that he was satisfied with the presence of Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, that Prime Minister Singh’s absence was not perceived as an affront b y his government. This is an encouraging attitude. Can he not in good faith extend this approach to the question of devolution in Jaffna and empower its recently elected Tamil administration on local land rights and control over the police?

Mutual trust and conciliation are surely the best way forward for Sri Lanka. The Commonwealth Secretary General is well placed to be a facilitator in such a process. Why not make use of his good offices for the common good?

David Cameron’s visit to India was his third since becoming Britain’s prime minister in 2010. His stop in New Delhi for talks with Dr Manmohan Singh on trade and the situation in Sri Lanka etc were marked by the expected cordiality, but it was the visit to Kolkata – the first by any British prime minister that was the cynosure of all eyes. The city in its glory days was the capital of the Raj, its ties with Britain are historic and extend across a vast field, from culture, science, education and commerce. Thirty-four years of Communist-led Left Front misrule reduced Kolkata and West Bengal to a crumbling hulk, a symbol of despair and hopelessness. The utter rout of this infamous regime in the State elections of 2011 brought hope. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress government, despite its shortcomings and errors, having come to grips with reality, is now investor-friendly and more than ready and willing to do business with companies at home and abroad in a bold endeavour at economic revival.

David Cameron’s arrival was greeted with much fanfare and warmth. He, for his part, rose to the

occasion, saying that he had come “to the right place, the right people, at the right time.” Chief Minister Banerjee told her guest that British investment and trade were a crucial lifeline in restoring Kolkata’s and West Bengal’s prosperity, and promised full cooperation in bringing this about.

Kolkata’s spanking new international airport within easy reach of Southeast Asia was good reason for British Airways to restore its services, she said. Mr Cameron met with representatives of the top corporate houses, who informed him of the unfolding opportunities that awaited British companies in the State. At his interactions with students at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mr Cameron spoke of the brains of Bengal, of Satyen Bose, whose pioneering work in particle physics had laid the platform for the seminal discovery of the Higgs boson that ensured the Nobel Prize for Peter Higgs, and of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s work exploring the relationship between economics and politics. In reopening Britain’s ties with this long neglected region, David Cameron has made the Indo-British relationship relevant to 21st century realities.

Narendra Modi is no more Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; than Rahul Gandhi is Jawaharlal Nehru or Sonia Gandhi Indira Gandhi. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s considered decision (he, among the shrewdest judges of character and situations) that India in August 1947 would be best served going forward with Nehru at the helm. He called Nehru the “Jewel of India,” with Rabindranath Tagore describing him as its “Rituraj” [Lord of the Seasons], as the man who had taught India to think independently.

Vallabhbhai Patel wrote thus of his relationship with Nehru: “Contrary to the impression created by some interested persons and eagerly accepted by credulous circles, we have worked together as lifelong friends and colleagues. It has been my privilege to tender advice….in both administrative and organizational fields. I have always found him [Nehru] willing to seek and take it.”

The Nehru-Patel partnership held a fragile India together following the blood-stained trauma of partition and its immediate aftermath. Patel’s administrative and organizational genius, as India’s first Home Minister, forged the Indian Union out its disparate, princely parts, a stupendous achievement by any reckoning of tact, persuasion and unflinching

resolve. Nehru, as India’s first Prime Minister, consolidated an untried political system based on democracy, pluralism and the rule of law. He set out the paradigm of a foreign policy based on strategic autonomy which, despite setbacks, has stood the test of time. He oversaw the establishment of an industrialized base and a modern economy, which with time required reform in keeping with the challenges of a newly evolving world order. As the visionary, Nehru’s inspirational investments in Indian science, technology and advanced institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology etc to buttress them, are now yielding rich dividends. His selection of Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai as India’s nuclear and space overlords were the beginning of India’s greatest intellectual surge towards an enduring modernity, whose blessings, Nehru hoped, would be shared by all sections of society. Nehru and Patel were cast in complementary moulds. As the stronger India of today looks at the world beyond its borders, it has much to be thankful for, most of all, for two magnificent leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel, who worked in harness and gave their all for the betterment of the Indian people.

Cameron in India: Warm welcome in Kolkata

Patel vs Nehru, Nehru vs Patel

3

Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as in knowing what to do next - Herbert Hoover (1874-1964)

Of India Trips, Trade and Tirades - Letter from Rt Hon David Cameron, MPDear British Indian Community,

I know, I know, three trips to India and not one back from the Indian PM to Britain and yet Britain is the bigger economy and the one into which India invests more than British companies do into India.

For all the criticisms from the petty minded about why I take so many trips to India to boost trade – let me explain: Never before has any country outside the US had as many of its corporate leaders in the Forbes Rich List top 10 as India has today. Not even Japan in its heyday or China matches the feat. To make the case for opportunities in India would seem self-evident then.

After all, if a nation’s own people, who know the country the best, can make fortunes to compete with the world’s largest economy, then surely outside investors too can do very well there. Yet, misperception still obstructs many investment decisions concerning India.

Let’s eradicate them.

We British will serve our national interests before our national pride. I don’t care that some think it humiliating that I have to visit so often to India and ask for trade.

Because the bigger picture is, that is how business is done and won – and we are a self-confident enough nation not to care about a few criticisms.

Meeting a California Silicon Valley billionaire who has re-emigrated back to India is perhaps one of the more striking proofs of India’s potential. These, the most successful of Indians, who moved to the US in the 1960s from an opportunity-shorn India, return today with their millionaire colleagues, to capture the types of opportunities few, if any places on earth can match. After, all, no other major capitalist economy will even come close to matching India’s growth for decades.

Imagine a business person with a time machine.

They would probably choose to go back to the beginning of last century to the US to make their fortune – the time of Rockefeller and Getty.

Consider during that century, the Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497. This gain, though it appears huge, shrinks to 5.3% when compounded annually. And that nevertheless was the American century – the century when the US became a super power. Consider that that growth rate transformed a backward nation from the horse and carriage to one which freely sent man to the moon. Yet India today exceeds and is projected to exceed for our working life times that return-rate of 5%.

The baton of Rockefeller and Getty is truly carried by Ambani and Tata.

I need and want British companies to be part of that.

It takes courage and vision to say that as a national leader.

If your investment options were binary: US, the world’s largest economy, or India, think now about this century. For investors to merely match that 5.3% market-value gain, the Dow – recently at 16,000 – would need to close at about 2,000,000 on December 31, 2099.

We are nearly a decade into this century, and we have racked up none of the 1,984,000 Dow points the market needed to travel in this hundred years to equal the 5.3% of the last.

Whereas, India, with the real economy targeting 8% for the foreseeable future is far more likely to provide the types of returns to match the transformation the United States had since 1900. Where would you invest?

I don’t care how often I have to visit India before a return visit from the Indian PM – I will put British national interest above all else – it just so happens those interests favour India too. They should give me an OCI card!

Yours,

The Prime Minister, (written by Alpesh Patel on his behalf)

4

MIDLANDS VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Money laundering pair ordered to forfeit cash

Leicester: Leicestershire police has won court orders against two members of a money laundering gang.

Vikash Patel, 38, and Nisha Uddin, 29, of Shipton Road, were convicted and jailed for their part in an ÂŁ11 million conspiracy in July.

On last Friday, a judge at Leicester Crown Court has ordered that Patel should forfeit ÂŁ20,900, and Uddin ÂŁ1,855.

The amounts took into account how much they each made from the conspiracy, and how much they have in available assets.

Each was given six months to pay. If he fails to pay, Patel would have to serve another 12 months on top of his eight year sentence.

If Uddin fails to pay, she will have to serve a further 30 days on top of her four year sentence.

Further court action is pending against other members of the group.

The offences took place between

Vikash Patel and Nisha Uddin

January 2009 and February 2011.

The group laundered cash from a ÂŁ250,000 bond and ÂŁ750,000 from fraudulent mortgage applications and transferred a total of ÂŁ10 million through their various bank accounts and on to China.

Patel and Uddin were each convicted of conspiracy to convert criminal property, conspiracy to remove criminal property from England and Wales, and

conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

The bogus companies never filed accounts, and the crooks never declared income relating to the fraud.

Detective Constable Chad Tolley, of Leicestershire Police’s economic crime unit said: “The members of this group received lengthy prison sentences, and now we are recovering their assets to ensure they receive no benefit from their crimes when they are released. “Part of the cash in this case involved fraud, but we were unable to prove where the majority came from. “Organised crime involving drugs, large scale fraud or theft, relies on people who are prepared to launder cash. “This case should be a warning to anyone approached with what seems like an easy way to make money that they should just say no.�

Diabetes centre opened in Leicester with pomp and gaiety

Leicester: Professors Melanie Davies and Kamlesh Khunti were pleased to announce the official opening of one of the largest diabetes Research and Education Centres in Europe on Thursday 7th November and the opening celebration of the Leicester Diabetes Centre followed on Friday 8th November 2013.

Leicester has a strong tradition of excellence in diabetes care dating back 60 years, but it was only 15years ago that Professors Melanie Davies and Kamlesh Khunti began their research programme with one nurse and one researcher.

Since then, they have gone on to establish a talented and diverse team of over 130 researchers, cli-

nicians and educationalists working together on an innovative research portfolio whose work has literally changed the way diabetes care is delivered across Leicester, nationally and globally.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti said: “The new Leicester Diabetes Centre brings together this team in one location for the first time. We now have in excess of 3600m2 of state of the art facilities for clinical research, teaching and training, making it one of the largest and best equipped units in the UK. Our Centre also leads on the work prevention and management of diabetes in people of south Asians communities �

Five-times Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave has praised the

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Desperate mother seeks help from drug companies for her dying children

Shekeela Ahmed with daughter Amarah and son Shamoan

Nottingham: A desperate mother has been told that her three teenage children will die before reaching adulthood — and there is nothing doctors can do to save them.

Divorced mother Shekeela Ahmed, 45, a businesswoman from Beeston, Nottingham has already lost her eldest daughter, Sonam, 17, to Lafora disease, a rare aggressive form of epilepsy.

Her son, Shamoan, 18, fell ill at 15 with the symptoms and does not have long to live.

He can no longer walk, talk or eat.

Her youngest child, Amarah, 14, has also suffered the first symptoms. She is one of a handful of teenage victims in the UK waiting for a cure to be found before it is too late.

Amarah’s situation is particularly painful because she has seen her siblings suffer from progressive dementia and loss of body function.

When Sonam fell ill eight years ago, gene-testing was done on the other children, then aged 10 and 6. Their mother was told all three had Lafora, which is caused by a defective enzyme leading to the build-up of malignant deposits that clog and destroy the brain.

Ahmed and her former husband are both carriers of the gene defect that causes the disease.

Doctors believe it may be possible to overcome the defective brain enzyme with a pump that delivers drugs to the brain via the spinal cord. However, getting drug trials started when there are virtually no participants has become increasingly difficult.

Affected families from around the world can contact each other through the internet and lobby for research. Although Lafora was first identified 100 years ago, its real incidence is unknown. So far about 200 teenagers have been diagnosed globally, though there are believed to be thousands.

Research funds for treatment come only from affected families.

Last month the NHS scrapped plans for a ÂŁ50m rare-disease fund but on Friday the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency issued a report calling for greater uptake of “existing legal flexibilitiesâ€? to get experimental drugs to patients.

centres in Europe and is set to improve the lives of people with diabetes, their families and their carers. It brings together expertise in clinical research from the Leicester’s Hospitals together with the world-class academic expertise of the University to tackle diabetes.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti (Co-Director of Leicester East Centre), Professor Melanie Davies (Co-Director) MP Keith Vaz, who and Sir Steve Redgrave at the opening of the Leicester Diabetes Centre on 7th November 2013 also has diabetes, said: “I feel humbled work of the University of having to follow a real life hero, Leicester at the opening of the Sir Steve Redgrave, and two Leicester Diabetes Centre. outstanding clinicians He said he was ‘blown away’ Professors Melanie Davies and by the quality of what he had Kamlesh Khunti. seen, adding that placing aca“Steve, it is a fantastic hondemic research alongside the our to have you here – of all the work of clinicians would bring people we could have had to real benefits to patients. open our centre, you are the Speaking of the time he was first choice. Today, you have diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes given us huge inspiration for the 16 years ago, he said he felt devwork we do. astated that he might not be “Leicester has the best diaable to achieve his ambitions. betes centre in the world with But the education he received the best clinicians and worldabout the condition helped him class academics. The journey to adjust his lifestyle and Melanie and Kamlesh have achieve another record fifth undertaken over the past five gold medal. years is remarkable –it takes “Having researchers and forvision and it will help save ward-thinking specialists in one lives.� area- that is why this centre is so important.�

The Leicester Leicester: A paedophile Singh, an IT teacher at Diabetes Centre is an school teacher who targeted Bosworth College, in alliance between the youngsters on website chat Desford, which is now University Hospitals rooms has been jailed. known as Bosworth of Leicester NHS Academy, was jailed for two Mandeep Singh (28) Trust (Leicester’s admitted a catalogue of 18 years and three months last Hospitals), the internet-related sex offences week. Judge Michael Pert University of at Leicester Crown Court.

QC said there was no eviLeicester, the local They included downloading dence to suggest students community and and distributing indecent from Singh's school were vicPrimary Care and is images of children and four tims of his offending. located at Leicester counts of inciting a child to Victoria Rose, prosecuting, General Hospital. said that Tayside police engage in sexual activity via The multi-million a received a report that a perwebcam, between pound facility is one of September, son claiming to be from 2010, and the largest diabetes January, 2013.

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user he had indecent images of children. The e-mail address was traced to the defendant, who was arrested at Bosworth College on March 27 last year. Singh admitted 10 counts of making or downloading indecent images of children, involving 397 pictures at level one, 82 at level two, 53 at level three, 200 at level four and four in the most serious category, level five. Singh had no previous convictions, the court was told.

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3rd Asian Curry Awards 2013 Spectacular

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

A cocktail party was held on Friday 8th November by New India Assurance Company at The Washington Hotel, which was attended by invited guests including insurance brokers from all over the country.

Left to Right: Mr Gavrav Sharma, Mr. Paren Patel, Mr M Vasantha Krishna, CEO New India London, Mr. Ramakant Agrawal, Chief Manager, Mr. Dharmesh Sexnana and & Mr. Kishor Parmar, Advertising manager, Asian Voice

Punjabi Society of the British Isles host Diwali dinner

The Punjabi Society of the British Isles (PSBI) hosted a spectacular Diwali Dinner at the SAS Radisson Hotel, Portman Square, London W1H 7BG on 8th November 2013 in support of the Armed Forces charity, ‘Combat Stress’, www.combatstress.org.uk which provides support for psychologically traumatized soldiers.

Over 430 elite guests attended this glittering dinner with the Guest of Honour being the Rt. Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons and the Chief Guest being the Acting High Commissioner, Dr. Virander Paul.

Other high profile guests who attended the dinner included, The Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee; Mr Richard Harrington MP, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party; Ms Fiona Mactaggart MP; Ms Seema Malhotra MP, Opposition Whip & Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party Business Group; Commodore Andrew Cameron, Chief Executive of the Charity Combat Stress and H.E. Asta Skaisgiryte Liauskiene, the Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

the work of the charity for turning liabilities into assets for our nation again.

The Guest of Honour, The Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP, Member of Parliament for Buckingham and Speaker of the House of Commons spoke of the unique honour it was to be celebrating Diwali amongst the Punjabi community. He praised Dr. Ranger and the Executive Committee of the Punjabi Society of the British Isles for their hard work in promoting dialogue, social cohesion, fundraising for worthy causes and for 85 years preserving the history, art, language and culture of the Punjab. He described Britain a richer society as a result of its multi-racial and multi-cultural society and it is more blessed now than it has been at any other time in history.

Dr. Virander Paul, the Acting High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom himself a Punjabi, wished the guests a Happy Diwali and thanked the Punjabi community for contributing considerably to the positive image others have of Indian diaspora. He added that the good deeds and actions of the Punjabi community ‘Make India Proud’.

The Executive Committee of the Punjabi Society of the British Isles and Dignitaries presenting a Cheque to Commodore Andrew Cameron of Combat Stress

General Secretary, Mr Subhash Chander in his introductory speech wished everyone a very happy Diwali and spoke of the Punjabi community being known and commended for its positive contributions to every aspect of British Society and urged future generations to make the community stronger and better by giving back to society from where we have benefited so much.

The President, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, FRSA, spoke about the vibrancy, colourfulness and beauty of the Punjabi culture which has enriched Britain where it’s ever growing political presence is benefiting the country. While speaking on the charity ‘Combat Stress’, Dr. Ranger asked the audience to imagine the trauma of soldiers who have to go through the impact war which can adversely affect their mental health and as a result they require counselling to overcome the trauma of war. He praised

He thanked the PSBI committee for organising such a wonderful dinner and was overjoyed when he was asked to attend as the Chief Guest.

The Rt. Hon. Keith Vaz MP, Member of Parliament for Leicester East and Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee spoke in admiration of the Speaker of the House of Commons and described him as ‘Simply the Best’, stating that it was rare for a national parliament to have speaker who is not only a great parliamentarian but is able to debate with best of the best. He praised the Speaker for his drive for equality and making a huge difference to parliamentary life. He went onto thank Dr Rami Ranger and the PSBI for the charitable work they do and raising the profile of the Punjabi community.

Commodore Andrew Cameron, Chief Executive of the charity Combat Stress spoke about the history of the

Double Asian Curry Award winner Sabbir Karim with wife Aneela, Rt Hon Tom Brake MP, Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, and Cllr Thomas Chan, Co-Chair Asian Catering Federation

Rani Singh

It’s unusual to attend an Asian awards ceremony that ends early enough to get home by 10.30pm but the 3rd Asian Curry Awards that took place in The Great Room at the Grosvenor House on Sunday 17 November 2013 started at 6pm and swept along at a fairly cracking rate despite a few nominees being held up in “traffic” etc.

Sky News’s Lukwesa Burak presented a high volume of awards fairly briskly with little hesitation and the ceremony contained a number of entertainment slots, one of which, from Bangladesh, started the show. British PM David Cameron and Deputy PM Nick Clegg sent impressive video messages recorded ahead of the Commonwealth leaders’ CHOGM summit in Sri Lanka this week and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles represented the British Government, co-presenting many of the awards.

Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, The Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan MP, raised his voice effectively above the almost constant buzz of low conversation in the room to tell the audience that the UK tally of over 10,000 Asian restaurants was larger than the com-

bined numbers of Asian restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi alone. He told us that the UK Asian restaurant industry employed 80,000 people and had a turnover of £4.5 billion.

The scale and geographical spread of the restaurants and eateries nominated for various awards at this event demonstrated that the word “Asian” was being used in the American sense, that is, to encompass Chinese, Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian, as well as Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani. It made for a varied gathering of mainly men in black tie and dinner suits that included diplomats from Bangladesh, Sweden, Pakistan and Indonesia. Acts included traditional Chinese dancing and a young Chinese singing girl trio.

Rising star Sabir Karim runs two successful restaurants in London, Namaaste Kitchen and Salaam Namaste

European Asian cuisine was represented in the form of an array of dazzling offerings from Sweden; with Pan Buffet winning the Best Asian and Oriental International Restaurant of 2013, and Waipo, the Best Chinese Restaurant award. Both venues can be found in Stockholm.

charity and the work it does and has done to help integrate traumatised ex-military soldiers into society.

Four special individuals were honoured with the Pride of Punjab Award for bringing honour to their community and country through their lives.

The first award went to Mr Atul Pathak, Managing Director of APPT Corporation Ltd., who has through his Philanthropic Activities helped so many lives. Mr Pathak has raised over £250,000 for various charities and also donates a percentage of his annual sales.

The second award was given to Mr Kuljit Singh Gulati who has been a long serving member of the PSBI and has devoted a considerable amount of his

The Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers and the Asian Catering Federation jointly organised the event.

Of all the individual winners, rising star Sabir Karim –unusual for being a chef patron as well as a purser (cabin crew) for British Airways- who runs two successful restaurants in London, Namaaste Kitchen and Salaam Namaste, was nominated in three categories, one of which was Best South Asian Restaurant in London. As if being nominated in such distinguished company was not enough, Sabir was awarded the top trophies in two categories; Best Asian and Oriental Innovative Chef of the Year and Best Newcomer of the Year.

His restaurant Salaam Namaste was the prizewinner for both sectors.

Sabir collected the awards but took his lovely wife on stage with him, unlike many other recipients. On one of his tables were his Salaam Namaste chef Jayanta, who originally hails from Delhi, some of his staff and Camden councillors who are also his clients. I found him quite passionate about his innovative cuisine. He enthusiastically showed me images of mouth- watering dishes like Lahori Tower Lamb held in his mobile that he had prepared for his competition “cook-off”.

time for the benefit of others through his distinguished and dedicated community services.

The third award was given to Mr Bhupinder Singh, Managing Director of Punjab National Bank (Intl.) Ltd. who has immensely contributed to the Banking industry with his out of the box thinking and innovative ideas.

The fourth award went to Ms Seema Malhotra MP, Member of Parliament for Feltham & Heston, Opposition Whip & Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party Business Group for her selfless service to her constituents and public.

On the night more than £10,000 was raised for the charity, Combat Stress.

The vote of thanks was given by Mr N.S. Rai, Treasurer of the Society.

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PM Cameron sends best Some People are Gay. Get Over It wishes for the community on Guru Nanak Gurpurab

The Sikh community celebrated their 545th Guru Nanak Jayanti or Guru Nanak Gurpurab with fervour and gaiety on Sunday 17 November.

The Gurudwaras here and in India were decorated with lights, small gatherings and langars were seen at almost every gurudwara in Britain.

Sending best wishes to the Sikh community celebrating the life of Guru Nanak Dev, the Prime Minister David Cameron told Asian Voice, "I send my best wishes to Sikhs in Britain and around the world celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith.

"Earlier this year I was privileged to visit the Golden Temple at Amristar where I learned more about the values of Sikhism, which Guru Nanak espoused: equality,

fairness and sharing with your community.

“Even hundreds of years on from his birth I think that we can all be inspired by the teachings of the first Guru.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to British Sikhs for their immense contribution to our country. You help make Britain a brighter, tolerant and more successful nation.”

PM Cameron also organises a Vaisakhi celebration at his home, 10 Downing Street, every year and invites some of the key personalities from the community.

PM receives a special recognition at the 4th Sikh Awards

United Kingdom Prime Minister the Rt Hon. David Cameron began the prestigious proceedings for the fourth annual The Sikh Awards 2013 when he was presented with the Special Recognition Award at his residence at 10 Downing Street on Friday, 8th November by the Award’s Founder Mr Navdeep Singh. The pivotal moment between the pair captured the essence of the strong bond between the UK and India.

Mr Cameron was awarded the Special Recognition Award for the several firsts he has instigated between the UK and the Sikh community in

India, including becoming the first serving UK Prime Minister to pay his respects at the Darbar Sahib (The Golden Temple, India).

Following the award exchange between Mr Cameron and Mr Singh, the prestigious ceremony for The Sikh Awards 2013 was held on Saturday 9th

Lord Waheed Alli, pictured, Britain’s first openly gay peer, was crowned Hero of the Year, jointly with the Russian LGBT Network, at the annual awards of Stonewall, the gay equality charity.

Attended by nearly 500 guests, from all walks of life and a tapestry of backgrounds, the prestigious ceremony was held at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum on Thursday a fortnight ago.

The awards, now in their eighth year, was hosted by Ben Summerskill, Stonewall’s CEO, and Glasgow-born comedienne Susan Calman. Guests included ousted MP Diane Abbott, fashion guru Gok Van, journalist Lily Gupta, Yoga teacher Leo Lourdes, Cath Tomlin and Lisa Pinney from the Environment Agency and Ravi Chand from the Home Office.

The Quaker LGBT Fellowship won a standing ovation on being announced Community Group of the Year. The group was presented with a cheque for £5,000. US

November 2013 at The Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London, where our journalist Tanveer Mann was also nominated. The Awards recognise the pivotal contributions made by the Sikh community across a variety of fields with nominations received from around the world. The event was hosted by former London Mayoral Advisor Mr Kulveer Ranger and Kiss FM radio presenter DJ Neev.

Father Sues Son over £800m Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel Chain

A success story, which has fallen prey to a financial dispute, has left a wealthy Sikh family divided. Surprisingly, it concerns a family who earned their millions in unity, profitable cooperation and from scratch. Today, father and son are standing poles apart as an impending court decision will discuss the claim made by father Bal Mohinder Singh that his son Jasminder Singh, head of the extremely successful Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels group, has allegedly refused to share the wealth of the multi-million hotel chain by excluding him from the family business.

Mr Singh senior had put his son in charge of the business because his English was much better and was a qualified accountant. Yet, in 2010, sanctity in the household broke down and the pair fell out. Mr Singh claims his son tried forcing him out of the 7 bedroom home in Berkshire, where the men live with their wives, according to a report in The Sunday Telegraph.

Jasminder Singh

He is accusing his son of failing to abide by the "Mitakshara" system, which implies sharing of family wealth. The 86-year-old has reportedly said: "As the head of the family, I have to be respected and the fact that I was forced to retire by Jasminder was very, very painful for me."

Mr Singh snr, moved to Britain in 1973 from East Africa and opened up a post office in Stamford Hill, north London, with the help of his son. From there, they moved into the hotel business, buying a small run down bed and breakfast hotel in Kensington, West London, which quickly

expanded after refurbishment. Together, they began their journey to acquiring a string of 12 luxury London Hotels, including the Vanderbilt and the Savoy Court in central London, and the May Fair.

He reportedly added: "I was devastated with being forced out and since then my health has failed. My wife is unwell too. When I travel to the High Court I will be in an ambulance and it will be very difficult and stressful to have to give evidence against Jasminder. I still love him. I always will. I will not hear anybody say a bad word against him. He has worked hard too. But as I said, this is about respect and carrying on the traditions in which I have brought Jasminder up."

Mr Singh junior, now 62, claims that he never had a particularly religious upbringing and that he was unaware of any such agreement about sharing property or wealth.

The amount being contested is thought to be around £50m, despite the

Bal Mohinder Singh (bottom) with son, Jasminder

group having an estimated worth of £800 million. Mr Singh's wife Satwant Kaur Singh, along with their two other children - daughter Seema, 59 and younger son Harinder, 46, are due to give evidence on his behalf.

Mr Singh snr said: "We always brought our children up as Sikhs, to honour and respect others and to put the family first. This is not simply about money and the millions that I am fighting my son for."

Jasminder was unavailable for a comment on the case.

TV evangelist Pat Robertson was named Bigot of the Year – the award reserved for an individual who has gratuitously caused hurt and offence to gay people around the world. Wales’ only gayfriendly rugby club, the Cardiff Lions, clinched the Sports Award of the Year trophy.

Other winners included: (Broadcast of the Year) CBBC’s Marrying Mum and Dad; (Journalist of the Year) Grace Dent of The Independent, who said this was her first accolade in 20 years; (Politician of the Year) Baroness Stowell of Beeston; (Writer of the Year) Damian Barr for his book Maggie and Me; (Advert of the Year) Mamas & Papas.

Each winner was given the platform to say a few words.

Mr Summerskill said: “In a landmark year for equality the Stonewall Award winners really do exemplify the very best of British. Each and every one of our winners has made the world a better place for gay people and will continue to inspire millions of people through their work.”

Earlier this year Stonewall published its Top 100 Employers 2013, showcasing Britain’s best employers for LGBT staff.

Accenture tops the list; in second place is Gentoo

and the Cooperative comes third.

Separately, Stonewall’s Living Together report showed 81% of people in Britain would now be comfortable if their child grew up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Another report, entitled One Minority at a Time, revealed there are still serious failings in public services to meet the needs of Britain’s 400,000 black and minority ethnic lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The report exposes widespread assumptions that black people are heterosexual, with little effort being made to correct this view. One participant in the research said: “I think I can either be gay or I can be South Asian, or I can be a Hindu.

The fact that I can be all three becomes very difficult for people to comprehend.”

A popular Asian gay night, Saathi, in Birmingham is to be reinstated, this time by BBC Asian Network presenters Raj & Pablo. Their first night will take place at Club DV8 on Essex Street next Friday (Nov 29).

Stop Press: Media mogul and multi-millionaire Lord Alli, 49, has split up with his long-time partner Charlie Parsons. ‘It’s very sad, but we’ve gone our separate ways,’ Lord Alli told me at the Stonewall Awards. The couple, who made headlines as the most high-profile and dynamic gay couple in the country, have separated after 20 years together. To find out more about the Stonewall Awards visit www.stonewall.org.uk/aw ards

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As I See It

Sachin Saach – A (Sachha) cricketer, pukka gentleman

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been described with so many superlatives. And all of them appear appropriate.

Imagine a 14 year young child prodigy coming so much in the limelight and still remained well disciplined as well as a restrained sportsman.

It’s very very hard.

The praise, adorations and all the hard earned credits not only win you so much publicity and admiration but also money and power. In limitless cases it goes to the top of one’s head, bringing arrogance and other attitude which are not conducive to such an unprecedented progress in one’s chosen field. At the same time to remain anchored within the family orbit, friends and the fraternity, illustrates the inner core of strength and wisdom.

No doubt, by attributing his stupendous success to his mother, as well as the motherhood of all India, Sachin Tendulkar has also revealed that he is a strong believer of tradition and culture of India, the Eternal India.

His famous coach and Mama (maternal uncle), Ramakant Acharekar is also a unique Guru. He praised whenever young Sachin (and even now) needed deserve acclaim with moderation. It is a reported fact that Mama Acharekar have never said excellent or outstanding but his ‘Shabassi’ was always accompanied by, “yes well done, but sure if you do this or that you can do better.” This is a message for all those who have gifted children with tremendous potentials. Sachin was barely 16 when he made his first test century. It is difficult to digest that success with grace and dignity.

There are so many temptations and several banana skin thrown by others that a lesser person is likely to skid. But in the case of Sachin he was able to carve his career with indescribable determination and single mindedness of purpose.

The sad story of Anil Gurav

I am tempted to refer to Anil Gurav, whose name is reported in some print media. Gurav, an outstanding prodigy was said to have been one of the inspiration for Sachin Tendulkar. It is reported that at one stage Sachin wanted to borrow a cricket bat from Anil, but couldn’t muster enough courage to ask him.

Finally, the request came through Ramesh Parab, who is now international scorer at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

Subsequently, Anil said to have given the bat to Sachin – “Provided he made a big scorer.” The reply from Sachin was typical “I will, sir.”

Sachin scored a century with, “that S.G. Bat”, told Anil Gurav with a big smile to the Indian Express in an interview at the backstreet of a slum area in Mumbai’s Nala Sopara area. He added, “Sachin, Called me 'Sir' back then.” Well here I would like to describe more about Anil Gaurav. A child prodigy in his own right went wavered because of his brother who had strayed to darker side of Mumbai.

Anil’s brother was always in trouble with authority and also victim of the goons of the city. Today Anil lives in abject poverty and always under the influence of alcohol.

Sad is the story. To most, Gurav is what he seems: a 48year-old incorrigible drunk striving to keep his family together. Contradictory to that Sachins of this world made sterner stuff or different metal. 40-year-old Sachin stayed firm as a rock. And for millions and perhaps billion of people, not necessarily of younger generation, he could provide a role model for both – success and civility. (photo courtesy: Indian Express)

Monty Panesar: A resilient and brave man

We have modest Sachin in India. And Indian cricket lovers in UK also have Monty Panesar – a very resilient man. Six years ago, he came on the scene and helped England to win the Ashes.

Our own Monty has set an example of how a man’s determination can put him out of traumatic condition.

“He was deeply depressed in the aftermath of the split from his wife, Gursharan Rattan, a pharmacist, and that his series of increasingly bizarre misdemeanors have arisen as a direct consequence of his personal anguish,” reported The Daily Telegraph. Writes Oliver Brown : First there was the infamous night at Brighton’s Shoosh Club with his Sussex team-mates, where video footage shows him screaming “Help me !” as he is dragged along a seafront road by the outraged security men. Then, the demons split on to the pitch as Panesar received a one –match ban for intimidation, after he appeared to aim a kick at Worcestershire’s Ross Whiteley as the batsman ran past him.

Panesar is now showing his real character. Rather than falling further on the slippery slope, he has regained control and is seeking to correct conduct. He joined Neil Burns at the London Cricket Club. Monty has also enrolled on an MBA course at Loughborough University, while reviewing the fundamentals of his spin techniques with England’s coaches in an effort to gain greater versatility.

The most serene cricketer of all – Sachin Tendulkar – bid farewell in Mumbai, who used to be Panesar’s inspiration. He hopes to do better for England and himself too!

We wish him best of luck to present tremendous case of resilience.

Diwali across UK

Up and down the country hundreds of organizations celebrated Diwali in their own ways. The Diwali celebration of the India Association on 16th November 2013 was rather different, dignified and perhaps illustrating the spirit of the festival.

India Association was established over 25 ago back by late barrister Jaswant Singhji. Its West London branch became an independent organization under the chairmanship of Dibagh Singh Chana nearly two decades ago. Since then the main objective of the India Association has been to support worthwhile cause in Britain as well as abroad.

Mr. Balawant Singh Grewal (Bobby) was elected its chairman and in 2001 the India Association was registered as a charity in England and Wells. Since then it has raised large sums of money through donations at social functions, fund raising events, marathons and charity walks.

Bobby Grewal walked all the way from the holy city of Amritsar (world renown Golden Temple known as Suwarn Mandir) all the way 2556 miles to Kanya Kumari on the Southernmost tip of India. I was informed by Bobby of this huge endeavor and I was able to perform small service by organizing Bobby Grewal’s meeting with Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat during kite festival in Ahmedabad in the year 2009. Through his arduous task, he raised over 100,000 pounds for worthwhile health project.

Out of the proceeds £80,000 was donated to St Marks Hospital (Harrow) for bowel cancer research, 10,000 was given to Northwick Park hospital and other charities also benefitted.

On November 16th during Diwali dinner and dance, the proceeds were raised for Ealing Multiple Scelerosis (MS) and diabetic awareness road show.

The representatives of MS Ealing District spoke at dinner and I am sure that besides raising money, the 500 odd guests were inspired to care about such health problems and share personal good fortune.

I am really impressed with the amount raised in the last 10-12 years and promptly distributed by India Association.

Last year in 2012 they donated £25000 to the Help the Heroes.

Dear readers, allow me to enlist the names of hardworking and dedicated office bearers of the India Association – Balawant Singh Grewal (chairman), Jasbir S. Johar (Vice Chairman), Jogindar N. Pahuja (Secretary), Dr. Baljit Kaur (Vice chairwoman), Surjeet S. Sandhu (Social secretary), Dr. Rajan Bhanot (joint secretary), Ms Suman Mohan ( Treasurer) and Executive Committee Members Satpal S. Rattan, Sanjeev Manakatalla, Deepak Sharma, Veena Dhillon, Sukhdev S. Sagoo, Ranjit S. Mann and Brindar K. Sandhu and Advisors Santok S. Chokkar and Dr. Kewal Singh.

Well done India Association.

Happy Diwali and prosperous new year to you all.. it was a memorable evening.

- CB

Toddler inspires rapid rise in bone marrow donors

A two-year-old suffering from a rare blood disorder called Monosomy 7 has inspired a d r a m a t i c increase in the number of Asian people applying to become bone marrow donors.

Doctors have warned the parents of Gaurav Bains, from Birmingham that their son could become seriously ill if he does not receive a transplant by Christmas. The rare blood disorder means he could develop an aggressive form of leukemia, and means he has to be admitted to hospital if he suffers a simple cough or cold. His parents Sunny and Gurpit Bains, from Tipton launched a public appeal for donors in September, after finding out that no-one in

the family was a match for him, and that less than five per cent of those on the bone marrow register are Asian. Since then, the charity Anthony Nolan has disclosed a 1200 per cent increase in Asian people applying to join the register since the family’s campaign - with 500 potential donors coming forward in the last two months, compared with 40 this time last year.

Doctors have yet to find a match for Gaurav, and the charity said there remained an urgent need for more Asian donors to come forward.

32-year-old Shakil Munir from Middlesborough is amongst three other defendants accused of sexually exploiting a number of underaged teenagers in the town.

Munir, pictured, who is a taxi driver, is alleged to have had underage sex with a 14-year-old schoolgirl in a layby and later told her mother he believed she was 16, a court heard on Tuesday 19th November.

The prosecution alleged that the Bradford-born driver had sex with her in the early hours in a parking spot on the A19 after they sent each other explicit messages on Facebook. Yet Munir denied anything had happened between

them in his car and insisted he thought she was 16. The court then heard that she asked Munir to pick her up and take her to the garage to buy cigarettes one evening in January, but it was alleged he stopped in a lay-by where, the prosecution said, he got her to perform sex acts on him.

He denies child abduction and five counts of having sex with a child. The other two accused, one 18year-old and a 17year-old, also deny all the charges against them.

A Bengali doctor, who is now working in Britain to take care of UK's ageing population, has been honoured with the prestigious "Pride of Reading" award.

Dr Apurba Chatterjee, who was brought up in Jamshedpur and at present has his family living in Kolkata, was unanimously declared the " Health Worker of the Year" for successfully setting up the first of its kind multid i s c i p l i n a r y Parkinson's clinic at Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Before specialising in diseases of the elderly, Dr Chatterjee, who is an expert in geriatric medicine, had a long experience with caring for a Parkinson's patienthis father. He also helps aged patients sleep better and provides anxiety management.

Taxi driver accused of sexually exploiting underaged teenager

Bengali doctor honoured with prestigious award

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Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The Only Asian Guildford Councillor is a Change-Making Female Monika Juneja was born in Middlesex to a Hindu mother and a Sikh father.

Her parents are from the Punjab.

Monika’s father moved to London at the age of 21, where he struggled for a number of years to find a job or a career that would motivate him.

He eventually became a property businessman.

Monika’s mother was a nurse and the family lived in West London.

Monika moved from West London at a young age and went to school in Guildford Surrey, where she lives today.

The able young councillor –the only Asian one in Guildford Borough Council, studied Sociology at the University of Greenwich for three years, before doing a conversion course at South Bank. She went on to study the Bar at BBP Law School.

She became a councillor in 2011, working hard in her ward.

Monika Juneja

In 2012 Monika was elected the Deputy Group Leader of the Conservative Group at Guildford Borough Council and became lead member/portfolio holder for Planning and Governance. Her key responsibility at the moment is the Local Plan.

I asked Monika what else comes under her portfolio.

“Development control/planning, traveller sites, legal scrutiny, liaison with residents’ associations and parish councils, and consultation,” she told me.

Monika has initiated a borough-wide consultation of a scale that is unprecedented in the area. It is designed to take in all communities –particularly Asians and other minority groups in the area - so that all those living in Guildford can have a say in how their lives are managed at local level.

“The Consultation is the biggest Guildford has ever seen. It was very much my agenda when I took over the Local Plan that we needed to consult with the residents of Guildford, and to make sure we had spoken to different groups of people to understand what we need in order to move the Local Plan.” Monika said.

Guildford had never before talked to different

communities; “they have previously not been as bold as we are being now,” she added.

So then, I asked Monika, why is it important for Asian communities to be involved with Council?

It most defiantly is our time to shine. I really believe it's my time to stand up for the ethnic minorities in Guildford and get their voice heard “Asian communities need to get involved with the consultation because this is about growth! housing! businesses etc within Guildford and what communities need in order to live in the style they are used too. Asian people historically are not good at telling the authorities what they think or require! But it is important for them to explain what is important to them in order for them to live and continue to live in Guildford. They like to live together with their families growing, so that may suggest they need bigger housing etc or more affordable housing.”

She replied with gusto.

Monika then added that the scheme needs to be rolled out elsewhere.

“There is a need that all boroughs adapt their consultation to ethnic minorities and for authorities to push the boundaries and go to these communities because historically they are not proactive enough in getting the real views of the people.”

The energetic lady knows the consultation has already had an impact locally.

“I think it has had a huge effect as to how we need to speak to members of the public, and to understand the different communities and needs. We have looked at all types of groups of people, the hard to reach, those that leave the house early for work, and get back late and have no time; we have an ethnic minority strategy and a youth engagement strategy.”

As with so many who feature in this column, Monika has high ambitions.

“I would like to stand as an MP, and I would like to be recognised by the way in which I understand the requirements of the residents in all areas.

It most defiantly is our time to shine. I really believe it's my time to stand up for the ethnic minorities in Guildford and get their voice heard.”

ºђકЦ® ¸Цªъ³Ъ ╙¸àક¯ђ³ЬєÃºЦ ˛ЦºЦ ¾щ¥Ц® Commercial Property Auction Thursday 5th December 2013 On behalf of The Co-operative Estates, Heron Foods, Newham College, Southampton City Council, Defence Infrastructure Organisation amongst others and Joint LPA Receivers at Fairacre, GVA & Savills.

51 lots to be offered, including: RETAIL

Swinton S64 8QS

BANK

Mitcham CR4 3BF

88 Thomas Street

Bridport DT6 3JX

55 Church Street

Let to Martin McColl Limited until

Barclays Bank, 28 East Street

Let to Coral Racing Limited until 2023, Minimum rental increases to the greater of 2.5% per annum compounded or open market rental value.

Rent £10,750 p.a.x

2028 (no breaks).

London W12 8LR

adjoining shopping centre.

84 Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush

Rent £30,000 p.a.x

VACANT

14/16 Kirkgate

London E7 8JQ

Let to BHS plc until 2024,

Barclay Hall, 156b Green Street

Uxbridge UB8 1JN

Shop let to charity with two x 2 bedroom flats above.

Rent £59,350 p.a.x

20 High Street

London NW6 7HY 205 Kilburn High Road Let to Ladbrokes Betting and Gaming Limited until 2022.

Rent £60,000 p.a.x

Newcastle upon Tyne NE28 8PQ 2-4 High Street East, Wallsend

Let to Barclays Bank Plc until 2027 (subject to option).

Rent £26,000 p.a.x

Wakefield WF1 1SP

Producing £440,000 p.a.x

May be suitable for residential redevelopment (subject to consents) 11,787 sq ft approx.

Vacant

Vacant shop. Tenants include Reed

LEISURE

Employment. Prime location.

Hayes UB3 3EX

Rent £57,500 p.a.x

Pizza Hut, Lombardy Retail Park, Coldharbour Lane

London NW6 7HY 205A Kilburn High Road Let to Wanasa Cigars Limited until

Let to Pizza Hut (UK) Limited until 2024.

Rent £91,000 p.a.x

2026 (subject to option).

MOTOR TRADE

Rent £20,000 p.a.x

Leeds WF10 4LA

Gainsborough DN21 2BY

92 Bridge Street, Castleford

15 year lease (10 year option to renew).

Let to Kwik-Fit (GB) Limited until 2032 (no breaks). £21,600 rising to a minimum of £25,040 in 2017

Rent £50,000 p.a.x

TRADE COUNTER

32 Market Place

Let to Heron Foods Ltd on a new 15 year lease (10 year option to renew).

Rent £45,000 p.a.x

Let to Heron Foods Ltd on a new

Enfield EN2 6EA

Spalding PE11 1BE

5 Church Street

15A Sheep Market

Let to Vision Express (UK) Limited, Includes 2 self-contained flats.

Rent £85,000 p.a.x

Let to Heron Foods Ltd on a new 15 year lease (10 year option to renew).

Rent £40,000 p.a.x

John Mehtab: +44 (0)20 7034 4855

9

Byker NE6 1EH HSS Unit, Union Road Let to HSS Hire Service Group plc guaranteed by The Davis Group plc until 2020.

Rent £45,500 p.a.x

www.acuitus.co.uk

10

YOUR VOICE

Racist undertones in reporting the Indian mars Mission

India has now successfully launched its mission to Mars at an extraordinary low price tag of $74 million. Just as quickly as the rocket sped off, Western journalists who marvelled the American moon walk are writing headlines...“India Mars Mission to Launch Amidst Overwhelming Poverty.” This CNN author didn’t even pretend to hide the racist idea: “Is India’s Mars mission the latest escalation in Asia’s space race” Apparently, brown people’s ambitions to reach space is not pragmatic enough.

Apparently, the $75 million spent on the Mars mission is the only thing that keeps us from building toilets. The Guardian “ISRO to launch India’s first spacecraft to Mars: Critics of Britain’s aid programme in the country have also been angered by the mission. The UK gives India around £300m each year.”

This Economist article is more subtle and even more racist: How can poor countries afford space programmes?

What if the 16,000 scientists and engineers now working on space development were deployed instead to fix rotten sanitation? Its like saying “GB wins 10 Olympic golds amidst 2 million children living in severe poverty” or “NASA begins its moon mission despite failing to manage hurricane relief and 46.2 million Americans living in poverty (2008)”.

One Indian cricket team, is worth $150m. Ambani’s home in Mumbai cost $1bn. Indians buy gold jewellery worth $150m daily. Why India needs a Mars program: This is Indian R&D. It is exciting for children who may take up a career in science, technology and research. This is inspite of the fact its former colonial masters left the country bankrupt after 150years rule, created another country double the size of India with only a population of Mumbai to support.

Jayesh A Patel West Wimbledon

Kashmir: diplomatic negotiations are inevitable

Beware of Shylock solicitors

For any sovereign state, independence and economical development, that lead to high living standard, are two blessing of modern awareness, especially for those who had escaped a nightmare of slavery after extreme struggle, either mentally or physical. But the Kashmir is the only nation which is still paying for its desire to independence. The two countries could never decide the issue themselves nor allowed Kashmir to choose his way ahead in past sixty five year of dispute.

Several times Kashmir issue was discussed at the platform of united nation.

Different human right organization had highlighted the unrest state and violation of human rights but united nation had never gone serious in reconciling this alarming issue.

The verge of violence is that hundreds of innocent citizens are killed in a day; thousand of mothers lose their sons, even a whole family is gunned down, without remorse no apology, for protesting against forcible rule but no one in the world could feel their pain, no one had heard their defeated voice, the agony and pain of Kashmir is captured on cameras and adorn on the cover of magazines, TV channel but never been realized.

Politics is not the solution of Kashmir, nor would it be ever. Diplomatic negotiations are inevitable with the support of international community for the sake of the future of whole world, if we really do not want to face another Afghanistan again.

Through the platform of your esteemed publication. I would ask the international organization, Human right activists and peace claimer that; Is the blood of kashmiris so cheap to wade in soil for the sake of egoism? Would this all be going till the end of this world?

It is deeply disturbing to read in national newspapers that victims of NHS negligence receive peanuts in compensation while greedy lawyers swell their earnings, exploiting these unfortunate victims.

One particular case was unbelievable when victim of botched surgery received £6500 while his lawyers pocketed King’s ransom of £221,000, some 34 times more than the victim, lawyers charging £900 per hour! Even best of surgeons who save lives could not dream of such bonanza!

Fault lies fairly and squarely at the door of NHS managers who are reckless, greedy, ignorant, out of touch with patients and reality. A friend of ours lost her husband through negligence.

I took up her case and wrote to hospital demanding certain answers. Reply we received was unbelievable, full of halftruths and outright lies, believing that they can flog-off our inquiry and get away with it.

When we exposed their lies and demanded answers, copies of notes, log books and medication, treatment administered, hospital refused to answer, even to her MP who wrote several letters.

After four years and some 20 letters, hospital told her to seek legal assistance even to get reply. In the end this elderly lady gave up, having faced brick-wall.

When I had mishap in NHS hospital, they readily admitted their mistake but I was told to seek legal help if I want compensation.

Can MPs answer why NHS encourages patients to seek legal help rather than deal with patients directly? Is there ulterior motive, back hand commission?

Diwali-a Jain perspective

Dineshbhai debates celebrating Diwali by fasting or feasting. Choice is personal, not general, depending on spiritual discipline, social environments, ones mental attitude, health, resources etc. Whether we celebrate by fasting or feasting, Divali reminds us that forces of darkness have to be fought off continuously without complacency. That is why we celebrate Diwali every year for thousands of years.

Modern and post modern perspectives are essential beside projecting Bhagvan Ram, Reverend Tirthankars, and various saints. Small lamp symbolises conservation of fuel ranging from ghee to fossil fuels. It is also a reminder of importance of constant temperature which is essential for maintenance of humans(micro-cosmos) and universe-(macrocosmos).

Humble lamp could be a symbol of ‘Sun’ as the source of heat, light and life

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Tauqeer Ahmad Peshawar, Pakistan Hindus celebrate end of year harvest, whereby they are reaping fruits of a year’s labour. They cannot do further labour till planting season. They have plenty of time, relief at plentiful harvest, money flowing in after selling produce, and overall satisfying year. Plus there is high demand on ones energies during winter that needs high energy foods- eg oily, sweets, salty and savoury diets. But Hindus have a calendar of feasting and fasting throughout the year.

Jains mark passing away of their Tirthankar, a sad occasion not conducive to festive cheer. Thus fasting is justified too. It may be possible that Jain seers might have felt need to inject a new precept and a divine Tirthankar as role model to replace age old Hindu deitiesRam and others.

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Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Pak to restore Monuments

It was very pleasing to read in the Asian Voice that Pakistan plans to conserve and restore a Sikh`Samadhi` and a Hindu temple near the Lahore Fort at a cost of Rs 22 million. Work will start in January 2014 and will complete in 2016.

This is a great initiative by the Pakistan Muslim Government to show the world that they are now ready to change their policies more towards tolerance and acceptance of non Muslim culture.

I would like to congratulate the President and Prime Minster of Pakistan for this action and would like to request the top level of Muslim Leaders in India to come forward and join hands to reconstruct the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Temples wherever possible which were demolished by the Muslim Kings.

I do not think money is a problem, but we first need to get together and discuss about this proposal.

Please come forward and propose how we can all work together to achieve peace, and trust for each other.

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Transparency International has ranked India 94th and given it a score of 36 among 237 countries. Corruption is harmful politically, economically, socially and environmentally.

In the book ‘Reinventing Public Service Delivery in India: Selected Case Studies, The World Bank and Sage Publications, 2006, edited by Vikram K Chand ‘ Chapter 10 relates to anti-corruption in India: Issues and Strategies.

Elections can be won or lost on this single issue. I sincerely hope that citizens of India use the latest east technology of the web and mobile devices to report corruption wherever and whenever ever they see it. If Government Departments, or the Police, or politicians, or MPs, or MLAs or NGOs do not take action at State or Central Government level, I recommend they report the case or event to Trasparency International.

Compared to India, UK ranked 17 in 2012 and scored 75.

There is a statutory Act called Civil Vigilance Act 2003 in India which has not been properly implemented. There are International Conventions in criminal and Civil Law. There are ranking by sectors, me.g.

Corruption in oil and gas, in electricity, in police, in health, in schools, in taxation, in food subsidies, etc.

If corruption is curbed, India will have a fairer and more equal society.

International businesses will invest more in India by Direct Foreign Investment as well as Foreign Institutional Investment.

India could potentially grow faster than China.

Kevin Khajuria Via Email

Cyclists and accidents

As a pedestrian, cyclist and motorist I have seen many examples of motorists squeezing out cyclists, cyclists cutting up drivers or being aggressive towards pedestrians and pedestrians who walk in cycle lanes.

During a recent visit to Amsterdam, I discussed how best to share the roads between all three with transport experts.

They had two suggestions. First, educate all road users to coexist with other modes of transport; and second, have as many segregated cycle lanes as possible, which both motorists and pedestrians would be unable to use.

Despite the Mayor of London and Transport for London’s cycling strategy, there have been far too many accidents recently, some taking place on the new infrastructure the Mayor has introduced.

What should be done? If you know of badly designed or dangerous cycle lanes or junctions or crossings which are “accidents waiting to happen” please send me an email and photo if you wish to syed@syedkamall.com. I will alert the appropriate authorities and try to get action taken.

Syed Kamall Conservative MEP for London

Dharam Sahdev Gants Hill, Ilford

Ramesh Jhalla Via email

ASIAN VOICE

Corruption in India

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EDUCATION/COUNCIL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Careers advice 'appalling', says college leader The quality of careers guidance available in schools in England is than less "nothing appalling", says the president of the body representing further education colleges.

Michele Sutton, president of the Association of Colleges, says there needs to be more impartial advice. There have been repeated warnings about weaknesses in careers advice, including from the Select Education Committee. She is calling for more funding for the National Careers Service to improve guidance for young people.

The Association of Colleges' president high-

lighted particular concerns that schools do not always provide impartial advice - and that young people are steered towards staying in school sixth forms, rather than considering vocational options.

"Too many young people, usually those who need advice the most, miss out. They end up in the wrong institution, usually school sixth forms, doing the wrong course, and published recently Funding Education Agency data shows that schools lose 50% of their pupils between year 11 and year 13. How many end up not in education, employment and training?," said Ms Sutton.

New GCSE grading 'will demotivate less able pupils' New GCSE English exams in England will have a grading system that will de-motivate less able pupils, English teachers say.

Bethan Academic Marshall says she understands the equivalent of a "C" in the new exam will have two grades below it instead of the current four.

Ms Marshall, chair of an English teachers' association, says the grading will be "hugely demoralising".

England's exams regulator Ofqual says no decisions have been made on grades.

Education Secretary Michael Gove is bringing in the changes to toughen up a system which he says was "dumbed down" and

damaged by "grade inflation".

New-style GCSEs are due to be introduced in the core subjects of English and maths from autumn 2015, with the first exams being taken in 2017.

New GCSEs in other subjects will follow.

Exams will be taken after two years rather than in stages, coursework will be scrapped for most subjects and more marks will be allocated for spelling, punctuation and grammar than at present. being is Grading changed from letters (A* to G) to numbers from 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest. Pupils who fail will be awarded a "U" for an unclassified result.

11

Lord Loomba speaks at the House of Lords concerning the education of women and girls in developing countries

On Thursday 7th November 2013, Lord Loomba, who is passionate in the development of education of girls and young women around the world initiated a debate in the House of Lords in which peers of all political parties participated.

Lord Loomba pointed out that although some progress has been made in these areas, he remains concerned that enough was not achieved in the Millennium Development Goals.

There are more than 57 million children in the world who do not go to primary schools, even more shockingly; there are at least 250 million chil-

dren across the world who cannot read or count.

Despite some progress, the UN is falling short of its promise to ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls, alike will be able to complete the full course of primary school.

Lord Loomba said education is the key to solving many of the health crises across the developing world. Education is also the key to minimising conflicts. It is well known by the UN, governments and the NGOs that investing in education for women and girls is one of the most efficient ways to reduce poverty.

The now infamous case of Malala

Yousafzai, shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls to be educated in Pakistan, is sadly one of many examples throughout the world of women being held back from education.

The research shows that boys are still favoured by parents to receive education over girls in many countries.

Early marriage, early pregnancy and domestic responsibility are just some of the reasons cited by Lord Loomba Lord Loomba concluded his speech by saying that culture of boys favoured over girls to be educated must stop and attitude need to change.

There should be more

female teachers in schools, particularly in the rural areas. The female teachers are often seen as the role models for the girls and parents. The government must support the education of girls and women if they want the Millennium Board Goals to be achieved.

Education is the best gift anyone can give to a child and I ask the UN to set ambitious but achievable goals, targets and indicators within the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals framework, especially ensuring that more women and girls have the opportunity to be educated.

Cash for parents to learn how to support schoolwork A new project will test whether payments to parents will encourage them to learn how best to support their children's schoolwork Parents in two urban areas in England are to be offered money to attend a parenting academy to learn how to support their children's schoolwork.

Some parents will be paid around £600 to attend all 18 sessions in the trial.

The scheme, for disadvantaged families, will test whether cash can encourage parents to help their children learn.

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the heads' union ASCL, said parental engagement was a good thing but feared the pay-

ments could be seen as a bribe. "We need to look at different ways of helping parents engage in their children's learning but I have reservations about simply paying them," said Mr Lightman. But he added that the cash could be a genuinely positive thing if it were used, for example, to enable parents to take time off work to attend the courses.

The trial, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), will run in 14 primary schools in Middlesbrough and Camden and will cost a total of almost £1m.

The idea is to equip parents with the skills to support their children's learning in numeracy, lit-

eracy and science.

There will be a total of 18 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, in the year starting next September.

Some 1,500 parents and carers will be randomly divided into three groups.

One group will get free childcare and meals when they attend. A second

group will not only get these benefits but will be paid for every session they attend. A third control group will not attend the sessions.

The attitudes and abilities of all the children with parents in the three groups will be assessed at the beginning and end of the project.

Harrow has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country – more than 14,000 people are known to be living with the condition, a rate of 7.9 per cent, which is much higher than London and England.

The borough has seen huge success in raising awareness of the illness and helping people to manage the condition, which has resulted in it having one of the lowest rates of diabetes complications,

such as blindness, kidney failure and amputations.

Cllr Simon Williams, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Catching the disease at an early stage before complications set in is very important, but catching it early is even better. Diabetes can be managed successfully and Harrow has a good record of working with people who have diabetes to get the best quality of life.”

Vital advice on World Diabetes Day

COUNCIL NEWS Bhangra stars become recycling ambassadors Bhangra stars Channi Singh OBE and his daughter Mona Singh have joined forces with Ealing Council to raise awareness of the importance of recycling in Southall.

Ealing Council is embarking on a seven year drive to boost the boroughs recycling rate and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill. The goal is 50% by 2020, a local and national target set by the government.

Southall resident, Channi Singh said ‘’I was born in Punjab where a huge amount of material is now re-used and recycled into other products. We should be doing more here. People need to be made aware of the harm that throwing everything in the bin, which is sent straight to landfill, can do.

I recycle to make sure that we are conserving valuable resources so that there is enough for future generations. We need to think about what we will leave behind for the future when we are wasting so

Channi and Mona Singh are now recycling ambassadors

much today.’’

Mona Singh added ‘‘We are really excited to be supporting this worthy cause. Recycling is something that we should all be doing, and once you start it’s easy. I recycle because it’s the right thing to do.

It’s cleaner, better for the environment and I believe in having pride in my home and in Southall.’’

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment said ‘‘It’s great to have Channi and Mona on board with this campaign.

I hope their support will help to raise awareness and encourage recycling

participation. The council has been introducing new recycling services for residents and will continue to do so to make recycling even easier for people to do.’’

Channi Singh was awarded an OBE in 2012, becoming the first Punjabi singer to receive the award, for his services to Bhangra music, as well as his charity and community work. He has been an influential figure in the music scene for over 35 years, as the lead singer of Alaap. Three of Mona’s albums have reached number 1 on the Asian music charts.

Harrow Council marked World Diabetes Day last week with a series of talks and vital advice from experts. Community, voluntary and patient groups were given presentations about the importance of getting tested for diabetes during the event at Harrow Civic Centre.

Diabetes UK were also on hand to talk to people about how they can reduce their risk of getting the condition.

Tenner’s worth of free food for visitors to Wembley An innovative voucher scheme being run by Brent Council - for one month only - is challenging the notion that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Local businesses in Wembley have agreed to give customers, with a mystery shopping voucher, up to £10 worth of free food, dry cleaning or beauty treatments, in return for feedback, as part of a voucher scheme set up by Brent Council and deliv-

ery partner Meanwhile Space.

Brent Council has commissioned Meanwhile Space, a pioneering social enterprise to inject Brent's high streets with some festive fizz whilst helping local traders retain custom on the high road and cash in on the UK's annual spending spree.

A total of 20 businesses will be serving up anything from freshly made Italian pizza to freshly

pressed pants in a project designed help shops in the high road benefit from the increase in passing trade thanks to the opening of the London Designer Outlet.

A pilot was held last month with 25 taste tourists hitting the high road to sample food at several of Wembley's restaurants. The pilot was so successful that 20 businesses signed up to take part.

12

MEDIA WATCH

A glory passed at Mumbai’s Wankhade Stadium, as the peerless Sachin Tendulkar played his last Test match for India.

India’s resounding victory over West Indies, now embellished with the Little Master’s Bharat Ratna, drew down the curtain on the greatest career in the annals of Indian cricket. Batsman and sportsman extraordinary, Tendulkar, the most decent and civilized of human beings, handled success and failure just the same. His magic wand inspired a nation to believe in itself and its future. His words of farewell, as memorable as his incomparable feats on the cricket field, held spectators in thrall. He thanked close family by name for their many sacrifices and affection; he recalled, gratefully, the unstinting loyalty and support of friends, colleagues, coaches, support staff and doctors. Sachin Tendulkar captured the imagination of India, his values reflected at all times by the dignity and modesty of his bearing. He was the outstanding symbol of Indian unity during a period of economic transition, political uncertainty and social Sachin Tendulkar discord. The sight of him with bat in hand became an uplifting national experience which transcended generations, communities and barriers of every kind. He cast a luminous light over his country for 24 eventful years. As India’s pride and joy, he defined and lent his name to an entire age.

Brand Tendulkar will be etched forever into the nation’s memory. Whence comes another?

Mars Mission and what it means

As India’s Mars Orbiter Mission approaches the end of its earth orbit, preparatory to leaving the its gravity for the voyage to Mars, it is surely appropriate that the thoughts of Professor C.N.R. Rao FRS, now the proud recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, spoke words of wisdom as head of the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Council.

C.N.R. Rao

Addressing a question from reporters at Bangalore, Professor Rao described the Rs 450 crore spent on the venture as “peanuts.” Compared with Japan or China, “we do not spend enough on science,” he said. Spending on science must increase for the country’s allround growth. Apropos of the Mars Mission, he said, “We have to appreciate what they [the scientists and engineers] have done now.”

Echoing these comments, former space chief and currently Planning Commission member, Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, said the spin-off from the Mars venture was huge and vital for India’s progress. The mission’s use of sophisticated deep space communication technology, complex trajectory calculations and simulations promised immense benefits for the country’s future. “This poses challenges in the area of hardware and software development involving a complex interplay with high levels of precision and accuracy.” The Indian experience had thus attained a vitally

new level. With nine years as head of India’s Space Research Organization (ISRO), Dr Kasturirangan reminded his audience in New Delhi, that countries in possession of such advanced technologies were reluctant to share them with others, hence India had to plough these fields with her own resources. “There is no option for this country at this level of growth on systems outside,” he said (Hindu, Times of India November 8, 10)

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

More Modi gaffes The mismatch between India’s scientists and its absurdist politicians widens by the hour and day. The silly season may be long past, but the season of Narendra Modi,’s gaffes continues apace. The BJP prime ministerial aspirant’s latest excursion into India history claimed that the party’s founder Shyma Prasad Mookerjee was a “proud son of Gujarat,” when, in fact, he was a son of Bengal; that Mookerjee had died in 1930, when his death occurred in 1953, and that Mookerjee had started his political career in London as a champion of Indian independence, when he had never set foot on British soil. Mr Modi censured Congress for Partition, when it was Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s Muslim League which fought tooth and nail for Pakistan’s creation. It was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was the first Congress leader to accept the reality, given the violence and bloodletting that was tearing India apart.

Who but a lunatic would want Pakistan to be part of India today (Hindu, Times of India November 11, 12) [Perhaps Mr Modi was referring to Shyamji Krishna Verma, where the details mentioned are most appropriate]

Nooyi sees India as growth story

Highest impact

As the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore turns 25, it has been recognized as the institution with the “highest impact” based on the Science Citation Index 2010-11. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1902), has the highest number of published papers to its credit of the 90,958 papers published by Indian scientists in 2010-11. Professor C. N. R. Rao, founder-director JNCASR said that over the years JNCASR had filed 150 patents application and received 12 patents from a variety of countries. Two were received only this month from the United States, he said.

Nanotechnology

Professor Rao said India had made great strides in nanotechnology, standing third in the world, which was a far cry from the position a decade ago when it stood nowhere. This was an area where the JNCASR had contributed significantly. In the past 25 years, the institute had undertaken specialized research in areas such as specific strains of the HIV virus. There were also experiments on the use of Siddha stream in the treatment of malaria and cancer. There were several collaborations between JNCASR and renowned international institutions, besides outreach programmes for school students.

David Cameron in Kolkata - see comment page 3

second fiscal quarter (JulySeptember) from an earlier loss of Rs 363.93 crore. The company’s press statement said it was helped by the steady growth of its Indian operations and the improved performance of its Southeast Asian and European units. “The whole of Europe is coming out of recession. That means the medicine is working,” said Karl-Ulrich Kohler, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel Europe. “The preparation for this growth started three years ago. The work is continuing and we will continue to open new markets,” he told reporters (Mint November 14) Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) achieved an unbelievable 71 per cent growth in earnings in the second quarter fiscal. Net profit rose to Rs 3,722 crore up from Rs 2,775 crore for the same JulySeptember period of 2012.

Tata’s declining sales were amply compensated in JLR’s exceptional performance (Mint, Business Standard November 9)

Royal visit to Kerala

Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo Inc Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, announced the company’s plan to invest Rs33,000 crore in India by 2020 at a meeting with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi. She told Mint (November 12) that, “India is a very, very important market for us. It is in the top ten and it will keep moving. This investment could get us to the top five…..This is a gigantic investment. India is a fundamental growth story irrespective of the short-term slowdown.” she said during a wide-ranging interview.

In another interview, she told the Times of India (November 12), “PepsiCo’s faith in India remains unscathed. This is a temporary slowdown and it comes after years of double digit growth. India will eventually power its way up.” Ms Nooyi looked to harvest India’s demographic dividend.

Tata Steel, JLR increase profits

Tata Steel Ltd reported higherthan-expected consolidated net profit of Rs 916.77 crore in the

Duchess mesmerized. This was followed by a display of Kalaripayapattu, the Keralan martial arts. The Royal couple were much taken by Kathakali, particularly by its mime, and asked the artistes questions about its secrets. They were then treated to a a virtuoso performance of Bharatnatyam.

Congratulating the dancers, Prince Charles said his one complaint was that the programme was “too short.” (Hindu November 12)

Physics prize winner

Shiraz Naval Minwalla, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, has won the New Horizons in Physics Prize for 2013. The prize in 2012 was won by another Indian physicist Ashok Sen FRS, from the Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad. The prize, which is given to the best young scientists, carries $100,000 and is awarded by the Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation set up

by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, once a theoretical physicist himself but now a software tycoon. Professor Minwalla’s has made a name in cutting edge

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were in Kerala as part of their nine-day tour of India. One of the highlights of their time in this culturally rich state was the visit to the Kerala Folklore Museum and Theatre at Thevara, near Kochi. They were garlanded on their arrival by owners Jacob George and his wife Anne and their two children, who took the Royal party around the museum with its treasure trove of art and sculpture. Then Prince Charles and Camilla visit the Kerala came the Kathakali – Folklore theatre and museum

Dancers with brightly-coloured faces and dazzling costumes performed an excerpt of the 300-year-old folk tale, in which a demonic spirit tries to trick the prince of heaven into marrying her

Kerala’s classical dance drama, performed by a local troupe, depicting tales from the Indian epics, which left the Prince and

String Theory, where India, he said, is better placed than Japan, but ranks behind the US.

In the Name of Ugandan Asians....

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Dhiren Katwa

13

Anniversary is now over, please now give us the accounts Mr Patel

Photo by Bhupendra Jethwa

the name of Ugandan Asians, when he himself has been living The last in a series of year-long in Mumbai, India for the last 30 events to mark the 40th years? Same question of Mihir anniversary of the Ugandan Patel, a trustee, who has been Asian expulsion took place at living in Dubai? Asians in Stansted, UK’s fourth-busiest Uganda, including the counairport, on Friday a fortnight try’s president have apparently ago. Praful Patel, the main never been consulted on the organiser, who represents a year-long programme. So how number of charities, has did Mr Patel manage to get remained tight-lipped on our away with this? repeat, but simple ask about One of the Midlands’ most how much money was raised eminent businessmen, Khalid and how much was spent. A Sheikh, of Leicester-based reasonable ask, surely?

Clifton Packaging Group, and Around 100 people, includoriginally from Uganda, said it ing some of the original immiwas important to bow to, and grants, gathered at Stansted recognise the herculean efforts Airport to mark not only the of renowned Ugandan-based unveiling of a plaque commemauthor Vali Jamal, rather than Praful Patel addressing the audience orating the arrival of some of be misled by opportunists such the 28,500 refugees from as Mr Patel. Mr Jamal, whose who had Gujarat “heavy Parliamentary schedule Uganda but the significance of book entitled Ugandan Asians: brought their knowledge, innoSamachar, its sister publicain both Houses”, according to the date: when Idi Amin gave Then and Now. Here and Then, vation, and enthusiasm for tion, have followed events an official press release from only 90 days notice of the described by President work, and had contributed so organised by Praful Patel over a The India Overseas Trust, the expulsion, the final deadline to Museveni as “a national asset”, much to the country since their period. But since June this year, organising body. leave Uganda was November 8, is due to be launched in March arrival. Lord Petre stressed that we have followed developOur request for photographs 1972.

2014, profiles personalities the government’s obligation to ments, prompted by a demand from the official photographer The plaque was officially from all walks of life in take the refugees was Bhupendra Jethwa was ignored. unveiled by Her his several thousand fulfilled.

The news release also feaMajesty’s Lord page bible.

Septuagenarian Lieutenant of Essex, Mr Sheikh, speakPraful Patel who, Lord Petre. In addiing of Mr Jamal, said: according to the tion to a coach load “We Asians should be Charity Commission, of guests from the proud of him (Vali) and also represents chariBAPS Shri not heading to Stansted ties The Indo-British Swaminarayan Airport and House of Cultural Exchange, Temple, of which Lords to appease and Kailas Manasarovar Praful Patel is an please muzungus when Trust and The ardent worshipper, our own champion Ayurveda Foundation, attendees included: Valibhai, supercedes said this occasion was Rashmi Thakrar of all of them. Why are a “major event for the Tilda Rice, they praising us after British Asian commuS h a r d a b e n 40 years when only last nity and for IndoM a n u b h a i The plaque; commissioned and prepared by month the entire British relations”. He Madhvani, The High British government added: “Since their Derick Tickle, USA Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Essex Lord Petre Sheriff of Essex, and media called us arrival in Britain, the unveils the plaque; Praful Patel looks on Marcella M’Rabety and Melvyn immigrants and big thousands of people tured an unedited message Nice, Stansted Airport’s corpoburden on the nation’s forced to leave Uganda, with no from several people, both in the from British Premier David rate social responsibility manresources... send us back more than £50 and one suitcase UK and in Uganda, who have Cameron which read: “The ager and media relations manplease... democracy of of belongings, have made lifecontinued to raise concerns British Uganda Asian ager, respectively, Jaffer hypocrisy at its best in the Community has made an enorlong friendships with those about the charities’ Kapasi OBE, Subhash Thakrar West.” mous contribution to our finances. Our repeated from London Chamber, Vasant One gentleman from society and offers us a asks of Mr Patel for the Karia, Anil Visram, great Uganda said: “All strength to wealth of examples of hard accounts of a grandson of pioneer Allidina your shoulder. A silent work and charity, yielding Thanksgiving event which Visram and Dr Rajesh Parmar majority of Ugandan Asians real success and lasting was held, again in the of the International are behind you. “ achievement. This plaque name of Ugandan Asians, Siddhashram Shakti Centre.

In the interest of the puband this celebration are a at Leicester Cathedral in Also present was 80-yearlic, and of entire transparency, fitting culmination of a June this year have been old Devshankar Joshi, a former we request Mr Patel to give us year of commemoration of ignored. This has caused refugee, who in 1972 had been an indication as to when we the momentous events of eyebrows to be raised and forced to abandon his flourishcan expect a financial summa1972.” led to informal accusaing accountancy practice in ry of the year-long programme Lord Petre spoke of the tions and allegations, Mbale, 152 miles north-east of he had organised under the gratitude he was aware which we believe is unfair the Ugandan capital Kampala. banner of The India Overseas those present felt to the Devshankar Joshi holds up a press cutting from 1972 and improper – considerA majority of eminent Trust – 40th Anniversary British government for ing Mr Patel has been British Ugandan Asians, Celebrations. Do you think this organising his events with assisting their immigration at who welcomed them to their including Lord Dolar Popat is a reasonable request? Email integrity, sincerity and dignity. such a dire time. He also said towns and homes in a dark and Shailesh Vara MP were your thoughts, suggestions, he felt this should not overhour.”

Questions asked of us have absent from this event. They views, personal stories to shadow the gratitude due from Regular readers may recall included: Why has Mr Patel could not attend because of dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com Britain to the Ugandan Asians, that this newspaper and been capitalising on events in

From left: Rashmi Thakrar of Tilda Rice; The High Sheriff of Essex; Director of Finance, Stansted Airport; Lord Petre; Shardaben Madhvani; Mihir Patel; Vasant Karia; Praful Patel

From left: John D’Souza from Madhvani Group; Anil Visram; The High Sheriff; Lord Petre; Hasu Manek; Praful Patel; Subhash Thakrar

UK

14

Shishukunj - The Journey to London

Bharat Dhanani

In 1941, in Karachi, a young man by the name of Indubhai Dave discovered a group of children making mischief and idly passing the time away. He was struck by the casual disregard these youngsters had for their precious time and so decided to coral them together and organise some simple activities for them for a couple of hours each day.

His vision was a simple one - if he gave children hope and a sense of belonging then that would provide them with a foundation to become productive members of

Tanna MBE established Bharatiya Sarvodya Sangh back in 1948.

Given the closeness of the communities in East Africa the leaders of each institution were very much aware of the work of the other organisations. And so in the late 1960’s a seminar was organised to bring together all institutions concerned with child development, in an effort to unite them all under one banner. The belief was that as they were all working for the same purpose there would be mutual benefit in joining together. In 1973 the groups finally decided

Indubhai Dave at work with young children

Landmark Hindu temple project launches in the House of Commons

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Monday 14th October saw the first-time launch, in the House of Commons, of a prestigious project to build a Hindu temple and community centre in Northamptonshire.

Organised by the Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation (IHWO), the event was attended by prominent leaders of the Hindu community and a string of dignitaries, including local MP Michael Ellis, key guest speaker Michael Fallon, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, leader of the Northampton Borough Council, David Mackintosh and Keith Vaz MP. Speeches were given

by Chairperson of IHWO, Neelam Aggarwal-Singh MBE DL, Project Manager of the Kutumb Centre, Danny Parmar and each of the respected dignitaries. Keith Vaz opened with a remarkably supportive and encouraging message about the importance of the Kutumb Centre project and the huge need for its implementation. Michael Fallon spoke extensively on the shared values of the Indian community with British Conservatives and how such projects should be given vast support from the government. Michael Ellis MP, who has been a long-term support to IHWO, gave a powerful speech elaborating on the

society. unanimously to adopt the These activities conname "Shishukunj" for tinued for several years their children's activities. and the number of chilThe late 1960’s and dren participating steadiearly 1970’s were years of ly increased. However great turmoil and hardwith the advent of partiship in East Africa. The tion, Indubhai’s family politicians campaigning had to flee Pakistan (as it for nationalisation made had now become) and members of the Indian settled in Indore, India. community feel very At the same time a large uneasy. In this climate cross-section of the many immigrated to Gujarati community left Britain - amongst which L o n d o n , India and established were a number of Chandrakantbhai and themselves in East Africa.

Shishukunj karyakars Bhaskarbhai Thanki In 1955, the Dave (field workers). started Shishukunj activifamily emigrated to One such karyakar, ties on Friday evenings.

Tanzania. Indubhai's pasShree Devchandbhai Shishukunj in East sion for child developShah provided motivaAfrica was going from ment had increased fertion to open the first UK strength to strength until vently and so very soon Shishukunj centre in February 2nd 1975 when after arriving in Tanzania, Leicester in 1973 under the two most senior he established a the leadership of Shree karyakars of Shishukunj, Shishukunj centre there.

Rameshbhai Acharya. In Shree Vallabhbhai Patel Independently and and Shree s i m u l t a n e o u s l y, Devchandbhai Shah Kalaniketan was Shishukunj is a registered charity that died in a tragic car established in has run weekly activities for children in accident in Kenya Nairobi, Kenya, the UK aged 5-18 for over 35 years. whilst on under the leader- They seek to develop youngsters into Shishukunj busiship of Shree decent citizens rich in positive morals ness. The Indian Vallabhbhai Patel and values that can make a lasting community in and his colleagues. impact on society. They are presently Nairobi were Child development seeking to raise £850,000 to dramati- numbed by this loss institutions were and members of the mushrooming all cally improve their facilities in Edgware. Shishukunj moveover East African Their vision for the new centre will bet- ment in East Africa towns and cities, ter serve their existing children and and in Britain were including in enable them to support the wider com- devastated by the Kisumu where munity. news. Would this Shree Dhanjibhai

opportunity, aspiration and responsibility embodied in the Hindu community, that would be well-represented by this “wonderful Kutumb Centre”.

David Mackintosh concluded, recognising the prosperity that such a project would bring to the town’s future, encouraging attendees of the event to whole-heartedly embrace

have a dream…’. I have a dream too, the realization of this project is my dream and I will see it through. It has taken a lot of hard work so far and there is much more to come, but without dreams there is nothing.”

Attendees were full of enthusiasm and compliments for the organisation, on their innovative stance and “strong lead-

After many meetings with the Council, a site in the Eastern district of Northampton was found in 2004 and offered to IHWO to build the first purpose-built faith building of Northampton. In 2008, the lease agreement was signed which was a significant step forward in the journey of Northampton Hindus. To keep the momentum

and support the project.

People in the audience watched on in fascination as Danny Parmar revealed for the first time on screen an animated tour of the magnificent building. The project plans were discussed in great detail and with great transparency, with a heart-warming account of the project challenges and achievements todate.

Chairperson Neelam Aggarwal-Singh MBE DL spoke passionately about the history of IHWO, the IHWO values and the aim to serve the entire community from ‘cradle-to-grave’.

She concluded with a potent message, winning the support and admiration of all those present; “As Martin Luther King said in his renowned speech ‘I

ership”, as they stayed on to network and enjoy the drinks and canapés.

IHWO was set up in Northampton in 1996.

The mission from the beginning has been to serve the community by enriching their lives with Hindu culture, religion, education and social engagement. To this end, IHWO has been in search of a property or land to create a building which will signify the "marriage of east & west" to reflect the heritage and culture of the community, whilst demonstrating our commitment to the country which has now become our home.

The other aim has been to create a landmark building which will truly put Northampton on to the map of the UK.

going, a ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ ceremony was performed to bless the land and raise funds in order to progress to the next stage which was to design a building and apply for planning permission.

IHWO were able to raise sufficient funds and an architect was formally appointed to create a design for the building, which was agreed to be named The Kutumb Centre (‘Kutumb’ meaning wider family). The planning approval was finally secured in 2012.

The Centre will be multi-functional with activities ranging from daycare facilities for the elderly, to a crèche for the little ones. For more information and support this project log on to www.ihwo.org.uk

spell the end to three decades of perseverance in establishing child development activities across three continents?

I r o n i c a l l y, people affiliated with Shishukunj in Britain became more resolute to undertake the unfinished work to expand the Shishukunj philosophy.

On February 2nd 1976, at the first activities at the first Shishukunj centre in Turnpike Lane Shradanjali held in memory of the two The hard work and of Shree Dhanjibhai brothers, it was collecaspirations were finally Tanna MBE, who became tively decided that cenrealised with the opening the first President of tres should be set up to of the first centre in Shishukunj, London. evolve Shishukunj activiLondon in May 1977 at With no office facilities ties in London.

Turnpike Lane. The jourmeetings were held in A committee was set ney for London shops using boxes as up under the leadership Shishukunj had begun… chairs to plan activities.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Life and MUSIC

Official Top TEN Chart Hits

Uxtâàç

1. Arijit Singh – Tum hi Ho 2. Binder and Jind – Dho Guttan 3. Shreya Ghoshal and Osman Mir – Nagada Sang Dhol 4. Diamond Cut – Feem (feat. Jazzy B & DS) 5. Sukhi Sivia – Sarkara (feat. Dr Zeus & Shortie) 6. Sukshinder Shinda – Ardaas 7. Notorious Jatt – Heartbreak (ft Pargat & Jagdev Khan) 8. Alisha Chinai & Zubeen Garg – Dil Tu Hi Bataa 9. Salique – Let me in (feat. Mumzy Stranger) 10. Ankit Tiwari – Sunn Raha Hai

DID YOU KNOW..?

a 1 minute kiss burns 26 calories WORD OF THE WEEK

Impavid – fearless

tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

Hairstylist Asgar's Perfect Movember Tips

For all you gentlemen who are challenging yourselves to growing the perfect 'movember moustache', celebrity hairstylist Asgar has a few great tips for you to help maintain your moustache for the home stretch! A moustache takes time, preparation and patience so why not get one step ahead with Asgar's expert advice below.

What Style?

Remember your face shape when choosing a style for the month.

Square Face - opt for the heavy long moustache.

Oval Face – opt for a medium width with a triangular shape.

Neat & Tidy is the way forward.

Keep your moustache neatly trimmed at all stages in order to take the vital shape on your face and help avoid looking like an over grown yetti.

Now for the Comb:

You brush your hair so why would you neglect the 'tash'?

Splash out on a moustache comb, one small enough to keep in one's pocket in order to maintain the suave look on the go.

Wax On:

Moustache wax is a must have.

It is incredibly handy for taming strays, holding styles and defining the shape when out and about.

The Shave:

Take a warm shower ahead of the big shape shave as this will soften hairs making them easier to cut. Once out of the shower, dry you face with a towel and apply a colour shaving gel which will allow you to see the outlines you are creating with the razor.

For more, visit: www.asgarboo.com

asked why she chose about Masaba's signafor the same amount.

Masaba for her popupture style. “Masaba has Then I had Sonam wear show. She said, “The literally come to be one of my sarees and moment I was asked to known as the queen of things literally changed do a fashion show, I figquirky prints. You know overnight. It is the power ured from my list of you're a success when of Bollywood that comes designers on pernifrom a mile away somewith the aspiration these aspopupshop, young girls have to Masaba is perhaps look like their idols.” the most popular, Masaba also especially in the UK." revealed that she The lovely Miss would love Michelle Gupta, sporting a Obama to wear her hot pink sarees. “I know she sweater with wears a lot of Indian equally hot clothing and she loves pink lipstick reflecting prints so she would be the eclectic designer she perfect! I think she'd is, cheerfully explained carry off print and what makes her designs colour very well, not Masaba Gupta and Sonam Kapoor different from others. least because she's a “When I started off, huge fashion icon.” one can spot your Interviewing two designs. This is what she there was no one really expert fashionistas, I has created for herself, in that space doing could not help cheekily this niche of really being graphics and using print asking whether they the one to introduce the as a main design story. I think there are any coolest, catchiest prints think what makes my Bollywood actresses in of the season. Ten years designs different is the dire need of a stylist. ago, sarees would just way I use colour, the way They defiantly respondage a girl. But now, I just mix and match ed, “There is nothing Masaba has revoluthings.

The USP of the Masaba Gupta, Pernia Qureshi and Tanveer Mann wrong with needing a brand is that we use a lot tionised the role of designers to showcase ties. Inshallah if this goes stylist or not dressing of handlooms and lots of sarees for all Indian what they can do. To be well, we'll definitely be really organic fabrics but women." according to what is accessible to everybody in working with them in the at the same time we also Both Masaba and meant to be 'stylish'. small towns to big cities.” future again or be linked to use a lot of modern Pernia have designed There are many actressAlmost an overnight them on a more permanent Lycra.” and styled for Bollywood es who do need stylists, success, the basis. I know they are quite 'it' girls, such they just need to be carefully prestigious and do good as Sonam open to change, to lishandpicked ework."

Kapoor.

In tening to others.” store offers an Moving swiftly on to some ways, For Pernia, who attractive the concept of perniaspophaving a bollylooks to herself as her array of upshop, Pernia explained, wood actress role model, it does not India’s well“Two years ago when I wear her saree stop with styling. She known brands started the whole idea, was what excitedly told me about and emerging there was nothing like this made Masaba her new collection designers. It site in the market. I saw a Gupta a hit. which is up for sale on has become huge gap for a really luxuriShe explains, the site on Monday. renowned as ous, beautiful online bou“In India, “Pernia Quereshi is the only luxutique that sells Indian Bollywood showcasing its first ry e-comdesignerwear to the world. and Cricket Indian collection which merce portal Indian designers are one of run the show.

I'm super excited about. in India, the most talented in the I used to do You'll see a very girly, Vidhya Balan, Priyanka Chopra & Sonam Kapoor stocking the world. Indian products are sarees long feminine and quite claswearing Masaba absolutely exquisite. likes of back, but they sic collection from me.

Something everyone wants, M a n i s h never sold. They said Nothing too much but Asking Pernia for her whether they are Indian or Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, what's the point of an very pretty, atleast in my opinion on the Masaba not. I thought it would be a Sabyasachi and Rohit Bal. anarkali saree when you Gupta collection, she opinion!” great platform for Indian Switching to fashion, I can buy a chiffon saree launched into praises

Fashion

Tête-à-tête with Style Guru Pernia Qureshi and Designer Masaba Gupta Entrepreneur and style guru Pernia Qureshi successfully launched the Indian answer to the renowned US net-a-porter site. Born a mere two years ago, Perniaspopushop.com has since then grown into a mass global market site which now carries over 100 different designers, including her eponymous new collection. A wellestablished author as well, Pernia has launched a new book 'Be stylish' to raving reviews. Visiting with her was the youngest fashion designer to debut at Lakme Fashion Week and daughter of Neena Gupta and Vivian Richards, Masaba Gupta, who showcased her designs at the 'Night of Neon Festive Soiree' on Friday at the Montcalm Hotel. I was the lucky girl that got to catch up with these lovely fashionistas ahead of their show!

Pernia, wearing an ontrend grey skater skirt and matching sweater, was full of excitement and energy, launching into talking about the charities that they were supporting: Pratham UK, Indian Women's Association and Akshaya Patra. She said, “this is my first collaboration with these three chari-

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

www.punjabeeblonde.com

Tanveer Mann

UK

16

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

Aamir Khan wants to play Sachin on screen

uperstar Aamir Khan has expressed his desire to play the role of Sachin S Tendulkar as and when a film is made on

the cricket legend. "I wish to play Sachin on screen. If you get a good film and I love it (the script), then I will surely do it," Aamir said. The Bollywood actor is an ardent fan of Sachin and he was present at Wankhede Stadium, where Sachin played his last Test match. "I went to Wankhede to see the match.

The title track of 'Dhoom 3', featuring Aamir and releasing next month, has been dedicated to the master blaster.

Has Karisma Kapoor found love again?

he gorgeous Karisma Kapoor is not only very good actress T but she is also a perfect mother.

Though her marriage with industrialist Sanjay Kapur has hit the rocks, she had always maintained a dignity about it. However, if buzz is to be believed Karisma has found love again. The pretty actress is allegedly seeing a 35year-old CEO of a Mumbai- based health firm. A report says that Karisma met Sandeep Toshniwal at a party and they both bonded together instantly. It is said that both have been spotted together and that he is a part of Karisma's close group of friends.

Rajinikanth's 'Kochadaiiyaan' to be released on Jan 10 S

uperstar Rajinikanth-starrer 'Kochadaiiyaan' is readying for theatrical release Jan 10, 2014, while its music is likely to be unveiled in December, based on the availability of its composer AR Rahman. "Our co-producer Murali Manohar has zeroed in on Jan 10 as the release date of 'Kochadaiiyaan', which is inching closer to completion," the film unit's spokesperson said. "The film's audio is likely to be unveiled on Rajinikanth's birthday on Dec 12 or on some other day in the same month. We have to check with AR Rahman on his availability," added the spokesperson. 'Kochadaiiyaan' is touted to be the first movie to be shot with motion capture in 3D in India.

Directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth, the film also features Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, R Sarath Kumar, Aadi Pinisetty, Shobana, Rukmini Vijaykumar and Nassar.

N

ine years after he penned the story and screenplay of son Farhan Akhtar's 'Lakshya' (2004), Javed Akhtar is assuming the mantle of a scriptwriter again. "It's too early to reveal any details. All I can say is that it's a mainstream film which will require a big canvas. I'll be narrating it to a director soon," Akhtar said. Though the script is not a "commissioned job", the germ of an idea captured Akhtar's imagination, compelling him to commit it to paper and because it could not be turned into a poem or a song, he started writing it as a film. "It's taken a couple of years, I started writing, then left it and moved on to something else, then returned to it, made several revisions and finally, having decided that this was the best I had to offer, I am ready to give a narration," said Akhtar.

fter the poor response for “Alaguraja,” director M Rajesh is all set to direct his next film. It is said that Rajesh will pair up with his buddy Arya in this film since the “Arrambam” actor has played the lead role in his second film “Boss Engira Baskaran” which was a super hit. Arya has also made cameo appearances in the other films of Rajesh except Azhaguraja. In the Rajesh film, Arya will get to romance Tamannaah, for the first time if everything goes as planned and the film's star cast will also include Rajesh's lucky mascot Santhanam. It is said that Rajesh is taking all efforts to make his new venture as hillarious as BEB since he badly needs a hit to regain his position in the industry.

A

nushka Shetty seems to have reinvented her self. She's lost weight, gained strength, trained in sword fighting and horse riding and looks set to kick up a storm soon onscreen and has over Rs 2 billion riding on three of her upcoming films.

Rudramadevi: She is playing the legendary Kakatiya dynasty warrior princess, Rani Rudrama Devi, in director Gunasekhar's period drama.

Irandam Ulagam: A romantic fantasy based on elements of Sufism and Zen philosophy, the film stars Anushka and Arya in the lead. It is one of the most anticipated Tamil films of the year.

Bahubali: Anushka plays a warrior princess, ye again, in “Bahubali.” Buzz is that the actress has a lot of action episodes along with Rana and Prabhas in this film.

oted actress Jaya Bachchan is likely to make her small N screen debut with a fiction show

Javed Akhtar to pen down script after 9 years

A

Kollywood’s latest action queen

Jaya Bachchan to make TV debut with fiction show

on Sony Entertainment channel.

"She is likely to appear in the main lead on a fiction show on Sony Entertainment Channel. The show will be produced by Endemol," sources close to the development said. The actress has been approached for a fiction show and is likely to do it, they said.

However, the nature and content of the show is not known.

Endemol India Managing Director Deepak Dhar could not be reached for comments.

Arya and Taman

I want everyone to be scared of me: Sunny Leone I

ndo-Canadian adult films starturned-actress Sunny Leone is pretty excited about her film "Ragini MMS 2" and hopes that the audience will be scared of her for the first time in the movie. "I am very excited about 'Ragini MMS 2.' It has been one year, we have been shooting for the film, the promo, doing different things to release a huge film coming next year in January 2014. I want everyone to be scared of me for the first time," the 32-yearold said. The film is directed by Bhushan Patel and produced by Ekta Kapoor.

Kangna Ranaut to return to studies

After tasting success with 'Krrish 3' and the release of her next film 'Rajjo' actress Kangna Ranaut has decided to fly to New York to pursue further studies.

Kangna is not just taking a break from her jam-packed schedule but has also expressed her desire to pursue screenplay studies during her visit to New York. Kangna had dropped out of college and now, the actress plans to fulfill her dreams as she will also be taking up sculpture making during this mini vacation. However, Kangna will be back for promoting her next 'Queen' as the film is slated to release in February 2014.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

nnaah for Rajesh

17

I am single; no plans to get married yet: Katrina

ollywood actress Katrina Kaif, rumoured to be in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor, said that she is single and has no plans to get married.

B Recently, Katrina was left fuming after her bikini shots with Ranbir Kapoor

during a holiday in Spain were leaked to the media, which has led to shutterbugs leaving no chance to click them together.

"I am single until I get married. This sentence was mine and now everybody uses it. I should have a copyright over it. Also, I have no plans to get married yet," she said.

Asked why the media pursued the couple, Katrina said, "May be, because everyone is single or married. I don't mind people running behind me.

Celebrities are open to such things." She ignored a question about rumours of her engagement with Ranbir Kapoor next year. Replying to who she thought is more romantic between her former boyfriend Salman Khan or her current beau Ranbir Kapoor, she said, "I want to have a long and peaceful life."

SRK makes me nervous, while Salman comfortable Katrina who has worked with all the three leading Khans of Bollywood, says her chemistry with Salman Khan has been much talked about. On being asked about one Khan, who makes her nervous, Katrina quickly opted for the King of romance, Shah Rukh Khan. "I was very nervous around Shah Rukh during “Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Off the sets, it was all fun, but the moment I used to come in front of camera, I used to turn blank. There was something about him that made me nervous," said Katrina.

d o 2

I prefer to stay away from limelight: Kareena

y a

n m e

areena Kapoor's romance and marriage with Saif Ali Khan made headlines but the actress says she prefers to stay away from the limeK light. The 33-year-old actress, who married long-time partner Saif, says

t a d

Priyanka's cousin Barbie Handa to debut in 'Zid' Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra's yet another cousin Barbie Handa is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Anubhav Sinha production 'Zid'. Director of the film, Vivek Agnihotri confirmed by saying, "Yes, I am doing 'Zid' for Anubhav Sinha productions. The film will mark the debut of Barbie Handa, who will be paired opposite yet another debutante Karanvir Sharma and we have already started shooting for the film."

Barbie Handa has done several ad commercials and a few south Indian films. Priyanka Chopra's another cousin Parineeti Chopra made her debut in Bollywood with 'Ishaqzadey'.

she never concentrated on image building and gets completely foxed when people talk about public relation skills.

"I don't know why people feel that I am snooty. I am not a person who has ever given an interview on image building. I have never been that person as I am very confident of what I do. People do PR but I get completely foxed. I don't know how to do it. I stay away from the limelight as I think my work should speak on my behalf," Kareena said in an interview.

Kareena has made a mark in Bollywood by starring in films like 'Asoka', 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', 'Chameli', 'Omkara', 'Jab We Met' and 'Talaash'.

The actress said she always nurtured the dream of becoming an actress and her parents, Randhir Kapoor and Babita, supported her decision. The actress said it was an old thought that women in Kapoor clan were not allowed to act.

Lamhe - relive the magical moments with Malgudi Days

amhe is Zee’s latest addition to its free to view channels in UK. Launched earlier this year, Lamhe showcases only the best of LSouth-Asian entertainment, free, with classic dramas, Bollywood

classics, plus lifestyle, travel, cookery and more.

Fulfilling this aim, Lamhe launched a new series recently – Malgudi Days. Malgudi Days is a collection of popular short stories taken from the books by India’s renowned author R. K. Narayan. The stories are all set in the fictional town of Malgudi located in South India. Each story portrays a facet of life in Malgudi, drawing on the softer moments that add meaning to life. Its morals and teachings cross generations and countries and are apt for today’s UK viewers. Watch the series every Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am, and also at 7 pm, on Lamhe.

Archana Kanade, business head of the channel, said, "Lamhe has added great value to the UK’s Asian TV audience and offers a different viewing experience, which is striking the perfect chord with the viewers.” Lamhe is freely available on Sky 789 and on Virgin Media 811.

18

FINANCIAL VOICE Financial Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

Time to buy Rupees and sell Dollars?

Major currency pairs gained against the Dollar at the end of last week with Euro and Pound reaching 1.3500 and 1.6100 respectively. The key factor behind this decline in Dollar was Janet Yellen's Confirmation Speech in front of the Senate. The first woman ever to lead the Fed reaffirmed her view that the US economy still needs help to recover and that an early reduction in stimulus is not the correct move.

She was quoted saying that it is "important not to remover support too soon" as there are "dangers of ending QE too quickly". Market participants were informed about her outlook ahead of time since her remarks were leaked the previous day thus no reaction was noted in the markets. What matters more now is what lies ahead.

Based on what Yellen stated an early reduction in asset purchases in December is probably out of the question and this could mean that the Dollar will remain generally range-bound for the medium-term future. Taking into consideration these views and in light of other US policymakers giving speeches this week I believe that the pro-stimulus chatter will continue and it will cause Dollar to retreat even more in the short term.

The Euro is now trading near the 1.3500 mark riding an upwards trend that began near 1.3300 and the Single currency's outlook is considered bullish.

Several important news events are scheduled for this week with the PMI figures and ZEW and IFO reports being the most significant ones. Should these reports prove to be good for the Euro then the currency will reach for 1.3600 as demand for Euros combined with the predicted Dollar weakness will lift the pair towards higher levels.

At the same time, the Pound also ended the week higher against the Greenback with the 1.6100 level breached. It was a good week for the UK currency that received massive support from the BoE's Inflation Report and the recent demand for Pounds along with investors cutting short their pro-Dollar positions sent the Pound higher. This week we don't have any Pound related events scheduled and the UK currency will be mostly influenced by the Dollar flows.

Gold has been falling during recent sessions but it appears that the yellow metal has found a bottom near the $1,260 area. Gold seems to be forming a reversal technical pattern and I believe that the apparent Dollar weakness could lead the commodity higher in the short term. The key level to watch is the $1,300 mark and a upwards breach will clear the path for higher levels with the $1,325 and $1,350 areas coming into play.

Tata moved me to tears: Starbucks CEO

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has voiced his admiration for industrialist Ratan Tata's "grace" and wisdom, saying he was moved by the business icon's words during the launch of the coffee chain's flagship store in Mumbai last year.

"At the celebratory dinner the night of the Mumbai (store's) opening, Ratan Tata offered a toast that really moved me," Schultz writes in an essay in the book 'Reimagining INDIA: Unlocking The Potential of Asia's Next Superpower', edited by global consulting firm McKinsey.

Schultz recalls that while describing Starbucks' India launch and Tata's remarks at the celebrations later to a gathering of his company officials in the US, he even began to cry and was overpowered by emotion.

"A few weeks after returning from the opening of our Mumbai store, we held one of our big open forum meetings where we get the entire company together. And as I tried to describe that moment for everyone, something came over me.

I started to cry. It just hit me emotionally.

"In India we'd had a chance to do something extraordinary, something truly world class. And I am excited that we have a chance to grow and give back in a land where so much opportunity lies ahead and to contribute to making it a little better place than the one we found," Schultz said.

Tata's remarks on the night of the Mumbai opening were "perfect and so heartfelt," Schultz said in the essay, adding that he considers Tata to be a "man with so much grace.

BoE proclaims Britain's economic recovery

ronment continues to pose the greatest threat to the recovery; in particular, the necessary adjustments to indebtedness and competitiveness within the euro area may yet prove to be a much greater drag on growth.

"At home, the continuing need for adjustment and balance sheet repair in both public and private sectors may mean that the recent boost to growth from the lifting of uncertainty proves short-lived."

Britain is a member of

the European Union but not of the eurozone, but the single currency bloc is its major trading partner.

Carney, meanwhile, pledged that the BoE would maintain its "exceptional monetary stimulus" with its so-called quantitative easing programme, under which it has pumped ÂŁ375 billion ($598 billion, 446 billion euros) into the economy since March 2009 to boost lending and growth.

The British economy was expected to grow by about 1.6 per cent this year, the BoE said. That marked an upgrade from the previous estimate of 1.4 per cent made in August.

It also lifted its prediction for 2014 growth to around 2.8 per cent from 2.5 per cent previously.

The economy had expanded by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, or July-September period, growing by the fastest rate

for more than three years.

"The economy is growing robustly as lifting uncertainty and thawing credit conditions start to unlock pent-up demand," the BoE said in its report.

"But significant headwinds - both at home and abroad - remain, and there is a long way to go before the aftermath of the financial crisis has cleared and economic conditions normalise."

The BoE forecast also that Britain's unemployment rate was expected to drop to a key threshold of 7 per cent by the third quarter of 2015. That was about nine months sooner than previously flagged.

The bank does not plan to raise its interest rate from 0.50 per cent until the unemployment rate falls to at least the threshold, under so-called "forward guidance" policy launched by Carney in August shortly after he became governor.

The BSE Sensex and the Nifty rose for a third consecutive session on Tuesday to their highest closing levels in nearly two weeks, as a rally in debt markets boosted banks, the biggest holders of bonds, while sentiment remained underpinned by global factors.

The prospect of extended stimulus in the United States and signs of ambitious reforms in China have spurred a rally this week in Asian shares.

Overseas institutional investors are heading towards their third straight month of buying in Indian cash shares, totalling more than $5 billion since August, regulatory data showed. Traders say with the results season coming to an end, the market will focus on how developments on the global front and state elections will impact foreign fund flows.

"The new (incoming) Fed chairperson hinted that quantitative easing

may not stop for a while.

Along with that China has announced reform plans that are bringing dollars back into Asia," said Shrinivas Viswanath, cofounder of RKSV Securities, referring to testimony from US Fed chairman nominee Janet Yellen last week.

"Hopefully, we can convince FIIs that our reform plans, those announced and upcoming, are good reasons to continue investing in India," Viswanath

added. The sensex rose 0.19 per cent, or 40.08 points, to end at 20,890.82, marking its highest close since November 6.

The broader Nifty rose 0.23 per cent, or 14.35 points, to end at 6,203.35, marking its third consecutive session of gains.

Banks rose on the back of a rally in debt markets, which benefited from a stronger rupee and the introduction of a new benchmark 10-year bond this week.

Three persons of Indianorigin are among the 50 richest people in Africa, according to a list released

by Forbes magazine which said rising stock prices and new business deals are creating more billionaires in the continent.

Vimal Shah, Sudhir Ruparelia and Naushad Merali figure in the list which has been topped by Aliko Dangote who has a net worth of USD 20.8 billion and is the largest cement manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Shah is a newcomer on the list and ranks 18 with a net worth of USD 1.6 billion as of November 2013.

The 53-year-old AsianKenyan is the CEO of Bidco Oil Refineries, the largest manufacturer of edible oils in East and Central Africa, and manufactures detergents, soaps, baking powder and canola, as well as other

edible oils.

In 1985, Shah, his father and younger brother started manufacturing soaps and in 2002, acquired a significant portion of Unilever's edible oil businesses.

Bidco grossed over USD 500 million in annual revenues and its products are manufactured, sold and distributed in 14 countries across Africa.

Ruparelia ranks 24 on the list and has a net worth of USD 1.1 billion.

The 57-year-old chairs the Ruparelia Group, an Ugandan property and banking conglomerate that owns hundreds of Ugandan properties, hotels, a chain of foreign exchange bureaus, a business that grows and exports roses and Crane Bank, the country's thirdlargest commercial bank.

Ruparelia is, however, facing some legal troubles after Ugandan environ-

mentalists sued his rose business claiming the farm's activities were threatening the world's largest freshwater lake.

Ruparelia has denied any wrongdoing.

On the 48th spot is Merali with a net worth of USD 430 million. The 62year-old Asian-Kenyan tycoon is the founder of the Sameer Group, a conglomerate with activities in construction, agriculture, information technology, telecom and finance.

Merali also serves as chairman of mobile phone major Bharti Airtel's Kenya operations. The average net worth of each list member is USD 2.1 billion and the total wealth of Africa's 50 richest is USD 103.8 billion.

The number of 10-figure fortunes in Africa has surged to 27, up from 16 a year ago, on the back of rising stock prices and new business deals.

Technology services major Tata Consultancy Services, launched a 10,000-seat campus, Garima Park, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The software development facility was inaugurated by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

TCS CEO & managing director N Chandrasekaran, said, "This will help TCS scale up its presence and drive the expansion of the IT industry in Gujarat."

Developed over 25.5 acres of land with a builtup area of 1.6 million square feet, TCS Garima Park is the latest addition to the company's global network of software development and delivery centers. It features software development and delivery centers of multiple sizes.

Britain's economic recovery "has finally taken hold", the Bank of England said as it upgraded its growth forecasts despite headwinds from the eurozone debt crisis.

The BoE added that unemployment could fall faster than expected, signalling that its key interest rate could rise from the current record-low level sooner than anticipated.

However, the central bank warned that the eurozone debt crisis would continue to cloud the outlook, adding that it would remain "vigilant" over buoyant domestic house prices.

"For the first time in a long time, you don't have to be an optimist to see the glass as half full. The recovery has finally taken hold," BoE governor Mark Carney said as he unveiled the bank's latest quarterly economic forecasts.

The bank's report added: "The external envi-

Mark Carney

BSE Sensex near two-week closing high

Three persons of Indian-origin among Africa's 50 richest

TCS opens software development facility in Gandhinagar

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

FINANCIAL VOICE

Domino Effect

19

This week we have completed our development in a large 1,400 sq ft flat in Kensington. It was a probate sale originally and we had to fight off other bidders. We secured the flat at £890k, the original sale price was £825k. Paying way over the asking price is psychologically difficult to digest, however the price we have paid is way below what, in our opinion, the flat is worth. The flat is a share of freehold, and has three aspects, meaning windows in three different directions. This gives the flat a light and airy feel.

It was purchased in January of this year and has taken a lot longer to finish than first anticipated; as with most build projects sometimes unforeseen issues arise.

Firstly the timings you could work in were very strict, loud work could only be done during half the day, which the builder himself wasn’t aware of until after he gave us the quotation and started the job.

Secondly there was an elderly lady in the flat directly below who was partially deaf and needed hearing aids. As soon as the work started she was up in arms about the noise and even more so as she had not been informed the works were due to start by the managing agent. We also had to deal with her family who got involved.

This led to accusations of cracks appearing, dust, furniture ruined which all had to be dealt with on an ongoing basis.

Th is was further f rustrate d by her insistin g sh e wou ld on ly allow people she kn ew in to the flat , t here fore was relu ctant to let our bu il ders in.

To top it all off we wanted to put a wooden floor in which required acoustic insulation to the degree it was insane. The flooring cost us £26k in the end! All of which was strictly specified.

Things happen which are sometimes unaccounted for and this is part and parcel of the job.

Luckily we had bought well, and this has been compounded by a rising market over the last twelve months, and so during this period there has been upward pressure on the prices. Our resale forecast for this property was in the region of £1.3m and so we were presently surprised when the agent stated it would be around £1.4m with a hope of achieving £1.5m by creating a bidding war situation.

This actually is the worst possible time in the year to put a property on the market. The longer a property stays on the market and doesn’t sell the worse it looks; it gets 'stale'. Therefore even though the property is completed, now is not the time to market – at least publicly. We have told the agent to show it to buyers off market so it still retains an air of exclusivity. We aim to market it publicly in the third week of January when the property market starts picking up after its Christmas lull.

Despite the issues we had with the flat below, we were helpful to her during the project and helped her overcome the issues downstairs. By the by, we managed to get wind she would possibly be going into a home and so her property will be coming up for sale.

There are distinct advantages to selling to us besides price of the property. Most obviously we do not need to see the property, there will be no buyers coming in to the flat as with a conventional sale, and causing a disturbance. We are very flexible regarding the completion date, our proposal was to exchange straight away and then leave completion for say 8 months or earlier at the seller's discretion, as the date for her move to the home is not fixed.

Another property in the posh part of Hampstead is also coming on sale this week; this too will be fully dressed and is a lateral first floor flat of similar proportions.

I n t h i s si t u a t i o n t h e m a r k e t h a s a l s o r i s e n an d t h e p r i c e w e ar e h o pi n g t o a t t a i n i s i n e x c e s s o f o u r o r i g i n a l f o r e c as t .

Th e prope rty, despit e the slig ht hiccups, was finishe d to a high stan dard and it was f urn ishe d f ully inclu ding to wels and soaps.

We wanted a show flat as our aim is to make the buyer emotionally attached to the property, to the point where money is a secondary consideration. It is surprising how many developers fall at the last hurdle and fail to show their flat in the best light possible.

Dressing the property is as essential as dressing up for an interview or seeing a brand new car well polished and clean. Buying a new car makes no sense economically, but people buy them every day of the year because of the marketing involved.

Our fund will be closing very shortly, in a week's time. We have already agreed our first deal; it’s a block of flats in south Kensington which we have agreed at roughly £1,000 per sq ft, which is 25% less than the market price. We feel this should be an easy trade, meaning we are confident of disposing of these properties prior to completion. The fund will be used only to purchase properties where we can see the resell as it is before the completion period, thereby giving investors an aggressive return in a short space of time. We will be avoiding development for the purposes of this fund.

This block of flats will in our opinion be easy to dispose of prior to completion even at full market value, however in the interest of a speedy transaction we will be leaving some margin in the deal.

Time is an important factor and therefore we don’t just want the right price but the deal needs to be executed quickly so we are in a position to reinvest again and again. It seems the market will be on an upward trajectory for the next couple of years. I feel the serious rise will begin in January 2014 onwards after the seasonal lull of Christmas when everything practically stops. This rise will be fuelled in part by the Government Help to Buy scheme, which will allow both new buyers and home buyers to potentially purchase property up to £600,000 for a mere £30,000. We are bullish about the property market in London in general over the next couple of years and one good way to really exploit the market is by trading property contracts. This means you sell on the property prior to completion, thereby avoiding all the expenses associated with final completion. This also allows you to always be in a position of a buyer.

The Real Deal

Rochester Row, London SW1P Purchase Price: £290k l A beautiful studio flat in a great location near Victoria Street l Long lease l Moments away from the upmarket shops, bars and restaurants on Victoria Street l Value of the property expected to be around £400k Call us now to secure the deal!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

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

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l As with any business venture it is always wise to have multiple exit strategies; property has this naturally, instead of reselling you can refinance and rent. l Before you get involved in flipping properties, do your research. Like any other business venture, flipping requires not just money, but time, skill, knowledge and contacts.

20

FINANCIAL VOICE maria@abplgroup.com

A Mixed Bag

Maria Fernandes

Denying rights to children A letter to the Times of 18th November signed by a number of organisations who act for children has expressed concerns about the implications of changes proposed in the Immigration Bill. In short, they have rightly identified the fact that the changes will limit children’s access to vital services with regard to healthcare and accommodation. To recap – the plan is to force GPs and landlords to check the immigration status of applicants. Failure to do so will result in substantial penalties. It means that children will be the casualties of these changes.

The food industry A food writer, Giles Coren, who reviews restaurants, bemoaned the fact that he was only able to review one Indian restaurant as he has found that restaurants appear to have a significant turnover of staff with the result that the food is variable. It can be great one week and not so good the following week. Not surprising at all given the fact that Indian restaurants are so restricted from bringing any new staff and even taking on the ones already here is

usually such an uphill task that many give up and make do with poorly trained and skilled staff.

Need for holistic health therapists There is a need for yoga teachers and therapists in various disciplines for a burgeoning industry in all things related to good health. These therapists provide a vital service but there is severe shortage of staff in this area. The occupation code does not allow for these professionals to qualify and they should. The health farms are crying out for these skills, in vain.

Human rights The vexed question of the dumbing down of human rights goes on by providing examples of bad cases which have beaten the system.

Tinkering on the edges In the meantime, any news is good news. The latest plan to ditch the bond system for visitors was bound to happen and should have happened much earlier. Still the latest plan to allow spouses to send in copies of their passports will enable them to travel for the months and months it takes for applications to be processed.

Gujarat good for serious investors: German envoy

German ambassador to India Michael Steiner said that Gujarat was one of the better states to invest in a country where the investment climate was otherwise unsafe.

"The world is a beauty contest of investments and investors go where it is reliable to invest. The image of India for outsiders has changed and if the overall investment has decreased in the country, it has something to do with its image. But Gujarat is one of the better places for serious investors," said Steiner, who was in Ahmedabad to inaugurate 'Excellence on Tour', an exhibition and science-related activities at Gujarat Science City.

Sharing his views on the European Union (EU)-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and India's impending FTA with EU, Steiner said that FTAs shape the future of countries.

"Trade is based on trust and FTA provides the basis for the trust. Any German CEO would happily invest in India if the conditions are reliable," he said.

Michael Steiner

Earlier this year, a lunch at Steiner's residence in New Delhi had unofficially ended the decade-long boycott of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi who is the BJP's candidate for prime minister's post after next year's Lok Sabha elections. Calling him a 'national figure', the German ambassador said his country was willing to deal with leaders chosen by democratic means.

"As long as Indians chose him, we will not challenge their choice.

Business follows its own rules. A part of democracy is in leadership and not only does a country need a good leader but also an efficient decisionmaker and a mechanism where the overall governance, the bureaucracy is efficient," the ambassador said.

A show to inspire and entertain ambitious officer workers

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

By Rudy Otter Office parties featuring small groups standing around with wine glasses and fixed smiles are a thing of the past. These days such get-togethers may well be enlivened by the appearance of snakehipped "Bollywood" dancers and Indian drummers filling the air with rousing Hindi entertainment.

Harem Nights, a Berkshire-based company set up by Tim Walters five years ago, was among the 180 exhibitors at an annual 2-day show in London's Olympia called simply "office." It is aimed at boosting the career prospects of personal and executive assistants

and office managers.

There was advice on how to identify one's strengths and weaknesses, how to inspire and manage change, effective business writing, coping with stress and a host of other topics aimed at boosting their skills and confidence in reaching out for promotion.

Walters told me: We at Harem Nights set up marquees or transform any venues to suit clients' needs for events like office parties or team-building sessions. Our Bollywoodstyle shows and bellydancing are all the rage.

What's more, clients are welcome to join in the fun."

Many Asians were

among the visitors seeking to better their career prospects and taking the opportunity to network with other office workers.

Also taking part were suppliers of office equipment, business travel arrangements, fast food firms and others, including one called "errand plus" of London's Docklands which collects and delivers items across the capital anything from packages to dry-cleaning - as well as acting as house-sitters on behalf of busy folk who cannot take time off for workmen's visits.

"Asians use our services a lot," said owner Oga (correct) St. John. "One Asian wanted to buy a football shirt for his son,

To coincide with British PM David Cameron’s India visit, British asset manager Praefinium Partners has announced the launch of its India SME Fund II. Fund raising has commenced immediately to a size of up to Euro200m to invest in Indian small and medium enterprises.

“This is our second India fund and we are delighted to announce it following the British Prime Minister’s visit to India. As a British company ourselves we want to be at the heart of building closer trading and investment ties between Britain, EU and India. Our first fund returned 18% per annum (after all fees) from June 2009-December 2012 when the Indian stock market only generated around half that annually,” said Alpesh Patel, Ajay Singh, Nayan Srivastava, Founding Principals at Praefinium Partners, “and we expect our second fund to do even better given the improved conditions and our significant experience of generating returns.”

Positive Investor and

India Impact Praefinium Partners EU based funds are managed by its UK HQ asset management company and focus on healthcare and clean energy in India for the greatest investor returns as well as the greatest positive social impact to India. “Being European-Indian diaspora members we don’t remote manage our investments from the West, equally we have Indian business deal making experience. We are young enough to be hungry to outperform our peers and experienced enough to have a proven track record. India to us is not just a growth story it is also part of our global social responsibility to invest in the world’s largest democracy and the needs of its people through clean energy and healthcare solutions.

Through Private Equity we are long term investors, and also put our money where our mouths are because all three founding Principals own the UK asset management company, so this is our private

family office,” added the Principals.

Praefinium India SME FUND II Availability Praefinium as a member of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and Alpesh Patel has been UKTI Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) Dealmaker responsible for India.

Founded in 2005, Praefinium Partners offers funds designed to generate diversification, superior returns and mitigate risk through a healthy mix of early- and late stage investments with a soft focus on (renewable) energy, consumable and healthcare sectors. Innovative and pre-arranged exits are negotiated whenever possible (e.g. promoter buyback). The fund will be on offer only to institutional investors and family offices with the minimum investor investment size around Euro1m.

For more information, press only:

Praefinium Partners launches Euro200m India investment fund

Alpesh B Patel Founding Principal 0203 178 4259 a.patel@praefinium.com

signed by the boy's favourite Chelsea player, so we joined a long queue of fans and clinched the deal." She added: "We'll do anything so long as it's legal and safe, and are happy to quote for any job we take on."

Mumbai-born Paula Hawes, senior account manager at The Ascott (correct) Limited, told me the London City-based company - "the biggest of its kind" - provides serviced 1-to-2 bedroom residences and apartments for business and private clients on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The Ascott has more than 30,000 properties worldwide, seven of which are in central London alone.

Xpress gold loan from all UAE exchange branches

UAE Exchange, a leading financial services company in the world, has started offering its Xpress Gold Loan service at their Manor Park (London) and Soho Square (off Oxford Street, London) branches with effect from October 15th. With this, the Gold Loan services are now offered at all the 13 branches of UAE Exchange in UK. Gold Loans from UAE Exchange are a much cheaper alternative to payday loans.

The interest charged on Gold loans starts from just 2.75 % per month up to a maximum of 3.99 % per month. For a £ 400 Gold loan from UAE Exchange it would cost only £ 15.96 per month, when compared with £ 127.15 charged by a payday lender. Gold Loans have become quite popular among the Asian community due to the low interest rates and instant sanction.

People are using Gold Loans to even part fund their home purchase.

Prideview Properties organise dinner for pharmacist & medical investors

The Prideview Group organised a pharmacist and medical investor dinner on Wednesday, 13th November. Over 75 pharmacists & medical professionals came from all over London, Leicester and Brighton to attend the event. Nilesh Patel introduced The Prideview Group before summarising precisely what commercial property investment is, and then discussing the market today and finance packages available. Jesal Patel then ran the attendees through 5 deals recently done for medical investors, ranging from straightforward 'blue-

From left to right: Jesal Patel, Nilesh Patel, John Barnett, Priyen Patel and Vishal Patel

chip' investments to a management-intensive mixed parade with development potential, revealing the prices paid and returns achieved. The guest speaker, John Barnett, head of

Barnett Ross Auctioneers, closed the seminar with speaking about the importance of investing in welllocated property that will stand the test of time and can be passed down the

generations.

Members & associates from The Prideview Group were present on hand to answer the questions of the attendees, including Prideview's finance broker, accountant and lawyer.

After an informative conference, guests also enjoyed a delicious and sumptuous buffet dinner & plenty of drinks.

The Prideview Group plans to host a similar event next year and pharmacists & medical professionals were requested to register their interest by emailing Nilesh@pridemanagement.co.uk

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

21

Foreign Exchange

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

BoE Raises their GDP Forecasts Sterling slid to a two-month low against the dollar in the week ending 15th November after the national rate of inflation fell to a 13 month low to 2.2% in October, tumbling from 2.7% the previous month and much lower than economists had expected.

Plenty of economists were quick to note that at 2.2%, it is still three times the average pace of wage growth. This highlights the fact that real wages are in fact falling in the UK and many households are still struggling.

The lower inflation was driven by cheaper fuel prices and smaller rises in university tuition fees than this time last year; however economists were quick to warn that with energy price hikes on the horizon consumers would continue to feel big strains on their budgets. This could prove a difficult time for retailers in the crucial Christmas spending period.

The squeeze on consumer spending can already be seen as retail sales figures for October fell by 0.7% with year on year figures coming in at 1.8%, which was a sharp drop from the forecast of 3.1%.

The pound however did

receive a welcome boost after the Bank of England bought forward the date they expect the UK unemployment rate to fall to 7% to the third quarter 2015. As part of the BoE’s forward guidance plan, UK unemployment needs to be 7% before the BoE decide to hike up interest rates.

The BoE also raised their GDP forecasts to 1.6% from 1.4% for 2013 and to 2.8% from 2.5% for 2014.

UK data showed that the number of people filing for jobless claims fell more than expected to 41,700 in October and the ILO unemployment rate in the

three months leading up to September fell to 7.6%, the lowest in three years. The data adds weight to the BoE’s estimate for when the unemployment rate will fall to 7%.

Germany rate of inflation hit a three low following on from the falls in inflation from the Eurozone as a collective two weeks ago. Demand for the euro also dampened following data showing that industrial production fell more than expected by 0.5% in September from a month earlier.

Following the recent interest rate cut undertaken by the

European Central Bank, ECB executive board member Peter Praet indicated that the central bank could cut interest rates to below zero or undertake quantitative easing in order to lift inflation closer to its target of just below 2%.

Eurozone GDP Figures were also released in the week ending 15th November, with growth slowing to 0.1% from 0.3% in the previous quarter.

Individually several economies in the Eurozone actually shrank in the third quarter, most notably France and Italy, whose economies contracted 0.1% each. Greece shrank by 0.3%, Germany grew by 0.3% and Spain grew by 0.2%.

These GDP figures seem to back up Draghi’s decision to cut interest rates in the area to try and stimulate growth.

Janet Yellen, who is expected to take over from Ben Bernanke as the new Federal Reserve Chairmen signalled her intentions last week by reaffirming that she will carry on with the banks quantitative easing programme until she sees an improvement in the US economy.

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 19th November 2013 @ 3.30pm GBP - INR = 100.11 USD - INR = 62.14 EUR - INR = 84.06 GBP - USD = 1.61 GBP - EUR = 1.19

EUR - USD = 1.35 GBP - AED = 5.92

GBP - CAD = 1.68

GBP - NZD = 1.93

GBP - AUD = 1.71

GBP - ZAR = 16.36

GBP - HUF = 353.30

www.rationalfx.com

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

22

PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-SRI LANKA

In Focus

Kashmir core dispute that needs to be resolved: Pakistan

Islamabad: Amid anger in New Delhi over the meeting between Pakistan prime minister's foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz and Kashmiri separatists, Islamabad said it was customary for a Pakistani senior functionary to consult Kashmiri leaders as the Kashmir issue was the "core dispute" between the two countries that needs to be resolved. "For us, this is an important activity. We believe that the Kashmir issue is the core dispute between the two countries that needs to be resolved." "We further believe that the Kashmiri leadership ought to be associated with the dialogue process between India and Pakistan. We have always affirmed our moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people for their struggle to self-determine their destiny. That support will continue."

10 killed, 80 injured in Rawalpindi violence

Islamabad: At least 10 people, including some students of a Sunni seminary, were killed and over 80 others injured in sectarian violence that erupted in Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi after a clash during a Muharram procession, following which a curfew was imposed.

Army soldiers were called out and all mobile services were suspended to control the situation. Government and police officials said that the clashes started when a Shia procession was passing through Raja Bazar area of Rawalpindi.

US disputes Amnesty report on drones

Washington: The US has disputed a recent report by a prominent human rights group that by using drones it has acted contrary to international law. The United States "takes extraordinary care" to make sure that its counter terrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable domestic and international law, and that they are consistent with US values and policy, state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. The state department, she said, has completed the review of the recently released report of London-based Amnesty International on use of drones in Pakistan, which according to it was in violation of international law. The state department also disputed the figures of civilian casualties by the Amnesty report, which Psaki said was on a very higher side.

Jatiya party in Bangladesh to float new alliance

Dhaka: In Bangladesh, the Jatiya party has broken its alliance from the ruling party, Awami League and called for freedom as tensions escalate between two main political parties of the nation ahead of the general elections due in January.

Former President of Bangladesh, Hussain Muhammad Ershad called for independence from both the leading feuding parties, the Awami League and the BNP.

Gunmen kill Shia director of Pakistan university

Lahore: Unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle on Tuesday killed a senior Shia director of a university along with his driver in Pakistan's central Punjab province, officials said. In an apparent targeted sectarian attack, Syed Shabir Hussain Shah, director of student affairs at a university in the eastern city of Gujrat city in Punjab province, was attacked while on his way to the campus. "Gunmen riding a motorbike sprayed bullets on his vehicle when he was about to reach the university campus in (the) morning. His driver was also killed in the attack," Ali Nasir Rizvi, the district police chief, said.

Pak court imposes restriction on screening of Indian movies

Lahore: A Pakistani court on Tuesday imposed restrictions on the screening of Indian films across the country and laid down certain conditions for their release.

Justice Khalid Mahmood of the Lahore high court issued the interim order in response to a petition filed by controversial TV talk show host Mubshir Lucman, a former film producer known for his anti-India stance.

Lucman claimed that under Pakistani rules, Indian

movies that are shot completely in India and are sponsored by an Indian cannot be screened in the country.

He alleged "fake papers" were being used to change the identity of sponsors to screen Indian films in Pakistan. He also produced a court order to back up his arguments.

The court directed authorities not to allow the screening of films that are imported using "fake" documents and are not sponsored by a Pakistani or foreign

Interim govt installed to oversee Bangladesh elections

Dhaka: Poll-bound Bangladesh today installed an “all-party” interim government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to oversee upcoming elections despite boycott by the main opposition BNP which termed the move as “farce”, heightening tension in the country. Six ministers and two state ministers took oath to join an election-time Cabinet. President Abdul Hamid administered the oath at the presidential palace. All the new ministers are from the constituents of the Awami League-led grand alliance. The new ministers are: Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed (Awami League), Rashed Khan Menon (Workers Party), and Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Rawshan Ershad (Jatiya Party).

The state ministers are: Mujibul Haque Chunnu and Salma Islam (Jatiya Party).

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its 18party alliance have repeatedly rejected Hasina’s call to join the all-party government, saying elections would not be credible under her leadership.

The BNP termed the all-party cabinet as “farce”.

The opposition have long been demanding restoration of a non-party caretaker government, a constitutional provi-

Sheikh Hasina

sion which was annulled in June 2011. The formation of an all party government headed by Hasina has pitted the ruling Awami League against the BNP, raising fear of violence ahead of the election to be held by Janaury 25. Hasina called on the President and explained her idea about the all-party government.

Hasina’s meeting with the president came hours after the former Cabinet held an emergency meeting.

Last week, the ministers had handed their resignation letters to Hasina to pave the way for constituting the allparty government. BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a statement said, “It’s just another farce of the grand alliance government” while the party’s joint secretary general said “the all-party government is just another version of the grand alliance government”.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

national.

The judge also directed the Film Censor Board and Board of Revenue to respond to the petition at the next hearing on November 25.

The court's order came days after Pakistan's electronic media regulator slapped fines worth Rs 10 million on 10 entertainment channels for airing excessive Indian and foreign content, including films and serials.

Indian movies have largely fuelled a boom in the Pakistani box office after for-

mer military ruler Pervez Musharraf eased restrictions on their import in 2006. The screening of Indian movies was banned by Pakistan after the 1965 war but pirated copies of the films were widely available across the country.

Bollywood movies, which are released almost simultaneously in Pakistan, have brought people back to cinemas and led to the construction of new cineplexes in cities like Islamabad and Lahore.

Pak to put Musharraf on treason trial

Islamabad: Pakistan announced on Sunday that it would put former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf on trial for treason, punishable by death or life imprisonment, for imposing emergency rule in 2007.

“Following the judgment of the Supreme Court and a report submitted by an inquiry committee, it has been decided to start proceedings against General Pervez Musharraf (for treason) under Article 6 of the Constitution,” interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.

“It is happening for the first time in the history of Pakistan and the decision has been taken in the national interest,” Khan said. The minister said the country’s Chief Justice would on Monday receive a letter from the government requesting the setting-up of a tribunal of three high court judges to start proceedings against Musharraf.

The government would also announce a special prosecutor on Monday.

Musharraf is already facing four major criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, including one related to the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007.

Pervez Musharraf

Last week he asked a court to let him leave the country to visit his sick mother in Dubai. The court was expected to rule on the application on Monday.

There have been rumours that a deal would be reached for Musharraf to leave Pakistan without going through his trials. Khan said that thrice-elected PM Nawaz Sharif’s government had come to power five months ago and it never demonstrated any “revengeful” gesture towards Musharraf. He overthrew the Sharif government in a bloodless military coup in October 1999, but a year later the Supreme Court validated the take over.

Nepalis give politicians another chance, vote to end gridlock

Kathmandu: Nepalis voted on Tuesday for an assembly that will draft a constitution aimed at ending years of instability but the election may not produce a conclusive result and could leave the country facing more turmoil.

Nepal's giant neighbours, India and China, have grown increasingly concerned about its prolonged struggle to build a stable republic to replace a centuries old monarchy that was toppled by a 10-year revolt by Maoist rebels.

The fear is that the poor, mountainous country of nearly 27 million people, which is dependent on tourism, remittances and aid, will drift without effective government and become a haven for militants and criminal gangs.

Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala (C) casts his ballot

On Tuesday, a bomb exploded near a polling station in the capital, Kathmandu, wounding a boy, police said. A 33-party alliance led by a breakaway group of Maoists, who took up politics after ending their guerrilla war in 2006, has called for an election boycott.

Police fired in the air in three districts in the west and east of the country after unidentified men tried to snatch ballot papers. A woman was injured.

Clashes between political workers were also reported in several places but police spokesman Ganesh K.C. said

there had been no major violence by around mid-day.

Voters showed up early to elect the 601-member constituent assembly that will act as a parliament and establish a government until a charter is ready. "We have to give the politicians another chance," said Lal Bahadur Lama, 58, as he emerged from a polling booth in the capital where soldiers stood guard.

The streets of Kathmandu were largely deserted as the government ordered all vehicles off the roads for election day.

A previous attempt at drawing up a constitution after a 2008 election failed with political parties unable to agree on the form of government and the number of states to be carved out of the ethnically diverse country.

WORLD

In Focus

Mandela still critical but stable

Johannesburg: The condition of South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela is still "stable but critical", the country's Presidency said on Monday. "Madiba (the clan name of Mandela) continues to respond to treatment," reported Xinhua citing the Presidency after President Jacob Zuma paid a visit to Mandela's Houghton home. President Zuma met Mandela's family and brought them the well wishes from South Africans and those from other parts of the world.

52 killed in Russian plane crash

Moscow: As many as 52 people, comprising 46 passengers and six crew, were killed when a Boeing 737 crashed in a Russian city of Kazan on landing, Xinhua reported. The plane had taken off from Moscow, and was reportedly trying to land but exploded on impact.

There were no immediate indications of what may have led to the crash, but reports said the pilot had already tried to land twice before - and crashed on the third attempt.

Violent tornadoes kill 8 in US Midwest, dozens injured

Chicago: Residents sifted through piles of rubble on Monday as they recovered from violent tornadoes that ripped through four midwestern US states, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens. An unusually powerful fall storm spawned reports of 81 twisters in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio on Sunday along with powerful winds and heavy rain which soaked a dozen states. Homes were smashed into rubble, cars and trucks were tossed into the air, trees were ripped out of the ground and downed power lines left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark. In the hardhit town of Washington, Illinois Michelle Cumrine came back from a trip to find that her house was completely gone.

Malala, Malia Obama among Time's 16 most influential teens

New York: Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and the elder daughter of US President Barack Obama, Malia, are on Time magazine's list of 16 most influential teens of 2013. The list took young people who have inspired the society by their work in various fields like music, sports, technology, science, writing and media. The magazine said that like her father's second inaugural address, Malia, 15, and her sister, Sasha, act with the poise of adults. "President Obama often mentions his daughters in speeches, and says that they influenced his stance on gay marriage," the magazine said. Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by the Taliban on the bus she was going home to from school in Pakistan in 2012. Malala was a target because of her vocal activism to better the education of girls under Taliban rule, Time said. After surviving the attack, the now-16-year-old didn't hide in fear but strengthened her voice, it added.

Malala received the Sakharov Prize and Clinton Global Citizen Award this year for freedom of speech.

Indian activist poised to be first ever elected socialist in US

Washington: A young Indian-American activist-academic is poised to become the first recognized socialist to be elected to a public office in the United States, where the term socialism and socialist are treated with deep suspicion and disdain. Kshama Sawant, a Puneborn leftist who studied engineering in Mumbai and economics in the US is leading her Democratic Party rival Richard Conlin by a narrow margin of about 400 votes for a seat in the Seattle City Council, whose electoral college consists of nearly 400,000 voters.

Although some 20,000 mail-in ballots remain to be counted after the November 4 polls, which had a 50 per cent voter turn-out, some pollsters are calling the election for Sawant based on latest trends. The official result will be known only after November 25 when all the votes are counted. Sawant, who has been an activist in the Occupy Wall Street movement, is a candidate of the Socialist Alternative in a city that is renowned for its progressive politics. She ran for a seat in the State Congress last year against the House speaker and polled a modest 20,000 votes (29 per cent) in her electoral debut, which she says convinced her there was core support for the socialist platform. ''It was evident that people yearned for a progressive voice,'' Sawant said in an interview. ''They have felt let down by the two traditional political outfits and sorely lacked a third party voice. We tapped into that.''

Raising $ 115,000 from grassroots activism and putting together a volunteer team of 350 people, Sawant campaigned on a platform of raising minimum wage to $15 an hour (highest in the country), implementing rent control, protecting public sector unions from layoffs, instituting higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for public union jobs and services etc.

23

China to relax one-child policy, free up markets, abolish labour camps

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

Beijing: China unwrapped its boldest set of economic and social reforms in nearly three decades, relaxing its one-child policy and further freeing up markets in order to put the world's second-largest economy on a more stable footing.

The sweeping changes helped dispel doubts about the leadership's zest for the reforms needed to give the economy fresh momentum as three decades of breakneck expansion shows signs of faltering.

A reform document released by the Communist Party following a four-day conclave of its top brass promised land and residence registration reforms needed to boost China's

Xi Jinping

urban population and allow its transition to a western-style service and consumption-driven economy. Pricing of fuels, electricity and other key resources - now a source of major distortions - would be mainly decided by markets, while Beijing also pledged to speed up the

Former autocrat’s brother sworn in Maldives president

Male (Maldives): The brother of the Maldives’ former authoritarian ruler was sworn as the country’s new president on Sunday, a day after his runoff victory capped a messy election that raised concerns that the tiny archipelago nation’s fragile new democracy was in jeopardy.

In a close runoff on Saturday, voters chose Yaamin Abdul Gayoom, the brother of former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Indian Ocean nation for 30 years, over the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader.

Gayoom and his deputy, Mohamed Jameel, were sworn in on Sunday by the country’s chief justice. Gayoom received 51.4 per cent of the vote on Saturday, according to the Elections Commission.

Mohamed Nasheed, who led the Maldives’ struggle for democracy and was elected president in the country’s first multiparty election in 2008, had 48.6 pc.

Nasheed, who resigned last year amid protests, was the leading vote-getter in the Nov. 9 first round, with 47pc to Gayoom’s 30 pc, but a runoff was required because no candidate got 50 pc.

Gayoom improved on his first-round performance by courting supporters of tourist resort owner Qasim Ibrahim, who finished third in the first round with 23 pc of the vote. Ibrahim drew his support from conservative Muslims who accused Nasheed of undermining Islam because of his friendly relations with Israel and Western nations.

Addressing the nation after being sworn in, Gayoom said his main priority would be to “increase the love of the

Yaamin Abdul Gayoom

religion and the nation” and bring back stability.

He also promised economic policy changes that would give more opportunities to youth, fishermen and farmers. Nasheed was the clear pre-election favourite, but lost his momentum amid long delays to complete the election.

He conceded the election and said he would not challenge the results.

opening up of its capital account and further financial liberalization.

"The reforms are unprecedented," said Xu Hongcai, senior economist at the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, a well-connected Beijing think tank.

"Reforms in 1990s were limited to some areas, now reforms are all-round."

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, appointed in March, announced several breakthroughs in social policy, pledging to unify rural and urban social security systems and to abolish controversial labor camps, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the

document. The plans, more comprehensive and specific than initially thought, also dispelled concerns that Xi would need more time to take full charge of China's vast party and government bureaucracy. China-watchers took the establishment of a working group to lead economic reform and a new state security council as further signs of how effectively Xi managed to consolidate power just eight months after he officially took over.

"This is almost an unprecedented move toward unlimited power," said Zhang Lifan, a Beijing-based historian and political commentator.

Aussies drop charges against ‘Doc Death’

jail, the strength of Melbourne: An Patel’s defence and Indian-origin docthe cost of litigation, tor, accused of more than $3 milmanslaughter of lion, as factors in his several patients in decision.Patel was Australia, is likely to facing trial on two walk free after proscharges of ecutors dropped all manslaughter, two criminal medical negligence charges Jayant Patel of grievous bodily harm, an alternative charge against him, ending his of negligent acts causing long-running legal woes. harm, seven counts of Jayant Patel, 63, did not fraud and one of attempted react when he was formally discharged from the indictfraud. Earlier, he pleaded ments in the Supreme and guilty to fraud for dishondistrict courts in Brisbane. estly working as a medical Prosecutor Peter Davis practitioner in said the crown would not Queensland, the only be pursuing criminal medcharges the director of pubical negligence charges lic prosecutions chose to against Patel, an Indianpursue. Patel will be senborn US citizen, after tenced next week. The deciding it was not in the prosecutor told the court interests of justice. The that Patel’s plea of guilty to four counts of fraud director of public prosecu“appropriately reflects” his tions cited the amount of criminality in relation to time that passed, the time the fraud allegation.

Patel has already spent in

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24

INDIA

South

Teacher arrested for allegedly abusing Jaya, Cong MLA A private school teacher has been arrested for verbally abusing a Congress woman MLA while speaking on a live television show on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, besides making certain remarks against chief minister Jayalalithaa, police said. Casmirraj alias Tamil Dasan (45), residing at Mandaiveli, was arrested last week, police said. Earlier, Congress MLA from Vilavankode (Kanyakumari), S Vijayatharani had lodged a complaint with police after Raj abused her at an interactive show, it said. He had also allegedly made some remarks against Jayalalithaa.

Andhra leader to build temple for Sonia

Former minister and Secunderabad cantonment MLA P Shankar Rao said he would construct a temple for Congress president Sonia Gandhi in his constituency for announcing separate state of Telangana. Speaking to the media, Rao said this was the right way of expressing gratitude for conceding the demand for separate Telangana state. "I will lay the foundation stone for the temple in Secunderabad on December 9 (Sonia's birthday)," he said.

Doctor assaulted for delaying treatment

A middle aged woman allegedly manhandled a post graduate surgeon from M S Ramaiah hospital alleging him of slow treatment to her relative who was shifted to hospital with broken leg and head injuries. The victim Dr S Suresh is being treated in the same hospital for bruise injuries on his face and his colleagues filed a police complaint. By the time police arrived, the woman with the boy had fled the scene. The next day nearly 200 doctors from the hospital took a protest march from hospital which was called off after police assured immediate action against the accused.

Punjab

FIR filed against Punjab sports minister

The Gurgaon police finally lodged an FIR against the state Sports Minister and Gurgaon MLA, Sukhbir Kataria, and five others including the ACP (City) in connection with a case of bogus votes in the last legislative assembly election. The SHO of Gurgaon police station said that he had not received against court order but confirmed registration of an FIR against the six accused. The bogus votes were cast during the 2009 assembly elections. The court had passed the orders under Section 156 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code and it had also asked the SHO to file his report in the same court on December 23, 2013, after lodging the FIR.

Five high-profile thieves held

Five members of a high-profile gang involved in over 100 thefts in posh areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) were arrested in Gurgaon, police said. The gang moved in expensive cars, used networking sites for communicating with associates and took help of online portal to sell stolen goods. The thieves possessed a Sonata Gold car and a Maruti Zen. Other items recovered include 34 laptops, four LCD and LED TVs, two home theatres, ornaments and watches.

Award winning SHO arrested for corruption

The global award winning SHO Sanjiv Goyal of Bhawanigarh was arrested for taking a bribe of Rs 80,000. A corruption case has been registered against him and a bank manager who acted as a mediator in the deal. The action has been initiated on the orders of Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini.

The SHO was suspended after he was found to have taken the bribe. On August 11, Sanjiv Goyal won the global award for improving public safety and justice under police station reforms.

Reconsider Andhra bifurcation: Kiran Reddy

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy again said he was opposed to bifurcation of the state and asked the central government to reconsider the decision.

A day after postponing his visit to Delhi to meet Group of Ministers (GoM), the chief minister said the bifurcation would lead to more problems for Telangana.

He also warned that Maoist problem would raise its head in both states.

Kiran Reddy was addressing a public meeting at Chodavaram in Visakhapatnam district of coastal Andhra as part of 'Racchabanda' or mass con-

A string of 'mystery fever' cases in Chennai over the last few weeks has left doctors puzzled. "The fever shows symptoms of chikungunya and at times of dengue, but the tests are negative for both. Most of the patients come in with really high fever which lasts up to three days following which they have intense pain in the joints," said Dr V Ramasubramaniam, infectious disease specialist at Apollo Hospitals.

With the test results for various infectious diseases turning out to be negative, physicians find it difficult to prescribe medicines.

"Since we don't know the reasons for the ailment, we are forced to treat the symptoms. We prescribe medicines for the fever and painkillers for the joint aches. The symptoms are almost the same fever, followed by severe body pain which could last up to

tact programme of the government.

Pointing out that after all political parties favoured bifurcation, the Congress party was the last to take the decision, Kiran reddy said: "But we are opposing the decision. In fact, all people in

Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) are opposing it."

He said Telugu people could progress only if they remain united as with 294member assembly and 42 Lok Sabha members Andhra Pradesh would be one of the strong states in the country.

"Some people are saying Telangana will benefit from bifurcation and Seemandhra will suffer, but Telangana will suffer more than Seemandhra," he said. Kiran Reddy argued that division would lead to more expenditure and loss of revenue for both the states. He claimed that the two states would

have to spend Rs 50 billion more on salaries for their employees and pensioners.

Kiran Reddy claimed the two states would have to double the strength of their police forces, and there would be more pressure on police forces to maintain law and order.

"At present, additional forces are called from Seemandhra for smooth conduct of Ganesh procession in Hyderabad. Similarly, whenever there are problems in Seemandhra, police forces are rushed from Telangana.

But this situation will not be there after the bifurcation," he said.

two weeks or a month," said Dr T N Ravishankar, head, Deepam Hospital.

Doctors say a lot of patients discontinue the medication they prescribe and go for a second opinion as they don't get a concrete explanation for the cause.

Many patients are shuttling between doctors to find the reason for the fever and body aches. "At first I thought it was the routine seasonal flu. But when my temperature rose and my body ache became unbearable, I knew it was more than that. I couldn't even place my feet on the floor," said Susan Philip of Nungambakam.

When tests for chikungunya and dengue turned negative, she shifted to ayurveda. "Doctors said it was some viral fever and gave me painkillers. I was apprehensive about taking them so I switched treatment," she said.

A staggering 12,456 hapless immigrants from Andhra Pradesh living in Saudi Arabia have approached the Indian embassy in Riyadh to seek emergency certificates (EC) which would enable them to return to the country in pressing circumstances.

The clamour for these certificates comes in the wake of the Kingdom's second phase of crackdown on illegal and overstaying immigrants, many of whom are from Hyderabad.

Sources from the embassy pointed out that of the 12,456 workers who applied for ECs, 9,626 had confirmed their desire to return to the country while the rest were seeking to get their visa status 'corrected' by the Saudi authorities. They added that out of 9,626, 7,606 had collected the EC from the embassy to return to the country.

According to sources,

there are around 600,000 workers from the country, including 100,000 from Andhra, working in the Kingdom. NRIs living in the Kingdom pointed out that many from the state had availed the grace period given by the Saudi government after the first phase of crackdown which began late in March this year.

Meanwhile, AP State Minorities Commission chairman Abid Rasool Khan, who recently constituted a five-member committee comprising businessmen and activists to look into facilitating the return and rehabilitation of deportees, said he has sought the government's permission to leave for the Kingdom to assess the situation of immigrants from the state. "Once permission is granted, I will coordinate with the embassy officials and bring back our people," he said.

Gate (Attari Road) to the railway station, Queen's Road, Crystal Chowk, Company Gardens, SSSS Chowk, Celebration Mall and Verka Tracks connecting Court Road, Kitchlew Chowk, Rialto Chowk, railway station, Crystal Chowk, Bhandari Bridge, Elevated Road and Daburji.

The decision to introduce BRTS was taken by Punjab government at a meeting on September 19. Public works department, which will be the executing agency for the project, has been asked to start preliminary work on the project and complete the same within 12 months. After being launched in Amritsar and Ludhiana as a pilot project, BRTS would be replicated in Jalandhar and Mohali. A government spokesperson said that a delegation of Punjab government had recently conducted an in-depth analysis of the system in Istanbul.

Going beyond the fascination for foreign languages, Chandigarh youngsters are returning to Sanskrit - known as the mother of all languages.

The Sanskrit stall at Chandigarh Book Fair has attracted many visitors over the past two days and books, especially those that cater to basic learning are selling like hot cakes.

"The response to the stall has been very good so far better than we expected.

Books that are being picked up the most are the ones on Sanskrit speaking, writing and reading. Those who have never read Sanskrit can also learn the language through some of these books," said Narayan Trigun, a department of Sanskrit student, PU, who is volunteering at the stall for Sanskrit Academy, Chandigarh.

Sanskrit books that have been sold the most include dictionaries, 'Sanskrit and Science' titles, patriotic songs in Sanskrit and 'Women in Sanskrit Literature'. Trigun said dictionaries and beginners' books have been sold out with people picking up as many as 50-60 copies each.

CDs with patriotic songs and

shlokas in Sanskrit also interested many buyers.

Quran’s Punjabi translation in demand: A Punjabi translation of the Quran turned out to be one of the top selling books at the Book Fair.

It became the centre of attraction for many readers at the stall set up by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Chandigarh, which sold more than 50 copies in just two days. "We are selling the translated books at the minimum possible cost of Rs 350.

We have translations in three languages - Hindi, English, and Punjabi. Since the Quran is originally in Arabic, we decided to provide the translations in the language that people here understand", said Abdul Alim, owner of the stall. He further added: "People in Chandigarh are more into Punjabi, so in just two days, we have sold over 50 copies of the book, and have ordered for 60 more. We aim to promote 'Love for all, hatred for none', so we are giving a book - World Crisis and the Pathway to Peace - free of cost. People who are religious or those interested in issues like peace and humanity are most of the buyers here."

Kiran Kumar Reddy

Unknown fever baffles Chennai doctors

Amritsar to copy Ahmedabad BRTS model

Amritsar's bus rapid transport system (BRTS) will be much like the successful Ahmadabad model with bus stops located at interactions of roads to save alighting time for passengers. Punjab government has submitted project report to the ministry of urban development for seeking funding for the Rs 5 billion scheme.

Apart from tackling growing traffic congestion, the project, mooted on the lines of BRTS in Istanbul, Turkey, will result in construction of infrastructure with elevated roads and bridges to ensure smooth flow of buses.

Sources said unlike the existing system wherein buses stop for passengers ahead of traffic lights, BRTS will bring in the concept of passengers boarding the bus at intersections itself, which will utilize the waiting time at signal points.

Anurag Aggarwal, managing director, Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB), said work on the project would begin after approval from the ministry.

As per the plan, the BRTS will have 55 AC buses covering a 30-km route from India

12,456 Andhra migrants in Saudi waiting to return

Sanskrit language is latest rage in Chandigarh

INDIA

No bar on the number of Indian students in UK: Cameron

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

British Prime Minister David Cameron asserted that there would no bar on the number of Indian students in his country but cautioned that doors were open only to “genuine” learners having valid university admissions.

Talking in meeting at New Delhi, Cameron said that there is no limit on the number of Indian students in Britain but only requirement is students who have genuine British university admissions.

Reports said there was nearly 25 per cent decline in Indian students’ footfall in UK institutes. In 20102011, 39,090 Indian students enrolled in British universities for post-graduate courses. The number came down by 10,000 in 2011-12.

Cameron expressed his government’s commitment to stricter immigration controls since the previous regime “wasn't well managed, it wasn't well controlled over a 10-year period. We had an additional two million people coming into Britain, which is a big number”.

“Within such immigration control, we want to have the most attractive

offers for students from around the world and I think the two new limits – the limit on numbers and the limit on staying to work in a graduate job – make for a very good offer.

University graduates should be aiming to work in graduate jobs. I think it is a fair approach,” he stressed. Cameron was of the view that there was need to control the influx of people owing to smaller size of Britain in comparison to India.

Cameron focused on Business During his hurricane

of their Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) signed by both sides in October last year.

Both sides are on track to double trade in merchandise by 2015 from $15 billion last fiscal.

Cameron’s visit to Kolkata British Prime Minister renewed age-old colonial links with Kolkata. He said the expanding metropolis presented big opportunities for his nation in sectors like infrastructure and city planning, besides cleaning of rivers and waterways.

Cameron, who made a six-hour stopover in the city, the Indian capital till 1912 under colonial rule, strolled by British-era landmarks like the Howrah Bridge and Howrah Station, besides a trip to the Akashvani Bhawan (city headquarters of public broadcaster All India Radio).

Lauding the city for producing some of the greatest intelligent brains, he specifically mentioned Nobel laureates poetphilosopher Rabindranath Tagore and economist Amartya Sen, as also eminent physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, after whom the

25

sub-atomic particle Higgs boson has been partially named.

"Obviously in Kolkata, we think of the ties of the past, the ties of language, and the ties of culture. But mostly I think of the future," he said.

Cameron's visit coincided with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's promise to improve facilities in the city at par with London and her efforts to beautify the Ganga river front.

"You are thinking about how to clean up rivers and waterways. We had to do it in Britain about river Thames and others," Cameron said while interacting with students at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.

Describing IIM-C as one of the best of its kind in the world, Cameron spoke about the city's "great tradition of education" and said many British centres of learning were keen to partner Indian universities.

"We have the option of not only Oxford and Cambridge but others also, many of them looking to start up and partner Indian universities," the prime minister said.

visit to India David Cameron paid adequate attention on strengthening business ties between India and England. The visit, his third in two years, focused primarily on business, even as he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi.

Issues concerning flagship British companies like Vodafone and Tesco were high on his agenda.

Vodafone has been entangled in a row with Indian tax authorities, since it acquired Hutchison Whampoa’s Indian mobile telephony business in 2007 for $10.7 billion. According

to the Indian government, Vodafone has a tax liability of Rs 140 billion related to the acquisition. With elections looming, it seems a new government will take the final call.

Cameron, who came with more than 20 businessmen explored investment opportunities in West Bengal, as he met chief minister Mamata Banerjee there.

During his last visit here in February, India and the UK vowed to fight tax evasion and avoidance through the implementation of Amending Protocol

ate of Yale University, where he earned a medical degree and an MBA, he will easily be, by far, the youngest surgeon general in US history. He will also be the first surgeon general of Indian origin, recognizing the immense contribution of the IndianAmerican community to health care in the United

States.

There are an estimated 80,000 physicians of Indian origin in the US, nearly ten per cent of the 850,000 doctors in the country. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, whose parents emigrated from Karnataka, is currently a Hospitalist Attending Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, a position he has held since 2006.

The appointment thrilled the IndianAmerican community, particularly physicians who have long eyed the coveted post. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta was thought to be a shoo-in for the post in 2009.

The deliberations at the biggest annual congregation of the Parsis held on Sunday (November 17) at Sanjan in Gujarat's Valsad district this time was revolved around the issue of 'survival of Zoroastrian community in changing times' and on encouraging young Parsi couples to have more children.

More than 1,500 Parsis from across the country and abroad took part in the 'Sanjan Day' celebrations to commemorate the historic landing of Parsis on the Indian soil at

Sanjan, 1,297 years ago.

Keki Daruwalla, a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), one of the key speakers during celebrations, said, "The pertinent issue is the survival of Zoroastrian community. The present generation needs to be counseled so that the Parsi population increases."

Dinshaw Tamboly, chairman, World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust, said, "Every year there is a decrease of 10 to 15% in Parsi population.”

Australian brewery apologises to Hindus

Indian origin doctor to become US surgeon general

An Australian brewery has apologised for using images of Hindu deities on its alcoholic ginger beer bottles after the labels provoked outrage from Hindu devotees.

Brookvale Union Brewery's line of ginger beer carried a composite picture of the face of the Hindu deity Ganesh juxtaposed with the body of the goddess Lakshmi, while other religious motifs appear in the background.

Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, said the labels were "highly inappropriate", and called for their immediate removal.

"We're lovers, not fighters, we want to make it right," the brewery said in an apology. "With recent feedback brought

to our attention, we will be looking at design options for our bottles."

The company said it had used the images to compliment the drink's "flair, feel and colours of the Asian continent".

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world with about 1 billion

followers. It is the main religion in India.

"Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi were highly revered in Hinduism and they were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines, and not to be used in selling beer," Zed said.

US President Obama nominated Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy, who is only 36, to be surgeon general of the United States. The position, if confirmed by the Senate as required, will make Murthy the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the US and the operational head of the 6500-strong US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the seven uniformed services of the United States that includes army, navy, air force and marines. The nomination, which if confirmed will make Murthy the country's 19th surgeon general for an office that was established in 1871, is both audacious and unprecedented. A gradu-

Gandhian Anna Hazare and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, partners till recently, were on Tuesday locked in a war of words over money collected during the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement.

As Hazare raised questions about the funds but making it clear that he didn't doubt Kejriwal's integrity, the activistturned-AAP founderleader retorted that he would not contest elections if it was proved that he had used money given by people during the IAC campaign for his party.

"I have never said that Arvind is corrupt or collecting money in my name," Hazare told the media in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra amid charges and counter-charges by both sides.

"I had some doubts, so I wrote to him. The letter was a personal communication and it was he (Kejriwal) who made it public," said Hazare.

"I was told that SIM cards were issued in my name during the IAC movement, the sale of which led to collection of funds," he said, referring

to 2011 when Hazare fasted for 12 days at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, triggering mass protests in solidarity.

The Gandhian said someone had filed a petition in a court related to the SIM cards.

In New Delhi, Kejriwal insisted that the funds collected during the IAC movement against corruption were not used for AAP's election campaign, and he had repeatedly stated this to Hazare.

"Audit has been conducted on the funds received during the IAC movement several times. I

am open to any investigation or scrutiny, but this should now happen in front of the public," Kejriwal said.

"Anna was aware of the way in which the funds were used. We have told him many times.

"If I am found guilty of misusing the (IAC) funds, then I won't contest elections," added Kejriwal, who is pitted against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the New Delhi assembly constituency.

The AAP leader spoke after Hazare raised doubts about the money collected from the sale of SIM cards.

Hazare, Kejriwal in war of words over money

Vivek Murthy

Have more kids, Parsis told on Sanjan Day

26

INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

Cameron sets deadline for Lanka on human rights issue

Continued from page 1 pressure to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Prime Minister attended it in Colombo last week, which was inaugurated by Britain's Prince Charles.

Making his stance clear, Cameron said that if an investigation is not completed by March then he would petition on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to work with the UN Human Rights Commissioner and call for a full, credible and international inquiry.

Many eyebrows were raised in Sri Lanka, when British Prime Minister made it a point to visit Tamil dominated Jaffna.

He is the first foreign leader to visit the peninsula since Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948.

Cameron said his visit in the Northern Sri Lankan region “gave a voice to the Tamil people and it is a voice the world should listen to”. On his meeting with Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, British Prime Minister said that he made it clear to Sri Lanka’s president that he has a real opportunity to show magnanimity and reform to build a successful and inclusive future for his country. “Hope he would seize it,” said Cameron.

CHOGM in Colombo became controversial after Canada led the way in absenting the meeting of

the 53-member Commonwealth bloc.

Prime Ministers of India and Mauritius too refrain from the summit. In the case of Mauritius, the boycott means, it would miss the chance to host the 2015 CHOGM. Though the agenda for the three-day summit was on debt restructuring and climate change, Cameron’s historic visit to Sri Lanka's former war zone in fact stole the spotlight from a Commonwealth summit after Rajapakse, warned against passing judgment on his country's past. Only hours after the summit opened in Colombo, Cameron flew into the northern Jaffna region where more than 100,000 people lost their lives in fighting between Tamil rebels and troops from the majority Sinhalese government.

During his visit to the Northern Sri Lankan province, Cameron toured the office of a Tamil newspaper whose presses were torched several times and five of its staff lost lives after Rajapakse became

President in 2005. MV Kaanamylnathan, the paper's editor, said Cameron visit was a chance to tell the world about the region's plight.

He also visit the settlement camps of Tamils in Jaffna.

Putting his viewpoint Rajapakse said that if the Commonwealth was to remain relevant to its member countries, the association must respond to the needs of its people and not turn into a punitive or judgemental body.

The 67-year-old leader claimed that his regime deserve credit for ending the conflict.

The Jaffna peninsula, home to around 800,000 Tamils, was the main battleground of the war and its towns and villages are now littered with shelledout buildings.

Some 30,000 people still live in refugee camps. Although provincial elections were held in Jaffna in September, they fell well short of Tamil demands for more autonomy.

Cameron also spoke with the new chief minister of

Jaffna, CV Wigneswaran, for about 30 minutes at the town's library as dozens of women who still don't know what happened to their loved ones demonstrated outside.

At the last summit in 2011 in Perth, Commonwealth leaders drew up a charter of common values which committed members to respecting human rights.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Commonwealth's outgoing chair, acknowledged Sri Lanka was emerging from a troubled past and said its people could take heart from how South Africa had come through darker times.

"So we are here to praise as much as to judge." Prince Charles, who is representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II, said. The Sri Lankan people had "confronted great adversity," as he also recalled the devastating impact on the island of the 2004 tsunami.

India was represented by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called off his plans in the wake of stiff opposition from political parties in Tamil Nadu. Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary and representative of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Arun Bullel, foreign minister of Mauritius were also present.

Rajapakse insisted

Continued from page 1 Handed the microphone at the end of the presentation ceremony, the 40-year-old struggled to keep his composure as he took out a list of people to thank at the end of a remarkable journey.

"I have got a list of people to thank because sometimes I forget," he joked.

"The first is my father (Ramesh Tendulkar), who passed away in 1999.

Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. He said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today," said Tendulkar, who always looked heavenwards after every big knock in memory of his father.

Next in the list was his mother Rajni, who came to watch him for the first time in his farewell match and the other immediate family members.

"I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son," he said.

"My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk much but he said, 'whatever you do, I

know you will give 100 per cent'. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. It was a Kashmir willow. She still continues to fast while I bat," he said.

"Ajit my brother, we have lived this dream together. He sacrificed his career for me, he took me to (Ramakant) Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer," he added.

Tendulkar then thanked wife Anjali for being the best partner that life could have given him.

"The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. When we had a family, she decided that I should continue playing and she took care of the children.

Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said. You are the best partnership that I had in my life," Tendulkar said as an emotionally-overwhelmed Anjali cried in the presentation area.

Tendulkar's two kids,

son Arjun (14) and daughter Sara (16), were also present at the ceremony and Tendulkar promised them a lion's share of his time now as reward for being patient when he missed their special days for cricket.

"The two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays, annual days. I know for 1416 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you that the next 16 and the many more after that are yours," he said.

Tendulkar also thanked his in-laws for, most importantly for letting him marry Anjali! He also did not forget to thank his friends but didn't name anyone in particular.

"My in-laws - I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was to allow me to marry Anjali. So, thank you for that," he said, lightening the heavy atmosphere surrounding his farewell.

"In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3am when I was injured. Thanks for being there for me," he

said.

Not to forget his first coach Ramakant Achrekar, who came down to the stadium for the first time to watch him in action, and the BCCI for supporting him.

"My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands.

I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir, since I'm not playing cricket anymore," he joked.

"The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar also thanked his fellow cricketers and the support staff, especially the doctors and trainers.

"Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul (Dravid), VVS (Laxman), Sourav (Ganguly), Anil (Kumble) who is not here. All the coaches," he said.

"I know when MS

Bharat Ratna for Sachin, CNR Rao

that more was needed to be done and economic challenges should take precedence at the CHOGM because "common poverty is more important than common wealth". Rajapaksa also advocated the separation of economic and political issues.

"CHOGM 2013 will provide the opportunity for us to assess the Commonwealth achievement (with) regard to development goals. If the Commonwealth is to remain relevant to its member countries, the association must respond sensitively to the needs of its people and not let it turn into punitive or judgmental body," Rajapaksa said.

There was a legal system, human rights commission and the Lessons Learnt and Rehabilitation Commission (LLRC) where people can complain about torture, rape and murder during the war, he said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s economic development minister Basil Rajapakse, who is also brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse rejected on an international probe into alleged war crimes at the end of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, saying the government would "definitely" not allow one. "Why should we have an internal inquiry? We will object to it. Definitely, we are not going to allow it."

On a day when “Master Blaster” Sachin Tendulkar bid an emotional good bye to his cricketing career, the Government on Saturday announced “Bharat Ratna”, the highest civilian award to him.

Bharat Ratna will also be conferred on eminent scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao who is also a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry, an official statement said here.

Prof. Rao has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. Prof. Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards.

A living legend, Sachin Tendulkar has inspired millions across the globe.

During the last 24 years, since the young age of 16 years, Sachin has played cricket across the world and won laurels for India.

“He has been a true ambassador of India in the world of sports. His achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary. That he has been honoured with several awards is testimony to his extraordinary brilliance as a sportsman,” the statement said.

(Dhoni) presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team - I said 'we are all so proud to be representing the nation.

I hope to continue to serve the nation with dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit'.

"I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours," he said.

"My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu," he added.

"The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments."

In the end, Tendulkar thanked the millions of adoring fans by saying that the chants of 'Sachin, Sachin' that resonated in the stadiums would remain with him till the last moment of his life.

"I know my speech has become long. I want to

thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world here. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. 'Sachin, Sachin' will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing," he said, drawing a deafening applause from the crowd.

Sachin 'tears up' following 'mobile' guard of honour Sachin was given a mobile guard of honour by the Indian team as he bid an emotional farewell to his cricket career, which also saw him crying for the first time ever.

The Indians did not let a single moment pass without them flanking the master blaster on both sides as he made an exit from the ground.

His final day of Test cricket comes exactly after 24 years and one day since he was handed his international cap, on November 15, 1989.

The West Indian team, too, gave him another guard of honour after they had lost the match.

Tendulkar came down to the presentation area with wife Anjali, daughter Sara and son Arjun, while the rest of the teammates followed and he waved.

Sachin says goodbye

INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

Kandla Port’s cargo handling capacity improved in past 4 years

By Mayuri Dave Cargo handling capacity at one of the India’s largest port, Kandla Port, has increased by nearly 64 per cent over the past four years. In the beginning of year 2009, cargo handling capacity of Kandla Port Trust (KPT) was around 84 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) which is set to touch 140

from Gujarat cadre, taken over charge as Chairman of KPT in December 2008 said that there has been 44 per cent increase in cargo handling activities at the port during the period from around 65 MMTPA to nearly 94 MMTPA and all-round development in infrastructure and logistics.

An ISO – 9001:2008

27

60th Wedding Anniversary

new idea of allowing port users to bring floating cranes through competition. As a result of this, Kandla Port which is a tidal port and required costly dredging for bigger size vessels has started handling capsized vessels in the mid sea by floating cranes and then transshipment of the cargo through barges which in turn are handled at two

CONGRATULATIONS On the 60th Wedding Anniversary of Chandrakant & Indumati Bhatt All members of the family wishes both of you a very Happy Anniversary.

With Gods blessings we all pray that you both have a very healthy, happy and peaceful life. We are always here for all your needs.

Dilip (Son), Jyostna (Daughter in law) Jayesh (Son), Priti (Daughter in law) Dipan, Shreena & Krishan (Son, Daughter in law & Grandson) Mihir (Grandson), Hema (Grand daughter) Bhavni (Grand daughter), Dylan (Son in law) MMTPA. Situated in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, Kandla Port plays a major role in India’s international trade.

Having notched up a string of successes, it has emerged as a forerunner, and has carved a niche for itself, by its steady growth and economy of operations. It is the first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Asia and it is hub for major imports like petroleum, chemicals and iron and also handling exports of grains, salt and textiles.

The port is in the process to enhance its cargo handling capacity further as work is being awarded to augment another 148 MMTPA capacity, which means in next few years the port’s cargo handling capacity would almost touch 250 MMTPA. Kandla port will emerge as a vibrant, world class, multi-cargo port offering services at multiple locations and having a dominant share of regional cargo by virtue of its ability to effectively leverage its locations, said KPT chairman Dr P D Vaghela in an interview to Asian Voice, adding that KPT has emerged as the driver of economic growth in the region with sustainable linkage with port based industries and users.

Dr Vaghela, an IAS officer of 1986 batch

Dr P D Vaghela

as well as ISO 14001:2004 complaint port has implemented transparent and user friendly systems and became first port in India to introduce e-tendering for all contract works above Rs 500,000. “It will increase competition, reduce paper work and avoid delay in processing,” said the chairman.

At present the port is having 14 dry cargo berths with quay length of 3,132 meters, six oil jetties, one deep draft mooring and four cargo moorings in the inner harbour area for stream handling. Besides, it is equipped with four Rail Mounted Quay Cranes (RMQCs), two harbour mobile cranes, 18 prime movers, four RTGC reach stackers, six container freight stations among other infrastructure.

Kandla Port also has a satellite port at Vadinar having 3 Single Point Mooring, 2 Product jetties and Ro-RO – Lo-Lo jetty. Kandla, as a radical move, now has gone for a

barge jetties upgraded and commissioned by KPT recently. This experiment has been successful and KPT has handled 10 capsized and 2 Pannamax vessels in a short period.

Also in a move to mechanize berths with higher capacity cranes, KPT has allowed private operators to bring higher capacity mobile harbour cranes through competition. This will further improve the productivity and throughput of the port.

"We have commercially started operation at three new berths in the last three years i.e. berth No. 13, berth No. 15 and a captive barge jetty of IFFCO. Two more berths are under construction at Kandla.

Besides, 4 berths as a part of a single project are being developed as a green field project at a new satellite port called Tuna Tekra which is slated to start commercial operation by December 2014. We also intend to develop container terminal on BOT basis at this satellite port and privatize various port services. In order to assure guaranteed traffic, KPT is also mulling to enter into long term contracts with importers and exporters. Moreover, to provide the required infrastructure and other handling facilities by the port and fix separate tariff of such long term contracts,” said Dr Vaghela.

30, Fernleigh Close, Croydon CR0 4RY Tel: 020 8688 1103

Rahul taking keen interest in Gujarat Cong affairs

AV Correspondent

All India Congress Committee (AICC) Vice President Rahul Gandhi is taking keen interest in the functioning of Congress in Gujarat.

Gandhi is directly calling party workers and leaders to Delhi, who are not happy with the state Congress leadership.

Recently he called Deputy Mayor of Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC), Girish Kotecha, who was denied ticket in the last Assembly elections by the state Congress leaders.

During his visit to the state in October, Rahul Gandhi opted to meet party workers freely, even bypassing state Congress leaders to take stock of the real situation in BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s home turf.

As far as Kotecha is concerned, he played a major role in capturing the only Municipal Corporation in favour of Congress. Just like in Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), internal fights came to public in the Junagadh municipal corporation.

The infighting showed its worst colour during city Congress’ New Year get-together function.

City Mayor Lakhabhai Parmar’s son

Rahul Gandhi

Dharmendra distributed leaflets against Kotecha that too in presence of Union Minister of State Tushar Chaudhary’s presence.

The incident was taken seriously by Gandhi and immediately Kotecha got a call from AICC office to immediately fly to Delhi.

Confirming the development, Kotecha said that he and other committed Congress workers played crucial role in bringing Congress to power in JMC. “I was a strong contender for last assembly elections, but on the last moment, some the senior state leaders discarded my name from the list,” he said adding that he is a committed Congress soldier over two decades and never lost elections in corporation.

According to sources, the other reason for urgent meeting with Rahul Gandhi

in Delhi was strong rumour on Kotecha joining BJP. However, JMC Deputy Mayor maintained that despite injustice to him by state Congress leadership he would not join the Saffron Brigade.

When asked about what he talked to AICC Vice President, Kotecha said that he gave reasons for continuous defeat of Congress candidates in Gujarat, and Rahul agreed on it. He also told Gandhi that if Congress would not allot ticket to winnable candidate in general elections, again the party would perform poorly, just like in the last assembly elections. In the 51 member JMC, Congress and its allies (BSP and Independent) is having strength 27 against BJP’s 24 councilors.

Interestingly another ‘unhappy’ Congress leader from Saurashtra region and Member of Parliament from Rajkot constituency, Kuvarji Bavlia was also summoned by Rahul Gandhi in September following strong speculation that he would join BJP. Just like Kotecha, Bavlia, having strong hold in Koli belt of Saurashtra peninsula staged a Koli Sammelan in July to show his anger against state Congress leadership.

28

TRAVEL - INDIA

Narendra Modi lauds the commitment of Biharis

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

India’s Golden Triangle

nveil the eternal treasures of India by U exploring the ‘Golden

Triangle’ on your holidays to the country. Blessed with ample scenic landscapes and an incredible cultural legacy, India is indeed the place for a passionate lone ranger.

Kick off your trip by heading to the dazzling pink city of India – Jaipur.

Jaipur the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, is adored by natives and tourists alike for its majestic persona reflecting the princely Rajput Dynasty.

Jaipur is your gateway to some of the most magnetic forts, gardens, temples and conventional bazaars of India. Get charged up for a visit to the stunning Amer Fort. A royal fleet of elephants await you to take you up to this arresting fort that showcases the affluent cultural heritage of Rajasthan. Further, explore the intriguing sites of Nahargarh, Jaigarh, Hawa Mahal, Moti Doongari, Govind Devji Temple and the Birla Mandir for a real aesthetic treat. Spoil your wanderlust with an electrifying shopping stint at vibrant markets of Jaipur before digging into the tantalizing Rajasthani gastronomes.

Your trip to India can-

not be complete without visiting Agra, a city that houses the splendid Eight Wonders of the World –‘Taj Mahal’. Capture the compelling views of the Taj Mahal, an epitome of Mughal art built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a

dazzles even brighter with the pulsating capital of India- New Delhi, the melting point of India’s most promising heritage sites and offers an array of options to keep you going with fun and excitement.

Uncover the wonder trails

AV Correspondent Remembering the incident of bomb blasts at his public rally in Bihar last month, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi expressed gratitude towards Biharis at a function organized by Bihar Gujarat Maitri Sangh (BIGMAS) in Ahmedabad on Sunday and said that he was alive just because of their love.

“What I saw in Patna on 27th October showed me the strength of the people of Bihar and I salute them. There were bombs but people were helping the injured and retuning to the public meeting. Imagine the mental power of the people of Bihar! And one need not view what happened that time only from a political view. The strength of the people was beyond that,” said Gujarat Chief Minister.

Modi said that the people of Bihar worship all forms of the Sun God and he lauded the commitment that the people of Bihar have towards cleanliness. He talked about integrating people of the nation so that the nation can work together to achieve goals. He gave the example of his visit to

Japan where everywhere he saw stickers of Tokyo getting the Olympic Games in 2020. Modi stated that he had gone to Japan before the games were awarded to Tokyo but there an atmosphere was created that the games must come to Japan. He asked why we couldn’t we replicate the same in India.

He called upon the people of India to think of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary on similar lines and urged the people to come together and decide what they want to do from now itself. Among the many ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, one ideal that must be embraced is Mahatma Gandhi’s importance to cleanliness; he said adding that

the campaign would change the image of entire country.

He described unity in diversity is India’s specialty and other nations are not blessed with such uniqueness. Modi said that the nation does not want division but it wants development.

Meanwhile, former Bihar cabinet minister Giriraj Singh, who was instrumental in the formation of BIGMAS, said that Biharis are honored in Gujarat under the leadership of Modi. He said that Modi is more popular in Bihar than Gujarat and once he would become the Prime Minister of India, he has the strength to take relation between Gujarat and Bihar to a new height.

Hitting back at the Congress for targeting the Gujarat government on the alleged incident of surveillance mounted by the police on a woman in that state, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Monday dared the Congress to confront him on development, rather than resorting to “lies” and “making false allegations”.

Addressing a rally in Chhattarpur, the first of his four rallies in pollbound Madhya Pradesh, the Gujarat chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate said he had the blessings of the mothers and sisters of India, which would protect him against all threats.

The Congress has demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court to fix accountability for the surveillance purportedly ordered by the then Gujarat minister of state for home Amit Shah, apparently on the instructions of “saheb”.

Politics of divide and rule runs in Congress' blood: Modi Modi launched a whirlwind campaign in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, a week before the polls, accusing Rahul Gandhi of debasing political dis-

course by using intemperate language and said that the Congress had the politics of "divide and rule" in its blood, having learnt it from the British.

Addressing rallies in Chhatarpur, Guna, Sagar and Bhopal, Modi took on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul. "Throw crumbs and get votes,'' he said in Guna and accused the Congress of "sowing seeds of communalism".

Modi reminded the PM of Rahul Gandhi's comment - "BJP leaders are thieves" - made in Chhattisgarh, refuting the charge that the BJP had lowered the quality of political debate. "Is this language dignified?" he asked the PM while describing Rahul as the "future prime minister".

He also referred to Rahul's act of tearing a copy of the ordinance on convicted lawmakers and his "nonsense" remark, saying it was an insult to the PM and the Cabinet.

"The BJP did not commit this sin."

The Gujarat CM insisted that the BJP maintains political decorum and abides by boundaries of democracy, unlike the Congress which, he alleged, had caused deval-

uation of "gantantra'' to mean as "ghartantra".

Modi said the country had moved beyond the Congress-style of politics that focuses on communities, caste, creed, language and regions and challenged it to talk development, which he said was on display in BJP-ruled states. Insisting that the BJP will form the government at the Centre in "200 days", he said Congress leaders were losing sleep because they are worried about going to jail.

Referring to Rahul's comment equating power with poison, Modi said the Congress, "especially one family", deliberately spoke such an idiom to keep the common man away so that it could perpetuate its ownership. He said he was taken aback when "madam" accused the BJP in Chhattisgarh of engendering Naxalism.

"Kya bol rahi hai", he said and alleged that the Congress party's decision to revote POTA had given Naxals a free run.

Slamming the Gandhis for saying that the UPA was providing billion to BJP-ruled states, he said, "The money belongs neither to Narendra Modi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rahul or Sonia.''

Blessings of mothers and sisters my shield: Modi

memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in Agra and bask in the glory of Indian architectural heritage by covering en-route sites like Fatehpur Sikri, Jama Masjid, Buland Darwaza, Palace of Jodha Bai, Birbal Bhawan & Panch Mahal. Situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Agra is home to several other attractions like the Agra Fort, Itmad-UdDaulah’s Tomb, Akbar Tomb at Sikandra and Mankameshwar Temple, etc.

The Golden Triangle

of Old Delhi for some astounding street food, traditional ware, jewelry and art works. Do explore the prominent attractions like Raj Ghat, Red Fort, India Gate, Qutub Minar and others besides the fascinating local bazaars.

So arrange your Golden Triangle Dream (5 Nights / 6 Days from GBP 265 pp on twin sharing basis, flights extra, group discounts applicable).

Book with Brightsun Travel on our dedicated tours line 0208 819 0531 or www.brightsun.co.uk

Aching back? Here's how you set it right

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November 2013

A backache can make you miserable, rendering daily routines difficult to achieve and a constant reminder that something's not right. Even though back pain may slow you down, you can now get rid of back pain, if you follow these guidelines.

Sleep well: Most people with backache complain of stiffness when they wake up in the morning. While a small amount of stiffness is expected after hours of rest, a pain in the back is unacceptable. Your mattress could be the culprit - either too soft to support your spine as you sleep, or too firm to let your muscles rest. If not your mattress, it could be a lingering problem that you may have ignored.

Get help: Flip your mattress to distribute your weight evenly over it. Also, do a simple stretching exercise when you wake up every morning. Some people experience back pain if they don't sleep enough. If you can, take a couple of days off from work simply to rest your back. If the pain is acute, you will need medical help.

Don't sleep too much: However, those with back pain would do well to not rest too much in bed. Too much bed rest weakens the back further. You should engage yourself in moderate activity like walking, but not running or gardening.

Get help: Alternate your periods of rest with periods of activity. Avoid visit to gyms or running that will strain your back.

However, do light stretching so that your back gets exercise and does not

'freeze'.

Exercise: Though some people give themselves a backache by overdoing their exercise routines, it is exercise that can rescue them.

However, the workout you do must be approved by a certified trainer and your doctor, if you've consulted one.

Get help: Walking keeps the spine and back in a neutral position, so it's a good exercise. Yoga also helps alleviate backache. Try 'sarpasan' for a strong back - lie down on the floor with your palms placed under your shoulders. Slowly lift your back (without lifting your feet off the ground) keeping your elbows at not more than 60 degrees angle.

Hold for three seconds,

then release. Repeat laps of 10 and do two sets.

Better posture: Slouching at the computer, suddenly bending to pick up an object off the floor, even coughing while bending over, can give you painful back spasms that take days to heal.

Though you will do damage even with a rigid back at all times, you must remember to sit up straight at work or at home, and to avoid putting pressure on the lower back, support your lumbar with a firm pillow when you sit.

Get help: Always bend your knees when you bend over. Keeping the knees locked and your legs straight when bending puts tremendous pressure on your spine. Every

drinks, juice, milk, coffee, tea, fruits, vegetables and other foods with higher water content.

Myth: Only water really hydrates you: Not true.

Many beverages with high water content contribute to the body’s hydration status, including carbonated soft drinks, juices, tea and even coffee to a certain extent. In addition, 20 per cent of hydration regularly comes from the food you eat.

Myth: You can’t really get dehydrated in the winter: Not true. Both heat and air conditioning lower indoor humidity which means the humidity from our skin and breath is lost to the dry air thereby creating a dehydrating effect for the body. Chapped lips, dry eyes and irritated skin are all signs of dehydration. So whether working indoors or engaged in outdoor winter sports, be sure to drink plenty of water in the winter time too.

Diets don't just reduce weight, they can reduce mental capacity. In other words, dieting can make you dumber.

Understanding why this is the case can illuminate a range of experiences, including something as far removed from voluntary calorie restriction as the ordeal of outright poverty.

Imagine that you are attending a late-afternoon meeting. Someone brings in a plate of cookies and places them on the other side of the conference table. Ten minutes later you realize you've processed only half of what has been said.

Why? Only half of your mind was in the meeting.

The other half was with the cookies: "Should I have one? I worked out yesterday. I deserve it. No, I should be good."

That cookie threatened to strain your waistline. It succeeded in straining your mind.

Myths about body hydration

Do you need to drink eight glasses of water per day to avoid being dehydrated or is it really true that one can't get dehydrated in winters? Well think again as there are certain myths.

Myth: Everyone should drink eight glasses of water a day: Although it’s nice to drink more but the truth is that not everyone requires eight glasses of water a day to maintain adequate hydration. The amount of fluids that each person needs varies and is based on activity level, gender and body size.

Other sources of fluids that contribute to hydration include carbonated

To Our Readers

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

HEALTH WATCH

29

Human intelligence is progressively diminishing

once in a while, get up from your seat and stretch, take a short walk around the office. Keep your back as straight as you can without feeling pressure in the lumbar.

Your shoulders must be aligned in a straight plane, instead of rounded inwards.

Avoid massaging a sore back: Wrong exercise or a blunt trauma can bruise and inflame your back muscles, causing swelling. Most people wrongly assume that massage creams and oils are to be applied on swollen, painful areas of the body these are only to be used on aching parts that are not inflamed or swollen.

Get help: If your back is swollen, apply an ice pack till the swelling goes down. After this, apply heat pads to repair the tender muscles in the painful area. Do not rub with a massage cream, it will only tear the tender muscles and tissue.

Strengthen your abs: It seems strange, but it is true that if your abs core is weak, it will strain your back further. People with strong abs are found to experience less back pain than others.

Get help: Strong abs does not mean a six-pack, but a core that can easily do crunches or flips without spasms. Get a fitness trainer to prescribe exercises for stronger abdominal muscles. Also consider exercises for hamstrings, chest and calves.

See a specialist: A back pain cannot be treated simply with painkillers and a bit of moderate exercise. If your problem is long-term, you might need to see a specialist.

Humans are losing intellectual and emotional capabilities because we no longer need intelligence to survive, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from Stanford University claim the intricate web of genes which endows us with our brain power is particularly vulnerable to mutations - and these mutations are not being selected against our modern society because we no longer need intelligence to survive.

However, we shouldn’t lose any sleep over our diminishing brain power - as by the time it becomes a real problem technology will have found a solution making natural selection obsolete. “The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimisation of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples before our ancestors emerged from Africa,” said Dr Gerald Crabtree, lead author.

In this environment, intelligence was critical for survival, and there was likely to be immense selective pressure acting on the genes required for intellectual development,

leading to a peak in human intelligence. It was downhill from there on in as, from that point, it’s likely that we began to slowly lose ground, researchers claim.

According to researchers, with the development of agriculture, came urbanisation, which may have weakened the power of selection to weed out mutations leading to intellectual disabilities. Based on calculations of the frequency with which deleterious mutations appear in the human genome and the assumption that 2,000 to 5,000 genes are required for intellectual ability, Crabtree estimates that within 3,000 years - about 120 generations - we have all sustained two or more mutations harmful to our intellectual or emotional stability.

Recent findings from neuroscience suggest that genes involved in brain function are uniquely susceptible to mutations.

Crabtree argues that the combination of less selective pressure and the large number of easily affected genes is eroding our intellectual and emotional capabilities.

This can happen even with no cookie in sight.

Dieters conjure their own cookies: Psychologists find that dieters have spontaneous self-generated cravings at a much higher rate than nondieters. And these cravings are not the dieters' only distraction. Diets force trade-offs: If you eat the cookie, should you skip the appetizer at dinner? But that restaurant looked so good!

Many diets also

require constant calculations to determine calorie counts. All this clogs up the brain. Psychologists measure the impact of this clogging on various tasks: logical and spatial reasoning, self-control, problem solving, and absorption and retention of new information.

Together these tasks measure "bandwidth," the resource that underlies all higherorder mental activity.

Inevitably, dieters do worse than non-dieters on all these tasks; they have less bandwidth.

One particularly clever study went further. It tested how dieters and nondieters reacted to eating a chocolate bar.

Even though the bar provided calories, eating it widened the bandwidth gap between dieters and nondieters. Non-dieters ate and moved on, but dieters started wondering how to make up for the calories they had just ingested or,

even more fundamentally, pondered, "Why did I eat the bar?"

In other words, diets do not just strain bandwidth because they leave us hungry. They have psychological, not just physiological, effects.

The basic insight extends well beyond the experience of calorie counting. Something similar happens whenever we make do with less, as when we feel that we have too little time, or too little money. Just as the cookie tugs at the dieter, a looming deadline preoccupies a busy person, and the prospect of a painful rent payment shatters the peace of the poor. Just as dieters constantly track food, the hyper-busy track each minute and the poor track each dollar.

So keep this in mind the next time you're picking a diet to shed a few pounds. Try one that won't also shed a few IQ points.

Dieting can make you dumber

30

UK

The Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award 2013 The Trustees of The Gandhi Foundation have agreed to offer Jeremy Corbyn, MP our International Peace Award in recognition of his consistent efforts over a 30 year Parliamentary career to uphold the Gandhian values of social justice and non-violence.

Besides being a popular and hard-working constituency MP he has made time to speak and write extensively in support of human rights at home and world-wide. His committed opposition to neocolonial wars and to nuclear weapons has repeatedly shown the lack of truth in the arguments of those who have opposed him.

Jeremy Corbyn

Venue: The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster, London SW1A 2LQ Date: 26th November 2013 Time: 7pm to 9pm All welcome but please email your attendance to: syedomarhayat@gmail.com

In memory of Mr Mukundray Karsanji Raval It is with great sadness that our beloved father Mr Mukundray Karsanji Raval (previously from Mwanza, Tanzania) peacefully passed away on Monday 18 November 2013 in Croydon, UK. He

will always be in our memories and we pray that his soul rests in peace.

Please contact Tushar Raval on 0208 665 6320 / mob: 07825678810 for details of further arrangements.

Coming Events

l Sunday 24th November 2013 – POSUN UK hosting annual general meeting – from 5pm till 9pm at Swaminarayan School, Yogi Hall, 105-119 Brentfield Road, Neasden, London NW10 8LD. Contact: 07881 944 739. l Sunday 24th November 2013 – National Congress of Gujarati Organisations UK hosts a special conference aat Smt. Nitiben Maheshbhai Gheewala Lohana Centre, Leicester, 2.30pm till 5.30pm. Contact: 07930 283 991. l Sunday 24th November 2013 – Bhajans at 3pm by Shree Budhdevbhai, finishing with Arti at 5.30pm at Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple. Contact: 07882 253 540. l Tuesday 26th November 2013 – Exhibition: A portrait of History by Mandeep Birdy – 6.15pm at The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 3567. l Tuesday 26th November 2013 – Music: Bangalore Dreams – Jyotsna Srikanth by Dhruv Arts – 6.30pm at The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 02074 913 567. l Wednesday 27th November 2013 – Dance: Shiva Ensemble – A Bharatanatyam Repertoire showcasing the mystique and myths associated with Lord Shiva at 6.30pm at The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. Contact: 02074 913 567.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

YOUR VOICE

Sonia Gandhi’s illness Narendra Modi is perfectly right in raising the issue of Sonia’s illness for several reasons. It seems that Sonia Gandhi made several trips to America with her entourage for several years. Nobody is questioning her trip to America. As the chair of the renegade UPA government, she should attend the minimum number of days in the parliament. The normal convention is that she should have informed the reason for her absence and India has become a banana republic. Anybody who says about Sonia, Rahul or Vadra are hounded by Gestapo type of people.

Indian government promotes medical tourism in India since it provides high class medical treatment provided you are willing to pay. It is totally demoralising and frustrating a senior congress leader prefers to go to America for treatment. It is not surprising being an Italian she does not trust Indian doctors.

Sonia Gandhi claims that she has no asset and where does she get money from for the treatment for her and the entourage and in the name of illness she is exploiting the Hindu sentiments to feel sorry for her and in her absence she appointed her son, Antony, Ahmed Patel and Diwedi to take charge of the party and she fills all the posts with minorities. It seems Sonia’s family has 5000 cores rupees in foreign banks.

The time has come for the government to make public her expenses and her activities abroad. Hindus were ruled by Muslims, British now by an Italian. Next year parliamentary election is the only chance to save India from Roman Dynasty. The right of information Act is abused to favour certain corrupt politicians.

Arun Vaidyanathan, Bletchley

A one-horse race?

Does Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Party candidate, stand the remotest chance of becoming India’s next prime minister in May, or is the country’s general election shaping up to be a one-horse race, with Gujarat’s chief minister Narendra Modi galloping unchallenged all the way to the finishing line?

Rudy Otter Via email

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

You are feeling most adventurous and willing to achieve higher knowledge and spiritual growth. This is a good time to broaden your horizons through travel and higher learning. This may take you to far off lands in pursuit of your new-found goals. You must distance yourself from the mundane grind of life and take on something which is more meaningful for your inner growth.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

The Sun energizes your sector of change, transformation and regeneration. On a more practical level, you may be dealing with joint finances and shared resources now more than usual. You should also make sure that your tax affairs are in order. You are more willing than usual to explore and delve deeper into life's secrets and arrive at meaningful conclusions.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

As the Sun transits your seventh house, you have a greater need than usual to be in a relationship. The emphasis is on "us" rather than "me". Social interactions of a personal nature are highlighted. This is likely to be an extremely busy time for most of you. Use tact and diplomacy in your dealing, otherwise you are likely to come across as over confident and egotistical.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

The Sun transits your solar sixth house and highlights your health and also makes you take pride in your day to day work. Hence, you should enhance your skills, get organized and take up a health regime for your well being. This transit highlights the need for efficiency and as such you should bring in the new and get rid of the old ideas that do not work.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 After a period of relative inactivity, you are coming out of your shell, ready to perform and to express yourself creatively. This is a very progressive period of the year, when you are inspired emotionally. You take more pride in your your love affairs, your children, and your hobbies and are generally very sociable and make friends easily.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

With the Sun transiting your solar fourth house of family and home, these areas are highlighted during this period. Buying or selling of property or even renovating it will be uppermost in your mind as you will be trying to put your roots down permanently. It is also a time when family life will be charged with emotions so be diplomatic and respect other people's views.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

You are exploring and searching now, making connections, and paying attention to your immediate environment. Socially you are very popular and your communications strengthen your connections. You will be busy with errands, paperwork, phone calls, and light socializing. Siblings, close relatives and friends may play an important role in your life during this period.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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The Sun highlights your second house of finance, and your focus is on material affairs and comfort issues.

This is a good time to plan your future investments carefully to maximise your profits. If travelling make sure you keep your documents safe as there is a possibility of misplacing them. Some of you might change your travel itinerary.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 The Sun transits your first house and this affects your personal identity, appearance, outward behaviour, and self-expression.

This marks the peak of your physical solar cycle, and you are in the position to make an impression on others, and to assert your personal influence. Increased energy and a renewed feeling of confidence is with you now, so take advantage of your charisma to achieve your goals.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

The Sun travels through your twelfth house now, marking a time of retreat and regeneration.

This also heralds a time for research and unfinished behind-the-scene activities. Matters which have dragged on for a while should now be re-assessed and put to rest.

Some of you will be looking to spiritual enlightenment and take up yoga and meditation.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The Sun illuminates your sector of friends, social gatherings and group activities. You will be in constant demand and will be in a position to network with newfound friends who will promote your cause. Personal relationships are also to the fore and some of you might even find true love. This is a time to follow your dreams and ideals.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

More than any other time of the year, your focus is drawn to your career and standing in the society. This is the time when you are more interested in, and focused on, accomplishing something important. Contact with authority figures is more likely during this period.

Recognition will come your way whether you ask for it or not, and the responsibility that goes with it.

Panesar sets out on long road to redemption

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

It has reached a pretty pass in the career of Monty Panesar when Nick Cook, the fellow left-arm spinner who discovered him as a 16-year-old at Northamptonshire, argues that he needs to "man up" in Australia this winter.

Cook is troubled, profoundly, by the silent torment that transformed a once beautifully-mannered Sikh boy described by his schoolmaster as "quiet and unassuming" into the crass hoodlum discovered urinating upon a pair of bouncers in Brighton at 4 am.

"He has had a traumatic time," Cook says of Panesar, whose endless outward exuberance belies deep complexity. "It is so disappointing, because his cricket has suffered accordingly. But he has really got to grow up." Remarkably, within eight weeks of the notorious moment when he was caught short during his revelries, Panesar earned a call-up for his third Ashes tour. It is perhaps indicative of the paucity of slow left-armers in the County Championship that Panesar - whose closest rival is Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan, still smarting from an abject Test debut at the Oval - that Cook admits his former protege remains "head and shoulders" above the competition. But the other Cook in Panesar's life, Alastair, the England captain, has spoken tellingly of the need to "look after Monty" throughout the approaching Ashes marathon. For the 31-yearold can often cut a lonely, insecure figure.

There is a moment in Graeme Swann's video diaries of the last Ashes tour shot on Christmas Day, at the table reserved for the singletons, where he cries out: "Tell us a joke, Monty.!"

Sheepishly, Panesar mumbles that he does not know any, whereupon Swann mimics blowing his head off in despair at the company he is in. It might have been a harmless

Monty Panesar

piece of badinage by the England team's most jocular character but it vividly expresses the contrast between their two leading tweakers: Swann the life and soul of any gathering, Panesar often painfully insular. And yet the "trauma" to which Cook refers has of late taken a more sinister turn. Sources close to Panesar suggest he was deeply depressed in the aftermath of the split from his wife, Gursharan Rattan, a pharmacist, and that his series of increasingly bizarre misdemeanours have arisen as a direct consequence of his personal anguish. First there was the infamous night at Brighton's Shoosh Club with his Sussex teammates, where video footage shows him screaming "Help me!" as he is dragged along a seafront road by the outraged security men. Then, the demons spilt on to the pitch as Panesar received a one-match ban for intimidation, after he appeared to aim a kick at Worcestershire's Ross Whiteley as the batsman ran past him.

Cook, who used to take an interest in Panesar's pastoral care at Northants, does not dilute his words.

"He seems to have become petulant," he says. "Some of his behaviour has been quite frankly appalling."

The paradox is that such episodes sit so starkly at odds with the earlier impressions of Panesar's personality. Growing up in a Punjabi-speaking family in Stopsley, a suburb of Luton, he was inculcated by his father Paramjit, a carpenter, with the virtue of politeness. John Williets, his sports master, recalls: "Mudhsuden was always quiet and conscientious, with excellent manners.

Even when he visited the school again recently he insisted on calling me 'Sir'.

He was a lovely kid, from an intensely hard-working family." Williets was abroad when the lurid tale of Panesar's Brighton disgrace first broke and confesses to his bafflement. Panesar admits that the hardest element of his self-inflicted ordeal was dealing with his parents' disappointment, but Williets says: "I suppose it would have been mortifying, but until you have kids you never realise what unconditional love means."

As a No11 batsman Panesar was memorably labelled by Mike Atherton as a "rabbit of Watership Down proportions", and certain taunts from Australians unimpressed by the lack of variety in his play have stuck.

Cook says: "I'm inclined to agree with Shane Warne, who observed: 'Monty has-

n't played 33 Tests - he has played one Test 33 times.' I haven't seen Monty evolve like I would have expected.

I know the attributes I saw when he was 17 or 18, but he still looks to be exactly the same player." Still, there are some concrete signs that Panesar is seeking to correct his conduct. He turned last month to the tutelage of Neil Burns at the London Cricket Club, which functions as part club, part mentoring organisation. Burns explains that his approach with the spinner is to "develop a stronger sense of self, which brings the emotional fitness to deal with the ups and downs of elite sport" Panesar has also enrolled on an MBA course at Loughborough University, while reviewing the fundamentals of his spin technique with England's coaches in an effort to gain greater versatility.

The reality on this tour, given the primacy of Swann and the team's reluctance to field two spinners in any Test, is that he will struggle for a look-in. "He will probably be the drinks carrier from first ball to last," Cook acknowledges. "No way will the Australians go for turning tickets." But after Panesar's annus horribilis, it could be a chance for him to find his natural equilibrium. It is apt to recall, in the week that the most serene cricketer of all bids his farewell in Mumbai, that Sachin Tendulkar used to be his inspiration. "To say that Tendulkar was my idol barely hints at my admiration," he wrote in his autobiography, Monty's Turn.

Then, in Nagpur on March 3, 2006, the great Sachin became Panesar's maiden Test victim. "It was only when he was threequarters of the way back to the pavilion that I thought: 'What have I done?'" It is a question that he has asking rather too much lately, as he embarks in Australia upon the long process of penitence.

SPORT WORLD

Lycamobile joins Ian Botham on his Big Sri Lanka Walk

Lycamobile, the largest global provider of low cost international mobile calls, is delighted to announce its sponsorship of Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk in benefit of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

The walk started in Kilinochchi, north Sri Lanka on 1st November and finished in the South in Seenigama on the 8th of November. Each day ended at a cricket ground, with the Sri Lankan Cricket Board organising cricket games when the group arrived.

The group took part in the walk included a number of celebrities including cricketers, Sir Ian Botham and Australian, Steve Waugh. Chris Tooley, Executive Vice President at Lycamobile, also joined the team.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation used the positive power of sport to tackle society's most pressing challenges around the globe, supporting projects on every continent. The funds raised from the Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk will be used in south Sri Lanka to help rebuild lives in rural villages affected by the

tsunami. In the north, it will help children who have spent their entire lives in civil war to find joy and friendship, skills and opportunities through sport.

S u b a s k a r a n Allirajah, Group Chairman, Lycamobile commented before the start of the walk: “At Lycamobile we have a passion to help those less fortunate than us. The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is a fantastic organisation which offers exceptional support to children living in Sri Lanka. We hope that this walk will raise a substantial amount of money and help change many lives.

We wish Chris and the rest of the team the best of luck with the challenging walk and look forward to hearing about his new celebrity friends for months to come.”

Chess: Carlsen retains two points lead over Anand

World champion Viswanathan Anand got an easy draw with black as challenger Magnus Carlsen continued his march towards the throne after the end of the eighth game of the World Chess Championship on Tuesday.

The morale boosting draw, first since the first game of the match, is likely to help Anand psychologically before the home stretch but the fact remains that the defending champion still has a lot to catch up.

For the records, Carlsen now leads by 53, just three draws or 1.5 points shy of winning his maiden world title with four games still to come

Magnus Carlsen

in the 12-games match.

The eighth game was over in just 75 minutes, after 33 moves giving the indication that the defending champion Anand might be crawling back after some tough games and tougher

defenses he has had to put in. From Carlsen's perspective, the draw took the Norwegian a step closer in his quest.

It turned out to be an opening surprise from Carlsen when he pushed the King pawn two

squares after settling behind the white pieces in the eighth game.

Anand chose the Berlin defense, an opening used by Carlsen himself in the match on as many as three occasions and it was evident that the Norwegian did not have an ace up his sleeves.

Not going for the main lines, Carlsen decided to try his luck in one of the extensively analysed, but relatively less-played position and found Anand adequately prepared.

It was on the seventh move that the first exchange took place, a pair of knights changing hands and five moves later a pair of rooks flew

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off the board as well.

While Anand's form has deserted him in equal positions earlier in the match, there was no problem this time around as Carlsen did not get even a glimpse of complications running for him.

The pieces got exchanged at regular intervals and the players arrived a queen rook and minor piece endgame by the 21st move itself.

With the pawn structure absolutely similar, there was no chance to fight for an advantage and Carlsen confirmed this by going for a tactical trick that led to force exchange of the remaining three pieces.

What remained was a king and pawns endgame

on board after 28 moves and five moves later the peace was signed when both queen and king side became impregnable for either side.

Anand summed up his play in the post match conference, "Given the match situation I am expected to liven things up, I will try to do it in the next game," he said.

The ninth game on Thursday now will be most crucial for Anand.

The local star will get white pieces after a rest day and a victory can still keep him in the hunt to defend his title.

World Chess Championship: Carlsen beats Anand in Game 6 to take 4-2 lead

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SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 23rd November2013

India crush West Indies in Sachin’s last test

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar got a memorable gift in his emotionally-charged farewell Test which lasted just about two and a half days as India crushed a hapless West Indies by an innings and 126 runs to complete a 2-0 whitewash in one of the most lopsided contests in recent history.

There was an outpouring of emotions when the moment arrived as a teary-eyed Tendulkar left the playing arena, which he dominated for 24 long years. Amid standing ovations from his teammates as well as the fans who had thronged the stadium to see the champion for one last time, Tendulkar walked into the sunset of his glittering career.

Starting the day at 43 for three, the West Indies were skittled out for a paltry 187 in their second innings as Pragyan Ojha completed a match-haul of 10 wickets taking his second five-for.

Only seven sessions of play was possible in a Test match in which one of the most respected and cele-

brated cricketers in the history bid goodbye to the game in front of his home crowd and his family, many of whom watched him for the first time from the stands.

Gauging the emotional atmosphere, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, once the play was extended for 15 minutes after the fall of eighth wicket, introduced Tendulkar to roll his arms for a couple of overs amid deafening cheers from the partisan crowd.

He pitched a googly right, bowled a few loopy half volleys which were

cheered by one and all.

He didn't have much luck like the first Test but it didn't matter as Dhoni replaced Tendulkar with his frontline spinner Ashwin, who got the ninth wicket of the West Indies innings.

Moment after the final West Indies wicket fell, the Indian cricketers converged around the 'Man of the Moment' and handed him a souvenir stump as they came one by one to hug him.

After that a relay 'Guard of Honour' was given by Dhoni and his men as Tendulkar walked

out of the pitch one final time trying hard to conceal his emotions under the floppy sun hat.

But one could see him wipe a tear off as the West Indies players came down to congratulate the legend on a wonderful career.

Arjun Tendulkar, who was doing the duty of a ball-boy, stood applauding at the boundary line.

Starting with a 8-1 offside field, Ashwin bowled on Gayle's pads as he was clipped for three boundaries in a single over by the big-bodied Jamaican.

Marlon Samuels (11) stepped out to a flighted

delivery from Pragyan Ojha, only to find that Dhoni had effected the easiest of stumpings.

Gayle also followed suit as he edged a straighter one from Ojha for Dhoni to take a sharp catch. At 87 for five, there was a fear that the match may well get over even before lunch session as Narsingh Deonarine (0) offered a simple return catch to become Ojha's fourth victim of the innings and ninth of the match.

H o w e v e r Chanderpaul, playing his 150th Test match offered some resistance in company of Denesh Ramdin (53) as they added 68 runs for the seventh wicket before the veteran padded up one from Ashwin that went straight after pitching.

Chanderpaul scored 41 with four boundaries.

Skipper Darren Sammy (1) who had demoted himself in the batting order didn't fare any better.

Ramdin, however, continued hitting the odd

boundaries in between as he reached half-century as wickets fell at the other end.

It was Mohammed Shami, who brought an end with a typical inswinging delivery that brought curtains down on a wonderful career.

It was yet another dismal batting performance from the West Indies as the likes of Gayle, Kieron Powell, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Chanderpaul failed to live upto their expectations for the second time in the match.

Gayle managed to score just 35 off 53 balls today, his highest in the series, that was studded with four boundaries and a six.

A dashing batsman in the T20 format, Gayle finished the series without a single half century to his name in the four completed innings. His scores in the series stand as 18, 33, 11, 35. A total of 97 runs in a high-profile series doesn't do justice to his enormous big-hitting potential.