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26 JAN - 1 FEB 2019 - VOL 47 ISSUE 37
Arlene ‘Fostering’ UK-India relation, post-Brexit EXCLUSIVE
inside: 28,360 MoUs signed during Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019 SEE PAGE 23
Senator Kamala Harris jumps into 2020 White House race
The DUP leader is one of the keynote speakers in the upcoming 'India Britain Trade Expo’ in London on 12 March 2019 Rupanjana Dutta The relationship between UK and India is expected to undergo a significant change in the post-Brexit world. India's growing economy has been an alluring factor for the UK, and the relationship promises to grow stronger in the coming few months.
From free trade to immigration, there is already a noticeable paradigm shift and the upcoming 'India Britain Trade Expo’ in London is the UK’s earnest effort to finally take this relationship to the next level. It is a fact that UK has always been a corridor to the European market for the Indian companies, but the same organisa-
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tions are now trying to understand what Brexit's affect would be on their current status in the UK or to their future investment possibilities. At this critical stage, DUP leader Arlene Foster in an exclusive interview told the Asian Voice, how India plays an important role in the UK's future outside Europe. Continued on page 9
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Election in India: Battleground in London SEE PAGE 14
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WITH KEITH VAZ, MP
Dr Dipesh Patel
Dr Dipesh Patel is a Consultant in Endocrinology and Diabetes at Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust since 2013. He qualified from St George’s medical school in London in 1998 and completed specialist training in North West London. He was awarded a PhD by Imperial College for his research in cholesterol transport, HDL-C in people with high blood glucose levels. He enjoys delivering high quality clinical care in Endocrinology and Diabetes management. He is committed to patient safety. He is an executive committee member of the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) which promotes high quality training and care in the UK. Dr Patel contributes to post-graduate work at the Royal College of Physicians. Dr Patel has an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer role at UCL and is a principal investigator in clinical trials with an interest in cardiovascular disease prevention. He is lead teacher for undergraduate Endocrinology at the Royal Free. Please visit his website here; https://www.royalfreeprivatepatients.com/consultant/dr-dipesh-c-patel/
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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in? Feel very much at home in England, specifically Wiltshire where I grew up and latterly London where I studied and lived. I enjoy the vast diversity and cosmopolitan feel. Most recently I have developed a curious sense of homeliness in Gujarat where my family originates and love its vibrant atmosphere.
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What are your proudest achievements?
My contribution to improving care of patients and ability to make a difference is rewarding. My involvement in training and research through national organisations is also satisfying
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What inspires you?
Patients have provided a constant source of inspiration throughout my career. Passionate colleagues have also helped along the way.
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What is the best aspect about your current role? The ability to serve the public and have the opportunity to shape training and aspects of speciality work continues to motivate me.
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And the worst?
The NHS is a limited resource and one finds this can cause significant strains across sectors of the health service. Sometimes these tensions impede innovation.
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Clinically a major focus is to help reduce suffering in individuals and communities with diabetes and endocrine conditions. Longer term one needs to identify and nurture the next generation of leading doctors and specialists.
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What has been biggest obstacle in your career? I am lucky not to have had any major obstacles in my career. We all endure minor hurdles and bumps along our paths which generally lead to greater opportunities.
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Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? I was originally inspired by Respiratory physician at the age of sixteen. Professor Desmond Johnston at St Mary's hospital persuaded me to consider applying for a post in Endocrinology and I haven't looked back since. I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked with many talented colleagues
If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why. It would have to be Nelson Mandela, a revolutionary leader. I would like to try to understand how he stayed politically committed in spite of all the injustices he endured.
Leicester Sikh Community leader and temple president Sewa Singh Paldi dies at 84 Tributes have been paid to a respected Sikh community leader and volunteer who dedicated his life to the people of Leicester and has died at the age of 84. Sewa Singh Paldi’s passing is being mourned as “a great loss for the Sikh Community of Leicester and the city as a whole.” A former president of
The Labour party has lodged a formal complaint against the BBC over the treatment of the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott over her unfair treatment by Fiona Bruce at BBC's Question Time Programme during Thursday’s show. Following the programme Abbott had accused BBC of legitimising racist abuse, claiming that she was repeatedly interrupted and singled out before the show. She also claimed how Bruce had wrongly corrected her over
the latest Labour polling figures and how she had never had such a “horrible” experience before. Labour has also demanded to see footage from the audience warm-up before the show amid allegations the crowd had been “whipped up” against Abbott. She said she had also been told Bruce made unpleasant remarks about her before the recording began. The BBC said it was “sorry” to hear of Abbott’s concerns and had sought to reassure her team that
social media claims made about the warm-up, which have gone viral, were false. The Media organisation also tweeted: “We’ve reviewed what was said re polling on @bbcquestiontime. A YouGov poll published on the day of the programme suggested a lead for the Conservatives. Diane Abbott was also right that some other polls suggested Labour either as ahead or tied, & we should have made that clear.” A Labour source has also asked for an on-air apology over the polling.
Patel wins £76,000 scholarship to Eton Hasan Patel from an east London council estate has won a £76,000 scholarship to Eton. Patel is slated will start at the prestigious private school in September but currently shares a two-bedroom council flat with his parents and two brothers in Leyton. The 16-year-old, currently studies at the local George Mitchell School, and is planning to study Alevels in history, geography, politics and drama. His family hopes that he will secure a place at Oxford or Cambridge after
Hasan Patel
sixth form. Patel earlier tweeted- “I’ve got a scholarship to Eton College for sixth form. I know you may be thinking - “a Corbynista going to private school, hypocrite!” This is an opportunity I cannot refuse and it won’t mean my politics will change. I’ll still be the same kid fighting for social justice. In a statement to Evening Standard he also said 'I’ll still be the same kid fighting for social justice'
Rashid A Khan Solicitor (Principal)
What are your long term goals?
If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change? High quality Education and Healthcare for all is vital to both facilitate social mobility and reduce inequality. I think these areas are still in need of greater thought and application.
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Labour complains over Abbott's treatment on BBC Question Time
two of the largest Sikh temples in the city, he died in Leicester Royal Infirmary leaving behind his wife, Daljit Kaur, their four children and seven grandchildren. Parminder Thandi, 26, said she “couldn’t be prouder” of her grandfather. He was a prominent prominent Sikh leader within Leicester
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26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
The great Brexit conundrum Will you won’t you come the dance is a line from Alice in Wonderland made fit for purpose by the Brexit controversy ever since the Referendum in mid 2016 called by former Conservative prime minister David Cameron. He did so in the belief that the party advocating continued British membership of the European Union would win, ensconcing him in office for another term or more. Instead, to the surprise of British establishment, the Obama administration and the European Union, the Brexiteers carried the day. The country’s powerful industrial and financial interests have never been reconciled to the no verdict. There has been fevered talk of a second referendum, amid prevarication, procrastination on the streets and in the lobbies of Parliament: confusion worse confounded. Truth is that there has been a deeply sceptical element about Europe spanning decades. Churchill’s generation saw Britain’s future in an ever closer relationship with the United States and the white English-speaking dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and white South Africa. This outlook was part of the baggage of the old imperial, and hence played well with hard Right of the Tory party. Prime Minister Theresa May had engaged in marathon negotiations with the European Union and came up with a plan on Britain’s exit from the EU. Put to the vote in the
House of Commons, she lost by a staggering margin of 202 votes for and 432 votes against the motion. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which he lost 325 to 306 adding to the deepening political uncertainty and business anxiety in the country. Tory Brixiteers, while opposing May’s Brexit deal, were as opposed to Labour coming to power in a general election. Prime Minister May has now opted for cross-party consultations on her proposed deal, in the expectation that modification to her dear would be acceptable to the European Union. A deal must be reached by March 29, after which British membership of the EU would lapse. The prospect of a no deal exit would be calamitous economic consequences for the UK. Britain is back to square one. The larger impact has European ramifications. The EU is a house divided: over national budgets, migration from the Greater Middle East and North Africa, and democratic practises in a number of member states. Over and above this, France is in turmoil with mass Yellow Shirt street protests across the country and an increasingly discredited President Emmanuel Macron. The Trump administration has extended the arms race into space. The global order is fractured, perhaps beyond repair. The future looks bleak.
China losing its way The Rise of China is a fact of life. International politics is adjusting to the reality. Chinese leaders, nationalist and communist, kept harping for a century and more, on the iniquities of Western and Japanese imperialisms on their body politic. Meiji Japan experienced the karmic mantra. China is in similar mode. Its foreign policies are increasingly muscular, based on military strength and reach driven by advanced technologies. Threats are routinely issued against neighbours perceived as guilty of violating ‘China’s core interests. Territorial acquisitions and claims are made on the basis of a convenient hoary past, irrespective of the principals and customs and usage of modern International, first codified by Hugo Grotius in 1649, and developed since on principles of universal justice. The Celestial Kingdom in its widest expanse as built by conquerors from the steppes, Mongols and Manchu dynasties were looked upon with disdain by the native Han population. Only the Mongol and Manchu territorial legacy became a sacred covenant for Han nationalists. Xinjiang, Tibet, parts of the Himalayan borderlands abutting India and areas of South East Asia were absorbed in an empire centred on Beijing or were tributary kingdoms in fealty to the Emperor. The world beyond the Chinese empire was viewed with bland contempt, the residue much in evidence to this day – cultural autism. The talents and organizing abilities of the Han Chinese is, and has been for centuries past, extraordinary by any standard. China once led the world in technological discovery and innovation, as the epic multivolume work of the Cambridge scientist and cultural polymath Joseph Needham demonstrated with magisterial scholarship. As heirs to this remarkable civilization, Chinese space scientists have successfully sent a rover aboard a a satellite to the dark side of the moon with cotton seeds, which have now sprouted. That this is an epic achievement only the grossly ignorant would deny. Such prowess put to creative purpose across all fields can only be of benefit to humanity at large. The underside of such potential is its militarization in the pursuit of power funnelled through the constricted organs of a one-party dictatorship. The calculation of its leadership is that rising standards of living and a consumer boom over which it presides, making China the world’s
second-largest economy, will quell any desire of its citizens for greater freedom of thought and expression. That calculation is under serious threat, as the China’s export-driven economy and its uninterrupted growth over 40 years is slowing significantly. Economic truths are colliding with political reality, with speculative consequences as of now. Property bubbles, massive investments in enterprises with possible diminished outlets, printing money through state-controlled banks are becoming combustible, with an explosion somewhere down the line. This perhaps explains President Xi Jingping’s conciliatory approach to the tariff dispute with the United States, where the Trump administration has threatened to impose 250 billion dollars worth of duties on Chinese goods entering the country. President Xi has reduced Chinese duties on American cars by 15 per cent. Improved access to Chinese markets and recognition of US intellectual property rights are likely to follow. China is on weaker ground in its economic standoff with America. The other factor of concern for many of China’s neighbours is the underlying militarization of Beijing’s regional policy. Its antecedents humbling of India in the 1962 border war; the invasion of Vietnam in February 1979 on the plea that it was ‘teaching Vietnam a lesson, just as it haught India a lesson in 1962, Beijing’s support to the genocidal monster Pol Pot in Cambodia; Beijing’s recent economic blockade of Mongolia for inviting the Dalai Lama to visit the country and thus ‘violating China’s core interest;’ its truculence in the South China Sea and the eyeball –to eyeball’ standoff with India at Doklam on the Sikkim-Bhutan border: these have been factored into the India-Vietnam strategic ties, amid new Indian understandings with ASEAN. China’s leadership would do well to browse through German history. On the eve of the First World War in 1914, Germany’s achievements were truly remarkable. Her universities were among the best in Europe; her scholarship in the humanities was outstanding, her music equally so, her progress in science, engineering, industry and business epochal. German hubris seeded the Great War and ended in Germany’s defeat. The Second World War closed with Hitler’s Gotterdammarung in Berlin in 1945.
India’s skill, character and leadership India’s much awaited cricket tour of Australia was clearly a triumph of skill, character and leadership. The combination of pace and spin blended perfectly, complemented by good catching and fine ground fielding. The Third and final ODI against Australia at Melbourne ended in a convincing 7 wicket victory for India, the three-match series won by the visitors 2-1- a similar margin to the four Test matches. Mahindra Singh Dhoni was the ODI Man of the Series for his three half centuries, the last lucky with three chances, the first a sitter, the last an appeal not made, two, and Yuvendral Chahal ODI Man-of-the Match at Melbourne for his bowling figures of 6 for 42. Team India’s Manager Ravi Shastri issued a strident statement on media critics of Dhoni’s previous slow run-scoring. That he redeemed his record with two sterling performances do not alter the
prior negative record. Commentators and media correspondents are required by the ethics of their profession to tell the truth as they see it, regardless of reputations. Dhoni is idolized, almost deified, by public and media; his critics are few; but the questions they raise are legitimate. Shastri in his time was a fine all-round cricketer, who represented India at the highest international level with pedigree performances with bat and ball; his cricketing brain was exceptional; hence it was a tragedy that he retired from the game in his prime, denied the Indian captaincy by men whose preferred choices were folk reared in pocket and rotten or rotten boroughs. Shastri’s management and coaching skills contributed hugely to captain Virat Kohli’s success as batsman and leader, and to the greater professionalism of the team.
Even a little gift may be vast with loving kindness - Theocritus, 270 BC
Lord Dolar Popat Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Rwanda and Uganda Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group of Rwanda
International Holocaust Memorial Day This week I will be joining my Jewish friends in observing the 74th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Almost three quarters of a century on from the darkest chapter in Europe’s history, Holocaust memorial is as important as it has ever been. It is not just the indifference and complacency caused by the passage of time that we must resist. But the climate of denial and distortion that is permeating our society and polluting political debate. Complacency, denial and distortion are three forces we must fight against. First, complacency: There are many people who associate the Nazi genocide with a disfigured past; an abhorrent historical event from which humanity has moved on, and which will never be repeated. Then there are the deniers: those who claim the Holocaust never happened. Holocaust denial is pure hate masquerading as legitimate debate designed to spread more hate. Holocaust-deniers propagate deranged conspiracy theories, based on centuries-old tropes about Jewish power and influence, claiming that the systematic murder of 6 million human beings is nothing more than an elaborate myth. And finally, the ‘distorters’ – those who employ the word genocide to describe various forms of state violence in a bid to spark emotional responses to perceived injustices. Some distorters are merely careless, but more often than not, the term genocide is used as a weapon to demonise people and countries, and to advance hostile agendas. Distortion is particularly troubling because it dilutes the very meaning of genocide as defined in international law. We need to remember that genocide is not an event; it is a process. It is made possible when three things happen: Racist ideologies spread, dictators rise and freedoms collapse. Through psychological and legal measures, a new climate of hate is created, which over time legitimises the subjugation of a victim group, which in turn lays the ground for systematic mass-murder. It is salutary to point out that the final solution did not start with the Second World War: it was the culmination of many years of meticulous planning and hateful inculcation under Hitler’s Germany. In this process Jews were singled out as scapegoats for Germany’s ills. It normalised perceptions of Jews as having no place in society. But the objective was not only to intimidate, oppress, or even expel the Jews from Germany. It was to destroy them - totally, without mercy, and with no exceptions. Think about that for a moment: Over six million innocent men, women and children, rounded up from every corner of Europe that the Nazis were able to reach, and murdered. It defies comprehension. And yet history continues to repeat itself. Continued on page 4
Editor: CB Patel Asian Voice is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com INDIA OFFICE Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380 015. Tel: +91 79 2646 5960 Email: gs_ahd@abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications
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Labour Friends of India relaunched to strengthen UK-India ties The Labour Friends of India held a successful relaunch at an event hosted at the party headquarter in London on Wednesday evening last week. The event, attended by MPs, Shadow Cabinet Members, councillors and party activists was addressed by the co-chairs: Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London, and Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West. In one of her first public engagements, the new High Commissioner for India, HE Ruchi Ghanashyam also addressed the reception. Other speakers included John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor, and Barry Gardiner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade. Speaking at the event, Deputy Mayor of London, Rajesh Agrawal said “Labour Friends of India will give a powerful voice to the 1.5m strong British-Indian community, as well as promoting understanding of India’s position as a major international power and fast-growing economy. A strong international partnership between the UK and India will continue to endure with the relaunch of the group, as we mark twenty years since it was
Deputy Mayor Rajesh Agrawal, Shadow Chancellor John Mcdonnell, HE Ruchi Ghanashyam, High Commissioner of India to UK and Barry Gardiner MP
Darren Jones MP, co-chair Labour Friends of India
Spice Girls' T-shirts made in Bangladesh factory pays staff 35p an hour According to The Guardian's investigation Spice Girls T-shirts were made at a factory in Bangladesh where women earned the equivalent of 35p an hour. These T-shirts were sold to raise money for Comic Relief’s “gender justice” campaign during shifts in which they claim to be verbally abused and harassed. Bearing the message “#IWannaBeASpiceGirl”, these T-shirts were produced by mostly female machinists who were often called “daughters of prostitutes” by managers for not hitting targets and said
how they were forced to work up to 16 hours a day. Money raised from sales of the £19.40 T-shirts will be donated to Comic Relief’s fund to help “champion equality for women”. The charity is due to receive £11.60 for each of the T-shirts, which were commissioned and designed by the band, but said it has yet to be given any money. The Spice Girls said the cause was important to them because “equality and the movement of people power have always been at the heart of the band”.
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initially launched in 1999.” He further said,“Our ties with India are historic and strong, from supporting India’s right to Independence, to challenging the Government’s immigration policies for people from the Sub- continent. With the relaunch of the Labour Friends of India, we will enhance our efforts to build partnership between India and the UK.” Darren Jones MP said, “With an election possible at any time, we will redouble our work to listen to and engage the community. That will involve everyone from our leadership and front bench, mayors and council leaders, councillors and activists.” “We can only broaden and deepen our understanding of the issues of concern to the Indian diaspora if we listen to the challenges and concerns facing people, businesses, students, entrenches, community leaders and voluntary sector activists. The Labour Party’s relationship with India, and the significant Indian diaspora in the UK has a proud history, and as we prepare to return to government, we are determined to strengthen our ties for the future,” he added.
Tourism in the UK down by 5.3% while global figures rise The number of people visiting the UK on holiday saw a decline of 5.3% in 2018. This was contrary to the predictions and bucked the global travel trend, which saw worldwide international arrivals increase 6% year on year. Globally, tourist arrival figures were highest in the Middle East up 10%, Asia and Europe both up 6%. Growth has been driven by stable fuel prices, improved air links between destinations and strong outbound travel from emerging markets including Russia and the Middle East and some smaller Asian and Arab countries In contrast, the UK saw a decline
of 5.3% in overseas tourists and a 2.3% fall in spending, despite earlier suggestions that a record year in 2017 would continue into 2018. The drop in tourism to the UK has been attributed to a fall in interest among Europeans, who account for two-thirds of overseas visitors. Research by VisitBritain showed that interest in visiting the UK since the Brexit referendum fell from 76% in August 2016 to 69% in autumn 2018.
International Holocaust Memorial Day Continued from page 3
As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group of Rwanda, I plan to take a group of Parliamentarians to Kigali in April to mark the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, which shared striking similarities with the Holocaust. While to some observers the Rwandan genocide looked like a spontaneous outbreak of frenzied killing, the scale of planning and preparation, which in many ways mirrored the processes in Nazi Germany, soon became clear: Totalitarian rule. Nuremberg-style laws of separation. Sophisticated propaganda which portrayed the Tutsi minority as subhuman ‘cockroaches’ who were not fit for society. The psychological and legal foundations were cemented long before a sin-
gle shot was fired. The totality is crucial in understanding the difference between genocide and other atrocities. To this end Holocaust remembrance is as much about education as it is commemoration. What can we learn? Around the world, the extreme right and extreme left are sowing division and hate. Insecure societies are looking for answers to their problems, and for someone to blame. The destabilising factors that coalesced to legitimise destruction are again being unleashed. So on this Holocaust remembrance, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent. We must combat denial and distortion at every turn. Because history teaches us that indifference threatens inaction. And inaction makes the unthinkable eminently possible.
in brief EIGHT-MONTH-OLD WITH BRITISH CITIZENSHIP IN DETENTION
An eight-month-old baby despite being a British citizen was locked up by the Home Office in an immigration detention for 12 days after an asylum application by his mother was rejected. The details of the case reveal that the Home Office successfully won an appeal against a ruling that the baby and his mother, a Nigerian national, had been falsely imprisoned on the grounds that the burden of proof rested on the boy to prove his citizenship. The mother TR and her son, named as JA,, were held in immigration detention for 12 days after an asylum application by TR was rejected. The Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) wrote to the Home Office saying that JA was a British citizen because of his father and, they were trying to prove this by updating his birth certificate. It was submitted that, as a British citizen, JA could not be removed and TR should be permitted to remain in the UK to care for him. The Home Office rejected the representations and detained mother and son. Ultimately, the high court granted a stay of removal and TR and JA were released. A month later, JA’s British father was added to his birth certificate.
“LANDMARK” DOMESTIC ABUSE BILL WILL INCLUDE ECONOMIC & CONTROLLING ABUSE
The Domestic Abuse Bill aimed at supporting victims and their families and pursuing offenders has been published today in what ministers say will be landmark legislation. It comes as it is revealed domestic abuse issues cost the country £66 billion a year. The new legislation will broaden the definition of domestic abuse encompassing economic abuse, controlling and manipulative non-physical abuse. This will encourage everyone, including the victims to come forward and report the cases. The long-awaited legislation will also ban abusers from cross-examining victims in family courts. A Domestic Abuse Commissioner to drive the response to domestic abuse issues will also be appointed as per the proposed draft. Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins said- “The draft Domestic Abuse Bill recognises the complex nature of these horrific crimes and puts the needs of victims and their families at the forefront.” It is estimated that around two million adults experience domestic abuse each year, affecting almost 6% of all adults. Women are twice as likely to be victims than men.
HARROW ARTS CENTRE GETS NEARLY £2M CASH
Harrow Council wins £760,000 from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and the local authority will contribute £1m for new buildings for arts, culture and leisure. Architects have now begun working on new designs, which will not only improve the complex of buildings on the site, but also add extra space for everything from orchestras to yoga. The first new learning space will be available from Autumn this year, with new artist studios following in 2020. Cllr Keith Ferry, portfolio holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration said, “It wasn’t long ago that the Arts Centre faced an uncertain future – but we take great pride in saying those days are long behind us. But this investment means jobs and places for our small cultural industries to grow and thrive. Economic development and cultural wealth go hand-in-hand at the HAC, and that’s something we can all believe in.” he finished.
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Superman or an Ironman? British Army needs Snow(o)men
Your Armed Forces need you as much as you need them to keep you safe Priyanka Mehta “I would never want my children to be recruited in the Army,” said a mother of two teenage boys, who requested not to be named as we sat discussing the Army's latest recruitment drive. Upon asking why not she hesitantly whispered“There is no stable future, no safety...who knows if the day after they are dispatched, I never get to see them?” One of her sons is an IT wizard and a number genius always coding away his hours but on asking about a role in the Army, he can't seem to imagine one. “In what capacity would I join the Army? I'm not built for the Army!” he immediately dismissed the conversation. At a time when the Army is getting smaller, Major Naveed Muhammad MBE, an Army National Liaison Officer with a background in royal signals talks to me about the perceptions among the ethnic minorities that need to be broken
with regards to serving in the Armed Forces. Provision of humanitarian relief to intercepting signals “You don't have to be a superman. Any individual with determination and dedication can achieve the required physical strength to serve in the Army,” explained Major Muhammad. As a British Muslim Commandment who recently turned 50 he spoke about the need of having not just young blood on the battleground but the difference that sharp young minds could bring to the country's safety units. From working in the communications department, interception of signals or to as simple as translating messages, the younger generation can contribute their technological expertise in diverse fields. “It can vary from providing humanitarian & disaster relief packages and aid in Indonesia, or intercepting narcotics shipments in
Major Naveed Muhammad MBE with his fellow officers
the Royal Navy in the Atlantic or policing and training in Malawi,” he said. But what about the perceptions of the Army in the
South Asian diaspora? As of April 2018, people from ethnic minorities made up only 2.9% of officers in the British Army which saw a
marginal increase from 2.7% in 2009, according to the UK armed forces bi-annual diversity statistics report. “It is important, to be honest with the parents and ensure that their children will be safe. It is not possible to ensure them of absolute safety in a hostile environment. But the message needs to be conveyed that the training and equipment provided by the British Army is one of the best in the world,” Major Muhammad explained. But more than the parents and community, the actual challenge remains to get the youth curious and engaged in an evolving world of “work-from-home” atmosphere. The Ministry of Defence said 72% of young people see themselves as ambitious yet feel under-valued and seek a job for a purpose. The Army today is struggling to meet its manning levels after the most recent
official statistics put soldier numbers at 79,640 short of the required level of 83,500. “What is important is asking about their concerns and by constantly engaging with them by visiting schools, and talking with your audience in community groups.” “Over the years, I have found that sharing my personal experience is of immense value. I joined the Army when I was 19 years old and I tell them about the stories of the times when I was deployed in different foreign countries. And I have realised that on the whole people are willing to sit down and have that conversation.” At a time when “hard borders” are being drawn to demarcate territories and divisive campaigns of hate, intolerance, and terrorism are invading the peace and co-operation among countries, the Armed Forces need as much of your skill-set and knowledge to serve them as much as you rely on them to keep you safe.
EXCLUSIVE
Shaun Bailey hailing Asian Community's family models Rupanjana Dutta The Conservative party candidate for London's 2020 Mayoral election, Shaun Bailey, said that the Asian community is an example he looks up to, denying his intention to 'attack' the
best place to set up a business. There is nothing like financial stress to keep your family apart.” Jamaican-origin Bailey who is a Brexiter has been elected as the party's Mayoral candidate against Labour's Sadiq Khan. He was
Rupanjana Dutta, Shaun Bailey and CB Patel, Editor/Publisher at Asian Voice office in Old Street
community or Britain's multiculturalism. “If I could say anything to any other communities, I would ask them to follow the Asian community's model of family – you have people in your family who are professionals, you grow up seeing such ideals. Those things make a difference. At the core of my belief, is income- work and family- they are the protective factors. I will make London a city where everybody has a stake, where it is easy to find a job, and the
appointed a few months after the Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid was chosen as the UK's first Asian Home Secretary- perhaps the Tory's desperate measures to save their reputation and straighten records, especially after the Windrush scandal. Zac Goldsmith, who was the Mayoral candidate for the last election, was alleged to be far removed from a typical Londoner's day to day concerns, given his social status. But Bailey who is far
from an archetypal Tory candidate, grew up in a rough housing estate around Ladbroke Grove with his single mother, grand parents and, witnessing crimes and poverty that drove people's lives, every single day. He told BBC's Radio 4 that he himself had committed burglary in his teens to 'secure' his place among peers 'stamping' territories. A graduate of the South Bank University at the age of 27, Bailey is a great proponent of education, employing local talents and believes having an 'affordable' roof over one's head is connected to their education. Bailey who was appointed as one of David Cameron's "Ambassadors for the Big Society" and in 2012 became a special adviser to then Prime Minister Cameron on youth and crime, also fights against drugs and knife crime, but believes in social reforms such as education and family discipline. “You grow up in the shadow of Canary Wharf, but you never work there, why? Because in Canary Wharf people are highly educated. You support that process. I was born and bred in London and I had no idea that the City existed. I will show people directly how
Shaun Bailey at a Hindu temple with Bob Blackman MP, Cllr Anjana Patel and other members of the community
they are getting their jobs. We are about to get adhoc education budget. I would be directing that towards Londoners. And I would be working towards saying that if you want a cheaper space, you have to employ local people. I want people to be upto the task. Costs are everything.” Tory peer Lord Jitesh Gadhia said more than 20% of the high-skilled people working in the City are from Asian background. Wanting to do something, for the poor community he emphasised that it is about 'ownership', as he agreed that the country needs highly-skilled labour and promised to 'push' for it in the next election mani-
festo, if he is 'elected'. In 2007, Bailey was selected to be the Conservative candidate for the newly recreated parliamentary seat of Hammesrsmith in West London. His campaign focused on issues surrounding families and social responsibility- something he still emphasises on in his Mayoral campaign against Khan. But will he be able to help with the housing crisis, that has gone deeper into the society, especially after former Tory Mayor Boris Johnson made the houses more affordable for foreign investors than the local citizens? Denying Johnson’s role behind the 'crisis', Bailey emphasised that
London's housing crisis has been there since 1945. But he added, “The homeless situation is getting adverse. This city is attracting young buyers, but 5-7 years from then when they start a family, they wont have a bigger place. What drives your affordability is not the same as mine. London is growing. The Mayor has £4.82bn. The number of houses are important. There are many ways of making a house affordable. We are building more student accomodations because planning is easier. From the area that I come from, there is a square, and flats around it, I could change the bottom flats and make it affordable for families to live there.”
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Disease shaming: Cease the “brushing under the carpet” taboo Priyanka Mehta “I had a TV audition recently and I was given the script on the day. They realised that I was dyslexic and...there was a long discussion in the room.” Humaira goes silent for a few seconds and picks up “The director then sat with me and told me “It seems that you're very talented but you're not getting roles because of your dyslexia a-and that was when I cracked!” Humaira Iqbal is an actress, and a writer with learning difficulties and incredible parents as pillars of support but after entering drama school she started suffering from inferiority complex. “I felt really judged in a way that this was going to stop me from auditioning for this massive TV Production ever again and since then I haven't seen them again. And I got scared because I don't want anyone to blacklist me on my dyslexia” she argues. Humaira did not face any discrimination from the community but recalls how kids called her 'dumb' in school because of her spellings. “I could never spell peo-
ple correctly. It was always 'Piple' to me and there was this kid who used to laugh at me and always called me dumb.” “A lot of dyslexic people in general are just wanting to hide away” However, Humaira discovered her love for acting, took up the subject in her GCSE and went on to excel in her field in university and later joined the National Youth Theatre and then managed to enter the Drama School. There are roughly about only 1% of South Asian actors who are in the Drama School out of the 6000 positions that the School offers. The actress said how “sad” it was that a lot of people were unaware about the learning complexity and need to be educated about Dyslexia. Humaira thinks, “a lot of dyslexic people in general are just wanting to hide away from their dyslexia. They don't want to be made to feel that there is something strange or different about them. As dyslexic actors we need to not feel ashamed to ask questions.” But this behavioural pattern of ostracising people for suffering through learning difficulties encompasses the wider scope of Asian
Ashanti Omkar
women who are diagnosed with fertility complexities, terminal illnesses such as cancer and mental health among others. “Don't send letters to my GP, he is a family friend” “The first reaction in most cases of infertility is the women immediately assuming that there is something wrong with them,” said Dr. MBBS, MD, DFFP, MRCOG at Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic. The doctor talks about how difficult it is to explain Vaginismus to most Asian couples and tell them that because of this condition, there is a possibility that the couple has not had a good physical relationship. On recommending consultation
with a psycho-sexual counsellor the first response I receive is“I don't want to speak to the counsellor about my intimate relationship and if I have to then will the counsellor be a male or a female?” the doctor disclosed. Dr. Ray also spoke about how she has dealt with patients who have requested about “not sending letters detailing their consultation to their GP as he happens to be a family friend.” Within the Asian population Dr. Ray is quick at pointing out how women tend to delay seeking help for any gynae related problems including Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, weight loss among others.
Humaira Iqbal
and her journey of being diagnosed with (PCOS) to discovering about her disease only when it had reached Stage 4. Along with
“I am given unsolicited advice by many, about surrogacy” “There was a long build up to this diagnosis, as it is often misdiagnosed, and many, like me, can spend a decade suffering with excruciating periods” said Ashanti Omkar, presenter of the South Indian and Sri Lankan show at the BBC Asian Network. Ashanti discussed her battle with Endometriosis
Endometriosis, she also suffered from Adenomyosis. She revealed how she had been talking about the subject for years, but many simply didn’t believe that there was an issue “Moreover, this was just seen as a women’s issue, so it
wasn’t easy to really discuss it in depth with anyone outside my husband who continued to be my rock and a few understanding friends. ” The most dominant practice that underpins the Asian culture here in the UK as well is the consistent pressure of expecting kids after the couple is married. And a couple who hasn't delivered the “good news” is soon to spark off speculation along the lines of something being wrong with the woman. “I am often asked about whether I have children, and am given unsolicited advice by many, about surrogacy, adoption, IVF e.t.c. I’m now blunt and say that I have had a hysterectomy, and that my husband and I made a joint decision to build a legacy that isn’t by way of having children, biological or otherwise,” Ashanti disclosed. Women like Ashanti and Humaira argue for finding a support group which can help in having a positive attitude towards life despite living with a chronic condition that has no foreseeable fix. Even a tweet like that of Humaira's can make a difference with the number of people who would reach out to you and share their experience.
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harrow.sales@fairview.co.uk Sales and Marketing Suite open daily 10am – 5pm Gayton Road, Harrow-On-The-Hill HA1 2HH *Help to Buy – Equity Loan. Available on new build homes up to £600,000 subject to the government ‘Help to Buy’ terms and conditions and only available to customers where a primary mortgage is secured. Not available on second or additional homes, buy-to-let and let-to-buy properties. HomeBuy agent eligibility check required. The equity loan is interest-free for the first five years and needs to be a minimum of 10% of the purchase price up to a maximum of 40%. After five years, an annual fee of 1.75% of the outstanding equity loan is charged. This is increased annually by RPI plus 1%. Subject to status, terms and conditions apply. †Journey times approximate. Source Google Maps and tfl.gov.uk. Prices and details correct at time of going to press.
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Land banking scheme Beware of banking on properties
About 180 people are being sued by Terracorp Limited who had failed to pay their covenant or services charges on the plots of land which they bought from Terracorp that is owned by Alexander Deschauer on which there is hardly any development. The Terracorp Limited v/s Mr. Martin Kearey, Mr. Olatunji Alaba Dairo, Mr. Shanmuganathan Karunakumar and others case is being heard at the County Court at Central London. As it stands today, out of the 180 defendants, about 40 of them have had an out-of-court settlement with Terracorp Limited. Ajaib Singh a part-time worker from Birmingham was one of the 180 people who got sued in 2018 for not paying his covenant charges on the plot he had bought at Collingham Garden Developments in Nottinghamshire. Life-long covenant charges rising at 5% annually “I heard about the property as a good investment from a distant relative back in 2004 and at that time we weren't aware of the lifelong charges in the form of keeping the property clean, cutting the grass etc, but there is nothing being done there” revealed Mr. Singh. According to Mr. Singh, he was told that after “making his payments for the plot in instalments over a period of four years there
would be no further charges levied on him.” But he said how he was surprised that not only was he being billed for these service charges but that they were increasing by 5% on an annual basis such that next year he would roughly be expected to pay about £270. While this may seem petty cash to many, today he says he is being sued for not paying £2000 of covenant charges billed between 2008-2018. “I had stopped paying for those charges in 2008 because I had paid in full for my property which I bought at £16,000. But then I discovered that while the property was still in my name, those open fields are being rented out to farmers by the company and basically I had no say whatsoever,” he discloses. Among the 40 people who have as of today entered into an out-of-court settlement, Mr. Singh had mediated into it as well but then “the terms and conditions of the deal” were not favourable for him to go ahead with it. Having signed an NDA, he says, he is not in the position to disclose the details of the offered deal. An estimated 3500 individuals, 20 companies & £72mn land-banking scam While there are 180 people at the moment, Kusum Thanki who bought a plot from one of Mr. Deschauer's companies, called Glenridge (Lee) Ltd (GLL) on an instalment programme lasting five years at the cost of
Remembering Kenyan Asians
£24,000. The plot site is based near Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire. “The plot was transferred to my name when I paid £24,000 and the covenant charge for first 5 years. According to the GLL’s solicitor at the time, the transfer was conditional upon me paying the covenant charge which I did till 2016-17,” said Miss Thanki who hasn't been sued yet by the company. The contract according to Miss Thanki binds not just her but also her children, to pay their covenant charges until the development of the area is completed where none appears likely. Miss Thanki is part of an action group now Land Banking Victim's Association Limited which has a total of 85 members today. 39 of these members according to her are sued while the rest of them have been victim to the land banking scheme. According to Miss Thanki they have gathered material where they believe that an approximate 3,500 individuals, across 27 companies owned by Mr. Deschauer, who may be impacted by this scheme. In their group of 100 individuals who have been sued and come out the lowest price paid is £16,500 and the highest is at £40,000. Miss Thanki explains that even after taking a more conservative average of 24,000 and 3,000 individuals, the financial value of the scheme is a staggering £72,000,000. Their action group now seeks legal
advice and representation at the County Court at Central London by Barrister Helen Swaffield, of Contract Law Chambers. Miss Thanki talks about how the barrister is “trying to challenge the contract itself and defending the victims”. “The issue is whether this land banking scheme is lawful or not. If such a scheme is found to be unlawful then these charges will not be paid” said Barrister Helen Swaffield. The grounds on which the defence is arguing that the scheme is unlawful vary from the land not being actually owned by the company to the not delivering on the promises that the company made to these defendants. Miss Thanki, in her letter to Judge Johns QC wrote about how Mr Deschauer “used local ethnic press and rogue salesmen from these communities to lure victims. They were deliberately targeted, exploiting their language vulnerability, for their savings culture and ignorance of the complex local planning laws.” As of today, their action group is trying to reach out to the remaining victims of this land banking scheme and create awareness among the Asian community who may risk being prey to similar scheme in future.
GOLDEN JUBILEE
I
f you have lived in Kenya, or have ancestors who lived in Kenya, come forward to share your story with Asian Voice. The Kenyan Asian community is one of the most affluent communities in Britain. They are well-respected, recognised and are an integral part of the British society. To celebrate the golden jubilee of the exodus of Kenyan Asians, we have planned to publish this special magazine in your honour. If you or your family were part of the journey, the loss of leaving home and making a new one- please share your photo story with us. The magazine will feature relevant information about the migration from undivided India to East Africa, particularly to Kenya. It will also record the contributions of the community to the Kenyan economy and society. It does not matter whether you are Indian or Pakistani, Gujarati or Punjabi, Hindu or Sikh, let us know how your journey shaped your future. Many of UK’s political leaders such as Baroness Usha Prashar, Lord Ranger Suri- from the Punjabi community have their roots in Kenya. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar have, besides providing news, views and features, persistently motivated and encouraged British Asians, promoting them and pushing them to the forefront of recognition. As the biggest Asian newsweeklies in Britain, we have made it our goal to lift our community with every opportunity we get. In Asian Voice issue of December 15, we published a column on Kenyan Asians, titled, 'The Golden Jubilee Of Mass Exodus Of Kenyan Asians And Settlement In The UK'. The mass exodus of Kenyan Asians was seen accelerated in February and March of 1968. Following Kenya's independence in 1963, Kenyan Asians holding British citizenship were pushed towards migration, many of whom sought to arrive in the UK. More will be published in the magazine. Deadline to submit material: March 30th Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com
Indians leave Kenya for Britain
Indians from Kenya arriving to Britain
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Arlene ‘Fostering’ UK-India relation, post-Brexit Continued from page 1
Foster, who is one of the keynote speakers in the upcoming 'India Britain Trade Expo' on 12 March 2019, at Westminster's Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, will share the stage with Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, who supports Bremain and 'London is Open' campaigns. “I had the great privilege to be the Trade and Investment Minister for Northern Ireland for 7 years,” she said. “I have visited India with a group of interested companies from Northern Ireland on a number of occasions, to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. I believe that in the post-Brexit scenario, there are great opportunities for companies right across the UK, in particularly in Northern Ireland to do business in India. There is a cultural symmetry between Northern Ireland and India, something that can be built upon to do business together.” Foster served as Northern Ireland's Minister for the Department of Enterprise
Trade and Investment from June 2008 until May 2015. During this period she was instrumental in promoting Northern Ireland's Tourism industry and securing massive levels of investment into the economy. She provided record levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and support for local businesses, despite the backdrop of a global economic downturn. Indian companies like HCL, Polaris, PixTransmission, Tech Mahindra set up their offices around the same time and the demands for setting up more of such companies especially in areas like IT, biotechnology, engineering among others are increasing. At the same time the Republic of Ireland is leaving no stones unturned to woo Indian companies, even from smaller towns of India, to come here and set up their base in order to service Europe, especially after Brexit. Recently stories emerged of Irish businessman Michael Dineen from Cork, who has founded Contracting Plus, a 120 employee company in Kerala, that supplies accounting and tax services
Arlene Foster
to independent professional contractors based in Ireland. Speaking about the growing interest and possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between UK India, Foster said, “I hope we can find new opportunities with our friends and colleagues in
India and other Commonwealth countries.” “Under the leadership of Prince Charles, we will be looking into a new role for Commonwealth- its use in a more meaningful and tangible way,” she added. Britain and India laid the ground for a possible post
Brexit bi-lateral free trade deal and signed off on a series of commercial agreements worth up to £1bn, when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UK in 2018. Foster, who believes that leadership is a lot about one's 'personality' is in agreement with Prime Minister Modi, who has attributed the success of a meaningful UK-India relationship on an engagement with the Indian diaspora- what he calls the 'living bridge'. “The Indian diaspora is very important,” said Foster. “I have worked with Lord Rana from Belfast who has come with me to India on one of the trade missions. He is from Punjab and he does a lot of work in India, in education with young people, which is his great passion. The Indian diaspora is not particularly big in Northern Ireland but it is very important and one of the oldest and well settled communities of Northern Ireland. Something we value very much.” But while Brexit brings many hopes for a better UK-India relationship, Theresa May's
Government has had a track record of hostile environment towards immigrants- especially the highly-skilled migrants, who have been booked for mere tax discrepancies under Article 322(5), a law made for dangerous criminals and terrorists. But Foster thinks that the situation will change after Brexit. “I was with Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Wednesday, discussing about his white paper and immigration plans.” “Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK which is going to have a border with the Republic of Ireland. So we have to bear it in mind, the terms of the flow of people, and we have to see that is done in a way that is advantageous to the whole of the UK, particularly to Northern Ireland. We are going to keep that conversation going with Mr Javid.” A group of officials went to Delhi last week to discuss the scope of the policies mentioned in Javid's White Paper, clearly highlighting the importance of the Indian sentiment, in the making of the UK's upcoming immigration rules.
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Healthcare in Danger Brexit has overshadowed other serious problems facing this country. It is time to look at the looming danger we are facing regarding “chronic” shortage of GPs in the NHS. Official figures showed this chronic shortage of family doctors some GPs were responsible for up to 9,000 patients. The recruitment drive may not be enough to enable the government hit its target for GPs to provide a sevenday service to the public by 2020. Azeem Majeed, professor of primary care at Imperial College London, estimates there will be a shortage of 12,100 GPs in England by the end of the decade. NHS could not cope without our EU nationals Steve Mowle, spokesperson for the Royal College of General Practitioners, said doctors were caught in a “pincer movement”, with some “leaving the profession earlier than they might have done because of the intense pressures they are working under — and potential future GPs choosing not to enter general practice because they see how incredibly tough it is”. The organisation found in a survey that 39 per cent of doctors in England said they would be unlikely to be working in general practice in the next five years. “If things aren’t done quickly to reverse this trend, then the future of the NHS is in jeopardy,” said Mr Mowle. About 20 per cent of doctors aged 55 and over are expected to retire early in the next few years, said Candesic, a consultancy. GPs’ workload has increased 16 per cent over the past seven years as a result of the ageing population, a shift towards community care for certain illnesses, and a dearth of capacity in hospitals, said the RCGP. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “It is deeply concerning that we are seeing a drop off at each stage of doctors’ training, we have to ask why some, who have spent many years training to become a doctor, are deciding not to continue in the profession...” In its plan for general practice published in 2016, NHS England set a target of 5000 additional general practitioners by 2020. However, no data were presented to show that this would be enough to meet the country’s needs. In view of the pressure GPs are working and patients care going downhill. It is time for the government to take immediate action to stop further deterioration of health care. This matter should have been tackled years ago instead of imposing austerity on the NHS. Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow
Brexit Stalemate As 29th of March, the proposed date for Brexit – Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) - is drawing nearer, everything does not seem cut and dried. There are suggestions that the Government should leave the EU without a deal at all, and remain as we are. There are calls for a second referendum to get us out of the logjam. We also need to consider the pros and cons, the advantages and disadvantages. of leaving the EU. Let us pause and contemplate on what could happen if we were to leave the EU without a deal.Would that mean that there would be a shortage of medicines? Would diabetics die en masse without the import of life saving mediciens, say for example, insulin? Would there be a famine like situation without the import of grains and meat from the EU countries? Make it tough on the EU negotiators and ask for refund of UK’s investments in the EU projects. I would reiterate what has been said in this column before that without getting into the intricacies of the process and the exact amounts involved, as laymen, we want to see if our negotiators can clawback the vast amounts of funds to thje tune of £59 billion,we were made to contribute towards the running of the EU or towards subsidising other member countries.The monies thus reverted back to us could be put towards the much needed funds to help our ailing NHS and other infrastructures. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford
Time to make Kite Festival Safe
Journey of Kenyan Asians
Those who were brought-up in East Africa, with mild weather, long warm days, plenty of open space and beautiful Indian Ocean on our door-step, outdoor life was inevitable, especially in those care-free post WW2 era when there was no television and even radios and fridges were out of bound for most people. So main entertain for children as well as adult was cricket and football in the evenings and family outings to seaside during week-ends. Although we did not celebrate festival of Uttrayan on a particular day, flying kite, mainly for children with adult help was popular, especially during long summer months. In fact even in Gujarat, it was not a well-organized event, until then CM of Gujrat, now PM Narendra Modi put it in public domain, as he did with Yoga, now as popular in the West as in India. Even UN has acknowledged Yoga’s importance for health and well-being and declared 21stJune as“International Yoga Day” which falls on Friday this year. Unfortunately this harmless obscure fun, mainly meant for children, has become a closely contested event, not only many other States participating but also teams of semi-professionals participating from overseas. This has resulted in a “win at any cost” attitude, with no bars barred that has made this once carefree fun a dangerous game, not only for human beings but also for birds and wild-life. The lustre kites are becoming bigger, larger and decorated with beautiful colours, some made from fine silk instead of paper while the string, mainly imported from China, is laced with grinded glass that makes it lethal, not only to cut lose opponent’s kites but so often it cuts the throat of innocent passers-by, resulting in serious injury, losing fingers or even deaths of some fifty people throughout Gujarat. Another danger is that children fly kites from the highest point possible in a building, from flat roof-top that result in falls from a great height, instantly killing these children. It is time to regulate, ban such deadly strings, making kite flying as safe as possible, as was the case in East Africa. One suggestion is that it should be banned from city centre where it leads to so many traffic accidents and designate an open, isolated place far from human settlement where everyone can enjoy the fun, without competitive element, a safe sport without danger to other people.
I have been reading about Asian Voice's plan to print a magazine on the Kenyan Asians. I have had friends who are Punjabi and come from Kenya. Some of them could even speak Gujarati! In a tv interview years back, I had seen Lord Suri interacting in Gujarati. It is remarkable to think of their journey. Significant Indian migration to modern day Kenya began following the creation of the East Africa Protectorate in 1895. The Protectorate took over the assets and personnel of the Imperial British East Africa Company and hence its Indian orientation. The rupee was instituted as the currency of the Protectorate and the legal system became an extension of Indian law. Initially, British officials envisioned developing Kenya as the "America of the Hindu", considering Indians as sub-imperialist agents of civilisation in the region. Among the local Indian ethnic populace, the vast majority of administrative roles were filled by Konkanis, Gujaratis, Goans, whilst the ranks of the British officered police and army mainly consisted of Punjabis. Over the following years large numbers of Gujaratis and Punjabis migrated freely seeking to utilise new economic possibilities in the Protectorate. These migrants often came with family members or members of the same village or caste. Asian settlers were soon joined by European farmers. In 1900 the Mombasa Indian Association was established on the initiative of L.M Savle. In 1914 the East African National Congress was established in Mombasa and was modelled on the Indian National Congress. I will submit more for the upcoming magazine.
Kumudini Valambia Via Email
Change India for the better Modi has risen from a modest background onto a mission to bring the vitall changes needed for the upliftment of the country. He is genuine, honest and committed to bring the glory that India have enjoyed in the past. The Indian public should not make any mistake in doubting the integrity of this visionary statesman. He has not made an empty promises to be in power for personal gain and/or glory. He wants to serve India well to reach its full potential. If he has made any promises that have not yet been fulfilled than obviously there have to be some obstacles in the way. Povelty, corruption, black market, uncleaniness, gender gap, unequality and other such evils have gripped India so badly that needs to be tackled and removed. These big challenges that the country face have been addressed by Modi well. His recent stance to approve 10% quota for economically poor is a welcome move. There is every reason to believe that in time to come the outdated quotas based on caste will be replaced with the one he is initiating that will be fair and just for all. Trust Modi explicitly. He is a precious diamond for India and if lost, the country will be at a great, unimaginable loss that can never be forgiven by the future generation. Think India first and support Modi to win him the historic second term. Niranjan vasant By Email
Why are gurus like Ram Rahim mushrooming in India?
Every time we turn on the television or radio or open a newspaper we are warned to eat healthier foods or risk contracting anything from cancer to diabetes. Eat less, the experts rant, clenching a fist and pointing at it to demonstrate how small the human stomach actually is.. After we have taken their advice they will no doubt claim that it would be better to give up eating altogether and live on air and water. Inevitably followed by a warning to give up air and water as they are polluted.
Why are gurus like Ram Rahim mushrooming in India? This kind of inappropriate practice of religions, cultures and the caste system are still in practice in India. These are creating division and unhealthy and unpleasant environment amongst the Hindus and others? Also having a negative impact to it's neighbouring countries like Nepal and others. When the Gurkhas especially, the martial race from Nepal were sent by the regime to join the British army, as "Hindu Gurkhas", there were no Hindu priest recruited to practice the Hindu religion and culture. Because of that, Gurkhas lost their religion, culture and identity. And still struggling to find its "status" in home and abroad.
Rudy Otter Via Email
Yam Gurung (rtd) Via Email
Food for thought
Ranjit Chopra Hounslow
Could China be trusted? China has been in news continuously for all the wrong reasons, since Donald Trump became US president and went on a crusade to protect US economy against highly subsidised imports from China, that include steel, consumer goods, electrical appliances, animal feed and much more, as US has unsustainable £430 billion, ever widening trade gap that could reduce US to “Financial Banana Republic!” If US was a public listed company or an individual, it would have gone bankrupt long time ago. Britain’s financial health is no better than that of US, with ever widening tradegap, which may get worse in view of Brexit fiasco. While US woke up to Chinese menace, EU, Europe and especially Britain were sleep-walking into disaster, unable and unwilling to acknowledge Chinese threat not only on the economic front but also on spying, trying to obtain latest advancement, achievement on research and technical front that would give China upper hand whose aim is to colonise the world economically, as well as threaten and subjugate neighbouring countries like India and South Pacific Rim Nations like Vietnam and Philippines, especially Japan who after WW2 has become a pacifist nation, under American protection. Chinese firm Huawel who is world leader in IT, involved in cutting-edge 5G mobile network to be rolled out in Britain next year, has raised concern here as well as in America about the suitability of Huawel who is closely linked with Chinese Communist government, fearing that equipment supplied by Huawel may be used for industrial spying, China dismissing Britain’s concern as groundless, typical “British Pride and Prejudice” attitude! Britain’s Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is not convinced, putting new 5G network in quandary, predicament! In view of China’s growing hostility towards its neighbours and colonising South China Sea, threatening free passage in international waters, Williamson’s concern is more than well founded. Recently India, US, Japan and Australia but not Britain, conducted joint naval exercise in Arabian Sea, off the coast of India, in recognition of Chine threat to freedom of shipping. It is time for Western nations, especially EU to be on guard and less dependent on China, especially in cut-edge information technology and reduce trade gap before sleep-walking into obviation! Bhupendra M. Gandhi Via Email
MAKE YOURSELF HEARD Write to our ‘Reader’s Voice’ section about what you think regarding the various ongoing issues all around the world. Please send your letters to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Make sure they are NOT more than 250 words. Any letter longer than the limit may not be published. Note that all your letters are subject to being edited by our team for valid reasons. - Asian Voice
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The real pursuit of happiness Preeti Bali Sanjeev was living what the majority would call the ‘graduate dream’, working in Dubai for one of the biggest professional services companies in the world. But 11 months into his job, Sanjeev Sandhu realised a finance career wasn’t for him. So, he gave up an enviable job in the corporate world to begin his journey of spreading gratitude. The 25-year-old from Swansea, who graduated in BSc Accounting and Financial Management from Loughborough University in 2016, began documenting his journey from the corporate to non-corporate world on Instagram, where he would often make videos and post photos on what he is grateful for. “My aim is to inspire authenticity, leading by example. We are lost, seeking validation and putting filters on ourselves more than ever before. We can learn so much and apply it to our own lives through stories of others. The world of social media is beautiful, when used correctly”, he told Asian Voice. Sanjeev recalls the day he realised that his finance job in Dubai was not for him “I looked around my team of 50 and thought I do not have the same professional aspirations as these so how can I thrive there?”. Then at the time of 24, he decided he was in a great position to explore
Sanjeev Sandhu
and take risks to discover his passion and discovered his unique selling point: listening and speaking. His Instagram page ‘Sanjeev Sandhu’ has a following of over 2,000 with people from different parts of the world digitally connecting as a positive space to express happiness and gratitude. The 10 day ‘gratitude bonanza’ at the start of every month has proved a real hit with his followers. Almudena Díaz from Madrid Spain, a follower of his page says “getting to know Sanjeev and his gratitude bonanza, has opened my eyes to daily gifts that I was
already taking for granted. It has reminded me there are always reasons to smile and be thankful for, being the start of a daily journey”. She is one of the many to have benefited from Sanjeev, who has also helped many with personal struggles from depression to self-love. Once he discovered his purpose in life and doing something which truly made him happy, in 2018 Sanjeev kick started his career by speaking about the importance of goal setting at the University of Wollongong (Dubai), and Impact Hub - an entrepreneur’s club in Dubai. He
soon found himself mentoring a range of clients on interview prepping, life guidance, seeking employment in the corporate world and much more. Things really began changing for Sanjeev when he took part in a 21-day challenge with Happiness Co, “my life changed completely after this, and after a few weeks I handed in my notice and plunged myself into the unknown – knowing that if I embrace the uncertainty and strive to provide value to others, the possibilities are limitless”. “The gratitude shared from so many countries, is one of my proudest achievements. I am now working with brands such as Pizza Pilgrim, Honest Burgers and Tea Tulia to promote mental health and gratitude”, he told Asian Voice. Sanjeev will now be setting of on a three-month travel journey to the UAE, India and Australia to work with a variety of students and professions on gratitude and mental health. “Over the next three months I will be immersed in new learning to share more about how to live a happier and healthier life”, he told the newsweekly. To see the professional work and story of Sanjeev visit his website at https://www.sanjeevssandhu.co mand to see the gratitude expressed by himself and others visit @sanjeevssandhu on Instagram.
41 Ox-bridge offers for Brampton Manor Academy 41 “stunningly able” students of Brampton Manor Academy in East Ham, one of London’s most deprived areas, received their offers to study at Oxbridge. The sixth form at the Academy, has outstripped competition from top private schools and smashed its own record for offers to Oxford and Cambridge. The sixth form that started since 2012 had received only one offer in their first year and was opened with the aim of transforming progression rates to Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group universities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. “Cambridge was always my dream,” said 17-year-old Hridita Rahman Khan, one of 41 students who has won offers from Oxbridge this week. She grew up in Italy but her parents are originally from Bangladesh and arrived in London at the age of 14 with little English. Three years later she has been offered a place to study engineering at the Cambridge University. There are many at Brampton Manor, where half of those holding Oxbridge offers are on free school meals and nearly all are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
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12 MEDIA WATCH
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SCRUTATOR’S The electoral alliance between Samajwadi Dal chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP leader Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh for the India’s May/June 2019 general election was sealed at the week end. It is a critical move as Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous State has 80 seats – the largest number of seats in parliament. The Yadav-Mayawati deal by excluding the Congress party will make it doubly difficult for Congress President Rahul Gandhi to be a political front runner. With a mere 44 MPs in the present Lok Sabha, Congress will need to treble that figure to be credible force politically in postelection India.
Manmohan Singh. Wolf said he felt that if Narendra Modi returned to power after the general election he might do so with diminished authority, and hence the reforms may lose some of their momentum (Mint January 16). Industrial growth slows Industrial growth registered a 17month slow in November – blip or something more serius, asks experts. The slow-down was recoded and relased by the Central Statistical Office, with the capital goods sector declining 3.4 per cent compared with 5.7 per cent growth of November 2017. However, the April-November growth figure last year was 5 per cent, as opposed to the 3.2 per cent of the same period of the previous year (Times of India January 12). Retail inflation at 18 month low
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Dravida Munnetra Kazahagam President MK Stalin seen at the megal rally in Kolkata
Putting a brave face, Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad said his party respected the Akhilesh Yadav-Mayawati decision and promised contest all 80 seats in UP with all the resources at its disposal (Hindu, Times of India, Statesman January 13, 14). Opposition wants weak govt: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi charged Opposition parties of wanting a weak government following the general election, because such a dispensation at the Centre would oil the wheels of corruption on which the coalition would be based. He thus exhorted BJP workers to ensure that the present government won the general election and remained in office to fulfil its economic programmes. At a separate party meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told BJPworkers that Prime Minister Modi was ‘Matchless,’ that he was party’s ‘greatest asset.’ (Hindu, Statesman, Times of India January 13). BJP-Shiv Sena deal With the general election looming ever larger, the horse trading between India’s political parties are becoming increasingly tense, as pollsters predict a closer call on the likely winner than was the
case last time in 2014. The Mumbai-based Shiv Sena, which has been firing broadsides at the BJP government at the Centre, appears to sense that it either swims with its ally, the BJP government in Maharashtra or both will drown separately. That appears also to be the view of State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena President Uddhav Thackeray (Mint January 15). Karnataka crisis deepens The JDU (S)- Congress coalition government in Karnataka faces a serious challenge to its stability with two Independent legislators withdrawing support to the government. Furthermore, there is mounting speculation that three Congress MLAs may be switching sides to joint the opposition BJP. Former Forest and Environment Minister B. Shankar and H. Nagesh have written to the State Governor informing him of their decision to withdraw their support to the coalition government with immediate effect. That said, as of now in spite of the withdrawal of support, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s ministry still has sufficient numbers in the Legislative Assembly to remain in power (Mint, Times of India January 16).
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray
Economic reforms lauded Martin Wolf, Chief economic commentator of the Financial Times, in London, lauded the economic reforms of the Modi government, perceiving these as essentially a continuation of the reforms initiated by his predecessor Dr
India’s retail inflation has dipped to an 18-month low in December at 2.19 per cent, creating room for Reserve Bank of India interest rate cut as stimulus to investment and economic growth. Data released by the Central Statistics Office confirms this figure. The coming weeks should show the likely growth figure for the financial year ending March 31, 2019 (Mint January 15). CBI in confusion The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been in the spotlight these past weeks as a result of the bitter standoff between its Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Both were suspended pending Court hearings Verma was reinstated, but immediately transferred by the government, leading to his resignation and voluntary retirement. N. Nageswara Rao’s appointment as Verma’s replacement has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Confusion worse confounded. The CBI is mired in controversy and mudslinging (Hindu, Mint January 14, 15). Jet Airways, Etihad India’s cash-strapped private sector Jet Airways, was being bailed out by Etihad, the Gulf airline, according to early media reports from Mumbai. The plan envisaged Etihad raising its stake in Jet Airways from the present 24 per cent to 49 per cent. The deal was predicated on Naresh Goyal, promoter and founder of Jet Airways ceding effective control of his airline Shares in Jet Airways rose as the story broke. Virtual control of Jet Airways could give Eitihasd a firm foothold in the Indian, the world’s fastestgrowing market. This appears to end in impasse, as Goyal refused to cede control of the airline by holding on to his stake (Mint, Times of India January 15, 18). Infosys ups revenue Infosys, India’s second-largest IT company, has surprised investors and market analysts by posting
double- digit revenue growth in the quarter ending December 2018, sending a 7 per cent rise in shares on the New York Stock Exchange. At around $3 billion, revenue rose 10.2 per cent Yearon-Year in the third quarter ending October 2018, significantly higher than the 8.1 per cent in the second quarter, ending June 2018, but still well short of its rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) figure of 12.1 per cent, its highest in 14 quarters (Times of IIndia January 12). TCS reject price cuts Tata Consultancy Services has refused to countenance price cuts for its project in a bid to promote sales, as are some rival firms. ‘We are seeing in the market that some are dropping prices.’ said Chief Operating Officer, TCS, N. Ganapathy Subramaniam. ‘We are not worried about the pricing play of our competitors because we have always maintained that you cannot compromise margins in funnel growth.’ (Mint January 14). Discounts drive up Maruti sales India largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki increased discounts in December 2018, boosting monthly sales to the highest ever. Maruti December sales were around 220,000 units, compared with the 180,000 units sold in December 2017. These discounts were made with an eye to reduce stocks and start the new year with a lower inventory (Mint January 14).
Taliban. Meanwhile, US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad was in Delhi to discuss with Indian officials the Afghan situation and the Trump administration’s stated intent to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan (Statesman January 11). Warning to Pakistan India’s Army chief General Bipin Rawat has warned Pakistan of ‘strong action’ in repeated sniping along the Line-of-Control in Jammu and Kashmir in which an Indian soldier was recently killed. He said terrorists were being trained in Pakistan and sent across the border to disrupt normal life. ‘The Indian Army has ensured heavy damage to terrorists in the State (Kashmir)’, said General Rawat Army was presently engaged in reconstruction and modernization, thus enhancing its capability to meet challenges to the nation’s security interests (Statesman January 16). Chess Grandmaster at 12 At 12 years and 17 days, Tamil Nadu’s D.Gukesh became India’s youngest ever Grandmaster when he reached the grandmaster norm at the Delhi international chess tournament last week. ‘When I got the news I was quite happy and shared the joy with my mother...I missed out on becoming the youngest ever [the record held by Russia’s Sergey Karakin] in Barcelona, but I took it in my
Expand role in Afghanistan: Karzai Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, addressing the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, said India should expand its role in Afghanistan. He referred to India’s considerable development work in his country and expected this to continue. Appreciative Russia Russia, too, was appreciative of India’s role in Afghanistan, said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabov in New Delhi. He told the Raisina Dialogue.’It is very unfortunate that an artificial competition is is going on. We understand the essential role of India in Afghanistan.’ He said India and Russia were in close touch over the Afghan imbroglio on the peace process involving the
D. Gukesh
stride.’ His achievement places him a nose ahead of another Tamil youngster R.Pragganandhaa, who became grandmaster at 12 years, 10 months and 13 days. Gukesh became India’s grandmaster, piped by fellow Chennai player who became the 59th at the same venue. Gukesh comes from a talented family: father Rajinikanth is a ENT surgeon, mother Padma is a microbiologist (Times of India January 16).
Victorious India
Victorious Indian cricket team after Melbourne ODI.
India romped home by 7 wickets against Australia in the Third ODI at Melbourne amidst jubilant supporters. [See Comment Page].
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Beirut - a Break from Brexit I write to you from Beirut, Lebanon. Sometimes a perspective from other places and times can help when it comes to politics; especially a political place like Beirut. Consider the huge Roman ruins in the main square, the columns have all collapsed. The columns which were once home of the largest, strongest Empires in the history of the world. Overlooking those Roman ruins is the beautiful Church. It’s ornate, large, grand and confident – built in the time before the Crusades here, to commemorate and celebrate the triumph of Christians – once seen by the Imperial rulers as a rag-bag group of religious fanatic terrorists. And, overlooking the Church, is the even grander and a larger Mosque, with its huge chandeliers, and familiar rules – removal of shoes and women who are required to cover themselves from head to toe in Burqas and offer prayers in a separate prayer area. Romans to Christians to Muslims, each are connected to their predecessor. The Jews, like the Hindus, didn’t believe in the essential conceit of needing to spread the word “God" – that not only do we know the truth, but we MUST spread the truth. So you will see no Jewish influence in Beirut. But without Abraham, there would be no children of Isaac or Ismael and so without the Jews no Christians or Muslims. So what? What does this have to do with today? Empires come and go, this place proves it more than most – some say that is the message of Brexit for the British.
There is another message. As we focus in the West on Brexit and Trump – we forget this place is where Hezbollah audaciously kidnapped the CIA station chief and then tortured him from Iran. ‘Beirut Rules’, a new book just published, discusses this subject in detail. Here in Beirut, which tries to return to its cosmopolitan past with Four Seasons, Luis Vuitton and Gucci chains, guarded by men carrying machine guns, you also cannot forget her neighbours Syria, Israel and Iraq are but a stone throw away. The EU helps fund the belief that the more economically vibrant is Lebanon, sooner will the alliance between Hezbollah and Iran fade away. We in the West have enemies – who would rather we fought among ourselves and became distracted. These enemies are real and they want their vision of the world. All visions are not equal. All visions do not have an equal right to exist. And what of India, where does she fit into this? As India continues to battle with the meaning of Islam, still, and even more so with the election – the basic question many ask is ‘What is Islam to India? Is it an alien invader? Is it effectively indigenous, as in Lebanon?’ Imagine in the EU, as it wrestles with immigration as the key driver of Brexit. What is a Hindu or a Muslim to Britain? A loyal subject? Of course. An ally? Of course. But no one takes anything for granted anywhere, or by birth right. We prove ourselves daily through our actions.
The Baggage of Old Age? About a dozen old people in their 70's and 80's sit in circles on the couches in the John Lewis Shopping Centre at Brent Cross. Today it is John Lewis, tomorrow it can be St. Annes Shopping Centre in Harrow. Vasantben* is one of them sitting with her back hunched, her walking stick beside her, intently reading the book she borrowed from Harrow Library. Her children and grand-children all off to work. It has been a few years since her husband passed away and although she was more than intent on staying on her own at her council house, she now stays with one of her sons. “I'm here because there is nobody at home,” she whispered “And they don't want me to stay alone at home!” Vasantben tries to keep her social calendar as full as she can, b y visiting temples, attending group meetings and socialising in the community events. "I don't want to go out but they force me to" “I don't want to go out. But they keep forcing me to go out showing how they are worried about my mental health,” she says “But I am fine and I like staying home and watching TV. Sometimes my friends would call me and we chat. I can cook my own food and spend the whole day at home. I cannot travel and it is cold as well. But what to do?” she asks Vasantben can stay the way she
wants to at her own council house but she says that doing so is often “frowned upon” in the community especially after knowing that her three children are established in the city. Kanti Nagda, Sangat Advice Centre spoke about how the scenario of the conditions of old people in the Asian community have changed over the years. “In the earlier decades there was this trend of these people from the First Generation who came into the country and transferred all their property and finances onto their children's names, perhaps to ensure security or to evade taxes. However these kids would then abandon their old parents and often as was the case throw them out of their houses.” Following this was the establishment of leisure centres and community retreats which started organising picnic trips for old people and also free lunch among other meet and greet facilities. “But the council started charging membership fees or in some cases charging for these meals because of the austerity drive,” said Mr. Nagda. Neither the membership nor the event charges are unreasonably high starting from just £2 for a lunch at some places but it is observed that “some Asians are simply seen unwilling to pay for them,” he said.
Care & Share: Homesharing schemes However, in cases where these old people are suffering from diseases such as dementia and do not have a family to look after them have institutions like Homeshare coming in to save the day. Homesharing is a simple way of helping people which involves bringing together two people with different sets of needs, both of whom have something to offer each other. The Householder has a home they are willing to share and will benefit from receiving a level of practical help around their home as well as the reassurance [for them and their relatives] having someone living with them. The Sharer benefits from low cost home to share, affordable accommodation and is willing to give practical support – such as cooking, shopping, light cleaning, laundry, DIY, gardening, computer assistance – and friendly companionship in exchange for somewhere to live.
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Election in India: Battleground in London High Commissioner Mitul Paniker “The bedrock of a democracy is free and fair elections,” read the press invitation from the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) in the UK, as they invited local and national media for a presentation by mystery man Syed Shuja, and question & answer session with a cyber expert on January 21. The mail read the “expert” will demonstrate on record how sabotage of elections through cyber attacks is possible and how this is being done. Held at The Clubhouse in London, the event saw Syed Shuja address reporters and enthusiasts on the vulnerability of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) over Skype. Organised by the IJA along with the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in London, the hourlong live video conference saw Shuja, a self-claimed expert who is currently on political asylum in the United States, make several 'wild' claims. Without any practical demonstration on how the voting machines could be hacked, he explained that they can be done through its chip-set by using graphite-based transmitter. In a series of startling and 'bizarre' revelations, he also claimed that the 2014 general election was rigged, as were the recent assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. Shuja claimed that senior BJP leader from Maharashtra Gopinath Munde was aware of EVM rigging and was on the verge of exposing his party. When asked about evidence, he said, “No corroborative evidence.” He also claimed that the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh was caused by this EVM rigging, as she was days away from publishing Shuja's story. The 'mystery' expert, who appeared on Skype with
a bandage on his head, in a dimly lit room, apparently worked for the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), the company that made the EVMs for India from 2009 to 2014. After the previous General Elections, ECIL directed his team to
requesting them to lodge an FIR and investigate the statement made by Syed Shuja. The ECIL, who made the EVMs has said that Syed Shuja was never an employee of the corporation in a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Syed Shuja interacting with the press through skype. Ashis Ray, president, IJA chairing the event
uncover if the machines could be hacked in any way. According to Shuja, they tried to use the information to their advantage and claimed that at a meeting in Kaki Reddy’s guest house outside Hyderabad, who is the brother-in-law of MLA Kishan Reddy, the whole of his ECIL team were shot at. While he survived, the dead bodies of his colleagues were counted among the demised in a communal violence incident that was allegedly arranged soon after. He claimed he was attacked in the US a few days ago, which is why he could not be present in person to address the London conference. He submitted a couple of documents citing the names of people who were killed and claimed over 11 people were gunned down in Hyderabad on May 13, 2014. Shuja so far has failed to properly substantiate any of his allegations and the Election Commission of India(ECI) has asserted that it firmly stands by the 'fool proof nature' of its machines and is examining as to what legal action "can and should" be taken in the matter. It has written to the Delhi Police
As the controversy spread like wild fire, FPA in a tweet said, “The Foreign Press Association strongly disassociates itself with any claims made by the speaker Syed Shuja during the #IJA event in London yesterday. Not one of the masked speaker’s accusations have so far been corroborated.” Kapil Sibal who was present at the press conference did not participate in the conference and reiterated that he was there in his 'personal capacity' and not as a member of the Congress party. The Executive Committee members of the IJA said they were not consulted about the details of the event before it was organised. But IJA President Ashis Ray in a statement said, “Both IJA and FPA organised the press meet - as we routinely do - in good faith. “Admittedly, the accusations made by Ahmed [Syed Shuja] were very serious; which he could not substantiate. He left a room full of scribes highly sceptical, if not annoyed. However, the documents provided after the conclusion of the media
conference appear to establish that he has indeed been granted asylum in the US. If this was the case, what was the basis of this decision? The answer obviously lies with Washington. “The picture he painted in what allegedly occurred in Hyderabad in May 2014 was clearly chilling. A proper inquiry would perhaps unearth if his charges are true or false. On the face of it, Ahmed’s [Syed Shuja’s] utterances via Skype left most journalists, who listened to and questioned him, unconvinced. People are unlikely to believe him until and unless he decisively demonstrates – which he had promised to do – that EVMs are not infallible. “The Election Commission of India has filed a complaint against him to the Delhi police. The BJP has condemned his claims. “Since IJA had nothing to hide and we particularly wished to be open and transparent in this instance, we invited the ECI and all Indian political [parties] recognised by the ECI as national parties to attend the meet. None did other than Kapil Sibal of the Congress Party. “Since invitations were sent to the concerned party presidents, I surmised Mr Sibal had been sent as an observer to the press conference. He sat in one of the back rows of the room; and did not participate in the proceedings in any way. “I have now seen a statement from a Congress party spokesman, which says he attended the event in his personal capacity. I have also been told he had other matters to attend to in London; and the press conference was not the reason for his presence in the British capital...” Following the controversy, FPA has "disassociated" itself from the event.
NRIs hold prayer at Basaveshwara statue
A special prayer was organised on 20th January 2019 by The Lambeth Basaveshwara foundation for the health and well-being of His Holiness Shri Shri Shiva Kumar Swami ji at the Basaveshwara statue in London. Swami ji donated on 17th February 2013 and blessed with a foundation stone to be placed under-
neath the Basaveshwara statue in London. This foundation stone is laid in the basement of the statue. The foundation stone is made up of five precious metals as per Indian tradition. Members of British Indian/Kannada community and the former Mayor of The London Borough of Lambeth Dr Neeraj Patil
joined in a prayer to express their wishes for health and well-being of Shri Shri Shivakumar Swami ji. They also requested the Government of India to award the highest civilian award “ The Bharat Ratna” to Swami ji for his contribution to social work and eradication for child poverty in India.
of India to UK makes her maiden visit to Midlands
H.E. Ruchi Ghanashyam interacting with Jas Wouhra, Managing Director of East End Food Plc at the East End Foods Plant
Her Excellency Ruchi Ghanashyam, High Commissoner of India to the UK, accompanied by her husband Ambassador A.R. Ghanashyam, undertook her maiden official visit to the Midlands on 18-19 January, 2019. The High Commissioner Mrs. Ghanashyam is the first woman career Diplomat to be appointed as India’s High Commissioner to the UK. She is also the second woman to be appointed since Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit, who had served as India’s High Commissioner to the UK from 1954-1961. During her visit, the High Commissioner held a series of meetings, and met a number of dignitaries including Parliamentarians, Councillors of Indian origin, leaders of faith organisations and members of the Indian diaspora. High Commissioner visited the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at Coventry, and met its Founder and Chairman Prof. Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya on January 18, 2019. During the meeting, the High Commissioner appreciated the outstanding contributions of Lord Bhattacharyya to India-UK business partnership, to British industry and in playing an instrumental role in acquisition of JLR by Tatas and unique role that WMG has been playing in bridging the gap between the academia and the industry. She also extended her congratulations to Lord Bhattacharyya on the recent re-naming of the National Automotive Innovation Centre as ‘Lord Bhattacharyya Building’ and the naming of the road leading up to the Building as ‘Lord Bhattacharyya Way’. Mr. David Mullins, Director for External and Internal Relations, WMG was also present during the meeting, which was followed by a tour of the facilities at the Lord Bhattacharyya Building. High Commissioner also paid a visit to the East End Foods company in
Birmingham on January 18, 2019. East End Foods, led by the Wouhra brothers, is one of the leading suppliers of Indian spices, and other Asian food products in the UK and European market. With more than 300 employees and annual turnover of GBP 200 million, it is one of the most reputed Indian-origin companies in the UK. During the visit, the company’s senior Directors including Jas and Roger Wouhra gave a briefing about the company’s operations and its history. She then hosted aninteraction with British Parliamentarians and Councillors of Indianorigin at the Hyatt Regency, Birmingham. Consul General Dr. Aman Puri introducing the High Commissioner to the assembled guests, expressed the hope that the keen interest taken by the new High Commissioner in strengthening and deepening the political ties between India and the UK would result in stronger bond between the two countries. Engagements of January 19, comprised of a breakfast meeting with Bhai Sahib, Dr. Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, OBE, KSG, Sikh religious leader of Guru Nanak Nishkam Seva Jatha (GNNSJ), Birmingham and Chairman of the Nishkam Group of Charitable Organisations. She held fruitful discussions with the renowned spiritual leader, and lauded his outstanding work on interfaith cooperation. The final engagement of the daywas a visit to the ‘Gandhi Peace Centre’ located in the premises of Sri Venkateshwara (Balaji) Temple Complex in Tividale. The High Commissioner paid tribute and garlanded the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the recently inaugurated Gandhi Peace Centre which features a permanent exhibition on Gandhiji’s life and his messages, being displayed via interactive exhibits, photo clips and rare photographs.
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CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION’S SPECIAL ADVISER FOR ASIA DEPARTS The City of London Corporation’s Special Adviser for Asia, Sherry Madera, is to step down after two years with the organisation. The role saw Madera visit cities across Asia to help the City strengthen its relationship with the region. She will be leaving next month to start a role at Refinitiv, having joined the City of London Corporation in January 2017. Madera told Asian Voice, “Since being asked to lead the City Corporation’s engagement with Asia, it has been a privilege to work with firms across the City of London to strengthen their ties with some of the most exciting economies in the world. “London is a global financial centre and Asia continues to grow its share of the world’s financial future. Never before has it been more important for the UK to understand the opportunities and challenges in Asia and how this impacts global business. I hope my contributions have helped futureproof the City’s position as a leading international financial centre. “Based on my frequent engagements in markets such as China, India and Singapore, I am confident the City will remain a leading financial hub after Brexit, and look forward to seeing its global links go from strength-to-strength in the years to come.”
Aromatic Ambition
Sunetra Senior
ing the various professional areas when developing products in the kitchen: ool and collected, 25-year-old from the finer finances and logistics to Neel is an alternative type of attractive flavours and the best delivpractised Chef, and it’s not just ery. “At Alpha LSG, as part of a team of because he’s exceptionally young. ten chefs, we had to make sure the altiCurrently working as part of Tesco’s tude would not alter the taste. If we did Head office on their exclusive Food add salt to combat this, we needed to Academy team, the culinary innovastay conscious of health, sourcing tor helps develop contemporary, replacement herbs and sauces. I diverse dishes that are later stocked enjoyed using soy sauce and tomato to on the famed chain’s shelves. “My job accentuate umami flavours. In a restauis to inspire the product team, in rant, preparation of food might take a terms of new concepts, trends, emergfew hours, but when working in retail ing foods and techniques so we can the process is much longer. You are faccreate great goods that become toring the concept on a much larger Tesco’s own brand, after the developscale e.g. a vegan potato soup that feeds ment process. fifteen people won’t be constituted the The facilities are excellent. We same way for thousands. You need are highly equipped: we have to have the brains as well as a BBQ area for example, the talent to make the and a lot of specialist recipes work.” a p p a r a t u s . ” Neel’s first profesCombining his classisional trialling and cal chef’s training, research into the including gastronowonderous world of my and microbiolofood began shortly gy with a sharp busiafter he graduated ness acumen, Neel with a First-Class pursues an altogether Honours degree in more corporate cookCulinary Arts ing career, otherwise Management. He took known as a Product the Head Chef’s position Development Chef. for an independent caterer As well as an innate dexterity “which supplied high end London and creativity, the young Cuisenaire, retail chains with ready to eat foods has brought his imitable marketing and and meals.” The prolific chef was research skills to every new job. In line tasked with producing 70 recipes “for with the rise of Veganism and the the company’s first book, which imme“reduction of meat consumption”, Neel diately became a fantastic seller and told of us his latest discovery of an can be found on Amazon. I make sure ingredient called ‘banana blossom’ to carry it to all my interviews!” which has a distinct delicate texture, However, despite Neel’s current grand “making a good fish substitute. successes, his piquant passion for It’s an exciting discovery. I cooking began “when helping look at the gaps in the out mum in the kitchen market; what competiwith basic food such as I look at the tors are doing and omelettes whilst binge gaps in the what they’re not. watching cookery proAnother great vegan grams starring the market: what option is the king likes of Jamie Oliver, oyster mushroom. Marcus Wareing and competitors are You can chop these Atul Kochar. Basically, up and use them in a doing and what I knew what I wanted variety of ways – not to be from the humble they’re not just chucking them in age of sixteen!” a stir fry.” Neel’s signaThus, just as the preture dish is his smoked vailing formula for good gasbutter chicken masala, where tronomy is the ability to add the plain version of that dish is also individual accouterments, after having becoming very popular on British mastered the enhancement of simple menus: “more than a restaurant, I flavours, so too is the evolution of sure would love to have my own brand in success: one cannot find their own the supermarkets. This would reprenuanced niche without remaining sent traditional Indian flavours but authentic to themselves. Not so inciwith a personal, unique twist on dentally then, Neel’s colourful spin the key dishes. I love to on the traditional Thai Curry explore the global larder of has earned him a prestigious spices and new ingredients star as part of a Great Taste A great as I do my appetite for “when working for vegan option Award, travelling the world. I Planet Organic, which was particularly enjoy experiis the king taken from zero to hero menting with the liquid within the space of a few oyster smoke method which creyears.” Neel aptly concludmushroom ates BBQ flavours. ed: “my advice is to pursue Creatively and aesthetically what you love and find yourthen plating the ideas is fun.” self naturally drawn towards. You don’t always have to sit behind a *** desk or chase reputation. You’re at A wholesome blend of the artistic and work more than you’re at home so it’s scientific has consistently showed itself better to just live what’s in your heart – through Neel’s prior portfolios. Under the rest always follows.” the UK’s largest airline catering company, Alpha LSG, Neel “was responsible Tell us a little more on how you for developing and presenting menus progressed in this unusual career? to a wide range of airline customers Well, I was inspired at home initialsuch as Emirates, British Airways, ly, and pursued my passion both at Qatar, Etihad, Singapore airlines and school in Food Tech and recreationally, many more.” He elaborated on balancattending after-hours cookery classes. I
UK
TLIGHT
C
Neel Shah
really immersed myself in the industrial kitchen, learning British recipes alongside the traditional Indian cooking I was picking up at home. I also read a lot of cookery books. In terms of a wider career, I also developed a special dahl and Jalfrezi as well as the award-winning Thai Green Curry when working for Planet Organic.
Later, working at Alpha LSG, I had the pleasure of learning a lot from fellow talented cooks one of whom had worked with Heston Blumenthal. There were a lot of great highs in that job. Neel also worked at the Michelin acclaimed Benares, working under Atul Kochar.
Is Branding as important as the food itself? Well, yes: people don’t just eat with their eyes, they buy with them. That’s why people often pick premium goods over own brand foods. What really drew you to the corporate chef’s path? In terms of lifestyle, being a restaurant chef requires you to work at unsociable hours and sacrificing a lot. I wasn’t a fan of this. Also, one of the main attractions of cooking for me is the satisfaction of people really enjoying what you’ve made and how it brings them together. My dishes have a lot of reach. Finally, I can imagine training in gastronomy would come in useful for such a mathematical facet of the culinary world? Yes, I’ve completed a short module in microbiology alongside the chef’s skills and it’s certainly come in handy!
16 SPECIAL
AsianVoiceNews
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
www.asian-voice.com
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AsianVoiceNews
SPECIAL
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
17
26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
British Darjis making remarkable contributions in the UK Ishwar Tailor
Ishwar Tailor MBE JP DL
T
he Darji communities have their ancestral roots in Gujarat, the state of which current Indian Premier Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of between 2001 and 2014. As with any community, there are several denominations within this community. Some originate from Surat District, others from Kathiyawar. The Darji community prospered in the early 20’s and 30’s leading to young Darjee entrepreneurs migrating to far places and in particular to East Africa. Taking their skills with them they soon settled down and started offering tailoring services to the wider community. Within a short period the single males who had travelled alone went back to India either to get married or bring their partners and family to settle. At the same time they also maintained a close tie with families and friends back home. Darjis from both the Surat and Kathiyawar districts started making good progress in business and prospered. Kenya was a British colony. Majority of the community members were Naturalised British citizen’s from India. This gave them future protection as British citizens. The economy of Kenya was thriving and a lot of other communities also arrived in Kenya bringing with them their skills. Surati Darjis excelled in bespoke tailoring in both male and female garments. The Jagdish Bulsara left school at the end of 1965 and was not going for further studies, when his father asked him to join him in the tailoring shop to learn tailoring. As Jagdish was fascinated by the printing machines and the profession, he asked his father to join a local print works as apprentice. This was not agreeable to his father, so he still joined the shop but as a salesman in ready made garments. He told Asian Voice, “I came to this country in 1968
The UK is home to a sizeable population of the Darji, or tailor community. Most hail mainly from parts of East Africa and Gujarat, India, but there are smaller groups from all over the world. Wanza community already had links with businesses in India who could provide them with the necessary materials. They became the main suppliers for suiting materials and other linens required by the businesses. Kenya was then seeking independence from the British. Jomo Kenyatta who led the Kikuyu party played a Key role in the independence movement. By early 60’s there were signs of Kenya gaining Independence. In 1963 it was declared by the British Government that Kenya would be granted its Independence and will have its own Parliament. Kenya was made independent in on 12thDecember, 1963. Upon Kenya gaining independence the parliament brought in regulations for the non-Kenyan residence owning businesses to honour the Government criteria. This was unacceptable to a lot of Business owners. This prompted both Darji communities to move to UK and make it their home. Majority of the Darji communities from both district settled in Leicester, Luton and London. Some had left Kenya early and started settling their families and adjusting to British way of life. Elders in both Darji communities realised that in order to keep the communities together and maintain our cultural values they needed to buy premises for the members to meet and socialise. The Surati darji community in London bought their own premises February and a bought a small manual printing machine on which I was printing Diwali cards and went to Southall to sell to the shopkeepers. I finally got into printing by starting as a printer in 1982, and opened the 'Jagprint' in 1984.” In 1992 he had the opportunity to buy a trophy business from a neighbour who was forced to close down due to ill health. He developed this Trophy business and sold his print shop in 1996.
and have been well established. It is estimated that there are 3,000 families from the Surati community residing in London, Luton , Leicester and other parts of UK. They also have a community centre in Leicester which has been established for over 21 years. The Wanza community have not been able to establish a centre in London, however in Leicester the Wanza community has a thriving community centre which was opened in 1995. Many of the early settlers played key role in the establishment of the centre. The Wanza community have settled in London in 3 different areas, Wembley, in the South and East London. In London they have about 2,000 families and in Leicester there are about 1,000 families.
Economic contribution Both communities have made major contribution to the economy of UK by setting up garment manufacturing companies in both Leicester and London. In Leicester there were 10 factories employing over 500 people for a period of 25 years up to 2000. Navinbhai Gohil was one of the garment manufacturers in Leicester who is also past president of the Shree Wanza Community Centre The cheap imports from the Far East saw the decline of manufacturing sector in Leicester and UK. The sec-
Navin Topiwala
Chandubhai Tailor
Rajubhai Tailor
Preeya Kalidas
Leicester has worked in Local Government for many years in the regeneration of the Leicester City and is currently the Chief Executive of Humberside Local Enterprise Partnership with a portfolio of £300 million for regeneration work in Humberside. Preeya Kalidas was one of the early entrant in the Kishor Tailor
ond and third generation youngsters from the community have been educated in this country and obtained qualifications and entered into diverse professions i.e. doctor Bankers, solicitors Pharmacist etc. Pareshbhai Kishor Odhavji Davadra from RationalFx is a fine example of how he has excelled in foreign currency market and is a well-known figure in the corporate world and is also well-respected member in the community. Chandubhai Tailor is also a very well-known personality who set up his Funeral service business in 1993 and offers this to our members in London and afar. Kishor Tailor from
Jayanti Gangi Bhudia came from Uganda in 1972. Has has worked in Royal Mail for 39 years and just recently retired. He has played a key role in the development of the Wanza community.
ficult to name them all. Similarly in the field of Business there are so many more that deserve a mention however due to editorial constraint we are unable to add all names. Having spoken to so
Interested to write about your community? Please contact us at aveditorial@abplgroup.com world of acting is a wellknown actress and she is also a singer and a writer. Dhiren Katwa is a young person who has studied and worked hard and is a freelance journalist writing articles in Asian Voice as well as in British mainstream newspapers. Karuna Bilimoria is a professional henna artist & nail technician, who has been freelance since 2011. She specialises in providing an exclusive bespoke henna designing service for brides. In the field of community development there are many individuals in both the communities in London and Leicester who have made great contributions. It is dif-
Jagdish Bulsara
Today 'Jag's Trophies' is the largest dedicated trophy shop in North London and the only Gujarati in all of UK to own the largest retail trophy shop.
Kishorbhai Davadra is a prominent member of the Wanza community London. He is Father of Paresh Davadra of RationalFX (Right).
Narendra Modi with Bharti Tailor
Mahesh Sonigra is the President of the Vanara Society of London and they also produce a quarterly magazine called Vanza Jyot.
erations. Ishwar Tailor has been in community development and business development for over 40 years. He was instrumental in the £4 million redevelopment of Gujarat Hindu Society and obtaining a grant of £1.77 million from the Millennium Commission He was awarded an MBE by the Queen for the work in Race Relations and made Honorary Fellow of UCLAN for the redevelopment of GHS. He was made the Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2004.
many people in both the communities I feel proud as a darji of the achievements of our communities and feel privileged to be asked by Asian Voice to Prakash Babulal Nathalal bring the materials Parmar, the current for this supplement President of Shree Wanza together. Samaj UK, was born in To capture the Mombasa, Kenya. He came to full picture of our the UK in September 1980, community and its when he was 16 years old. He achievements there is did his GCSE & O and A levan opportunity for us els at Copland High School in to come together and Wembley. In 1984, he went to an aspiration to pub- Thames Polytechnic in lish a 24-page booklet Woolwich and did a one year that would capture course in Foundation in details of extraordi- Accounting. His father nary achievements of Babulal Nathalal Parmar was ordinary Darji citi- also a prominent figure in the zens, a historic sou- community. venir for future genIn 1985, Prakash joined an
Bharti Tailor, was the first woman to be elected Secretary General of Hindu Forum of Britain, in May 2009, then re-elected in June 2012, though she resigned in November 2012. She is the first woman to be elected President of the Hindu Forum of Europe, June 2012-June 2014, and the first Hindu woman invited to join the European Council of Religious Leaders from 2011201. Bharti is currently the VP of Religions for Peace, UK. She is also working with the core group of the Global Hindu Foundation and served as the Executive Director of Hindu Forum of Europe, and Hindu Forum of Belgium 2014-2016.
accountancy firm and started doing his articles with them. In 1990, he joined a sole partner practice and did BookKeeping and accounts preparation. In February 1994, he started his company offering Book-keeping and accounts preparation services. By February 2002, Prakash started looking at new opportunities. Speaking to Asian Voice he said, "I started working for a large company, in their education department which was supporting schools.
Manharbhai Taylor
Pravinbhai Jivan, current President, Darji Mandal of UK
Dhiren Katwa
Mother Madhuben, wife Jaimini Tailor, HM Lord Lieutenant Helen Nellis, Former High Sheriff of Bedfordshire Vinod Tailor DL and Professor Joe Nellis
Vinod Tailor FCIB DL was officially appointed to the Office of the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire for 2017-2018 at a ceremony held at a Hindu Temple on 1 April 2017. The ceremony was attended by around 120 dignitaries, family and friends, including the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis. The Office of the High Sheriff is an annual appointment by HM The Queen which goes back to Saxon times and Vinod takes over the role from Charles Whitbread. The High Sheriff is the Queen's representative in Bedfordshire for all matters
During this time, I learnt to do Server and Computer installations and supporting schools remotely." In December 2007, Prakash left the company as they had closed the offices in the area in 2006. In February 2008, he started to develop the company into I.T. Services and installation of computer hardware. As the offices were closed down in the area, schools had to wait for technician to come from either Oxford or Chelmsford. This sometimes took over a week to sort out. “A friend of mine who used to do Curriculum systems support mentioned to the schools that I had started on my own and should contact me as their queries were not being dealt with. I started getting and few calls and as I was resolving a lot of the issues quickly, word got around the Brent schools that I had started on my own. I started offering support services and with the help of a friend started to offer Hardware installa-
relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. The Office of High Sheriff is non-political and entirely self-funded. As such, the 55 high sheriffs of England and Wales are able to bring people together within their counties and to support not only the Judiciary but also the enormous contributions made by the emergency services, the armed forces, local authorities, church and faith groups and the voluntary community. Bedfordshire has been home to the Tailor family since around 1972 having moved from Uganda. Vinod
and his wife, Jaimani, live in Luton with his mother and their son. As well as working in the Banking and Financial sector for 40 years, Vinod is involved in several organisations in Bedfordshire, London, India and Africa. His interests include reading, charitable works and classical music. Speaking about his time as High Sheriff, Vinod reportedly said: “This role taught me a lot about humility and what people have done by putting themselves second and putting others first in serving the community and voluntary sector, which is a great part of the United Kingdom.”
Babulal Nathalal Parmar
Prakash Parmar
tions. The ethos was to give the schools the best equipment and service that we could give at the lowest cost that it could possibly could. We worked on very little margins on hardware and fixed price installations. “In September 2011, my cousin, Tarun Gohil joined me and we started to offer curriculum support services. We now support 15 schools which are located in Brent, Barnet, Hackney and Buckinghamshire,” he added. They now support schools by advising them in
the procurement of various I.T. equipment and where they could procure it from especially when they cannot get it any cheaper. Prakash has also been involved with The Wanza Samaj UK, as a volunteer and have served on the Committee as Committee Member, Treasurer and after taking a long break from the committee.He is the President since May 2017. The focus of the organisation has been trying to get the youth of today involved in the community, which is a hard task .
Dipak Vaghela
Akash Vaghela
Dipak Harjivan Vaghela was born in Zambia (then, Northern Rhodesia) in a small town calling Livingstone. He lived as an extended family with his grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts. The family worked for the family business of manufacturing uniforms, jeans and casualwear, although my youngest uncle moved into the stationary business in the late eighties/early nineties. His father, Harjivin Devraj Vaghela, strongly believed in education and whilst he did not have the opportunity to study, he actively encouraged all his siblings and his children to study. He told Asian Voice, “For further education I came to England in 1972, and when I came to choosing my degree, opted for Law. At that time within the Asian community, there were three professions which were highly regarded: Medicine, Accountancy and Law; with a view that anything other than that
House of Bilimoria is a clothing label with an ethical focus. From designer and tailor Shilpa Bilimoria, who’s roots spring from a family of tailors, the craft of making clothing has always been something that is fascinating. An item of clothing made with time, care, traditional technique, and a labor of love, can stand up and find it’s place next to a piece of ‘fast-fashion’, with it’s beauty being seen and felt by the person that is wearing it.. Timeless pieces that are considered an investment, that will stay in a person’s wardrobe for years to come, complementing their personal style, regardless of the season, or current trend. Where possible, House of Bilimoria uses fair-trade, organic, and “end-of-line” fabrics, that are sourced both internationally, and within the UK. All production is based in a studio in the UK,where all production maintains ethical practices. House of Bilimoria has a forward thinking vision of supporting local communities, using the revival of crafts, the traditional skills that are used to make them and the tailoring that gives them that personal touch. Shilpa has her parents, grandparents and even great grandparents
was seen as almost like second best which, I suspect, had more to do with lack of understanding of other professions. I qualified as a solicitor in 1987, and at the time I started work, there were very few Dharjis (and, for that matter, Asians in general in the profession which was very much the case in the other fields also.” He further said, “One of the difficulties I faced at the time of graduating was finding a training contract with a law firm, which I finally secured with the help of my cousin. With our parents’ encouragement and forward thinking, we were able to break free from the family trade and diversify, so much so that there is no one amongst my siblings and, indeed, my cousins who are continuing our 'trade'; although we can just about cope with a needle and thread!” His son Akash, is a personal trainer running his own online business, www.rntfitness.com, and daughter, Roshni, is a teacher.
Shilpa Bilimoria
to thank for the professional journey which appears to have chosen her, and granted her not only some exceptionally creative skills with which to develop her craft, but implant in her an integrity which makes her so in demand today. To Shilpa, who grew up listening to the drumming sounds of a sewing machine for as long as she can remember, the expectation was that surely every home would also have such a machine. “I can remember spending hours on the sewing machine, taking offcuts from my mother’s fabrics, or repurposing old clothes until they had become an entirely new garment,” she recalls.
16 SPECIAL
AsianVoiceNews
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
www.asian-voice.com
www.asian-voice.com
AsianVoiceNews
SPECIAL
AsianVoiceNewsweekly
26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
17
26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
British Darjis making remarkable contributions in the UK Ishwar Tailor
Ishwar Tailor MBE JP DL
T
he Darji communities have their ancestral roots in Gujarat, the state of which current Indian Premier Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of between 2001 and 2014. As with any community, there are several denominations within this community. Some originate from Surat District, others from Kathiyawar. The Darji community prospered in the early 20’s and 30’s leading to young Darjee entrepreneurs migrating to far places and in particular to East Africa. Taking their skills with them they soon settled down and started offering tailoring services to the wider community. Within a short period the single males who had travelled alone went back to India either to get married or bring their partners and family to settle. At the same time they also maintained a close tie with families and friends back home. Darjis from both the Surat and Kathiyawar districts started making good progress in business and prospered. Kenya was a British colony. Majority of the community members were Naturalised British citizen’s from India. This gave them future protection as British citizens. The economy of Kenya was thriving and a lot of other communities also arrived in Kenya bringing with them their skills. Surati Darjis excelled in bespoke tailoring in both male and female garments. The Jagdish Bulsara left school at the end of 1965 and was not going for further studies, when his father asked him to join him in the tailoring shop to learn tailoring. As Jagdish was fascinated by the printing machines and the profession, he asked his father to join a local print works as apprentice. This was not agreeable to his father, so he still joined the shop but as a salesman in ready made garments. He told Asian Voice, “I came to this country in 1968
The UK is home to a sizeable population of the Darji, or tailor community. Most hail mainly from parts of East Africa and Gujarat, India, but there are smaller groups from all over the world. Wanza community already had links with businesses in India who could provide them with the necessary materials. They became the main suppliers for suiting materials and other linens required by the businesses. Kenya was then seeking independence from the British. Jomo Kenyatta who led the Kikuyu party played a Key role in the independence movement. By early 60’s there were signs of Kenya gaining Independence. In 1963 it was declared by the British Government that Kenya would be granted its Independence and will have its own Parliament. Kenya was made independent in on 12thDecember, 1963. Upon Kenya gaining independence the parliament brought in regulations for the non-Kenyan residence owning businesses to honour the Government criteria. This was unacceptable to a lot of Business owners. This prompted both Darji communities to move to UK and make it their home. Majority of the Darji communities from both district settled in Leicester, Luton and London. Some had left Kenya early and started settling their families and adjusting to British way of life. Elders in both Darji communities realised that in order to keep the communities together and maintain our cultural values they needed to buy premises for the members to meet and socialise. The Surati darji community in London bought their own premises February and a bought a small manual printing machine on which I was printing Diwali cards and went to Southall to sell to the shopkeepers. I finally got into printing by starting as a printer in 1982, and opened the 'Jagprint' in 1984.” In 1992 he had the opportunity to buy a trophy business from a neighbour who was forced to close down due to ill health. He developed this Trophy business and sold his print shop in 1996.
and have been well established. It is estimated that there are 3,000 families from the Surati community residing in London, Luton , Leicester and other parts of UK. They also have a community centre in Leicester which has been established for over 21 years. The Wanza community have not been able to establish a centre in London, however in Leicester the Wanza community has a thriving community centre which was opened in 1995. Many of the early settlers played key role in the establishment of the centre. The Wanza community have settled in London in 3 different areas, Wembley, in the South and East London. In London they have about 2,000 families and in Leicester there are about 1,000 families.
Economic contribution Both communities have made major contribution to the economy of UK by setting up garment manufacturing companies in both Leicester and London. In Leicester there were 10 factories employing over 500 people for a period of 25 years up to 2000. Navinbhai Gohil was one of the garment manufacturers in Leicester who is also past president of the Shree Wanza Community Centre The cheap imports from the Far East saw the decline of manufacturing sector in Leicester and UK. The sec-
Navin Topiwala
Chandubhai Tailor
Rajubhai Tailor
Preeya Kalidas
Leicester has worked in Local Government for many years in the regeneration of the Leicester City and is currently the Chief Executive of Humberside Local Enterprise Partnership with a portfolio of £300 million for regeneration work in Humberside. Preeya Kalidas was one of the early entrant in the Kishor Tailor
ond and third generation youngsters from the community have been educated in this country and obtained qualifications and entered into diverse professions i.e. doctor Bankers, solicitors Pharmacist etc. Pareshbhai Kishor Odhavji Davadra from RationalFx is a fine example of how he has excelled in foreign currency market and is a well-known figure in the corporate world and is also well-respected member in the community. Chandubhai Tailor is also a very well-known personality who set up his Funeral service business in 1993 and offers this to our members in London and afar. Kishor Tailor from
Jayanti Gangi Bhudia came from Uganda in 1972. Has has worked in Royal Mail for 39 years and just recently retired. He has played a key role in the development of the Wanza community.
ficult to name them all. Similarly in the field of Business there are so many more that deserve a mention however due to editorial constraint we are unable to add all names. Having spoken to so
Interested to write about your community? Please contact us at aveditorial@abplgroup.com world of acting is a wellknown actress and she is also a singer and a writer. Dhiren Katwa is a young person who has studied and worked hard and is a freelance journalist writing articles in Asian Voice as well as in British mainstream newspapers. Karuna Bilimoria is a professional henna artist & nail technician, who has been freelance since 2011. She specialises in providing an exclusive bespoke henna designing service for brides. In the field of community development there are many individuals in both the communities in London and Leicester who have made great contributions. It is dif-
Jagdish Bulsara
Today 'Jag's Trophies' is the largest dedicated trophy shop in North London and the only Gujarati in all of UK to own the largest retail trophy shop.
Kishorbhai Davadra is a prominent member of the Wanza community London. He is Father of Paresh Davadra of RationalFX (Right).
Narendra Modi with Bharti Tailor
Mahesh Sonigra is the President of the Vanara Society of London and they also produce a quarterly magazine called Vanza Jyot.
erations. Ishwar Tailor has been in community development and business development for over 40 years. He was instrumental in the £4 million redevelopment of Gujarat Hindu Society and obtaining a grant of £1.77 million from the Millennium Commission He was awarded an MBE by the Queen for the work in Race Relations and made Honorary Fellow of UCLAN for the redevelopment of GHS. He was made the Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2004.
many people in both the communities I feel proud as a darji of the achievements of our communities and feel privileged to be asked by Asian Voice to Prakash Babulal Nathalal bring the materials Parmar, the current for this supplement President of Shree Wanza together. Samaj UK, was born in To capture the Mombasa, Kenya. He came to full picture of our the UK in September 1980, community and its when he was 16 years old. He achievements there is did his GCSE & O and A levan opportunity for us els at Copland High School in to come together and Wembley. In 1984, he went to an aspiration to pub- Thames Polytechnic in lish a 24-page booklet Woolwich and did a one year that would capture course in Foundation in details of extraordi- Accounting. His father nary achievements of Babulal Nathalal Parmar was ordinary Darji citi- also a prominent figure in the zens, a historic sou- community. venir for future genIn 1985, Prakash joined an
Bharti Tailor, was the first woman to be elected Secretary General of Hindu Forum of Britain, in May 2009, then re-elected in June 2012, though she resigned in November 2012. She is the first woman to be elected President of the Hindu Forum of Europe, June 2012-June 2014, and the first Hindu woman invited to join the European Council of Religious Leaders from 2011201. Bharti is currently the VP of Religions for Peace, UK. She is also working with the core group of the Global Hindu Foundation and served as the Executive Director of Hindu Forum of Europe, and Hindu Forum of Belgium 2014-2016.
accountancy firm and started doing his articles with them. In 1990, he joined a sole partner practice and did BookKeeping and accounts preparation. In February 1994, he started his company offering Book-keeping and accounts preparation services. By February 2002, Prakash started looking at new opportunities. Speaking to Asian Voice he said, "I started working for a large company, in their education department which was supporting schools.
Manharbhai Taylor
Pravinbhai Jivan, current President, Darji Mandal of UK
Dhiren Katwa
Mother Madhuben, wife Jaimini Tailor, HM Lord Lieutenant Helen Nellis, Former High Sheriff of Bedfordshire Vinod Tailor DL and Professor Joe Nellis
Vinod Tailor FCIB DL was officially appointed to the Office of the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire for 2017-2018 at a ceremony held at a Hindu Temple on 1 April 2017. The ceremony was attended by around 120 dignitaries, family and friends, including the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis. The Office of the High Sheriff is an annual appointment by HM The Queen which goes back to Saxon times and Vinod takes over the role from Charles Whitbread. The High Sheriff is the Queen's representative in Bedfordshire for all matters
During this time, I learnt to do Server and Computer installations and supporting schools remotely." In December 2007, Prakash left the company as they had closed the offices in the area in 2006. In February 2008, he started to develop the company into I.T. Services and installation of computer hardware. As the offices were closed down in the area, schools had to wait for technician to come from either Oxford or Chelmsford. This sometimes took over a week to sort out. “A friend of mine who used to do Curriculum systems support mentioned to the schools that I had started on my own and should contact me as their queries were not being dealt with. I started getting and few calls and as I was resolving a lot of the issues quickly, word got around the Brent schools that I had started on my own. I started offering support services and with the help of a friend started to offer Hardware installa-
relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. The Office of High Sheriff is non-political and entirely self-funded. As such, the 55 high sheriffs of England and Wales are able to bring people together within their counties and to support not only the Judiciary but also the enormous contributions made by the emergency services, the armed forces, local authorities, church and faith groups and the voluntary community. Bedfordshire has been home to the Tailor family since around 1972 having moved from Uganda. Vinod
and his wife, Jaimani, live in Luton with his mother and their son. As well as working in the Banking and Financial sector for 40 years, Vinod is involved in several organisations in Bedfordshire, London, India and Africa. His interests include reading, charitable works and classical music. Speaking about his time as High Sheriff, Vinod reportedly said: “This role taught me a lot about humility and what people have done by putting themselves second and putting others first in serving the community and voluntary sector, which is a great part of the United Kingdom.”
Babulal Nathalal Parmar
Prakash Parmar
tions. The ethos was to give the schools the best equipment and service that we could give at the lowest cost that it could possibly could. We worked on very little margins on hardware and fixed price installations. “In September 2011, my cousin, Tarun Gohil joined me and we started to offer curriculum support services. We now support 15 schools which are located in Brent, Barnet, Hackney and Buckinghamshire,” he added. They now support schools by advising them in
the procurement of various I.T. equipment and where they could procure it from especially when they cannot get it any cheaper. Prakash has also been involved with The Wanza Samaj UK, as a volunteer and have served on the Committee as Committee Member, Treasurer and after taking a long break from the committee.He is the President since May 2017. The focus of the organisation has been trying to get the youth of today involved in the community, which is a hard task .
Dipak Vaghela
Akash Vaghela
Dipak Harjivan Vaghela was born in Zambia (then, Northern Rhodesia) in a small town calling Livingstone. He lived as an extended family with his grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts. The family worked for the family business of manufacturing uniforms, jeans and casualwear, although my youngest uncle moved into the stationary business in the late eighties/early nineties. His father, Harjivin Devraj Vaghela, strongly believed in education and whilst he did not have the opportunity to study, he actively encouraged all his siblings and his children to study. He told Asian Voice, “For further education I came to England in 1972, and when I came to choosing my degree, opted for Law. At that time within the Asian community, there were three professions which were highly regarded: Medicine, Accountancy and Law; with a view that anything other than that
House of Bilimoria is a clothing label with an ethical focus. From designer and tailor Shilpa Bilimoria, who’s roots spring from a family of tailors, the craft of making clothing has always been something that is fascinating. An item of clothing made with time, care, traditional technique, and a labor of love, can stand up and find it’s place next to a piece of ‘fast-fashion’, with it’s beauty being seen and felt by the person that is wearing it.. Timeless pieces that are considered an investment, that will stay in a person’s wardrobe for years to come, complementing their personal style, regardless of the season, or current trend. Where possible, House of Bilimoria uses fair-trade, organic, and “end-of-line” fabrics, that are sourced both internationally, and within the UK. All production is based in a studio in the UK,where all production maintains ethical practices. House of Bilimoria has a forward thinking vision of supporting local communities, using the revival of crafts, the traditional skills that are used to make them and the tailoring that gives them that personal touch. Shilpa has her parents, grandparents and even great grandparents
was seen as almost like second best which, I suspect, had more to do with lack of understanding of other professions. I qualified as a solicitor in 1987, and at the time I started work, there were very few Dharjis (and, for that matter, Asians in general in the profession which was very much the case in the other fields also.” He further said, “One of the difficulties I faced at the time of graduating was finding a training contract with a law firm, which I finally secured with the help of my cousin. With our parents’ encouragement and forward thinking, we were able to break free from the family trade and diversify, so much so that there is no one amongst my siblings and, indeed, my cousins who are continuing our 'trade'; although we can just about cope with a needle and thread!” His son Akash, is a personal trainer running his own online business, www.rntfitness.com, and daughter, Roshni, is a teacher.
Shilpa Bilimoria
to thank for the professional journey which appears to have chosen her, and granted her not only some exceptionally creative skills with which to develop her craft, but implant in her an integrity which makes her so in demand today. To Shilpa, who grew up listening to the drumming sounds of a sewing machine for as long as she can remember, the expectation was that surely every home would also have such a machine. “I can remember spending hours on the sewing machine, taking offcuts from my mother’s fabrics, or repurposing old clothes until they had become an entirely new garment,” she recalls.
18 FINANCE - UK
AsianVoiceNews
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26 JAN - 1 Feb 2019
Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, So now what? Brexit I mean? House prices especially for our readers? We still don’t know. Everyone reads expecting discussion around what and how they want markets to react and perform. So some Remainers will say it will be the end of everything if there is a Hard Brexit and at least some Brexiters, say all will be fine. My own guess, and it’s a guess, as I said on the BBC, is that it looks like there is no Parliamentary agreement for any one solution so a Hard Brexit, which the majority does not want, will be the default. How perverse is that? But that is how things are decided in a committee and Parliament is a committee of the House of commons. I know it’s not what should happen or what we want to see happen. Of course, rationality suggests there should be a different outcome. How do we get a solution? The most plausible ‘solution’ is likely to be a vote to extend the deadline. How does that help? It buys time. It’s not certain. Or is it better to just get on with it and do it? Part of me thinks any solution is better than a delayed one. Whilst I have ultimate faith in the long term, what worries me in the short term is to do with everything that has not been done in other areas due to this Brexit distraction. Although there is an argument that leaving the country alone from politicians is good! There is some good news. Let me share this with you – the companies that are setting up their HQs in the UK during Brexit. These are just the ones I’ve helped in the past 12 months + World Wide Generation (Blockchain, UN Social Development Goals, from Australia) Asset Vault (Data protection, from Hyderabad) Advatech (Medical transportation - thank you too to David Amess MP from India) Lemon Advisors (MediaTech, Singapore) Finboot (Fintech blockchain) Automata.live (Blockchain and trading from France) Medicheck (Medical devices from Sweden) Aspire (Recruitment blockchain tech from Poland) TinkerBell Labs (Behavioural analysis from Singapore) Lattice80 (Fintech incubator, Singapore) ZestIOT (internet of things, from India) LendEnable (SME lending made more efficient, India) www.trading-champions.com Alpesh Patel Her Majesty’s Government’s Dealmaker For a free online trading course visit www.alpeshpatel.com
Lenders cut mortgage rates A report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has some good news for first-time buyers and homeowners remortgaging their properties. It said the looming threat of Brexit had dragged down the UK property market further, with prices falling at the fastest rate in six years. Last week HSBC dropped rates on 31 different mortgages while the market-leading product for a 10-year fixed-rate loan also went down. The cuts come at a time when the outlook for property sales is at the lowest level for two decades. HSBC said it was reducing fixed and tracker rates. A two-year fixed rate for a loan 95 per cent of the value of the home was cut by 0.1 per cent to 2.99 per cent. A five-year fixed rate was also down 0.1 per cent to 2.29 per cent on a home with 90 per cent loan to value. Both of these moves will help first-time buyers. Meanwhile, Coventry building society dropped the interest rate on its 10-year fixed mortgage, one of the most competitive, from 2.35 per cent to 2.25 per cent. This however, only applies where there is a 50 per cent loan to value, so may have a limited number of customers. Darren Cook of the financial data provider Moneyfacts, said, “We are aware from published mortgage approval numbers that there is a limited amount of mortgage business that banks and building societies are able to compete for, so it is likely that recent rate activity in the fixed-rate sector demonstrates that competition for business is indeed rife.” He also said, “Our research shows that mortgage providers have generally left their ranges unchanged during the second half of December, but it seems that some providers have been quick out of the stalls early in January to make sure that they take a competitive advantage into the new year.”
Saving for rainy (and sunny) days
Today’s world is full of instant gratification. From next-day delivery to contactless payments, spending money is easier than ever and saving can often seem like an impossible task. Along with many other resolutions set in January, saving money is a goal that many people struggle to keep throughout the year. By February, 80% of New Year’s resolutions have been broken, according to a study by Business Insider. But when it comes to saving money, there are many digital tools and apps that can make it easier. Starling Bank, the UK’s leading app-only bank, has been designed to make saving
money easier. The ‘Spending Insights’ feature breaks down monthly spend into categories such as shopping or travel and gives percentages of spend for each merchant. This feature can therefore help customers identify where they might spend less. Starling does the calculations for them, therefore increasing the financial awareness of their customers. The Starling app also sends out notifications to the customer’s phone each time money goes in or out of the account, keeping them up to date on transactions and payments. The Starling ‘Goals’ feature allows customers to ring-fence money from their
everyday balance. This means that the balance on the homescreen will be reduced but the overall balance is still in the account, keeping savings separate but also easily accessible and visible. If customers are saving for something specific, they can choose an image to help them visualise and reach their savings goal. Starling also enables customers to automate savings. Customers can choose an amount to be added automatically to their Goal each week or month. The Starling ‘Round Ups’ feature also automates savings, making it easier for customers to set money aside. If a customer
spends £2.50 on coffee, for example, 50p will be rounded up into a Goal of their choice. The Goals feature is often used by Starling business customers who want to organise their money for certain projects, set it aside for tax or create a buffer for when cash flow is tight. Find out more about Starling Bank’s mobile-only personal, joint and business accounts at www.starlingbank.com
More than 200 products subject to shrinkflation, says ONS Over 200 different consumer products, including toilet roll and chocolate, have shrunk in size about the time of the Brexit vote. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal as many as 206 individual items were made smaller between September 2015 and June 2017. The analysis confirms a trend of “shrinkflation”, when goods are made smaller, but still sold at the same price, immediately after the EU referendum, when the sudden fall in the value of the pound pushed up the cost of importing goods to Britain. Names of several highprofile examples emerged, including Mars shrinking its Maltesers, M&Ms and Minstrels chocolates by up to
15 per cent, while McVitie's has cut the number of Jaffa Cales in a packet from 12 to 10. The ONS said that food and drink products, as well as everyday household items such as toilet rolls, nappies, tissues and washing-up liquid, were the products where most of the size changes had occurred. Foods with higher numbers of
product size changes included bread and cereals, meat, and sugar, jam, syrups, chocolates and confectionery. Shrinkflation is established in Britain well before the Brexit vote, as firms used stealth tactics to eke out greater profits at the expense of consumers. Producers also often worry
that passing on the increases in their cost of production could lead to weaker sales. However, the sharp rise in costs connected to the weakness in sterling after the vote presented manufacturers with the choice: accepting lower profit margins, raising the price of their products, or reducing the amount they sold while keeping prices steady. Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said, “The effect of price rises are pretty stealthy. We don't notice prices creeping up a few pence here or a couple of pounds there: we just suddenly spot that somehow our money doesn't quite go as far as it used to.”
Over 23,000 shops, 175,000 jobs in UK predicted to go in 2019 Recent research warns a further cut off of 175,000 jobs from struggling UK high streets this year and the value of retail property will slump as the boom in online shopping and rise of giants such as Amazon continue to take their toll. According to findings published on an annual report from the real estate adviser Altus Group, over 23,000 shops are forecast to close in 2019. Figures suggest this year will be even worse than 2018, when a series of high-profile company failures and storeclosure programmes claimed nearly 20,000 stores and 150,000 jobs. The seismic shift in shopping habits in the UK prompts authors to predict that the overall value of retail property will tumble by 15.9 per cent this year as shoppers are lured away from the high street by online alternatives. Many high streets are struggling with fewer customers and the shift to online shopping. The most recent official figures
available showed the number of shops, pubs, and restaurants lying empty soared in the first six months of 2018. Last year was a difficult year for the retail sector, with a long list of high street failures, including House of Fraser, Evans Cycles, Maplin and Poundworld, while other chains including Mothercare and Carpetright, together closed hundreds of underperforming stores. Retailers planning to close stores this year include Marks &
Spencers and Debenhams. Altus Group's annual commercial real estate (CRE) innovation report found that 62 per cent of major UK property owners and investors claim that Amazon and other online players have disrupted the retail property market. A further 78 per cent said the trend towards “experiential” retailing was affecting their investment decisions as customers seek out experience-led shopping. Overall, it warned that “2019 is set to be another tough
year for Britain's high streets as businesses continue to grapple with rising costs, subdued consumer confidence and an increase spend online.” Separately, the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors has taken the unusual step of instructing valuers to be “aware of the potential for significant changes in value” in retail properties, effectively to a wake-up call for listed landlords and owners of major shopping centres such as Intu Properties and Hammerson. Altus Group Managing Director, Guillaume Fiastre said, “Retail of the future will use bricks-and-mortar spaces in a very different way mixed in with leisure and lifestyle residential spaces.” He added, “The most successful retailers, the survivors, are learning to draw in their customers with the promise of a personalised experience. Technology makes that all possible but it still needs a strong human element.”
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REAL ESTATE VOICE
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26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap London Property Investment
Currently, there is only one topic dominating the press.
environment is likely to change.
As investors what concerns us is the effect on the market. The effect is actually good……..if you’re an investor.
In order to address this problem, we have turned the plan for this deal around from a buy and sell deal, to a buy and hold deal; with one proviso, the money should not be trapped in the deal, it needs to be released.
There are a couple of issues to be mindful of. One is don’t expect to be in and out of the deal quickly. The point being, you can go into the deal, but you may not come out very soon. The truth is no one actually knows what the situation will be in the future. We are all speculating. Although, this is actually not as bad as it sounds. A point of distinction needs to be clarified, what I am saying is the onward sale is unpredictable. However, this does not necessarily mean your money is trapped. Let me illustrate this with an actual deal. We are in the process of closing a deal in Fulham. The site comes with the benefit of planning for a few apartments and a commercial space. Due to the uncertainty in the market place, this deal cannot be considered on the basis the apartments will be sellable at the anticipated price once the development is complete; the
AGONY AGENT IS HERE TO HELP! Q: Should I take out a boiler care agreement for my BTL property?
We will take this deal and go back into planning. The new planning will be to turn this into a ten unit HMO. This is expected to enhance the rental yields to about 10%. We have had experience with this borough previously and have run this by our planner who has confirmed the viability of this plan.
By turning it into an HMO your yields start touching double digits. Then, instead of your cash being trapped in the property, you’re able to release it. Your enhanced rental income allows you to refinance. You will be left with a cash cow, providing you with income for as long as you hold it.
As a hold and rent proposition this deal would ordinarily trap your funds in the property. Most BTL deals in London are restricted in terms of what you can borrow, not by the mortgage product of the loan but the rental cover. Mortgages have a stipulation of 145%, or some are more generous and use 125%. This means the rental must be higher than the mortgage amount. This is the ceiling when applying for a loan.
Rentals are a lot more stable than capital values. With rentals you’re in a market which is driven by a need. The need for shelter. This is actually an extremely good strategy. There are investors who only focus on these kinds of deals with good reason; you’re largely insulated from the turbulence of the economy. The current market forces one to think and act in a leaner and more creative manner.
THE PRESENT IS YOUR PRESENT Napoléon Bonaparte, the great French conquering emperor, was known for his ability to focus on one task at a time. Think about it - the only thing that truly exists is the “everpresent present”. Each moment that we experience, at the timing of that moment, is the only thing that actually exists. The past that that moment has left behind no longer exists. And the future represented by the moment after the present
moment also does not exist. The only thing we all have is this ever-present moment. My experience is that I am far more effective and more fulfilled when I am absorbed in the task at hand until that task is completed to its natural limit. The same goes for relationships. When I am focussed on the person in front of me and not distracted then
BUY TO LET OPPORTUNITY
the experience is more fulfilling and the person I am with feels more valued and respected. Don’t you dislike it when the person you are with is constantly distracted with calls/Whatsapps/Facebook etc.? So, this is a key practice for me. I can write down my list of action points for the day. But the only list I need to be aware of moment by moment is the task I am doing now. Nothing more! And no distractions.
The “ever-present present” moment is your greatest present. It is your gift to a more effective and fulfilled present. You can then let the future take care of itself. Abraham Goldberg
A: In the run up to Christmas we had four boiler failures with no heating or hot water. Two boilers had completely given up, and one underfloor heating system was just simply not playing ball. Usually at this time of year it is a real task to get a contractor out to fix such issues, as everyone seems to get them at the same time. If you have a boiler care agreement then you would normally have a visit within 48hrs, without one, you might end up having to wait four to five days! If you have a new boiler then the chances are you will not need it, as you will have a warranty, and this will be covered as long as you service it regularly. But if your boiler is an older model then I would highly recommend it. Most boiler covers may include the following but please make sure you double check as they will differ from provider to provider: unlimited call outs, labour costs covered in the event of an issue, sometimes parts depending on value, 24hr assistance, same day call out if you have someone under 3 or over 65 years old; and on the odd occasion they might even supply alternative heating for a complete breakdown. Before looking around for cover, perhaps contact your insurance company first, and ask if they offer this type of cover as some insurance companies do. If you need any other BTL property guidance, please do get in touch. Richard Bond
● Charming two bedroom flat in a purpose built block ● Long lease ● Lift ● Low service charges ● Close to Mornington Crescent and Camden Town stations
London, NW1 Purchase Price: £490,000
● Rental income expected is approx £1,900 per month, generating an excellent yield of 4.6% per annum
● Excellent long term buy and hold opportunity Call us now for more information!
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Turning land into cash Get in touch about our land opportunities
20 FINANCE - INDIA
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26 JAN - 1 Feb 2019
Industry leaders declare mega investment at Vibrant Gujarat Vibrant Gujarat 2019 began with a bang as industry biggies maintained tradition and declared mega investments at the summit being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Prominent businessmen have showered investments in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Gautam Adani, Sudhir Mehta and Didier Casimiro among others. Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani called Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacting with business leaders exceed £5 billion and we are next 10 years. Reliance’s new Gujarat his company's further accelerating our business model will move away Janmabhoomi as well as its investments.” Adani Group from concentrated investments Karmabhoomi, as he announced proposed to infuse £3 billion in a few locations to much larger an investment of £30 billion in particularly to build the world's investments in a distributed the state over the next 10 years. largest solar hybrid park in manner all across Gujarat.” He said, “We have so far invested Kutch. Adani group chairman nearly £30 billion in Gujarat and The group's other Gautam Adani committed created over one millon investment projects include investments of £5.5 billion for livelihood opportunities in the establishment of a 1GW data different projects across sectors state. In comparison to the past centre park in Mundra, copper over the next five years. decades, Reliance will double smelting and refining project, He said, “Our investments in this investment and cement and clinker Gujarat in the past five years employment numbers over the
manufacturing unit in Lakhpat. Group plans to invest for lithium battery manufacturing complex and expand its photovoltaic manufacturing capabilities. Chairman of Aditya Birla group, Kumar Mangalam Birla, announced an investment of £1.5 billion for capacity expansion and creation of new plants in the state. One of the promoters of Torrent Group Sudhir Mehta declared that the group will invest £1 billion for projects in renewable energy, power transmission and gas distribution projects in Gujarat. Torrent has so far invested £3 billion in the state, Mehta said. Also involved in the summit, N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons, said, “We look forward to continuing our investment in the state. We are in discussion with the state government for significantly increasing our capacity in Tata Chemicals to reach 1 million tons of soda ash.”
RIL to launch e-com platform from Gujarat In an announcement signaling a stiff competition to online shopping giants like Amazon and Flipkart, Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail will launch a new e-commerce platform in India. Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance industries Limited (RIL) has announced that the new platform will be first rolled out in Gujarat. He said, “The new ecommerce platform will empower and enrich our 12,00,000 small retailers and shopkeepers in Gujarat,” while speaking at an inaugural ceremony of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 in
Mukesh Ambani
Gandhinagar. Ambani also raised concerns over data colonisation and exhorted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to ensure that only Indian people control the data and not corporates, especially global corporations. He urged Modi to
make this one of the principal goals of the Digital India Mission. He also added, “We have so far invested nearly £30 billion in Gujarat and created over one million livelihood opportunities. In comparison to the past decades, Reliance will double this investment and employment numbers over the next 10 years.” The e-commerce platform was one of the major initiatives outlined by Ambani, who said these align with Gujarat's future development model. He also spoke about Jio Network, and said, “Jio is committed to making Gujarat
fully digital and the best digitally connected state in India.” Stating that Jio's network is fully 5G ready, he said, “This means Gujarat will continue to remain on the forefront of digital connectivity for years to come.” Ambani also added, “Reliance's new business model will move away from concentrated investments in a few locations to much larger investments in a distributed manner all across Gujarat. As the world moves towards electrical vehicles, Reliance will use hydrocarbons less for fuel and more for producing highvalue new materials with a wide range of uses in society.”
Banks planning debt restructuring plan for Jet Countdown for lenders of Jet Airways, which was recently recognised as a stressed borrower and will require banks to provide for part of their £820 million exposure to the airline in their Q4 results. State Bank of India (SBI) said that lenders of Jet are considering a restructuring plan, an acknowledgment that the loan is not viable in the present form. RBI norms require lenders to make at least 15 per cent provisions on their exposure once a loan is restructured. The actual hit could be higher considering that both promoter Naresh Goyal and Etihad which holds 24 per cent in Jet are unwilling to bring in funds without relief in repayment. In a statement, SBI said that besides getting the lender's board clearance, any restructuring plan will need to
Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways
be approved by RBI, Sebi and possibly the ministry of civil aviation. Making matters more difficult for the lenders were fresh conditions imposed by Goyal, who while asking for debt relief said that he was willing to invest £70 million provided his stake does not fall below 25 per cent. Meanwhile, Jet's minority stakeholders Etihad Airways' said that its investment would be subject to Goyal not holding more than 22 per cent stake.
In his letter to SBI, Goyal has warned of “significant cash crunch and imminent grounding,” which the airline is facing. He has also reportedly offered to pledge all his shares if his stake is kept at a minimum 25 per cent. “Should this not be possible, then I would not be able to infuse any funds or pledge my shares, unless Sebi accords me an exemption permitting me to increase my reduced stake (if it is to be
below 25 per cent) without triggering the Takeover Code,” Goyal's letter said. Goyal's communication to lenders comes a day after his partner Etihad set fresh conditions for picking up stake in the distressed airline. In a communication to SBI, Etihad Group CEO Tony Douglas sought a written assurance from Sebi exempting Etihad from pricing norms and a requirement to make an open letter. He has also called for Goyal reducing his stake. His letter said, “Without this approval we are not willing to invest a single penny further.” Lenders refuse to lobby regulators on behalf of Jet Airways or Etihad on pricing norms for preferential shares but they are still hopeful of a deal between the two partners despite strong posturing by both.
in brief MEHUL CHOKSI SURRENDERS INDIAN PASSPORT
Diamantaire and PNB scam accused Mehul Choksi has surrendered his Indian passport to Antigua, apparently to avoid extradition to India, where he is wanted for loan fraud. Choksi, 59, has also submitted $177 with his passport (Z-3396732) to the Indian High Commission in Antigua. The move comes after the foreign ministry had said that the jeweller could not have dual citizenship. He has now given his new address as Jolly Harbour Marks Antigua, officials said. Antigua is hearing India's case for the businessman's extradition. Choksi, the chairman of the Gitanjali Group who has taken refuge in Antigua, is one of the prime accused in the £1.35 billion Punjab National Bank fraud along with his nephew Nirav Modi. The ED in October had attached both their assets in India and abroad worth £21.8 million.
DUTCH COMPANIES INK FIVE MOUS
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani welcomed representatives of the Netherlands, to discuss India-Netherlands ties in the technology sector, to help realise the Kalpsar Yojana and development of the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR). Rupani further proposed collaboration in port development, the maritime sector, and drainage, and praised the innovations of the Netherlands. A total of 10 MoUs will be signed by the delegation, comprising some 45 companies, of which five have already been signed, said Menno Snel, the Dutch minister of trade for taxation and customs. Menno Snel, expressed keen interest in investing in sectors such as agriculture, energy and manufacturing, in Gujarat,
RIL NET RISES 9.95%, REVENUE CLIMBS ON HIGHER VOLUME, REALISATION
Reliance Industries (RIL) third quarter consolidated net profit rose 9.95% to £1.04 billion. The higher profit came despite refinery margins falling to $8.8 per barrel during the quarter compared with $11.6 in the year-earlier period. Retail and telecom businesses contributed 25% of the consolidated EBITDA. The profit during the quarter was reported on a 55.43% increase in total income to £6.27 billion primarily on account of higher price realisations and volumes for petrochemical and refining businesses along with continuing strong growth momentum in consumer businesses. Commenting on the results, RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani said, “In our endeavour to consistently create more value for our country and stakeholders, our company has become the first Indian private sector corporate to cross £1 billion quarterly profit milestone.
INDIA'S I-T DEPT CHASES TAX PAYERS TO RECOVER £500 MN
The income tax department in India has come across several cases where tax payers have taken credit for payment of “self-assessment tax” without actually clearing the dues, resulting in arrears of around £500 million. The non-payment has resulted in the department being unable to process income tax returns for the last financial year with authorities now approaching the assessees to immediately pay up, officials said. “We are sending reminders at the moment, requesting them to clear the dues so that the tax returns can be processed,” said an official. Sources in the department said that several of these tax payers had claimed that they would pay self-assessment tax, which has not been paid. Tax experts were, however, not clear about how the payments were not made, pointing out that there was a well-establishment system of checks and balances to prevent possible misuse of the facility.
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in brief
14 DIE AS SHIPS WITH INDIAN CREW CATCH FIRE OFF RUSSIA
At least 14 people have been killed in a fire that broke out on two Tanzanian-flagged ships, both carrying Indian crew, near the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea and Russia, Crimea Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said. The victims have not been identified yet. Preliminary information said the fire erupted on Monday night due to the failure of a pump being used to transfer fuel between the two vessels Candy and Maestro - in violation of security regulations, Russian state news agency said. The two ships had a total of 32 crew members - Turkish and Indian nationals. The news agency said Candy had a crew of 17 - eight Indian nationals and nine Turks while the Maestro carried seven Indians, seven Turks and an intern from Libya. A spokesman from Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport said that 12 people had been rescued and there were no chances of finding any more survivors.
BRITISH TOURISTS TO BE DEPORTED FROM NZ
Members of a British family have been branded “worse than pigs” and face deportation from New Zealand after a spree of bad behaviour that left normally easygoing Kiwis outraged. The family have been involved in a string of incidents in and around Auckland and Hamilton, including accusations of littering, assault, not paying for restaurant meals and intimidating behaviour. Auckland mayor Phil Goff led national outcry at the tourists’ antics, demanding the police take action. “These guys are trash. They are leeches,” he told a local radio station. New Zealand's assistant general manager of immigration, Peter Devoy, said the family had been issued with a deportation notice on the grounds of “matters relating to character.”
PIO DOC IN US INDICTED FOR FRAUD FREED ON RECORD BOND
A 77-year-old Indian-American doctor, indicted in one of the largest healthcare fraud cases in the US history involving a $464 million conspiracy, was freed on a record-setting $7 million bond. Rajendra Bothra, who was awarded Padmashri by India, was indicted along with five other physicians in the alleged healthcare fraud conspiracy, which the federal government said fuelled the opioid epidemic. US district judge Stephen Murphy granted the bond for him despite the government’s concern that the doctor has hidden money that could bankroll an escape to India. Bothra, who will be released on home confinement and tracked by a GPS tether, must identify all assets under penalty of perjury, the Detroit News reported.
SECURITY BEING PROVIDED TO SAUDI TEENAGER IN CANADA
Amid threats to the safety of Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed, who was granted asylum in Canada, the Toronto agency helping her has hired a security guard to ensure “she is never alone” as she starts a normal life, its executive director said. Rahaf, 18, has received multiple threats online that have made her fear for her safety, said Mario Calla, executive director of Costi, a refugee agency contracted by the Canadian government to help her settle. Costi has hired a security guard and plans to “make sure she is never alone,” Calla said. “It’s hard to say how serious these threats are. We’re taking them seriously.”
Senator Kamala Harris jumps into 2020 White House race WASHINGTON: Democratic Senator Kamala Harris of California, a rising star and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, launched her 2020 campaign for the White House by touting her experience as a prosecutor. Harris, 54, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, enters the race with the potential advantage of being the Democratic candidate who looks most like the party’s increasingly diverse base of young, female and minority voters. “This is a moment in time that I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are,” Harris said in announcing her candidacy. Harris, who made history in 2016 as the first black woman elected to the US Senate from California, timed her announcement for the US Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. She said he was an aspirational leader. “We are the best of who we are when we fight to achieve these ideals,” she said. Harris, a
former California state attorney general, has become popular with liberal activists for her tough questioning of Trump administration appointees and officials, including Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, during Senate hearings. Harris’ campaign will focus on reducing the high cost of living with a middle-class tax credit, pursuing immigration and criminal justice changes and a Medicare-for-all healthcare system, aides said. She has said she will reject corporate political action committee donations. Harris joins what is expected to be a crowded field to challenge Trump, the likely Republican candidate, in 2020. A half-dozen Democrats have taken steps to run and four of them - Harris, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand and US Representative Tulsi Gabbard are women. There are more than a dozen other potential Democratic candidates, and CNN reported former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz is exploring an independent candidacy.
“This is a robust signal of who we are as a democracy and everyone should run who is thinking of running,” Harris told reporters in Washington after her announcement. In the first 30 minutes after entering the race, Harris received individual online contributions from all 50 states, spokesman Ian Sams said on Twitter. Her slogan will be “For the People,” in a nod to Harris’ roots as a prosecutor, aides said. As one of the earliest congressional critics of Trump’s immigration policies, Harris has pushed hard for a deal to protect from deportation those immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as
children, a group known as Dreamers. Harris and other Democrats will have to navigate the party’s debate about whether an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters or a fresh face who can energize its increasingly diverse and progressive base offers the best chance to beat Trump in 2020. The Republican National Committee criticized Harris as “the least vetted” of the Democratic candidates, calling her unqualified and out of touch. “All she has to show for her brief time in the Senate is a radically liberal voting record,” RNC spokesman Michael Ahrens said in a statement.
Indian-American Sikh accorded with Rosa Park Trailblazer award WASHINGTON: An IndianAmerican philanthropist and entrepreneur, Gurinder Singh Khalsa, has been presented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign that forced US authorities to change their policy towards headgear of the Sikh community. Khalsa, 45, was presented the award for his continued demonstration of courage and compassion. In 2007, Khalsa was refused access to board an flight because of his turban. Following the incident, Khalsa mobilized more than 67,000 people nationwide for petitions and took the issue to all the way to the US Congress, which forced Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) to change its headgear policy towards the
Gurinder Singh Khalsa
Sikh community. As a result of Khalsa's movement, Sikhs can now wear their turban through airport security in the US. "I was prevented from boarding the flight because I refused to remove my turban. I took this stand for all those who believe in religious liberty and freedom of
faith," Khalsa, who also heads the Indiana-based Sikhs Political Affairs Committee, said. Khalsa dedicated the award to the Sikh community. "Change does not exist without the support of a community. I dedicate this award to more than 67,000 individuals from all walks of life across America, and to one of the largest Sikh advocacy group, Sikh Coalition," he said. He further said, "Without their countless efforts, change in the TSA Turban policy would not exist." The award ceremony was attended by top State officials and eminent community leaders. "Sometimes those who bravely protest for civil rights are stereotyped as somehow threatening figures perhaps simply because of the raw courage required to fight for
justice. But in the personalities of both Gurinder and Rosa, we see the great power of quiet resolve," Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said. "I know that Gurinder in his lifetime has experienced and witnessed certain perceptions and situations that have been unjust," said Hill. He added, "But in his cheerful and dignified manner, he has stood for justice and free speech and freedom of religion and for so many American principles that make our nation great." Indiana State Assembly Speaker Brian C Bosma congratulated Khalsa on receiving the award for his principled commitment to faith and his "pursuit of positive change" that embodies the American principles of free speech and religious freedom.
Trump nominates 3 Indian Americans to key posts WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has nominated three Indian Americans to key administration positions, as per the latest list of senior nominations sent by the White House to the Senate. Rita Baranwal has been nominated for the post of assistant secretary of Energy (Nuclear Energy), Aditya Bamzai for Member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and Bimal Patel as the assistant secretary of Treasury. The intent to nominate Baranwal, Bamzai and Patel was announced by Trump earlier, but
the nomination was sent to the Senate last week. So far, Trump has nominated or appointed more than three dozen Indian Americans in key positions. Nikki Haley, the first cabinet ranking Indian American and Raj Shah, the first Indian American deputy Press Secretary have left the Trump administration. Baranwal holds the post of Director, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative. If confirmed by the Senate, as assistant secretary of Energy Baranwal will be heading the powerful Office of Nuclear
Energy. She will also be responsible for the department's nuclear technology research and the development and management of the department's nuclear technology infrastructure. Baranwal previously served as director of the Technology Development and Application at Westinghouse and was a manager in Materials Technology at Bechtel Bettis, where she led research and development in nuclear fuel materials for US naval reactors. A Yale graduate, Bamzai teaches and writes about civil procedure, administrative law,
federal courts, national security law and computer crime. He has earlier served as a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the US Supreme Court and to Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Patel currently serves as deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Prior to joining the United States Department of the Treasury, Patel was a partner and head of the Financial Advisory and Regulation practice in Washington, DC, office of O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
22 WORLD
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China expanding access to strategic foreign ports: US WASHINGTON: A Pentagon report said that China is expanding its access to strategic foreign ports like Pakistan’s Gwadar and Sri Lanka’s Hambantota to pre-position the logistic framework necessary to support the growing presence of its military in the Indian Ocean and beyond. The People’s Liberation Army’s efforts to obtain access to commercial ports in Africa, West Asia and South Asia would align with its future overseas logistic needs and meet its evolving naval requirements, said the Congressionally-mandated report on the increasing Chinese military power which was released by the US department of defence. China in 2015 announced its intention to build military facilities in Djibouti, citing reasons “to help the Navy and Army further participate in UN peacekeeping operations, carry out escort missions in the waters near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden and provide humanitarian assistance.” “China is expanding its access to foreign ports, such as in Gwadar, Pakistan, to preposition the logistic framework
necessary to support the PLA’s growing presence abroad, including normalising and sustaining deployments into and beyond the Indian Ocean,” the Pentagon said. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is likely to use commercial ports and civilian ships to support its international and domestic logistic operations, resupply, replenishment and maintenance, it said. China’s territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea are driving major logistic developments in the Spratly and Paracel Islands. The reclaimed territory in the South China Sea by China is equipped with harbours and berthing areas that are capable of accommodating large naval ships, increasing the PLAN’s ability to exercise control of critical SLOCs, it said. According to the report, China’s military strategy reflects its drive to establish a coherent, unified approach to managing national security in a world where Beijing perceives that China’s expanding interests have made it more vulnerable at home and
abroad. While it calls for a peertopeer cooperative relationship with the US, Beijing also believes that the presence of the US military and the US-led security architecture in Asia seeks to constrain China’s rise and interfere with its sovereignty, particularly in a Taiwan conflict scenario and in the East and South China Seas. “Since the 1990s, Beijing has repeatedly communicated its preference to move away from the US-led regional security system and has pursued its own regional security initiatives in support of what it views as a natural transition to regional predominance,” the Pentagon
said. Authoritative Chinese documents, the report said, highlight the Korean Peninsula as an area of instability and uncertainty, and express concern regarding unsettled territorial disputes along China’s border with India, which periodically result in tense standoffs like the one that occurred in the summer of 2017 in the disputed Doklam region. Military bases in foreign countries and other improvements to the PLA’s ability to project power during the next decade, will increase China’s ability to deter by military force and sustain operations abroad, the Pentagon report said.
Indian judge Madan Lokur attends Pak CJ's swearing in ceremony ISLAMABAD: For the first time in more than 70 years, an Indian judge - albeit retired - sat on a bench in a court in Pakistan. It was Justice (retd) Madan Lokur of the Supreme Court, who heard three cases for about 45 minutes last week. The first matter was a challenge of a conviction; the second a bail hearing; and the third a civil matter, which resulted in a compromise between the two parties. A two-judge bench in Pakistan's Supreme Court, consisting of freshly sworn-in 26th Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and his fellow judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, sat with Justice Lokur, President of Supreme Court of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Narin Ferdi Sefik, Chief Judge of the State of Borno Nigeria Kashim Zannah and Sandra E
judges to sit on a bench proving heart-warming. He said the atmosphere was "wonderful and the court was not crowded. Like in India, it was open to the press." Justice Lokur has been a close friend of Justice Khosa since 2004, Justice (retd) Madan Lokur (left) and Pakistan Chief Justice when Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa. Khosa was in the Oxner, former judge and Lahore High Court and Justice founding president of Lokur a judge in the Delhi High Commonwealth Judicial Court. Justice Lokur has Education Institute, Canada. described him as an "excellent Justice Lokur, accompanied human being and jurist." Justice by his wife Savita Lokur, Khosa, who will be in the chair described the reception in the till December 21, 2019, is no neighbouring country as stranger to controversy or a run"unprecedented", with the in with those in authority. He, gesture of getting all invitee along with several of his
colleagues, was detained at home at the peak of the crisis in the time of General Pervez Musharraf. Three years ago, Justice Khosa headed a threejudge bench that insisted that Musharraf should be tried for treason for "subverting the Constitution" in 2007. When Justice Lokur was asked if he does not consider his presence in Pakistan for such an event to be an extraordinary gesture at a time when there are few high-profile travellers between the two neighbours, he had said: "Justice knows no boundaries." This is not the first time Justice Lokur has attended such a swearing-in ceremony in Pakistan. He was there when former Pakistan Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani was administered the oath of office five years ago.
Australia sweltering under record heat CANBERRA: Australia have been sweltering under record heat, with roads melting and heat records broken. The six days from January 12 to 17 were all within Australia's 10 hottest days on record, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said. At Wauchope, 373 km north of Sydney, bitumen was reported melting on the main highway, causing road workers to spray water to cool the surface so that it would not
stick to car tyres, according to a local newspaper. Temperatures at some regional sites in New South
Wales (NSW) clicked over 46 degrees Celsius on Friday, with one regional town breaking the state record for the highest-ever overnight temperature, ABC News reported. Heat records were broken across eastern Australia also as temperatures soared in the high 40s. Australia's highest night-time heat record was smashed on Thursday at Noona, 800 km west of Sydney, where the lowest overnight
temperature was 35.9 degrees Celsius. Records across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria over the past week include 48.9 Celsius in Port Augusta, 47.8 Celsius in Andamooka and 46.4 Celsius in Griffith. It is the second heat wave to hit Australia in less than a month. Just over two weeks ago, post-Christmas temperatures led to extreme or severe fire warnings across at least three states and intensified severe droughts across the country.
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in brief LANKAN PRESIDENT SIGNS 3 LOAN AGREEMENTS WITH ADB
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena signed three loan agreements totalling $455 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund projects in higher education, transport as well as a technical assistance loan in the urban sector. Sirisena signed the agreements during his first tour to the ADB headquarters while conducting a five-day state visit to the Philippines. The loans include $145 million for a project to support the development of science and technology faculties in four universities, $300 million to finance construction of about 5.3 km of an elevated toll highway to link Colombo's international port with the country's expressway network and another $10 million technical assistance loan to finance the establishment of a facility to help improve the design and implementation of urban projects in Sri Lanka.
5 ARRESTED WITH 90 KG OF HEROIN IN SRI LANKA
The Sri Lankan police on Tuesday arrested five persons along with 90 kg heroin worth $5.5 million in international market. Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that there were three foreign nationals among the persons who were arrested in a Colombo suburb called "Kollupitiya." Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday launched a drug eradication week across the island country to prevent the drug menace. Sirisena said he would not relent in his efforts to curb drug trafficking and he would seek assistance from the Philippines in the fight against drug menace.
45 KILLED IN TALIBAN ATTACK ON AFGHAN MILITARY CENTRE
At least 45 members of the Afghan security forces were killed when Taliban militants attacked a military compound in central Maidan Wardak province on Monday, a senior defence official said. The official said the assault began on Monday morning when the attackers rammed a car full explosives through a military check point and detonated the vehicle inside the campus of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces training centre in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak province. Two gunmen entered the campus right after the explosion and shot at many Afghan soldiers before being gunned down during the clashes. Defence Ministry officials said the Taliban had used US-made armoured Humvee vehicles captured from Afghan forces as a car bomb in order to breach the military fortifications.
WIFE OF CHINESE EX-INTERPOL HEAD SEEKS ASYLUM
Wife of the former Chinese Interpol chief being held in his home country on corruption charges has applied for asylum in France, media reports said. Grace Meng has remained in the French city of Lyon, the site of Interpol’s headquarters, since her husband Meng Hongwei disappeared - and was later revealed to have been arrested while visiting China in September. She said she fears for her life and that of their twin sons. “I need the French government to protect me, to assist me, to help me and my children. I am afraid of being kidnapped.”
GERMANY BANS IRANIAN AIRLINE ON SUSPICION OF SPYING
Berlin has revoked Iranian airline Mahan's right to operate in Germany, a senior government source said, giving both safety concerns and the suspicion that the airline was being used for military purposes as reasons. The government suspects the airline, which has been on a United States sanctions list since 2011, is used for military purposes by Iran's Revolutionary Guards as well as for terrorist activities. Several European Union countries accuse Iran of carrying out spying operations or planning attacks on the continent. The government source said that the flight did not constitute general sanctions against Iran.
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VIBRANT GUJARAT
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26 JAN - 1 Feb 2019
28,360 MoUs signed during Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inaugural session of the 9th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar. Governor of Gujarat O.P. Kohli, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries are also seen.
“India is now ready for business as never before,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he Vibrant Summit 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
MOU’s 80 227 454 3,364 8,380 17,719
2015 2017
21,304 24,474
Total
76,002
in terms of direction and intensity. Over the last four years, the focus of my government has been to
Proposed Investment £6.6 billion £10 billion £46.5 billion £123.9 billion £208.3 billion Approx. £54.7 billion £250 billion Approx. £150 billion £850 billion
inaugurated the ninth edition of Vibrant Gujarat in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Addressing the inaugural event of the summit, he highlighted that India has moved up Global Ranking of World Bank's Doing Business Report by 65 places and the country is in its best form as far as business is confirmed. He said, “Major financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF have expressed confidence in India's economic journey. We are focused on removing the barriers which were preventing us from achieving our full potential.” Modi also listed a host of initiatives taken by his government for attracting investments and improving ease of doing business. He elaborated on the financial development in the country, and said, “Those who visit India regularly would have felt a change in the air. The change is both
Factual Investment £3 billion £3.7 billion £10.7 billion £10.8 billion £2.9 billion £16 billion £30 billion £33 billion £110 billion
reduce government and enhance governance. We have also made Doing Business cheaper. The historic implementation of GST and other measures of simplification of taxes have reduced transaction costs and made processes efficient.” “The mantra of my Government has been Reform, Perform, Transform and further Perform,” Modi said. NaMo spoke extensively on Foreign Direct Investment. The Vibrant Gujarat summit, conceptualised in 2003 by Modi, who was then chief minister of the state, with an aim to reestablish Gujarat as a preferred investment destination within India. The summit, which was held in the Mahatma Mandir Exhibition cum Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, from January 18 to 20, saw over 42,000 national and international delegates in attendance,
along with five heads of states from Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Denmark, Czech Republic and Malta, and leaders of several industries in attendance. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show was held on a 2,00,000 square metres plot of land situated in Gandhinagar, which continued till January 22. Five Heads of States who graced the occasion were the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev along with the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen; Czech Republic, Andrej Babis & Malta, Dr Joseph Muscat. One of the highlights of the summit was a special message by the Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu via video-conferencing who said, “Gujarat symbolises the powerful connection between our two people. Together we're building limitless possibilities for the future.” Major events held during the three-day meet included a round-table interaction with the heads of global funds, ‘Africa Day’, MSME convention, Roundtable for Opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education & Research. In addition, Exhibition on Futuristic Technologies and Space Exploration, Seminar on Port Led Development and Strategies to establish India as the Trans-shipment Hub of Asia and On Make in India to showcase the Success Stories of Make in India, and key
interventions by the government were organized. 28,360 MoUs signed; to generate 21,00,000 jobs As the summit closed on the 20th, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said 28,360 Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the Summit this year. He also said the event is expected to generate over 21,00,000 jobs. He however, did not specify the amount of investment that would come into the state by way of the MoUs. Rupani said the event had seen the realisation of Modi's vision as “several big-ticket investments placed and committed, which will bring in jobs.” “Gujarat has become the gateway to the world and it has become an ideal platform for everyone. The summit has also become a platform for social uplift rather than only for business and trade. On Tuesday, Rupani said that £11.1 billion worth projects will be launched by 31, March 2019. In his address after the closing of the summit, Rupani said the state has become a preferred investment destination after 2003 when Modi as the state CM decided to organise Vibrant Gujarat every two years. “Not many business houses participated in the first summit in 2003. Modi's vision has been fully realised in this 9th summit. This event has also become an ideal platform for knowledge sharing and networking.”
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel addressed the media and said out of the total MoUs signed, the maximum number of 21,889 were connected to the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. He informed that 408 MoUs were signed in agro and food processing, 548 in power and gas, 1,516 in urban development, 977 in mineral-based projects, 197 in engineering and auto and the remaining in other sectors. Patel also said the MoUs would generate 21,00,000 jobs in Gujarat, refusing to reveal the quantum of investment they would attract. “The figures for investment are not that important. We are still calculating it. But the important thing is these MoUs would lead to employment generation and boost economic activity.” Vibrant celebrates Africa Day For the first time since the inception of Vibrant Gujarat, a day was dedicated to an entire continent, in what could be termed as taking the first step towards boosting India's relations with Africa. Speaking at the summit on Africa Day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, “We are determined to anchor our partnership on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. We take pride in our model of cooperation with Africa which is demand-driven,
consultative, participative, involves local resources, builds capacity and is based on Africa's own prioritisation of its needs.” Africa has emerged as an important trade and investment partner of India. Bilateral trade between the countries has stood at USD 62.66 billion for 2017-18, reflecting an increase of nearly 22 pc over the previous year. India is the third largest export destination in Africa, and the Duty Free Tariff Preference Scheme (DFTP), announced by India for least developed countries, has benefited 28 African nations. Swaraj noted, “The recent signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area, is yet another opportunity that woos trade and economic ties with Africa, with the positive effects of democratic dividend and the African continent has become one of the fastest growing regions in the world.” “Currently, 189 projects in 42 African countries, for nearly 11.4 billion USD are being implemented under Indian embassies,” Swaraj said. India is the fifth largest investor in Africa with community investments of 54 billion dollars with Indians investing in telecommunication, hydrocarbon, exploration, education, petroleum refining, retail, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, minerals, infra, information technology among other sectors.
24 INDIA
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Jagan Reddy joins hands with KCR to form front HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has been meeting with several political leaders across the country in a bit to form a “non-BJP, nonCongress”, Federal Front for 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the bid, he also met with Jagan Mohan Reddy of the YSR Congress, where he deputed his son and TRS working President KT Rama Rao to conduct the meeting. With YSRCP and TRS predicted to win a large chunk of the 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh and 17 seats in Telangana respectively, Jagan joining hands with KCR for the Federal Front could make it formidable, or
KT Rama Rao with Jagan Mohan Reddy
least give the front significant bargaining power. KTR reached Jagan's
residence, accompanied by TRS MP Vinod Kumar and MLC Palla Rajeshwar along with other
senior leaders. KTR said he was meeting Jagan on the instructions of KCR and an offer would be extended to the YSRCP to join the Federal Front. Jagan had senior YSRCP leaders including MPs YV Subba Reddy, Vijayasai Reddy and Mithun Reddy for company. After the meeting, Jagan said, “I spoke to KCR garu on the phone and we discussed about the federal front and about the injustice from the Centre to the states. If we want that to change, we need to act. Take special status to Andhra for example. A promise made with the Parliament as witness, was not fulfilled. Many such promises are pending.”
PUNJAB
AAP to contest all 13 LS seats in Punjab: Kejriwal CHANDIGARH: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, despite a virtual split in leadership of its state unit. Delhi Chief Minister and party convenor Kejriwal arrived in the state on Sunday to launch the party's election campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to the media in Sangrur, Kejriwal said, “People want a change. They are fed up with the Modi government. The BJP will lose in the Lok Sabha elections.” He met senior leaders of the AAP Punjab unit, including MP Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition Harpal Cheema and
Kejriwal addressing party workers in Punjab
legislator Aman Arora. The party has already announced the names of five candidates for Lok Sabha seat in
October. The seats are Sangrur, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, and Anandpur Sahib. Two AAP MPs from Punjab, Dharamvira
Gandhi and Harinder Khalsa, who were suspended from the AAP in August 2015 for taking on the AAP leadership, have not been named as party candidates so far. Their suspension has also not been revoked. The party has two sitting Mps - Bhagwant Mann (Sangrur) and Sadhu Singh (Faridkot). AAP had won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the 2014 general elections. Party candidates then had put up a good fight in other constituencies too. However, AAP could not win a single Lok Sabha seat anywhere else in the country in that election.
WEST BENGAL
Uproot Mamata govt from power, Amit Shah tells partymen MALDA (WEST BENGAL): BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday asked his partymen and supporters to uproot the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government from power. He said the state's contribution to national production has come down to 3.3 per cent under her regime as against the figure of 27 per cent just after independence. "West Bengal used to contribute 27 per cent of the national production after independence. But it has been coming down gradually. Now, the state's share to national production has come down to a mere 3.3 per cent under Mamata Didi's government," Shah told a rally here. He said the state earlier used to provide 32 per cent of the jobs in the country, while it now offers only 4 per cent. "There is now an army of unemployed in the state." Taunting the 'United India' rally organised by Trinamool supremo last week, Shah said Banerjee called leaders of the Congress and UPA's allies in the rally but she did not ask "how
Amit Shah addressing partymen in Malda
much had the UPA government provided for the progress of the state. The UPA II government in its five years gave only £13.2 billion while the Narendra Modi-government provided over £39.5 billion," he said Earlier, BJP leaders in Bengal had postponed its rallies by two days owing to the ill-health of Shah. Besides Malda, Shah will address two rallies at Suri in Birbhum district and Jhargram district on January 23. On
January 24, he will address rallies at Krishnanagar in Nadia district and Jaynagar in South 24 Parganas district, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said. The BJP recognises West Bengal as a priority state for the upcoming general elections and Shah has set a target of winning 22 of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats. BJP also intends to host a few rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi although the dates have not been confirmed
yet, Ghosh said. In the last few years, the BJP has emerged as the main opposition in the state with a commendable show in rural polls and by-elections. The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Bengal government to allow proposed public meetings and rallies of the BJP under its “Ganatantra Bachao Yatra.” The Supreme Court has denied permission for BJP's Rath Yatra in West Bengal. However, it has allowed the party to conduct public rallies and meetings. Furthermore, the SC has stated that if BJP comes up with a modified schedule for the yatra, then that may be considered afresh later. CJI Ranjan Gogoi said that the court has perused the revised proposal given to the chief secretary of West Bengal. The CJI said, “The government of West Bengal cannot have any objections in holding public rallies. While the law and order is in question here, looking at the new proposal given on January 14, the apprehension doesn't hold any ground.”
in brief DMK LEADER MOVES HC CHALLENGING EWS QUOTA
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) organising secretary RS Bharathi has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging the validity of a recent amendment made to the Constitution granting 10 per cent reservations for the economically weaker sections of society. Senior Counsel P Wilson, representing the petitioner, mentioned the matter before a division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramanioum Prasad and the judges agreed to hear the case. Bharathi in his affidavit, stated that reservations in education and public employment were provided under the Constitution for the uplift of the oppressed and backward classes and to end caste-based discrimination in existence in the country.
SC DIRECTS PROTECTION TO TWO WOMEN WHO ENTERED SABARIMALA
The Supreme Court directed the Kerala government to provide security to two women who had entered Sabarimala shrine triggering widespread outrage and protests across the state. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari directed protection be provided to Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini even as it refused to tag their petition with the batch of review petitions that were likely to be taken up for hearing on January 22. Chief Justice Gogoi said, “Beyond that we don't deem it necessary to go into any in other issue.” The Kerala government told the court that it has already provided security to the two women.
DERA CHIEF GETS LIFE TERM FOR MURDERING JOURNALIST
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with three others by a special Panchkula court for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. Special CBI Court Judge Jagdeep Singh had convicted the self-styled godman and Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal Singh, and Krishan Lal in the 17 year old murder case on January 11. All four were convicted under Section 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Nirmal Singh and Krishan Lal were also convicted under the Arms Act. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is currently serving a 20 year prison term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail for raping two of his women followers.
CITIZENSHIP BILL ANGER SPREADS ACROSS N-E
Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma, along with Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and a delegation, recently met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to oppose the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill. Sangma said that all Chief Ministers of the northeastern states should come together to oppose the Bill. He made it clear to the Union Minister that all the six coalition partners including United Democratic Party (UDP), BJP, Hill State People' Democratic Party (HSPDP), People's Democratic Front (PDF), NCP and Independents were of the view that the Bill will disturb the social fabric of Meghalaya and the northeast by posing a serious law and order problem in the region. Sangma said, “The Citizenship Amendment Bill will affect northeast to a large extent. The bill is against the spirit of the people of North East as this will have serious repercussions and will create law and order problems in the region.”
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HERITAGE HISTORY
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26 JAN - 1 Feb 2019
Kolkata Show of Opposition Unity sends shivers
• The Mandal-Kamadal politics has contributed to the growth of BJP • BJP losing 5 states in recent Assembly elections revived the Congress
U
Patel, a Morarji loyalist, could be nlike any Prime Minister of a democratic country, PM Narendra formed with the support of 12 Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) spokespersons call the member KIMLOP of Chimanbhai! “Mahagathbandhan” not only a “Mahathagbandhan” but also call The Jan Sangh was part of the the Kolkata show of opposition unity of leaders of 22 political parties ruling coalition and again in 1990, including former PM H.D. Deve Gowada as well as the present and Chimanbhai’s Janata Dal and former Chief Ministers as “an alliance of capitalists, corruption, scams, Keshubhai Patel’s Jan Sangh jointly negativity and instability.” contested the Assembly election Public decorum seems missing as the Lok Sabha election is due in May and formed a coalition 2019. PM Modi is facing pressure from not only the opposition unity but government till the pro-RSS party also from the Sangh Parivar. Some of the top BJP leaders and MPs are not withdrew support to the Union only deserting but are also aligning with the opposition fronts where as government of PM V.P. Singh the senior Cabinet colleagues like Nitin Gadkari of Nagpur have been following the arrest of Lal Krishna quite vocal in distancing from the aggressive political line Modi has taken. Advani in Bihar by Lalu Prasad became the PM thrice while being Right from pre independence government during Somnaththe leader of 24 political party days, the political parties like the Ayodhya Rath Yatra. alliance! Hindu Mahasabha, Jan Sangh and The Mandal-Kamadal politics In the Indian democratic even BJP which have been has contributed to the growth of history, one would not be considered pro-Hindu or “one surprised to see the political following cultural nationalism” parties changing colours to be were favouring alliances or in power. The Aaya Ram Gaya Mahagathbandhan to be in power Ram phrase was coined with and could form the governments Bhajan Lal, the Haryana Chief joining hands with the Muslim Minister and Janata Party League of Mohammad Ali Jinnah leader, merging his entire (Bengal, Sindh and North West Legislative wing into Frontier) or with the Socialist Party Congress when Indira Gandhi of Dr. Rammanohar Lohia or even returned to power in 1980 the defector-Congress leaders or after a gap of just three years. even the most hated Communists But such drama was enacted (Samyukt Vidhayak Dal much before in Gujarat. The “Gajgami” PM Narendra Modi’s Charaivati charaivati governments in at least 9 states in Jan Sangh along with Morarji 1967)! BJP in India but unlike Vajpayee Desai’s Congress (O) and other The Jan Sangh, which was era, the Gujarat Chief Minister organizations successfully agitated considered the political wing of Narendra Modi could ride the to get rid of Chiman Patel, who Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wave of popularity in 2014 when he was considered to be corrupt Chief (RSS) till 1977 and the pro-RSS BJP
The Rahul Gandhi show at Dubai
formed in 1980 following break-up in the Janata Party on “Dual Membership” issue had been in power in the alliances. Even today Modi’s BJP in power at the Centre and in various states claims to be in coalition of at least 35 parties. Earlier, the most graceful leader of the Jan Sangh as well as BJP who
Minister. Desai sat on fast unto death to get the assembly dissolved. PM Indira Gandhi got the Assembly dissolved. Furious Patel formed his separate party KIMLOP. In the fresh Assembly election in 1975, the Janata Morcha government headed by Babubhai J.
was the the Prime Ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) leading BJP to win 282 seats out of 543 seats with just 31.34 % votes. For the first time in three decades any political party had gained majority. Total strength of the NDA was 334. The oldest political party,
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Congress, was all time low winning just 44 seats. The NDA headed by BJP was on winning spree in the states’ Assembly elections having majority in 10 states and at least 12 Chief Ministers out of 31 states and Union Territories having Assemblies. The BJP managed to get new partners who deserted the Congress headed United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to be with the ruling alliance. Of course, after some of the major coalition partners like Telugu Desham Party (TDP) of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu deserting, some partners like Shiv Sena of Maharashtra ever embarrassing the PM Modi and his party, the most powerful leader Modi lost 5 states’ Assembly elections and could foresee the revival of the Congress. PM Modi is not known to digest criticism. The opposition party leaders are focusing on the promises Vs performance of the Modi government. Despite the tall claims by his army of spokespersons, the people are agitating leading to downfall of popularity of the government. It has become talk of the town that the BJP would not get majority in the May 2019 Lok Sabha election as it has lost most of the LS byeelections and even lost the majority in the House on its own since is down from 282 to 268! Modi started feeling the heat from the opposition on various issues like Rafale controversy and Rammandir. The Gulf mega show where the largest ever crowd pulled by the Congress President Rahul Gandhi recently at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and
the opposition unity show at Kolkata has sent shivers to the ruling party leaders despite they making fun of these events. Modi loyalists including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and his Man-Friday Ram Madhav have been making statements saying if Modi voted out, there would be anarchy! The BJP is expecting Modi to form the next government with 180 seats. The hush hush in the Sangh Parivar is about Gadkari being floated to replace Modi. Former National General Secretary (Organisation) of BJP and an old RSS hand K. N. Govindacharya says in no unclear words that Modi would not be repeated. The latest Deccan Herald Survey gives only 160-175 seats to BJP and Akali Dal, JD(U), LJP,PMK, NPF with other smaller NDA allies. It gives 180-200 to Congress and DMK, NCP, RJD, JD(S), parties in UDF with other smaller UPA allies. Others are expected to have 160-180 seats. They include BSP, SP, RLD, TMC, Left parties, TDP, TRS, YSRC, Shiv Sena, AIMIM, AIDUF, AIADMK, PDP, NC, Independents and other smaller regional parties. The election dates are expected to be announced in the month of March 2019. The Aaya Rama Gaya Rama game would be on and alliance picture is yet to be clear. The BJP and NDA partners are eagerly awaiting PM Modi to do some miracle so as to come to power again. They think he is the only Taranhar. Meanwhile, many of NDA leaders await changing the track! Dr. Hari Desai (The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: haridesai@gmail.com)
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26 INDIA
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Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Inauguration: Modi calls for ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Winners of Know India Quiz, at the inauguration of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019, in Varanasi. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and other dignitaries are also seen.
The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas commenced on January 21, and will be held till January 23. This year, the theme of the event is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”. It is noteworthy that this is the first time since its inception in 2003 that the government's flagship outreach programme was not celebrated on its usual date, January 9. Ministry of External Affairs clarified, it is so because several expatriates wanted to attend the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth was Chief Guest of the convention, while Himanshu Gulati, member of the Parliament of Norway, was special guest. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, member of Parliament of New Zealand
was Guest of Honour. While inaugurating the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed NRIs and called them “brand ambassadors of India.” Over 4,000 NRIs from 85 countries marked attendance in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year. Modi addressed the delegates and NRIs at the inaugural ceremony and said, “Today, India is in the position to lead the world in several subjects. International Solar Alliance (ISA) is one such platform. Through this medium, we want to take the world towards ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid’.” He said, “In past 4.5 years, our government has given around Rs. 5 lakh 78 thousand crores directly to
people through different schemes. We have transferred it to their bank accounts.” Adding, “In the last four years, India has made huge progress and left its mark in the world. Earlier they said India can’t change, we have reversed the situation.” The PM took his mandatory dig at the Indian National Congress, saying, “We ended loot in 4 years, which the Congress identified it but lacked to will to find a solution. In past 4.5 years, our government has given around Rs. 5 lakh 78 thousand crores directly to people through different schemes. We have transferred it to their bank accounts.” Modi then urged diaspora at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to participate in building 'New India'.
25 Opposition leaders join hands to take on BJP The rough draft of a 'mahagathbandhan' took shape at Mamata Banerjee's 'United India' rally in Kolkata as 25 political leaders from over 20 political parties joined hands with a shared agenda of taking on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. They also agreed to take this partnership forward with more such rallies in other states and a concrete action plan in the form of a joint policy document. While agreeing to tackle the question of the Opposition's prime ministerial face after the election results, leader after leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP over "rising i n t o l e r a n c e , " demonetisation, GST and alleged corruption in the Rafale deal. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, former prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, TDP leader and
Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, DMK's M K Stalin, AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal and JMM's Hemant Soren were among those who not only shared the stage with Banerjee, but also touched upon how they could take the Opposition unity forward before the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, represented by Mallikarjun Kharge, who read out Sonia Gandhi's message of support, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, too, made it clear that the party was willing to be a part of the grand alliance. Also present on the stage were NCP leader Sharad Pawar, NC's Omar Abdullah, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Patidar leader Hardik Patel, Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, former Arunachal Pradesh CM Gegong Apang, Zoram Nationalist Party leader Lalduhawma, RLD vice-
president Jayant Chaudhary, BSP leader Satish Mishra, former NDA ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha, and BJP rebel Shatrughan Sinha. Trinamool sources said that 20,00,000 people attended the meeting. It’s anti-people: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi scoffed at the Kolkata rally saying it is an alliance where the only aim of the partners is to save their fast waning political careers. “They have all gathered to save themselves from BJP. They are seeing public support slipping away and I can hear desperate screams of ‘bachaao, bachaao, bachaao (Save us),” said Modi while addressing a public meeting in Silvassa, the capital of Union territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Modi said the formation of ‘mahagathbandhan’ stems from his crackdown on corruption and elimination of ‘political agents’ who once had a free run in the corridors of power.
Addressing NRIs and Indianorigin people at the convention in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Modi described NRIs as India's brand ambassadors and said they were the symbols of the country's capabilities. Modi also told overseas Indians that his government is making efforts to ease the processes concerning their social security, passport, visa and PIO and OCI cards and that work is on to issue chipbased e-passports. He said the government's endeavour was that overseas Indians should stay “happy and safe wherever they are.” “The government is trying to ease the entire processes concerning your social security, passport, visa, Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen
of India (OCI) Cards. We have taken a new step a few months back concerning overseas Indians. Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” the PM said. Present at the occasion were External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, UP Governor Ram Naik, and Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, among others. Mauritian Premier Jugnauth too spoke at the event, positively surprising the audience by speaking in Bhojpuri. He hailed Modi for the country's transformation through initiatives such as the Skill India and the Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao schemes. He also praised Modi's global stewardship in promoting clean energy and for setting up the International Solar Alliance. Delivering the keynote address, he announced that Mauritius will host a Bhagwad Gita Mahotsav in partnership with the Haryana government next month and also for the first time, organise a Bhojpuri Festival next year. Many of those who first arrived in Mauritius to work as indentured labourers from India were from Bihar, and spoke Bhojpuri. Jugnauth also thanked India for supporting Mauritius' development through various assistance projects. Later, both the leaders held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the event.
Hatim Amir Karimjee passes away City Council, a Trustee for the Tanzania National Parks Authority, Chairman of the Tanzania Tourist Corporation, and Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Antiquities. A keen philanthropist, he has also served several other commitments, like Commodore of Dar es Salaam Yacht Club in 2002, where he worked as Trustee, and his service as Rotary International’s District Governor in Tanzania. Hatim was also appointed as Honorary Consul for New Zealand in Tanzania, in 2014. Hatim Karimjee is survived by his wife Razia, son Yusuf, daughter-in-law Aran, grandchildren Kaleem and Danyal, and two siblings, Zamy and Mahmood Karimjee. It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Hatim Amir Karimjee, on January 12, in London, surrounded by his family and close friends. Born in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in 1945, to the late Amir Yusufali Karimjee OBE and the late Kulsum Amir Karimjee, Hatim leaves behind a deep-rooted legacy of professional and philanthropic achievements honouring his family, community, and country. Chairman of the Karimjee Jivanjee Ltd, and Toyota Tanzania Ltd in Dar es Salaam, for 31 years, Hatim also served as a Trustee and Chairman for projects funded by Lord David Sainsbury's charities, and as the Chairman for the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania. He engaged in several public designations throughout his career, having served as Chairman of the Tanzanian Tea Authority, Councillor for the Dar es Salaam
Obituary Harilal Murji Halai It is with deep regret that we announce the sad demise of Shri Harilal Murji Halai, this month. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 19, 1949. A prayer meet was held at SKLPC Northolt on January 18 in his memory. He was very dedicated and fully committed member not only for SKLPC UK but also various other charitable organisations.
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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
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26 Jan - 1 Feb 2019
Some foods, supplements that could help you fight cold, flu During winter, cold and flu risk can linger for months. As humans, we share our environment with a host of microorganisms - bacterial, viral, parasitic - that are foreign to us. The body does its best to deal with these invaders with a complex process that relies on a number of factors. In addition to known immune boosters, such as getting enough physical activity and eating a healthy diet, there are a few supplements on the shelves that may help boost immunity. Foods that may help fight cold and flu: Fruits and vegetables Fruit and vegetable consumption boosts your circulating levels of all the cold- and flu-fighting nutrients you’re trying to get in pills like vitamin C, zinc and selenium. Garlic- Garlic belongs in the allium family. Any member of this family, including onions and leeks, can help build up your immunity to ailments most common during fall and winter. Whole grains- hole grain consumption (think intact grains like buckwheat, brown rice and oats) helps healthy gut bacteria flourish. This process can help tune up your immune system. Quit smoking- If you are a smoker, a habit that
severely reduces the body's ability to fight flu and colds, you should quit. To help you along, you can use a healthy dose of fish oil every day as well. One study found doing so could reduce cravings for nicotine and the amount of cigarettes smoked daily. You can get your daily dose of omega-3s in your diet as well as plant-based versions like hemp seed and walnuts. Supplements to consider: Vitamin D: Even if you consumed the “perfect” diet, it would be very difficult to get enough vitamin D because very few foods provide enough of it. The best source of vitamin D comes from the sun’s UV rays absorbed through the skin. Since many of us live in areas where UV rays are weak, or we just don’t want to be exposed to the sun, a supplemental option is the next best thing. A 2017 study
in the British Medical Journal found supplementation could protect against colds and flu. Though two earlier studies found vitamin D did not prevent colds, most recent analysis dissected the raw data of past studies and showed daily or weekly supplementation in people with low levels benefited the most. Foods that have more vitamin C than an orange: Zinc- A 2016 study found zinc supplementation in elderly adults helped boost zinc levels and immunity. Though you can get zinc from foods like sesame and pumpkin seeds, lentils and turkey, the elderly population studied was more prone to not getting adequate amounts in their diet, making them more susceptible to infection. Further studies have demonstrated zinc can
decrease the duration of the common cold. Probiotics - When it comes to building up defenses against the cold and flu, start by building the army in your gut. One study found college students who took probiotics in a supplement form had reduced duration and severity of the common cold. Further, a 2017 animal study found a specific gut microbe, triggered by the consumption of flavonoids found in tea, berries, and chocolate could help reduce the incidence of flu. Vitamin CMany studies have linked the consumption of larger doses of vitamin C to a reduction of the common cold and an increased ability to fight infection. Keep in mind, however, that consuming mega doses of vitamin C can cause diarrhea and gastric distress. So while it’s most likely safe to take the tablets and powdery packets this winter, try not to have them all day long. The upper tolerable limit for adults is 2000 mg. In addition to dietary factors, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress, getting adequate sleep, regular physical activity and good hand washing practices are critically important factors in fighting against cold and flu.
How to relieve neck and back pain Many people suffer from low back pain and poor posture. Following are some tips to combat pain in the neck, back and shoulders caused by working at a computer all day. Proper desk set up Position your monitor level with your eyes: looking up or down, it can put a strain on your neck. An expert said that bifocal wearers might need to lower the monitor 1 to 2 inches. Move the monitor closer or farther away: you should be able to easily read the screen without squinting or leaning forward. You may change the font size if you have to! Link to a larger monitor: If you're using a laptop, this can also help eliminate strain. Position your keyboard and mouse so that your forearms are parallel to the floor: make sure your wrists are not pointing up or down.
Keep your mouse close: Setting up your desk so that the things you use most frequently, like a mouse, stapler or telephone, are close to your body will minimize reaching. Use a headset with your phone: this can help prevent shoulders from raising to hold the phone and type at the same time. Proper chair set up The Seat: Your back
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should be able to comfortably rest against the back of your chair. Look for a seat that is curved where your rear end would be, because you need to support the entire spine. Look for a curve where the lumbar spine region (or small of your back) would rest. This gives additional support. The Upper Back: The top of your chair should also be curved. If you sit back in your chair, the curve will make sure you don't hyperextend your back. Leaning back slightly is a better position than leaning forward. Your Feet: Your
feet should be flat on the floor. If you need to, get a stool or foot rest to put your feet on. They should not dangle above the floor. Your Knees: Maintain a distance of a few inches between the back of your knees and the chair. The Armrests: If your chair has armrests, they should allow your shoulders to stay relaxed. If they are too high, they may cause your shoulders to shrug upwards. Additional Support: If you are sitting in a straight-backed chair, get a lumbar pillow and seat cushion to help you sit in the proper position. Proper standing desk posture Keep your chin level with the ground, shoulders back and stomach in. Let your arms fall naturally at your side. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your lower back in line. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet but don't lean forward onto your tiptoes. When you rest on the heels of your feet, the natural tendency will be to slouch, so try to avoid that instinct.
in brief HIGH-FIBER DIET LOWERS RISK OF DEATH AND CHRONIC DISEASES
People who eat diets that are high in fiber have lower risk of death and chronic diseases such as stroke or cancer, a new analysis found. Dietary fiber includes plant-based carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereal, seeds and some legumes. Fiber's health benefits have been recorded "by over 100 years of research," researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said. The research shows that higher intakes of fiber "led to a reduced incidence of a broad range of diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer)," reduced body weight and total cholesterol, and reduced mortality. "The health benefits of dietary fiber appear to be even greater than we thought previously," another researcher said. The analysis found a 15% to 30% reduced risk of death and chronic diseases in people who included the most fiber in their diets, compared with those with the lowest intake. A fiber-rich diet was linked, on average, to a 22% reduced risk of stroke, a 16% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, and a 30% reduced risk of death from coronary heart disease. Most people globally consume about 20 grams of dietary fiber per day, researcher said of the findings. Based on the research, he recommends 25 grams to 29 grams of fiber each day. Higher quantity are even more beneficial, according to the analysis. A 15-gram increase in whole grains consumed per day was associated with a 2% to 19% reduction in total deaths and incidences of coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. The study notes that the relationships between high fiber/whole grain consumption and reduced noncommunicable diseases could be causal. The analysis found no dangers with a high fiber intake. But it adds that for people with an iron deficiency, high levels of whole grains can further reduce iron levels. The authors note that carbohydrates include sugars, starches and dietary fiber. "However sugars, starches, and fibres are all carbohydrates that perform different roles in the body," they said. Fiber content was shown to be a better indicator of a carbohydrate food's ability to prevent disease than glycemic index, the measure of the degree to which blood glucose goes up after a particular food is eaten.
LESS SITTING, MORE MOVING TIED TO LIVING LONGER
"If you replace 30 minutes of sitting time with 30 minutes of light-intensity physical activity - so something just like a casual stroll down the hall - that still can lower your risk," said an exercise physiologist and assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "Obviously, it doesn't lower your risk as much as exercise, or as much as moderate to vigorous physical activity, but it still can lower risk, and to us, that was somewhat of a new finding," he said. "Any movement for any length of time is going to give you health benefit, and this is really shifting what we know about physical activity." The study included national data on 7,999 people aged 45 and older who wore activity monitors to track their sedentary time between 2009 and 2013. The researchers used that data to analyze and simulate the mortality benefits that could be incurred if sedentary time in the data was replaced with physical activity. The researchers found that replacing sitting time with exercise and movement was associated with a benefit, but replacing prolonged periods of sitting with shorter periods of sitting was not. "In our previous work, we found that if you take a break every 30 minutes, it will lower your risk from sitting," the professor said, but the new study didn't show that in the data. The new study had some limitations, including that the researchers found only an association between physical activity and a lower risk of early death, and the finding was based on simulations. Overall, the professor said, he hopes the findings help encourage people to become more active in their daily lives. "You don't have to take 10 minutes' break and go run up and down the stairs," he said. “If you take a 1-minute movement break and instead of going to the bathroom closest to your desk, you go to the bathroom furthest from your desk, maybe that's enough to help you accrue this healthful activity," he said.
28 BOLLYWOOD
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After 'Bhaag Milkha Why Amrita Rao turns Bhaag,' Farhan to play down promising roles? a boxer in his next Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar is all set to play a boxer in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s next directorial 'Toofan.' Reportedly, Farhan will not only act in the film but also back it with Ritesh Sidhwani. The 'Rock On 2' actor took to his Instagram account to share the news. The duo had earlier collaborated for the 2013 blockbuster 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,' which was a biopic based on Indian athlete Milkha Singh. T h e f i l m w o n
Farhan a number of awards for his portrayal of the athlete. Unlike 'Bhaaag Milkha Bhaag,' the upcoming sports drama would not be a biopic. It will be a fictional story. The actor will begin training extensively in boxing to get into his character for the film. At present, Farhan is busy with Shonali Bose’s ‘The Sky Is Pink’ for which he is reuniting with his ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ co-star Priyanka Chopra. The film also features ‘Dangal’ fame Zaira Wasim in a pivotal role.
Bollywood actress Amrita Rao who has been missing from the silver scree for a while is making a comeback in the biopic on Bal Thackeray where she will be reprising the role of Mina Tai, Thackeray's wife. Nawazuddin Siddiqui will play Thackeray's role. In an interview she talked about her self-imposed absence and everything she did to essay the character of Mina Tai. While speaking about coming on board, she said, "I didn’t choose this (film). Mina Tai’s character fell into my lap. One day, I got a call from Sanjay Raut’s office saying the director will come and meet and I was given a narration. Soon after, before I could open my mouth, the director just closed the script on me and said, ‘I’m taking it for granted. You are our Mina Tai.’" When asked about the challenges she faced while prepping for the character, she stated, "I had no reference point for Meena Tai. Even Sanjay Raut and Udhhav Thackerayji tried to dig in the old videotapes but there was none. My only reference was the limited photographs and a rare Marathi interview where Bala Saheb’s d a u g h t e r described her traits." When asked about her sabbatical from the silver
screen, she confessed that she had to turn down a lot of offers because it required her to do bold scenes. "There were a lot of moments where I found myself taking a sigh and letting go some big offers because I knew I was not comfortable with the intimate scenes that were a part of the character’s journey in the film."
Priyanka Chopra has been chosen to appear on a Hollywood chat show which will be a first after her marriage, though she and Kareena Kapoor Khan have already shot the last episode of Karan Johar's chat show. As per Headline Planet, PC will grace the couch on The Ellen Degeneres Show for the second time. Priyanka was made to do Tequila shots which the actress did with so much elan. After the drink, Priyanka said: "Thank you for that, this will be a really smooth interview."
DeGeneres said: "Yeah! It's good, this will be our tradition now. Whenever you are talking to me or anybody that's connected to the Ellen Show, you do a shot of tequila." But then Ellen told her PC is beautiful and talented, to which the actress reacted saying, "This doesn't happen too often." Ellen smilingly shot back at her saying, "Yes, it does. And I am merely complimenting you because I have to." That made PC fans really angry. We hope such unpleasant stuff won't happen in this episode.
Alia Bhatt sends adorable message to Varun Dhawan Priyanka's first Hollywood chat show after wedding
It was wrap for Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt starrer period drama 'Kalank.' The 25-year old actress shared this news, which means the makers will soon start the postproduction process of the film.
Apart from the giving the wrap-up news, the 'Raazi' star shared an adorable message to co-star Varun with their beautiful photo on the set and captioned it, "& it’s a film wrap for Varun on KALANK.. Our 4th film
completed together and he still manages to surprise me with his hard work and crazy energy everyday.. Also manages to make me laugh like a crazy person by just being himself.. I can’t can’t can’t wait for you guys to see the stuff he’s done with his character in the film!!!! ???#KALANK" N o r m a l Bollywood film takes 3-4 months to complete its shooting but 'Kalank' took more time due to its scale, ensemble cast and the injuries and obstacles faced by them during the production. But the good thing is that its all done right now. 'Kalank' marks the fourth collaboration between Varun and Alia after 'Student of the Year', 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania' and 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania.' The film is directed by Abhishek Verman and is produced by Karan Johar. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sonakshi Sinha in pivotal roles and is set to hit the screens on April 19.
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Thala Ajith's 'Viswasam' beats Rajini's 'Petta' Thala Ajith's 'Viswasam' has turned out to be the first choice for the Tamil audiences over Rajinikanth's 'Petta' at the box office. This was expected to happen as Thala was coming after the gap over a year on the silver screen while Rajinikanth was last seen two months back in Shankar's '2.0.' Talking about the collections of two big Pongal releases 'Petta' and 'Viswasam,' the Siva directorial venture has grossed £12.5 million in 8 days while the Karthik Subbaraj's film grossed £10 million on Sunday. H o w e v e r , Rajinikanth's 'Petta' has performed better than 'Viswasam' in the international circuits. Nayanthara features opposite Thala Ajith in 'Viswasam'. The film marks the fourth collaboration between the director and Ajith after 'Vedhalam,' 'Veeram' and 'Vivegam.' It also features Vivek, Thambi Ramaiah, Yogi Babu, Bose Venkat and Kovai Sarala in pivotal roles. On the professional front, Thala Ajith will soon start the shooting of Amitabh's 'Pink' remake. The film will be directed by Vinoth and Boney Kapoor will bankroll it. Shoojit Sircar, the producer of the film earlier confirmed the news of Tamil remake. “Yes, ‘Pink’ is being remade in Tamil. I don’t think I
will direct it, but the team has said that they will show the film to me once it’s ready. As much as I love what Aniruddha did with 'Pink,' I respect the fact that the makers in Tamil want to have their own interpretation of the story".
Kamal Haasan in Shankar's 'Indian 2' Ace filmmaker Shankar will be collaborating with actor Kamal Haasan for one of the most highly anticipated sequels of 2019, 'Indian 2.' The project was officially launched a few months back on actor Kamal’s show 'Bigg Boss 2.' Few days back, director Shankar officially announced details about this project on his Twitter handle. This film has been the talk of the town all week and the makers of the film have managed to keep the fans entertained and intrigued ever since the announcement of the project. Lyca Productions,
After the success of her Telugu movie titled 'N.T.R. Kathanayakudu,' Vidya Balan will be making a special appearance in Thala Ajith's next with director H Vinoth which will be the official remake of Bollywood popular film 'Pink'. Ajith will be playing the role of a lawyer in the film which was originally portrayed by ace actor Amitabh Bachchan. A few days ago there were speculations that Vidya Balan will be playing Ajith wife in the film, but the actress made it clear in an interview that, she will be making a special appearance and the role was personally offered by Boney Kapoor, the producer of
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TV PROGRAM NAMES RASOI SHOW THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 2 NAMASTE BREAKFAST RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI UTTARAN JAHAANARA INTERNETWALA LOVE ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN MOHE RANNG DO LAAL BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE RED ALERT TANTRA JAHAANARA
SATURDAY 2nd FEBRUARY 2019 TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 18:00: 18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 20:00: 20:30: 21:30: 22:30:
RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI UTTARAN THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 2 FAMOUSLY FILMFARE ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN (WEEKEND KA MAHA EPISODE) RED ALERT ZINDAGI KI HAQEEQAT SE AAMNA SAAMNA TANTRA
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director Shankar have been releasing new posters of Kamal Haasan in the new Senapathy attire, which have been going viral on
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SATURDAY 26th January 2019 TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 17:00 17:30 18:30 20:00 21:30 23:00
Keys to Kismat Crime Patrol The Kapil Sharma Show Super Dancer Chapter 3 The Kapil Sharma Show The Kapil Sharma Show
SUNDAY 27th January 2019 TIME 16:30 17:30 18:30 20:00 21:30 23:00
TV PROGRAM NAMES Meet the Drapers Crime Patrol The Kapil Sharma Show Super Dancer Chapter 3 The Kapil Sharma Show The Kapil Sharma Show
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TIME 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00
TV PROGRAM NAMES Vighnaharta Ganesh Mere Sai Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai Chandragupta Maurya Main Maayke Chali Jaaungi Patiala Babes Ladies Special Crime Patrol
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this remake. "I'm doing a special appearance in the remake. It's a small role. It's special appearance because Boney ji (Kapoor) is producing it. He offered it to me. He said that there is a special appearance, will you do it? I said I will do it for you. I don't like to do remakes. I'm doing this purely for Boneyji. I share a special affection for him."
Wednesday January 30, 2019 01:15 Film : Akaash Vani 06:00 Film : Krishna Arjun 08:31 Film : Zinda Dili 11:25 Film : Showbiz 13:45 Film : Dastak * Schedule is subject to change 16:40 Film : 36 China Town Sunday January 27, 2019 19:26 Film : Star Stop 02:05 Film : Showbiz 20:02 Film : Main Tera Hero 06:00 Film : Prithipal Singh... A Story 22:38 Film : Alone 08:00 Film : Andha Kanoon Thursday January 31, 2019 11:16 Film : Khel 01:10 Film : Koyelaanchal 14:52 Film : Josh 06:00 Film : Prithipal Singh... A Story 18:12 Film : Phata Poster Nikla Hero 08:00 Film : Main Joshilaa 21:04 Film : Welcome 2 Karachi 10:50 Film : Daraar 23:50 Film : Lakshya 14:20 Film : Ishq Click Monday January 28, 2019 17:04 Film : Tumsa Nahin Dekha 03:10 Film : Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama 20:00 Film : Dil Chahta Hai 23:50 Film : Akaash Vani 06:00 Film : Bas Ek Tamanna Friday February 01, 2019 08:11 Film : Toofan - One Man Army 02:25 Film : Hey Bro 10:31 Film : Krishan Avtaar 13:40 Film : Samay - When Time Strikes 06:00 Film : Sweekar Kiya Maine 08:46 Film : Pyaar Ke Kabil 16:23 Film : Entertainment 11:53 Film : Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya 19:15 Film : Star Stop 14:46 Film : Aakhree Raasta 20:00 Film : 36 China Town 18:02 Film : Main Tera Hero 23:00 Film : Jashnn 20:43 Film : Omkara Tuesday January 29, 2019 23:30 Film : Dil Chahta Hai 01:30 Film : Mrityudand Saturday February 02, 2019 06:00 Film : Login 02:50 Film : Andaaz 08:21 Film : Vidrohi 06:00 Film : Utthaan 11:33 Film : Fareb 08:43 Film : Katilon Ke Kaatil 14:00 Film : Tere Mere Phere 12:00 Film : Gangster 16:41 Film : Welcome 2 Karachi 14:21 Film : Nill Battey Sannata 19:17 Film : Star Stop 16:41 Film : Baadshah 20:00 Film : Alone 20:15 Film : Taal 22:40 Film : Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama 23:59 Film : Zeher-A Love Story
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social media. The principal photography of the project began on January 18, and Lyca Productions have tweeted the news officially along with 2 brand new posters of Kamal Haasan from 'Indian 2.' These ravishing new posters have been highly impressive leaving the audience in awe. Other cast details have not been revealed, but promotions for the film are on full swing and it has already grabbed a significant amount of attention on the project during its pre-production stages itself.
Vidya Balan to collaborate with Thala Ajith
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who are bankrolling this project and
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Angad Arts Hotel Places India League and High Commission of India to wins 2019 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice host Gandhi Martyrs Day travel award
Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha head Pujya Mahant Swami is currently in Surat for his vicharan. On 15, 16, 18, and 19 January, he went on a Samip Darshan, where several devotees and Hari Bhakts got the opportunity to worship him as he passed by them. Pujya Mahant Swami also conducted the Pran Pratistha of four BAPS Swaminarayan Temples in Navsari, Sakri, Ukai, and Tithal. On January 20, he celebrated the bicentenary of the Vachanamrut in Surat, where he spoke to his devotees and several programmes were organised. Pujya Mahant Swami gave the divine opportunity to all his devotees of witnessing him perform the morning pooja, by doing aarti at the sabha mandap every day. Over thousands of devotees flock in every day to watch him worship God Swaminarayan.
ANNOUNCEMENTS ● A detailed story 'Haribhai Halai – Karma Yogi with a Vision’ will be published in Asian Voice next week ● Colors TV UK will air the 18th Asian Achievers Awards on Sky Channel 786, Virgin Channel 826 and Freesat Channel 662 on Sunday 3 Feb, 7pm. ● Former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr SY Quraishi’s forthcoming book launch will be at 6:30pm, Friday 1st February 2019 in Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE. The book is an anthology of 27 essays to celebrate 70 years of India’s democracy and elections, edited by Dr SY Quraishi. Six of the authors are from UK.
Victim injured in crash says Prince Philip should face prosecution if liable
get back behind the wheel without a seatbelt less than 48 hours after the crash as “highly insensitive and inconsiderate”. Photographs of the Duke, driving on a public road on Saturday near Sandringham, in his replacement Land Rover Freelander without his seatbelt had left her feeling “very upset.”
Emma Fairweather, 45, who suffered a broken wrist in a car crash involving the Duke of Edinburgh “absolutely” believes that the royal should not escape prosecution if a police investigation indicates him to be at fault. The victim was travelling with a female friend, and a nine-month-old baby, and she also described Prince Philip’s decision to
Sneh Joshi
The Indian High Commission and India League will host Gandhi Martyrs Day on Wednesday 30th January, 2018, 10:45am, at Tavistock Square in the London Borough of Camden. Like every year, many esteemed members of the British Indian community, including MPs, Peers and Councillors will gather at the iconic statue to pay tribute to Gandhi on his death anniversary, followed by a musical tribute from the students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (UK). The programme will include dignitaries paying floral tribute to the statue followed by short speeches, bhajans and vedic prayers. This will be the first Gandhi Nirvaan Divas attended by the new Indian High Commissioner HE Ruchi Ghanashyam. They will be joined by India League Chairman CB Patel. The event is open to public.
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and color – green for rejuvenation, yellow for happiness, red for passion and blue for tranquility. “At Angad Arts Hotel, our foremost priority has always been to go above and beyond our guests’ expectations; offering exceptional, personalized service and creating memorable experiences. We are pleased to see our efforts have been realized and are honored to receive this award from USA Today readers in such a competitive hotel market” said Mark Aipperspach, General Manager at Angad Arts Hotel. The Angad Arts Hotel is the realisation of the vision of Lord Swraj Paul’s late son, Angad Paul. His energy, enthusiasm and creativity inspired the development team in this innovative project.
Opening its doors in November 2018, Angad Arts Hotel has been acknowledged as a winner in the 2019 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best New Hotel, placing fourth overall. Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis celebrates the visual, performing and culinary arts at the heart of the city’s Grand Center Arts District. Owned by St. Louis’ Steve Smith, CEO of the Lawrence Group and London-based industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, Founder of Caparo Group, the Angad Arts Hotel was originally built in 1927 as the Missouri Theater. The property has garnered significant attention with its revolutionary concept of allowing guests to select rooms by emotion Editor: CB Patel Chief Executive Officer: Liji George Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Deputy Editor: Urja Patel Advertising Managers: Kishor Parmar Head - New Projects & Business Development: Cecil Soans Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Shabde Magazine, Shobhan Mehta Mob: 07846 480 220
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ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Your ruling planet Mars, contin-
Venus continues to favour your love life. If you are still seeking the ideal partner, things are definitely looking up. An increase in your social life is likely to bring you in touch with someone attractive. At work you need greater flexibility as well as a degree of patience. Do not step on any one's toes.
TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The fiery planet Mars is the
Mars 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.
At home, be at your diplomatic best and try not to tread on anyone's toes. Passions will run from hot to cold, and relationships may suffer. Even the most strong-willed capricornians will be more open to compromise to keep the peace. Plan your spending and set sensible budgets.
You should enjoy a very popu-
With Mars being the prime mover in the romantic sphere, it is likely that new developments will be swift and passionate. Your experience in love is likely to be dramatic but also deeply satisfying emotionally. Whether you are seeking relaxation or want something more challenging, all tastes will be catered for this week.
There is a lot of re-evaluation going on regarding your personal life. You could be re-assessing the ways in which you approach relationships, as well as what it is you want from them. Your professional and public images are in the forefront and your success is dependant on how well you can bring about change for the better.
With Mars in your Solar 6th house of health, there is good news for those who have felt rather lacking in vitality for some weeks now. Both physically and psychologically, Mars represents a strengthening process, so it is likely that you will feel a renewed vigour as the week progresses. There is a very pleasant light cast on domestic affairs.
The transit of Sun and Mercury in your Solar 12th House indicates that experience will put you in a deeply reflective mood. This is a favourable time for getting away from usual routines and seeking a retreat for a few days. Meditation, yoga and therapies will help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.
ues to occupy your sign for some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top.
moving force in regard to amorous experience, giving more than just a hint that links between lovers will be rather intense and passionate. Your attitude to material interests is likely to undergo some deep change. On a material level the trend greatly favours anything geared towards establishing greater financial stability.
GEMINI May 22 - June 22 lar phase in your life where
everyone wants to invite you to parties. This will give you a chance to meet people and pursue any romantic liaisons that might present themselves. Your communications are extremely high making it easy to close those lucrative deals. The more you live up to your own set of principles the more cash you’ll pull in.
CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22
You have the dynamic planet Mars in your solar 10th house. This planet indicates a desire to push forward, to assert yourself mentally and physically. This also means that you want to improve your work prospects. Of course, there are still challenging issues on both a personal and practical level - tread carefully.
LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23
VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23
LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23
SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21
This week seems to be jam-packed with activity. The powerful Venus in your sign and Mars factor in your solar 5th house not only encourages amorous attachment but will bring luck and recognition to those involved in artistic endeavours and entertainments - this is a great time of opportunity.
CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20
AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19
PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20
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in brief MONETARY REWARDS FOR SENIOR SELECTORS
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced cash rewards to the tune of Rs 20,00,000 each for the five-member senior selection committee after the men-inblue registered historic wins in Tests and ODIs in Australia. The Virat Kohli-led side started their tour Down Under by splitting the honours in the three-match T20I rubber 1-1 before scripting history when they recorded their first ever series victory in Tests on Australian soil with a 2-1 verdict. In the ODI series, the men-in-blue bounced back from a loss in the opening ODI to convincingly pocket the next two ODIs and the rubber 2-1 to finally wrap up the tour without losing a series. Commenting on the performance of the team and the decision to award the selectors, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai said: "We are extremely proud of the way Team India have performed in Australia. We had announced cash rewards for cricketers and support staff earlier and are now rewarding selectors. "The five men have played a crucial role in picking a balanced Indian squad and offering the team management enough options to work around different combinations. The boys chosen to represent the Indian team went about their task in a fearless manner and stood up in challenging situations," he added.
NZ NAME STRONG SQUAD FOR INDIA
New Zealand brought back Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme for the ODI series against India starting on Wednesday in Napier, fielding the strongest possible squad to take on the World No. 2 side. Both Latham and de Grandhomme were rested during the 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka, but were included in the 14-member squad for the first three ODIs of the five-match series. Squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
IMAM, HAFEEZ STEER PAK TO WIN OVER SA
Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez set up a five-wicket win for Pakistan in the first oneday international against South Africa at St George’s Park on Saturday. The left-handed Imam made a cultured 86 off 101balls and Hafeez hit an unbeaten 71off 63 deliveries as Pakistan chased down a target of 267 with five balls to spare. Hashim Amla’s 27th oneday international century was not enough for South Africa, who lost only two wickets in scoring 266 runs after winning the toss. Pakistan’s bowlers deserved credit for their team’s win, which came after the tourists were well-beaten in all three Test matches. Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed used his bowlers in short spells and their mixture of seam and spin proved better suited to a slow pitch than South Africa’s attack. South African strike bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier conceded a combined 124 runs in 19.1 overs. The Pakistan batsmen also proved better at rotating the strike, particularly during a 94-run second-wicket stand between Imam and Babar Azam (49).
RAJASTHAN ROYALS OWNER SET TO SELL STAKES
Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals' owners are all set to sell half of their stakes in order to give the side a much needed financial boost ahead of the 12th edition of popular league. It has been learnt that the current franchise owners have approached BCCI officials and intimated their decision to sell around 50 per cent of their stakes. Manoj Badale is the principal owner of Rajasthan Royals.
Let Pandya, Rahul play while inquiry is on: BCCI president urges CoA
BCCI acting President C K Khanna urged the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to lift the suspension on Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul for their muchcriticised sexist remarks and refused to convene a Special General Meeting on the matter. Khanna said calling the SGM to appoint an ombudsman to investigate the two players' conduct, as demanded by Board officials, wouldn't be right as the Supreme Court is due to take up the issue next week. Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending an inquiry for their sexist comments on Koffee with Karan. "They made a mistake, and they have already been suspended and called back from the series against Australia. They have also submitted an unconditional apology," Khanna wrote in a letter to the CoA which is running the BCCI. "I suggest that pending inquiry we reinstate both the cricketers into the Indian squad immediately and allow them to join the team in New Zealand at the earliest," he added. The CoA wants the Supreme Court to appoint an ombudsman to decide the fate of the two players, who have already missed the ODI series against Australia and are set to sit out of the tour of New Zealand as well. They have also been thoroughly
lambasted for their comments on hooking up with multiple women and joking about it on the show. Around 14 state units, mainly former BCCI president N Srinivasan's loyalists, had requested Khanna to convene an emergent SGM, which needs to be called in 10 days. BCCI Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry also wrote to Khanna requesting for an early SGM, so that board members can take a call on the appointment of ombudsman. "As per constitution of the BCCI, an ombudsman can be appointed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). And moreover the matter (appointment of ombudsman) is already subjudice," Khanna replied to Chaudhry. Khanna also sought BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary's view. "Why would Khanna or Amitabh sign the notice for convening Special General Meeting when the matter is in Supreme Court. There would be a risk of Contempt of Court," a senior BCCI official privy to the development said. However, the official agreed that CoA chief Vinod Rai should have vetoed co-member Diana Edulji's demand for provisional suspension and taken a call on quantum of suspension for the
Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul
two suspended cricketers. "As per protocol, Rai sought Diana's suggestion but he could easily overrule her view of getting a legal opinion, which started this mess. He (Rai) could have easily done what he did in the women's coach selection case," the official observed. The acting president urged the CoA and BCCI office-bearers to resolve the matter as soon as possible. "What Hardik Pandya said and K.L. Rahul acted as a by-stander to is inappropriate and absolutely wrong, but in my personal opinion, to treat them like lawbreakers is wrong too," he wrote. "Both these cricketers need game time before the World Cup which starts in four months time. We should give these growing cricketers chance to correct themselves morally,"
he said. SC defers hearing Meanwhile, Pandya and Rahul will have to wait to learn the quantum of their punishment for the controversial comments. The CoA had written to the Supreme Court to appoint an Ombudsman to carry out the investigation on the players’ comments with an appointment expected to be made in the hearing last week. However, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium expressed his reservation over continuing as an amicus and the court appointed P S Narsimha in his place. Awaiting his consent, the matter was adjourned till next week, meaning the Ombudsman will also now only be appointed next week.
You have to be fearless to play for India: Ravi Shastri “You have to be fearless if you want to play for team. Fearless Ravi Shastri means trusting your instincts and clarity of thought. Once you have made up your mind don't be scared of 'what if'. You would rather get out testing your instincts than being in two minds,” Indian coach Ravi Shastri said in an interview. “When I took this job I knew India had brilliant individual players but often when we have toured overseas have we looked like a team? You are not here to fill in your own positive, then he has no numbers. Be prepared for the complaints, but if it is agenda battle out there in the middle,” driven, he would hit back. he said of his coaching mantra. Shastri said the recent victory in When asked about criticism, Australia was more precious especially from former players, than winning the World Cup in he said if the criticism is 1983 and also beating Pakistan in
the 1985 final of the Benson and Hedges World Championship in Melbourne. Shastri did not have any favourite team to win World Cup. He says that there will be three or four teams that can win. It all depends on how you start. If we gain momentum early then India are very dangerous because we have got a lot of crowd support and things backing us. We have the team that can go the distance.” On England team, he says, “this is the best England team I have seen recently. They have been focused in picking players who are good in that format and will take their chances from ball one to dictate terms to the opposition. You also have
balance. We saw England last year in England and they had depth in batting and a lot of players who are multifaceted. They have five or six guys who can be called upon at any time to bowl and that is what you want.” When asked about Virat Kohli, Shastri said, “We are similar in our mindset. We are both aggressive in our way of thinking. We are very clear in our mind about how we want to play this game as a team, which is aggressive on the field, playing with intent and take the game forward and play to win within the rules. Shastri says Kohli is the closest a player has come to Vivian Richards in the way he bats.”
Vinesh Phogat nominated for Laureus World Sports Award India's star wrestler Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian to be nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award. Vinesh has been nominated in "Laureus World Sporting Comeback" category for the year 2019 and will be competing for the award with golf great Tiger Woods, Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, American alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Manyu, and Dutch parasnowboarding star Bibian Mentel-Spee.
Vinesh Phogat
Vinesh had a stellar 2018 in which she won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a silver
in the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek and a gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta. She was one of the favourites to win a medal for India at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but a knee injury forced her to abandon the quarter-finals. A former member of Vinesh's entourage said the injury was virtually a 'death sentence' for her career. Vinesh steadily worked her way back to fitness and the first true sign of her return was when she followed up her CWG gold with a victory at the Madrid
Grand Prix. In 2016, she had lost the Olympic quarter-final to China’s San Yanan. Her 2018 Asian Games started with a repeat of the fixture and Vinesh went on to win the match 8-2. She went on to dominate the field at the Asiad, dropping just two points and spending a little over 11 minutes on the mat en route to the final. Aged just 24, she was one of the nominees for the Padma Shri award in 2018 and is expected to be a favourite to win a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Kohli sweeps individual India win ODI series honours in ICC awards against Australia to Indian captain Virat Kohli became the first cricketer to make a clean-sweep of individual honours in the ICC annual awards, claiming the Test, ODI and overall Player of the Year trophies besides being named captain of the world body's all-star teams. Kohli also ended 2018 as the topranked Test and ODI batsman in the player rankings while his side finished the year as the topranked side in Tests, and number two behind England in ODIs. The annual awards are selected by the ICC Voting Academy comprising former players, members of the media and broadcasters for a voting period that ran from 1 January to 31 December 2018. Cricketer of the Year Kohli won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, his second consecutive, for scoring 2,735 runs in 37 matches at an average of 68.37. Test Cricketer of the Year The top run-scorer in Tests with 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08, Kohli won his maiden ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year. He scored centuries in each of South Africa, England, India and Australia. ODI Cricketer of the Year For the second year running, Kohli is the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year. He scored 1,202 ODI runs in 2018 at a average of 133.55. He also became the fastest to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs in the format. Kohli named captain Kohli has been named captain of the International Cricket Council's Test and ODI teams of the year, leading the country's domination in both the lineups. Three players each from India and New Zealand feature in the Test team, while four each from
end tour on a high
Virat Kohli
feature in both the sides. The ODI team has opener Rohit Sharma, spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Bumrah from India along with Kohli, while England are represented by Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. Kohli's 1,322 runs at an average of 55.08 with five centuries in 13 Tests and 1,202 runs at an average of 133.55 with six hundreds in 14 ODIs saw him selected to both sides by every voting member of the Academy with the majority of them also opting to name him at
Rishabh Pant
the helm of each. India won six Tests and lost seven during the voting period. In ODIs, Kohli led India to nine victories, with four losses and one tied match. ICC Men's Test Team of the Year (in batting order) Tom Latham (New Zealand), Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Virat Kohli (India) (capt), Henry Nicholls (New Zealand), Rishabh Pant
Joe Root
India and England are part of the ODI side of the year 2018. The Test team features compatriots, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who is the only player apart from Kohli to
Rohit Sharma (India), Jonny Bairstow (England), Virat Kohli (India) (capt), Joe Root (England), Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Jos Buttler (England) (wk), Ben Stokes (England), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Kuldeep Yadav (India), Jasprit Bumrah (India). Rishabh Pant named ICC's Emerging Cricketer India's fast-rising wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was named the International Cricket Council's Emerging Player of the Year. The 21-year-old
(India) (wk), Jason Holder (Windies), Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Nathan Lyon (Australia), Jasprit Bumrah (India), Mohammad Abbas (Pakistan) ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year (in batting order)
Pant was picked by the ICC's voting academy for a stellar show in his breakthrough Test year in 2018. He became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a Test century in England, and equalled the record for the most catches taken in a Test, with 11 against Australia in Adelaide in December. He was also the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test hundred in Australia. Spirit of Cricket Award: Kane Williamson The ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2018 goes to Kane Williamson, for continuing to be a shining role model of how our game should be played, his behaviour setting an outstanding example on and off the field. Umpire of the Year: Kumar Dharmasena Kumar Dharmasena won the David Shepherd Trophy for the ICC Umpire of the Year 2018. It is the second time he has received the prize, first picking up the award in 2012.
Victorious Indian Cricket Team after winning the ODI series
Virat Kohli’s men became the first team to return from Australia without losing a single series, having won the Test series 2-1 and drawn the T20 Internationals 1-1. From a dasher to a finisher to finally the anchor in the last leg of his career, Dhoni was in full flow during India’s successful chase of 231 in the third and final ODI on a sluggish Melbourne pitch after Yuzvendra Chahal set it up with a career-best 6/42. “It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on, so it was important to take the game deep,” said India skipper Virat Kohli in the postmatch presentation. “Two set batsmen were there who knew what to do and they got the job done. We’ve been here a long time, it’s been an amazing tour. We drew the T20 series, won the Test series and now the ODIs. If you had given me these results before the tour, I would have gladly taken it,” he said. Dhoni’s unbeaten 87 off 114 balls was a testimony to his high-quality match awareness as the streetsmart Kedar Jadhav (61 no; 57 balls) donned the role of finisher. The former India
skipper’s role going into the business end of his illustrious career is that of an anchor, who takes the game deep. He performed his role to perfection with world-class exhibition of running between the wickets in what could well be his last match on Australian soil. Not to forget
Yuzvendra Chahal
the ‘Man of the Series’ award for a hat-trick of halfcenturies, with two of them coming in winning causes. While Dhoni was lucky to be dropped on 0 and 74, the Australian bowling never had the sting to unsettle the Indian batsmen despite skipper Virat Kohli (46) being dismissed with
more than 100 runs left. Chasing 231, India got off to a slow start as well. Australia created some good pressure with the new ball, in particular Jhye Richardson (1-41), who tied down Rohit Sharma. While Kohli and Dhoni added 54 runs off 82 balls for the third wicket, it was an uncharacteristic partnership. There were two incidents of confusion between the wickets, first in the 21st over when Kohli was stranded and was saved for a lack of a direct hit. The Dhoni-Jadhav (121 runs) partnership then took some time in settling down. In the meantime, Dhoni reached his 70th ODI half-century off 74 balls. Jadhav then soothed Indian nerves as he scored his fourth ODI halfcentury off 52 balls, as the equation came down to 14 off 12. He struck two fours in the penultimate over off Peter Siddle (1-56). Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 6-42 as Australia were bowled out in 48.4 overs. Chahal matched Ajit Agarkar’s 6-42 in 2004 as he recorded the joint best Oneday figures on Australian soil.
Kohli meets Roger Federer Virat Kohli and his Bollywood actress wife Anushka Sharma enjoyed some special and memorable moments in Australia over the last two months. Now, that Team India's tour of Australia is over, the 30-year-old skipper signed off in the most stylish way possible. Kohli and Anushka went to watch the first Grand Slam of 2019 Australia Open - that is being played at the Melbourne Park. Not just that, they met the legendary Roger Federer. "What a day at the Australian open. An amazing way to finish the Australian summer. Forever grateful," Virat Kohli tweeted along with a series of pictures from Australian Open.