AV 5th October 2013

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Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar host annual Anand Mela at Kingsbury

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Two techie brothers, aged 14 and 12, become India’s youngest entrepreneurs

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British Hero sacrifices himself to save children's lives The tragic death of a British man, who sacrificed himself as a hostage to protect a group of children, has brought tears in the eyes of the diaspora, while his colleagues describe him as a 'hero'.

38 year old Mitul Shah, a sales executive

To bond or not to bond with bureaucrats to siphon off huge funds meant for expenses, including provision of fodder, on livestock.

The conviction, which comes at a time when Lalu is struggling to regain his once-formidable influence

Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May, the brains behind plans to introduce a controversial £3,000 visa bond for visitors from certain countries including India, has admitted that the scheme has reached a deadlock due to Coalition disagreements.

in Bihar politics, is the second of an important politician since July 10 when the Supreme Court stripped convicted lawmakers of the immunity they enjoyed from disqualification. Earlier, a CBI Continued on page 26

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A CBI court in Ranchi on Monday convicted former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in a fodder scam-related case, in a judgment with far-reaching political consequences which clears the way for the RJD chief's disqualification from Lok Sabha and will debar him from contesting elections.

In all, 45 people were convicted, including another former Bihar CM and former Union minister Jagannath Mishra, and several former bureaucrats of Bihar. The verdict is a rare instance of two CMs, that too belonging to rival political parties, convicted in one case: something which underlined the pervasive nature of the scam in which politicians of different stripes connived

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Professor Jonathan Valabhji Professor Jonathan Valabhji is National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes at NHS England. Jonathan has been a Consultant Diabetologist, Physician and Endocrinologist at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, since 2002, and has been Lead Clinician for Diabetes at the Trust from 2008 to 2013. He is Adjunct Professor of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Imperial College London. A major clinical focus and his current research interests relate to diabetic foot disease – his Multidisciplinary Diabetes Foot Service has demonstrated excellent clinical outcomes that can be benchmarked internationally. From 2011 to 2013, he provided leadership for the diabetes work-stream of the North West London Integrated Care Pilot, an ambitious and complex clinical change process to integrate diabetes and frail elderly care across the sector.

1) Please tell me about your current position?

I took up my role as National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes in NHS England in April this year. I provide clinical leadership and policy direction nationally and act as a credible interface within the fields of diabetes and obesity between NHS England and healthcare professionals, third sector, professional and patient representative bodies, and the Department of Health.

2) What do you think are the biggest challenges facing diabetes care?

The major challenge is the rising prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. This of course is driven to some extent by the increas-

ing obesity rates – with a quarter of all adults and 17-20% of children aged 10 to 11 now classified as obese. The prevalence of Type 1 diabetes, which of course bears no relationship to obesity, is also increasing although not to the same extent. Diabetes currently affects around 5% of the population, but is set to double by 2025. This is likely to stretch both capacity and cost within the NHS. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is much higher in South Asian populations.

3) How do you see your role changing in the new landscape of health?

Twenty-five National Clinical Directors (NCDs) have been appointed within NHS

England from April this year, and unlike previous NCD roles, there will be an emphasis on working together on themes that cross disease areas. For example, many more elderly people don’t just have diabetes, but have multiple long term conditions. One of my tasks will therefore be to work closely with the NCDs for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease to address cardiovascular disease more broadly, which is the most common cause of death and disability for people with diabetes.

4) What are your proudest achievements?

On a professional level, my proudest achievements relate to my multidisciplinary diabetic

foot service and the low amputation rates that we have achieved for people with severe diabetic foot disease. On a personal level, I am very proud of my three children!

about your current role?

As a doctor, one does one’s best to help the person in front of you, with an emphasis on the one-to-one relationship. The current role provides me with a wonderful opportunity to help large numbers of people at the population level.

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

I wouldn’t describe any particular obstacle, but the early years as a junior doctor in hospital practice involved very long working hours which were tough.

While we all moaned about it at the time, we also enjoyed ourselves, and I think it set me up well to be able to absorb the pressures of the more senior roles to come, including my current role.

8) And the worst?

Juggling a busy clinical job and the new role can be fairly challenging!

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

Professor Robert Elkeles, my friend and mentor during my years in training as a junior doctor and in research, and more latterly prior to his retirement as a colleague, has been a huge positive influence. The ability to tap on his knowledge and experience in diabetes has been a great help to me over many years.

7) What is the best aspect

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

The NHS is almost a monopoly health provider in the UK, which should offer fantastic opportunities to integrate care delivery across primary, community, secondary and mental health care for those with long term conditions such as diabetes. I would therefore put more emphasis on co-operation between health care providers within the NHS, so that we can achieve joined up integrated care for those with complex conditions such as diabetes.

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

Frederick Banting – who was responsible for the discovery of insulin in the 1920s, and earned a Nobel Prize as a result. Before his discovery, Type 1 diabetes was a fatal condition.

Community organises Coffee Morning to raise awareness about Cancer On Friday 27th September, funding macmillan nurses over fusion, so even though its a cofMacmillan Cancer Support held at Northwick Park Hospital and fee and cake, we’ve got the ghaits biggest ever fundraising also at the Royal National tia and jalebis, as well!” event. People all over the UK Orthopaedic Hospital in The Macmillan fundraiser, were asked to hold a series of Stanmore. We also provide Carol highlighted the stark coffee morning, where donafinancial support, so we do give threat of Cancer: “Every day a tions on the day are made to grants to people and benefits staggering 84 people in greater Macmillan. In 2012 115,000 advice. Last year, we gave grants London hear the news they have people signed up, raising a cancer. This will see Greater to 61 people just in the area and record £15 million.

London’s population living with that went towards traveling Dina Bhudia, who is cancer double between 2010 around, increased heating costs.

Director of P2m Asset and 2030. This huge increase There was also 176 people who Management Ltd, was one of will in turn see more local peocalled our helpline. It is open many volunteers who took on ple feeling isolated and alone everyday for people affected by the responsibility to host an even after treatment ends. By it but also for their families and exquisite coffee morning in the 2030, the number of people livcarers for advice. So I just want London borough of Harrow. ing with and beyond cancer will to conclude by saying that is is Dina ensured there was a range fill Wembley stadium nearly 5 only £27 to fund a macmillan of delicious cupcakes nurse for a day, to accompany the cofand it will be fees, teas and hot great to equate chocolates, being prothat back to vided by the ‘tuk tuk’ what we have or rickshaw at the raised by the end front of the venue. In of today. Thank attendance was a you to everyone number of Harrow for coming councillors, the along.”

Macmillan fundraiser The Mayor of for West London, the Harrow, Cllr Harrow Council Nana Asante, Reserve and the praised the Mayor of Harrow, Coffee morning along with Dina’s proand said: fessional acquaintanc- L-R: Carole Heffernan Fundraising Manager - North West London, “Thank you very es, bankers and solici- Mayor of Harrow Cllr Nana Asante and Dina Bhudia, Director of much for inviting P2m Asset Management ltd tors. me, one of the Speaking about the best things about event, Dina said: “This is our these events is you walk around, times.” first event, and bearing in mind you meet people who are doing “We are the UK’s leading it has been so grand, I am sure wonderful things. The fantastic cancer charity and we do prothe Macmillan fundraiser, Carol thing about this is Macmilan is a vide support to everyone who is will instigate us to do this every great cause itself and the biggest affected by the cancer. A lot of year, which I am more than coffee morning is a fantastic you may have heard of macmilhappy to do! With this coffee concept all over the country, lan nurses, we are currently morning, we’ve tried to do a

Attendees networking

people are hosting coffee mornings and it’s a wonderful way of bringing people together. You can’t do that without people like Dina. It is people like her that take the baton and run with it,

together she got the volunteer team together who have been baking till 1am, but it is that sort of passion that makes the world go around.”

UK Politician condemned for racist slur against Brit-Indian journalist

A British politician came under severe criticism after he reportedly referred to a popular British Indian journalist as “some form of ethnic extraction”.

Gawain Towler, who is UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage’s public relations manager, allegedly used the phrase in a text referring to London Evening Standard journalist Kiran Randhawa, the newspaper has reported.

Press officer Gawain Towler came under fire after using the language which was condemned as “outrageous”, “unpleasant” and “racially

insensitive” by many political leaders.

Towler, who will be a UKIP candidate in next year’s European elections, alleged that he sent the text mistakenly to a photographer instead of a party colleague.

“It’s outrageous. Nobody in 2013 should use language like this - especially if you want to be seen as fit to run the country,” Conservative Party Member of Parliament Nadhim Zahawi was quoted as saying.

However, Towler initially denied that he had made the comment in a racist context, saying that his partner is Indian. He later apologised.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

COMMENT

Manmohan Singh in Washington: Whither Indo-US ties?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made his much awaited visit to Washington via New York, where he delivered an address to the UN General Assembly and held a brief conversation on the sidelines with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Indian Premier was accorded a warm welcome at the Oval Office of the White House by President Obama. They discussed the state of the Indo-US relationship and the overall security situation in South Asia, which included Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dr Singh, earlier, had told the UN General Assembly that there could be no meaningful way forward in Indo-Pakistan relations until terror attacks on India from across the border ceased. If body language is anything to go by, Dr Singh and President Obama appear to have a genuine rapport, transcending the courtesies of high office .

For Dr Singh the US visit was also a farewell call, as the next Indo-US summit is likely to witness a changing of the guard.

Prime Minister Singh set the ball rolling: “ I explained to President Obama the difficulties that we face [with Pakistan]…. Expectations have to be toned down given the terror arm which is still active in our subcontinent.” The preliminaries out of the way, the real talking commenced, on the Indo-Indian relationship and its future direction. President Obama seemed satisfied with the progress made on Indian contracts for US companies. He explained: “We have made enormous progress on the issue of civil nuclear power and, in fact, have been able to achieve just in the last few days an agreement on the first commercial agreement between a US company [Westinghouse] and India on civilian nuclear power.

Prime Minister Singh ….has been a great partner to the US and to me personally during his tenure as Prime Minister.” However, it takes two to tango, so Dr Singh, for his part, complimented President Obama for his role in augmenting the process. Dr Singh said the Indo-US relationship was based in part

on shared democratic values and, in part, on pragmatism, that is to say, on the national interest. The US is the world’s sole superpower, India, in contrast, is a regional power in the throes of transformational economic and social change. Contrasting geographies also determine foreign and strategic policies, which means that India and US cannot at all times speak and act from the same page. What brings them together now is realpolitik - the “pragmatism,” to which Dr Singh alluded. Shared principles and values are simply the dressing, a sort of catechism to sanctify the moment. Otherwise India and the US would not have been described as “estranged democracies” during the Cold War. In the Third World notably, Washington has been prone to support congenial dictatorships, of which Pakistan is a prime example.

Communist ideology failed to bond Soviet Russia and Maoist China, or the latter with Communist Vietnam.

Put simply, it is China’s rise that has cemented the present Indo-US alignment, the baptismal rite being the 2008 Indo-US civil nuclear energy deal. The Joint Declaration on Defence Cooperation including joint naval exercises, defence technology transfer, joint research, close anti-terrorism cooperation makes this abundantly clear. To this may be added agreements on greater bilateral trade and investment. The icing on the cake is the US decision to accord Indian travellers at US border crossing points rights of expeditious entry, a scheme limited to citizens of select countries.

In sum, the Indo-US partnership is structured, yet flexible; it is designed to accommodate the interests of both the parties, upholding, especially, India’s strategic autonomy, while avoiding the tighter embrace of a formal alliance and its demanding compulsions. The roadmap for the future has been well laid out. The summit has been a success for India and the United States, and for Prime Minister Singh and President Obama personally. Theirs will be a hard act to follow.

Lessons of the Nairobi tragedy Whatever happens in the world, happens for the best, pronounced Voltaire’s satirical philosopher, Pangloss. The late Professor Samuel Huntington, of Harvard University, wrote a seminal work in his last years, entitled “The Clash of Civilizations and the Challenge to Global Order.” Like all pioneering books, its theme, some would argue, was characterized by over-statement, stemming from the author’s desire, no doubt, to draw wide attention to its relevance. The true significance of the jihadi assault on the Kenyan capital’s landmark Westgate shopping mall – apart from the 67 innocent lives lost and the injuries inflicted - was the international character of the assailants. The attack was led by al Shabab terrorists from neighbouring Somalia. The group included Britons and Americans, with a Londonbased white woman, a convert to Islam, whose Somali husband was a member of the terrorist gang that bombed the London Underground on July 7, 2005, leading the charge.

Almost simultaneously, in far away Peshawar, Pakistan, two bomb blasts at the door of a Christian church, carried out by two suicide bombers, resulted in the deaths of 85 local worshippers and the maiming of many more of the congregation. Farther east, in the Philippines, Islamist insurgents occupied a coastal town in the southern archipelago and held it to ransom, killing and wounding many of its inhabitants. In northern Nigeria at the weekend 50 students at an agricultural college were slaughtered by the Islamist Boko Haram (modern education forbidden, in the local tongue). Such terror organizations operate autonomously, but they coordinate their actions wherever possible. In Indian Kashmir police and army posts were attacked by gunmen in Indian

fatigues from across the Pakistan border.

Mujaheedin operatives, homegrown and foreign, operate across India, targeting sites such as railway stations and marketplaces with bombs and guns in a bid to cause the maximum damage to people and property. This confederacy of jihadi terror is largely non-state, but Pakistan has factored them into its statecraft. That the genie is out of the bottle there, and is in conflict with its former patrons in the military and intelligence services is simply another aspect of a seamless narrative. Professor Huntington did not invent militant Islam and its affiliates; he simply placed them in context as challengers to world order. To defame him as Islamophobic, as many do across the continents, is itself a scurrilous exercise devoid of moral and intellectual integrity.

The lowest common multiple in the jihadi worldview is one where true believers are enjoined to exterminate the Other, whether they be apostates or non-believers of other faiths, or those professing no faith.

Kenya is a multi-ethic, multi-faith nation with a thriving Indian community. Its Kenyan roots go back a century and more. The Indian presence is most visible in business and the professions. The overwhelming majority of Indians are Gujaratis, with smaller communities of Sikhs and Goans making up the numbers. Gujarati Jains opened their temple as a shelter for all in need of one. Twenty Indians died in the Westgate massacre, but those suffering the greatest bereavement were, by far, Africans. Shared grief unites Kenyans of every ethnicity and faith for the common good. With time, Kenya will recover from its wounds and prosper, because that is what Kenyans desire above all else; and they shall not be moved.

India defies the predicted Maln apocalypse Time was when India was viewed by many in the West as a basket case destined to collapse from famine, pestilence and anarchy, its parameters outlined notoriously by brothers William and Paul Paddock. Their scenario included an American ship carrying grain anchored off Bombay, signalling to the famished natives that the precious cargo would be available if they submitted to Herrenfolk diktat. The Green Revolution and the new technologies saved India from the humiliation foretold so graphically.

The better news is that with economic growth and increased urbanization India’s numbers have and are declining significantly in twenty states, but the required comfort zone of 2 per cent population growth and under is still a relatively distant prospect

in the five large northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

India will thus add another 350 million to its present 1.2 billion before the population stabilizes nationwide about thirty years down the line. Demographically, the country will then have the largest number of young people of all the major nations, which would bode well for the prospects of its manufacturing sector and vastly improved job opportunities.

This projection of India, and the world generally, half way down the century has been presented in by Deutsche Bank economist Sanjeev Sanyal in an absorbing research paper, now making the rounds. If word becomes flesh, the achievement will have been truly heroic, with hope triumphant over despair.

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All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time - Mitch Albom (2003) Sarah Teather MP Liberal Democrat MP for Brent Central

Food for thought

I would imagine that most people reading this have, at some point in their lives, skipped lunch. One thing I know from experience is that if I miss lunch, I find it much harder to focus on whatever it is I’ supposed to be doing in the afternoon. For me, lunch is very important.

And it is also very important to school children. What children eat affects their concentration and health, their tendency to pick up infections and the likelihood of their being absent from school. After a morning of rigorous learning in the classroom, children need to re-fuel so they can play with their friends during the lunch break before settling down to work again in the afternoon.

However, providing a healthy, fulfilling lunch can be very costly for parents. Studies have shown that, over the course of just one year, families spend over £400 for each child just on lunches. When many families are finding it hard to make ends meet, ensuring that children can have the lunch they need to do well in school can be tough.

This is why I was very pleased to hear the Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, recently announce that, from September 2014, every child in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England will be able to receive a free school lunch. This decision means that nearly 2 million children at school in England will be eligible for a free lunch, including over 11 thousand children in

Brent where I am an MP. Recent trials showed that providing children with free healthy lunches has several benefits, including more pupils eating vegetables and fewer eating crisps and drinking soft drinks.

Not only did this have academic benefits –with pupils doing better in maths and English –but it also gave children the

chance to sit and eat with their classmates.

Children can learn to interact around a meal table, and they may not have other opportunities to do that. Getting pupils into healthy eating habits at a young age can also mean that they eat a better diet as they get older.

Another important finding from the trials was that the pupils who benefited the most from free school meals were those from less affluent families. Social background has been a deciding factor in a child’s achievement at school for far too long.

Making sure that all children can have a healthy lunchtime meal –in addition to the significant extra funding available through the Pupil Premium –will help schools tackle the inequalities that are currently part of our education system.

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 www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

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MIDLANDS VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Pushpa Patel's story of Live Kidney Donor

Leicester: A remarkable story of bravery and love, five years ago Pushpa Patel donated one of her kidney's to her husband Jayanti and has since then, been living a 'happy and completely normal life'.

Jayanti was on dialysis for 3 years, which involved thrice weekly visits to hospital and was on the kidney transplant waiting list. Whilst being told it could take anywhere from 3 months to 20 years to get a donor, Jayanti's health was rapidly deteriorating. It is even longer for Indians who have to wait three times longer to receive a donor, as they tend not to donate their organs after death. His two sons Sejal and Vipul offered to donate, but Jayanti refused, thinking if in future Sejal or Vipul's kidney's failed, both brothers could donate their kidney to each other.

After some discussion with her family, Pushpa went for her blood test and found that her kidney's matched and that she was medically and physically fit and was mentally

ready for the operation.

She had successful key hole surgery done first by Professor Nicholson followed by the operation on her husband. Jayanti visited his wife the next day in the hospital with all his tubes and drips intact. It was a very emotional moment for both of them.

Sejal and Vipul and their wives Meera and Kalpana were also there supporting them.

Pushpa remains extremely Professor to indebted Nicholson and the transplant unit, doctors and nurses who took care of her and her husband at the Leicester General Hospital. She was discharged from hospital 3 days after and recovered 6-8 weeks later. Her husband does not require dialysis anymore and they have a better quality of life.

Pushpa said, “I would like everyone to know that I am living a happy and completely normal life with my one kidney. I go to the gym, yoga and Pilates classes and enjoy dancing to Garba and Raas Indian folk dances. I also try and

Lancashire: Domestic violence campaigners are angered by a sentence given to a Muslim husband who regularly beat his wife and forced her to wear a full-face veil.

Jubel Miah, 21, was jailed for only 16 weeks after he ordered his terrified spouse to wear the niqab, a full veil with a small gap for the eyes only, after she said she was going to college. He allegedly called her “slag and bitch” because she wanted to better her education. He said: “You are a married woman. You don’t do this.” His wife, who was not named, agreed to wear the niqab because she believed it would help to stop the abuse.

Instead Miah, from Burnley, Lancashire, began beating her, at first because she was not smiling during Eid celebrations with family.

Burnley magistrates heard that he ripped her tongue, kicked and punched her, inflicted black eyes on her and destroyed her confidence. He also tracked her movements using his mobile phone, tried to stop her going to college and accused her of cheating on him.

It was only when the victim visited the hospital for her 16 week pregnancy check up, was it revealed that she had injuries to her body and an eye. After his wife endured a traumatic birth delivering a premature baby, Miah was so enraged that a male doctor was involved in postnatal care that a female doctor had to be brought in. He threatened peo-

ple trying to help the family, the court heard. His wife escaped after he subjected her to a sustained attack in which he stabbed her with scissors and hit her with a dumbbell.

The couple separated but got back together and Miah accused neighbours of spying on her. He ordered her to sit down in silence, left his iPhone on record and checked it on his return to make sure she had not spoken to anybody. He claimed there were people spying and people in the loft.

Miah admitted common assault by beating. Though he was sentenced to jail and given an indefinite restraining order to keep him away from the victim and could be facing a six months sentence, if he displays good behaviour in jail, he is likely to be freed in eight weeks.

Ms Crane added: “The defendant is not interested in showing any remorse in any way, shape or form, with regards to the hell he has put this lady through over the last 12 months.”

Adnan Hanif, for the defence, said: “His actions have affected quite a number of people and I would say that quite a number of lives have, in effect, been destroyed.

There is nothing that allows the defendant to behave in that manner. I feel sorry for the victim in this case.”

After the case Rachel Horman, head of the domestic violence division at law firm

“There is no greater feeling of reward, than being able to give somebody life. The last time I experienced such joy was during the birth of my two children. Being able to donate a part of me, a part of me which, in reality, I did not need, to somebody whose life depended on it, made me feel immensely happy. The fact that it was for my husband, was just a special bonus. I encourage and recommend

this feeling to everybody.”

She also gave a special message about organ donation and said, “I would also like to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation.

Especially among Hindus and Asians, to please sign up to the Donor Organ National Register. The Kidney transplant waiting list for Indians or Asians is increasing as not enough people of this origin are being registered. Thus patients of Indian or Asian background, have to wait longer. Unfortunately, many patients on Transplant list die, before they have the opportunity of a transplant organ.”

“Please register and give someone the gift of life. Once registered it is very important to let their loved ones or family know that, you want to donate their organ after death and that you are a registered donor, Also the fact that everybody must know, is that donor's body is treated with great respect and dignity by a professional medical retrieval team.”

Watson Ramsbottom, said: “The sentence is an insult to the victim and people will view the punishment as a slap on the wrist. There has been a prolonged 12-month ordeal, so why was only one charge brought? It’s absolutely shocking and it makes me really angry. If this was an attack by a stranger in the street, I can guarantee it would have been a different story. Domestic vio-

lence is often undersentenced and too much blame is given to the victims.”

spend more time with our three grandchildren who keep us on our toes.”

Campaigners angry at 'insulting' sentence for wife-beating man

Murdered son's father to continue civil case over riot murder trial

Birmingham: Tariq Jahan, who is known for his efforts to stop the 2011 riots, has vowed to continue his fight for justice after it was confirmed that no police officers would be charged over the flawed prosecution of the men accused of killing his son.

Tariq Jahan said he was “very disappointed” that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided against prosecuting a senior policeman ruled by a judge to have lied during the trial of those accused of the murder. He stated that he would pursue a civil case against some of those cleared of killing his son and two other men at the height of the August 2011 riots.

Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Tagg was found by

Lord Justice Flaux to have lied on oath during the trial of the eight men accused of killing Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and his brother Abdul Musavir. All eight were cleared after one of Birmingham’s most racially charged criminal trials for decades.

It was found that Mr Tagg had failed to disclose to the prosecution counsel, and hence to the defence, that immunity from prosecution had initially been offered to key witnesses and then withdrawn. The judge said that

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New door opens for Asian businesses in ‘white’ Worcestershire

WABG Founders Dina Parmar, left, and Najma Qamar

Worcestershire: A new forum for Asian business professionals has been launched in Worcestershire.

Worcestershire in the Midlands has a total population of 566,600, of which 43,247 or 7.6% are from ethnic minority communities. Redditch and Worcester City, at 12.6% and 10.7% respectively, have the largest contingent of ethnic minority residents.

The Worcester Asian Business Group (WABG) has been established by solicitor Dina Parmar of regional law firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys and Najma Qamar of chartered accountants Haines Watts. WBAG held its inaugural networking event at Pasha’s, a popular local Indian restaurant.

The event attracted around 25 guests, including Councillor Jabba Riaz from Worcester City Council, Ranvir Turna from Lloyds Bank, marketing consultant Shev Dilay and Ahmed Goga from Worcestershire County Council.

The intention is for the non-profit making group to meet twice a year for dinner.

Organisers Dina and Najma, who were praised by their respective managers, who were also present, for setting up WABG described the initiative as “a business group with a difference”.

Also in attendance was Jan Bailey from Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, or LEP. A LEP is a partnership between local authorities and businesses.

Formed in late 2010, their role is to help determine local economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within its local area. There are now 39 LEPs covering the whole of England.

The Worcestershire LEP Board comprises nine members, all white men. Its Business Board has 20 members; 17 men, three female; non from an ethnic minority background. Its Executive Team – of which Jan Bailey is part of – has four members; two men, two women, none from an ethnic minority background. Next Thursday (Oct 10)WLEP is hosting a one-day conference, entitled Driving Worcestershire Forward.

The event will be chaired by TV presenter and champion rally driver Penny Mallory.

It’s interesting to note that Diversity is not on the agenda. Perhaps this theme is not key in driving Worcestershire forward.

Maybe it ought to be, don’t you think? once in the witness box, Mr Tagg had then invented an explanation for his mistake and claimed that he had informed prosecutors.

The prosecution team denied this.

West Midlands Police said last week that the IPCC investigation into the officers was continuing.

Meanwhile, Mr Jahan said: “We will carry on with the fight. It could take some years to get justice for my son and the brothers. We may never find out for sure who was to blame for the collapse of the case — the police officers or the justice system.”

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

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UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Spriha Srivastava

Sunidhi – a powerhouse performer Royal Albert Hall has a very special feel to it and that‘s not something you can describe in words.

The place speaks of an undying and extremely extravagant legacy that can only be experienced while attending a concert in action.

When I came to know Sunidhi Chauhan is coming to London to perform at the famous Royal Albert Hall, I could think of nothing else but to grab some tickets and book my seat at the famous hall.

Sunidhi has been one of my favourite singers ever since her famous number, “Ruki ruki thi zindagi” from the film Mast. She delivered hits after hits and carved a niche for herself in the giant bollywood industry.

Known as a powerhouse performer, Sunidhi’s performance made everyone jump out of their seats and dance along with her. A full house at Royal Albert Hall danced and sang along with Sunidhi and enjoyed every bit of action that came from their favourite artist.

Conceptualised by Vijay Bhola of Rock On Music, Sunidhi’s UK tour consisted of gigs in Manchester, Leicester and the grand finale at the famous Royal Albert Hall where she entertained the audiences with her famous numbers like ‘Beedi’, ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ and ‘Ishq Sufiyaana’. Special congratulations to Vijay Bhola and his team for bringing such wonderful talents to UK. Sunidhi began to sing at the age of four and was discovered by a local TV anchor. She won recognition through a televised singing contest, Meri Awaz Suno, which she won, and made her entrance into playback singing with the Hindi film Shastra.

Her breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma’s film Mast, in which she sang the hit song “Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi.” She has been nominated for fourteen Filmfare Awards, winning it on two occasions as well as a Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. She has won two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Awards.

She started her singing career as a child, giving her first performance at the age of four, in

a local temple in Delhi.

She did her early studies in Greenway Modern School, Dilshad Garden in Delhi. Thereafter, she began to participate in, and sing for, competitions and local gatherings. When the famous stage and TV anchor Tabassum spotted her talent, she made her sing live in her show Tabassum Hit Parade and asked her family to shift to Mumbai. Tabassum then introduced her to Kalyanji and Anandji Bhai. Her family shifted to Mumbai in a bid to further develop the young singer’s skills, and Chauhan became the lead singer in Kalyanji’s ‘Little Wonders’ troupe.

Recognition first met her in 1996, through the music show Meri Aawaz Suno — the first such televised contest in India — which was broadcast through the Indian national television channel, Doordarshan. She won the competition and bagged the top prize of recording an album, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira, with HMV. Sunidhi stepped into the world of playback singing with the 1996 Bollywood film, Shastra after Aadesh Srivastava asked her to lend her voice to the song “Larki Deewaani Dekho, Ladka Deewaana.” She followed it with work in films like Gang, Veergati, Dahek, Bade Dilwala, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Samar. By the age of nineteen, Chauhan had lent her voice to over 350 songs Sunidhi has always been absolutely magnificent, be it on the stage or in her songs in films. I have always grown up admiring actors and actresses for their work, for the glamour, for the fame but lately I have

realised that we tend to love a lot of these actors for the dialogues they say, for the songs they sing but in reality it’s the dialogue writers, the lyricist, and the singers that we should admire equally.

There’s a lot of new talent in the Bollywood these days and we saw one at the Royal Albert Hall too. Accompanying Sunidhi in her tour to UK, was young and talented Rakesh Maini who sang some of the most famous songs of Bollywood. His voice was like a breath of fresh air and he complemented Sunidhi in many of the duet numbers.

However, the best part of the entire evening was held for the second half when Sunidhi and Rakesh came together to celebrate 100 years of bollywood. They sang an assortment of old and new songs paying tribute through generations to some of the most loved and popular singers of Bollywood. There was something for everyone in that medley. Be it the older or the younger generations, they all hummed and sang along with the singers and the acoustics and the lighting at the Royal Albert Hall also danced to the tunes of bollywood.

Sunidhi ended the concert with a bang. Her last number was ‘Beedi jalayle’ a number that got everyone up on their feet and dancing to the tunes.

It was indeed an honour and a privilege to attend this concert. It not only brought the famous Sunidhi Chauhan but also a number a fresh talent who we tend to overlook in our love and affection for the more established ones.

(Photographer’s credit – Raj Bakrania)

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Gandhi Jayanti As the Liberal Democrats announced at their Party Conference free school meals for all in Britain, so too taking their lead, I hosted a fundraiser for a similar programme in India.

The quotes of Mahatma Gandhi are good. But they are repeated so often as to become cliché now for everyone looking to trap a clap.

So for my hosting of the Akshaya Patra Fundraiser for school meals this Gandhi Jayanti I instead took quotes from Gandhi – the Movie! I thought Gandhiji would like the twist – he did after all have a sense of irony.

“I want to this evening inspire you to donate by quoting from the moving movie Gandhi.

Nehru: Bapuji, the whole country is moving.

Gandhi: Yes. But in what direction.

And that is the problem we are all here to solve, the problem of hungry schoolchildren in India despite the direction of growth.

Nahari: I'm going to Hell! I killed a child! I smashed his head against a wall.

Gandhi: Why? Nahari: Because they killed my son!

The Muslims killed my son!

Gandhi: I know a way out of Hell.

Find a child, a child whose mother and father have been killed and raise him as your own.

Gandhi: Only be sure that he is a Muslim and that you raise him as one.

And this too is why we are here. To find a way out of hell. Each of us by feeding an Indian life, regardless of religion, at a tmie when religion again is at the forefront of Indian politics, can find a way out of hell by raising and educating children as our own. After all he also said, “I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you.”

Gandhi: The function of a civil resist-

ance is to provoke response and we will continue to provoke until they respond.

They are not in control; we are.

And that is our message to by our actions here tonight – our message to hunger – it is not in control. We by donating make an act of resistance, of civil disobedience, that we will not be overcome.

We are in control.

Vince Walker: Whatever moral ascendancy the West once held was lost here today. India is free, for she has taken all that steel and cruelty can give and she has neither cringed nor retreated.

Today, we must, must make sure that by feeding the children we never cringe or retreat, that India remains as free as she was when Mahatma Gandhi made her so.

Vince Walker: I met him once.

Collins: You mean Gandhi?

Vince Walker: Yeah, in South Africa, a long time ago. I wonder if he'll recognize me.

Collins: What was he like?

Vince Walker: He had a full head of hair then. We were a bit like college students, trying to figure everything out.

Collins: Well, he must have found some of the answers!

And so it is, that tonight, at this fund raiser maybe we too have found some of Gandhiji’s answers.

Margaret Bourke-White: There's a sadness about him.

Mirabehn: He thinks he's failed.

Margaret Bourke-White: Why? If anything's proven him right, it's these last months.

Mirabehn: I may be blinded by my love for him. But I believe, when we most needed it, he offered the world a way out of madness. But he doesn't see it. Neither does the world.

Alpesh Patel Www.politicalanimal.me

Mr Piyush Goyal, Member of Parliament, India and National Treasurer, BJP (centre) addressed a conference at the Asian Voice office on Wednesday 25 September 2013, attended by several youngsters including students. We were privileged to have an EXCLUSIVE one to one interview with him regarding the forthcoming India elections, which will be published in Asian Voice in one of the future issues.

Owner of an ethnic food retailer jailed

Pius Sedani, the owner of ethnic food retailer Quality Foods has been jailed for two years and four months for selling duty avoided tobacco.

Sedani admitted evading £580,000 in duty and VAT on 3,250 kg of handrolling,

chewing shisha tobacco seized by the HMRC officers on three visits to his store.

An HMRC assistant director John Pointing said, “Sedani was given two warnings, but persisted in selling non duty paid goods.

UK

London awaits arrival of Ranjan Mathai, the New High Commissioner of India

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Ranjan Mathai

Ambassador to Qatar from August 2001 to July 2005 and Deputy High Commissioner to the UK in London from August 2005 to January 2007. He took over as Ambassador to France in

January 2007.

Earlier, Mr Mathai had also served in the Indian embassies in Vienna, Colombo, Washington, Tehran and Brussels. As Joint Secretary (BSM) in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi from January 1995 to February 1998, he headed the division dealing with India’s relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives.

Till the arrival of the new High Commissioner, the Deputy High Commissioner Dr Virander Paul, would be the acting High Commissioner of India in Britain.

Dr Paul joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1991. Prior to his assignment as Deputy High Commissioner of India in London, he was Minister (Press) at the Indian Embassy in

British Medical journal to report widespread discrimination against Indian doctors in the UK The race inequality that secretly exists in Britain’s professional world, has now shown its ugly head in the field of Medicine, as doctors with coloured skin experience discriminations which their white colleagues are most unlikely to face.

A widespread discrimination against Indian doctors in Britain have been reported and evidence confirming the same will be unveiled with a first-of-its kind analysis showing only 4.5% of ethnic minority medical graduates pass the all important clinical skills assessment examination at their first attempt as against 17% of the British colleagues.

The research published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) says that white doctors are more likely to land in a hospital job than ethnic minority doctors (13.8% versus 4.8%). This raises a serious concern over discrimination in the UK general practitioner examination.

The figures, based on 2012 ethnicity data from 50 hospital trusts in England, show black or black British applicants were the ethnic group least likely to secure hospital doctor jobs (2.7% success rate), followed by doctors of mixed ethnicity (3.5%) and Asian and Asian British doctors (5.7%).

British Medical journal to report widespread discrimination against Indian doctors in UK In order to practise as an accredited general practitioner (GP) (family physician) in the UK, doctors must pass the MRCGP (Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners) examination.

Interestingly, doctors who didn’t disclose their ethnicity during the application process had the highest success rate in

landing jobs of any ethnic group (23%) – further muddying the waters around potential discrimination in the appointment of National Health Service (NHS) doctors.

The study therefore says it cannot rule out “subjective bias owing to racial discrimination” in the exam.

Interestingly, doctors who didn’t disclose their ethnicity during the application process had the highest success rate in landing jobs of any ethnic group (23%) - further muddying the waters around potential discrimination in the appointment of National Health Service (NHS) doctors. The study therefore says it cannot rule out “subjective bias owing to racial discrimination” in the exam.

In order to practise as an accredited general practitioner (family physician) in the UK, doctors must pass the MRCGP (Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners) examination.

A judicial review into the fairness of the controversial clinical skills assessment (CSA) test - the examination which confirms that a doctor has satisfactorily completed specialty training for general practice and is competent to enter independent practice - will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice later this month. The courts have listed the review

launched by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) for October 18.

BAPIO in a statement told the Asian Voice that they welcome the findings in Professor Esmail and Roberts’ paper which clearly quantify and demonstrate that doctors who qualified from UK medical schools belonging to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) background are failed in substantially higher numbers by the MRCGP examination compared with UK doctors who are white. For international medical graduates the differences are even higher. They feel that it is clear from this paper that there isn’t any statistical explanation for this very disparate pass rate which BAPIO has long argued is because of inherent subjective bias in the CSA, which is flawed in its design.

Dr Ramesh Mehta, BAPIO President told the Asian Voice “It is damning that in this day and age the sole reason that UK educated and trained doctors are four times as likely to fail this exam seems to be solely on basis of their skin colour. A fifteen times worse result imposed on International Medical Graduates who have passed every assessment set to them, be it language or clinical, before reaching the MRCGP CSA by using culture and a variety of usual wellrehearsed excuses and platitudes should not wash any more”.

BAPIO has called upon the GMC to act decisively on the contents of this publication and call upon the RCGP to review their stand on this issue and reframe the MRCGP examination in a manner that will be equitable to everyone.

Washington DC. Earlier, he has held diplomatic assignments in Indian Missions in Almaty, Vladivostok, Rome, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Farewell to Dr Jaimini Bhagwati

To bond or not to bond Continued from page 1

Addressing at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Monday, she expressed her sheer frustration with their Coalition partners, as the November deadline for the pilot lunch draws closer.

Explaining what the bond is all about in her speech Ms May explained, "The government should be able to take a £3000 deposit from temporary migrants and return it when they leave. If they overstay their visa, they’ll lose their money."

She added that despite being a Conservative manifesto commitment, the Lib Dems had first claimed it as their idea, then backed it, then blocked it. She confirmed that the proposal remained deadlocked in coalition talks. In a farewell event, when the outgoing Indian High Commissioner, Dr Jaimini Bhagwati was asked his opinion by the Times of India, had reportedly said that Britain is unlikely to implement the controversial £3,000 visitor bond for Indians in November as announced earlier. He reportedly added, "If the idea is to target someone who will violate the visa rules, then it is not clear how the bond will prevent such violators,'' he said. "Somebody who has to come to UK to stay will beg borrow or steal and put together a £3,000 over and above his via fees. The scheme will not be a deterrent.''

As the 'Go Home' campaign continue to face severe backlash, in an interview with The House magazine she emphasised that Britain will not give amnesty to illegal immigrants as it would send the "wrong message" to people. She also said that many Britons - including members of ethnic minorities - felt illegal immigration was "clearly wrong".

May also used her conference speech to confirm that illegal migrants, criminal foreign nationals and others facing deportation will have their rights to appeal severely restricted. The number of grounds on which they could appeal will be reduced from 17 to four, and the extent to which a fresh appeal could halt a deportation is to be limited.

The home secretary emphasised that the immigration bill would also put into primary legislation guidance that had already gone to judges to ensure that illegal migrants and others cannot abuse article 8 – "the right to a family life" – to prevent their deportation from Britain.

*

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He served as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office during 2007-2010 and holds a medical degree from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

To say goodbye (albeit with a heavy heart) to the outgoing High Commissioner of India, Dr Jaimini Bhagwati, the Head of Chancery, Mr Prashant Pise, the Indian Journalists’ Association and Mr Ashis Ray, Director of Ray Media Ltd, organised formal farewell receptions in Central London.

The farewells were attended by journalists, organisational heads, MPs and several prominent dignitaries of the British community.

Dr Bhagwati with wife Ritaji, who are en-route to Delhi now, may be writing a book about his experiences during his stay in several countries.

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Former Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He is expected to arrive in London in a month’s time.

Mr Mathai, 61, who relinquished charge as Foreign Secretary on July 31 this year on his retirement, will succeed Dr Jaimini Bhagwati. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly, the announcement from the MEA added.

Before taking over as Foreign Secretary on August 1, 2011, Mr Mathai was sent as India’s Ambassador to France.

Mr Mathai has a post-graduate degree in political science from the University of Pune and had served as Indian Ambassador to Israel from February 1998 to June 2001,

7

"Some judges chose to ignore parliament so I am sending a very clear message to those judges," said May. "Parliament wants the law on people's side, the public wants the law on the people's side and the Conservatives in government will put the law on the people's side once and for all."

May added that the government would continue to push through a fresh drive against human trafficking with the publication soon of a "modern slavery bill". She said the legislation would bring together a confusing array of human trafficking offences into a single act, giving police and prosecutors the power to investigate, prosecute and punish "modern-day slavedrivers". The legislation is expected to introduce a lifetime ban on those convicted of human trafficking offences from working as "gangmasters" employing migrant labour.

She was followed by the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, who set out a timetable for the development of their policy for a radical reform of human rights law. He said the Conservatives would publish a document in 2014 "setting out what we will do, when we will do it, and how we will do it", followed by a draft bill setting out the legal detail later in the year.

Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee told Asian Voice, “The immigration bonds policy is in tatters. The indecision on this issue is extraordinary.

It was first supported by the Liberal Democrats then dropped then supported again. The President of Ghana wrote to me and said that this policy would mean that in effect illegal immigrants would have 'paid for the privilege' of staying.

"When this story first emerged I warned that this policy was unworkable, discriminatory and impracticable. This confusion is very unhelpful.

There is a high level of anxiety and uncertainty in India and other countries about the Government’s future plans for this issue. Despite an attempt to drop this policy, the damage has already been done.

"The best way to deal with issues of illegal migration and those who want to break the rules is to talk directly with the governments of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria and Sri Lanka to find a solution.”

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

As I See It

Sardar Patel: the Giant of a Man

Shri Vallahbhai Javerbhai Patel

A hundred years ago, a young man from the Karamsad village in Gujarat, from a very modest family was studying at the Middle Temple between 19111913. He was called to the bar on 22nd January 1913 and returned very soon to India. He was a man in a hurry. He was nearly 38 and by his hard work, earlier he had qualified as a pleader and established a successful practice and had come to London when he was already 36. He was brilliant in his studies and established his practice rapidly in Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat on his return. By 1917, this distinguished barrister gave up his lucrative practice in the service of his country and became an ardent sainik (soldier) in the freedom's struggle of Mahatma Gandhi based on peace and non-violence.

Within two years, Vallahbhai Javerbhai Patel, proved his organizing capacity and became a senior stalwart of the Indian National Congress, under Gandhiji. His biggest triumph, came in 1928 during the peasants revolt against the steep rise in land revenue in Bardoli, Gujarat. Due to scarcity of rain, the agriculture was in tatters and the condition of farmers and subsequently the entire community was intolerable. Vallabhai Patel waged a peaceful and nonviolent war defeating imperial rulers, who were forced to backtrack and he was hailed the 'Sardar' (the General).

The greatest permanent legacy of Sardar Patel is the Unification of India. Perhaps, no one but Sardar Saheb would have been able to achieve the integration of 500 plus princely states into an Indian Union in a very short time and without bloodshed, except in the case of Hydrabad, when he was forced with a very unique and unpleasant situation.

The first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of the Independent

India passed away on 15th December 1950 in Mumbai and left the total assets of Rs 252 only. He was 75 years old. Sadly, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty regimes ignored and marginalized the memory of the Sardar but the people of India have not forgotten him.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on a project to build the tallest statue in the world near Sardar Sarovar Dam on the River Narmada. It is a gigantic project and the International tenders have Shri Madhav Sinh Solanki Lord Greville Jenner Shri Babhubhai Jashbhai Patel been announced.

In the UK, the Sardar es and went ahead with the celebratory On 3rd November 1985, the Sardar Patel Memorial Society (SPMS - UK) dinner. This was all reported in several Patel Memorial Society (SPMS) UK is active for the last 28 years. It is a British and Indian medias. had organised a plaque unveiling ceredemocratically elected body and has To the dismay and pain of the mony at 23 Aldridge Road Villas, been celebrating important events conadmirers of Sardarsaheb an event was Westbourne Park, London, W11 where nected with the Sardar Saheb. It has Sardar Vallahbhai Jhaverbhai Patel organised on the last day of the exisgifted ÂŁ25,000 to University of Hull lived between 1910 -13, while complettence of the GLC itself to install the some 20 years ago, to have annual plaque. A press release was issued by ing his brilliant legal studies. At the Sardar Memorial lectures. Several hunthe PR branch of the GLC, giving the request of the then Chief Minister of dred biographies of Sardar Patel, writname of Mr Praful Patel and Mr Paul Gujarat and a very well known ten by Raj Mohan Gandhi have been Franklin with their respective teleGandhian, Shri Babhubhai Jashbhai distributed at a nominal cost of ÂŁ5. In phone numbers as contacts. Needless Patel who was also the Chairman of the 1996/7, the then-Chief Minister of to say, over 400 British Indian nationSardar Patel Memorial Society of India, Gujarat Mr Keshubhai Patel was invitalists and Sardarsaheb followers organMr Greville Jenner (now Lord Jenner), ed to the UK by SPMS and delivered ised a mass demonstration against the the then MP for Leicester West the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture in GLC unveiling ceremony. This protest approached the GLC and other relethe Central Hall of the Houses of vant authorities, completed the process was also reported in the British and Parliament. and it was confirmed in writing that Indian media, along with media from The Middle Temple, to their credit, other countries. the plaque would be released in time to has approved to install a plaque in the The name of Sardar Patel should SPMS to install on the front wall of 23 Centenary year of Sardar being called never have been used for political Aldridge Road Villas. there as a barrister. The reception is gains and in an opportunistic manner.

The landlord also gave his permistaking place on 27th October and Mr The reports published by New Life, the sion in writing. The SPMS was formed Rami Ranger, a very prominent busipredecessor of Asian Voice, Gujarat at that time and the main objective was nessmen and a nationalist (both British Samachar and several other media in to spread awareness about the life and and Indian), will Chair the function. this country and in India have diswork of Sardarsaheb. The Society So far, the event is organized by the closed and denounced the Tamasha of organised an event on 3rd November Indo-British Cultural Exchange (IBCE) 31st March 1986, where the GLC 1985 for the installation of the plaque, in partnership with The British Sikh a celebratory reception was planned organized plaque installation was Association, Sardar Patel Memorial protested successfully by some 400 for 800 people where two former chief Society UK, National Congress of people with banners, placards and ministers of Gujarat (Babubhai Gujarati Organizations UK and Society black flags.

Jashbhai Patel and Shri Madhav Sinh of Asian Lawyers. The IBCE is not the SPMS has all the qualifications and Solanki) were present along with other proper organization to organize such capability to organize the event on prominent personalities from the an event in honour of Sardar Patel. Mr 27th October. I also firmly believe that Indian community in Britain.

Praful Patel, the Chairman of IBCE is Rami Ranger should carry on Chairing Due to some gerrymandering by in my opinion also not the proper perthe event but must be organized under the GLC, the plaque was not released son to lead this celebration for several the banner of SPMS, UK in partnerat the last minute, but the Society felt reasons. Praful Patel's involvement in ship with the British Sikh Association, the hijacking of the event for some the 'plaque controversy' at the resiSociety of Asian Lawyers, National ulterior motive was not only unacceptdence of the Sardar, 23 Aldridge Road able, but was an insult to the memory Congress of Gujarati Organizations UK Villas, Westbourne Park London, W11 and the Indo-British Cultural of Sardarsaheb. The Society after careand subsequently the controversial Exchange, UK and India. Such an honful considerations and deliberations event organized by the GLC are still ourable arrangement is the most with several prominent British Indians, fresh in the minds of thousands of appropriate way to salute the memory decided to proceed with the planned admirers of Sardar Patel in this counof Sardar Patel in a dignified and programme for the plaque unveiling try. durable manner. without the plaque itself at the premis-

Modi is marching ahead A general election is due in India within the next eight months. The battle lines are being drawn more and more clearly. Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, is anointed as the Prime Ministerial candidate by the BJP. Initially, as it would happen in all democratically political organizations, there were some reservations from certain quarters. It appears, that stage is over and most of the BJP stalwarts are getting behind the Narendra Modi's candidature.

Modi has acquired some additional support from bigwigs in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, as well as several Northern States of India. His public speeches in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and other places have impressed the millions of Indians, especially the youth and women. They see a new and better alternative in Modi to give India an effective development strategy, efficient administration and a cleaner govern-

ment.

From what Mr Modi has achieved in the State of Gujarat over the last 12 years, bodes credence to the expectations of an average Indian. In the British print media, the Financial Tines and the Economist are in the forefront in their coverage of India. Such publications are known world-wide, they are reputable and their assessments are very well respected. Of late, both of them appear to be a lot more hopeful that the BJP, with its allies if necessary, will form the next Central Government in India and as of now, Narendra Modi is heading towards the premiership.

In the last six days, the Financial Times had three major news stories and one editorial comment. The headlines

are very clear and perhaps most appropriate: 'India's Modi fills a void of Congress party's making' (Thursday 26th September), 'Gandhi speech on criminal MPs shocks ruling party' (Saturday 28th September), 'Modi attacks Gandhi dynasty for strangling democracy' (Monday 30th September) and the comment on Tuesday, with the banner headline 'India's Vacuum' and the smaller headline, 'As elections loom, voters confront a dearth of good options'.

A week is a long time in politics.

Eight months is really a long period but the trend is becoming more and more clear and is favourable to BJP. In

Narendra Modi, whom Financial Times describes as 'a thunderous orator, a man who makes things happen...' as well as is 'personally clean'. Mr Vinod K Jose, writing in the caravan, described Mr Modi as a man who 'appears to prefer power to money', India after all needs a powerful leader, and as the Financial Times comment on Tuesday summarized, Modi is 'visibly edging towards the premiership'. Business, especially, is 'turning toward him as a saviour'. Let me end this piece with another quote from the Financial Times comment. 'Mr Modi, the son of a tea-stall owner, would also make a change from a Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has plucked the fruits of Indian democracy as though it owned the tree.'

If Mr Modi becomes Prime Minister, he has a lot to do. He has raised people's expectations and by all accounts he is capable of delivering.

- CB

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

A Landmark Case Winning Law Partner Law firm Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP partner Arpita Dutt provides clear and pragmatic advice to clients in difficult workplace disputes.

Arpita was named within the 2011 Lawyer Magazine’s Hot 100 Lawyers which identifies solicitors who have made an outstanding contribution in the past year in their field.

She was deemed ‘fantastic’ in the Legal 500 directory in 2012, has been recognised as a leading employment lawyer and an “exceptionally strong negotiator who stands out for her work on discrimination and equality matters” in Chambers and Partners 2012.

In November 2012, she founded Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP. Arpita advises senior executives working mainly in professional and financial services on negotiating contracts and exit packages, redundancy rights, bullying and harassment, discrimination and whistleblowing.

Arpita’s parents are both from Kolkata, India, and came over as econom-

Arpita Dutt

ic migrants in the 1960s.

Neither of them are lawyers. Arpita’s mother was a civil servant. Her father worked his way up in City institutions in the vanguard of Indian executives, climbing to the ranks of director of UK

PLCs. He was also involved in community volunteering and activism, which Arpita continues to be involved in through her work with Hackney Unites and as Equality Adviser to the Trustee Board of Citizens Advice.

In 1999 Arpita qualified as a lawyer. That year she won a victory in a race discrimination case against BT PLC, which gave rise to the largest reported award of discrimination damages reaching six figures, which was unprecedented in those times. “It felt great to take on the big guns and win. It also felt right supporting and empowering the individual.”

The victory set in train a continued motivation to act for individuals, laying the foundation for her career in employment law.

In 2008, Arpita came up against BT PLC again in the context of acting for two senior executives in a whistleblowing claim and became interested in this developing area of law, with significant public policy and public interest considerations. She has since developed a specialism in advising senior executives in the City and medical consultants whistleblowing against the NHS. Arpita tells me she thinks the qualities needed for her area of law are; tenacity, creativity, sound judgment, rigorous analysis, empathy, integrity, and an understanding of power relationships and human behaviour.

“Work and identity can become so intertwined that it is a privilege to advise individuals at vul-

nerable times in their lives when things go wrong at work.”

She adds, “the last 10 years have seen a raft of employment legislation.

Employment rights have been hard won but easily lost with the wind of change of governments.

Keeping on top of it all is a challenge, both for the individual and the employer”.

Arpita believes that her work empowers the individual to obtain redress, equalising the bargaining power by using the skills and experience she has amassed by advising many clients from CEOs to police officers, in all manner of industries and professions, in a myriad of disputes.

She is also involved in Platinum BNI. It is a newly launched networking and referral organisation that meets on a weekly basis in Mayfair based around the philosophy of “Giver’s Gain”. She says it’s the best breakfast meeting in London, growing business by tapping into a referral network of thousands through building strong referral relationships. Many businesses have significantly grown through BNI and the aim is to grow from 30 members to 45 members generating over £2m of referral business amongst Platinum BNI members.

“Having founded a new

law firm in November 2012 I attended with the aim of growing our referral network of senior executives and SMEs and developing integral relationships with the wider business community.”

Arpita is now Chapter Director of Platinum BNI, part of the leadership team of the fastest growing BNI chapter in London.

She is also proud that as a first year milestone achievement, BDBF is already ranked as second tier for advising senior executives in the Legal 500 directory.

“As a business owner I am constantly seeking innovative ways to increase the profile of and grow BDBF, such as, through BNI and launching our new sponsored site in October 2013 www.sackedinthecity.co.u k aimed at empowering City executives to achieve success in all their work activities, with collaborative tips from a range of experts, and a focus on City life, work and leisure.”

By taking on complex cases and setting up a niche business, this law partner is pushing her boundaries.

Arpita wants BDBF to be “the leading senior executive employment law practice – to be the best in our niche, to keep seizing opportunities, and evolving.”

Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) Fitness to Practise Lay Panellists Manchester Minimum 35 days pa The GMC is the independent regulator for doctors in the UK. Our purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.

When a doctor’s fitness to practise is called into question, we call upon firm but fair procedures to resolve the situation. These can include an adjudication stage where hearings take place before a fitness to practise panel and sometimes an interim orders panel. These are made up of medical and lay (i.e. non-medical) panellists.

Last year, we established the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) to take on the responsibility of the adjudication stage and we are currently looking for lay panellists who will work in the MPTS Hearing centre in Manchester.

We are looking for people with demonstrable integrity and objectivity, along with the ability to reach considered, unbiased decisions affecting other people. We are also interested in appointing candidates with chairing experience in order to act as panel chairs as well as candidates who are legally qualified.

As part of our commitment to diversity we seek candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and actively encourage applicants from a BME background, women and those with a disability.

We offer a daily fee of £310 with reasonable expenses. Full training will be given.

For further information, please go to jobs.gmc-uk.org Closing date for receipt of applications: 1 November 2013.

The GMC values diversity and has made a public commitment to processes and procedures that are fair, objective, transparent and free from discrimination. The GMC is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089278) and Scotland (SC037750).

jobs.gmc-uk.org

9

10

YOUR VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

GP Consultation Charges

Buying a house

Swami Ramdev’s detention

Britain is deeply set in tradition, some completely outdated, irrelevant and detrimental to our wellbeing, yet it is difficult to change deep rooted public attitude.

One such concept is NHS which we expect to be entirely free.

No wonder NHS is at breaking point with understaffed hospitals where elderly, terminally ill are routinely neglected and left to meet an undignified end. Some GPs, to their credit, advocated consultation charges that have raised uproar from cotton wool wrapped British public, with attitude that we have already paid through taxes, so why pay again? This is too simplistic. We all pay prescription charges and road tax even though we pay highest fuel duty in EU. So why NHS should be an exception, an untouchable holy cow that is proving a burden too far?

Hospital visits, operations have to be paid in advance in most EU countries but covered under health insurance policy that enables these countries to provide first class health service on demand.

Health tourism is ripe here and freeloaders galore, in sharp contrast to Spain, where even ambulances would turn away if we cannot produce medical insurance certificate, although as member of EU, we are entitled to free medical treatment.

No wonder Britain is seen as soft touch, nanny state with one third budgets going on welfare and in some families no one has worked, living on benefits from cradle to grave and no government has the courage to tackle them, in case we violate their precious human rights!

Apart from paying the deposit of 40% say on a residential property of £200,000, one has to make a monthly mortgage payment of say £700 on an interest and capital repayment basis.

In poor households (about 6 million), one spouse earns £18,000 a year with effective tax NI burden of 24.25% and net monthly pay of £1,254.81; and the other spouse part time, earns £9,000 per year (tax burden 3.67%) and net monthly pay of £737.48. Combined say £2,000.

In lower middle class families (a further 6 million) one spouse £27,000, tax & NI burden 31.43%, net monthly pay £1,764.81; the other £18,000 per year, net monthly pay £1,254.81. Combined say £3,000.

There is no way these two groups (50% of population) can afford to pay the monthly mortgage repayment even on the cheapest low specifications new built or old residential property. They simply would not have savings for the other 20% deposit, nor a monthly surplus to repay the mortgage. If the salary were £36,000, tax & NI burden is 35.02%; £72,000 37.80%, ££144,000 38.73% and £288,000 39.19% respectively. Net monthly pay £2,275; £4,470; £8,920 and £17,820 respectively. These two groups probably also own several buy to let properties. They will take advantage of the housing subsidy.

Mr Cameron should scrap the entire housing subsidy project urgently. He should also introduce a progressive system of taxation prevailing in other countries: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40% in income bands; not just 20 and 40% which is a regressive system.

Detention of Swami Ramdev in London, speaks volumes about misinformation regarding the visit/ false accusations on Swamiji via Red alert, notice reserved for terrorists/drug dealers. It seems that Indian High Commission failed to provide Consular assistance to Baba.

Thanks to Hon MP Keith Vaz’s timely intervention proving victory of British sense of fair play over India’s malafide intentions. Expecting young Hindu employee of U.K.’s Immigration Department to know about Swamiji is unfair. India’s icons are cricketers, film stars, owners of mausoleum, Taj Mahal and robber politicians.

Grandiose god-men have made no impact on youth of U.K. despite attracting crowds. Swamiji is strong force that strikes fear into incumbent UPA despite midnight attack on his campaigners, gagging him, litigation about land, imposing crippling tax/declaring his movement as non charity.

Indian government is short of devious means to hinder Swamiji’s popularity in India. Episode reveals devilish depths that India government can plunge by involving foreigners/washing Indian dirty linen abroad.

It reveals moral bankruptcy/cowardice of UPA government by using a stamp, invisible to naked eye/visible under scanner. If UPA government had strong case against Swamiji, it must have issued explicit warning without fear, or should have stopped Swamiji from leaving India.

A million dollar question is whether UPA government would have dared to act in similarly against patently anti Indian/anti Hindu persons/visitors to U. K. Remember, government assisted escape of Mr. Q and Union Carbide executive of Bhopal tragedy?

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Public Transport & Manners

Back in 2004, when I arrived from India, I was so much impressed to see people queuing up to get into the bus at most of the bus stops in London. No matter how many people there would be, the person waiting for long would get priority to enter the bus first.

I have recently moved to East London precisely in Ilford. Due to me staying near the high street, I experience the bus stops so much crowded. It is quite horrible most of the times how people contend to get into a bus. Some people would push one-another to get into the bus and they would on most occasions argue and shout at one another due to that! It seems so much disturbing.

On one occasion at Stratford, a lot of people were getting into a bus and I heard someone telling a person that “you are pushing me bro” and surprisingly the other guy responded rudely “So? Do you have any problem?”. This is not done at all. Where have all the manners gone?

Why is the current generation becoming so much rude and manner less? Take school kids for example; the way they behave in the buses, it’s quite irritating.

They speak so much louder and use foul language (swearing, slang, etc), it’s so disappointing. These needs to be addressed by their parents and at the school.

Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Carnage in Kenya

As Kenya begins three days of mourning for the victims of the Nairobi massacre, one wonders why this had to happen.

Having our roots in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the three East African countries, our heart cries out for those who are dead or injured. Most of us Asians living in the UK migrated from these countries and have friends and relatives still living there.

The official death toll stands at 62 and more than 170 injured. There are fears that the death toll will rise further as some of the 1,000 or so people who were inside the Westgate shopping complex when the attack began on Saturday are still unaccounted for. A government minister said that the terrorists who attacked the shopping complex in Nairobi were all men, but added that some were dressed as women. What is this world coming to? – If the natural disasters like the Tsunamis, earthquakes, flash floods and mud slides are not enough we have these man made disasters taking place today. Is it greed and envy making people acting in the name of religion? Why did this attack on innocent people take place or to put it in other words, would this happen again or would this create a trend for things to come in these developing countries? How safe

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Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Tibetan case

Tibetans have been disqualified for Indian passport on the basis of that they are non immigrants and refugees.

Unfortunately Tibetans are victims of greedy Chinese imperialism and Tibetans have no passports either.

Karnataka High Court passed favourable verdict to Tibetan petitioners and directed them to Home Office.

The second generation of Tibetans (who are born in India) decent, should not deprive their birth right to become Indian citizen.

Not long ago in our living memory and similar life and death situation we gladly received Parsis, Sri Lankan Tamils and Bangladeshis. So Tibetans cannot be a national threat.

Dr K R N Moorthy Handsworth would people be walking in the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa or Dar-es-Salaam?

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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

Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar as every year will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself. This year in the English section, we are doing something special for our young readers.

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

Or - if you an organisation, which has a youth wing or support youth activities, tell us how your young members or youth wing celebrates Diwali in 500-600 words with 2 pictures (in no less than 300dpi).

Last date of entry is Sunday 13th October 2013.

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

- Asian Voice

Violence and bloodshed

It is heartbreaking to learn about the mayhem that the people of Kenya faced.

After that I read about Nigeria, where 50 students were shot to death by alleged Islamist fundamentalists. Whoever that is, whatever be the religion, what is the reason behind such unjustified violence?

The killer claimed education is a symbol of Westernisation, hence brutally killed those students. How can education be a symbol of anything but knowledge and wisdom? Any man, anywhere would need education to get through life, regardless of religion and culture.

I have never been able to understand the politics and the tensions between countries in regards to power struggle.

But when I see innocent people dying because one religion disregards the other, I feel we are losing perspectives of the civilisations and lessons from our history.

Do people realise that bloodshed has never resulted in anything good? Look at Hitler, look at Gaddafi, look at Saddam Hussein, even look at Osama- what did they achieve at the end?

Jaya Sen London

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Indian origin medical student dies after being hit by train All’s fair in job hunting collecting some money and days and Father’s Day and An Indian-origin medical stuand recruitment leaving the house in Mother’s Day. dent from King’s College has

died after she was hit by a train soon after a row with a fellow student.

Anita Trivedi’s family fears she may have killed herself as a result of bullying at college.

A British Transport Police spokesperson said the death was not being treated as suspicious. An inquest into the death was opened on last Wednesday and adjourned.

Early on Wednesday afternoon last week, Miss Trivedi returned home from university distressed, having fought with a classmate after a seminar, he said.

She told her mother, Sangeeta, 50, and one of her brothers, Krishna, 20, not to answer the telephone, before

Newham, East London.

At about 3.30pm, she was killed by a train at Denmark Hill station, near the medical school campus.

When Dr Trivedi, 63, returned home later, he took a call from a member of staff at King’s College London who wanted to check on his daughter. “She told me there was an argument in the lesson and some violence by a classmate just after the seminar,” said Dr Trivedi, who did not learn of his daughter’s death until later that evening.

The Times reported that Dr Trivedi paid tribute to his daughter, saying: “She was beautiful, very pretty, she cared for everybody, she always remembered birth-

“She was everything. She was so good, so nice, so polite, so courteous. I miss her so much.”

He said he believed that his daughter had been bullied, although she had hidden it from him. Her father and tutors had reassured her that failing a year did not matter and was relatively common among medical students.

Friends were devastated by her death.

Students on her course also said they had heard that she had got into a fight with another girl during a break between lectures.

Some said a member of staff had come into a class later to ask whether anyone knew what had happened.

Anita Trivedi

The college did not respond to questions about the altercation or her father’s belief that she had been bullied.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her family and friends and we continue to liaise with the coroner’s office,” a King’s College spokesperson said.

Councils legally challenge Mayor of London on affordable rents Tower Hamlets Council has reportedly notified the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson that it intends to launch a legal challenge to protect genuinely affordable rents for its residents, following a decision made on 12 September.

Together with seven other London boroughs - Brent, Camden, Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Southwark - Tower Hamlets Council has given the Mayor of London formal notice that its intends to judicially review his decision to allow rents for new affordable housing to rise to up to 80 per cent of unafford-

able market rates.

Councils have historically set rent levels in social housing at a level that is affordable for local people. In inner-London this is typically 30-40 per cent of market levels.

The councils are fighting the Mayor’s plan, which they argue will mean local residents, vulnerable people and families on low and middle incomes will be priced out of large areas of London.

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, on the council website in a statement said: “I believe the Mayor of London’s decision to raise rents of new affordable housing to near-market levels is not only wrong, but unlawful.

“So, working together with other boroughs, we are going to court to seek justice for our residents.

“In Tower Hamlets, we are building more affordable homes than any other area in the country but this proposal will have a serious impact. We should be able to set rents that we know are genuinely affordable in our local area.”

Cabinet member for Housing, Councillor Rabina Khan, also added: “Tower Hamlets Council first submitted evidence on the affordable rent policies in the London plan back in November last year. Evidence from a landmark research

Mayor Lutfur Rahman

project which we undertook resulted in the Planning Inspector ruling in the councils’ favour but this has been ignored by Boris Johnson.

“This change to affordable rent levels will further impact upon the ability of vulnerable individuals and low income families to stay in our borough.

I strongly believe that these resi-

Cllr Rabina Khan

dents have the right to live in Tower Hamlets - this shouldn’t be a decision for the Mayor of London.”

The Mayor of London’s position is contrary to the advice of an independent Government-appointed Planning Inspector who recommended that boroughs should continue to set rents in their own areas.

Residents and businesses are invited to attend one of the biggest Career, Jobs and Training Fairs sponsored by the London Boroughs of Enfield and Haringey in October. The event aims to help local people find employment as well as giving companies looking to recruit within the boroughs the chance of finding first class employees. he event at Trinity-at-Bowes Centre Plus is the first organised jointly by Enfield and Haringey Councils and is taking place on Friday 18 October between 10am and 3pm.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Business and Regeneration, Cllr Del Goddard, said: “This is a great opportunity for job seekers and businesses to find suitable jobs and employees and will greatly benefit both parties. We are determined to do all we can to tackle unemployment and provide businesses in this borough with the support they need to identify and recruit good quality employees who can help them flourish in the future.”

Former Stanmore college student awarded STEM scholarship A former BTec student at Stanmore College, has been awarded a scholarship to study Computer Science at the King’s College, beating hundreds of other candidates.

The £30,000 STEM scholarship is awarded to students studying science, technology, engineering or maths to degree level.

Mayur took a two-year BTEC in IT networking in 2012, gaining a triple distinction star - the equivalent to three A*s at A-level. He decided to take a gap year before accepting his place at university, to save money and undertake internships in IT. He told Harrow Times: “I decided to apply because I did not want to come out of university in debt. My parents cannot afford to fund the course and I looked at the eligibility criteria and decided to apply. It is reassuring to know that universities are concerned about less privileged students having the chance to go to university and offer scholarships.”

Mayor meets local people from Ealing and Hillingdon The Mayor of London Boris Johnson met with people living and working in Ealing and Hillingdon at the latest community reception in City Hall last week. Those attending included representatives from local businesses, public bodies, voluntary organisations and faith groups, as well as cultural organisations, schools, and other community groups.

Minority ethnic communities, LGBT communities and disabled Londoners were also represented.

A talented young musician, who was awarded a scholarship by the Mayor of London’s Fund

for Young Musicians, performed at the event. 12 year old violinist James Lynch from the Hillingdon Music Service was picked from hundreds of students across the capital to win a place on the scheme. James will be playing the ‘Ashokan Farewell’ by Jay Ungar, which was one of his Grade 6 pieces.

The Mayor Boris Johnson said: “Our community receptions are a fantastic opportunity for a huge range of people from local boroughs to come together and talk about what’s important to them.

“I am delighted to welcome people from Ealing and

Hillingdon to City Hall, who represent all the exciting business initiatives, social opportunities, talent and diversity that exists in the area. Every borough has a role to play in the future prosperity of our city and we all need to work together to face the challenges ahead”.

Since 2008 the Mayor has hosted 18 community receptions, part of an extensive programme of engagement with Londoners which also includes two People’s Question Times a year and monthly twitter sessions.

(Pic courtesy: Colin Patterson)

Boris and 13th Southall (Sikh) Scout Group

Harrow looks for more Asian foster carers Harrow Council has been urging for more people of Asian descent to come forward as foster carers.

Harrow has one of the largest Asian populations in London and currently 19% of children in foster care are Asian, compared to only 6.7% of foster carers.

Where possible, the Council looks to match children with families of the same ethnic background and religion so the child feels comfortable and can have a positive sense of their identity.

Harrow Council believes a lack of understanding about what fostering is, the support on offer and who can be a foster

carer is preventing people from coming forward. They include misconceptions that you cannot foster if you are single, unemployed or do not own your own home. The Council is launching an information campaign among the borough’s Asian community leaders and faith groups to overcome those barriers.

Harrow Council Portfolio Holder for Children and Families Cllr Zarina Khalid said: “We are always looking for foster carers of all backgrounds to provide a loving and supportive family environment in which children can flourish.

“However, in recent years it has become clear that there are far more Asian children in care than Asian foster carers. We have been looking into the reasons why and it is clear that people have not considered the idea because they don’t think they are eligible. Our foster families say fostering is the most rewarding thing they have ever done.

We want people to know they have the same opportunity to change a child’s life.”

Sejal Barot, 38, currently fosters two children in Harrow and has been fostering for four and a half years.

She said: “I knew nothing about fostering before I first heard about it and decided I wanted to do it. My friends and family were shocked when I first told them I was a foster carer.

They were very curious and asked lots of questions. I think it would be great to see a lot more Asian people become foster carers, as it is very rewarding and you are doing a great thing to help a child.”

Foster carers provide a safe and secure home to children, either on a long term or short term basis. There are 175 Harrow children in care at the

moment and the council has 58 fostering households (single carers or couples). The number of children in need of a placement at any one time can fluctuate.

There is a need for carers who can look after siblings, and take mother and baby placements. Foster carers receive a weekly payment, comprehensive and continuous training and ongoing support from social workers. Each carer has their own dedicated supervising social worker and there are monthly support groups and a network of other carers to offer help and support.

12

MEDIA WATCH

The mouse has roared. A hitherto anonymous Rahul Gandhi stormed into the Delhi Press Club and set off a cyclone. The Congress Vice President damned the Congress-led UPA government for introducing an Ordinance to override a recent Court judgment that MPs convicted of felonies and serving time in prison would be banned from taking their seats in Parliament, prohibiting the Rahul Gandhi tainted legislators from seeking election to the House again. It was the latter part of the court injunction that the government sought to overturn by its Ordinance. Putting the cat among the Congress pigeons or, if you prefer, taking the Congress bull by the horns, Mr Gandhi denounced the Ordinance as “complete nonsense. It should be torn up and thrown away….If we make these small compromises, then we compromise everywhere,” he thundered. The shock and awe statement is certain to reverberate through the corridors of power and beyond and the fallout will surely be awaited with bated breath by politicians of every hue. (Times of India, Economic Times, Telegraph, Hindu September 28) Phony war over The phony election war, possibly, is over. Issues and principles, rather than incessant personal attacks may hopefully take centre stage. Which will be a blessing for TV audiences and wider public, grown accustomed to brawls and scrimmages in studious and in Parliament, and have long yearned for robust, reasoned debate as part of the political discourse. Facts and figures should cease to be victims of fake verbal encounters. So let us start the ball rolling by drawing attention to the country’s Atomic Energy (IAE) chief, Dr R.K.Sinha’s recent statement that, India’s nuclear reactors were working to 90-plus per cent capacity, where they had once declined to 50 per cent capacity because of the international ban on exports of nuclear fuel to an India crippled by a shortage of uranium. The impasse of India’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was resolved by the Bush administration’s waiver, inducing the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) in Vienna to follow suit. The situation looks so promising now that the IAE, said Dr Sinha, was projecting 63,000 MW of nuclear power by 2032 (Times of India September 22)

Question for Narendra Modi Why did the BJP join hands with the Communists to scuttle the Indo-US nuclear energy deal in Parliament in 2008 with a no-confidence motion, especially when every major Indian sci-

entific expert supported it in the national interest, as did Brajesh Mishra, former BJP prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s principal aide ? Will Mr Modi adhere to the agreement and support a pro-active nuclear energy policy for India, if he were to become prime minister after the next general election in May 2014?

India, Venezuela for closer energy ties India and Venezuela are set to forge closer ties with new oil and gas deals. Talks in Delhi between visiting Venezuelan Minister Rafael Ramirez and

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Manmohan Singh

ing a roadmap….. We are asking for more oil fields and more crude.” Minister Ramirez said his country had a contract to supply 400,000 barrels of oil per day to India, recognizing that, “India has a huge refining capacity, which is designed to process medium and heavy crude oil, exported to various Indian companies. If the Indian companies want to increase participation in the Caribobo-1 project I would welcome it,” he said. The project in the Orinoco heavy oil belt is one of the country’s most promising fields and requires a great deal of foreign and domestic investment for its further development.

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) imports 300,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil for processing at its twin refineries in Jamnagar in Gujarat. It now wants to increase these volumes to 400,000 barrels per day. Other Indian refineries for Venezuelan oil are located at Bhatinda in Punjab and Paradeep in Odisha (Hindu September 25).

Iran oil If international sanctions against Iran were to be lifted, following the friendly exchanges between Presidents Obama and Hassan Rouhani, India would

court over his disputed birth certificate and a desired year’s extension in office. A former governor of Jammu and Kashmir LtGeneral S.K. Sinha issued a statement saying that it would have been fit and proper for the government to have sacked the recalcitrant general. He was echoing what Brajesh Mishra ( the senior-most Vajpayee aide) had said shortly before his death. General Sinha dismissed General Singh’s claim that the army had been funding political activities in the state through NGOs. Sarpanches in the valley

General V.K. Singh

castigated General Singh for putting their lives at risk by his ‘irresponsible’ allegations.

Joint statement

Eight former army chiefs in a joint statement at the weekend averred that “no funds were ever provided by the army to any politician, political party or any NGO,” during their tenures, nor would they have allowed that.

The signatories to this statement were: “Generals O.P. Malhotra, S.F. Roderigues, Shankar Roychowdhury, Ved Prakash Malik, S. Padmanabhan, N.C.Vij, J.J.Singh and Deepak Kapoor (Telegraph September 28).

India-Russia ties

Venezuelan Minister Rafael Ramirez with Indian Oil Minister Verappa Moily

India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Verappa Moily went exceedingly well, with both sides eager to take their countries’ relationship to a higher level. Mr Moily told reporters that “Indian companies will visit Venezuela on October 7-6, and have concrete proposals worked out. We have excellent relations with Venezuela, which we want to deepen further. We are prepar-

stand to gain from larger volumes of imported Iranian oil.

V.K. Singh blasted India’s previous Chief of the Army Staff, General V.K.Singh has been roundly blasted by his peers for having brought the army into disrepute by his decision to take the government to

A seminar entitled, “Russian-Indian Relations: Achievements and Perspectives,” held recently in Delhi, involved a wide range of Indian and Russian participants, from former diplomats, presentday academics, businessmen and security experts.

Russian Charge’ d’Affairs Denis Alipov traced the time-tested IndoRussian relationship from its inception in the Soviet era to the post-Soviet Putin period. Its flowering, he said, was enshrined in the defining IndoSoviet Treaty of Friendship of August 1971, which saw India through the difficult crisis over the Bangladesh Liberation War, and has since been the bedrock of the Indo-Russian strategic partnership. The latter was based on two seminal documents: the first, signed on

January 3, 1993, the second, The Declaration on Strategic Partnership, October 3, 2000, on President Putin’s first visit to India, having taken up his post earlier in the year.

Former Indian foreign secretary and ambassador to the Russian Federation was the star speaker from the Indian side.

One sentence in his speech summed up the essence of the partnership: “I cannot think of any country that would have leased us a nuclear submarine .”

Defence cooperation, he averred, constituted the core of the India-Russia relationship.

(Russia-India Report , Moscow September 15))

Vandalized School reopens

The Christ Girls’ School in north Kolkata, which was vandalized a fortnight ago has reopened, much to the satisfaction of pupils and parents. But mob rule in West Bengal continues apace. The Ramkrishna College of Technology and Engineering at Belur, near the famous Mandir, suffered a similar experience, with monks cowering under tables and chairs as a crowd ran amuck, destroying everything in sight. A similar institution in the heart of Kolkata saw irate students barricade the college gates over a grievance.

West Bengal Governor M.K.Narayanan convened a meeting of school and college principals to chalk out appropriate plans to restore pupil and staff discipline.

Son to return for Durga’s blessing

Avijit Halder, 22, may be making waves in Hollywood, but he remembers the hard times growing up in a deprived red light district of Kolkata, where his mother, a sex worker, had to provide for her eight siblings.

Even as a 12 rear-old, Avijit had a way with cameras. A pair of visiting American documentary filmmakers visiting the slum in search of material were so struck by Avijit’s snapshots of Sonagachhi, some poignant images of his own home, that they arranged funds from a well known children’s charity for the boy’s education in New York.

After graduating from New York University, Avijit Halder moved to Hollywood to acquire the finished skills of his craft, being eventually taken on as an Assistant Director in Dan Barton’s musical “Basmati Blues,” which tells of exploited Indian rice farmers resisting the commercial might of a US genetic company. Donald Sutherland and Brie Larsen, both icons of the screen, star in leading roles.

Amidst the glitter, Avijit pines for his mother and grandmother, for the Durga Puja festivities back home.

The Mother Goddess awaits her son’s homecoming with joy and blessings.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

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The British Sikh Association pays tribute to Drummer Lee Rigby The British Sikh Association (BSA) hosted its most memorable Annual Dinner at the SAS Radisson Portman Hotel, Portman Square, on 26th September 2013 to pay tribute to Drummer Lee Rigby who was brutally murdered in a terrorist attack on 22nd May 2013.

Homage was also paid to the armed forces for the supreme sacrifices they pay for the protection of our liberty.

The Guest of Honour was Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe QPM, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service and Chief Guest Mr Sukhdev S. Sidhu, Minister Coordination at the Indian High Commission, UK. Special Guest, Shri Madan Mohan Mittal, Minister for Social Security & Development of Women & Children, Health & Family Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs of the state of Punjab who was awarded the Jewel of Punjab Award.

Over 450 elite guests attended this glittering dinner which included: Mr Richard Harrington MP, Member of Parliament for Watford & Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party; Ms Chloe Smith MP, Member of Parliament for Norwich North and Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Mr Paul Uppal MP, Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West; Major General Bob Nitch, General Officer Commanding Support Command; Commodore Andrew Cameron, Chief Executive of the Charity Combat Stress; Lt. Col. Bob Christopher, Commander of the Central Volunteer Head Quarters Royal Artillery & Woolwich Station; Mr. Simon Woolley, Director of Operation Black Vote; Mr CB Patel, Chairman & Editor of Asian Business Publications Ltd., Mr Ramniklal Solanki CBE, Founder & Editor in Chief of the Asian Media Marketing Group; H.E. Mrs Asta Skaisgiryte Liauskiene; Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The event started with a spectacular dance performance by the Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan group who gave guests a flavour of traditional Indian dance with their array of bright and vibrant colours. A mesmerising two part performance was given by the ‘The Band of the Royal Life

Dr Rami Ranger, British Sikh Association members and dignitaries presenting a cheque to Commodore Andrew Cameron of Combat Stress.

Guards’ who gave a strong presentation and a great sense of British pride; the performance left the audience spellbound.

Dr Sukhbir Kapoor OBE, Secretary General of the British Sikh Association, in his introductory speech mentioned that the Sikh holy scriptures talk about a universe brotherhood and that we are children of one God. The Sikh scripture advocate love for one another and our creator.

Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Chairman of the British Sikh Association, spoke about “religion being a force for good that should be used to unite and not divide mankind”. He made a noble speech on the role of religion and how it should be used to help lead a life of high morals and not to turn people into murderers and killers. Dr. Ranger’s speech was followed by a minute’s silence in memory of Drummer Lee Rigby.

Mr Simon Woolley, Director of Operation Black Vote spoke about the importance of doing good for one’s community and society and thus portraying ones community in a wonderful light.

He admired Dr. Ranger’s hard work, drive and passion which is evident in the work he does for the Sikh Community and referred to him as a role model for others to follow.

Lt. Col. Bob Christopher; Commander of the Central Volunteer Head Quarters Royal Artillery & Woolwich Station, Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, said that he was grateful to the BSA for recognising the work of the military and post Drummer Lee Rigby’s death he had been trying to educate the public about the role of the military.

Mr Sukhdev Sidhu praised the work being done by the

British Sikh Association by promoting the message of Sikh Gurus for mankind. He quoted Philosopher Bertrand Russell’s quote, “If some lucky men survive the onslaught of the third world war of atomic and hydrogen bombs, then the Sikh religion will be the only means of guiding them. When asked, isn’t this religion capable of guiding mankind before the third world war? He said, Yes it has the capability, but the Sikhs haven’t brought their splendid doctrines in broad daylight”.

Member of Parliament for Norwich North; Ms Chloe Smith MP, spoke about how delighted she was to be at the event and how the Sikh traditions and values stretch to all corners of the country including her own constituency. Member of Parliament for Watford, Mr Richard Harrington MP, said he was humbled by the warmth the Sikh community extends to him and how he appreciates the Sikh values in today’s society. He was particularly grateful to the Sikh community in Watford for extending him a welcome during his election campaign.

The Guest of Honour, Sir Bernard Hogan Howe QPM, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service spoke about how he felt humbled at being asked to attend the British Sikh Association Annual Dinner and have the opportunity to share his experience with British Sikhs. He urged member of the audience to encourage their future generations to join the Police and serve their community, he added that a career in the Police was amongst the most rewarding.

The Sikh Jewel Award was given to those who brought honour to their community and country through their lives and

Sikh man suing bank for race and religious discrimination A devout Sikh is suing his former bank for over £50,000 after colleagues had allegedly interfered with his turban and reportedly asked him whether it 'flashed red in an emergency'.

Harminder Dhanota, 42, pictured, claims he was verbally and physically abused by work colleagues at the London office of Saudi Arabia-based bank Samba Financial Services.

He claims that workmates would dislodge his turban and put a sticky note saying ‘Sign here’ on the back of it when he was not looking.

Mr Dhanota told a tribunal that his boss Jack Tanna also allegedly insulted his religion by showing him porn on a mobile phone and boasted about organising prostitutes for his 'dirty Arab' business associates, reported the Daily Mail.

Married father-of-three Mr Dhanota said that Mr Tanna also offended him by asking him whether he was 'shagging' female colleagues.

Mr Tanna would also allegedly punch his arm, twist his fingers and whack him on the hand with a ruler, making him cry out in pain.

Mr Dhanota says that after he began to complain about his mistreatment, he was axed from his £37,500a-year job in October last year on grounds of poor performance.

The IT manager of Chadwell Heath, Essex, is suing the bank for race and religious discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation. He is seeking £56,825 for loss of earnings and injury to feelings.

Samba Financial Group strongly denies all Mr Dhanota’s allegations and is vigorously contesting his claim. The case continues.

by living up to the ideals of their Gurus.

The first award went to Mr Ravi Gidar, who has made significant contributions to the care of the elderly across the UK. Mr Ravi Gidar was honoured to receive recognition from his own community and talked about the Sikhs belief in integration, and its importance in the community.

The second award was given to Dr Pooja Dassan who has devoted her career to helping pregnant women with complex neurological problems. Dr Pooja Dassan felt humbled and talked about the second and third generation Sikhs doing well in the field of Law, Medicine and Politics. She also talked about the Sikh ethos of hard work and education instilled at a young age which encourages the young generation to take full advantage of opportunities.

The third award was given to Professor Jaspal Singh Kooner, who is widely recognised as one the world’s leading clinical cardiologists and clinician scientists. Professor Jaspal Singh Kooner, when accepting his award said heart disease is a common issue in the community and he will continue to work hard in-order to educate and inform of a better standard of living.

The fourth award went to Mr Paul Uppal MP for working tirelessly for his Wolverhampton constituents and being the first Sikh Conservative Member of Parliament. He talked about the importance of educational excellence given to children, so that they can get a good head start in life.

The Honorary Jewel of Punjab Award was given to Shri Madan Mohan Mittal. Whilst accepting the award Shri Mittal spoke about being honoured by the BSA and how he was proud

Mr Paul Uppal MP receiving the award from Sir Bernard HoganHowe QPM

to be born in Anandpur Sahib the birth place of Sikhism. He added that the Sikh principles go further by encouraging the integration in your adopted country and by making a name for yourself within that community. He closed by stating that he will present the award to Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab State, India.

Commodore Andrew Cameron, Chief Executive of the charity Combat Stress spoke about the hard work by volunteer groups who have given up their free time to help traumatised ex-military soldiers make a full recovery and help them integrate into society after serving time at war. This was followed by an insightful presentation about the noble causes of Combat Stress.

After the presentation Dr. Rami Ranger joined Commodore Andrew Cameron and made a sincere appeal for guests to show their true Sikh sprit and give generously to a noble cause of which more than £10,000 was raised for the charity, Combat Stress.

The Vote of Thanks was given by Interfaith & Charities Secretary, Dr. Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal who thanked the top table and hoped the evening had given them a good insight into the faith of Sikhism. He personally thanked all management and staff for making the Annual Dinner a success. A Special thanks was given to all the sponsors of the event including Punjab National Bank (Intl.)

Ltd. The Audio & Visual services on the night were courtesy of Ritzy Music and the delicious food was provided by Laguna Banqueting.

Visesh Gosrani appointed to the Board of Asta Managing Agency - Lloyds of London Visesh Gosrani (currently Deputy CRO and a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries) is appointed as Chief Risk Officer (CRO) to succeed Helen Westcott with effect from 1 October. Visesh will also join the AMA board.

Visesh qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 2005.

He read Business Mathematics and Statistics at the London School of Economics (LSE) and commenced his career in 2000 with PwC. He spent the first ten years working as a consultant specializing in non-life insurance before joining Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance as the Actuarial Leader for Europe from where he joined Asta in 2012.

Asta, the leading third party manag-

er of Lloyd’s syndicates with over £700 million of underwriting capacity under management, has announced organisational changes and senior appointments. The changes will enhance Asta’s ability to meet its regulatory responsibilities as a Lloyd’s Managing Agency while pursuing the business development objectives of the Asta Group.

This week, paid subscribers of Asian Voice will receive a free copy of the Asian Achievers Awards Post Event Magazine along with their newspaper

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Community celebrates forthcoming Navratri

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This year's Anand Mela, organised by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar for the third time, saw thousands of people visit Kingsbury Primary school, enjoy shopping for the forthcoming Navratri and Diwali festivals later this month and enjoy their favourite music and Indian food and drinks.

The 'Anand Mela' promises to display diverse colours of Indian culture especially Gujarat by bringing people together in a festive ambience where everyone can enjoy food, music, dance etc.

The mela was divided into stall zones for food & drink, education and entertainment,

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Health & Medical, Travel & Tourism, Property & Investment, Banking & Finance, Fashion & Wedding and many more. Visitors had the opportunity to indulge in endless fun, do some shopping, enjoy the day's entertainment, eat some tasty food, meet near and dear ones or dance to one's favourite songsold and new.

The entertainment over 2 days included classical and old film songs by Maya Deepak and Vinod Patel, stand up comedies

by Sudha Bhatt and Bhanubhai Pandya, Bhajans by Shivali, Bollywood songs by Navin Kundra, Hemina Shah, Avina Shah and Kishan Amin. Other

Manorma

Manorma is a performing artist (Actress, Singer/Song writer & Indian classical Kathak dancer) living in London UK. She comes from a very artistic family background and has had the biggest inspirations from there.

She has had a variety of training experiences and opportunities in the arts such as: A Bachelors degree (BMus) in Indian classical Music (vocal) from Trinity College of Music, she has trained in Kathak Dance and has learnt Ballet as part of her education in School from the age of five years old. She touched upon Western Classical & Jazz music and also loves learning World folk music. Manorma had her Acting training from LAMDA and City of Westminster College.

Kishan Amin

Debut single ‘Kabhi Na Jaana’, Kishan’s soulful vocals create the perfect blend in this engaging cover enriched with various live instruments. His debut song releases just around the corner, Kishan is already generating a lot of interest both in the UK and across India and is tipped to be the next big Bollywood artist emerging from the UK. Backed with intense training in Hindustani Classical Music from a young age, he has attained the versatility to sing in many different styles and genres, be it Sufi, devotional or Bollywood. Now as the latest member of international entertainment group Eastern Illusion, Kishan prepares to take the Asian music industry by storm in 2013 and continue to connect with a wide range of audiences with his charming character and of course exquisite voice.

Panchamukhee

Panchamukhee (a Sanskrit word literally meaning ‘five faced’, a metaphorical representation of multiple dimensions or facets of life) is a non-profit association that was founded in London in 2006 by a group of like minded enthusiasts. The key objectives of Panchamukhee are to promote the arts and cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent. The Annand Mela performance portrayed a few of those myths and mythologies surrounding the Durga Puja or Vijaya Dashami festival which is celebrated on the 10th day of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashvin. They danced to Shiva, Lakshmi and Durga.

Maya Deepak

Maya is a versatile light vocal artiste devoted to music, a renowned name among the musical circles of Gujarat.

Hailing from an educated and cultured family of kadi in Mehsana District of Gujarat, Maya’s love for music was nurtured by the family.

At an early age of 8 years she began her training in Hindustani Classical Vocal accomplishing her graduation (Sangit Visharad) and Bachelor of Education (Sangit Visharad and Bachelor of Education (Sangit Visharad) in Music in 1984 topping the merit list in Gujarat. Maya is an auditioned artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan since 1987.

Avina Shah

British born Hindi singer Avina Shah has been making headlines in the UK Asian Music scene since the release of her charity debut single ‘Tere Bina’, which supported the fight against domestic violence and touched many hearts. Often described as a fresh multi-talented artist who captivates the crowd with her infectious stage presence, Avina is certain to have the crowd up on their feet with her up-beat single “Dil Deewana” and many other popular Bollywood tracks.

Avina’s vocals cater for a vast range of audiences, including listeners of Bollywood, Pop / RnB music, as well as Punjabi and Gujarati songs. She has worked as an independent artist recording albums, for commercial as well as promotional purposes. To support her talent, Avina has also taken intense voice culture and classical vocal training in India.

Her videos have created great excitement across the media, garnering over 1 million views online and thousands of fans worldwide. As a professional singer, Avina

performances included bollywood dance and workshop by Archana Kumar Academy (AK Academy of Dance - Bollywood dance), Odissi performance by Urbi Basu's students from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Patriotic dance by Anoopam Mission, Bollywood dance by Honey Kalaria's students, Mahishashur Mardini by Panchamukhee organisation, Kathak recital by Manorma and Bollywood dance by Federation of Patidar Association.

Local Councillors, community leaders and business tycoons were present in the morning of 28th September to interact with the guests, stall holders and light

diyas during the inauguration ceremony.

The fund raised through ticket sales and raffle was donated to our nominated charity for the mela- Healing Little Hearts, that helps poor children with fund for heart operations in India.

Healing Little Hearts (HLH) was launched in 2007 with the primary objective of treating children with heart defects in India. HLH sends Specialist medical teams of doctors and nurses, every 4 to 6 weeks to Mumbai, India to perform lifesaving operations for children who cannot afford treatment or die whilst on a waiting list. Their mission is to give as many chil-

PERFORMERS AT ANAND MELA

has performed in various locations within the US, Canada, Europe, Africa and Middle East. With her songs regularly airing on leading Asian Radio stations and TV Channels both within the UK and internationally, Avina’s ‘angelic vocals’ and songs have received incredible support from the public, promising a bright future as the young star sets to release her next few singles in 2013.

Archana Kumar

AK Bollywood Dance is a fresh dynamic dance group, bringing dance to you, with an impact.

They specialise in Bollywood dance and fuse it with a variety of other forms such as classical, traditional, modern contemporary and hip hop. They are based at Northwick Park Play Golf, where their upbeat and exhilarating dance sessions run on a weekly basis, perfect for the striving beginners to the advanced professional dancers. Their Anand Mela performance included performers Karishma Patel, Reeya Patel, Payal Punja, Jinisha Haria, Nishma Unalkut, Meera Maru, Keya Maru, Rajkumar Patel, Archana Kumar, Aaryan Kumar and Tia Kila.

They believe in being a community more than a business. Their students are their friends and teaching and choreography has become more of a passion and hobby than a job. Teenage classes run every Saturday 10-11, kids classes run every Saturday 11-12, ladies classes every Saturday, free family brent classes run every Wed 1.30-2.30 (subject to having a child under 5 and living in Brent).

Hemina Shah

Hemina is a talented singer and performing artist originally from the UK, specialising in a range of different styles of Indian music including Hindi Bollywood, Hindi pop remixes, Bhangra, Garba, Fusion etc. Inspired by many top Bollywood singers and artists, such as Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, her music and voice caters for people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of her achievements throughout her music career include: Singing for a CocaCola television music advertisement, which has been playing in all Spanish speaking countries across the world.

Honey Kalaria's Dance Academy

Honey Kalaria and Honey’s Dance Academy performed at the Anand Mela and gave the audience a special entertainment show incorporating a range of different dance styles presented by Honeys Dance Academy which included Indian classical, Hip Hop, Gharba, Contemporary and even included an upcoming rap artist, SJ who performed live. Honey Kalaria, founder of Honeys Dance Academy, inspired the audience to appreciate 100 years of cinema by taking them down memory lane by sharing interesting information about the film industry ranging from dance style, music directors, legendary screen actors and its links with Hollywood.

Honey Kalaria, said, “The audience really appreciated the show, and were thrilled to see students as young as 6 years to professional dancers of all cultural backgrounds, showcase their talent.”

Honey Kalaria, a Dancer, choreographer and known more popularly as Bollywood Ambassador to the UK, has recently been involved in choreographing Bollywood Carmen for BBC3, staging a Bollywood Musical “17 Days aur Bollywood Spice” and conducting Masterclass workshops at venues such as The South Bank Centre.

Following on from the Anand Mela success, Honey’s Dance Academy has now joined forces with Asian Voice and Gujara Samachar to present a 2 hour Raas Gharba and Dandiya fun and interactive workshop for all ages, where Honey Kalaria and her trainers will teach you latest Gharba and Dandiya moves step by step.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s purpose is to preserve for posterity the tradition of Indian art and culture. The Bhavan was founded in Mumbai, India in 1938 and there

dren as possible the chance of life.

The medical teams are made up of dedicated doctors and nurses from the UK, Europe and Australia who give up their own time to help these desperately ill children. Since 2009 HLH has adopted a base in the Holy Family Hospital, Bandra and has begun a programme to train the local teams to be able to care for these children. The programme to date has trained over 60 local intensive care and operating theatre nurses.

To date HLH has operated on over 300 children with a success rate of 94%

are more than a 100 branches of the Bhavan in India. The Bhavan provides courses in music, dance, languages, drama, art and archaeology and yoga. Some nine hundred students attend our courses during the year.

Courses are taught at different leverls – open, diploma (5 years) and master. Individual training is available in order to advance students to the highest levels.

Bhanubhai Pandya Anoopam Mission

Bhanubhai Pandya is a well-known stand up comedian Anoopam Mission UK coordinates the organizations activities in the UK, Europe amd Africa and is located just west of the city of London. They hold Gujarati classes, Containers for Peace, Yoga Classes, Support of Charitable Causes and hold summer youth Camps. At the Anand Mela, they performed a special 'desh bhakti geet' or patriotic dance for He Matrubhumi Bhara with their gurus blessings. The performers were Aashka Ahvaryu, Ruta Bhabsar, Deniesha Dhokia, Shivani Kotecha and choreographer was Meghna Adhvaryu.

Vinod Patel

Vinod is a Gujarati classical singer who studied in Swaminarayan Gurukul, Gujarat. He had training of Music under the tutelage of eminent singer Shree Babubhai Andhariya of Kirana Gharana, rajko. He performs light and devotional music in Gujarati and Hindu.

Sudha Bhatt

Sudha Bhatt is a standup comedian and she is from Nairobi, and now lives in Oxford

Shivali

Shivali was born and brought up in the City of London where despite having a western upbringing she was familiar with shlokas and mantras at the tender age of 3.

At the age of 22 Shivali was signed by record label Sony Music BMG and was commended for being innovative in creating a niche market of modern contemporary bhajans. Shivali began actively involved in music with her producer Arjun Coomaraswamy at the age of 15. Both together created what would then become “The Bhajan Project” which is an array of devotional songs coupled with a fresh modern sound compromising of guitar, cello, tabla, western drum kit, strings and sitar. Shivali deeply desired to bring bhajans to the fore front of society and achieved this by modernizing them, however retaining their soulful nature. The Bhajan Project was nominated for two Global Indian Music awards. Shivali then went onto release Urban Temple by Eros Music in 2012, just two years after the Bhajan Project. Shivali and Arjun, the dynamic duo, truly challenged themselves with this album by pushing the boundaries and experimenting with sound.

Meera's Dance Academy

Meera Salat is a professional dancer who has been dancing for 16 years. She set up Meera's Performing Arts two and a half years ago and teaches Bollywood, Kathak and does Bollywood workouts as well. Her dance group have performed at numerous shows including a show for freedom fighters in India at the Watford Colleseum, a “Saavan” which was a student showcase of different types of rain through Kathak and Bo`llywood dance as well as performing at the Shreya Ghosal concert in May 2013.

Encee Arts

Encee Arts is an organisation aimed at making arts accessible to every individual. Encee Arts has been committed to promoting the arts since 1976, providing top quality performing arts and classes to the community in a newly furbished purpose-built facility. Through arts they aim to develop creative talent, build self-esteem and inspire confidence. They hold classes in Bollywood, Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Garba. The choreographer for Sunday's performance was Binal Trivedy and performers were: Freya trivedy, Shreena Mehta and Parina Naik.

UK

and Diwali through successful Anand Mela www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Bina Patel, Tanveer Mann, Rupanjana Dutta, Kokila Patel, Sarojben, Navin Shah (AM), Meena Navapurkar, Dr Prashant Bhimani, CB Patel during the deep lighting.

Mr Manu Ramji, Maya Deepak, CB Patel & Kokila Patel during the release of the CD - Navratri Songs by Mayaben

Navin Kundra

Avina Shah

Healing Hearts Charity Volunteers

Singer Vinod Patel

Hemina Shah

Entertainer Bhanubhai Pandya

Kishan Amin

Tilda Basmati Stall

The well-known singers and musicians Akhil, Rikhil & Maya Deepak

Sat Singh

Shivani

Honey’s Dance Academy

Meera’s Performing Arts Manorma Joshi

Odissi from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Archana Kumar Dance Academy

Sudhaben Bhatt

Encee Academy, Federation of Partidar Association

Panchamukhee Organisation

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Group of Anoopam Mission, Denham, Uxbridge

Photo Courtesy: 1) Alpa Vadher from Alpha Photography 2) AARDE Photography Ltd 3) Raj Bakrania

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

I can’t dance in a two-piece: Nigaar Khan

Trisha - South In favourite child!

igaar Z. Khan, who is currently playing Gautam Buddha's schemN ing aunt in the historical show

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“Buddha”, feels that in TV, if you are appreciated for a particular role, you tend to get similar roles after that. Ask her if she is waiting to do a film and pat comes the reply, "I don't like to do films where they make you wear sexy little two pieces and dance around 20 people. I would like to stand out, so I am happy doing good roles on TV.”

risha has this addictive charm about her and has alw remained one of the few “effortlessly cool” actresses around. has never been a girl who’ll mince her words and try to be polit ly correct. She’s not the one who is self-obsessed or seen insecur worried about what she’ll wear on the red carpet! Yes, Trisha is ferent. She has made a distinct mark for herself in South Indian ema and is probably the last of the superstar actresses in tinsel to This year she has reached another high by bagging an award for years of excellence in South Indian cinema” and being honoure the South Indian International Movie Awards in Dubai. Her po larity among her fans and filmy folks is undefeatable.

Kalki refuses to be Anurag's spokesperson

alki Koechlin, who has been in the news for her chilling K video on rape, has found herself

facing a volley of questions and attacks from the twitteratti.

And this time because her husband deleted his twitter account after being thrashed by the online community for his tasteless comments on 'The Good Road'. Fed up of dealing with the barbs directed at her husband, Kalki tweeted: "To those asking about AK's twitter account I'm not going to be his spokesperson. He needed to cut off from the net, respect his privacy pls."

Dilip Kumar discharged from hospital

egendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who was L recuperating at the Lilavati

Hospital in Mumbai, was discharged following improvement in his condition. The 90-year-old thespian was kept in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 10 days after he suffered a myocardial infarction (heart attack) on September 15. The veteran actor had undergone a heart surgery 14 years ago. "He is better and hence it was decided to take him home," sources close to the actor said.

Saif advises me to get married at 40: Soha

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ctress Soha Ali Khan, who has been in a relationship with actor Kunal Khemu for quite some time, says though her mother keeps asking her to settle down, brother Saif advises to take the plunge at the age of 40. Soha and Kunal recently moved into a new house and are living together but it seems marriage is not on cards yet. "My mother tells me every day I should get married and if I would have gone by her way then by now I should have had 20 children,” Soha said. On the other hand, brother Saif feels people should get married at 40.

Lifetime achievement Alisha wants Ajith award for Kamal Haasan alongside

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amil superstar Kamal Haasan will be honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the 15th Mumbai Film Festival to be held next month.

The Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) festival will present this award to the filmmakeractor for his immense contribution to cinematic excellence, filmmaker and chairman of MAMI Shayam Benegal said. Also, homage will be paid to late filmmaker Yash Chopra, Rituparno Ghosh and veteran actor Pran during the festival, which will commence from October 17.

Vidya Balan to return as IFFM face for third year

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is returning as the brand ambassador of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for the third year in a row. Her name was announced during the Victorian government's trade mission to India. The 35year-old actress is best known for her power packed performances in films like 'Parineeta', 'The Dirty Picture' and 'Kahaani'.

"The Victorian Coalition Government will extend its support for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne by one year, reinforcing the strong bond that exists between the Victorian and Indian screen industries," said Louise Asher, minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business.

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y far, the only woman bike racer and the fastest car racer India, Alisha Abdullah claims Ajith is her godfather. In recent interview, when asked when she would debut on silve screen, she expressed her wish to team up with Ajith on a film Alisha has been receiving numerous movie offers, but she is stil waiting for a project of her choice to happen. The racer had once met with an accident which she considers fatal, as she was advised to quit bike racing. "It was Ajith who motivated me. He is my godfather. Both of us being racers, I feel he will be able to understand me better, if I were to team up with him for a movie, smiles Alisha.

Ranbir Kapoor beats SRK's record

Ranbir Kapoor had unabashedly announced his plans to become the "number one" in Bollywood during a recent interview and he seems intent on the feat as he has now broken a record held previously

by Shah Rukh Khan.

SRK had gone out of his way to ensure that his last release, 'Chennai Express', had the biggest release ever for a Hindi film with 3,500 screens in India and 700 plus screens abroad. But now Ranbir has beaten the actor in the numbers game with “Besharam,” distributed

by Reliance Entertainment, which will be released in at least 3,600 screens in India, making it the biggest release in Hindi film history till date.

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Aishwarya to return to films with hubby Abhishek

ndia's

ways She icalre or difcinown.

“10 ed at opu-

ishwarya's return to the silver screen has been keeping the grapevine busy for a long time. While some A reports suggested that she may be paired with husband

Abhishek Bachchan in Himesh Reshammiya's remake of the 80s hit 'Masoom', earlier buzz about a special number by her in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Ram Leela' proved wrong.

But now its official, Aishwarya will return opposite husband Abhishek Bachchan in ad man Prahlad Kakkad's maiden directorial venture 'Happy Anniversary'. Kakkar said that the film, which also marks the return of producer Gaurang Doshi, explores the "anatomy of marriage."

"It traverses the ups and downs in a marriage and I plan to deal with the subject sensitively. We plan to start shooting in South Africa in the first month of 2014," said Kakkad. "It was Gaurang's call to cast Aishwarya. I am thrilled that I shall be working with her and Abhishek. Frankly, I wasn't sure if she'll say yes to our film. But she consented. And trust me, we are still celebrating," he added.

Priyanka Chopra is India's dangerous celeb online A

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Sonam to don swimsuit in Khubsoorat remake

Remember Rekha in Hrishikesh Muherjee's 'Khubsoorat', pigtailed and sari clad. Sonam Kapoor reprises the role in a contemporary retelling being produced by sister Rhea Kapoor but don't expect a coy leading lady this time around. The actress will don a swimsuit in her home-production and her character will be far from the original version. The actress had famously said that she doesn't have a 'bikini body' to flaunt but she is set to prove herself wrong. Sonam is working hard to make sure that her sultry stint goes well and has hit the gym with a vengeance.

ctress Priyanka Chopra has topped the list of the most dangerous celebrities in the Indian cyberspace this year followed

by Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, according to a study.

Priyanka Chopra knocked off former adult film star Sunny Leone, who topped the list last year. Sunny Leone dropped to the 9th position this time, in the study by security software maker McAfee.

Kareena Kapoor and Akshay Kumar were in the top five in the study which highlights how cyber criminals use celebrities to take advantage of fans seeking more information about their idols.

"In India where celebrities enjoy demigod status, cyber criminals often use their names to lure people to sites which host malicious software designed to compromise personal details and disrupt devices," McAfee India Centre VP Engineering (Consumer and Mobile Business Group) Venkatasubrahmanyam Krishnapur said.

Amitabh Bachchan honoured at SIFCC

T

he South Indian Film Industry honoured the stalwarts of Indian film Industry to commemorate the 100 years of Indian cinema in Chennai recently. President Pranab Mukherjee along with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha presented the medal.

Mega star Amitabh Bachchan, veteran actress Vyjayanthimala, lyricist Javed Akhtar and Sridevi were honoured amongst other legends for their contribution to the Indian cinema. While veteran actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Randhir Kapoor, filmmakers like Ramesh Sippy and Boney Kapoor were spotted attending the event. ''In what can be described as a most generous and considerate gesture, the South Indian Film Industry celebrates 100 years of Indian Cinema and decorates all the elders and legends of this profession, not just from the four prominent states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka - but from every region in the country.

From Assam to Punjab, to Maharashtra and Bengal ... what a humbling experience!” posted an elated Bachchan on his blog.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Financial Voice

Dear Financial Voice Reader, It is a rather uncommon week as for the first time in 17 years several parts of the US government have shut down after the Senate and the Congress failed to come to an agreement regarding raising the federal debt ceiling. This fact obviously has hurt the Dollar that fell against most major peers and reached a nine-month low against the advancing British Pound. Implications of this shutdown in US government sectors could have a significant effect on the American GDP as analysts estimate that this situation could cut Q4 economic output in the US as much as 1,4%, according to economists from Moody's Analytics Inc. Dollar will remain weak for the coming days but we feel that everything is going to be alright in the end for the US economy, it might take a minor hit in GDP but after a deal is reached the Dollar will rebound and move higher.

The Euro has spent last week into a range between 1.3470 and 1.3560 as economic news announced weren't able to further push the Single currency above this significant level. Economic conditions in the Eurozone still remain mixed and the Euro is only gaining enough ground due the weakening Dollar. The German elections were thought to cause enough friction to the currency market but since no developments have come yet on that front investors remain cautious on taking any sides right now.

The Pound however continues to climb higher taking advantage of the improvement shown on British economics and the withdrawal from Dollar long positions. Last week Bank of England's Governor Carney made it clear that he thinks that no more QE is justified for the UK economy as signs of recovery are very encouraging. I feel that the Pound still has some ground higher to cover as fundamentals and technical studies align pointing towards a stronger Pound.

The Japanese Yen is still hovering around the 98.0099.00 area as the government shut down in the US is weighting down on the currency pair. Investors remain vigilant for any major announcements made from the Bank of Japan on whether it will go ahead and introduce another round of QE. Their intentions are to weaken the Yen even further and drive it above the 100.00 mark but the situation at the US are not helping their cause.

Gold is making an effort to reach higher these past days but it appears to lack proper momentum to be able to clear the $1,350 level. Major players and hedge fund managers are increasing their long positions on Gold as they estimate that the continued QE stimulus in the US will send Gold higher in the coming period. That combined with investors' fears for a reduced GDP from the American economy due to the government shutdown could provide enough fuel for to spur a rally higher.

My free daily market newsletter to your inbox to all Asian Voice readers: www.investingbetter.com

Jet-Etihad deal gets Sebi green signal; no open offer required

Jet Airways' proposed sale of a 24 per cent stake to Abu Dhabibased Etihad has got Sebi's go-ahead after both carriers revised their deal to comply with conditions set by the markets regulator.

After studying the revised deal structure, Sebi was of the opinion that the Rs 20.58 billion transaction would not trigger a mandatory open offer for purchase of shares from public shareholders and Etihad would not be considered a promoter entity in Jet Airways.

However, Sebi has left it to the government to take a final call on the revised C o m m e r c i a l Cooperation Agreement (CCA) proposed by Jet and Etihad Airways, sources said.

The deal was

announced in April and has been stuck due to objections from regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the C o m p e t i t i o n Commission of India, as also other agencies, as it was deemed to yield significant control of the airline to Etihad.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board approved the deal in July with some conditions after both parties assured it that 'effective control' would remain with local promoters. The proposal will now be considered by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had also sought changes in the original deal.

Manmohan invites US companies to invest in India

Citing long-term opportunities in sectors like infrastructure and defence, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited US companies to invest in India while asserting that concerns about the country's growth prospects and economic policy environment are "mistaken".

Seeking to assure the foreign investors, he told US industry leaders that virtually all political parties in India have supported the process of reforms since 1991 which gives confidence about the future direction of the country's economic policies.

Singh made the remarks while addressing US CEOs forum. He acknowledged that India's growth had slowed down and touched five per cent from the average of eight per cent witnessed over the last decade but

expressed confidence that there would be a turnaround in the second half of the current fiscal because of steps the government has taken besides the good monsoon rainfall.

"I am aware that the business community in the US has some concerns about India's growth

prospects, macroeconomic stability and the economic policy environment.

Doubts have been expressed about our sincerity in this regard. This is a mistaken perception," Singh said in his opening statement to business leaders.

He said the government

is committed to "fostering an economic environment that is open, predictable and transparent" as well as investment friendly.

"The results of our efforts will be visible in the second half of the year. We expect stronger growth in 2013-14 than in 2012-13.

The second half of the year should see a distinct turnaround, partly because of the good monsoon and partly because of the steps we have taken," he said.

Singh acknowledged that in order to restore the high growth momentum and maintain macroeconomic stability, there is need for "more and not less reforms."

"We are committed to getting India back to a sustainable growth path of 89 per cent. Indeed the Indian people will not tolerate anything less," Singh said.

The Indian government allowed domestic companies to raise capital by getting listed and selling shares through foreign stock markets without being first listed on local exchanges or prior government permission.

The easing of rules is the latest in a string of steps that the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have launched in recent weeks to attract foreign capital to arrest a sliding rupee and contain current account deficit (CAD) - the difference between dollar inflows and outflows - that hit a record high of 4.8% of GDP in 2012-13.

The government has set a target to limit CAD to 3.7% of GDP or about $70 billion in 2013-14, down from $88 billion last fiscal.

The government and central bank had earlier imposed curbs on gold imports, put foreign exchange controls for companies and individuals and eased investment norms for a host of sectors such as telecom and high-tech defence.

"It has now been decided with the approval of the finance minister that unlisted companies may be allowed to raise capital abroad without the requirement of prior or subsequent listing in India," a

statement issued by the finance ministry said.

The capital raised abroad could be directed towards paying off existing foreign debt, or for operations abroad, including acquisitions, the statement said. This scheme would be implemented on a pilot basis for a period of two years from the date of notification. The impact of this arrangement will be reviewed thereafter.

If a company fails to utilise the funds raised abroad, it would have to remit the money back to India within 15 days. The money would be parked only in banks recognised by the RBI.

India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves jumped by $2.03 billion to $277.38 billion for the week ended September 20, the biggest weekly gain in nearly two years, on the back of concessional swap facilities offered to banks by the Reserve Bank of India.

The Forex reserve has increased sharply for the second consecutive week.

It had jumped by $544.7 million in the previous week. According to RBI’s Weekly Statistical Supplement, the country’s foreign currency assets, the biggest component of the Forex reserves, increased by $1.97 billion to $249.22 billion for the week ended Sept 20.

and sell account holders mutual funds and insurance when customers withdraw funds.

Bankers say ATMs have become the primary channel for customers' interaction. Yet, banks need branches to open accounts, perform 'know your customer' checks and to crosssell products to customers. The country's largest ATM supplier, NCR, is marketing its virtual teller ATMs in India.

Although bandwidth is a challenge, the company is confident of overcoming it

soon.

"The latest ATMs that we have accept cash deposits can double up as mini branches if a kiosk with internet connectivity is included," said Navroze Dastur, MD, NCR Corporation India. The ATMs are suited for opening mini branches in rural and un-banked areas where all new banks have to open one out of every four branches. A business correspondent attached to the ATM can take care of acquiring customers and sanction loans accounts while most of the routine functions, including printing out the transaction on the passbook, are done by the ATM. Besides, all the new machines have biometric scanners. This would

make it possible for banks to integrate with the Aadhaar database and do an eKYC check for the purpose of opening bank accounts.

The eKYC enables banks to verify the identity and populate their database with all information provided by the individual to Aadhaar. "The present 3G networks are adequate for performing a biometric verification.

More than connectivity, the challenge is power supply which is why we have machines with reduced power consumption that can run for long on UPS. We also have solar-powered ATMs," said Dastur. Among existing banks, ICICI Bank has already begun positioning ATM with kiosk as a minibranch.

Manmohan Singh

Unlisted Indian companies can now float shares abroad

India's Forex reserves jump

New ATMs to double up as bank branches in India

The ATM may well turn out to be the bank branch for the next generation of private banks that are expected to set shop in 2014 after being granted licences by the Reserve Bank of India.

ATM makers are targeting new banks with their latest offering - a machine that virtually doubles up as a branch.

The machine can count notes and sniff out the fake ones while accepting deposits, and use the same notes for withdrawals. The machine can perform cheque truncation - the process of settling cheque payments on the basis of cheque images. The ATM also has a virtual teller where an executive will videoconference from the bank's call centre and try

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

19

No Profit for the Doubting Thomas

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Last week Friday we resold a property we ourselves had exchanged on, on the 3rd September 2013. The property was purchased for £1.81m and as per usual we parted with £181,000, which was 10% of the purchase price. The resale price was actually low at £1.925m.

However we knew in order to meet the tight deadlines for completion and for someone to move quickly on this deal we had to leave meat on the bone in order to make it attractive.

The incoming purchaser was unlikely to be an end user, we were aiming at a developer. When you know the type of buyer you're trying to attract it is easier to package the deal. End users buy more emotionally whilst when you're aiming for an investor they want to see margin left in the deal.

We had a couple of investors whom we put the deal to who thought this deal was not a worthwhile deal to invest in. They felt the price was too high coming in. Interestingly these people also fancied themselves as 'people who know about property'.

Here’s where a little knowledge is a bad thing. They don’t know the area really, they don’t work in this patch day to day. They do not speak to agents on a daily basis. They do not know what the word on the street is. Yet they feel they can form an opinion and not trust those who do work in the field. These are the Doubting Thomases; as this is property many part time people tend to hide behind opinions for various reasons.

The results speak for themselves, they do not need any interpretation.

It is prudent to remember this property may not have sold prior to completion, however this too would not have been an issue. It was a shrewd developer who saw the value in this proposition and knew there was enough meat on the bone to make this an excellent investment. In short this was a three to six month deal and had a resell value of £3m in a location where prices are rising week on week. to achieve the maximum price; which from experience more than covers the completion costs, namely stamp duty and arrangement fees.

We were supposed to exchange on another property on the Friday as well, however the solicitor happened to be away and left no one else in charge. The lawyer's office held the funds and was ready to exchange.

Here we were also exchanging on the property without a mortgage in place. With an 8 week completion we were confident of getting an offer in on time. The client had already been credit scored, and had enough of an income coming in. We even went as far as calling the surveyor, just to double check the property from a valuation point of view. Everything passed fine.

The lawyer however had a bee in her bonnet regarding the client exchanging without a mortgage offer. Understandable in one respect, but there comes a point where the lawyer is more interested in protecting themselves than getting the deal done and in pursuit of this aim scarpers the deal entirely.

This was such a situation, despite having exchanged on a deal only a few weeks ago which didn’t have a mortgage in place. It seemed this policy is practised selectively. This solicitor decided to be particularly uptight about this issue. She decided to call the client in person to her office before she would agree to exchange. Even though we were under time pressure and even though she had written instruction from the client to go ahead and exchange.

In this situation the client had never bought a BTL property, hasn’t got a mortgage and has never seen the property she is purchasing. It’s a question of faith in contrast to the previous example.

When we presented this deal to our clients for investment the trading potential was not mentioned. What was mentioned was the purchase and redevelopment of the property with a view to resell with some generous time scales, meaning the time period is exaggerated to ensure the assumptions used are very conservative. The trade, if it happens, is always a bonus; though we had a fair idea of the exit plan prior to exchanging.

Charles Lane was a mews house in St John's Wood consisting of 1,745 sq ft. freehold, and a probate sale. It was exchanged on, on the 3rd September, for £1.81m and resold on the 27th September for £1.925m.

At this level there’s money left in the deal for the incoming purchaser.

An end user would probably not have the appetite to do this deal in terms of time and the financing required as most lenders do not lend on flips. They are nervous the property is being traded by the same person and there could be no personal money in the deal. They like to see 'hurt' money; meaning if it was 100% loan money it's easy for the purchaser to walk away from a deal.

In short from £181,000 a profit of £71,000 was made, net. This is a return of 31% on the money used over a two month period.

This level of return is attained with using a safe asset to underpin the transaction, even if we had to complete this would have been a good deal. Within six months this property would have been back on the market for a resell.

These are the types of deals we will be engaging in for our new fund which is currently open for investment, where we will be exchanging primarily on deals where we can see there is a resell possible prior to completion. Many of the investors from the St John's Wood deal will now be investing their gains into this fund.

Of course this does not mean we will always be able to resell on time, there may be deals where we will have to complete the transaction. All this does is alter the timings of when money comes out, but most times it gives the chance to sell the property properly, meaning full marketing

The client, even after the meeting, had no hesitation in proceeding with the deal. The property was an ex local authority, three bedroom flat in St John's Wood for £580,000. You may say this is very high for an ex local flat. However the word high is a relative term; it's not as high as it's worth currently, nor is it as high as it will go to in the near future.

The Real Deal

The property had some nice aesthetics which will help carry the price higher in the future. Firstly it is a pent house apartment meaning you have no floors above you; also it is south facing and has a balcony. The block itself is extremely well maintained, both the communal gardens and the exterior of the block itself. In truth the only give away is the concrete stair case and passage in the inside of the block itself. The location is only minutes away from St John's Wood station. Here the prices are heating up strongly.

Ex local make excellent Buy to Let; however you must be selective when purchasing. There are some blocks which look better and are managed much better than private blocks. The service charges tend to be very low and the lease length long. This means you will have a good rental yield coming in after expenses. From a tenant perspective the rental attracted is similar to what you would get in a private property; so you have a high rent with low costs.

This property with some light work will be worth north of £700k. It has the potential to look stunning, but if the aim is to rent long term then this may not be the best avenue to pursue, as the tenant is not likely to take care of the property as well as you would. However, when it comes to resell, this would be a good time at which to do up to the point where it looks like a show home.

Ealing, London, W5 - Purchase Price: £275k

l A one bedroom flat in a prime location of Ealing l Off plan purchase l Comparable properties just opposite this flat are being sold for between £400k to £450k l Close to proposed Crossrail station in Ealing l Realistic expected price of £325,000 on completion l Area is experiencing massive growth and regeneration

Call us now to reserve!

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

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

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week

l When flipping properties it is good to sell quickly, rather than holding out for the best price, so that you can rotate your funds into the next project. If you are getting 5 - 6% less than similar properties in the area, you should secure a sale faster. l While using mortgages for buy and flip deals, the most important fees are the arrangement fees and the exit fees, not necessarily the interest rates.

20

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

The Election Drum Beat

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

As we head ever closer to the elections, the parties are starting to lay their wares out to attract voters. Ethnic minorities have traditionally voted for Labour but as they have become more affluent they have veered towards the Conservatives. There are recent concerns that not enough attention is being paid to the ethnic vote by the Conservative party.

Certainly, in terms of immigration, visas are a common problem for Indians whether they are coming as visitors, to work or even to invest.

Immigration is an issue that will directly or indirectly affect the lives of immigrant families living here for, at least, up to the next generation. The Rules may be the same for everybody but they take on a negative tone when applications are made in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. During the last US elections, the contender to Obama lost heavily because of his failure to appreciate the importance of this vote.

This is a salutary lesson for Labour too. They are proposing a halt to lower skilled staff.

Surprising really, considering that this has is already the case and has been for the last few years. The other proposal is that

every employee transferred must create an apprenticeship for another. The reason for the transfer of staff from abroad is to fill a skill that is not readily available in the UK. Therefore their time will be spent on the job. Where are they going to find the time to train up a person? If they are able to do so, it must mean that there are others able to fill their job and therefore the skill is not in short supply after all.

The immigration debate appears to be led

by UKIP and their primary immigration policy is to play the race card and frighten the other parties into knee jerk reactions.

There have been polls that indicate that the public are concerned about immigration. The same study appeared to be unaware that restrictions imposed by the Government were already in place. It is not surprising given the daily onslaught of articles, usually scaremongering ones, which cumulatively cause a panic reaction, particularly during an economic downturn. The vote is a powerful tool which can make and break parties and Governments. It is also an opportunity to have your say. Use it and woe betide anyone who does not take the ethnic vote seriously enough.

United Breweries Group is in talks with a foreign investor in its bid to revive Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and a decision in that regard is expected in about 90 days, said Kingfisher chief Vijay Mallya. He said that Kingfisher Airlines is ready to pay one month’s salary to the now grounded airline’s employees on “humanitarian grounds”.

Mallya, who was speaking after the company’s annual general meeting said, “I am not at liberty to divulge further details as there are strict confidentiality clauses.

Media will speculate on it and the investor is very sensitive to the identity being revealed. Let’s really give it a good try to get Kingfisher Airlines restarted.”

“I have told the shareholders that this will take some shape in one way or other in 90 days. It (duration) could be longer or shorter,” said Mallya.

Mallya said that

Kingfisher Airlines has submitted multiple revival plans with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) but he has not heard back from the authority.

“However, we gather informally that they would like a full recapitalisation. In our current discussions with a potential investor, we are focussing on these things,” he added.

The carrier, grounded since October 2012, has not returned a profit from 2005 when it started operations and had run up accumulated losses of Rs 160.23 billion as on March 2013. Apart from its equity investment of Rs 20.95 billion in the airline, UBHL’s exposure includes loans and advances of Rs 23.59 billion besides corporate guarantees. The airline also has pending dues with aircraft lessors, airport authorities, tax authorities and on fuel bills with oil marketing companies.

Will revive Kingfisher Airlines in 90 days: Vijay Mallya

AirAsia India receives NOC from aviation ministry

AirAsia India said it has received the crucial 'No Objection Certificate' from the civil aviation ministry, with the Malaysian parent company's chief Tony Fernandes terming the development as "very exciting".

Though NOC was issued by the ministry last week, this was the first formal statement by the AirAsia CEO on microblogging site Twitter.

"I am thrilled to announce that Airasia India has received NOC approval from the government of India. Very exciting and hugely profitable," Fernandes said in a tweet.

With the NOC in hand, AirAsia India would now have to apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its Scheduled Operator's Permit (SOP or the flying permit), which is the final step before it can start its flight operations.

The DGCA grants the SOP after vetting the

Tony Fernandes

preparations of a start-up airline to launch flights by examining issues like availability of aircraft, manpower to operate flights as well as on the ground, aircraft parking space at airports and engineering facilities.

The NOC would also enable AirAsia India to import the first of the three aircraft to Chennai, which would be its headquarters. AirAsia India, a joint venture between the Malaysian airline AirAsia (which would own 49 per cent stake), the Tatas (30 per cent) and the Telstra Tradeplace owned by Arun

Bhatia (21 per cent), plans to start operations within this financial year itself.

The start-up airline had been granted security clearances by the Union Home Ministry last month. Currently, AirAsia operates in Thailand and Malaysia and connects Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Kolkata in India.

Tata Sons has recently announced that they plan to launch another airline in India with Singapore Airlines and have sent their own application to the FIPB for approval.

Tatas would own a 51 per cent stake in this venture.

AirAsia India, which was granted formal approval by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in April, currently has a fleet of three Airbus A-320 aircraft and over 200 employees, including pilots, engineers and ground staff.

AirAsia had submitted a request to start the joint

venture to launch AirAsia India in February this year.

In a statement, AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya said "This is the fastest an NOC has been granted and with this, we will focus on obtaining the Air Operating Permit. We will continue with our preparations and get ourselves ready for take-off once the Air Operating Permit is acquired."

He said the new airline would "look forward towards being one of the dynamic contributors to the development of the Indian aviation industry."

The statement said AirAsia India was "confident that it will be able to replicate the success of its counterparts in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, enabling people to fly affordably through superior operational performance by emphasizing a focused and disciplined cost structure which will tremendously benefit the Indian consumer."

The Reserve Bank of India is likely to complete initial scrutiny of 26 applications for new bank licences in a month, a senior RBI official said. Thereafter, the shortlisted names will be forwarded to the High Level Advisory Committee chaired by former RBI governor Bimal Jalan, the official added. Soon after Raghuram Rajan took charge as the 23rd governor of RBI this month, he had said that an external committee would be headed by Jalan to screen the 26 applications for bank licences.

“We are in the process of constituting an external committee. Bimal Jalan, an illustrious former governor, has agreed to chair it and the committee will be composed of individuals with impeccable reputation,” Rajan had said.

exports of goods declined by 1.5% to $ 73.9 billion in Q1 of 2013-14 as compared with a decline of 4.8% at $75.0 billion in Q1 of 2012-13. In contrast, merchandise imports recorded an increase of 4.7% at $ 124.4 billion in Q1 of 2013-14 as against a decline of 3.9% at $ 118.9 billion in Q1 of 2012-13, primarily led by a steep rise in gold imports in the first two months of the quarter. Data released by the central bank showed that India’s total external debt stood at $388.5 billion at the end of the June quarter, down $3.6 billion or 0.9% from end-March.

Easy central bank policy risks new crises: Rajan

Central banks risk sparking new crises by keeping their loose policy in place for too long, Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) head said.

Central bankers were "heroes" for restoring financial stability during the financial crisis, but it was not clear they could be called the same for restoring economic growth, Raghuram Rajan, the governor of RBI, said.

There is a danger of bubbles forming around the globe, due to easy monetary policy implemented to steer the world back into a more robust growth path.

"We seem to be in a situation where we are doomed to inflate bubbles elsewhere," Rajan said, adding he was not sure how effective a tool low interest rates would be.

"We should wonder whether lower and lower

interest rates are in fact part of the problem, I say I don't know."

Rajan, a University of Chicago professor before becoming the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, where he took office earlier last month, was attending an event to receive the Deutsche Bank Prize in financial economics.

In general, central bank stimulus risks letting governments off the hook, he said, warning against central bankers seeing

themselves as the ones who can solve all economic problems.

"When they (central banks) say they are the only game in town, they become the only game in town," Rajan said, in a speech at the award ceremony.

"We need to think of the dangers of over stimulation. We need to think of the sustainability of growth created by stimulus measures."

While admitting that he did not have the answer, Rajan pushed for more thinking on whether fiscal policy might work better than interest rates to get growth back to a sustainable path. It (interest rate tool) is very, very blunt ... targeted fiscal policy may be better," he said, but added that getting right fiscal policies in place could be difficult.

India’s current account deficit — or the difference between inflow and outflow of foreign exchange — for the quarter ended June 2013 moved up to $21.8 billion, or 4.9% of gross domestic product, according to data released

by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This is sharply higher than the $18.17 billion deficit (3.6% of GDP) reported in the quarter ended March 2013 but lower than the 5% expected by markets.

With the deficit being more or less in line with expectations, foreign exchange dealers said that the exchange rate would

now be driven by other factors such as fears of US government shutdown which is weighing on all global currencies. Earlier, before the RBI announced the deficit numbers the rupee closed against the dollar at 62.62 – down 12 paise from Friday’s close of 62.50. The rupee recorded its first monthly gain in five months and its best month in 12 months.

Bankers expect the deficit to improve dramatically in the quarter ended September 2013 due to a sharp drop in gold imports coupled with a pick up in exports. In a statement on the balance of payments

(BoP), RBI said that there was a slight drawdown in foreign exchange reserves of $300 million in Q1 to finance the deficit. In the quarter ended June `12, there was an accretion of $500 million to the reserves.

India’s balance of payments slipped marginally into deficit for the June quarter at $346 million versus a surplus of $2.68 billion in March quarter.

According to RBI, if gold imports of $7.3 billion were to be excluded, the current account deficit would have been only $14.5 billion or 3.2% of the GDP. On BoP basis,

Raghuram Rajan

RBI to finish scrutiny for bank licences in a month

India’s CAD up to 4.9% of GDP at $22b in Q1

FINANCIAL VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

21

Foreign Exchange

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

Pound continues to rally higher The pound continued to rally higher on Friday 27th September following well documented comments made by BoE Governor Mark Carney that he sees no further case for quantitative easing. The pound finished the day attempting to breach the most recent swing highs that we saw on the 18th September against both the euro and the US dollar UK GDP figures were revised higher from 0.5% to 0.7% in the second quarter showing a moderate pace of growth for the UK. However year on year growth fell shy of expectations showing only a 1.3% growth instead of 1.5%. Also the UK’s current account deficit failed to reduce as markets were anticipating and actually widened to £13bn in the last quarter.

UK mortgage approvals hit the highest levels since December 2009, rising to 38,228 in August; in another sign of revival of Britain’s housing market. However the data did fall short of expectations, potentially signalling that analysts are perhaps a bit too over-enthused about the growth prospects of the economy.

UK retailers enjoyed their best month since June 2012 with furniture and carpet stores being the main contributors. Every

carpet and furniture surveyed reported that retail sales were higher than a year ago, attributing the rise to an increase in activity in the housing market.

In the euro zone we had mixed data on Friday 27th September with economic sentiment at a two year high but consumer confidence dropping in September. On the political front, the crisis in Italy has made investors nervous with Italian 10 year bond yields rising to their highest in three months.

Whilst in Germany, the latest polls suggest that 48% of the population are in favour of a grand coalition between Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the main centre-left SPD party.

ECB President Mario Draghi announced possible plans for the central bank to reintroduce a new round of low cost loans known as long-term refinancing operations (LTRO’s) to financial institutions in the euro region.

Whilst this news could be seen as positive for the euro zone as the facility will enable more lending between financial insti-

GBP/EUR

tutions; from an investment point of view the facility would make the euro less lucrative as reintroduction LTRO’s will ensure low interest rates and inflation remains on target.

New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley defended the central bank deci-

sion to leave quantitative easing unchanged at US$85 billion in monthly purchases. Dudley stated that in his view the US economy still needs an accommodative monetary policy and thus changes in policy will be in line with how financial conditions evolve. Indeed earlier in the day, Markit PMI data proved this as an expansion in the manufacturing sector fell short of expectations for the month of September.

The US dollar continued its

run of losses as data on Friday 27th September failed to give any clarity over the direction of US monetary policy. Whilst personal spending and personal income rose in line with forecasts for the month of August, consumer sentiment fell more than expected in September; which is hardly surprising given the Fed’s decision this month for not tapering QE. The US dollar continued to weaken further to a nine month low against the pound following the announcement of a partial US government shutdown.

As a result, nearly 800,000 federal employees have been placed on annual leave with all non-essential services shut down temporarily. This could potentially hinder growth in the fourth quarter for the US and thus we could see the Fed persevere with its current monetary stimulus programme for longer.

The other factor lingering over the US dollar is that lawmakers still need to agree on raising the US debt ceiling to avoid a default after the 17th October, this could potentially also threaten the value of the US dollar if a default cannot be averted.

GBP/USD

GBP/EUR

Weekly Currencies

As of Tuesday 1st October 2013 @ 4.30pm

GBP - INR = 101.34 USD - INR = 62.55 EUR - INR = 84.66 GBP - USD = 1.62 GBP - EUR = 1.20

EUR - USD = 1.35 GBP - AED = 5.96

GBP - CAD = 1.67

GBP - NZD = 1.96

GBP - AUD = 1.73

GBP - ZAR = 16.33

GBP - HUF = 354.31

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22

PAKISTAN-BAGLADESH-SRI LANKA

In Focus

Pak quake toll mounts to 515

Arawan (Pakistan): The death toll from an earthquake in southwestern Pakistan has reached 515, a provincial official said, as insurgent attacks threaten relief efforts and survivors complain of lack of shelter from the scorching sun. Babar Yaqoob, the chief secretary of Baluchistan, gave the updated death toll as he toured the destroyed region of Awaran, where the 7.7 magnitude quake struck last week. Bodies were still being discovered in houses whose mud walls and wooden roof beams had collapsed.

42 killed as car bomb explodes in Peshawar

Peshawar (Pakistan): A car bomb exploded on a crowded street in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 42 people in the third blast to hit the troubled city of Peshawar in a week, officials said. The latest explosion appeared to have been a bomb planted in a parked car and detonated by remote control, said police officer Zahid Khan. It went off in a crowded market that is the city’s oldest bazaar near a mosque and a police station, officials said. Earlier, 85 people were killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of worshippers at a church in the same district.

Bangla sentences opposition lawmaker to death

Dhaka: Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal sentenced a senior opposition leader and lawmaker to death in the seventh such verdict by the body set up to probe abuses during the country's bloody struggle for independence. Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a legislator from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was found guilty of torture, rape and genocide during the war for independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Dawood, ISI to launch TV channel in Pak?

New Delhi: A new TV channel in the works in Pakistan is creating a lot of media buzz. No, it's not because of the fat salaries - houses and luxury cars included - it is offering or even the talent it is attracting.

It's because BOL channel network has a unique backer - Dawood Ibrahim - and the ISI's blessings. People closely involved with setting up BOL - set to go on air by the year-end - privately confirm the two main parties are the gangster-turned-terrorist and the spy agency. They say the ISI has adopted this strategy to counter an increasingly independent broadcast media.

Pak university fines girls for wearing jeans

Islamabad: A Pakistani university has fined girl students for wearing jeans on the campus, a media report said. The National University of Sciences and Technology made it compulsory for female students to wear dupatta and imposed a ban on wearing jeans in the university premises. The authorities, however, denied the report, saying they only instructed the students to wear "decent" dresses, the report added.

Sarabjit’s lawyer takes refuge in Sweden

Amritsar: Lawyer of Indian prisoner Sarbjit Singh who was murdered in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail on May 2 has moved to Sweden permanently following an alleged abduction bid near Lahore a day before Sarabjit’s death. Awais Sheikh, the lawyer, said Sweden had granted him permanent stay along with his family and had also provided him all facilities and security after taking note of the abduction.

100 factories shut in Bangladesh

Dhaka: Police have used batons, rubber bullets and tear gas to stop protests by garment workers in Bangladesh who want higher wages while factory owners fear they may miss shipment to the United States and Europe. Police and news reports say protests in two industrial districts near Dhaka forced authorities to close more than 100 factories for the day.

Manmohan meets Sharif, but talks fail to make much headway

New York: Terrorism and a hot border topped the agenda in talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif with both sides agreeing to an immediate modest goal of having their military commanders meet and defuse the situation and find ways to maintain ceasefire on the Line of Control.

Indian officials said Singh conveyed to Sharif that only meaningful action

by Pakistan on the terrorism emanating from its territory, starting with bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to book, would move other items on the agenda forward. There was some vague promise from Sharif that things would move forward once the Pakistani judicial team’s return from Mumbai.

India’s National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, who

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Manmohan Singh with Nawaz Sharif

briefed the media on the hour-long talks, bespoke an engagement that, if not frosty, was weighed down by the issue of terrorism, with India refusing to even examine other matters unless the terrorism issue was addressed. Even the usual clichés about the meeting between cordial or constructive was absent.

When a Pakistani journalist asked about the broader dialogue, Menon's crisp reply was, “That stage has not come yet.” So what did they speak for an hour?

From Menon’s account, there was a fundamental agreement on both sides that they both desired better ties.

Both leaders made proforma invitations to visit the

others country and accepted it, without setting dates.

They agreed that high-level contacts were good, but set no dates for another meeting.

But beyond agreeing that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries would meet, there was absolutely no takeaway for the engagement. Evidently, the Pakistani side tried hard to raise issues of trade and the usual raft of disputes such as Siachen and Sir Creek. The Indian side was unmoved beyond the issue of terrorism.

There was some recrimination too. While India raised the issue of Pakistan’s Punjab government, controlled by Sharif’s party and led by his brother Shahbaz Sharif, funding a terrorist organization like Jamaat uldawa, Pakistan harked back to India’s alleged activities in Balochistan.

Can't give MFN status to India just now: Pakistan Sharif rakes up

Islamabad: Pakistan said the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status couldn’t be granted to India at a time when there was tension on the border. Pakistan minister of state for education Muhammad Balighur Rehman told the Pakistan National Assembly that there had been significant progress since the two sides held talks on the MFN issue during 2011-12.

However, Rehman said it was not possible to grant MFN status to India at a time when there was tension on the border.

A decision on giving India the status would be made on the basis of mutual interests and the resumption of the composite dialogue

process.

Rehman, speaking on behalf of the minister of state for privatisation, was quoted by state-run Radio Pakistan as saying that the government cannot take a stand alone in this regard.

Ties between the two countries soured after five Indian soldiers were killed

by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control last month.

Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire on the LoC. He told the House that items under the negative list regime for trade with India had been reduced to 1,209 from over 2,000 items.

Pakistan missed a deadline to phase out the negative list regime and give India

MFN status on December 31 last year. The new PLM-N government that came to power after the polls in May has indicated several times that granting MFN status will take more time.

Meanwhile, commerce minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said a decision on opening the KhokhraparMonabao route for trade was taken by the commerce ministers of Pakistan and India during their meeting in February last year.

A joint working group on this issue has now been constituted and internal consultations are in progress. The first meeting of the group will be held after completing the internal consultations, he said.

benefits of cross-border trade, if it's truly to develop its economy," he said at the Centre for American Progress.

"And it needs a secure and stable Afghanistan on the west for the same reason," Carter said.

The official said he "was equally frank with my interlocutors in Delhi that the US supports Pakistani efforts to improve their bilateral relations and hope Delhi will reciprocate".

Carter said he had also

told the Indians of US government's appreciation for their support to Afghanistan "in the realms of humanitarian and development aid and their efforts to train the Afghan security forces in India".

Meanwhile, asked to comment on Sunday's meeting between Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the State Department said the US welcomed "any and all high-level discussions between Pakistan and India".

"That would improve their bilateral relationship," said spokesperson Jen Psaki who noted President Barack Obama had last week said the US shares "an interest with both countries in seeing a peaceful reduction of tensions on the subcontinent".

Pakistan flirted with terrorism as state policy: US official

Washington: A day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked Pakistan to shun terrorism to make peace with India, a top US defence official suggested that over time Islamabad "flirted" with terrorism as state policy.

"I was clear in Pakistan that the principal threat to Pakistan is terrorism, not its neighbours," deputy defence secretary Ashton Carter, who visited India, Pakistan and Afghanistan recently, said at a Washington think-tank.

"The government of Pakistan has flirted over time with using terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and it's coming to the realisation that terrorism's a boomerang and it comes back on you when you try to use it for your own purposes," he said.

"I was honest with my hosts in Islamabad in terms of how Pakistan must achieve peaceful relations with India on the east in order to reap the

Kashmir issue at the UN

United Nations: Raking up the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made a strong pitch for UN intervention to resolve "festering disputes".

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Sharif said the UN must remain "attentive" to the protracted issue as also the "full realisation" of the right to self determination of the Kashmiri people.

The UN has "a critical role" to play in resolving "festering disputes", he said. "As in the past, Pakistan calls upon the international community to give an opportunity to the Kashmiris to decide their future peacefully, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. The issue of Jammu and Kashmir was presented to the Security Council in January 1948; and yet the issue remains unresolved after nearly seven decades." Sharif said Pakistan and India have a solid basis to re-engage and prosper together.

"We can build on the Lahore Accord signed in 1999, which contained a road map for the resolution of our differences through peaceful negotiations," he said, adding he personally has an aspiration for "regional peace and stability."

"Shortly after assuming office, I received a message of goodwill from the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. I extended an invitation to him to engage with us to address all outstanding issues between our two countries. Prime Minister Singh's response was positive," he said.

WORLD

In Focus

Indian-origin scientist develops ‘brain’ for robots

Washington: Robot brain! An Indian-origin scientist in US has developed a new feedback system that allows robots to operate with minimal supervision and could eventually lead to autonomous machines.

The system may lead to robots that think for themselves, learn, adapt and use active critique to work unsupervised. Developed

by Dr Jagannathan Sarangapani, from Missouri University of Science and Technology, the system makes use of current formation moving robots and introduces a fault-tolerant control design to improve the probability of completing a set task.

Indian journalist gets China's high honour

Beijing: A senior Indian journalist, Ravi Shankar Narsimhan, has been presented with " Friendship award" by China which is the highest honor given to foreigners.

Narsimhan is the executive editor in the overseas edition of the Beijing based China Daily. Narsimhan has been with China Daily for 11 years. He has been rewarded for "helping China better tell its stories to the outside world", deputy director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs Liu Yanguo said. He is one among the 50 foreign experts from 20 countries and diverse fields, who have been rewarded.

PIO mayoral candidate faces racial slur in New Jersey

New York: In an apparent act of racism, election sign boards of an Indian-American mayoral candidate and his running mates in New Jersey have been defaced with a swastika and words “Never In Edison.”

Sudhanshu Prasad, running for office as Edison Mayor, was alerted to the acts of vandalism following which a report was filed with the police, who said other such acts took place throughout Edison in town parks and public areas.

Malala honored at Harvard

Cambridge: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, has been honored as Harvard University's humanitarian of the year. She was at Harvard to accept the 2013 Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award.

Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said she was pleased to welcome Malala because of their shared interest in education. The 16-year-old Malala said she hopes to become a politician because politicians can have influence on a broad scale.

16 dead as Syrian school hit in air strike Beirut: At least 16 people, most of them students, were killed in an air strike that hit a secondary school in the rebel-held Syrian city of Raqqa, activists said. Fighting continued across the country including in the outskirts of the capital, underlining the relentless nature of the civil war in the face of international efforts to destroy Syria's chemical arms and revive peace talks.

Raqqa in northeastern Syria has been under the control of insurgents fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad since March but the city has been regularly bombed by government forces.

50 dead in Nigeria college firing

Potiskum (Nigeria): Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college and gunned down dozens of students while they were sleeping, the institute’s provost said, reporting the latest violence in northeastern Nigeria’s ongoing Islamic uprising.

Suspected Boko Haram assault that began at about 1am in rural Gujba, Provost Molima Idi Mato of Yobe State College of Agriculture, said. “They opened fire at the sleeping students,” he said. The Nigerian military has collected 42 bodies and transported 18 wounded students to Damaturu Specialist Hospital, 40 km north, said a military intelligence official.

23

From terrorism to defence to nuclear, India, US pledge cooperation

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Washington: Even as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama vowed to make the next decade "equally transformative" for their relations as the last one, for India the focus at their third summit was unmistakably on terrorism emanating from Pakistan.

Meeting under the shadow of a terrorist attack in Samba in Jammu and Kashmir on the eve of the summit, Obama acknowledged India's concerns over the menace of terrorism.

Affirming their deep concern over the continuing threat posed by terrorism, a joint statement not only "strongly condemned" the Sept 26 attack, but also called for Pakistan to work toward bringing the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice.

The two leaders also stressed the need "for joint and concerted effort, including dismantling of terrorist safe havens, and disrupting all financial and tactical support for terrorism."

They "decided to significantly expand information sharing and intelligence cooperation to address threats to their respective nations including strengthening the bilateral relationship

Manmohan Singh with Barack Obama

to exchange information on known and suspected terrorists."

Amid perceptions of a drift in their relations, the two leaders also notched up a couple of other successes with the first commercial agreement signed under their landmark civil nuclear and a pledge to expand defence relationship.

Both governments, the joint statement noted "are committed to reduce impediments, ease commercial transactions, and pursue coproduction and co-development opportunities to expand this relationship."

Noting the transformation of US-India relations during the last decade, the two leaders pledged to "make

the next decade equally as transformative, challenging their governments to reach the full potential of this partnership."

The joint statement specifically highlighted areas of security cooperation, bilateral trade and investment, energy and environment, higher education, and global architecture.

The Leaders called for expanding security cooperation between the US and India to "address 21st century challenges in the areas of counter-terrorism, cyber, space, and global health security," the joint statement said.

Noting that two-way trade has increased five-fold since 2001 to nearly $100 billion, Obama and Manmohan

Indian-American becomes top US judge

Washington: With his hand on the Gita and watched by family friend Gursharan Kaur, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife, Chandigarh-born legal luminary Sri Srinivasan made history as he became the first Indian American to be sworn in as a judge of what is often called the second most powerful court in the US. Srinivasan, 46, was sworn in an overflowing court room by retired Supreme Court judge Sandra Day O'Connor, in the presence of legal luminaries, friends and families as his mother Saroja Srinivasan held the Gita, the sacred book of Hinduism, before him.

Gursharan Kaur literally rushed from the airport with just a short halt at the hotel to watch the investiture of Srinivasan on the bench of the US Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Srinivasan taking oaths as top US judge

O'Connor, for whom Srinivasan once clerked, called him "fair, faultless and fabulous". Confirmed by the US Senate in May by a 97 to 0 vote, Srinivasan was earlier principal deputy solicitor general of the US to which job he succeeded another Indian American, Neal Kumar Katyal, in August last year.

Srinivasan came to the US with his parents in the 1970s at the age of four. His family

settled in Lawrence, Kansas, where his father was a mathematics professor at the University of Kansas, and his mother taught at the Kansas City Art Institute. He received his BA with honours and distinction in 1989 from Stanford University and his JD with distinction in 1995 from Stanford Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review.

Singh agreed that "there are no insurmountable impediments to bilateral trade increasing an additional fivefold."

Acknowledging corporate America's concerns about what they called India's "unfair trade practices" they reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a high-standard Bilateral Investment Treaty.

Such a treaty will "foster openness to investment, transparency, and predictability, and thereby support economic growth and job creation in both countries," they said.

Both sides also agreed to consider establishing a Joint Committee on Investment in Manufacturing "to address all trade and investment policy issues of bilateral concern so as to remove obstacles and improve the business environment in both countries."

Given their "shared democratic values and the capabilities, the United States and India have to work together across Asia and around the globe," the joint statement said. Stressing that the "two countries have crossed a threshold in their relations where both recognize that successes at home and abroad are further advanced by their cooperation."

Historic govt shutdown begins in US

Washington: As the midnight hour came and went with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate playing ping-pong with a spending bill, the US government began a historic shutdown, the first in nearly two decades.

With no agreement in sight over the budget for the new fiscal year beginning Tuesday, the White House ordered federal government agencies to begin shutting down, furloughing thousands of workers and curtailing some services. Close to 800,000 federal workers would be affected. The move came after the Senate twice tossed out House of Representative amendments to the spending bill.

French climber finds Indian treasure at Mont Blanc

Albertville: A French climber scaling a glacier off Mont Blanc got more than satisfaction for his efforts when he stumbled across a treasure trove of emeralds, rubies and sapphires that had been buried for decades.

The jewels, estimated to be worth up to €246,000, lay hidden in a metal box that was on board an Indian plane that crashed in the desolate landscape some 50 years ago.

The climber turned the haul in to local police.

“This was an honest young man who very quickly

realised that they belonged to someone who died on the glacier,” local gendarmerie chief Sylvain Merly said.

“He could have kept them

els.

but he preferred to give them to the police,” Merly said, adding that the climber stumbled upon the box earlier this month and that some of the sachets containing the precious stones bore the stamp ‘Made in India.’

French authorities are contacting their Indian counterparts to trace the owner or heirs of the jew-

Under French law, the jewellery could be handed over to the mountaineer if these are not identified,

Merly said.

Two Air India planes crashed into Mont Blanc in 1950 and in 1966. Climbers routinely find debris, baggage and human remains. In September last year, India took possession of a bag of diplomatic mail from the Kangchenjunga, a Boeing 707 flying from Mumbai which crashed on the southwest face of Mont Blanc on January 24, 1966. The crash killed 117 people including the pioneer of India’s nuclear programme Homi Jehangir Bhabha.

24

INDIA

South

90-year-old midwife national honour

SC relief for Jayalalithaa in DA case

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

gets

Narasamma, 90, who has been a 'soolagithi' (midwife) in Tumkur district for over 50 years, won a national award under the senior citizen category. She will receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Delhi to observe International Day of Older Persons.

Kannada and culture minister Umashree said the government recommended the 90year-old's name for her selfless service in Pavagada taluk for 50 years. She has conducted 1,800 deliveries.

Hair auction fetches Rs 740 mn for TTD

The temple administration of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) collected Rs 740 million through sale of human hair via an e-auction. The e-auction was held under the supervision of Tirumala joint executive officer K S Srinivasa Raju. TTD had received its highest revenue yet at Rs 1.30 billion in June last year.

Karnataka HC issues notice to 22 MLAs, one Minister The Karnataka High Court ordered issue of notices to 22 MLAs and a minister on petitions alleging that they took oaths as members of the State Legislature and as a Minister in violation of the Constitutional provision. The petitioners pointed out that all these elected representatives took oath in the name of the deity they worship or their parents. Arguing that this manner of taking oath was not permissible as the Constitution had prescribed specific form of oath, the petitioners have sought a direction to the Assembly Speaker and the State to impose penalty on these MLAs and minister SR Patil.

Punjab

2 Indians ‘spying’ for Pakistan arrested

Four days after the arrest of a Pakistani spy Tarwinder Singh, Amritsar police have now arrested another spy Harjinder Singh, an ex-servicemen, and recovered two Pakistani Sim cards from his possession and a diary containing information of sensitive installations. Police have also arrested three crossborder smugglers along with the spy from the border village of Havelian. Both the arrested men were allegedly working for Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.

Briton gets 2-year RI in drugs case

A Chandigarh court sentenced a 21-year-old UK national to two-year rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000 for possessing 40-gram of charas and 140-gram of psychotropic tablets more than two years ago.

A student of English literature at a leading university in London, Napper Ned O'Conner Tandy was caught with the contraband in Sector 38-west on July 7, 2011. He had hidden the drugs in his motorcycle. "Tandy, a resident of London, was arrested during regular frisking of vehicles at a naka.

Haryana witnesses sharp fall in abortion cases

Haryana has witnessed sharp decline in the number of women undergoing abortion in past four years. The number of abortion cases has gone down to just 18,000 in 2012-13 in comparison to over 26,000 in 2009-10. There are different views on the reasons behind this trend. Few feel that it is apparently an indication of lack of encouragement to the safe abortions as "all the attention is being given to the campaign launched against the female foeticide".

In a huge relief to Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the Supreme Court quashed the Karnataka government's notification cancelling the appointment of special public prosecutor G Bhawani Singh.

The top court said the Congress government in Karnataka, where the case was transferred from Tamil Nadu, acted 'malafide' in removing the special PP in the DA case trial against Jayalalitha.

A bench of justices B S

Jayalalithaa

Chauhan and S A Bobde also asked the Karnataka high court and the state govern-

ment to consider extending tenure of the special trial judge, who is scheduled to retire on Monday, as per the law.

"The extension can be given as per the law and in consultation with the high court," the bench said, adding the trial court's record runs into nearly 33,000 pages and the recording of statements of witnesses has also completed.

The apex court, on September 25, had reserved its verdict on the issue of

appointment and sacking of SPP Singh in the case and also on the AIADMK chief's plea for extension of the tenure of the trial judge who was scheduled to retire on Monday.

Earlier during the proceedings, DMK general secretary K Anbalagan had opposed Jayalalithaa's plea, saying that she and other accused were allegedly responsible for the protracted trial in the 17-year-old case.

In a first for India, an artificial heart pump has been installed in the chest cavity of a 42-year-old man after he was diagnosed with rare heart disease. The procedure was successfully conducted at the Fortis Malar hospital in Chennai by Dr K R Balakrishnan, who is the director of the Cardiac Sciences Division.

The Heartware Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD) gave the patient, Satish Kumar, the ability to carry on with his life and revive his heart, which was once functioning at only 15 per cent.

Speaking to a journalist in Chennai, Balakrishnan said that considering Kumar's heart condition the only two options were either install the pump or undergo a transplant.

As the transplant could take at least three months, depending on the availability of a healthy heart, installing the pump was the only option.

"Since the average waiting time for a transplant in our hospital is around three

months and in his current circumstances three months waiting was too long, we decided to go ahead and put in an artificial heart pump.

So this pump is very small, this is around 150 grams and can deliver up to 10 litres of blood flow per minute and can be completely inside the chest cavity because its size of a small lemon and it has only one cable coming out of the body, which is the power sources, which is four millimetres thick and then its connected to a battery, which can be worn on the shoulder like a laptop inside a bag," said Balakrishnan.

Kumar was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure, medically referred to as dilated Cardiomyopathy, a condition due to which the heart's main chambers fail to pump blood.

"I now feel more energetic than I was previously.

Previously I used to dose off in front of my computer or while watching TV, now I feel more energetic and my sleeping is also better," said Kumar.

Next time you crack a joke on Sikhs, think twice. A Jalandhar resident, who texted offensive jokes on Sikhs to a member of the community, found himself in a legal tangle and had to spend two weeks in jail.

Complainant Narinder Singh, who heads a Sikh organisation in Jalandhar, accused Atul Kumar of hurting his religious sentiments “by sending jokes that downgraded Sikhs.”

“Kumar had texted offensive jokes to Narinder several times. Though Narinder remained silent initially, he decided to meet Kumar when the latter texted him 15 jokes together.

He even told Kumar that the messages were hurting him. But an unfazed Kumar didn’t stop sending such jokes to him. A disappointed

Narinder filed a police complaint when Kumar sent him an objectionable picture of Asaram Bapu with girls,” Ravinderpal S. Sandhu, assistant commissioner of police, Jalandhar (west), said. The police arrested Kumar on September 5 under section 295 (A) and IT Act. He was released on bail two days ago.

“I was forced to complain against Kumar. He continued to text offensive jokes to me though I requested him not to do so. One day I received 15 jokes that were in bad taste and hurt my religious sentiments,” Narinder said.

Sikh organisations have termed the incident “ an eye opener” to others and warned that cases will be registered against those crack jokes on Sikhs.

Jagan to intensify united Artificial heart pump gives Chennai man new lease of life Andhra stir

YSR Congress party leader Y. S Jaganmohan Reddy, who was released after 16 months in prison this week, is all set to intensify the ongoing movement in Seemandhra against the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

With a clear stand in support of 'samaikyandhra', or united Andhra, the young leader is likely to seize the initiative and emerge as a frontrunner in Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions are together known. Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly called, will be returning to the political trail after being out of the public eye because of his alleged involvement in a case of suspected corruption.

As the court, while granting bail, has directed Jagan not to leave Hyderabad without permission, the young leader has filed a petition seeking its nod to visit Kadapa and Guntur districts in the first week of October.

Jagan, whose return has already boosted the morale of the party cadre, is expected to go all out to use his first pub-

Y. S Jaganmohan

lic appearance after a long time to strengthen the party in Seemandhra.

Jagan's release and his decision to plunge into the 'samaikyandhra' agitation have already sent the alarm bells ringing in both Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) camps. Already feeling the heat of the ongoing protests, the leaders from the Congress and the TDP, including MPs and state legislators, may switch loyalties to the YSR Congress.

About a dozen legislators of the ruling and the main opposition parties had joined the YSR Congress even when Jagan was in jail. They know that a free Jagan may be more dangerous for them.

Sidhu backtracks from fast unto death threat

A visibly shaken BJP Member of Parliament and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu backtracked from his threat to sit on a fast unto death in protest against the SAD-BJP government in Punjab for misusing development funds meant for his Amritsar constituency.

He said he was satisfied with Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal's reply to his questions relating to the development of the city, but, still unhappy over the evolving situation.

Sidhu, who is usually known for his self styled assertions and quoting couplets, expressed his gratitude to Badal for accepting his demands. He said that events and incidents of the past should be forgotten. He did not reply to questions on

Navjot Singh Sidhu

what made him change his mind on the fast-unto-death threat.

Sidhu repeatedly said that he wanted to work for the people of Amritsar. He blamed media for wrongly interpreting his utterances of the recent past. He said that he would take a decision on his political future soon in consultation with the BJP state and central leadership.

Man jailed for cracking offensive Sikh jokes

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Two techie brothers, aged 14 and 12, become India’s youngest entrepreneurs

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

They make an adorable pair in their neat formal suits and shoes. And when they start talking, they have crowds hanging onto every word they say, often having them in splits with their experiences.

Shravan Kumaran and his younger sibling Sanjay Kumaran are perhaps India's youngest entrepreneurs. Shravan, 14, is the president and Sanjay, 12, is the CEO of Go Dimensions, an app development unit that they founded two years ago from their bedroom in their home in Chennai.

Last week, they stood before the 5,500 attendees at an SAP event in Bangalore, and talked about how to ideate, and draw up a business plan.

"You should have a strong idea, self-confidence, a good business plan and know about sources of funding," said Sanjay with the confidence that you normally only see in much older people. And he then went on to ask: "Have you heard of dad funding?"

The crowd roared.

In the past two years the two have developed eleven apps that are available on the Apple App Store and Google's Android Play Store. The

Shravan Kumaran and Sanjay Kumaran

apps have received over 35,000 downloads. Their first app - Catch me Cop on the Apple App Store was released last year and was a hit. That was a game where a con escapes prison and a wide hunt is launched for him. There are chases through a desert, beach and a maze.

"Abdul Kalam (former President of India) once came to our school and he loved playing Catch me Cop," recalled Sanjay.

Shravan is in class 9 and Sanjay in class 7 at the Vael's Billabong International High School in Chennai.

Since the two are less than 18 years, Go

Dimensions cannot be registered in their names as per Indian law. So the registration is in the names of seven of their family members who are above 18.

Today, a spare room in their Chennai home is a digital lounge filled with Apple Macs, iPads and Samsung Galaxy Notes.

The ''after homework hours'' are spent on coding and debugging test apps, while nibbling on cheese fritters and lasagna. Recently, they launched an action game called Extreme Impossible 5 or EI5.

"We developed more than 150 test apps before

releasing the first app, Catch Me Cop. That app was launched within a week of submission to Apple, and that was really exciting. Another app, Alphabet Board, got a rating of 5 on the app store," said Shravan, who credits Apple founder Steve Jobs for inspiring him to be what he is today. "Jobs is the big daddy of clean and intuitive user interfaces and who changed the way we communicate. And how can I forget his famous line, `Stay hungry, Stay foolish'," he said.

The boys credit their father Kumaran Surendran, director with anti-virus and security solutions company Symantec, for encouraging them to learn programming and play with gadgets. They learnt QBasic, a programming language for beginners, when Shravan was in his fifth grade and Sanjay in his third grade. They learnt to code on Java by reading books and information available on the internet. Programming on Apple's iOS required a bit of handholding from their dad.

Gandhi Jayanti in India

Mahatma Gandhi's birthday (Gandhi Jayanti or Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti) is celebrated in India on October 2 each year. It marks the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth on October 2, 1869. Gandhi is remembered for his contributions towards the Indian freedom struggle.

What do people do?: Many people celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's birthday across India. Events include: Prayer services, commemorative ceremonies and tributes at locations all over India.

Many people sing Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, Gandhi's favorite devotional song. Bunches of flowers or flower garlands are placed on many statues of Mahatma Gandhi throughout India.

Some people also avoid eating meat or drinking alcohol on October 2.

Background: Mahatma Gandhi, also known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was born on October 2, 1869, and died on January 30, 1948. He was a political and spiritual leader in India and played a key role in the Indian independence movement.

Gandhi developed the novel technique of non-violent agitation, which he called "Satyagraha", loosely translated as "moral domination".

He is known for his non-violent civil disobedi-

ence in India and South Africa. These included the start of the non-cooperation movement in 1922 and the Salt Satyagraha or Salt (Dandi) March starting on March 12, 1930. Through Gandhi's efforts, India finally gained its freedom on August 15, 1947. The nation mourned for him after he was assassinated on January 30, 1948. The United Nations' (UN) International Day of NonViolence is also held on October 2 each year to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.

Symbols: Three locations in India play important roles in the celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. These are: The Martyr's Column at the Gandhi Smriti in New Dehli where Mahatma Gandhi was shot on January 30, 1948. The Raj Ghat on the banks of the river Yamuna in New Dehli where Mahatma Gandhi's body was cremated on January 31, 1948.

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Rahul denounces ordinance on convicted politicians

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

British Hero sacrifices himself to save children's lives

In a major embarrassment to the UPA government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi denounced the controversial ordinance to negate the Supreme Court verdict on convicted lawmakers as "complete nonsense" and said what "our government has done is wrong".

Making a surprise brief appearance at a meet-thepress programme of his party's general secretary Ajay Maken in New Delhi, he said the ordinance should be "torn up and thrown away. We cannot continue to make these small compromises," Rahul Gandhi added.

He said the ordinance was born out of "political considerations" and it was time "political parties, including mine, should stop making these kind of compromises".

Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee had sought clarifications from

senior Cabinet ministers on the justification for bringing an ordinance that allows convicted lawmakers to hold on to their seats in Parliament and state legislatures.

The President, who was forwarded the ordinance cleared by the Cabinet, sought clarifications separately from home minister Sushil Shinde, parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath and law minister Kapil Sibal.The inquiry came against the backdrop of demands from the BJP, the Left, the Aam Aadmi Party and civil society activists that the President rejects the ordinance.

Government sources sought to play down the President's queries, saying that as a stickler for norms, he was doing due diligence and may approve the ordinance. Ordinances are meant for urgent situations during the periods when Parliament is not in ses-

sion. Opposition and others have argued that in this instance, there is no urgency except the government's anxiety to save RJD boss Lalu Prasad from a possible setback in a Ranchi court which is trying him for complicity in the fodder scam.

The government strongly supported the ordinance disregarding growing concern within its own ranks that the ordinance would boomerang on the Congress at a time when it's already facing heat over corruption, particularly in urban areas. A BJP delegation led by L K Advani and comprising leaders of opposition in the two Houses, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitely, earlier called on President to urge him to reject the Ordinance. "The Indian government is trying to dilute this decision of the Supreme Court.” Advani told reporters after meeting the President.

Gujarati community leaders, working closely with the rescue and relief operations at the Nairobi mall which came under terror attack last week, have put the death toll of Indians in the massacre at over 50, out of a total of 130. Gujaratis accounted for at least 35 of these deaths, reliable sources said even as the process of removal of rubble of the partially collapsed mall, under which more victims may be buried, continued. Many Gujaratis own shops in the mall where a cooking contest was on for the Indian community when the attackers started firing indiscriminately.

Authenticating these

figures, Manoj Shah, chairman of MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi, said 70 injured persons, many of them Indians, were admitted to his hospital and some of them are in a critical condition. The mall is a favourite haunt of the affluent in the Indian community, apart from Western expats.

Karsan Raghavani of Lakhsmanbhai and Co, which built the Westgate Mall, said, “With the debris still being cleared, the toll is certain to go higher,” he said. Chinubhai Shah of Visha Oswal Samaj said a number of children are still missing and complaints were being registered with the police.

Gujarati hospital treats terror victims for free The MP Shah Hospital which treated over 126 victims of the Westgate Mall terror attack in Nairobi has offered its services, including the surgeries, free of cost as a mark of respect to humanity under duress.

Manoj Shah, chairman of the MP Shah Hospital, said: “Due to the close proximity of the hospital to the terror site, we received the most number of casualties and fatalities. We treated over 126 victims of the attack, admitted 40 victims and carried out 48 surgeries to remove bullet shrapnel and hand grenades lodged in the bodies.

Continued from page 1 from London, heroically gave himself up to the terrorists so that the children he was with could have time to escape. The father of two-year-old daughter Sarai, who was a part of the group of 33 children taking part in a TV cooking contest on the roof of the Westgate Centre, Nairobi, unfortunately did not make it through the gunmen and was shot along with a number of other children in the mall. He leaves behind his wife, Rupal and 2 years old daughter Sarai.

Mr Shah's heroism has surfaced after Kenyan authorities reported that they were holding eight people in connection with the attack, while three others were released after questioning. Mr Shah, who was born in April 1975 in North London, held dual British and Kenyan citizenship. After spending his childhood in Kenya, Mr Shah studied management science with computing at Kent University in Canterbury, Kent and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree. He then joined Bidco Oil Refineries in Kenya as a management trainee and worked his way up to become a team leader in the marketing department. He was an asset to the company and was also an accomplished sportsman, taking part in endurance races, swimathons and had climbed both Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

The company which Mitul worked for and the sponsor for the cooking event said in a statement: ‘Bidco is grieved to announce the sad and untimely demise of Mr Mitul Shah. He was among

Continued from page 1 court had convicted former Union minister Rashid Masood for allegedly trying to influence admissions to medical colleges. Masood has been sentenced to four years in jail.

Although the court said it would announce the quantum of sentence later, it granted bail to all eight persons who were convicted for up to three years in the case of fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 370 million from Chaibasa treasury: a certain indication that the RJD strongman is in for a bigger sentence. The Representation of People Act, as it stands after the July order of SC, prescribes instant disqualification of politicians who have been convicted for offences punishable with terms of two years or more. Lalu Prasad was taken to the Birsa Munda

Central Jail after the court verdict.

The court has fixed October 3 for pronouncement of sentence against Lalu Prasad, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and others convicted in the case.

Later, the court sentenced IAS officer K Armugam, former Bihar AHD and labour minister Vidya Sagar Nishad and former MLA Dhruv Bhagat and five fodder suppliers for up to three years.

Lalu Prasad moved the Jharkhand High Court and later the Supreme Court, seeking change of the judge in the case. Both the courts dismissed his petition, and directed him to complete argument in the case before the CBI court.

Lalu Prasad quit the chief minister's post in 1997 when his name figured in the CBI investiga-

tions in the scam, which surfaced in 1996.

Around 54 of the 61 cases were transferred to Jharkhand, after it was created as a separate state from Bihar in November 2000. Different CBI courts have passed judgments in more than 43 cases. Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra are accused in five cases.

Lalu was instrumental in promoting and extending service to scam kingpins and AHD officials, late Dr Ram Raj Ram and late Dr SB Sinha.

Huge withdrawal was made in 1994-95. Against the budgetary allocation of Rs 740 million for AHD, about Rs 2.45 billion was withdrawn.

Lalu has close associations with accused suppliers DN Kashyap, Mohammad Sayeed among others.

Being the CM, Lalu never initiated any action

to find out the cause of such alarming excess withdrawals from AHD and thus actively connived with - finance minister, Chandra Prasad Verma; Vidya Sagar Nishad, Late Bhola Ram Toofani, cabinet ministers of AHD; Beck Julius, Mahesh Prasad, K Arumugam, Phool Chand Singh, AHD Secretaries - to facilitate the fraud.

Twenty per cent of the billed amount goes to suppliers and 80% goes to AHD officials, government officials, ministers, CM and other politicians.

Decision on Lalu disqualification after sentencing Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has said that she would take a decision to disqualify Lalu Prasad only after his quantum of punishment is announced.

"We haven't received the judgment as yet and

35 Gujaratis among 50 Indians killed in Nairobi mall

Mitul Shah, pictured with wife Rupal Shah and daughter Sarai

the first casualties of the Westgate Siege - losing his life in the first bout of attack, presumably killed while trying to protect some children who were assembled to participate or witness a cooking challenge.’

The statement added, ‘Mitul was young, dynamic, enterprising, hardworking & a well focused person as well as the youngest team leader in Bidco.

Friends and colleagues also paid tribute to his bravery, which gave some of the victims the vital time to escape from the alShabaab gunmen, despite risking being gunned down himself in the siege.

His friend, Alkane, wrote: ‘He is a real hero and had an option to run away but he opted to become a saviour of kids without wasting a second.

This says it all about Mitul.

I salute him for his decision. I am very much thankful to God that I had an opportunity to spend time with such great soul.’

Another friend, Sarah Njeru, said: ‘I cannot even begin to describe the loss, the sadness, the love, the hole in our heart. I want to see my office extension screen say 'Mitul calling'

but I can't. We will forever cherish you. Rest In Peace boss.’

The terrorist attack began on Saturday 21st September when Islamic militants throwing grenades and using assault rifles stormed into the Westgate mall, shooting non-Muslims. Since then, the shocked nation is still trying to recover from the devastating tragedy and ensure all bodies are removed from under the rubble of the mall.

Al-Shabaab, the alQaeda-linked group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Kenya is a legitimate target for sending its troops into Somalia to fight the militants.

Police are reportedly investigating if the attackers stored ammunition inside the mall hours or even days before the attack. The government says at least 67 people were killed in the assault by 12 to 15 alShabaab militants on the Westgate Mall, including 61 civilians and six security forces. Five militants also were killed, but questions still remain about the fate of the remaining attackers and there are worries that they may have escaped.

the quantum of punishment is still be to be pro-

nounced, I am told. After that, we will decide.

Lalu Prasad convicted in fodder scam case

Historic judgment

The conviction of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam case must be welcomed as a sign that Indian politics could get cleaner in the days to come. Lalu, under whose reign Bihar's exchequer was looted by a bureaucratsuppliers' network, will be the first influential politician to be rendered unfit as a parliamentarian thanks to a Supreme Court order that called for immediate disqualification of MPs and MLAs, convicted of any crime that invites a punishment of two years or more.

The verdict by a Ranchi court is a longoverdue sign that an otherwise excruciating-

ly slow Indian judicial system is also capable of taking action against politicians accustomed to immunity. The turn of events in Ranchi is a victory for Indians repulsed by politicians who break the law with impunity. There are 162 MPs and over 1,200 MLAs who have criminal cases pending against them. The Lalu conviction will have a salutary impact on Indian politics, for long a refuge for men with criminal antecedents.

But more needs to be done against tainted politicians, which will reinforce the rule of law and restore people's faith in the political system.

Live Gandhi for a while: An Innovative travel experience

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Mayuri Dave In order to promote Gandhi related tourism, Gujarat Vidyapith has carved out an innovative travel experience through their program ‘Live Gandhi for a while.’

Gujarat Vidyapith is a university founded by Mahatma Gandhi in October 1920 with a purpose to promote educational institutions run by Indians for Indians.

The Kochrab Ashram was established by Mahatma Gandhi which is today managed by Gujarat Vidyapith, the famous educational institute which was also established by Mahatma Gandhi and still preserving the values of Mahatma in this modern times.

The idea is to promote and develop responsible tourism in Gujarat, said Nischal Barot, who is associated with the initiative taken by Gujarat Vidyapith. He along with Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Dr. Surdarshan Iyengar are trying to promote tourism dedicated to Gandhian values.

Tourists will be facilitated to stay in the Kochrab Ashram, follow

the rules of Ashram defined by Mahatma Gandhi himself. They will take Vrat (vow) like Satya (Truth), Bramhacharya (Chastity), Ahimsa (Non -

Violence), Shram (Physical Labour) etc and also will enact certain special activities of Gandhi like Spinning Wheel, Correspondence/Writing, Community Visit, and Cooking etc. They will also wear the Khadi throughout the program.

“We believe, Mahatma Gandhi was probably the first responsible traveller

who travelled across the country, connected with many communities, walked down many villages, stayed in their homes, tried helping them, solving their problems and also with a minimal impact on the environment. That's what Responsible Tourism is all about," said Barot.

The objective of this program is to allow people to find various ways of sustainable lifestyle, enjoy the simplicity of Gandhi, experience the virtue of Mahatma, he said adding that this might change perceptions of the tourist towards life, society & our natural resources as well as help tourist find peace & satisfaction within.

“The initiative is a unique program which will actually bring change in the society gradually at an individual level and hopefully we will witness a sustainable future," said Dr Iyengar.

Depending upon the success of Kocharab Ashram living, Gujarat Vidyapith is also envisaging to incorporate more Gandhi related sites to give more varieties of tourists to experience Gandhi.

Modi accuses Gandhi dynasty of ‘strangling democracy’ in India

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi accused the ruling Congress party’s powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty of “strangling democracy,” as he addressed a huge rally in New Delhi on Sunday.

Modi told hundreds of thousands of people from across India that voters would have to choose between “dynastic rule” and “people’s rule” in next year’s elections – as he lampooned Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party’s heir apparent.

“We need to decide whether India will run on the whims of the crown prince,” he said, later accusing the Congress party of “Gandhi worship”.

The rousing campaign rally – Modi’s first important appearance in the Indian capital, comes just two days after Rahul stunned the Congress party, its coalition partners and the nation, with a scathing attack on an emergency ordinance passed by the cabinet that would override a recent Supreme Court verdict and allow convicted criminals to serve as elected lawmakers.

While many Indians agree with Rahul’s comments that the ordinance is “complete nonsense and

should be torn up,” many have questioned the timing of his intervention, after the ordinance had already been approved by the government led by his party and sent to the President for approval.

In his speech, Modi argued that the Congress party had become “addicted to corruption, the way an alcoholic needs alcohol”. He declared that India was urgently in need of “good governance” to help it realise its potential and urged the electorate to vote for change next year.

“The country needs a dream team, not a dirty team,” he said. Modi’s speech was a masterful performance, calculated to appeal both to the aspirations and insecurities of India’s emerging middle class – and to the hundreds of millions of people who aspire to join them without any clear means of

getting there.

In his electrifying rhetoric, the BJP leader reflected the anger Indians feel at the poor state of the country’s infrastructure, the lack of job opportunities, the rapid economic progress made by China, and the way their country is seen on the international stage. “Our nation has become a matter of jokes and mockery,” he said. He added that it needed “good governance” to help the country realise its potential – and help the vast numbers of young people entering the workforce to find jobs. Comparing India’s railroad network with China’s, he said: “China has moved ahead while we are still stuck at the same place.”

Modi also attacked the prime minister Manmohan Singh, for “marketing India’s poverty” and “begging” on his current trip to

the US, where he declared India was a “poor country” before US president Barack Obama.

Manmohan humiliated at home, insulted abroad: Modi Modi sized upon Rahul’s public denunciation of Manmohan Singh and his government and said that it had encouraged Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif to make purportedly derisive comments about Singh.

Modi brought up Sharif ’s purported remark likening Singh to a “village woman”, and said this was unacceptable.

“Nawaz Sharif, ye aapki kaun si aukat hai which allowed you call Singh dehati aurat (how did Nawaz muster the courage to say this).

There cannot be a bigger insult of India and its prime minister. This nation of 1.25 billion will not tolerate its prime minister’s insult,” Modi thundered.

Stating that Singh was a “sardar but not asardar” (impactful), Modi said Sharif was emboldened to pass snide remarks about the PM because he was facing attacks from his own party, referring to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi dismissing an ordinance passed by the government as nonsense.

INDIA

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Mumbaikars chant ‘NaMo’ mantra

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mumbai on Monday, his first trip here since being declared the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate on September 13. What unfolded at his public meeting in Bandra Kurla Complex was an unprecedented show of support for a political leader who does not hail from the state. Modi had an assembly of one lakh Mumbaikars eating out of his hands. They hung on to his every word and erupted in a chorus of ‘Modi, Modi’ every time he paused to breathe.

Both flyers and road commuters, however, bore the brunt of the enthusiasm as a massive snarl spilled over from the airport to a few km on both flanks of the Western Express Highway. Massive jams were also reported from BKC, where Modi accompanied by his cavalcade-went later.

The BKC show, ostensibly staged by the diamond merchants of Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and the Mumbai Diamond Merchants’ Association (MDMA), turned into a show of strength and unity of the saffron alliance. Every BJP

leader worth his or her salt, from Gopinath Munde to Jaywantiben Mehta, from Mahesh Jethmalani to Kirit Somaiya to Ashish Shelar, was there. But politically much more significant was the presence of Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, who was accompanied by his family, especially given the perceived closeness between Modi and MNS leader Raj Thackeray and the seeming initial frostiness between the Shiv Sena and Modi.

Modi urged Mumbaikars to vote for the BJP to facilitate the country's overall development.

Slamming the Congress-led UPA for lack of vision, he said, “In the next six months, India will be free of the inauspicious eclipse (the UPA regime) of the last nine years.”

“The Congress gave empty promises to people.

They kept saying that prices of essential commodities will come down and that the financial situation will improve.

However, the rupee is in the ICU and the financial crisis is worsening by the day. People have shown great endurance in suffering the UPA. Now they want a change and the BJP will bring about the change,” he thundered.

Gujarat Assembly passes controversial Lokayukta Bill

AV Correspondent

The Gujarat Assembly passed controversial Lokayukta Commission Bill 2013 on Tuesday in the absence of opposition Congress party MLAs who were on suspension for two days. The much talked about bill was earlier passed by the Assembly on April 2, which was later returned by Governor Kamla Beniwal on September 3. Beniwal expressed reservations on some aspects of the bill saying that it suffered from several serious lacunae.

Now the bill will again be sent to the Governor.

“With Gujarat Assembly second time passed the bill with some changes, Beniwal will have two options – either to sign the bill or she may refer it to the President of India,” said a senior official in Gujarat Assembly.

The bill was passed with two minor changes.

In the proposed bill ‘Governor’ was describes as – the Governor of the State of Gujarat acting on the aid and advice of the Council of minister. But in the recently passed bill, the definition was changed as a person who holds the post as Governor of the state. Another change was brought into the bill was related to qualification of Lokayukta. In the proposed bill it was mentioned that the Lokayukta shall be a person who is or

has been judge of the Supreme Court of India or the Chief Justice of a High Court in a substantive capacity. The Assembly decided to delete words substantive capacity.

The last Lokayukta Bill was passed in 1986 by the Assembly. However, the 2013 bill proposes to give all the powers of the appointment to a selection committee headed by Chief Minister. According to the bill the governor will act on the recommendations of the said committee.

Another point raised

by Beniwal was it proposed a special provision which gives absolute power to the government in excluding any ‘public functionary’ from the purview of the Lokayukta.

She also referred the selection mechanism for the appointment of Lokayukta and four Deputy Lokayukta faulty. As per the bill, selection committee headed by the Chief Minister would appoint them. According to her, allocation of power to selection committee would undermine the role of the Gujarat High Court’s Chief Justice in the process. The post of Gujarat’s Lokayukta had been vacant since 2003.Controversy was created after Gujarat governor appointed Justice R.A. Mehta as Gujarat Lokayukta in the year 2011.

28

TRAVEL / INDIA

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Indian Maharaja Express Luxury Train Tour

n unforgettable way to discover India’s A beautiful history, culture

and sights is to travel on India’s version of the Orient Express - the Indian Maharaja Express.

On the Royal Tour, you will visit nine cities over seven nights for a trip of a lifetime. This tour is all inclusive so all meals, accommodation and an English speaking tour guide are taken care of so you can fully relax without the worry of planning transport, meals or where to stay. The cabins are all en-suite and a butler service is available 24/7. The best time to travel is between September and April to avoid the hot Indian summer!

On day one, upon boarding the train in the late evening, you’ll be greeted with a welcome drink before setting off overnight to Agra. Upon arrival into Agra, after a

leisurely breakfast on board, you’ll enjoy a tour of the spectacular monuments of the city, and of course the jewel of India the Taj Mahal. The highlight of the afternoon is high tea atop the Taj Khema as you admire the magnificent Taj Mahal at sunset. You’ll have free time for shopping for pietra dura marble and fine Mughal Jewellery.

You’ll end the day with dinner on board and will continue your journey to

Ranthambore overnight.

The next day will take you on an exciting safari to the Ranthambore National Park. The park is famous for its open sightings of tigers, wild boar, sloth bear, hyena, jackal and leopard. Return to the train for a hearty brunch, and onwards to Jaipur.

Nestled in the rugged Aravali Hills, the picturesque capital city of Jaipur is the jewel in the crown of Rajasthan, surrounded by rugged hills

and dotted by magnificent palaces, massive forts and exquisite temples. You’ll visit the fabulous Amber Fort, a hilltop castle. A short jeep ride takes you up the hill and inside, enjoy a tour of the royal apartments and step back into the Mughal era.

Complete the day by enjoying an Elephant Polo Match. Your arrival will be accompanied by the royal military band and the beating of ‘Nagadas’ (huge Indian drums).

After the match, enjoy dinner over sparkling wine and re-board the train.

Following breakfast, set out to explore the desert kingdom of Bikaner – its forts, palaces and temples are splendid creations made in red and yellow sandstone. Later visit Junagarh Fort, an unassailable fortress which has never been conquered. Then enjoy cocktails and a traditional barbecue as you enjoy traditional folk artists music and dance.

The next day you’ll visit Jodhpur. Set like a jewel amidst the golden sands of the barren desert, it is famous for its magnificent forts and palaces of the Rajput era.

Take a walking tour of the Old Clock Tower market.

Enjoy a dinner evening in the Royal courtyard of Meherangarh Fort, before continuing on to Udaipur.

Awake to the magnificent scenery of the Aravali Hills. Spend the day exploring one of the most romantic cities in India Udaipur is an enchanting image of white marble palaces, lakes and green hills. Following lunch, proceed on a ‘Walking Tour’ through the Old Market.

The next morning, you will arrive into Vadodara, a graceful city and considered by many as the cultural capital of Gujarat.

Visit the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum which exhibits collections by painters Raja Ravi Verma, Raphael, Titian and Murillo. Enjoy high tea at the Laxmi Vilas Palace accompanied by folk performances. You’ll then board the train and will be treated to a traditional Indian evening for your final night. The next day after breakfast, you will disembark in the financial capital city of Mumbai.

To arrange your holiday aboard the Maharaja Express, book with Brightsun Travel, who offer a complete holiday service with helpful and experienced consultants.

Brightsun have special offers on several luxury train tours and offer a price match promise on worldwide flights and holidays so you will get the best deals. To book this dream holiday, visit www.brightsun.co.uk for full details of the tour or call Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486.

Punjab Minister says he has big plans for the state

By Spriha Srivastava

Punjab's Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Industries and Commerce Madan Mohan Mittal was recently in London to strike a partnership deal in the healthcare sector. But little did he know that his portfolio would be changed while was in London. From healthcare to Industrial affairs is a big jump and the Minister seemed extremely enthusiastic and ready for it. I met him at Radisson, Portman Square along with his lovely wife for a quick chat on his trip to UK and plans for his new role.

His is 78-year- old, yet full of enthusiasm and knowledge said he was looking forward to going back and getting settled in his new role. He said he had big plans to boost the Industrial sector of Punjab that at one point was on the top in India.

However, the main reason for his UK trip was to strike a healthcare deal between the department

ernment in order to continue its growth story.

I asked him what his plans were on the new portfolio and he said he had big plans. He said Punjab was once the hub of industrialization and small cities were known for their produce.

He said he wants to bring back that name for Punjab.

A die-hard Modi supporter, Mittal wants Modi government at the Centre because he feels the way Narendra Modi has developed Gujarat, he will understand the plight of other states and make Gujarat the model for development.

When asked about the controversy surrounding Modi, he said there is no controversy in Gujarat.

There is immense communal harmony. Whatever is being said is only outside of Gujarat.

Mittal is a seasoned politician and has been so for a long time. He successfully contested election from Nangal in 1992 as a BJP candidate. In 1997, he

Shri Madan Mohan Mittal receiving his Honorary Jewel of Punjab Award from Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe QPM in London

here and the one in Punjab.

I asked him what is it that he liked so much about healthcare sector in UK and he was quick to respond.

Ambulances, he said.

“These people have ambulances on cycles, bikes, cars and vans and they are extremely well equipped to save lives on the road. This is what I want to bring to Punjab,” he said.

I asked him if he sees this happening in Punjab.

“Why not?” he said.

Mittal is spearheading a project on improving Punjab's Health, by developing, UK-Indian Healthcare relations. He is also leading a campaign with Parkash Singh Badal on Cancer prevention, and treatments, as well as Drug De-Addiction and Mental Health issues in Punjab; they have opened cancer centres in the districts of Punjab in order to get healthcare to the rural sector. He said Punjab has made a lot of progress in the past and is one of those states where there is immense communal harmony. The state is doing well in terms of growth but just needs more financing packages from the central gov-

was re-elected from Nangal.

In 2012, he successfully contested from Anandpur Sahib. Presently he is cabinet minister and holding portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs, Health & Family Welfare and Social Security & Development of Women & Children.

At the event in Radisson, Minister Mittal was conferred with the 'Jewel of Punjab Award' by a Sikh diaspora body in the UK. Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Chairman of the British Sikh Association, along with Richard Harrington, MP, Vice Chairman of Conservative Party, presented the award to Mittal at the Annual Dinner of the Association last week.

While accepting the award Mittal spoke about being honoured by the association and how he was proud to be born in Anandpur Sahib the birth place of Sikhism. He added that the Sikh principles go further by encouraging the integration in your adopted country and by making a name for yourself within that community. He closed by stating that he will present the award to Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab.

HEALTH WATCH

6 things your pee is trying to tell you

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

ou know that you've had your share of Y water/beer/coffee by the

frequency in which you need to use the toilets, but what else can pee tell you about your health and habits? A lot. R Mark Ellerkmann, MD, director for the Center of Urogynecology at the

Weinberg Center for Women's Health and Medicine in Baltimore, talks about some of the specific health and lifestyle issues your urine's odor, color, and frequency can indicate.

You're Pregnant The reason you have to pee on a stick after

your first missed period is that shortly after conception, the fetus begins to secrete the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is what is detected by home pregnancy tests, Dr Ellerkmann says.

Some women also notice a strong, pungent odor

early on, even before you're aware you're pregnant.

You have an injury or a medical condition Medically speaking, if there are red blood cells in your urine-known as "hematuria"-this could indicate a variety of conditions, according to Dr Ellkermann, from kidney stones to an impact injury (in rare cases this can be caused by strenuous exercise like running long distances). A sweet odor can be indicative of diabetes. If you're over 35 and have erratic or heavy periods and an increase in urine frequency, you may have fibroids, benign uterine tumors.

You're a big fan of blackberries Certain fruits and vegetables that have dark pigments can tint urine either pink, in the case of red or purple produce, or orange if you're eating foods rich in carotene like carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. If you're on a produce kick or just a really big fan of

concentration, nausea, headache, depression, muscle loss, health risks like osteoporosis and many more.

Cookie Diet: Invented

by Dr Siegal, this a diet in which one has to eat nine cookies a day that makes up to 500 kcal and then have a 500 kcal dinner, totalling up to 1000 kcal every day.

Why is it bad: This diet gets monotonous and can cause nutrient deficiencies.

Baby Food Diet: This diet is about eating 14 jars of baby foods throughout the day and a sensible dinner. The baby foods include mashed fruits and veggies.

Why is it bad: It does not meet your nutrient needs and is low in protein. Eating like an adult is recommended.

Cabbage Soup Diet: This is 7-day diet which focuses on having as many bowls of cabbage soup every day with some fruits and vegetables.

Why is it bad: This diet is bland, boring and makes you feel weak and resulting in poor concentration. The biggest drawback is that it makes you gassy and bloated.

Liquid Diet: The idea is to cleanse the body and rejuvenate it with juices, water, clear soups.

Why is it bad: It is again very low on protein and can make you really weak. Not recommended to do it more than a day.

Fad is bad: Say no to diets which promise speedy weight loss!

have to lose weight in 10 days for a “I wedding” or “I need to

shape-up quickly to fit into my dress” – how often do we think about these things and look for quick solutions? In an attempt to lose weight quickly, many people knock the doors of fad diets. They may come to your rescue at times, but beware they do more harm than good to your health. Renowned nutritionist Neha Chandna explains why fad diets are bad for you.

First and foremost, there are no shortcuts to weight loss. These days, everyone wants to lose weight in the blink of an eye. So they resort to fad diets which definitely work but for a short period of time. They help you lose weight from your muscles and bones leaving you feeling weak and ill. And once you go back to your normal routine, you gain all the weight or even more in no time.

The best way to lose weight is to eat the right food, at the right time, in the right quantity, and exercise daily for 45 minutes to one hour. The point is to lose weight gradually rather than rapidly. A lifestyle change is the answer to losing weight than falling into the trap of fad diets. So how do you know if it is a fad diet? Here are some tips.

How to spot a fad diet It promises exaggerated results in few days

which is too good to be true, will mostly have rigid eating rules, it restricts you from eating a lot of food groups like carbohydrates, fats, etc, it promotes ‘magic foods,’ the diet is sold based on a few testimonials without any research or studies done on its effect, it doesn’t involve much exercise along with the meal plans.

Ill-effects of fad diets on the body Causes constipation, leads to weakness, loss of

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borscht, a change in urine color is nothing to be alarmed about, just take note if it stays the same after you've given the farmer's market a rest.

You have a UTI Yes, that awful burning feeling is a pretty good indication you've got a dreaded urinary tract infection, but frequency (more than seven times a day, according to Dr Ellkerman) is also a sign it's time to call your doctor. Other symptoms of a UTI can include fever, chills, pelvic/lowerback pain, and, occasionally, the presence of red blood cells can tinge urine pink, while white blood cells that are rushing to fight your infection can turn urine cloudy or cause an unpleasant odor. If you experience any of these symptoms, you likely need antibiotics to clear up the infection.

Your kitchen is stocked with either wine, chocolate, coffee, or hot sauce

And they should be, as all of those things are either necessary, delicious, or both.

Unfortunately if you have stress incontinence, they can also make it worse.

While this isn't terribly common in woman under 40, coffee, alcohol, sugar, and spicy foods can irritate bladder walls and aggravate the condition.

You're dehydrated You've may have heard that urine color specifically dark yellowcan indicate dehydration, and this is indeed the case. When you're properly hydrated, pee should be clear or just vaguely straw colored. A strong urinary odor, also due to concentration, is a sign of dehydration as well.

And yes, you do need the recommended eight cups of fluid per day. But hydration is also about self-regulation. If you're exercising, you need more fluid, so be aware of your body's needs; fatigue and irritability can indicate dehydration as well.

babies before turning 35.

For most women, fertility takes a nose dive in their mid-thirties, they said. Yet recent trends in some countries, including Canada, the US, and the UK, show that women are waiting later to focus on

reproductive biologist Professor Mary Herbert.

"Perhaps the most important message to give is that the best cure of all is to have your babies before this clock strikes 12." "I would be getting worried about my daugh-

career or to save money, experts from Newcastle University said.

While IVF treatments can help women have children later in life, their chances of success using their own eggs rather than donor eggs fall at the same rate as their fertility, they warned.

"What we can say for

ter if she hadn't had a child by 35," she added.

According to WebMD, the UK's National Health Service says that about 95 per cent of women aged 35 who have regular unprotected sexual intercourse will get pregnant after three years of trying.

For women aged 38, only 75 per cent will do so.

Have babies before turning 35, women told edical experts say sure is that reproductive that women who M technologies do not do want a family should have much to buy time," said

30

UK

Coming Events

l Tuesday 1st – Saturday 7th October 2013 – Wellingborough Shiv Katha at Hindu Community Centre, 133-Highfield Road, NN8 1PL. Contact: 07949888226. l Friday 4th October 2013 – Book launch/Talk: “The Book of Emotions” and a talk on 'What is courage?” by Salman Akhtar from 6.30pm at The Nehru Centre, 8, South Audley Street, London W1K 1HF. ContactL 02074913567. l Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th October 2013 – Lohana Community East London presents Navratri 2013 from 8.30pm till late at Oasis Banqueting, 68 Thames Road, Barking, Essex, IG11 0HZ. Contact: 07736110840. l Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th October 2013 – Samaj's 19th Navratri Ras/Garba at Bexleyheath Academy, Woolwich Road, DA6 7DA. Contact: 01322271186 l Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th October 2013 – Shree Bavis Gam Patidar Samaj presents Navratri from 7.30pm till 11pm at Alperton COMmunity School, Ealing Road, Wembley. Contact: 07984187708. l Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th October 2013 – Milan Group Wallington celebrates Navratri from 12pm-5pm at The Centre, Milton Road, Wallington SM6 9RP. Contact 02086695014. l Friday 11th October 2013 – Institute of Jainology in association with the British Library is hosting a public lecture from 7-8.30pm at the Conference Centre, the British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB. l Wednesday 16th October 2013 – Om Shakti Day Centre's Grand Diwali Party from 9.30am – 3.00pm at Harrow Leisure Centre, Byron Hall, Christchurch Rd. Harrow HA3 5BD. Contact: 07930335978. l Thursday 17th October 2013 – Commercial Property Auction. Contact John Mehtab on 02070344855. l Saturday 26th October 2013 – Hindu Council presents Raas Garba and Best dressed from 7pm till late at Copland Community School, Cecil Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex. Contact: 07976364515.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

Tabora Gathering Event The Tabora Gathering Event organised by Rajubhai Shah, Prakashbhai Mehta and Rashmiben Shah held at RAM’S Vegetarian Restaurant (Kenton, Harrow) on 10th August, 2013, was great and successful. Needless to say, the response was overwhelming even when planned spontaneously. Personal thanks to all who attended the event.

Without your kind support and co-operation, this event would not have been possible. Not to mention RAM’S sumptuous food and great service provided by friendly staff.

To commemorate this event, Prakashbhai Mehta has created a DVD containing all still pictures of the event complete with music and special effects. It is available directly from him only for £10.00 including postage & packing.

They have already thought of organizing another such event within the next six to eight months time and sincerely hope that you will definitely join with them. Their next event will take place at a different venue with more capacity, extended hours, choice of both vegetarian & nonvegetarian food, live music and of course other more activities. Their goal is for us to meet, greet, keep contact with each other and enjoy at such future events. Event details will be posted on regular basis by Prakashbhai Mehta on Faceook. You will find the information on Tabora network and you are also welcome to join the network and do not have to be from Tabora, originally. Therefore the organisers would therefore, like to request you to provide with your contact details such as; Name, mailing address, contact phone number(s) and e-mail etc. The information that you will provide to the organisrs, will remain with them alone and will be treated with strict confidentiality due to data protection.

COMPETITION

Your chance to win an exclusive soundtrack CD from Bollywood Icon Ranbir Kapoor's latest movie Besharam, releasing by Reliance Entertainment on Wednesday 2nd October 2013. All you have to do is answer the following question and email your answer to: tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com before Monday 21st October 2013. Three winners will be chosen on a lottery basis from the correct answers received.

Where was Pallavi Sharda born? a) Canada b) Australia c) United States

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throughout this year, but finally you have a great idea of how to tackle this concern. Investors or friends that believe in you can provide you with the backing to get it off the ground. Intense focus is what is needed now so do not let yourself be distracted by nonessentials.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Either you or your partner have been going through a phase of inner doubts and uncertainties, and perhaps the main source of tension has simply been the need for breathing space in your relationship and a need to look at things more objectively. Wait before going full steam ahead with grand actions and gestures.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

This is a good time reassess your life and make important decisions to take your work to another level. There is a chance that you will meet important people who will eventually change the course of your life. An opportunity will manifest that will change your public image at work.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Romance is in the air and you will in a dilemma trying to decide what to do. You know you must make a choice. Play it safe for things will change and the risk is not worth the headache. It is time to finalize some work matters that have gone on too long.

Soon you will be in able to relax.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

It seems that the winds of change begin to gather momentum and put a strong focus on domestic and family matters. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

Try not to come on too strong when you deal with others.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

There will be increased scope for varying your activities, widening your network of contacts and getting out and about. It is an excellent time for exercising your mental energies, claryfying your and other people's ideas and getting involved in discussion. Exercise caution when it comes to finances as being hasty will cost you !

You have been feeling disconnected for some time and this will be the week you will finally feel a sense of grounding. If unclear about what path to take you will soon realize exactly what you must do to fulfill your plans. Financially you will implement your plans to bring in the cash.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Minimum wage increases across Britain Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable says more needs to be done so wealth is shared “across the board”. The national minimum wage for adults has increased by 12p an hour to £6.31 from Tuesday. The rise, first announced in April of this year, follows the recommendations of the independent Low Pay Commission. Unions are calling for a steeper jump, however, with the TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady saying a “far bigger increase” is needed.

“The UK’s lowest-paid workers are now facing an historic living standards crisis,” she said. The rate for 18-to-20year-olds is increasing by 5p to £5.03 an hour, while it is going up by 4p to £3.72 for the 16-to-17-year-old age group.

Financial matters have

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 been a major concern

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

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Expect many ups and downs with your relationships. You are very tempted to move forward in all areas of your life. Take the time to make plans as impulsive actions can cause more setbacks and frustrations. The tide of fortune continues to run strongly in your favour for some time to come.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

The transit of three planets 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. All the better if you are interested in such things as meditation, yoga and therapies that help you to get in closer touch with your inner self.

It seems that you CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 will be in gregarious mood, intent on cultivating a wider circle of acquaintances. Mentally you will be in good form to make on-the-spot decisions.

Ideas that you have been juggling with for quite some time will now be easily pulled into shape, allowing you to push ahead.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

If you are involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will be the one who comes out on top.

There is a definite expansive trend where money is concerned, so do not be surprised if this turns out be a time of fortunate opportunities and lucky breaks.

Play your cards right and you can pull strings in you favour. Good time for cultivating a deeper rapport with your loved ones.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Good ideas will open doors to a new opportunity.

You cannot let go of your future aspirations because they will manifest. Keep to your path and you will be successful. A wind of change may be in the air; attention should turn to the wider world and benefits come from broadening of horizons and mental stimuli.

SPORT WORLD

BCCI imposes life ban on former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

A pariah in Indian cricket for three years now, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was slapped with a life ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of "indiscipline and misconduct".

On a day of high drama, which was marked by legal tug of war between Modi and the BCCI, a special general meeting of the Board took less than half an hour to unanimously impose a life ban on the controversial 49year-old administrator.

"The BCCI, at its special general in Chennai considered and discussed the report of the disciplinary committee of the BCCI on the show-cause notices issued to Lalit Kumar Modi, in accordance with Clause 32 (iv) of the Memorandum of Rules and Regulations," the Board said in a statement. "...Mr. Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and

indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI. He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the Board," the

statement added.

Modi, the brain behind the highly successful IPL, made a last-ditch effort to avert the impending sanction by writing a letter to the BCCI members requesting them to refrain from any decision till the matter was sub-judice.

"Not a single member in the meeting supported Modi and the house took a unanimous decision to impose a life ban," a top BCCI official said.

The BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia, submitted a 134page report in July in which it had found Modi guilty on eight charges, including financial irregularities, indiscipline and "actions detrimental to the interest of the BCCI." The meeting could take place only after the Delhi high court vacated a lower court stay order and it turned out to be a brief since all the members had already been submitted the disciplinary committee report.

The hearing into the charges against Modi, who is currently based in London claiming a threat to his life in India, started in July 2010 and the disciplinary committee conducted several hearings over a period of two years, none of which were attended by Modi in person.

Modi was suspended in 2010, seconds after the IPL final held in Mumbai. The Board then slapped three show cause notices on him and he replied to all of them.

N Srinivasan

post left vacant by Rajiv Shukla, who decided to resign at the end of his tenure this year.

Biswal, a former India under-19 captain and firstclass cricketer, was the manager of the Indian team during the 2011 World Cup triumph and was also a former chairman of the National Cricket Academy.

Among other important positions, Sneh Bansal (north), Ravi Savant (west) and Rajiv Shukla (central) have replaced Arun Jaitley, Niranjan Shah and Sudhir Dabir as vice-presidents.

Shivlal Yadav and Chitrak Mitra have retained their vice-presidency from south and east zone respectively.

While Jaitley has relinquished his post owing to political commitments in view of the upcoming general elections, Shah and Dabir have been dumped for their perceived closeness to Srinivasan's adversaries Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar.

Sanjay Patel and Anirudh Chaudhury have been named the BCCI

Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

These positions were laid vacant when Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in the aftermath of the IPL betting scandal.

Patel has been interim Secretary so far and his position was only made permanent.

Jharkhand State Cricket Association President Amitabh Choudhary was appointed head of the BCCI marketing committee, while Kerala CA boss T C Mathhew was handed charge of the National Cricket Academy.

Andhra CA Secretary G Gangaraju was named head of BCCI finance committee.

Goa's Vinod Phadke has been entrusted with the responsibility of heading the media committee. DDCA's Ravi Jain has been named the vice-chairman of the media committee.

Incidentally, Gangaraju and Phadke were in Srinivasan's opposition camp but changed allegiance for which he was suitably rewarded.

Lalit Modi

Srinivasan elected unopposed, gets men of choice in BCCI

Brushing aside intense criticism and questions of probity, N Srinivasan was elected unopposed as BCCI President for a third year during the Board's AGM on Sunday even though he will not take charge till further orders from the Supreme Court.

Srinivasan was the lone Presidential candidate put forward by the South Zone, from where he got the proposer and the seconder.

The AGM asserted Srinivasan's supremacy in India's richest sporting body with not even a single voice of dissent being heard during the proceedings. But he can resume his duties only after the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the case filed against his candidature by the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma.

The choice of the various sub-committees bore ample testimony to Srinivasan's stranglehold on the organisation as all the executive functionaries as well as the heads of the important panels are per-

ceived to be close to the Chennai strongman.

Srinivasan's election was on expected lines despite the fact that he had his back against the wall on the issue of propriety after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan was chargesheeted in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

In another important decision, Ranjib Biswal, the Odisha Cricket Association chief, was named the IPL chairman, a

Yuvraj returns for Australia series

Left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh staged a comeback in the Indian squad for the ODI series against Australia, starting October 10. Yuvraj replaced Dinesh Karthik in the team following some brilliant performances in the Challengers trophy and limited-overs series against West Indies A. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, however, failed to make the cut. Both were overlooked by the selectors as they had nothing to attract their attention. Neither Sehwag nor Gambhir lived up to their reputation in the recent domestic and Class A games. The team was announced on Monday for the T20I and first three of the seven ODIs. The Twenty20 will be played in Rajkot on Oct 10. The first three ODIs will be hosted in Pune (Oct 13), Jaipur (Oct 16), and Mohali (Oct 19). Yuvraj last played for India on January 27 against England at Dharamsala, after which he was dropped due to poor form. Since his comeback in competitive cricket, a fitter Yuvraj has scored 123, 40 and 61 in three List A matches against the West Indies A followed by a quickfire 52 in the lone T20 game. He followed it up in the Challenger Trophy with 84 against India Red and 29 against Delhi in the final. Team: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Shami Ahmed and Jaydev Unadkat.

Indian boys register first win in junior Davis Cup

Sumit Nagal won the second singles and then combined with Sahil Deshmukh to win the doubles as India defeated Argentina 2-1 for their first win the Junior Davis Cup final at San Luis Potosi. India finished third in Group A and thus failed to progress to the quarterfinal as only top two teams from the each group were to advance to the next stage. Top seeded Russia and Spain made it to the quarterfinals from Group A. After Garvit Batra had lost the first singles 4-6, 4-6 to Franco Capalbo, Nagal brought India back with victory in the second singles. Nagal beat Agustin Torreano 6-4, 6-3 to level the scores and then teamed up with Deshmukh to defeat the Argentine combination of Juan Pablo Ficovich and Agustin Torreano 4-6, 6-3 6-0 in the doubles. India now face Norway in the 9-12 place play-offs.

Australia appoint former England batsman Hick as talent coach

Australia have appointed former England batsman Graeme Hick as high performance coach for their talent development programme, after employing the Zimbabwe-born 47year-old as a consultant for the past four months.

Hick, who played 65 tests for England from 1991-2001 for a modest batting average of 31.32, would be based at Australia's national talent academy, the Brisbane-

based Centre of Excellence, Cricket Australia said in a statement.

"His main role will be

Graeme Hick

working with our development teams including Australia A, Under 19 players and those in our current pathway system,"

CA executive general manager of team performance Pat Howard said.

"He will also provide a dedicated batting resource to all state players and Australian players who come through the Centre of Excellence at any time during the year. He will work closely with the state coaches in this regard."

Now living on Australia's Gold Coast near Brisbane, Hick

31

replaces one-test batsman Stuart Law, who departed in June to become head coach of Queensland state after Darren Lehmann left the role to coach the national team.

A formidable firstclass batsman, Hick was widely regarded an unfulfilled talent at test level but continued to dominate county attacks well after retiring from international cricket.

After finally hanging

up his gloves in 2008 at the age of 42, Hick had amassed 41,122 first class runs with 136 centuries.

Cricket Australia would also hold a "batting forum" next month in Sydney, bringing in former Australia cricketers and coaches to create a national batting programme that Hick would be charged with developing and implementing, Howard said.

32

SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 5th October 2013

BCCI to ask Sachin Tendulkar to retire after 200th test

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will ask India’s greatest cricketer and possibly its greatest sportsman, to retire after playing his 200th Test this November.

Reliable sources within the top echelons of the board confirmed that Sachin Tendulkar, who has given no indication of any plans to hang up his boots so far, will be asked by board officials to step down and make way for newer talent. It has also been decided exactly who will convey the message to Tendulkar.

However, given the flux within the BCCI at present, the name of the messenger has not been publicly divulged. When contacted, board president Srinivasan refused to comment on the development.

The overriding impression in Chennai, where BCCI converged for the Board’s Annual General Meeting, is that Sachin who turned 40 this April, has

Sachin Tendulkar

outlived his usefulness. The maestro’s string of recent failures have convinced the BCCI that Tendulkar is well past his best. And anything short of that is not good enough for the BCCI, which is looking to fashion a newer, younger team.

Tendulkar has not scored a century in 22 Tests and has only two half-centuries in his last 12 Tests. His overseas record since his last Test hundred in Cape Town in

2011 has also been dismal.

Board officials revealed that the two-Test series against the West Indies in November has been arranged keeping Tendulkar’s mega-milestone in mind. Though the formal decision has not been taken, Sachin’s 200th Test is likely to be allotted to Mumbai, his home town. The reason for the unseemly haste on the part of the Board stems from the fact that as long as

Tendulkar keeps himself available for selection, no selection committee dare to drop him. “At the same time his batting frailties have become too stark to ignore,” said a senior official. “He could not face a bowler like Monty Panesar in home conditions. He was further exposed in the series against Australia. Now the tricky bit is who will let him know this…”

A senior administrator, and not any of the selectors, will approach Tendulkar with the delicate matter of announcing his retirement.

“Put together, they (the selectors) do not match his stature of 200 Tests and over 33,000 international runs.

Between them, the four selectors – the other one has not played Test cricket – have not played even one third of the Tests that Tendulkar has played,” said a source.

Tendulkar was not available to answer queries about his future plans.

Kohli beats Dhoni and Sachin in endorsements

India's hottest young cricketer Virat Kohli is setting the world of brand endorsements alight. The Indian captain-in-the-making, whose exploits on the field, combined with his youth, good looks and never-saydie attitude, makes him a winner off the field too, has inked a Rs 100 million per annum deal with German sports goods giant Adidas.

The three-year contract, perhaps the most lucrative to be signed by an Indian sports star, will see the swashbuckling right-hand batsman endorsing the brand's apparel and shoes.

The Delhi lad has also struck a Rs 65 million a year deal with a tyre brand that had master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh as its ambassadors, a person familiar with the development revealed.

The two deals will see Kohli topping the likes of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar in terms of annual earnings per brand endorsement.

Kohli, who turns 25 later this year, pocketed around Rs 400 million from endorsements last year, but that sum may swell up substantially with these two deals in his kit bag.

Currently, he lends his face to as many as 13 brands, including Pepsi, Toyota and Cinthol deodorants.

When contacted, an

Virat Kohli

Adidas spokesperson declined to comment on the development.

Tendulkar, who is Adidas' current brand ambassador, is perhaps at the fag end of his illustrious career.

And Kohli fits the bill perfectly as he is being groomed to take over the top job from Dhoni after the 2015 ICC World Cup, an executive from a sports management firm said.

Bunty Sajdeh-led Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment manages the Indian vice-captain's endorsement contracts.

Sajdeh was unavailable for comment.

Kohli's annual endorsement fee has seen a meteoric rise over the past year, rivalling the likes of Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, the hottest

much more to renew their deals or simply end their association with him.

"We are willing to pay a premium, depending on what that number is. He has been a great fit for our brand which targets youngsters, and he has grown with us," said J Suresh, MD and CEO, Arvind Lifestyle and Brands which has had the cricketer on Mahendra Singh Dhoni board for three years brand ambassador in the as Flying Machine's brand film industry. Till last year, ambassador. the cricket star used to The jeans-wear brand command Rs 30 million per signed Kohli before the brand annually, which went World Cup at a moderate up to Rs 60 million. price and its contract is up The Rs 100 million a for renewal. With Rs 100 year deal with Adidas promillion becoming the new pels him to a different benchmark, many brands league altogether. "For the will find it hard to match up past few years, Dhoni has to Brand Kohli's price tag. been ruling the endorseUntil recently, Kohli and ment space, but Kohli is Nike were in a five-year catching up very fast. While contract inked in 2008.

Dhoni connected well with However, things turned the masses, Kohli has a sour between the two sides more urban appeal which a when the US sports goods lot of brands want to cash major went to court claimin on," said Indranil Das ing Kohli had breached the Blah, COO of celebrity contract by disagreeing to management firm CAA continue as its brand Kwan. ambassador till 2014. But The price escalation in the Karnataka high court Kohli's endorsement conruled in favour of the cricktracts has meant that a lot eter, allowing him to sign of brands which had signed endorsement deals with him early on must shell out other sports brands.

India juniors win Johor Cup

Johor Bahru: A dominant India triumphed in the 3rd Sultan of Johor Cup with a thumping 3-0 victory over hosts Malaysia in the title clash of the Under-21 hockey tournament here. Amon Mirash Tirkey (22nd), Affan Yusof (52) and Manprret (64th) were the goal scorers for India who made up for last year’'s defeat in the final against Germany. Malaysia failed to find the spark that had seen them make the final with relative ease. India created a lot of opportunities and had an early chance in the 5th minute when Satbir Singh took a snap shot but it was padded away by Mohd Hafizuddin Othman. India drew first blood in the 22nd minute after a fine run on the left by Kothajit Singh whose cross came off the stick of Faiz Helmi and fell nicely for Tirkey to score. The players will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each while Harjit Singh will get an additional cash award of Rs 100,000 for getting the most promising Player award. Also, HI will give a cash award of Rs 1,00,000 to Indian women’s team goalie Savita.

Panesar given suspended ban for intimidating behaviour

England's troubled spinner Monty Panesar has been given a suspended one-match ban for threatening and intimidating behaviour towards an opponent, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. The sanction, which follows two incidents in the County Championship match between Essex and Worcestershire in early September, applies only to that competition and is suspended until the end of the 2014 season. It caps a difficult period for the player who moved from Sussex to Essex after being fined by police in August for urinating in public.Panesar, who did not play in the Ashes tests and was not considered for the final match against Australia following that incident, had hoped the change of club would prompt a change in fortune.He was recently recalled to the England squad for the return Ashes test series in Australia that starts in November.

Former England batsman Shah retires from first-class cricket

Former England batsman Owais Shah announced his retirement from first-class cricket. The 34-year-old Shah wants to concentrate on shorter formats of the game, meaning he could remain at Essex next season. Shah, who played six Tests and 88 limited overs matches for England, completed his first-class career with a hundred against Glamorgan last week. "I have really enjoyed my Championship cricket career," Shah said in a statement. "I started off playing four-day cricket for Middlesex and my main aim was to play for England. “I have achieved this but now as time goes on I would rather concentrate on the shorter forms of the game,” he said.