AV 10th October 2020

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

inside: Postmasters win fight against the greatest miscarriage of justice SEE PAGE - 9 R

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

10 - 16 OCTOBER 2020 - VOL 49 ISSUE 24

“BULLIED” INTO FORCED LABOUR BAME employees, women and children struggle with mental health implications Priyanka Mehta and Shefali Saxena

The Centre for Social Justice estimates that there are at least 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK and a staggered economy due to the aftershocks of coronavirus is likely to fuel this crisis. Most of them suffer in silence and go “undetected” as they submit to bullying, discrimination and workplace harassment for the fear of losing their livelihoods and career progression. This World Mental Health Day (10 October 2020) with 1.4 million people and counting unemployed, Asian Voice speaks to solicitors, psychiatrists and doctors about the harrowing impact on the mental well-being of employees and their families.

Continued on page 6

SPECIAL : The importance of Care Homes in today's Britain SEE PAGE - 15 - 17

SPECIAL : 315,000 Keralites find a second home in Ahmedabad SEE PAGE - 23

Issa brothers and TDR Capital buy Asda group

Zuber and Mohsin Issa

FULL STORY ON PAGE 26

2 UK

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with Keith Vaz

Illegal Indian worker caught at Leicester factory in Covid-19 regulatory checks

Dr. Luxmi Velauthar Dr Luxmi Velauthar is a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Barts NHS Trust. She qualified at University of Dundee and undertook speciality training in London. She is the lead for Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine Unit at Newham University Hospital. She gained her MD at the University of Queen Mary and has presented her research work both at national and international conferences. She has a particular interest in fetal medicine, pregnancy complications with extensive experience in pre-eclampsia and preterm pregnancies. In addition, she has clinical interest in all aspects of Gynaecology, including menstrual disorders, menopause and minimal access surgery.

She teaches and examines for undergraduates and post graduate medical degrees.

She is the course director for obstetric ultrasound course (POST) and Practical Gynaecology Laparoscopic Training (PGLT) for obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In addition, she is currently leading charitable projects locally and internationally to improve women’s health through teaching and training both staffs and patients.

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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

London. It’s where cultural diversity blooms and everyone from all backgrounds feel welcome and appreciated.

London gives anyone the opportunity to reach their full potential and I love its remarkable history. London is home to lots of interesting landmarks that bring the world together to admire its rich culture and heritage.

What are your proudest achievements?

My recent proudest achievement would be initiating our universal screening for Covid-19 for our pregnant women at Newham University Hospital, and that we were the very first hospital to have introduced universal screening in the UK. In addition, we have introduced partner testing to protect, not only the mother and baby, but also the maternity staff of which almost 70% are from the BAME background.

What inspires you?

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My work colleagues at Newham Hospital, in particular, maternity staffs.

Despite the major challenges during the COVID crisis, their selfless attitudes to ensure they provide the safe and effective care to the patients. I admire them for all their hard work. Also, my family, in particular my daughter, Sruthika, who gave me the strength to recover from COVID early in March, and coped many weeks when I had to be at work away from the family.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Nothing in particular. I always believe that when there is a will there is way.

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

My parents and my Husband who made me take the leap of faith with all my career decisions. They have been my Rock.

What is the best aspect about your current role?

I love my job because I like the autonomy and my bosses allow me to innovate to improve the services we provide for our women. We have introduced many digital technologies to improve patient safety and experience, especially during the pandemic.

And the worst?

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There is none. Although, my passion for work has been a hindrance to my work-life balance.

What are your long-term goals?

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To have innovation that improves healthcare for women in every corner of the world and it should be easily accessible and available.

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

One thing I would change is that I will ensure that there is an excellent healthcare which is easily accessible to everyone. Healthcare is a human right, and unfortunately in current times we are facing crisis and resolving this could save many lives.

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

Nelson Mandela. And would be delighted to listen and understand how he inspired the world, and fought for social equality, and how he brought the nation together.

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Arrests over suspicion of murder of mother-daughter On Sunday 4th October, it was reported that In a tribute issued by Lancashire and two men were arrested on suspicion of murSouth Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Dr dering a mother and her daughter.

Sacharvi was described as a "well-loved and The BBC reported that Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi and Vian Mangrio, were found dead at their home in Reedley with their bodies discovered inside a fire-damaged house. The men, from Burnley are now held on suspicion of two counts of murder, two of rape and one of arson with intent to endanger life.

Det Supt Jon Holmes, head of major crime, in his statement to the BBC said, "Our thoughts remain with Dr Sacharvi and Miss Mangrio's famDr Saman Mir Sacharvi and daughter Vian Mangrio ily and friends at this awful time and we send them our deepest condolences. We have a team of detectives dedicated well-liked colleague" while her daughter was to the investigation and we will leave no stone found badly burnt inside the house, the police unturned." reported.

On Saturday October 3rd, an Indian national had been caught at a Leicester-based factory working under a false identity.

Leicester Mercury reported that Ranjit Kumar’s visa applications to the UK were rejected four times before he entered the country illegally. Kumar then used forged documents and identification to secure a job under a false name. This happened despite regulatory checks at the Singh Clothing (Leic) Ltd, in Brighton and the worker in the factory was caught during Covid-19 compliant checks.

Leicester Crown Court heard that 36year-old Kumar was stopped by an officer who saw him trying to avoid them by using a fire exit. When questioned, he had showed a Portuguese ID card with his photograph, but in someone else’s name. His home in Haynes Road in Leicester, was searched, and a number of wage slips were found all in false names. Apparently, his employers were unaware of his illegal status.

Recorder James Smith told the defendant, "You've clearly been working for a

period of time in the UK, earning just over £5,000. The ID card was a carefully crafted false document bearing your photograph and someone else's details.

"You knew your entry into the UK wasn't permitted and you had no right to remain, having been refused a visa on four earlier occasions, between 2014 and 2016."

The Court heard that Kumar’s “true identity” was revealed only through a portable fingerprint scanner.”

Kumar, who had no previous convictions, has been jailed for 12 months.

According to the paper, he admitted possessing a false Portuguese ID card with improper intent, and fraudulently using it to obtain a National Insurance number and employment.

According to reports, there are over 20,000 Indians primarily from Goa who have come to the UK on Portugese passports as of December 2016. Most of these Indians are living pre-dominantly in Swindon, Leicester and Birmingham besides London.

MI5 flagged up Manchester Arena suicide bomber 18 times On Thursday 1st October, as the public inquiry in the Manchester arena attack of 2017 continues, it was reported that the bomber had come to MI5’s attention at least 18 times. This included his attempts to travel to Syria and his links to Islamic State fundraisers, The Times reported.

According to the inquiry, Salman Abedi was identified associating with six MI5 “subjects of interest” [SOI], including a man previously linked to al-Qaeda who was under investigation for helping extremists to travel to Syria besides travelling to Istanbul in 2016. The paper also reported that the Intelligence officers were aware that a contact of Abedi’s had “links to a senior figure” in ISIS. The inquiry heard that Abedi came to MI5’s attention in 2010 and was made an SOI in 2014 because of links to an IS recruiter. Other times that he appeared on the radar, included for his link to suspects who were helping to facilitate travel to Syria and another affiliated to Isis in Libya.

However, the case was closed in March 2014 because there was “no intelligence

indicating that he posed a threat to national security”. In February 2015 and January 2017 Abedi made separate visits to jails in Britain to Abdalraouf Abdallah, a convicted terrorist. Twice in the months before the attack intelligence was received by MI5 about Abedi which was assessed at the time to relate to “possibly innocent activity” or to “non-terrorist criminality”.

But Ms McGahey QC for the Home Office told the inquiry that even if MI5 had taken different decisions in the months before the attack it may not have deterred Abedi. She said there were “enormous challenges in assessing intelligence, trying to work out what the risk is, who poses the greatest risk and seeking to predict what individuals are intending to do next”.

In another development the lawyers for the fire service admitted that its response to the bombing was “neither adequate nor effective”. Crews had failed to arrive for two hours after the bombing. The Manchester Arena attack had killed 22 people and injured hundreds in 2017.

The public inquiry continues.

Reports indicate Birmingham to prepare for mass coronavirus vaccination drive Last week as the coronavirus cases continStaffordshire is set to receive 600,000 doses ued to rise, leaked reports and documents and one of the vaccines is being manufacindicated that doctors in West Midlands tured locally at Keele University. were informed to plan for a mass coronavirus vaccination scheme from November.

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10 - 16 October 2020

Islamic charities under the scrutiny again Operations of some Muslim charities have often come under scrutiny with suspicions around their funding activities and alleged “ties” to “terrorist organisations”. Some institutes such as the Islamic Relief, and Islamic Help and Muslim Hands are some of the names which have frequently claimed that they have been “unfairly targeted” by the government for their “humanitarian work”.

Now, a Sunday Times investigation has exposed details of how people in the UK have donated and promoted an international crowdfunding operation to transfer money to people-smugglers in Syria through untraceable bitcoin cryptocurrency in a bid to free “their sisters”. Sisters like Shamima Begum, the Bethnal Green schoolgirl who had fled the UK to join IS and who is now appealing to come back to the country. This circuit of cyber donations is not restricted to the UK alone but apparently maps through France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Whilst such kind of cyber donations to “free” ISIS sisters may be revealed in the papers for the first time. But people of Britain have often also been duped and scammed into unconsciously and unknowingly donating thousands of pounds to men who pose as volunteers for genuine charities, collect cash illegally without the knowledge of these charities and then use it to fund illegal activities. In 2012 the Woolwich Crown Court in a public inquiry heard that three men in Birmingham posed as collectors from a genuine charity - Muslim Aid - and went door-to-door in the city and Leicester. The jury also heard that two of these men had received terror training in Pakistan and the trio planned to set off a series of suicide bombs in the UK. The charities also faced scrutiny in 2014 when it was reported that about 55 unnamed charities in the UK were secretly monitored and placed under watch-list over suspected links to "radicalisation and extremism". Claystone, a London-based think-tank in their 2014 report 'Muslim Charities: A Suspect Sector', highlighted that of the 44 publicly identified enquiries, 17 involved Muslim-

related charities. There are countless allegations that beyond their humanitarian works, some of these charities are working hand-inglove with organisations such as Hamas, IS, and the Hezbollah in the Middle-East to disrupt and de-stabilise governments in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Other charities have allegedly also interfered in India’s state of Jammu and Kashmir and internal administration of the country. Recently, Amnesty International announced that it had shut down its operation in India and lay off all staff after the Indian government froze its bank accounts. The Indian government has accused the charity of bringing foreign funding into the country illegally and failing to comply with regulations. Islamic Relief on the other hand has been embroiled into an ongoing investigation into anti-Semitism with board members of the charity using social media to post anti-Semitic comment.

Leader Heshmat Khalifa had earlier taken to Facebook to describe Jews as the “grandchildren of monkeys and pigs” and called Egypt’s president a “Zionist pimp”. He had also glorified terrorist attacks on Israel and showed the former American president Barack Obama in clothing branded with the Star of David.

Following massive controversy, the entire board of the charity had announced that their comments were “inappropriate” and that they would step down for the election of a new board in August.

Now defending the charity for its alleged “terrorism links” Naser Haghamed, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide in his opinion piece for The Guardian wrote, “The Israeli authorities designated us as a terrorist organisation as long ago as 2014, claiming that we were a front for Hamas. It has taken six long years for us to pursue a legal challenge to this designation. Our case will finally be heard on 12 October.” Regardless of their political inclinations perhaps, these charities would do well to simply focus on working for the aggrieved. They should refrain from issuing hate comments, using social media to mobilise crowds to support one side over the other in political debates and comply with governments and financial regulatory authorities.

There are only two castes in India, the poor and the rich “We always lived in fear of our girls getting dragged into the millet fields,” said the father of the Hathras gang-rape victim (a Dalit), whose mortal remains were burnt in the absence of her family, in middle of the night (allegedly using petrol) by the Uttar Pradesh Police. Over 30 diaspora groups and human rights organisations in the UK, including South Asia Solidarity Group, along with MPs John McDonnell, Apsana Begum, and Kim Johnson, have written to the UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet regarding the Hathras case, requesting her to urge PM Narendra Modi to dismiss Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Not just India, class divide has also been deep rooted in the UK for the past many years. From people in power to eminent names in journalism. Harold Evans, British Journalist and the editor of The Sunday Times who died last month was born to a father who was an engine driver, while his mother ran a shop in their front room to enable the family to buy a car. London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s father Amanullah worked as a bus driver and Sehrun as a seamstress. Same as Sajid Javid, the former Home Secretary of UK. But interestingly their backgrounds have never impacted their politics.

According to India’s National Crime Bureau’s official government statistics for 2012, every 16 minutes, a non-Dalit commits a crime on a Dalit. 1574 Dalit women were raped, and 671

Dalits murdered in 2012. Manusmriti “acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society”. India has about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each of them revolve around a certain occupation. Discrimination based on caste was banned by the Indian constitution when India became independent. The very nature and inception of the caste system can symbolically be perceived as a “social security system” which plays a crucial role in the socialisation of individuals to learn more about the culture, traditions and values of their community in the society. In the past, the Manmohan Singh government decided not to count OBCs in the Census but in a separate Socio-Economic and Caste Census, or SECC. This is why, the government claims, the detailed OBC data on the basis of the SECC was never released. India will soon have rich data on the population and economic conditions of OBCs, from the national to the village level because the Modi government has decided that the 2021 Census will count OBCs as well, just like the Census counts SCs, STs and religious minorities. This data in all probability will revolutionise caste politics in India.

PM Narendra Modi declared on 23 May, 2019, “Only two castes will remain in this country. And, the country is going to be focused on only these two castes. The first caste in India is the poor. And, the second caste is people who contribute towards alleviation of poverty.”

Kamala Harris faces unusual scrutiny For the first time in American history an Indian-origin person will be taking up the podium for a vice-presidential debate on Wednesday. Political analysts believe that an aggressive Harris, 55, will easily prevail over Pence, 61, during the only vice-presidential debate and help her running mate Joe Biden, 77, to widen his lead over Trump, 74. Biden, in the last few days, has widened his lead over Trump by double digits. However, the Trump campaign believes that Pence could come out with a stellar performance during the debate. Harris will be tested as a national leader and a voice of the party unlike ever before. It is a singular challenge for Harris, who arrived in Washington as a senator in 2017: Can she beat ..( minor correction) .....her opponents and make the case for Democrats while walking the tightrope of unique expectations that American voters still have for women in power.

Harris has tried to downplay expectations for herself in the vicepresidential debate, reflecting concerns quietly raised by some aides and allies that the standard for her success has grown impossible to meet.

While President Trump spent months waging relentless attacks on Biden's mental acuity, lowering the bar for his opponent, Democrats have, by contrast, heralded Harris as a star prosecutor and talented debater, which carries its own set of risks.

Before Trump was hospitalized, Harris’s aides and advisers had wanted her to focus in particular on Pence’s stewardship of the coronavirus task force, tying the United States’ death toll directly to him. Campaign aides now say Harris plans to avoid personal attacks and commenting on the president’s condition. They also pushed for stronger safety protocols in advance of the debate, including strict enforcement of mask-wearing and testing.

Already, the two candidates will be 12 feet apart, an increase from the seven feet that was originally proposed, and they are expected to be separated by plexiglass.

Fiery exchanges have become a hallmark of Harris’s political

career, and many Democrats are gleefully anticipating that her experience as a district attorney and a California attorney general means she will have no trouble holding Trump and his allies to account. And one of the most pivotal moments of her presidential campaign was on a debate stage. She is expected to have a starring role during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings that Republicans hope to hold later this month. One challenge for her and many Democrats who are convinced they are about to see Harris administer a rhetorical thrashing to Pence - is not to approach the debate like a cross-examination.

With so much at stake, aides and former advisers have for weeks tried to lower the bar by noting Harris’s uneven debate performances during the primaries and talking up Pence’s discipline as a debater and loyalty to the president. Current and former aides say Harris spends weeks studying briefing books, brushing up on policy and practicing lines. She organizes her points on hundreds of index cards. Before primary debates, campaign staff members would reprint the cards at least once a day, former aides said, tweaking lines and clarifying policy. As Biden did before his first debate with Trump, Harris has suggested she does not want to fact-check Pence in real time, hoping instead that the moderator, Susan Page, the Washington bureau chief for USA Today, fills some of that role. “I don’t necessarily want to be the fact checker,” Harris told Mrs. Clinton last week during an interview. This time, she said, she has been particularly focused on mastering Biden’s policies, which at times have diverged from her own, as well as Pence’s and Trump’s to perfect her lines of attack. Her preparations have been overseen by Karen Dunn, a lawyer who helped lead debate prep for Mrs Clinton and former President Barack Obama. Research has found that it is much harder for female candidates to be rated as “likable” than men and that they are disproportionately punished for traits voters accept in male politicians, including ambition and aggression.

You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you.

Failure builds character. – Unknown

Alpesh Patel

When Do You Put Another Country Before Your Own? I am proud to be British Indian. Indian by heritage and British by birth and nationality. But when is it right to put another country before your own – which incidentally is as close to treason as one can be.

Imagine the British Pakistanis behind Conservative Friends of Kashmir. They are proud to be Pakistani as much as I am Indian. But it’s wrong to put another country before your own when: The values of that country, of theocracy by Constitution are against the values of Britain. Then seeking to expand that Constitution into the Indian territory of Kashmir is wrong.

It is wrong when there is a pandemic in Britain and your obsession lies with matters elsewhere. It is wrong when you bring religion into politics. That is a toxic mix and India and Britain suffered for it through bloodshed that Britain became a liberal democracy and India lost a segment of her population in 1947 who wanted to keep religion and politics intertwined and they went on to form Pakistan.

It is wrong when you do the bidding of a Prime Minister who at the UN invokes nuclear war and religion.

As Mijito Vinito, the first secretary at India's UN mission to the United Nations, said, “This Hall heard the incessant rant of someone who had nothing to show for himself, who had no achievements to speak of, and no reasonable suggestion to offer to the world. Instead, we saw lies, misinformation, warmongering, and malice spread through this Assembly. The words used today at this great Assembly by the leader of Pakistan (Imran Khan) demean the very essence of the United Nations.”

For British nationals to support the values and political views of the Prime Minister of another country is wrong when his views are those of Imran Khan. And a simpleton may say, but what of people supporting PM Modi? You clearly have not been paying attention if you wish to equate the Indian and Pakistani PM’s political views. You clearly do not read the invocation of religion in virtually every tweet of the PM of Pakistan. You do not see a religious republic by constitution is something very different to the Constitution of India.

You may dislike India’s political ruling party, its PM. But the values of the nation, the constitution is not what you can dislike. And that is the difference.

And I tell you this, Pakistan claims now under Khan parts of Gujarat as Pakistani. Like Kashmir you may not know these too went to the UN. I will not play words or legalities or plebiscite. The national security of India demands those parts of Gujarat are Indian. Cry all you want that a maharaja said this and a plebiscite said that. So too with Kashmir. Let alone the legalities lie in India’s favour. Even if they did not and the plebiscite would and even if it did not, national security and the UN demands Pakistan withdraw its troops from the areas the UN in 1948 said it illegally invaded.

The world needs less Pakistan not more. One less place for Bin Laden’s ilk to hide.

Conservative Friends of Kashmir are no friends of Britain but the useful idiots of Pakistan.

Asian Voice is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Unit- 7, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 • Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com Website: www.abplgroup.com INDIA OFFICE Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad-380 015.

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4 GANDHI JAYANTI SPECIAL

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150 years of celebrating the Mahatma Shefali Saxena The Nehru Centre and The High Commission of India, London celebrated Mahatma Gandhi & the UK in the virtual event on October 2nd, for 150 years of celebrating the Mahatma. The key speakers included: H.E. Smt. Gaitri I Kumar, High Commissioner of India to the UK, Lord Meghnad Desai, Chair, Gandhi Statue Memorial Trust, Lord Rami Ranger, CBE, Baron of Mayfair, Prof.

Satish Kumar, Eminent Gandhian Scholar, Shri Raageshwari CB Patel, Chairman, Loomba Swaroop The India League and Shri Amish Tripathi, Director, The Nehru Centre. The event was moderated by Smt. Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop, Author and Motivational Speaker.

Opening the virtual High event, the Commissioner Smt. Gaitri Kumar described that he lived in the most violent century that mankind has known.

Gandhi’s example inspired the statesmen Smt. Gaitri Kumar and leaders of the caliber of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi. Smt. Kumar also said that, “His book Hind Swaraj became a manifesto on sustainable development. At that time we found his prognosis gloomy, because according to him, urban industrialisation carried the seeds of its own destruction, but today we realise that each word had a ring of truth. His simple motto continues to inspire which is “one must care about the world that one will not see” Taking the event forward, Lord Rami

Ranger said, “I shudder to think what would have been the future of 1.3bn of us, if it wasn’t for the vision and commitment of Gandhi Ji. He believed that if people become violent, they will Lord Rami Ranger remain violent even after the objectives are met. I was very proud to have donated £100,000 towards the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, right in front of the British Parliament, because he defied what was being produced in that parliament against India, and prevailed.”

CB Patel, Chairman, The India League furthered the session and said, “GandhiJi always made virtue out of necessity. The man has gone, but the message is universal and omnipresent. Today, CB Patel India is different from what India was when GandhiJi was born in 1869 or when GandhiJi was assassinated in 1948.

GandhiJi gave voice to the voiceless, not only untouchables or tribals, but also the women of India. I’m glad that the present government is also giving importance to naari shakti’s evolution.”

Speaking in reference to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in London, Lord Meghnad Desai said, “The vegetarians whom he befriended among the English gave him confidence that his vegLord Meghnad Desai etarianism was a good thing. He learned to agitate and to lobby. He acquired the knowl-

edge of the Bhagvad Geeta while he was in London, through his English friends.

He said once that if he was locked fighting for India’s independence, he would love to live in London forever. On the 151th anniversary of his birth, let us remember that London meant a lot to Gandhi Ji.” Amish Tripathi, Director, The Nehru Centre and renowned author took the viewers through a virtual tour of photographs of Mahatma Gandhi from his birth till 1948. These photographs were sourced from Shri Amish Tripathi Pramod Kapoor’s book

by Roli Books. Tripathi said, “He’s (Gandhi’s) one of the most analysed figures in human history. There’s so much that we can learn from him, but it’s not that we have to agree with him on everything. For example his views on machinery: I think it’s good, it improves productivity. Someone who sits on the other side is not necessarily evil. It doesn’t mean that you have to be a doormat and get rolled over. There’s some good in our enemies and some room for improvement in ourselves as well,” he added.

“Mahatma Gandhi is my hero,” Prof. Satish Kumar, Eminent Gandhian Scholar said.

Describing his main message - Sarvodaya, upliftment of all, the professor said, “Mahatma Gandhi said that we have to be the change that we want Prof Satish Kumar to see in the world. We have to radiate nonviolence like a radiator radiates heat. Be nonviolent to yourself, and be kind to yourself, forgive yourself and drop all the past regrets, guilt and the burden of hate, anger and fear,” he added.

HIGH COMMISSIONER PAYS FLORAL TRIBUTE TO THE MAHATMA

India’s High Commissioner to the UK, Smt. Gaitri Issar Kumar and CB Patel, Chairman, The India League paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Tavistock Square. Smt. Kumar also visited Parliament Square in London on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Mahatma Gandhi’s 151st birth anniversary.

LORD MAYOR OF MANCHESTER AT GANDHI STATUE IN CATHEDRAL SQUARE ON 2ND OCTOBER

The virtual event had a Q&A between students & Prof Satish Kumar. Turn to page 28 to read more.

Senior Cabinet Minister from Gujarat joins Gandhi Jayanti celebration in London Large number of people joined virtually to Lord Jitesh Gadhia talked about the legapay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s 151st Birth cy of Bapu and said not only was he an iconic Anniversary celebration organised by The man but also influenced and inspired milNational Congress of Gujarati Organisations lions of people through his work.

(NCGO) UK in the presence of Hon’ble Lord Rami Ranger spoke about the values Minister of Education, Gujarat - Shri of Gandhiji in the development of the moral Bhupendrasinh Chudasama. He was also fabric of India and for the ultimate message joined by Bob Blackman MP, Barry Gardiner in the independence of India (in 1947) – a MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Lord Jitesh freedom for Mother India.

Gadhia, Lord Rami Ranger, Rohit Vadhwana The Chief Guest was then introduced by – High Commission of India, Rena AminP G Patel, Secretary General, with a brief hisBAPS and Jassmine Vithlani - Gujarati Radio. torical background on the Minister’s exemplary work over the last 5 decades and his role Krishna Pujara, Public Relations Officer at NCGO, welcomed all present and introduced NCGO - an umbrella body for Gujarati organisations, established in 1985. At present there are over 850,000 Gujaratis living in the UK. Vimalji Odedra, President of NCGO, in his opening speech, welcomed Shri Chudasama and thanked the guest speakers, dignitaries and everyone for taking the time to participate in the celebration.

Members of Parliament present highlighted Bapu’s life with his messages of non-violence. Rohit Vadhwana talked about the values and relevance of Gandhiji’s messages today.

Rena Amin spoke about Gandhiji’s values and his association with BAPS Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama Swamis.

Jassmine Vithlani highlighted the as Education Minister in Gujarat. Shri need to educate the younger generation on Chudasama expressed his delight to be virtuGandhi. ally in the UK and thanked his two friends Devraj Gadhvi from Upleta shared his Vimalji Odedra and CB Patel for the invite. story about his younger days while learning He informed that 2 October also coincides about Gandhiji.

in brief in brief

with the 116th Birth Anniversary of Lal Bahadur Shastri. The Minister highlighted the work of Gandhiji – how he toiled for the nation and promoted equality for the disadvantaged and backward groups.

The Minister reminded everyone about India’s Swachhta Abhiyan that was announced by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 15 August 2014. He added how the importance of Swachhta (cleanliness) is more relevant, especially during this pandemic.

Shri Chudasama also informed the audience that he was proud to see the Indian diaspora so active in Britain and applauded the Gujarati community for playing a key role in the British Economy.

CB Patel, the Chairman of Patron Council of NCGO thanked the Minister for accepting their invitation to join. Mr Patel reminded that the ‘Gandhi Yug’ is significant and talked about his first meeting with Shri Chudasama 30 years back. He mentioned the Minister’s previous visits to the UK in 2000 and 2015 and also highlighted that NCGO has been established to meet the needs of Gujaratis in the UK. The meeting ended with a bhajan by Bharti Patel.

Marking the 151st birth anniversary of India’s great political leader Mahatma Gandhi, on 2nd October 2020, Lord Mayor of Manchester, Navendu Mishra MP, Aisha Kamani (Boohoo.com) joined guests for a flower laying ceremony at the Gandhi Statue in Cathedral Square. The ceremony was also attended by Councilor Abid Chohan, Mr Navendu Mishra MP, Mrs Aisha Kamani ,Cannon Marcia Wall from Manchester Cathedral, Rabbi Warren Elf, Director, Faith Network for Manchester, Councilors and faith leaders.

GANDHI JAYANTI CELEBRATIONS IN CARDIFF

Gandhi Jayanti marked at the Gandhi statue, Millennium Centre, Cardiff, by Hon. Consul Raj Aggarwal, Mr Gurmit Randhawa, President Wales Sikh Council, Mr Taraksnathan Dasa President,ISKCON, Lt Cdr Suzanne Lynch RoyalNavy; Major Pete Harrison & Warrant Officer Steve Perham RAF

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3 - 9 October 2020

“BULLIED” INTO FORCED LABOUR Continued from page - 1

by Dr Shankar, a spokesperson on alone with hidden cases of such importance of good mental health with the responsibility to care for The Royal of behalf nature in London and across the and has spoken candidly about his children, siblings or elderly relaDr Shankar Chappiti, a South Wolverhampton NHS Trust said, UK. But allegations around bullying own struggles during the pandemic. tives.

Asian ophthalmologist based in at workplaces is not just confined to Sadiq set up Thrive LDN, in part“In addition, there is a gender “We can confirm Dr Chappiti has Birmingham, has lodged a these private organisations. Several nership with Public Health bias in presentation and diagnobrought a complaint in the complaint against the reports have recently surfaced England and NHS London, to sis. For example, women are much employment tribunal. We NHS on the grounds about BAME employees within the promote good mental health and more likely to be diagnosed with are awaiting a prelimiof forced labour and Whitehall corridors stating workwellbeing to all, and actively prodepression by a doctor, even if nary hearing date to be racism. In his place discrimination and bullying motes their resources and Zero they obtain the same scores in set. The Trust denies he fundraiser, has resulted in stress, burnout and Suicide London’s suicide prevenpsychological screening questionthe claims made and is writes, “No one impacted their mental well-being. tion training to communities naires. Men are more likely to disdefending the comshould have to Home Secretary Priti Patel, Home across the capital.” close problems with alcohol to plaint. No further comexperience what I Office, and Downing Street are also their doctors than women.” ment will be made at have been through 55% women reported income loss being asked to disclose all correthis time.” in the last two years. I Sadiq Khan during Covid-19, distressed and Children lose loved ones to spondence related to Phillip feared for my career if I BAME workers under-paid lonely Covid-19, struggle with psychoRutnam’s departure following did not agree to forced and traumatised in poor work logical impacts claims that he was forced out of his In the meantime, some women labour which saw me working for conditions job for intervening in her alleged entrepreneurs who are also strugBesides women, children are free for six months. Slavery and bullying of fellow civil servants. gling to stay afloat during the panalso heavily impacted by the loss The CSJ report states that there racial discrimination have no place Condemning all forms of moddemic have reported how stress, of their loved ones especially as is no data available to quantify the in modern society let alone in an ern slavery and workplace exploitaburnout and anxiety have resulted they remained cooped up in isolaexact scale and cost of people being NHS hospital in the 21st century. I tion, a spokesperson for the Mayor in disrupted routines and caused tion most of the Summer this stuck in such vulnerable positions believe the Hospital Trust have of London said, “The has launched problems to their biological clocks year. Limited interactions with at workplaces. But, following the failed to recognise the seriousness as well. Care International, a their friends and a disruption in the Employment Rights Hub to coronavirus pandemic, the Centre of what took place and have their routine has understands that this problem is refused to compensate me for the seen many either likely to worsen especially as jobs trauma experienced and loss of falling prey to dry up and those currently earnings- in summary this is a County Lines or employed are expected to deliver human rights issue”. being “boxed” up in greater amount of work at reduced their rooms. Some salaries as businesses struggle to Modern slavery not restricted to academics have sugstay afloat. About 10 million human trafficking gested that children employees were supported by the Dr Shankar reached out to should now be eduChancellor’s furlough scheme. As Richard Port an employment soliccated about the sigit gets replaced by the lesser generitor and Founder of Boardside to nificance of mental ous Jobs Retention Scheme, navigate his case. Subsequently health in schools economists estimate that around 2 they lodged a complaint at the especially those who million people be out of work and Tribunal in May, and Richard says that Britain’s unemployment rate are disproportionthey still haven’t received a date for can more or less double at 8% ately impacted by the hearing. humanitarian agency polled towards the end of the year. With the loss of loved ones. enable employees to have the infor“Shocked” at how a doctor can Dr Prabhu Rajendran, 10,000 people in 40 countries mation and guidance they need to fresh restrictions imposed ahead of be a victim of forced labour in an about the repercussions of the understand what their rights and a potential second wave of coronRCPCH Ambassador (BLMK ICS) organisation such as NHS, Richard avirus, the situation for the public health crisis. In a study first protections are. He has also said, “In the current climate says, “Modern slavery is not just hospitality, retail and of its kind, the survey found that developed the Good BAME children and young peoabout trafficking of people, such as manufacturing indus27% of women reported an Work Standard to ple, specifically, are experiencing sex workers, or staff for restaurants increase in problems linked to ensure businesses try is particularly worthe pandemic differently from and retail stores, with horror stomental illness, in comparison to across London prorisome. their peers. This is as a conseries of their passports being taken only ten per cent of men. Women In the last few vide safe work enviquence of the disproportionate away. This case concerns an allegacited concerns around maintainmonths there have ronments in which social, economic, and psychologition of forced labour, a specific ing income, struggling to eat and been several reports their employees can cal impacts on their communioffence under the Modern Slavery access healthcare and increased thrive. ties. These children are disproaround how some Act, being any work or service caring responsibilities. 55% of “Sadiq is an ardent portionately from lower socioeemployees especially which people feel forced to underwomen reported income loss as champion of workers’ from BAME backconomic backgrounds, and overtake against their will, under threat one of the biggest effects of the crowded and multigenerational grounds were coerced Dr Prabhu Rajendran rights, ensuring City Hall of punishment, including having Covid-19 emergency, compared to leads the way in providing homes. They are suffering the into working in “poor to give service for no remuneration 34 per cent of men. Another major a safe and supportive working envimost while being least able to work” conditions. Fast fashion or reward. report by the Institute for Fiscal ronment to all colleagues. The socially distance, and it’s taking a giant Boohoo has been embroiled “I was very moved and shocked Studies (IFS) found CovidMayor has offered riskpsychological toll. As they are the into investigations of modern slavwhen I first discussed Dr Shankar’s 19 chaos has worsened assessments to staff ones who are more likely to lose a ery as it reported a 45% rise in their case with him. He has been living existing gender across the GLA family sales during the coronavirus lockloved one and less likely to have in this country since he was 3inequalities in mental in roles that make down. While the company recordproper access to online learning.” years-old, has made significant health with women’s them more vulneraed a profit of 51% in the first half of Commenting on how sociocontributions to the economy as a wellbeing disproporble to Covid-19, put the year, workers were allegedly economic lifestyles can also doctor in the NHS and yet feels tionately affected by in place measures to paid just £3.50 an hour. Last week have a detrimental impact on abused, violated and that he has the pandemic. Other protect staff in those an independent commission led by the well-being of some children been taken advantage of.

Alison Levitt QC stated, “Boohoo Irtiza Qureshi, Research Fellow similar research has roles and all staff have “In cases of this nature, the indicated that women 24-hour access to sup- Institute of Health Research, ought to have appreciated the seriemployee is likely to feel under may have been more disport through a free University of Bedfordshire said, ous risks created by ‘lockdown’ in tremendous pressure and often Dr Sohom Das tressed through work helpline if they are experi“Generally speaking, the British relation to potential exploitation fearful. I understand that within insecurity, loneliness and domesencing emotional distress.”

South Asian community can be of the workforce of the Leicester ethnic minority groups there is factories. It capitalised on the comtic violence.

During the first wave of coronseen to have strong protective pressure on individuals to support Dr Sohom Das is a Consultant mercial opportunities offered by avirus and at the height of the panfactors such as close and their families, often when there is lockdown and believed that it was demic, the Mayor himself had spoextended family support strucForensic Psychiatrist. Explaining no other breadwinner at home. So, supporting Leicester factories by ken of his own mental health strugtures, faith and spirituality netwhat are the root causes of mental to be out of work and particularly not cancelling orders, but took no gles. The significance of good menworks. However, systemic risk health issues among women, he in a society those people may not responsibility for the consetal well-being is rarely discussed factors such as institutional said, “There are numerous gender feel confident, is clearly a difficult quences for those who made the within South Asian families. Mood racism and socioeconomic staspecific risk factors for women. situation for them. And it is bound clothes they sold.” swings and laziness are often syntus can have a detrimental They experience much higher to have adverse effects on anyone’s onymous with depression, anxiety effect on some British domestic violence and sexual mental well-being. One should be Mayor’s mental health struggles and suicide ideation to many South South Asians and assault, which can lead to able to go to work, feel safe, carry and work with Zero Suicide Asian families who believe that their mental Post-Traumatic Stress out their duties with dignity and be London therapy and counselling will bring health. For examDisorder. They often able to enjoy that. And, in my expe“shame” to their family. The young ple, people of have socioeconomic The main drivers of modern rience, people from black, Asian (16-24 year-olds) South Asians lookBangladeshi slavery can be attributed to poverty, inequality in some culand Minority Ethnic (BAME) backlack of equal opportunities and ing for jobs or coping with the background are tures; including poorer grounds feel less inclined to speak other vulnerabilities which result in financial and academic stress of far more likely to rural Asian communiout and instead shoulder the an increased risk of workplace university are primarily suffering in earn less, live in ties. They can be disresponsibilities they find themharassment, exploitation and silence. Urging the community to poorer housing couraged or disadvanselves in silence, because they feel abuse. And human rights Barrister hold open discussions around their conditions and have taged in developing their they have little choice.”

Irtiza Qureshi Parosha Chandran has elaborated mental well-being, spokesperson less qualifications own qualifications and Responding to Asian Voice’s that the problem of modern slavery for Mayor of London said, “The than their White British career opportunities compared to questions on the allegations made is not restricted to the Midlands Mayor passionately believes in the counterparts.” men; for example, being burdened

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10 - 16 October 2020

UK 7

PHE LAUNCHES NEW MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN TO Former Northern Ireland minister not worried about SUPPORT CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR PARENTS EU launching legal

proceedings against the UK Priyanka Mehta Former Northern Ireland Minister has said that he is “not worried” about the EU launching legal proceedings against the UK over the breach of the withdrawal agreement.

Indian-origin MP for North West Cambridgeshire believes that these legal actions does not necessarily mean that the EU are “right”.

Addressing a Conservative Friends of India (CFI) conference on Thursday, 1st October, he said, “Just because the European Union have launched a legal action against the UK does not mean that the EU is right. I speak as a former Justice Secretary and Northern Ireland minister that we are not wrong. I am reasonably relaxed about the EU launching these legal proceedings against the UK for breach of Shailesh Vara withdrawal agreement. It is part and parcel of international relations and I would not worry too much about it.”

Earlier in the week the EU President Ursula von der Leyen had announced that the UK had been put on formal notice over the internal market bill which was tabled by prime minister Boris Johnson earlier in the month. Moderated by Councillor Ameet Jogia and Co-Chair Reena Ranger, the conference shed light on the political journey of Shailesh Vara, discussing how he was among one of the first Indian-origin ministers within the Conservative Party, combating racial attacks and eventually becoming a Minister for

Northern Ireland in Theresa May’s government.

Besides his journey, Shailesh Vara also spoke about the diaspora’s concern and outrage on the formation of Conservative Friends of Kashmir. While Councillor Ameet Jogia emphasised that the said group is not an official or affiliated group of the Conservative Party, Shailesh Vara explained, “We need to recognise the role of the Member of Parliament. If you’re a member of the government then you follow the government line in every way. And if you disagree with the government policy then you resign like I did as Northern Ireland minister when I did not agree with Theresa May’s Brexit policy.

“But if you are a backbencher, as these six MPs then they are free to set up whatever groups they wish to provide they are not in breach of the law of the land and nothing illegal is happening. There are lots of groups within the Parliament including All Party Parliamentary Groups. There is no reason why each Party cannot set up their own groups. There is that freedom and that is why some MPs can vote against the government’s line. It does not automatically result in suspension from the Party.

“The Party does not dictate to a backbencher what they can or cannot do.

Ultimately, they are answerable to the mandate in the next general election.”

'India’s first gift to the world was yoga' Shefali Saxena The Conservative Friends of India held a celebration event in a virtual conference on Monday. The High Commissioner of India H.E Ms Gaitri Issar Kumar, the party Chairman the Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP, the Secretary of State for Digital , Culture, Media and Sport the Rt Hon Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP joined the reception, along with many more guest speakers like Paul Scully MP for Sutton, Lord Tariq Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon, Lord Rami Ranger, CBE and Lord Dolar Popat, Member of the House of Lords. The event was moderated by Cllr Ameet Jogia and Co-chair Reena Ranger.

High Commissioner Gaitri Kumar appreciated the vision and mission of the Conservative party and added, “Our honorable Prime Ministers have a shared vision and enjoy an admirable rapport.

During challenging circumstances at the worst period of the pandemic, we have managed to coordinate on AI, medical supplies, pharmaceutical, repatriation of our nationals stranded in both the countries, we managed it rather well. That shows we can operate under difficult circumstances and succeed.”

MP for South West Hertfordshire, Gagan Mohindra seconded the sentiment and said that his Indian upbringing has taught him one thing - if you work hard, you can succeed.

Lord Rami Ranger emphasised the need to have support for the upcoming elections for the position of the Mayor of London, showing the party’s support towards Shaun Bailey. Member of London Assembly and the

party's candidate for the forthcoming 2021 London mayoral election, Shaun Bailey said, “I need your help. Here in London, we had a generational opportunity to remove Sadiq Khan. He’s been a terrible Mayor and has not served London, your community or any other community well at all. And we can beat Sadiq Khan if I have your help. Because remember, this election is not just about the city that we live in, it’s about the city our children will inherit. Instead of putting the city and businesses back on their feet, the Mayor is talking about another lockdown.”

“A leader who is afraid of leading, cannot be trusted,” he added.

MP and Executive Secretary, Bob Blackman expressed excitement about the

upcoming festival of Navratri and he said he’ll miss Dandiya Raas, but hopes to see fireworks on Diwali. He also stated that the matter of India’s border dispute is an internal matter for India and the UK has no business intervening in bilateral talks. However, it is willing to offer assistance if needed.

Blackman also said, “As a result of this pandemic, India’s first gift to the world was yoga and we've incorporated yoga into our national health service, getting fitter and better as a result. We also learnt that actually shaking hands is a very dangerous thing during this pandemic so now we have the greeting from India to express peace, harmony and tranquility in a safe environment.”

Most families have experienced upheaval in their daily lives during the pandemic. With children and young people now back at school or college, PHE’s new mental health campaign provides NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help children and young people’s mental wellbeing and equip parents and carers with the knowledge to support them.

Research reveals that the coronavirus outbreak has caused an increase in anxiety in young people. What’s more, over twofifths (41%) of children and young people said they were lonelier than before lockdown and more than a third said they were more worried (38%). New PHE survey data found that when asked about their top three worries around coronavirus, over half of parents (52%) said the mental wellbeing of their children topped the list.

It’s a relief for most parents and carers that their children are now back at school, but, as we adapt to a new normal, many anticipate their children will experience new stresses. This includes facing the challenges of catching up with missed education, getting used to new schools or colleges and re-building relationships with friends.

The new advice available on the Every Mind Matters website is designed to help parents and carers spot the signs that children may be struggling with their mental health and support them. In addition to the advice for parents and carers the site also provides tools to help young people build resilience and equips them to look after their own mental wellbeing.

NHS’s Top 5 Tips for supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing as they go back out into the world:

1. Be there to listen: Ask the children and young people you look after how they are doing regularly so they get used to speaking about their feelings.

2. Stay involved in their life: Show interest in their life and the things that are important to them.

3. Support positive routines: Be a positive role model and support positive behaviours including regular bedtime routines, healthy eating and getting active.

4. Encourage their interests: Being active, creative, learning things and being a part of a team are all good for mental health.

Support children and young people to explore their interests.

5. Take what they say seriously: help the children and young people you look after to feel valued in what they say and help them work through difficult emotions.

Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, NHS England Associate National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, said, “It’s understandable that while many children and young people are excited to be back in class, some may also have concerns and anxieties about the new academic year, following the uncertainty and upheaval of Covid, which is why this important campaign is offering practical tips to help kids cope.

“Parents, carers, teachers and students should also be reassured that the NHS has been and will continue to be there for everyone with concerns about their mental health, whether through 24/7 crisis support lines, video and phone consultations, or face to face appointments.”

8 WOMEN’S VOICE

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10 - 16 October 2020

F

rom anxiety issues in top level managers to the impact of mental health issues on an employee’s productivity, the work culture of a company can often have some departments that need more attention when it comes to preserving mental health.

Business coach and corporate trainer Reetika Gupta-Chaudhary has been helping people to attain higher levels of productivity and increase their profits by helping them set clear targets, positive mindset and sustainable structures. We spoke to her about work-life balance and the role of mental health in managing people at work.

Q&A

Reetika Gupta-Chaudhary

help managers manage their anxiety and create a positive mindset in their teams despite the challenges.

Flat hierarchies are the new normal in many organisations, which could result in power struggles and ambiguity, performance pressure and lack of clarity about who has the actual authority. Many times, mentors or supervisors can misuse this to govern the day to day functioning of a business, which may impact the mental health of many subordinates. Comment on that.

Many organisations are adopting flat

How does work culture affect mental health?

By: Shefali Saxena

What kind of anxiety issues do top level managers or founders of start-ups that are yet to break-even go through? What can they do to not spill over that on to their employees?

Well, anxiety issues are a common thing for top level managers because of the pressure of managing vast teams and making sure they are performing to set standards.

When we talk about start-ups, especially those which are in their initial phase of breaking even, they have additional stress of managing their stakeholders and investors.

Anxiety can also stem from the fact that people who venture into start-ups also tend to have a deep understanding of their chosen industry/field of expertise (e.g knowledge of IT for an IT start-up company) however they might lack the necessary business skills and wider soft skills required for the demands of a new business. Consequently, the pressure of learning business skills along the way, coupled with the added responsibility of handling investor funds could also cause a high level of stress and anxiety for top-level managers.

The reasons for anxiety are numerous but it’s important to not let your anxiety have a knock-on effect on your employees.

The best way to do so is to plan in advance for challenges and create a resilient yet effective environment that is able to absorb the shock of uncertain challenges.

Managers should seek expert advice wherever possible, speaking to coaches and mentors, taking relevant leadership training and most importantly indulging in self care can

hierarchies or as many other firms would identify as holocracies, it is extremely popular in SME businesses mostly because of reduced staff cost due to a smaller layer of middle management. Although flat hierarchies can benefit an organisation with things like clear communication, quicker decision making etc, at the same time a smaller than normal middle management in such organisations can lead to various issues. In the absence of immediate middle managers, lack of clear lines of responsibility and accountability can affect performance in employees. Unstructured hierarchies are created as some strong personalities become the unsaid leaders and assume soft power over other employees. This can lead to a lot of confusion and frustration in the team. Although there is an opportunity to learn various skills across the flat hierarchy, there is very little opportunity for promotions in such structures. The obvious advantage is that this fosters a collaborative and engaging environment for start-ups and medium organisations, but as the organisation gets bigger, it becomes important to have middle level management to avoid the above issues.

What should an employee do to deal with anxiety at work and also make sure that it doesn't impact their performance?

There are various ways in which employees can reduce stress levels and improve their productivity. In the beginning of the lockdown. Some of the tools that I recommend to reduce stress are: A – Meditate every day. B – Engage in some

form of physical activity, as this acts as an outlet for all pent-up anger and frustration.

C – Plan your day ahead and do the most important task first thing in the morning, this helps you in eliminating stress at the end of the day. D – Maintaining clear and honest communication with your manager can also help reduce stress.

What kind of work culture do you think is conducive to maintain a healthy balance, especially in the current climate where growth is out of question, sustainability is the real challenge?

A responsible culture is key especially during lockdown and when most people are working from home. A responsible culture is where employees at the bottom of the hierarchy feel responsible for their performance without having the need for their managers to micro manage them. On one hand this will take the pressure off managers to micro manage big teams and allow managers to focus on other important areas of the business and at the same time it gives employees an opportunity to shine and show their skills. This type of culture will help maintain a healthy balance as employees can use the flexibility but at the same time have the responsibility to perform.

During these uncertain times every employee wants to perform at their best, in the hope of future growth or to save their job, so if managers can adequately define roles and responsibilities and set clear expectations with their teams, a responsible culture can actually lead to the growth of the company and employees alike.

What is the right moment to identify that one needs therapy or professional help, and also needs to separate work and personal life, thereby practicing a bit of self-love?

Therapy or seeking professional help from counsellors have always been an unsaid taboo in almost all organisations, regardless of the size or nature of business.

So how does one know that they might need professional help? Psychological wellbeing of employees should be tested from time to time, this could be done by line managers or a specialist like a coach or therapist.

Do you think women are more vulnerable to anxiety at work? Or men too are equally vulnerable?

In my experience working both with men and women I have deduced that levels of anxiety and vulnerability cannot be categorised and measured across different genders. In fact it varies depending on different life circumstances of people, say for example if the women is a new mother, yes she is more likely to be vulnerable but on the other hand if a man is the sole breadwinner of the family and has no support from parents (e.g he is not living in a family house and has to pay his mortgage etc) and has a sick wife or child to look after then the anxiety and vulnerability goes up for that man.

in brief in brief BENGALI WRITER AND BRITISH SIGNATORIES SEEK THE UN’S INTERVENTION IN HATHRAS RAPE CASE Feminist and Dalit groups in the UK have written to the United Nations following the horrendous rape incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district. British MP Apsana Begum and 30 other feminist groups and Dalit organisations in the UK, Ambedkar International Missions have written a letter to UNHRC Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet.

Other British signatories who have signed the letters include MP John McDonnel, Kim Johnson, Bell Ribeeiro-Addy and Paula Barker.

The groups have requested the UN to look into the matter and urge India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dismiss UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Ajay Bisht) and set up an international inquiry in the Hathras rape case. They also wish to seek the UN’s intervention in dealing with crime against other Daiit women. The letter is said to have been initiated by London based Bengali writer Amrit Wilson who is also a part of South Asia Solidarity Group (SASG), together with Case Watch UK.

FOUR ASIAN WOMEN MAKE IT TO ‘NORTHERN ASIAN POWERLIST’ 4.3m British Asians in the UK are currently contributing £120bn to the economy every year. The latest list of ‘Northern Asian Powerlist’ that celebrates the contribution of the British Asian community across North of England, has four women on it.

The Northern Asian Powerlist event was hosted by Sharon Jandu who developed the idea from her own experiences as a British Asian businesswoman based in Leeds along with thebusinessdesk.com Co-Director, Alex Turner. The names include: Women in Business – Karina Jadhav, Founder and Director of Menagerie Restaurant, Emerging Entrepreneur – Sonya Bachra-Byrne, Co-Founder and Creative Director of AVIE, Cultural Icons – Kully Thiarai, Creative Director of Leeds Culture Trust, and Inspiring Professionals – Syima Aslam, Founder & Director of Bradford Literature Festival.

It’s time for women to re-evaluate their career options in a man’s world According to a recent report published by the House of Commons, Asian women are affected by unemployment. The stats given are cited in the “Unemployment by ethnic background” Briefing paper and House of commons library as indicated below (Aug 2020). The unemployment rate is higher for women from a minority ethnic background (7.1%) than for men (6.7% ). The unemployment rate was highest for women from a Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic background at around 9.8%, compared to an overall female unemployment rate of 3.9%. Soma Ghosh, Careers adviser for professional women and host of The Career Happiness Podcast spoke to Asian Voice on women and their professional future in the time of Coronavirus pandemic.

Soma Ghosh said, “A lot of people are currently looking for jobs in the aftermath of Covid-19. People

are still getting jobs but competition is high and the number of redundancies is increasing Soma Ghosh due to the economy and current status of the UK's GDP. Unemployment in the UK has risen the most for those aged between 16-24. A lot of people who are in this age category are employed in industries like retail, travel and tourism etc. There has also been an increase of redundancies in the UK. A lot of people are still getting jobs because of LinkedIn and job hunting consistently.”

Pay disparity amongst people of colour Commenting or whether or not women may face discrimination while being hired and a man could get their job instead, given that we are in the pandemic, she said, “The

women who are single or a lone UK has done a lot to support parent will not have this option and women with equal pay since the Act will have to work,” she added. started in 1970. A lot has shifted Men still dominate and in 2010 the equality act is also there to protect women from disAccording to Ghosh, a man may crimination. Pay disparity amongst get a women’s job but this may also people of colour is still an on-going be an industry thing. For example issue.”

“This also depends because many women who work in the professional sector are getting jobs. The people who aren’t getting jobs or not in employment, could be due to patriarchy but not necessarily. Some Image source: yahoo.com women have chosen to be stay at home mums. Also some more women are needed in certain women have chosen to become self careers like engineering, IT etc. The employed so they can be their own number of women in STEM careers boss at this time but have some is still not very high and these may form of financial independence. be the industries where women Maybe some are relying on their need to fight more. According to a spouse or partner, but many study done by Catalyst, men still

dominate most STEM careers around the world. Getting a promotion in a male dominated industry like finance may not be easy.

“Think bigger about their overall opportunities, whether this be a promotion or position that is specifically catered to their niche, even if this means asking for the position to be created,” Ghosh advised.

Mental Health Career change for many has become a new focus. She said, “The pandemic has changed the mindset for a lot of women. I have been talking to many women who didn’t think about their career development before but because of Covid they are re-evaluating their options. Many women who have been made redundant have started a side hustle or thinking about applying for a job they have always secretly wanted.”

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10 - 16 October 2020

in brief GOVERNMENT QUESTIONED OVER ANTI-SIKH HATE CRIMES On Tuesday 6th October, about 40 MPs, councillors and eminent members of the Sikh diaspora discussed the government’s failure to address anti-Sikh hate. The virtual zoom conference was chaired by Preet Kaur Gill MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs. Speakers included Dabinderjit Singh OBE, a leading Sikh who will for the first time talk about his personal experience of being threatened to be burnt alive in London, Jas Singh, Jas Athwal and Gurpreet Singh Anand.

Hate crimes against Sikhs have increased by 50% between 2016 and 2019 with over150,000 Sikhs being subjected to such incidents each year and95% of Sikh hate crimes being reported to the police appear not to be showing up in police records.

FIRST SIKH CANDIDATE FOR SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY?

Scottish National Party (SNP) may have a first Sikh candidate for Eastwood in the May 2021 election for the Scottish Parliament.

Charandeep Singh is hoping to become the first Sikh Member of the Scottish Parliament and replace Jackson Carlaw, the former Conservative Leader in Scotland.

Charandeep Singh was one of eleven SNP candidates in Glasgow in the Scottish Parliament election and lost to leading figures Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf.

In Eastwood in May 2016 there was a threeway split between the Conservatives (35.7%), SNP (31.2%) and Labour (30.6%).

Considering the permanent dip in the Labour vote suggested by opinion polls the SNP will be the main beneficiaries and must be very confident to overturn Jackson Carlaw’s 1,600 Conservative majority.

Postmasters win fight against the greatest miscarriage of justice On Saturday 3rd October, sub-postmasters emerged victorious in the biggest overturn of the “greatest miscarriage of justice” or the Post Office Scandal.

Dozens of sub-postmasters are expected to have their convictions for fraud, theft and false accounting overturned after the Post Office stated that it will not oppose their appeals.

For years, the Post Office had accused hundreds of postmasters of theft over charges of missing money despite substantial evidence noting the failings of the Horizon computer and IT system. They were accused of theft as they were considered to be the only authority with control of their Horizon account.

Hundreds of them were fired, terminated, or wrongfully convicted. Some were even imprisoned while some died of suicide.

Now, the Post Office has conceded that it will not oppose 44 of the 47 appeals. Sandip Patel QC, Managing Partner at Aliant Law, London, and a Barrister, who has been assisting BBC Panorama in reaching out to those victims wrongfully convicted in this scandal.

Commenting on the landmark moment, he said, “The Post Office has, in the majority of appeals, conceded that it will not challenge them because those convictions resulted from

unfair prosecutions and therefore, are unsafe. In the circumstances, we do not expect the Court of Appeal to disagree with the Post Office’s stance and anticipate the convictions as matter of legal formality will be overturned.”

Former sub-postmistress, Seema Misra, was pregnant with her second child when she was convicted of theft and sent to jail in 2010. Speaking to the BBC about the latest development, Seema said, Prison was my worst nightmare. I never thought of giving up. I'm so, so happy. Justice has been done. I can now proudly say my name."

After more than 900 prosecutions, when 550 sub-postmasters raised civil actions against the Post Office, £57.75mn was awarded as financial compensation. But after deduction of all the overheads the postmasters had just £11m. Now, the Post Office has assured that all the postmasters will be entitled to claim civil compensation because their convictions are being overturned and will be compensated as quickly as possible. Yet, the amount is unknown. Additionally, last week Business Secretary Alok Sharma had announced a judgeled inquiry into the failings of the Post Office and Horizon IT. Retired judge Sir Wyn Williams

is considered to be leading this inquiry. In the meantime, the Director of Public Prosecutions is also considering if there should be charges of perjury against officials who claimed in court there were no problems with Horizon, even though emails and other documents now suggest they knew there were.

Commenting on how these postmasters should receive adequate remuneration for the emotional and financial damages, Barrister Sandip Patel QC noted, “We would expect successful appellants who have suffered harm to be properly compensated. The greater the emotional and financial harm the greater the compensation. The general rule is to put the someone who has been injured or has suffered, in the same position as he would have been in if he had not sustained the wrong for which he is now getting compensation or reparation. It is impossible to put a precise general figure because each case is different. For instance, someone who served a term of imprisonment should expect substantial damages possibly running to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“A judge-led inquiry would have the power to summon witnesses, compel the Post Office

Sandip Patel QC

to cooperate and the power to refer for prosecution lying witnesses for perverting the course of justice. Such an inquiry would want to get to the truth and consider whether the Post Office has learned the necessary lessons, and make appropriate recommendations which if implemented might avoid the same calamity happening again to others.”

In the meantime, Tim Parker, chairman of the Post Office, said, "I am sincerely sorry on behalf of the Post Office for historical failings which seriously affected some postmasters.

"Post Office is resetting its relationship with postmasters with reforms that prevent such past events ever happening again."

10 READERS' VOICE

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10 - 16 October 2020

KHICHADI Kapil’s

Be an Indian first To unite India as one nation, people have to call themselves as Indians first. Sectarianism is the root cause of divisions. The social media is full of them. Even Asian Voice has a few of these elite contributors.

There are minorities, who came from abroad and made India their home, but they don’t feel part and parcel of India. They are sitting in pockets but perhaps contributing far more for the welfare of India than people like us.

China became free a year later than India. A nation infested with opium addicts, look at them today, the second richest and second most powerful nation. We still are far, far away to catch up with them. We claim, India never had invaded any nation. True perhaps, but how about killing our own kith and kin in the name of religion?

The Hindus are worried about conversion of the so called ‘low class Indians’. Majority Hindus don’t accept inter-faith marriages. Some Sikh Gurdwaras also do not allow inter-community/faith marriages in their premises.

Yet they claim themselves as the most modern religious sect where they recite every day “Maanas ki jaat sabhey aik he pehchaanvow” (all human beings are equal). I hope one day we will all come to our senses.

Bobby Grewal By email

Forgotten by the Britain I am a former Gurkha and first Gulf-war veteran and been working until 14 August, in order to pay my bills.

Now I have lost my job because of the pandemic and I am worried. Gurkhas is the martial race from Nepal has indeed sacrificed the major part of their lives for the vested interest of the "British Empire" and when the war ended, they were sent empty handed and bare foot back to Nepal.

According to historians, when the population of Nepal was only 5 million most of the Gurkhas from the martial race in Nepal were sent by the regime to fight for the British and on the rear only women and children were left behind to work in the farm. Neither the British nor Nepal’s government have got the actual record of the number of Gurkha soldiers killed or wounded during the two major wars and other wars in Burma and Malaysia.

Gurkhas are still barred from the basic voting rights and still face human rights issues including family separation and deportation. The British-Gurkha pension still remains the same as the Indian pay code.

When the Gurkhas were enlisted in the British army they were stamped as "Hindu Gurkhas" and Hindu priests are still employed in every Gurkha battalions. When the Gurkhas returned from the wars the Hindu priest used to conduct "pani patiya” ie sprinkle them with the Holy water to purify them, just in case they ate beef.

Yam Gurung (rtd) By email

Time for PM Modi to act decisively Most British Indians find it difficult to understand the rapid rise in sexual crimes in India, especially gang raping of young and minor girls so brutally that some die of horrendous wounds inflicted on these innocent young girls that make us wonder where this once mighty civilization that gave the world saints like Lord Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Guru Nanak and is the birthplace of noble religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism that has spread throughout the world is now heading!

This is indeed black mark on BJP reign at the Centre. PM Modi who enjoys unparalleled popularity without a tinge on his personal character, morality and regarded as the most patriotic PM in the history of independent India is silent to the surprise of many.

Although PM introduced some drastic laws whereby rapists of minors are punishable by death, it seems they have little effect on these thugs who are so often high on drinks and drugs, after watching phonographic films on videos.

Even Bollywood films with scantily dressed actresses and tantalising love scenes bear some blame, as well as our society in general. But government alone will not make much difference, organizations like HSS, RSS, ISKCON and Swaminarayan Sect should get involved in educating and reforming the society!

In view of recent rape and murder of 20 year old girl in UP, it’s time to update rape laws, remove age limit for of the victim for death sentence, introduce Saudi Arabia type harsh laws, public flogging and no appeal in straight-forward cases, as cases so often drags on for years even when perpetrators’ have admitted their crimes.

Although rape crimes are much lower in India then in the West, many go unreported, especially when family members are involved, still one such crime is one too many! It is pity that opposition parties, especially clueless Congress, led by flamboyant Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra tries to score brownie points, fishing in muddy water rather than unite in supporting and pressing government to introduce punishment that would put an end to such brutal crimes.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG

OTT Indian Diaspora Outrage Kapil Dudakia

Time to take Covid-19 seriously The world is facing the most serious threat on health front since 1918 when one million people succumbed to Spanish flu. But it was confined to America and Europe, the rest of the world was spared outbreak of this deadly virus, mainly due to lack of air travel which was not even on the horizon at the time.

President Trump behaved like a superman, ignored warnings from his scientists and discouraged wearing face masks in White House or taking any other precaution, mocking it as no more than common flu we suffer every winter. He even mocked his opponent Joe Bidden for wearing one and paid a heavy price for his ignorance and stubbornness. He held a gathering of his supporters in White House Rose Garden, inviting Senate members, prominent personalities in an effort to raise funds for the election.

Some of these people, as well as many White House employees who attended this prestigious event have been tested positive and few are even admitted to hospital, a nihilistic behaviour in the extreme. Being President, he can command the best medical brains, the best treatment available. So he will come out alive and well, as our PM Boris did when he became the victim of Covid-19.

Covid-19 is a completely new virus, even scientists know next to nothing but working hard to develop a vaccine, as without vaccine, it would be difficult to control this pandemic. If we have a bad winter flu outbreak, I wonder how our under-pressure NHS will cope, fighting on two fronts! Unfortunately, most GPs and pharmacists have run out of flu vaccine. If most OAPs and venerable people are not vaccinated in time, I wonder how we will cope, especially during wet, cold and dark winter months.

Isolation is the best way to avoid becoming a victim, but it has its’ side effects, loneliness and depression, as bad as flu and Covid-19!

Kumudini Valambia By email

Crime against women The recent brutal Hathras gangrape of a 19-year-old Dalit woman brings shame to humanity. After the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case, fast-track courts and a tougher rape law that included death penalty was enacted. Despite continuous media coverage, the case took over seven years, the average being much higher. Governments have changed but nothing much has been done to improve the justice system. Crime statistics indicate the situation has got worse. There is no political will to enforce the laws. Unfortunately, even a heinous crime like rape becomes a political issue in India.

Parties start exploiting the situation for political gains.

People are fed up with the hypocrisy shown by the ruling parties.Is CM Yogi Adityanath’s intelligence machinery so poor that he didn’t know what his administration was doing in the dead of night? As per Hindu traditions, no cremation takes place after sunset. Then why such hasty cremation?

The Uttar Pradesh government has much to answer for. The matter had not even died when another heinous rape and murder took place in the same state a few days later. The High Court has asked top officials to appear before it on October 12. When the Supreme Court can function at midnight to hear a terrorist’s plea, why not this? Only a quick justice can pacify the people. Heads must roll to fix accountability.The rape and murder exposes the disgusting manner in which crime against women is being approached and dealt with by the UP police. Not only was it outrageous to have cremated the young woman in the dead of night without her family’s consent, but it has also stripped down every value that human hold. The UP CM must ensure the safety of women and the state police must be held accountable. Let us all unite and fight for justice for this young Dalit woman.

Jubel D'Cruz, Mumbai, India

I must say I was rather amused with the Over-The-Top (OTT) outrage that poured out from certain sections of the Indian Diaspora over a few Tory MPs forming the ‘Conservative Friends of Kashmir’ group. I say amused because I have yet to see such outrage for the large numbers of Labour MPs who have been against India for years.

I am amused because people tell me that this OTT reaction has been orchestrated by certain Indians who are friendly with Labour and wanted to milk this unfortunate stupidity by a few Tory MPs. I applaud Labourites for their opportunistic chest thumping, no doubt contrived to embed to take the attention away from the real enemy of India, the current Labour Party. Though giving the Tories such a slap is also a timely reminder, lest they forget.

Let me be clear about my position. These few Tory MPs are stupid. They are self-serving idiots more bothered to retain their seats than have any real empathy with Kashmir or its people. Let me be equally clear, the Conservative Party would be very stupid if they don’t nip this in the bud. So I say to PM Johnson, the Rt Hon Priti Patel and the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak, don’t allow the Conservative Party to make the same fatal mistake that Labour made more than a decade ago when they turned a blind eye whilst certain sections of the party went into bed with Pakistani extremists to secure block votes.

I should also remind people that PM Johnson made it clear that Kashmir is an internal issue for India. My advice to them that they should establish clarity in their current policy and forthcoming manifesto, that Kashmir is integral to India and a matter for India alone. Every Tory candidate should have to sign up to that or they should be dumped.

There is a lesson to be learnt from President Trump.

He recognised Israel unilaterally and established the US Embassy in Jerusalem whilst the friends of terrorists denounced him. Now after a year we see the fruits of that policy. Even countries in the Middle East that were hostile have now accepted the new paradigm. Let the UK become the very first country to declare at the UN, that Kashmir is integral to India alone, no ifs or buts.

Sometimes as a nation we should stand head and shoulders above everything else and take a history making stand. History awaits, make that call PM Johnson.

The UK needs a strong opposition, but not a morally or ethically corrupt opposition that thrives on hate, anarchy, and divisive politics. If Sir Keir Starmer really wants to change the Labour Party – he needs to listen to people like me, I am only a call away!

My message to the Indian diaspora. You are being played by the anti-India forces. Don’t be the fools who get fooled again, and again, and again. And my message to leading Indians, your reverence to the Labour Party is commendable, but when you sell the land of your ancestors for a pat on the back from your woke political masters, surely even your Atma is telling you of the inherent error? Don’t be like Bhishma Pitamaha who was blinded by his allegiance to Hastinapur at the expense of his duty to humanity and dharma. He and the other high and mighty watched whilst the honour of a woman was violated. One should not be so blinded that we allow Mother India to be dishonoured by anti-India forces.

UK haven for fugitives The UK attracts all sorts of fugitives to its shore in view of their fair human rights policy and services of the top legal brains that keep them at bay to avoid justice where the crime has been committed.It is particularly more attractive for cash-rich financial fraudsters and political refugees. Money talks. The legal experts concerned are happy to entertain cases of such individuals. No efforts are spared to keep them in the country including finding loopholes of the legal system where the crime has been committed. The success rate inavoiding extradition particularly from a country like India is pretty good.Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and such others like them have done colossal damage to India's financial institutions that leaves a devastating effect on the economy where millions are struggling to have one proper meal a day. They are letting the country down. Their reason not to return to India to face justice on the ground that they will not get a fair justice is absurd. I wish these individuals do some soul searching and have the decency to cooperate with the Indian government to face the music for their crimes.

After all, the ill-gotten never brings happiness.

Niranjan Vasant By email

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UK 11

Start here to see if we could help you confirm your legal status and claim compensation.

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Have you suffered losses because you couldn’t confirm your legal status?

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Here to support you and your family We’re here to help you apply for the Windrush schemes.

Call the free helpline: 0800 678 1925 Visit: gov.uk/WindrushHelpTeam

Your information won’t be passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

12 MEDIA WATCH

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10 - 16 October 2020

SCRUTATOR’S India successfully test-fires BrahMos missile India last week successfully test-fired the extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which can hit targets at over 400 km range.

Congratulating the team of scientists involved in the successful test, DRDO chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said that this will lead to adding "more indigenous content" to the supersonic cruise missile. The testfiring was carried out under the PJ-10 project of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under which the missile was launched with an indigenous booster. The missile was launched from a land-based facility in Odisha. This is the second test-firing of the extended range version of the missile which has an indigenously developed airframe and booster. The BrahMos is a ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, fighter jets, or land. The missile has been developed as a joint venture between the DRDO and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) of Russia. (Agency) Bhushan seeks review of SC’s contempt order

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan moved the Supreme Court seeking review of the August 31 sentencing order to either pay nominal fine of Re 1or face a three-month jail term and debarment from law practice for three years in the contempt case for his two tweets against the judiciary. Bhushan, who has already deposited Re 1 as fine with the apex court’s registry on September 14, has filed two separate review petitions in the contempt case. The first review plea on September 14 had challenged the August 14 verdict convicting him for the contempt of court, while the second plea has been filed against the August 31 sentencing order which imposed the fine. (Agency) Sabarmati central jail launches radio station The Sabarmati central jail launched its own radio station

on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on Friday last. The DGP jails K L N Rao said the the radio station known as ‘Radio Prison’, will be run by prisoners.

This will be the first prison in Gujarat to have its own radio station. Rao said programmes on the radio station will bring a positive approach among

inmates and change their lives so that after their release they can lead a normal life and be part of society.

Rao lauded the efforts of the state government for the launch of the radio station.

“Programmes with educational value, those related to various professions and entertainment will be carried on the radio, which will give prisoners a lot to learn,” added Rao. Rao also inaugurated a staff dispensary for jail officials and personnel. (The Times of India) Gang rape of minor girl A political battle has erupted in Madhya Pradesh over the gang rape of a minor girl in Khargone, even as local police formed a special investigation team and announced a reward of Rs 10,000 on the three accused. Former chief minister Kamal Nath took to Twitter and accused the BJP government of “sleeping” while heinous crimes are being committed across the state. The 16-year-old tribal labourer was dragged out of her house and raped by three persons. They fled on a stolen motorcycle after committing the crime. DIG Nimar range Tilak Singh said that a highlevel probe team has been formed and every effort is being made to nab the culprits. SP Shailendra Singh Chauhan has announced a reward of Rs

10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the culprits. A few suspects are being questioned, he added. The victim and her brother have been guarding the field. They were fast asleep when the trio barged in, gagged her and beat her brother and committed the crime. (The Times of India)

Brutal attack on two-day-old girl In a crime that has left Bhopalis horror-struck, a twoday-old girl child was stabbed over 100 times with a screwdriver, her body wrapped in a shawl and dumped beside a temple in Bhopal’s Ayodhya Nagar. This is the third murder of a newborn girl in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in two weeks. Police are yet to identify the infant. Ayodhya Nagar SHO Renu Murab said police received information that the body of baby was wrapped in a shawl and lying next to a temple. Even the cops shuddered at the sight when they unwrapped the little one her body was pockmarked with puncture wounds. Initially, police thought someone had left the newborn near the temple at night and animals injured her.

But the autopsy revealed the grisly truth – the child had been stabbed with a screwdriver at least 100 times. Police registered a case of murder and are scanning footage from CCTV cameras in the area. They believe the child was born at home.

Police are also intrigued by what looks like a spurt in baby murders. In the earlier two cases of murder of baby girls, their mothers were arrested. On September 16, a 31-day-old girl was drowned in a 50-litre drum of water and the lid screwed tight. When police arrested the mother, she said she wanted a baby boy and murdered the girl “because she didn’t like her.”

Two days later, the body of a nine-month-old girl was found floating in Upper Lake near the heritage Gauhar Mahal. Police arrested her mother and said she killed the child because she wanted to elope with her lover.

(Agency) Three soldiers killed, 5 injured in Pak firing Three soldiers were killed and five others injured in an unprovoked firing by Pakistan army along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K, an Army spokesman said. While two soldiers were killed in Naugam Sector of Kupwara in north Kashmir, the third was martyred in Krishna Ghati (KG) Sector of Poonch in Jammu region.

“Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation along LoC in Naugam Sector by firing mortars and other weapons. Two soldiers - Havildar Kuldeep Singh of 15

SIKHLI and Rifleman Shubham Sharma of 8 JAKRIF - were killed and four others injured. The injured soldiers have been shifted to Srinagar. In another ceasefire violation in KG Sector, Lance Naik Karnail Singh was killed and Rifleman Virender Singh was injured. In fact, both suffered injuries and were shifted to 150 GH Rajouri by helicopter.

(Agency) ‘Good samaritans’ get legal safety net No police officer or any other person shall compel a ‘good samaritan’ to disclose their personal details, while coming to the rescue of road accident victims, the road transport

ministry notified. Shielding the ‘good samaritans’ further, the amended MV Act specifies that no civil or criminal action will be taken against them for any injury or death resulting from their negligence while rendering emergency medical or nonmedical care to accident victims.

The rules also specify that in case, such a person wants to give evidence, an affidavit filled by him/her shall be treated as a complete statement. (Agency) Abhishek's befitting reply to a troll Actor Abhishek Bachchan had a sarcastic retort for a troll asking him if he possesses hash, on his verified Twitter account.

This comes at a time when the Narcotics Control Bureau is investigating several Bollywood stars for alleged drug links.

Commenting on a tweet by Abhishek Bachchan, a Twitter user wrote: "Hash hai kya (do you have hash)?" To this, the actor tagged the official account of Mumbai Police and replied: "No! Sorry. Don't do that. But will be very happy to help you and introduce you to @MumbaiPolice am sure they will be very happy to learn of your requirements and will assist

you." Replying to another user who asked him how he bagged his next films after the 2008 debacle of "Drona", Abhishek replied: "I didn't. Was dropped from a few films and it was very difficult to get cast. But we live in hope and keep trying, hoping and working towards our goals.

You have to get up every day and fight for your place under the sun. Nothing in life comes easy.

Jab tak jeevan hai, sangharsh hai (you have to keep fighting till you are alive)." (Agency) Maoists kill two villagers A BJP worker among two people killed by Maoists in strifetorn Bijapur district of Bastar

after branding them ‘police informers’. At least 17 people have been killed in the past six weeks, four of them policemen.

According to police, a group of 15-20 Maoists, armed with axes and bows-and-arrows, called out the name of former deputy sarpanch Dhaniram Korsa, a BJP worker, in Bardela village, some 30km from Bijapur headquarters and 420 km from the Chhattisgarh capital Raipur. The villagers know all too well the meaning of such late-hour knocks. When 48-year-old Korsa stepped out of his house, the Maoists accused him of being a police informer and without giving him a chance to explain, attacked him with axes. His family and other villagers could only watch in horror as they hacked his chest repeatedly even after he collapsed, smeared in blood. Even his kin dared not go close to him until the Maoists disappeared into the jungle. The family is severe trauma, police said. Only an hour after Korsa was killed, a Maoist death squad hit Gongla village, 4km from Bardela. Gopal Kudiyam, 40, a ward representative, was murdered in cold blood and his body dumped in front of his house. (Agency)

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10 - 16 October 2020

in brief in brief HOME SECRETARY PROPOSES AN ISLAND IN ATLANTIC FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS The Home Secretary pledged to fix the "fundamentally broken" asylum system in the UK to make it "firm and fair". Addressing the Conservative Party conference Priti Patel promised to introduce legislation next year for the "biggest overhaul" of the system in "decades". Her announcement appears after it was reported earlier this week that the UK is considering sending asylum seekers to an island in the Atlantic.

Priti Patel had asked officials to explore the construction of an immigration centre on Ascension Island, over 4,000 miles away from Britain in the South Atlantic. She had also said changes "would take time" and she would "accelerate the UK's operational response" to the issue in the meantime.

More than 400 migrants made the crossing in a single day last month, leading Mr Johnson to warn that Britain had become “a target and a magnet for those who would exploit vulnerable people in this way”.

However Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said this is a “ridiculous idea from an incompetent government.” His spokesperson said the proposal was “ludicrous, inhumane, completely impractical, and hugely expensive for taxpayers.”

13-YEAR-OLD BOY MISSING FROM TOWER HAMLETS

A 13-year-old boy has been reported missing from his home in East London.

According to MyLondon, Rafi Kamruzzaman is missing from his home in Tower Hamlets with police urgently hunting him.

Detectives have said he lives in either Poplar or Isle of Dogs. Tower Hamlets Police tweeted, "#Missing#TowerHamlets Police are concerned for 13-year-old Rafi Kamruzzaman who is missing from his home in E14. Please call police if you see him. Ref 20MIS032651."

An image of Rafi has been released so members of the public know what he looks like should they happen to see him. Anyone who sees Rafi or knows where he is should call 101 and quote reference number 20MIS032651.

SRI KRISHNA HAVELI COMPLETED

The Sri Krishna Haveli project has finally been completed and the building is being utilised in consideration with the Covid-19 guidelines. The projected cost of the Haveli was initially £9.6 million and with design changes, price increases and additions, the final cost of the project is £10.65 million.

There was ancillary works carried out at a cost of £2.9 million. The Mandir has received donations of nearly £7.9 million.

Another £4.6 million in pledges remain outstanding. Fundraising shall carry on to raise the shortfall of £1.1 million.

Charity poll finds Tory councillors use social media to express Islamophobia opinions On Wednesday 30th September, a leading charity campaigning around anti-racism reported that over 20 councillors from the Conservative Party use their social media platforms to express “Islamophobic” opinions. This follows after prime minister Boris Johnson failed to fulfil his promise of inquiring into Islamophobia within the Tory Party.

According to a recent poll by charity Hope Not Hate nearly half of all the members think Islam is “incompatible” with British life. The anti-Muslim sentiment was disclosed in the inquiry, set up last year to exam-

ine claims of discrimination in the party and the investigation is being led by Professor Swaran Singh. The charity also commissioned a YouGov poll of over 1,200 Conservative members who found widespread distrust of Islam and Muslims. It noted that only 43 percent had broadly positive feelings towards Muslims, compared with 73 percent feeling positive towards Hindus and 75 percent for Sikhs.

Only 31 per cent of members thought that discrimination against Muslims was a serious problem in Britain. The YouGov poll found that 47 per cent thought that Islam was “general-

ly a threat” to the British way of life where 50 per cent said Islam “breeds intolerance”.

Hope Not Hate analysed about 40 cases in which activists or councillors had posted antiMuslim or Islamophobic content on social media. According to the charity, one activist was suspended last year for making an Islamophobic joke about the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand. He was reported to have been allowed back into the party after completing an “online diversity course”. The group found he continued to post Islamophobic content on Facebook including calling for

Muslims to “go home — we won’t miss you”.

In the meantime, the Conservatives are now looking into how the party has dealt with complaints into all forms of discrimination since 2015.

Ola fails to renew London license due to “passenger safety” issues, company to appeal the decision Transport for London (TfL) has now stripped Indian-ride hailing firm Ola’s licence to operate in London after not meeting public safety requirements. According to the Tech Crunch, Ola specifically failed to meet requirements for licensing related to drivers and vehicles and plans to appeal TfL’s decision.

According to TfL it had discovered a number of failures in Ola’s operations, including breaches of its licensing regime, which led to unlicensed drivers and vehicles undertaking more than 1,000 passenger trips on the platform’s behalf. The company has 21 days to appeal the decision and can continue operations in the meantime. Ola said it will appeal the decision, and continue to operate pending the outcome of the process.

According to Sky News, Helen Chapman, TfL’s director of licensing, regulation and charging said the regulator discovered “multiple failures” around Ola’s use

Labour councillor thought of “suicide” during suspension A Labour councillor from Redbridge who was suspended from the Party ahead of 2019 UK General allegations following allegations of sexual harassment has disclosed how he had thought of suicide during those days.

Jas Athwal, was reinstated in the Labour Party last month and has now said that he had been forced to wait almost a year for his case to be heard. Speaking to The Guardian, he said how he had spent more than £150,000 fighting to clear his name.

He said, “In that two-week period, I thought of [suicide] often,” he said. “It was the darkest time. I’ve got four lovely children. I’ve got a lovely wife. I’ve got an amazing life…And I’ve got so much to live for. But you almost feel you’ve dragged everybody down into the mud and that, basically, you need to finish it all off and walk away.

“They drove me, a successful human being who’s got so much to live for and so many things I need to do, to the point where I was thinking, ‘What have I done to deserve this’?”

Athwal, was the main opponent to Sam Tarry, who ran Corbyn’s 2016 Labour party leadership campaign and it was widely reported that Jas’s last-minute suspension could be blamed on him.

Athwal said he was the victim of a “politically motivated” process despite responding in full to the allegation against him almost two months earlier. It took a further 11 months to have his case heard by the party’s top disciplinary committee. He said his lowest ebb came in the run-up to the election and had “begged” the police to investigate the claims against him.

of unlicensed drivers and vehicles, which “may have put passenger safety at risk.”

Ola said the issue arose due to “use of different conventions in its databases,” which it is “working to fix on priority”.

“At Ola, our core principle is to work closely, collaboratively and transparently with regulators such as TfL. We have been working with TfL during the review period and have sought to provide assurances and address the issues raised in an open and transparent manner. Ola will take the opportunity to appeal this decision and in doing so, our riders and drivers can rest assured that we will continue to operate as normal, providing safe and reliable mobility for London." Marc Rozendal, Managing Director of Ola UK said.

This comes just days after competitor Uber regained its licence to ply in London for another year-and-a-half (18 months).

14 UK

AsianVoiceNews

10 - 16 October 2020

SP

F

ine art melds into the digital age with Bella’s stunning, ethereal photography. Having graduated with a degree in architecture, where she also mastered the wonder of Photoshop, the artist creates vivid feminine stories which typically edify her luminous work. Bella told us: “My love of photography started early on with my father keeping a camera in the house. I’d also paint and draw a lot as a child – there was always artistry in me, waiting to be released. I just needed the right medium.” Indeed, Bella’s current photographs are strikingly complete. She commented on her process: “As well as getting the final, refined image, it is very much about setting the scene and creative vision beforehand. My portraits are ultimately as if little paintings, drawing on the surrounding beauty.” Working with fashion designers and models, especially those who are independent and equally passionate, Bella might pair a gorgeous golden headdress with a billowing silky gown (pictured), or place a wooden butterfly crown over a flowing lavender dress.

The female subjects themselves display the empowering themes of fairy-tale: “That’s what people relate to. There might be a smidgen of Sleeping Beauty, or nod to Rapunzel, but wonder, magic, mystery and otherworldliness generally emanate from the work.”

Aptly named, Bella elaborated: “the mythical element evolved organically over time. It reflects my personal journey. When editing photos on Photoshop for my degree, I realised I loved taking evocative photos. I followed this passion, beginning to photograph myself emotively, and posting the content on Flickr, which was the equivalent of Instagram as visual social media. The reception was positive so I started photographing friends and family, and moving the shoots into bigger sets and landscapes to make my photos: I’d knock on doors and ask if I could use people’s beautiful English gardens, inspired by blossoming nature and different flowers – this mirrored my position at the time. I didn’t have much financially and was still emerging as a woman in the world. I’d buy lacey clothes and affordable props from charity shops to dress my volunteers, and go to these different locations across the countryside. As time went on, the colours became richer and the clothes more opulent and I started to think of my female models as characters in a narrative that the viewer could also imagine themselves as. Becoming increasingly confident, and reaching outwards myself, the different women I was portraying were stronger and stronger. As my world expanded, flying

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Bella Kotak: Capturing Creativity

Sunetra Senior

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out to international shoots and growing as a professional, so too did the imagination in my celebratory shots.”

Bella’s work certainly carries a paradoxically intimate glamour: the rich rurality being a significant part of this allure.

Coming from the profoundest place within, the photos not only project her burgeoning independence, but at once reclaim the traditionally heterosexist representation of women in western fantasy. She emphasised: “It is important for me to feel as free as possible to create.” Indeed, ever-growing, Bella wants to explore the fluidity of gender and sexuality through her innately colourful style for future projects: “True diversity is the main aim.”

Talking on the secret to universal productive success, Bella again advised: “to keep the connection” to personality.

Chasing the literal perfect image for a living, she has observed her best work

Bella Kotak

to be when she’s “most emotionally present.” This is clear in her reimagining of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (pictured): one of her grandest and most popular pieces to date. Steeped in shared vulnerability, which is arguably the majesty of pure love, the photograph depicts a royal couple in private embrace. This epitomises both Bella’s keen talent and her own experience of modern romance: “This was just before I got married, planning the wedding and travelling to Sweden for the photo shoot. Foraging the signature sunflowers and working with a great alternative designer, I was working on adrenaline, and it all came together for me. I remember wanting to leave the two models there alone: they looked so much like an actual Fairy King and Queen. I’d accurately captured a dream…”

Bella’s breakthrough moment was not then earning a huge amount of money or gaining a prestigious client, rather the subtly seamless convergence of physical craft and inner spirit. “You should never measure yourself by the number of followers,” she added. “Sure, it’s a useful marker, but not fundamental. Gauge the value of your work by how you feel: were you immersed doing it; most expressive? How clearly could you channel yourself?

Remember, if something moves you, it will likely move others. However, you won’t move everyone either. Put your work out there honestly, and this will invite the right audience in.” And so, Bella’s dreamy escapes aren’t simply an ode to everyday excitement, but also the timeless power of the authentically unique. “It is easier to make opportunities for yourself now too, “she conclud-

ed, “so don’t be afraid to put yourself

forward: write those emails to the right people – to a specific art department, book designer or publishing house; promote your work online." Going beyond the championing of free identity to inhabiting a liberated lifestyle altogether, the warm photographer wonderfully demonstrates that it’s better to be bright than forever falter.

Believe in what you do. It can be scary, but the affirmations you do get are priceless."

Who is a big inspiration?

British fashion photographer: Tim Walker.

Do you have a favourite technique to which you find yourself returning?

Firstly, you don’t need a great camera to take great photos. The gear is secondary to personal vision: people care what you are showing them and whether you are making them feel. For me, I enjoy shooting slowly and focusing on the world around the model – this means cropping is really important around the technical elements: the lighting; the clothes or lack thereof; the location. How you crop these affects the way you tell the story. It can enhance it.

What’s some further advice for other up and coming artists?

Emotionally: don’t expect to be your best all the time. I realised that it was important to take a break and feed your soul with different activities outside of the work. At one point, I wasn’t really producing anymore, but using the downtime to learn Japanese, and pursue other interests. You can’t force imagination or you might actually break it – it might become something negative. Instead, bide your time. Know that it is necessary to have the lulls in order to create greater, meditative work in the long run.

Business-wise: present yourself professionally from day one – online and in person. In terms of your portfolio, pick a few quality works to showcase over trying to show every single one Let people really see you. In terms of pricing, I recommend to reaching out to others in the industry and learning what they charge. It can be tempting to work for less, but then you undercut everyone else in the industry as well as yourself! Finally, don’t be deterred by rejections. You will get many but trust in the eventual successes. They will be truer to you.

Insta: @bellakotak W: https://www.bellakotak.com/

Know India Quiz Contest 2020-21 Rohit Vadhwana India has been a land of diversity for millennia. People wonder how to know a country like India in one lifetime. That's true. But if you are a Person of Indian Origin (PIO), Non-Resident Indian (NRI) or even a Foreigner, and your age is between 18 to 35 years, here is a chance for you to be invited for Bharat Darshan (India Tour) by the government of India. How? Government of India has launched the third round of 'Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz 2020-21' i.e. 'Know India Quiz Contest 2020-21' which offers participants to win a chance to visit India. Overseas Indian Affairs-II Division of the Ministry of External Affairs has requested participants to visit www.bharatkojaniye.in and register for the quiz context. Registration began on 30 September and will close on 30 November. The Quiz will start on 1st November. It is a global quiz contest and there is no entry fee. For the first Round 5 topics will be covered: Arts, Economy, Geography, Indian Mythology and Science & Technology. For the second, semi-final and final round, all topics given on website will be covered. Some reading material is also provided on each topic on www.bharatkojaniye.in.

There will be four rounds of quiz in online mode.

The first round will be held from 1 to 30 November and will be open to all registrants in the above-mentioned category and age groups. Winners from each country will be awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. It is a welcome round.

The second round will include participants from 1st round and will run from 7 to 13 December. This is the qualifying round.

The third round will last from 14 to 20 December for the top ten contenders of the second round participants, from each category i.e. PIO, NRI and Foreigner, totalling 30 contenders. This is the semi-final.

The fourth and final round will be held from 21 to 27 December 2020 for top 7 contenders of the third round, totalling 21 participants.

Final winners will include 5 in each category and three of them will be awarded medals and 2 consolation prizes. In addition, all 15 winners will be invited for Bharat Darshan i.e. India Tour.

Mock quiz has already started. You may register and start playing.

All the best to all participants. India is waiting for you.

(Expressed opinions are personal)

Mithila Darpan presented by Sanskruti in the UK Mithila Darpan, a first of its kind program highlighting the Art, Music, Language, Literature and Cuisine of Mithila region was presented on virtual platform on Saturday, 26 September. Organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence in association with Madhubani Literature Festival, the program had excellent presentations and performances that lasted for about two hours.

The session opened with Bhagwati Geet, an invocation seeking blessings and success, by acclaimed singer Sushmita Jha- Professor of Music at NIFT, Delhi. She further presented Mithila Varnan, a composition by Prakashji and a composition of Mahakavi Vidyapati. She was accompanied by Lalit Sisodiya on Sarangi and Balram Sisodiya on Tabla. Dr. Savita Jha Khan- Author, Academic and Founder of Madhubani Literature Festival and Maithili Machaan spoke on how MLF celebrates the plurality of Mithila culture, including the literature of textiles, bamboo et cetera, and being accommodative and assimilative of other languages, cultures, science, and craft. Dr. Nandakumara- Executive Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan congratulated and commended performing artistes and Sanskruti for spreading the fragrance of Indian culture consistently and invited the Mithila artistes to perform at Bhavan in the future. Award-winning artist Remant Kumar Mishra spoke on Madhubani painting, it’s history and significance. Keetika Jha, a young Kuchipudi dancer, disciple of Guru Kalamandalam Swarnadeepa Mahanta presented beautiful Jhijjiya dance. Ranjita Mishra presented on the unique Mithila cuisine. Sharad Jha spoke on how the Mithila script is being spread through Durvakshat Mission. The program concluded with Samdoun, Vidayi Geet of Ma Sita by Sushmita Jha. Vote of Thanks was rendered by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, Founder of Sanskruti Centre, and technical assistance was given by Sushil Rapatwar. Mithila Mirror has rendered support to the event.

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10 - 16 October 2020

THE IMPORTANCE OF CARE HOMES IN TODAY’S BRITAIN Care homes are becoming increasingly vital in British society due to growing life expectancy and an ageing population. According to the Office for National Statics (ONS) figures in 2019, care homes support a large amount of the 11,989,932 senior citizens aged 65 and above. From offering physical activities to improving social factors such as loneliness, mental health and well-being, care homes offer critical and non-critical individuals a safe place to live, relieve their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Stigma is a thing of the past and support them. So it is essential to have these facilities in the UK. There are several care homes that cater to religious and dietary requirements specific to our community, so it is now accepted that this is the best way forward.

While children can go and visit their elderly parents, they are assured that their parents are offered high quality care 24 hours a day. People who I know that went to care homes are much happier because

for it now,” he added.

A report titled “An Ageing Population” published by Lord Dolar Popat states that, “Fairness within generations is also important. It does not seem fair to expect today’s younger taxpayers to pay more for the increased costs of an older society while asset-rich older people are protected.”

Reflecting on that sentiment, Dr Tripathi said, “One of the issues is funding,

Shefali Saxena

D

uring the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to create opportunities for elderly members of the family to enable healthy ageing. While most Asian families like to take care of their elderly relatives by themselves, in today’s work culture where working from home is as demanding as being at the workplace, taking care of ageing parents can be a challenging task. Asian Voice spoke to prominent members of the Asian community in the UK to get a sense of their perspective towards the necessity of care homes.

Distinguished social activist Kanti Nagda, MBE believes that within the British Asian community there used to be a stigma attached to care homes 20-30 years ago, but not so now. He said, “Having lived in the UK for 40-50 years, we now feel that care homes are a necessity and not a luxury. This is especially so because both husbands and wives must work to have a comfortable life. Elderly parents need to be looked after and it would be difficult for them to take time off work

Dr Dharmendra Tripathi

Kanti Nagda, MBE

they are with the same age group.”

Dr Dharmendra Tripathi who is a GP, shared his views about the necessity of care homes from a medical perspective. He said, “When a person has paralysis, you don’t know how to pick them up and you don’t know how to feed them. You don’t know what their physical and mental needs are.”

But he feels things have changed. “ There are several people from an Asian background in care homes today. The stigma attached to it is fast disappearing. People more willingly go

because it can be expensive. It could roughly cost around a minimum of £700-£800 a week. Not many families can afford that. Yet, there are families who can afford it and the government also offers support towards the cost. But the government cannot look after everybody. So, people can make part payments. If a parent has dementia and you’re not around, they could just walk out of the house and get lost, or they could burn themselves from a kitchen appliance by accident.

It’s a risk and nobody is there 24 hours to take care of them at home. Care homes look after them really well, right from their breakfast to dinner with a wide choice of food.

They are also bathed and cleaned properly by trained staff. We’re not immortal. Most of the people who go to care homes, go for good, till the end of life. They don’t go back home. Their families visit and take them to

The care home wedding Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Branden Samuel from Sydney had to photograph a couple as they waved at the groom’s elderly grandparents who greeted him from a wheelchair and hospital bed through the grass doors of a nursing home on the day of his wedding. Christine, the bride, decided to give a heartfelt yet heart-breaking surprise to Peter, the groom. In Chinese and other eastern and southeast Asian societies a red envelope is given as a monetary gift during holidays or special occasions such as weddings, graduations, or the birth of a baby. “His grandpa had dressed up in a suit to see his grandson on his wedding day.

Grandma had her special Ang Pow (red pocket) and it was passed underneath the glass doors,” Branden said on his Facebook post. Peter’s grandfather said a little prayer which they couldn’t hear on the other side, but it became an emotional and fulfilling moment for the couple. Samuel also rightly mentioned how in Asian culture, grandparents are the ones who not only unconditionally love their grandkids but also babysit them whilst parents go off to work. The Daily Mail described this care home wedding surprise as “a stark reminder of the personal sacrifices people make during the ongoing global health crisis”.

The Asian community in the UK too has a heart-warming story of a wedding at a care home.

“We called the ambulance and he never came home,” said Ameet Jogia, Conservative Councillor for Canons Ward, Harrow, as he spoke to Asian Voice about how sending his parents to a care home proved to be a wise decision for the family amid the tragic loss and emotional crisis.

Priya & Ameet’s Wedding Reception

Mary McGowan

Gurudwaras, Mosques or Temples. If you must look after an elderly person at home, you need a separate room and bathroom, or a bathroom made for disabled patients. Care homes cater to all that.”

Mary McGowan from Nottingham Care Village and Ocean Breeze Car Home, Purico Limited who hasn’t had any Asian residents in her care home of late said, “From what I have seen in Asian families, if possible, they’d like to take care of their parents at home and I think that’s the nature of their culture.

They sometimes move around family members from country to country, say, six months in Canada, another six months in the US or UK. Families take care of them that way.”

In a year such as 2020 when there is less room for social stigma and when there are more pressing issues related to health, Lord Popat’s report makes a suggestion. It says that a good way to bring generations together is to connect local nursery schools with care homes. According to the study, such interactions positively benefit both age groups, and relationships are therefore what matters to us all in the end. As we approach our later years, the report suggests that we need opportunities to build strong and supportive relationships across generations.

cancer. Ameet said, “My mum was diagnosed with cancer, literally a month after that. And she passed away within six months. My dad was gone. My wife was pregnant. So my mother decided to go to the care home because she said her friends were there.”

Ameet said that her reason to voluntarily live at the

Ameet’s father died last year after a long battle with cancer. According to Ameet, his father was at the hospital and got paralysed overnight. He said, “He stayed in the hospital for six months. They said that the cancer was terminal. We were traumatised because his entire lower half of the body was paralysed. We lived in a council flat with no lifts. We physically couldn’t get him in. Which is why we went for a care home.

“I’d never thought that I’d put them in a care home, and I felt dutybound to provide for my parents. I’m the only child. We couldn’t stay in Ameet Jogia with his parents Narottambhai Jogia and Hansaben Jogia during a ceremony for his wedding at the hospital and he couldKaruna Manor Care Home n’t come home. So, we realised that a care home care home was that she did not want to be a burden on was the best place. They provide medical care 24 hours a him. She felt more relaxed when she was at the care day and offer open spaces like a garden which wasn’t going home. “I physically couldn’t look after them. The facilities to be possible at home where we would have to physically at the care home is better than what I could provide. We carry him down the stairs.” didn’t have those medical facilities at home. Even foodAround the same time, Ameet wise, the care home was like a five star hotel with proper was supposed to get married, but nutrition. Having more people around there was more marrying in a larger setup was not energising for them than at home with the same two peoon his mind. He got married in the ple.” presence of his father at the care While his decision to put his parents under the best home. “He couldn’t go out so that’s care relieved them of their pain in an environment that why we wanted to marry in his presthey preferred, Ameet’s decision leaves no room for old ence. We had the public reception school stigma within Asian families who are averse to outside after the wedding because sending parents to care homes. we could not invite many people to Talking about how his mother spent her last few days the care home. It was just our immereceiving better care at the Karuna Manor, he said, “She diate family,” he added. had her daily activities. Her yoga, her walking, her In an unforeseen and tragic friends and then she passed away in the same care home series of developments, after the in the same room where my father breathed his last. It demise of his father in May 2019, his was quite tragic but in many ways a happy ending.” mother was diagnosed with mouth

16 SPECIAL

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10 - 16 October 2020

Avnish Goyal, Chair of Care England and Chair of Hallmark Care Homes

The likelihood of a second wave seems high. The imagined “protective ring” that the Minister for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said was placed around The care sector is facing some of the biggest challenges social care now needs to be implemented for real. We in the history of social care. Decades of underfunding urgently need guaranteed and reliable weekly testing of and successive governments neglecting their our care teams and residents as well as a further responsibilities for older people have left a two-tier injection into the Infection Control Fund to financially system. Those who can afford to pay for their own care support care homes to cope with the huge increase in are able to choose high-quality, state-of-the-art care costs of staffing and PPE. Also, further support will be homes and those who rely on state funding are often sent needed to pay those that need to shield for health to homes commissioned on the cheapest price rather reasons and therefore will be unable to work. than quality of care, which is often delivered in buildings Care costs have continued to rise over the years for that are 40-50 years old and due for demolition and a a number of reasons. An above inflation rise in wages rebuild. for carers and competition for nurses and high and higher standards expected by regulators and the The government must urgently end the lack of public have meant that care fees have risen proper funding for social care and ensure that local significantly and the government have been authorities pay the right price for the care they purchase prevaricating on paying for care fees so that older rather than using their power to drive down prices. This people are not forced to sell their homes to pay for money could then be used to invest in the facilities as their care. well as the care being delivered.

Asian families are often reluctant to send their parents to care homes for several reasons, many of them cultural.

There is an expectation from Hallmark Care Homes’ the parents that their children vision is to continue to buy will look after them in their old land to build high-quality, age and there is still a stigma in award-winning care homes the Asian community that you through our development “sent” your parent to a care company Savista home because you couldn’t Developments. We have look after them. Asian elders also started to build and often don’t speak fluent operate care villages through English, have different dietary our newly formed venture, requirements and families are Santhem Residences which afraid that they won’t feel at was named after and home and that is why you will honours my parents Santosh still not find many Asian and Hemraj Goyal. We have residents in care homes in the also set up the Hallmark UK. More care homes for Care Homes Foundation to Asians need to be built so that support carers who fall on older people and their children hard times as well as support feel comfortable that their research and innovation in loved ones will be going to live A CGI image of what Santhem Residences improving care into the next in communities with likeShenfield will look like decade. minded individuals.

Care sector facing challenging times

Hallmark Care Homes

Country houses to care homes: How faith organisations became a backbone for nursing in England Priyanka Mehta A century ago, at the tail end of World War I, Great Britain scrambled to prepare for the ‘Spanish flu’. In 1918, infirmaries were expanded and country houses were converted to intermediary convalescent homes.

Medics and military returned from war-torn battlegrounds to care for those suffering from chronic lung failure, tuberculosis or worse, feeding the sick on their death bed as three waves of the Spanish influenza ravaged through Britain with the second wave causing most fatalities. As Britain won, most of these convalescent homes disappeared. But, in 2000 the government announced the reemergence of convalescent homes as "intermediate" tier of care for elderly patients who cannot afford to stay in hospitals but are not fit to go home either.

Outreach work of BAPS during the first wave of coronavirus

A century later and ahead of a potential second wave of coronavirus, the UK is confident that it would better navigate the winter flu and Covid-19 complications with support from faith, community and volunteer organisations. From flu vaccination campaigns, meal distribution drives and providing key mental and emotional health support to the elderly and the most vulnerable, these organ-

said, “Our plans for the secisations are essential in helping the governond lockdown have not yet ment to bide time for the development of a been finalised as we are coronavirus vaccine.

BAPS organise virtual Satsang awaiting more information from the government. We During the first wave of coronavirus, are not yet in the second BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) had lockdown and all we have launched a nationwide community care proare certain restrictions that gramme to support all those vulnerable and have been placed on busishielding. Thousands of volunteers had nesses and individuals.” enrolled in their ‘Connect and Care’ initiaMCB undertakes flu tive. It focussed on circulating messages on vaccination campaigns, coronavirus safety measures and governurges Muslims to take ment guidelines in regional languages particpork-free injectables ularly in Gujarati to educate the elderly on their collective responsibility to self-isolate In the meantime, the and help stem the rapid spread of the virus.

Muslim Council of Britain The organisation supported over 1,500 elder(MCB), the largest repre- BAPS Swamis cooking fresh meals ly and vulnerable either in the community or sentative body for Muslims Secretary General of MCB, reads, “Evidence at care homes on a regular basis to help run in the UK has enrolled a ‘7-point plan” this suggests that Muslim communities in the errands, collect their shopping and deliver year to increase vaccination uptakes in UK have suffered more serious health their medicines. During March when the Muslim communities. The phased plan effects from the Covid-19 virus and death government announced a includes all team volunrates amongst Muslims have been dispronationwide lockdown and teers of the MCB Flu portionately higher. Influenza (flu, another when there was a tempovaccination campaign to viral infection) threatens to further complirary suspension of family be equipped with: Early cate the health of our communities as our visitations at these care identification of flu-like NHS deals with both the Covid-19 pandemhomes, BAPS ensured symptoms, awareness of ic and additional pressures that flu and seathat the elderly were not flu and flu vaccination, sonal illnesses in winter bring. For this realonely and depressed. The knowledge around their son, we are launching Operation organisation capitalised toolkit content, contact Vaccination, a campaign to increase awareon the strengths of techand notify local CCG & ness in Muslim communities about the nology to bring devotees public health officials, importance of flu vaccination this winter. together for virtual spiriprepare their own stratEveryone can now get a flu jab that has no tual and religious cereegy meeting, plan copork gelatine.” monies including spirituoperative approach with Sikh charities deliver free langars and al needs of people in comcommunity members hot meals munities across the counand other volunteers.

Additionally, Sikh charities such as try through online worSpreading awareness KhalsaAid, Nishkam SWAT and Sikh Relief ship, including webcasts around halal injectable have played an instrumental role in deliverof arti, abhishek, prayers, flu vaccines which do ing free meals, langar and hot drinks to the kirtan, satsang and connot contain pork gelaelderly, homeless and vulnerable besides gressional talks. tine, the campaign letter Muslim Council of Britain's flu vaccination extending support to the NHS carers.

A volunteer for BAPS campaign this year signed by Harun Khan,

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10 - 16 October 2020

Winner of several prestigious awards, Harrow-based elderly care provider TLC Care provides luxury nursing, residential and dementia care across London, Cambridge, Surrey, and Hertfordshire. All of TLC’s seven care homes are rated Good

by CQC, and are on a journey to Outstanding.

The group’s North London care homes consist of Karuna Manor, Carlton Court and the brand-new Candlewood House.

Cambridge Manor and Cherry Hinton are located in Cambridgeshire, while Cooperscroft and Cuffley Manor are situated in Hertfordshire and Camberley Manor is in Surrey.

TLC team members embrace the company values of Truth, Love and Compassion by delivering consistently exceptional care and enhanced wellbeing tailored to each resident’s needs and preferences. Led by experienced Home Managers with proven industry track records, six of their seven homes are Hospitality Assured accredited signifying the quality of their dining and care services as well as their premium facilities.

TLC’s luxury care homes are designed to provide a welcoming and immaculate environment. Residents can relax and feel at home in landscaped gardens, spacious lounge areas, private dining rooms, cafes, beauty salons, cinemas and more.

Providing outstanding care throughout the Covid-19 period TLC has continued to offer safe and excellent care throughout the pandemic. According to Paavan Popat, CEO, “At TLC Care we have worked together to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on our residents, team members and relatives.

Although all our lives have changed significantly in a very short time, our dedicated team members have enabled our residents to continue to live meaningful, rewarding and fulfilling lives within our care homes.

With a proactive approach to recruitment, engagement, communication and team member wellness, we have been able to ensure that our homes are appropriately staffed and that our team members are positive, resilient and at all times working in line with our values of truth, love and compassion.”

TLC Care has always invested heavily in technology in their homes. Since the outbreak this has been in the use of tablets to schedule video calls between residents and their loved ones at home, supporting the government’s calls for people to stay home. Ensuring that their residents get to see and speak to their loved ones was an immediate priority for them.

In between sad news of care homes around the country struggling, TLC care had positive news of a 101-year old’s COVID recovery and extremely positive feedback both from residents and their families about their response to the pandemic. 91% of

TLC Care Truth Love Compassion

Paavan Popat, CEO, TLC Care

residents said they felt safe during the outbreak, while 89% of relatives said that they felt their loved one had been kept safe.

Paavan says, “We believe that our response is a real testament to the amazing work carried out by the social care sector, particularly given the limited amount of resources available to us when compared to the NHS.” Overcoming staffing challenges One of the several challenges that the social care sector faced was the number of staff who have had to self-isolate. Paavan says, “We have been able to overcome this challenge really well due the wonderful support of our team members who have volunteered to take extra shifts to cover absences. We have been fortunate that we have had staff working temporarily in other homes and so have not had to use agency team members. Our teams in each home have really come together and have represented our values with passion and dedication. “We have maintained a good working relationship with our GPs and community health professionals, who have continued to support the homes remotely using modern technology to make virtual home visits. Whilst this has been a very different way of doing things, working together in our communities has never been more important.”

Investors in People TLC Care was recently awarded Platinum status by the prestigious and internationally recognised Investors in People accreditation group.

TLC Care is the only care provider in the UK to have achieved the Platinum accreditation – an achievement made all the more impressive considering its team, like so many in the care sector, were on the front-lines of the coronavirus pandemic response.

Assessors noted this when making their decision, commenting on the resilience of the team who supported each other while continuing to provide excellent quality of care, despite the increased demands on their time. Assessors were also impressed by the care provider’s ability to make sure that everyone – from the Home Managers to chefs and housekeepers – is empowered to perform at their best and is supported to continually develop according to their own capabilities.

According to Paavan Popat, CEO of TLC Care, “We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised as one of the UK’s top employers by Investors in People.

TLC Care has worked incredibly hard to make sure our team members have the resources and opportunities to grow, both professionally and personally. We know that our teams work in care because they want to improve the lives of our residents, and we consider it our duty and privilege to make sure their efforts are rewarded.”

Small Asian businesses care for the carers Coronavirus choked global supply chain networks and increased heavy reliance on shopping local after sea, rail and airways were jolted to an abrupt halt. Whilst the corporate titans scrambled for devising ways to import essential goods including food and medical supplies, some local Asian entrepreneurs decided to step up to the challenge and extended help to the strained NHS and other care homes.

Jigna Varu is the Chief Commercial Officer at Micro-Fresh, a Leicester based anti-bacterial firm which traditionally manufactured a liquid for shoes and bedding to prevent odour and pathogenic bacteria. Noticing the shortage for handsanitisers, the company formulated a hand sanitiser with 66% alcohol.

During the first lockdown, Jigna says many approached them to enquire about anti-bacterial liquids to spray whole rooms, areas, and surfaces. Commenting on how the company helped out the care homes during the first lockdown, Jigna said, “During the first wave of the lockdown, being an antibacterial brand, we began manufacturing sanitisers. Not only for hands, but for all surfaces. Our first few batches were not to sell to resellers, but in fact to help the vulnerable. We donated several hundreds of litres to hospitals and care homes across the country.

“We then began manufacturing reusable cotton masks with filters and we got many enquiries, especially from the elderly. Through Leicester city council we have further donated a number of masks by partnering with local Leicester businesses.

We thought spraying walls/larger areas was not the best method. On the back of this we came up with a fogging machine and manufactured a fluid to go with it. Setting off the machine, releases a powerful fog which goes over all areas and kills bacteria,

viruses, fungi and other allergens which may be in the air. The addition of MicroFresh then leaves an antimicrobial coating on all surfaces it lands on. This means the surface is protected for up to 4 weeks, including high touch point areas.

“We are continuously promoting our PPE services and in the last three weeks have seen an increase due to many local lockdowns but also preparation for a second wave. It has highlighted, the crucial role we have in helping keep businesses open to aid with the economy of the country.”

Besides Jigna other businesses who scrambled to help carers includes India’s OYO Rooms which launched a new ‘virtual hotel’ named OYO Rooms for Carers where

people were able to book an overnight stay at the cost of £25 per room, per night. The room nights at the virtual hotel will then be passed over to NHS trusts for frontline healthcare workers to redeem at their nearest OYO hotel. At the height of the pandemic and when Transport for London (TfL) had cut short its tube services by half, Ola Cabs had also offered all NHS workers in the UK 50% off their rides to and from work. Small restaurants and grocery stores had also introduced delivery options for meals, raw fruits and vegetable supplies especially when frenzy around coronavirus had resulted in consumers stock-piling essential commodities. Similar plans and packages are likely to be enrolled ahead of winter as homelessness is also likely to worsen the pandemic.

Jigna Varu, Chief Commercial Officer, Micro-Fresh

A home away from home Choosing a care home means it should be a place that feels like home, comfortable and that takes care of one’s needs. For many in the Asian community, food and activities around their culture are important factors, and families choosing the stay for their relatives need to consider what is important to them.

Raksha Devi, a resident at Karuna Manor said, “I joined Karuna Manor in 2016. 4 years here have been good. Carers are very nice and look after me very well. My mealtimes are quite cheerful. After breakfast all residents (including me) go to the inhouse temple for daily prayers guided by the priests who update us on our cultural heritage and integrate us with the current society. We have daily light exercises to keep ourselves active physically and mentally. To sum up, our carers are the heroes and heroines.”

Daughters Shally and Monica said, “After our mum suffered a massive stroke a few years ago, she moved into Karuna Manor to help with her ongoing care needs. The staff were so welcoming from the very first day, and my mum has forged many friendships with them all throughout the few years she has lived there.

Karuna Manor also has an in-house temple. This was something

that sealed the deal for my sister and I when looking for a home for mum, as the temple has always been very important to mum.

They also ensure all the major festivals are celebrated.”

Maya, daughter of a resident at Banstead Manor said, “We looked at many care homes for my Dad and Hallmark Care Homes were by far the best. Banstead is a new home in the family and is truly outstanding. It is purpose-built, very tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean. It has the look and the facilities of a fancy hotel! The price is very reasonable and it includes frequent treatments such as massages, manicures, haircuts and chiropody. The staff have all been lovely and have gone out of their way to make sure that my Dad settled in straight away. He has instantly become a valued member of the community. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we are not allowed to visit and the programme of activities has had to be reduced. However, the staff have been so kind as to keep us regularly updated and make sure my Dad gets a walk in the garden every day. I have not been able to try the food at Banstead but I hear it is very good and my Dad is enjoying all his meals and snacks. We are so glad we found Banstead Manor!”

18 FINANCE - UK

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel The London Stock Exchange and Bank of England have joined hands to improve financial literacy. And the problem is huge. The Bank of England reports that over a trillion pounds sits in bank accounts earning nothing.

So you spent your life working hard to earn your money, only to have it not work hard for you.

And this matters is people in their 40s, 50s, 60s are not to be poor pensioners. Or if those working hard now in their 20s and 30s are not to throw away their hard won savings thinking house prices will bail them out because of rose tinted memories of their grand parents in the 1970s and 1980s.

It also matters because financial literacy promotes financial inclusion and social mobility. You would think technology would make things easier. An app here to save and an app there to invest. But apps and technology are not suited to tasks where people want to speak to someone.

A lady, who is a carer, emailed me this week how one pension advisor told her that her pot was too small for his firm so he would not pick individual stocks for her and the other choice, and online brokerage, just gave her three buckets (low, medium, high risk) and a bunch of other funds. She was savvy enough to know its individual stocks not expensive funds run by fund managers that would be the key to her success. So she started on the journey of teaching herself.

These were the key things we discussed on the call and my top tips to her.

1. You can buy US stocks from a UK online broker 2. Do use the ISA or SIPP (but SIPP locks up money) if you have a lot to invest as it will be in a tax free wrapper. Else a normal account is fine.

3. You can put US shares in a SIPP and ISA 4. You can buy and its probably better to buy big names you recognise like Microsoft than journalist tips 5. Try hold for 12 months then review unless the stock falls 25% from its peak since you bought it – that’s a personal rule 6. It’s easy to open an online stock broker account.

7. No stock is as safe as a bank account. Not even the ones I own like Paypal, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Square, Zoom Communications.

8. I filter and look for the best of the best 15. No one factor eg media buzz, fad, price is of itself a negative. Yes I look at technical factors such as cashflow but if you don’t know how to do this on free online tools like Yahoo Finance then that’s fine 9. Don’t fall for journalist headlines talking stories about the next big thing. That’s their job. Don’t take stock tips from a journalist and don’t take driving lessons from a nondriver.

10. I’m committed to improving financial literacy. I started when I was 12 to invest. I’ve made my international best selling book free to Asian Voice readers. It’s called Investing Unplugged and will teach you all you need to know. You can get it here: https://www.subscribepage.com/investingunplugged (I don’t mind missing out on author royalties!)

Fall in UK shoppers number for second week The number of shoppers across all British retail destinations fell for a second consecutive week, dented by the government’s new curbs to stem the spread of Covid -19 as well as wet weather, market researcher Springboard said on Monday. Compared with last year, shopper numbers are down 31.4%.

On Sept. 22 Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the British people to work from home wherever possible and ordered restaurants and bars to close early to tackle a new spike in the pandemic.

Springboard said shopper numbers, or footfall, fell 3.5% in the week to Oct. 3 versus the week before, largely driven by a 7.1% drop in high street traffic. Footfall in retail parks rose 0.8% and it was unchanged in shopping centres.

“Part of the cause of the (overall) decline, particularly in high streets, was the rainy weather during the second half of the week that led to a double digit drop in footfall on both Friday and Saturday,” said Springboard director Diane Wehrle. “However, the 10 pm curfew is clearly having an impact; whilst shopping centres and retail parks with only minimal evening economy activity are holding their own, high streets - where the majority of evening economy activity occurs - are feeling the effect.”

Britain’s retailers, already struggling with high rents and business taxes, tight margins and online competition, have been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of store closures and thousands of job losses have already been announced.

OakNorth Bank completes £50m loan to Arora Group OakNorth Bank has completed a £50m loan to the Arora Group, the private group of property and hospitality companies founded in 1999 by prominent British Indian businessman, Surinder Arora. The loan will provide Arora Group with the financial firepower to take advantage of opportunities arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Founded in 1999 by British Indian businessman, Surinder Arora, The Arora Group is made up of three parts: Arora Hotels, Grove Developments and Arora Property, and has a portfolio of 30 properties across the UK, including over a dozen hotels across Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, as well as residential and commercial office units. Arora Hotels owns and operates a mix of independent and franchised properties, including: The InterContinental London The O2, the Sofitel London

Ben Barbanel

Surinder Arora

Mohith Sondhi

Heathrow and Fairmont Windsor Park.

Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of Arora Group, commented, “Covid-19 has inevitably presented numerous challenges for our sector, but as we found during the 2008 financial crisis, unique opportunities arise in times of economic turmoil. This loan from OakNorth Bank provides us with the liquidity to take advantage of these opportunities and focus on playing for the upside, when many others will be distracted trying to protect the downside.”

Steve Pateman, Vice Chairman of Arora Group’s Advisory Board, continued, “I spent three decades working for traditional highstreet banks – RBS, Santander and Shawbrook – so I can genuinely say OakNorth is a bank that’s doing things differently and challenging the status quo. I was impressed by the speed and transparency that the team operates, as well as their commercial acumen.”

Ben Barbanel, Head of Debt Finance and Mohith Sondhi, Senior Debt Finance Director at OakNorth Bank, said, “The

Arora Group is one of the UK's fastest growing and most successful privately-owned companies, so it’s fair to say it has the pick of the litter when it comes to debt financing. The 20-year track record of the Group speaks for itself and despite the challenges Covid-19 is presenting to the sector, Arora Group is still being able to identify interesting opportunities to grow its portfolio. We’re glad to have been able to support the Group and look forward to continuing to build on the relationship.”

MoneyGram and Tesco Bank launch new international online money transfer platform MoneyGram International, Inc., a global leader in cross border P2P payments and money transfers, recently announced the launch of a new international online money transfer platform in partnership with Tesco Bank.

The platform allows MoneyGram and Tesco customers to set up their transactions online and then pay by cash or card at Tesco stores. This new service allows customers to easily send money abroad, reduces the process time and eliminates the need to complete paperwork instore. This is being introduced at a time when an increasing amount of

money is being digitally transferred from the UK to overseas destinations.

The launch of this new capability is an important milestone for the partnership between MoneyGram and Tesco Bank, which was formed over seven years ago. The new service has now been introduced to 129 Tesco Express stores across the UK, adding to the existing 810 stores that currently offer the service. Full rollout to around 1,500 Tesco Express stores is expected over the next 18 months.

“We are continually evolving our customer proposition through our leading digital capabilities and customer-centric solutions,” said Richard Meredith,

Head of UK Key Partnership at MoneyGram.

“This solution is a key milestone in our ongoing collaboration with Tesco Bank in being able to offer a seamless, digitised experience for customers.”

Sigga Sigurdardottir, Chief Customer Officer at Tesco Bank added, “There are millions of people across the UK sending money abroad to help loved ones with everyday needs or in times of emergency.

Our goal is to help Tesco shoppers manage their money a little better every day, and this enhancement to our partnership with Money Gram lets customers send money overseas even more effi-

Sigga Sigurdardottir

ciently than before.” For more information and to start sending money through the platform, visit tesco.moneygram.com.

MoneyGram International enables family and friends to quickly and affordably send money in more than 200 countries and territories, with more than 75 countries now digitally enabled.

Axiom Stone further strengthens PM Johnson plans to improve transport its Property team One of the capital’s fastest-rising law firms is growing further with some top-level recruitment. Axiom Stone Solicitors, a fullservice business, has offices in Mayfair, Edgware and Birmingham.

It has now become the successor practice to Harrow-based Everatt’s Solicitors and its founder Shilan Shah is joining as an Axiom Stone Partner. Shilan has over 35 years’ experience helping both corporate Shilan Shah, new Partner and private clients in a wide range of commercial and personal legal matters and transactions. He focuses his extensive legal expertise into complex commercial litigation and large-scale commercial property transactions. Pragnesh Modhwadia, Axiom Stone Managing Partner, says: “We are delighted that Shilan is joining us. His wealth of knowledge is a great asset to his commercial clients. His experience helps guide clients effectively through disputes while minimising their exposure and risk.”

In further strengthening moves, Vikram Manek (principal) at Walter Wilson Richmond Solicitors, who is highly-experienced in a number of areas – particularly Real Estate law – will join Axiom Stone as a Consultant. In addition, WWR colleague Bina Dha joins as Assistant Solicitor to form part of the Real Estate team.

links across UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a review aimed at improving transport links across the UK, including a possible bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of a plan to boost the pandemic-hit economy and strengthen ties between its member nations.

The study will consider air links within the country, road and rail links in Scotland, the Welsh rail network, as well as the cost and practicality of building a “fixed link” with Northern Ireland, said a government statement. Johnson has in the past spoken of his desire for a 20-mile (32 km) plus bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland. At the same time, support for Scottish independence has grown due to perceptions that Johnson responded too slowly to the pandemic and Scots’ anger over the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Scottish voters opposed leaving the EU in a 2016 referendum.

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Abu Dhabi fund buys 1.4% in RIL’s retail venture Continuing with its fundraising streak in the retail business, Reliance Industries (RIL) is selling a £ 624.8 million stake to Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. The deal will translate into a 1.4% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures and will be the first Middle Eastern investment in the RIL subsidiary.

Mubadala, with a $229billion portfolio, will be the fourth investor in the retail unit after General Atlantic, KKR and Silver Lake in the recent few weeks. These funds together have agreed to put in £2.48 billion, valuing Reliance Retail at £43 The multiple billion. transactions reinforce RIL’s consumer business to be the most sought after investment destination for global funds scouring for deals in a pandemic-disrupted world.

Mukesh Ambani

Reliance Retail is Mubadala’s second investment in an RIL unit after it invested £909.4 million in the Indian company’s digital and telecom services arm Jio Platforms. The four investors in the retail business are the same parties who have invested in Jio Platforms.

Jio Platforms raised £15.2 billion from 13 investors - two strategic players and 11 US and Middle Eastern funds.

The financial investors of Jio Platforms have been given an

opportunity to invest in Reliance Retail, which is in the midst of rolling out its ‘new commerce’ strategy.

This strategy covers combining Reliance’s physical store network (RIL has announced the acquisition of India’s secondlargest retailer Future Group) with its fledgling ecommerce play. It also involves millions of momand-pop stores as last-mile delivery agents to take on larger online rivals Amazon and Flipkart in the country’s

$800- billion retail market.

More financial investors are expected to be part of RIL’s retail unit, which plans to go for an IPO in the next few years. The listing could give the retail business a higher valuation and investors an opportunity to exit from the outfit.

Meanwhile, Digital Fibre Infrastructure Trust, which owns the optic fibre assets of Jio Platforms, is raising £1.47 billion from institutional investors, it said in a filing with markets regulator Sebi.

The trust, sponsored by an RIL arm, is selling 1.47 billlion units at Rs 100 apiece via a private placement. It also plans to borrow £2.5 billion from two RIL companies. The money will be used to lower debt related to the telecom business, the trust said in its filing. The trust had borrowings of £ 8.72 billion as on March 31, 2020.

India may list LIC abroad to garner funds The government is considering the option for an overseas listing of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), India's largest insurer, in what many believe will be a powerful signal to global investors. The government has already announced its intent for an initial public offer (IPO) by the insurance giant, while also amending the Companies Act to allow Indian companies to directly list on foreign bourses.

Following the budget announcement, the government has appointed Deloitte and SBI Capital Markets as transaction advisors for the LIC issue,

while also initiating the process to amend the LIC Act as the Centre is the sole shareholder under the law.

The LIC is in the process of appointing an actuarial firm to arrive at the corporation’s embedded value - a valuation measure used by life companies to determine the present value of earning that will continue to flow in the future from policies that have already been sold.

Sources said that the enabling amendments are expected to be moved during the winter session of Parliament with the IPO likely earliest in the fourth quarter.

Despite the amendments, the insurer

will continue to be governed by the LIC Act, a source indicated.

Govt has to dilute 25% stake in LIC Given the valuation, which will be in excess of £110-120 billion, a large issue within the country may not find sufficient buyers, making an international listing as an attractive proposition. While the government has to dilute a 25% stake in the company, the initial issue will be of a smaller size. Initially, the proposal for a foreign listing was made internally within the government but has also found supporters outside.

Some of the global stock exchanges have already made a pitch to the government to list the much-anticipated issue on these bourses but a final call has not been taken so far.

“It (an overseas listing) is under consideration but that decision will be taken later based on advice that the government gets from its advisors,” said a government source.

The Double Agent

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

We are currently trying to navigate our way to get a deal.

The agent who was advertising it first gave the impression they were instructed agents, then when it came to agreeing the deal said they were not acting for the seller but would be acting for us! They said they would need a fee from us, we agreed; then they came back and said they required proof of funds, again we agreed; and then they came back and said we may be required to pay for the sellers legal fees!

The goal posts keep changing. It seems they do not have any control of the deal and instead are trying to control us. Therefore, it’s time to get in touch with the actual owners or the agent who is in fact representing the owners.

Seeing as they were never acting for owner in the first place there shouldn’t be any issues.

It’s not something we like to do; I prefer to build relationship with agents. The right ones can give you a lifetime of deal flow.

However, this doesn’t seem like the right one. Or, perhaps it’s my approach.

Either way we want the deal, and the broker isn’t the broker, which leaves us with little choice. There is little point in dealing with a party who doesn’t have a right to sell, or add anything to the transaction except to muddy the waters. It is rare to meet an agent who actually knows exactly what they are selling, and secondly add value to the transaction. Most of the time they simply push buyers and sellers together without really taking the time to understand or work with either party.

This is the typical profile of an agent – unfortunately.

Apart from the role of a pure introducer, their role then becomes redundant. This role becomes even more important when one is looking at purchasing developments, as it requires some knowledge of how a developer considers the deal when weighing up whether to purchase a deal. I have come across agents who don’t know if they are selling a company or a property, and what the difference is to the buyer and the seller.

There is a major difference in the two. The process for purchasing a company is far more cumbersome in terms of legal work, as you have the added layer of purchasing a company, this introduces more variables into the transaction, and therefore increases the chance of it falling out of bed. There is the obvious stamp duty advantage for purchasing a company, however, on the flip side you will be inheriting a potential capital gain.

One does not need to be an accountant or a planning consultant, however, a basic grasp of these concepts needs to be understood by an agent in order to facilitate a sale and develop a little professional empathy for the buyer and the seller. On the selling side, selling company shares in the right manner could save the seller a huge amount in capital gains tax. The seller could be potentially only be paying 10% on the capital gains made.

However, from one perspective, the ignorance of the agent can be a bonus to the buyer, if the buyer understands the deal better than the agent; in other words, see angles the agent misses.

Tatas in talks to acquire Govt ready to waive interest on GOVT TO MISS DIVESTMENT TARGET AirAisa’s 49% stake in India JV interest during moratorium Malaysian carrier AirAsia has reportedly reduced the price for its 49 per cent stake in AirAsia India - its share of the airline joint venture with Tata Group to $50 million due to losses incurred amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a report, the Tata Group is in advanced talks to acquire 49 per cent stake of AirAsia Group in the Indian joint venture (JV), AirAsia India.

AirAsia's decision to reduce the price of its stake, as per the report, comes at a time when the financial health of AirAsia Group Berhad and AirAsia India declined sharply due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report, the falling airline valuations have brought down the expectations of the Malaysian company, which is now looking to

exit the India joint venture with Tata. The report added that the threat of action by Indian investigation agencies against AirAsia India and its promoter Tony Fernandes could be another reason why AirAsia Group wants to exit India. Tata Group, on the other hand, is reportedly seeking to expedite the process of acquiring AirAsia Group's stake in the loss-making airline joint venture before the deadline of Air India’s disinvestment expires, as per the report. The source added that the Tata Group is likely exploring the option of roping in a financial partner for preparing a bid for Air India. A final decision on the toned-down offer to acquire AirAsia India will be taken soon, added the report.

The government of India told the Supreme Court that it has decided to waive "interest on interest" on loans of up to £200,000 during the sixmonth repayment moratorium - with the benefit also available to those who were clearing their dues on a range of loans between March and August.

In its affidavit, the finance ministry said the government has decided to maintain its tradition of handholding small borrowers and bear the burden arising from such waiver of interest on interest, or compound interest, for the banks.“This category of borrowers, in whose case, the compound interest will be waived, would be MSME loans and personal loans up to £200,000 of the following category - MSME loans, educational loans, housing loans, consumer durable loans, credit card dues, auto loans, personal loans to professionals and consumption loans," the ministry said.

The Reserve Bank of India had allowed borrowers to seek a six-month moratorium on all loans but banks and housing finance companies were charging interest on the entire amount, the principal as well as the interest liability, which translated into the repayment period extending by over six months. The liability was higher for recent loans as the interest component is typically front-loaded. Besides, there was a huge increase in liability on the outstanding on credit cards, which come with high interest rates.

The government acknowledged for the first time that it will fall short of the disinvestment target as it deferred the BPCL bid submission deadline for the fifth time, while retaining the annual borrowing target at the revised level of £120 billion. The Centre had originally budgeted to borrow £78 billion from the market during the current financial year but was forced to increase its bond issue programme as revenues dried up in the first quarter due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. It has already borrowed around £77 billion so far this year. Economic affairs secretary Tarun Bajaj told reporters that the government has budgeted for a higher spending requirement and lower revenue and will disclose the details at the time of the Budget presentation in February. He added that the disinvestment department will try to maximise receipts, with less than £570 million of the £ 21 billion planned for the current year flowing into government coffers so far. The latest delay in the much touted BPCL sale also points to a further postponement of the Air India divestment.

CORE SECTOR SHRINKS FOR 6TH MONTH IN ROW Output from the country’s core sectors contracted for the sixth consecutive month in August as the pace of decline accelerated, dragged down by a contraction in six of the eight key sectors.

Data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed the eight core sectors - spanning coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity - contracted 8.5% in August, faster than the previous month’s revised 8% decline (was 9.6% earlier) and higher than the 0.2% fall recorded in August 2019. In May, June and July, the pace of contraction had narrowed as economic activity restarted across the country but the increase in the pace of decline in August surprised experts.

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in brief PAK BANS SPEECHES BY ‘ABSCONDERS’ Pakistan’s media watchdog has put a ban on the broadcast of proclaimed offenders and absconders, including top opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The ban came into effect following serious criticism of Pakistan government and state institutions, including the judiciary and the military by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif during his September 20 virtual address from London at opposition alliance conference in Islamabad. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued an order barring all TV channels from the broadcast of speeches, interviews and public addresses by proclaimed offenders and absconders on national television. On September 20, the country’s major opposition parties launched an anti-government drive under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), demanding the resignation of PM Imran Khan. At the multiparty forum, Pakistan’s deposed premier Nawaz Sharif alleged that there was “a state above the state in the country” and that the opposition’s struggle was not against PM Imran Khan but those who brought him into power. The speech was termed “anti-state” by the government.

ZARDARI INDICTED IN PARK LANE AND THATTA WATER CASES An anti-corruption court in Pakistan indicted former president Asif Ali Zardari in the Park Lane and Thatta Water Supply cases. Zardari, 63, the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was present in the Islamabad-based court and pleaded not guilty. During the hearing, the court indicted 19 others accused in the Park Lane case and 15 others in the Thatta water supply case. The court last week had indicted Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur in a mega money laundering case. In the Park Lane case, Zardari and his son Bilawal Ali Zardari are accused of purchasing 2,460 kanals of prime property in Islamabad at extremely depreciated rates using frontmen.

In the Thatta water supply case, a private contractor was illegaly awarded project contracts. In the money laundering case, it is alleged fake accounts were used by the former president and other accused to park and launder ill-gotten wealth.

AFGHAN PRESIDENT GHANI TRAVELS TO QATAR Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani is travelling to Qatar for a bilateral meeting with Qatari leaders but will not hold a meeting with Taliban officials even as peace talks are underway in the country's capital city Doha, officials said. Afghan officials and Taliban began talks last month aimed at a reduction of violence and a possible new power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan. Ghani and his team will be stopping first in Kuwait to attend the funeral ceremony of the late Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah before travelling to Qatar, a close aide to Ghani said. "Several meetings are planned to discuss efforts for deepening AfghanistanQatar ties and mutual cooperation in various areas," said the official adding that Ghani will also meet the Afghan representatives who are holding talks with Taliban.

BIDEN SHATTERS SEPT FUNDRAISING RECORDS Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has again shattered fundraising records, topping his already gargantuan August cash haul during the month of September, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. An exact total for the month is not yet clear. But both people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he surpassed the $365 million raised last month through his joint fundraising effort with Democratic National Committee.

What Pak PM said about India at UNGA 2020 United Nations: In his 30-minute speech at this year’s UN General Assembly on September 25, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan spent a significant amount of time hurling veiled barbs against “neighbours”, essentially referencing his country’s longstanding disputes with India.

Other subjects that Khan mentioned in his speech included fiscal recovery from the impact of Covid-19, international money laundering and its impact on developing countries, climate change and Islamophobia.

After he had addressed these issues, Khan spent the remainder of his time talking about Kashmir and India’s abrogation of Article 370 last year and its ongoing diplomatic disputes with India.

How Imran direct the narrative towards India?

Imran's focuses on Pakistan’s disputes with India came when he touched upon his country’s foreign policy. “A just and humane society where all government policies are directed at lifting our citizens out of poverty and creating a just and equitable dispensation. Thus our foreign policy aims to have peace with our neighbours and to settle disputes through dialogue,” Khan had said. A few minutes later, Khan indicated that the UN was the only body that could help Pakistan achieve its goals in its neighbourhood.

He then switched to indirectly referencing the abrogation of Article 370 by claiming that the “self-determination of peoples, the

Imran Khan

sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states, non-interference in the internal affairs, international cooperation; all these ideals are being systematically eroded.” Before moving on to focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic and how Pakistan has coped with infections, Khan said: “International agreements are being set aside….military occupation, illegal annexations are suppressing the rights of human beings to self-determination.”

Khan talks about Islamophobia Khan said the Covid-19 pandemic has “fanned nationalism” and “has given rise to racial and religious hatred and violence” against minorities and has accentuated “Islamophobia”.

Khan pointed to French news publication Charlie Hebdo for republishing “blasphemous sketches”, and said wilful provocations and incitement to hate and violence” must be “outlawed”. Although he said that Muslims were being “targeted with impunity” in several countries and their shrines destroyed, he refrained from calling out China for its persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

What did Khan say about India?

Khan singled out India in his speech by claiming that it was the only “one country” that “state sponsors Islamophobia”, rooted in “RSS ideology”. Khan went on to discuss the origins of RSS in significant detail, claiming that the organisation was “inspired by the Nazis” and their “concepts of racial purity and supremacy.

While the Nazis hate was directed at the Jews, the RSS directs it towards the Muslims and to a lesser extent towards the Christians,” Khan said.

Citing the examples of the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the burning of the Samjhota Express train, the RSS, Khan said, believes that India is “exclusive for Hindus and others are not equal citizens” and had engaged in the “cleansing” of “200 million Muslims and other minorities”. Khan also mentioned the NRC and CAA, particularly its impact in Assam, where “two million Muslims” were facing the stripping of their citizenship. “There are reports of large concentration camps being filled with Muslim Indian citizens,” Khan said (sic).

Khan briefly mentioned that Muslims were being “falsely blamed, vilified and victimised” for the spread of Covid -19 in reference to the Tablighi Jamaat and cow vigilantes. In what seems like a reference to the CAA and NRC,

Khan called “mass registrations” a “precursor to genocide” and equated it with Germany in 1935 during the implementation of the Nuremberg Laws and the implementation of Myanmar’s citizenship laws in 1982. Khan added that “Hindutva ideology…does not augur well for the future of India”. Last in its attacks against India was the issue of Kashmir, particularly the abrogation of Article 370. Khan accused India of “upping the military ante” against Pakistan to divert attention from Jammu and Kashmir. Khan claimed that Islamabad had “exercised maximum restraint” in circumstances where India had purportedly engaged in “provocations and ceasefire violations” along the Line of Control and Working Boundary.

Khan stated that Islamabad would fight for “its freedom to the end” if India’s “fascist totalitarian RSS-led government” attempted to “aggress” Pakistan.

Khan ended his speech on Kashmir by saying that there would be no “peace and stability” in South Asia till the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir was resolved “on the basis of international legitimacy”. Pointing to the United Nations Security Council resolution 1264 in 1999 where the international body intervened in East Timor for the people to vote for independence from Indonesia, Khan called for similar resolutions to be enacted in Jammu and Kashmir. “India must rescind the measures it has instituted since 5 August 2019,” Khan said.

Pak fails to execute Sharif's arrest warrant in UK LONDON: Pakistan has failed to execute a non-bailable arrest warrant against former Prime Minister and PML (N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, who was granted permission to fly abroad to get medical treatment in November last year. The British government has informed Pakistani officials that they will not get involved in "its internal political matters," The News International, reported.

This development comes after several attempts were made by the Pakistan government over a period of nearly a month to get Sharif's arrest warrant signed. According to the Pakistan daily, country's diplomats stationed in London also asked the British government to help execute the arrest warrants, however, the government bluntly refused.

Earlier this week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had slammed Sharif over his failure to appear before the court after permission was granted to fly abroad to get medical treatment in November last year. "Accused [Sharif] knows that he went abroad after defeating the system. He must be laughing at the system while sitting abroad. It's shameful conduct by the accused," Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan had tasked relevant authorities to bring back Sharif at the earliest. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting

Nawaz Sharif

where the PM also issued the directive to pursue the matter

vigorously. A cabinet member said the government had already sent a request to the British government for the Sharif's repatriation but it would now send a fresh application. Last month, the IHC came down heavily on the Imran Khan-led government that it allowed Sharif to go abroad without informing the court and it was up to the dispensation to take steps for ensuring

the latter's return to the country.

Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar had told a bench comprising Justices Aamer Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani that Pakistan's Foreign Office implemented the court-issued non-bailable arrest warrants without delay through the Pakistan High Commission in the UK on September 17, Geo News reported.

Top Afghan negotiator to visit India to muster support for peace process KABUL: The top Afghan negotiator in peace talks with the Taliban, Abdullah Abdullah, is slated to visit New Delhi later this week to muster support for the Afghan peace process and strengthen regional consensus.

Abdullah will meet with Indian officials on Afghan peace and bilateral relations between Afghanistan and India.

Abdullah Abdullah

Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan, Abdullah's visit comes at a time when the Afghanistan government and Taliban are trying to negotiate a deal to restore peace in the country. Abdullah Abdullah last week visited Pakistan and discussed the Afghan peace process with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister and

other Pakistani officials.

Recently, it was reported that the negotiating teams of the Afghan government and Taliban are yet to begin direct talks to restore peace in the war-torn nation. The peace talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban began on September 12 in Qatar's capital Doha to end decades of war in which tens of thousands have been killed.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had participated in the opening ceremony of Afghan peace negotiations in Doha through video conferencing and reiterated that the peace process should be Afghan-led and ensure the interests of minorities and women.

He said that Afghan soil should never be used for carrying out anti-India activities and supported the need for an immediate ceasefire in order to establish long-lasting peace in Afghanistan. On September 25, Jaishankar had met former Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum and said India remains fully committed to an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process.

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10 - 16 October 2020

First virtual UK-Uganda convention a success Ritah Mukasa Covid-19 pandemic did not deter the 2020 Uganda-UK convention from being a success. The virtual event was organized digitally via Zoom thanks to a dedicated team of Ugandans in United Kingdom led by their chairman, Willy Mutenza. The theme; Uganda’s Untapped Investment Potential resonated with the core objectives, including; promoting and facilitating bilateral trade between UK, Europe, Diaspora and Uganda plus facilitating foreign direct investment in Uganda as well as providing a platform for businesses to expand into new markets among others.

Ambassador Julius Peter Moto, Uganda's High Commissioner noted that the convention focused on three sectors; Real Estate, Agribusiness and Finance and Banking which fit within the government of Uganda’s National Development Plan III objectives. These are critical sectors for economic growth and development.

He emphasized that Uganda is open for business in oil and gas, tourism, minerals, ICT business, Industrialization and agriculture. He attributed this to peace and stability, favorable investment laws and incentives, a large population, trainable manpower coupled with improved infrastructure.

On the other hand, Subhash, former president, London Chamber of Commerce said Uganda is amongst the top 20 fastest growing economies of the world thanks to 6.5% growth with a human resource potential of 75% below the age of 30. “The slow growth of the agriculture sector at only 3.8% is, however, disappointing given that the country is endowed with natural resources,” he opined.

Subhash commended the legal system as fairly stable and this attracts international investments.

Diasporans key in development HRH Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda, cited Diasporans’ contribution to Uganda’s economy. According to the World Bank 2018 report on migration and remittances, Ugandans globally remitted US$ 1.3 billion in 2018. Sadly, the remittances are likely to shrink due to Covid 19. Nevertheless, Nabagereka encouraged Ugandans and investors to look further at ventures that are more inclusive and empower women.

Dr Sara Reis, head of research and policy at UK Women’s Budget Group explained that emerging evidence on the impact of Covid-19 suggests that women’s economic and productive lives will be greatly affected. “In Uganda most women work in the informal sector, earn less, save less and hold less secure jobs and less access to social protections,” she said. Their capacity to absorb economic shocks is therefore less than that of men.

Meanwhile, at the 5th Uganda-UK Convention in London in 2015, Nabagereka presented a paper on the role of Ugandan women in sustainable economic development. She urged the Government and private investors to put them at the centre of policy and investment decision making.

State of real estate industry Judy Rugasira Kyanda, Managing Director Knight Frank Uganda, pointed out that in East Africa region Uganda has the highest return on investment in the real estate due to its resilience.

“Uganda gets high returns in the office, residential and retail sectors. This makes it an attractive destination for property investments,” she stressed. She added that rentals have also been good and stable.

Similarly, the low to middle income residential sector is very attractive given the housing shortage. Rugasira encouraged people to invest in the low cost housing starting with schemes like build to rent or rent to buy.

Michael K Mugabi, Managing Director, Housing Finance Bank (HFB) said that Uganda has one of the highest urbanization rates of 5% in Africa coupled with fast growing population. This is an indication of many opportunities for developers and investors in real estate. “Many customers in the diaspora are reaping from the investment options in the real estate sector,” Michael added. Due to the immense stress Covid-19 has put on diaspora clients, HFB has put in place relief in form of restructuring loans and mortgages.

Edwin Musiime, CEO- Crest Group NTV Host, The Property Show quoted Russell, an American financial politician who said that, “Real estate is an imperishable asset ever increasing in value…

…” and appealed to diasporans to invest in real estate. Also, Allan Mugisha, CEO SM Cathan suggested that government resurrects institutional housing to public workers like teachers and servicemen.

Eric Olanya, country director for the UK Department of international trade recapped that they hosted the UK-Africa investment summit in London in January where Uganda signed deals worth millions of pounds. He added that the biggest push for DIT business in Uganda has been using the UK export finance to support sovereign loans, like funding the Kabaale International Airport development and Namanga Industrial Park.

Olanya advised investors to take advantage of the new platform “Africa deal room” (asokoinsight.com/deals/dit/investor) to bring together ventures that are seeking investment.

Elsewhere, Mathias Katamba, Managing Director, DFCU Bank discussed the importance of investment clubs and SACCOs while Anthony Kituuka, ED, Equity Bank Uganda gave an insight on some of the transformations adopted during Covid -19 like fintechs such as mobile money.

Paul Omara, CEO, Ngetta Tropical Holdings Ltd gave an insight on the role of staple crop processing zones in laying out the foundation for Uganda’s Agroindustrialization and contribution to lifting millions of Africans out of poverty. Besides, Perez Ochieng, Director & CEO, SACOMA elaborated on the challenges and requirements for Agro-products from Uganda to access the European market.

Vice Chairman of the Convention, Bernard Magulu closed by attributing the success of the convention for the last 10 years to the collaboration and good will of Ugandans in the UK and dedicated partners including; Uganda government and friends plus private sector. Willy Mutenza the convention founder hailed diasporans and business community for the support and quoted Cesar Chavez; “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community....” The 11th Convention is scheduled for 11-12th September 2021 at London Plaza Hotel.

For more information and registration visit http://www.ugandanconventionuk.org/

Patidar Samaj opens Covid- 19 quarantine center in Uganda The Patidar Samaj in Uganda started a Covid- 19 quarantine center with 100 - bed facility. It was opened by the Indian High Commissioner and Under Secretary Seruwada MoH in the presence of Dr Okello, Director of of KCCA Health Department, National Quarantine Centre head Dr Richard Mugahi, and other invited dignitaries. The present and past BOT and management committee members were present during the function. This facility is under the Ministry of Health, Uganda.

History of Patidars in Uganda Towards the end of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century thousands of Gujaratis left India and migrated to British colonies in the African Great Lake region of Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika. A significant number of these migrants came from the Patidar community of Charotar region of Gujarat. After reaching there, Patels started their own trade, commerce, industries and other businesses. Patels were the

pioneers of cotton industry in Uganda and it became a backbone of country’s economy.

Systematic efforts were made in the year 1927 to organise Patidar community and the first Patidar meeting was held in Cinema hall, on 22nd January 1933. A plot for the Patidar Samaj was procured with the yearly fee of Shs. 400. G J Patel and C B Patel were the first trustees of the Samaj. A general meeting on 15th June 1934 decided to build the office of the Samaj (Currently Housing National Library and office Bloc of Samaj) and the building was declared open on 17th June 1936. Now the library building is listed under heritage monument in KCCA. (Kampala Capital City Authority) The Samaj is indebted to Dr M M Patel OBE (Order of British Empire) for procuring the land for I M Patel Hostel (now Norvik Hospital). His Excellency the Governor Sir Andrew Cohen OBE officially declared open the facility on 23rd October 1954.

This hostel, though controlled

by Patidars, is open for students

from other communities.

Following the expulsion of Asians by Idi Amin in 1972, the Patidars left the country and the activities of the Samaj came to a halt. But the properties remain under Asian Custodian Board created by Idi Amin. In 1985 the current NRM government came to power and President Y K Museveni requested the the departed Asian to come back and repossess the property. The Patidars came back to Uganda and efforts began to repossess the Samaj premises from Asian custodian board and other illegal occupants. Efforts by late B K Patel, Kantibhai Patel, S M Patel and Prafulbhai R Patel made it possible to repossess the property in 1993.

Plot of land The Patels had a plot at Lugogo (4-8 Naguru Link Road) before expulsion, but it was allocated to French school (Plot 22/24) by KCCA (then KCC). The Patels went to court against KCCA for the possession of the said plot and won the case. Since the plot was already developed

by French School, Patels were allocated a plot on Naguru Link Road. At present there are 1,200 Patidars in Kampala and 500 in the interior parts of the country.

The Patidars carry out various cultural and sports activities, including CRS activities. The Samaj annually celebrate Navaratri and Ganesh festival in a grand scale.

They also conduct sports and other cultural activities in every two year under the East African Charotar Leva Patidar Federation in different cities of East Africa. Last festival was held in Nairobi Center in April 2019.CSR Activities: CSR provide support to local people in education, medical and sports field by providing financial and other support. They also support government in noble causes and have given their National Library with minimal rent during Covid19. They also supported the government by donating food and oxygen concentrator. They have contributed UGX 25 million in Covid-19 task force under the Prime Minister’s Office.

in brief UMRAH PILGRIMS RETURN TO MECCA Mecca slowly stirred from a seven-month hibernation on Sunday as pilgrims trickled in after Saudi authorities partially lifted a coronavirus ban on performing umrah - a pilgrimage to Islam’s two holiest sites that is undertaken at any time of year. Saudi Arabia has allowed citizens and residents to start performing umrah as of Sunday at 30% capacity, or 6,000 pilgrims a day. It will open for Muslims from abroad starting November 1.

Last year the Gulf state drew 19 million umrah visitors. At midnight, tens of registered pilgrims wearing face masks prepared to enter the Grand Mosque in small groups. As pilgrims circled the Kaaba, officials made sure they kept a safe distance apart.

JAPAN SEEKS RECORD DEFENCE BUDGET Japan’s defence ministry is seeking a recordhigh budget of nearly 5.5 trillion yen ($55 billion) for fiscal 2021to fund more purchases of costly American stealth fighters and expand its capability to counter possible threats in both cyber and outer space. The budget request made public is the first under new PM Yoshihide Suga and would be an 8% increase from the current year, signalling a continuation of his predecessor Shinzo Abe’s security policy. Japan’s defence spending has risen for eight consecutive years since 2013, a year after Abe took office.

BELGIAN EX-KING’S DAUGHTER WINS LONG BATTLE A Belgian aristocrat who has fought a sevenyear legal battle to prove that Belgium’s former King Albert II is her father secured a success in court when she officially became a princess. Belgium’s appeals court granted Delphine Boel the title “Princess of Belgium” after the former monarch’s DNA test proved that he was her father, Boel’s lawyers said, adding Boel was “fully satisfied” with the ruling. Albert, who abdicated six years ago, had long contested Boel’s claim.

EGYPT UNVEILS 59 ANCIENT COFFINS Egypt last week put on show dozens of coffins belonging to priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty nearly 2,500 years ago, with archaeologists saying tens more were found in the vast Saqqara necropolis just days ago. The 59 coffins were discovered in August at the UNESCO world heritage site south of Cairo, buried in three 10-12 meter shafts along with 28 statues of the ancient Egyptian God Seker, one of the most important funerary deities. They belonged to priests and clerks from the 26th dynasty, said Mostafa al-Waziri, secretarygeneral of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Egyptian archaeological mission behind the discovery had been active since 2018 and previously unveiled a cache of mummified animals and a well-preserved tomb of a fifth dynasty royal priest called 'Wahtye' in the area.

TOP US EXPERTS RAISE CONCERNS OVER TRUMP ADVISER Two senior US health experts have raised concerns that White House adviser Scott Atlas is providing misleading or incorrect information on the pandemic to President Trump. Top US expert Anthony Fauci said he was concerned that information given by Atlas was “really taken either out of context or actually incorrect”. The comments from Fauci came hours after a news report quoted Robert Redfield, director of the US CDC, sharing similar concerns. Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no background in infectious diseases, has faced scrutiny for downplaying the importance of face masks.

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10 - 16 October 2020

315,000 Keralites find a second home in Ahmedabad K K Joseph You can find a Keralite (Malayalee) in any part of the world. High literacy rates, better education and lack of professional and skilled jobs had prompted Keralites to look for higher wages and employment in other parts of India or even outside the country. Though there are no official figures available, it is estimated that about 315,000 Keralites (including the floating population) have settled in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

Most of the Keralites are service oriented. From IAS- IPS officers to professors, stenographers, clerks, bank employees, teachers, nurses, technicians, managers and

labourers in factories, one can find Keralites in the service sector.

Though Keralites are not businessoriented, still you can find some with well established businesses in Ahmedabad. Some of them are self employed with small scale industrial units, factories and workshops.

Early migrants In the early 1950s hundreds of Keralites migrated to Ahmedabad, then known as the Manchester of India, in search of employment in nearly 90 textile mills, each employing thousands of workers.

Most of the Keralites who then migrated to Gujarat were from Quilon (Kollam), Trichur and Kannoor districts of Kerala. On bifurcation of the erstwhile Bombay state and formation of the Gujarat state in 1960, many Keralites migrated to Gujarat and they could secure employment in various Government offices. In the second half of the last century, one could find Malayali nurses in almost all main Government hospitals in Gujarat. However, for the last about 30 years, they have not found entry into Government service. However, most of the private hospitals still employ nurses from Kerala. There are only few Kerala doctors in Ahmedabd now.

The development of industries in Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar as well as the development of ports in Kandla attracted Keralites into those areas. Fishing and its export in Veraval also helped some Keralites to shift to Veraval.

No new migration now Following the closure of the textile mills and lack of employment in government and private sector, there was a steady decline of Keralites coming to Gujarat

since late 1980s. During the last 30 years there has been no migration of Keralites to Gujarat in search of employment. However, most of the second and third generation Kealites have chosen to settle down in Gujarat and they have integrated themselves with the local culture, while still maintaining the cultural identity of Kerala.

The local people are very receptive of Keralities. They consider Keralites as hard working, industrious, friendly and reliable.

Different religious groups Keralites in Ahmedabad are an assortment of various groups and sections. They mostly consist of

for Keralites in Gujarat which links them to the global connectivity is World Malayali Council. Members of WMC are holding high positions in Government, industries and other business houses. They are actively contributing their part in Gujarat by rendering socio-community activities.

Onam celebration Onam is Kerala's national festival which is celebrated by Malayalis during the month of Chingam, the first month in the Malayalam calendar, Kollavarsham. It usually falls in the month of August and September every year. It is a 10-day festival. This year Onam was cele-

brated from 22 August and conHindus, Christians and a small cluded on 2 September. number of Muslims. Among Hindus, Nairs and Ezhavas and What is Onam?

Thiyas form the majority. Even among Nairs, there are groups like The word Onam originated Menons, Pillais, Kurups, Warriers from the Sanskrit word Shravanam and Nambiars. There are other which refers to one of the 27 sub-groups like Ezhuthasans, Poduval, Marar, Achary etc.

Brahmins are very few in number.

Among Christians, there are various denominations like Marthomas, Jacobities, Syrians, Catholics, Pentacosts, etc. All of these groups have separate churches. All Keralites have a common association known as Ahmedabad Kerala Samajam (AKS). Without any caste or religious considerations, all Keralites participate in cultural and social functions and festivals of Malayalis organised by AKS. The Nair community has an association known as Nair Service Society (NSS). Ezhavas and Thiyas are associated with Shree Narayana organizations like Shree Narayana Cultural Mission (SNCM), Nakshatras Shree Narayana or constelPhilosophical Research lations. In South India, Centre, Guru Dharma Pracharana Thiru is Sabha and Sri used for anyNarayana Dharma thing associatDistributing foodgrains Paripalana Yogam ed with the Lord to needy (SNDP).

Vishnu and it is The aims and objectives of believed that SNCM are to propagate and spread Thiruvonam is the Nakshatra of the ideals and teachings of Sri Lord Vishnu who pressed the King Narayana Guru, particularly “One Mahabali to the netherworld with Caste, One Religion and one God his foot. for Mankind�. His two meetings History with the Guru in 1925 had influenced Mahatma Gandhi to include Onam is celebrated to honour the fight to end untouchability and the home-coming of a mythicalother caste distinctions in the demon king Mahabali. Mahabali struggle for freedom of India from was a demon but was known for colonial rule. being generous and kind-hearted.

Another important association Gods felt very insecure about the

popularity of the demon king and so, they sought help from Lord Vishnu. As Mahabali worshipped Lord Vishnu, Vishnu told Gods that he would aid them but did not get involved in a battle with Mahabali.

Lord Vishnu transformed into a poor dwarf Brahmin called Vamana and went to Mahabali's kingdoms, asking for three wishes. He asked Mahabali Shree Narayana Guru for property right frontline Covid Warriors, the over a piece of land which meahealth workers. After all, we are sured 'three paces'. Mahabali safe because of their relentless agreed to fulfill Vamana's desire. efforts, unconditional dedication Vamana started to grow in and commitment in ensuring our size and his first foot covered the well-being!!

Earth and second foot covered the As a token of their appreciasky. For the third foot no place tion for the health workers in batwas left, and then Mahabali tling the pandemic, AKS distributrequested Vamana to place third ed traditional Kerala delicacies in foot on his head, thus, burying Covid hospitals located in himself into the netherworld.

Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

However, by seeing the devotion These items have been specially of Mahabali, Lord Vishnu was prepared and packed for them, impressed and told him that he maintaining the highest level of could return to earth once a year safety and hygiene. to visit his people and his kingAdditionally, to extend and dom during Onam. And so, every support humanity in these times year during this period the Onam of crisis, AKS has been undertakfestival is celebrated. ing various initiatives like setting up of a 24x7 task force to address Celebrations and guide on Covid mitigation People make the carpet of and physical and mental wellflowers which is known as being, distribution of food kits to 'Pookkalam' and lay in front of the economically challenged famtheir house to welcome King ilies, and help the stranded people Mahabali. Several traditional ritufrom Kerala to reach their native als are performed like Snake boat places, etc. races, Onappottan, Kaazhchakkula, Puli Kali, About AKS Kaikottikkali, etc. by a lavish feast Established in 1945, AKS is a called 'Sadhya'. People wear new socio-cultural organisation repreclothes, cook delicacies, and serve

Offering helping hand to stranded Keralites at Ahmedabad railway station

them on banana leaves with a cup of Payasam. At the festival, people also perform traditional dance, games, and music which are referred to as Onakalikal. The nine-course meal is known as Onasadya which comprises several dishes like rice, sambar, rasam, avail, and more. They served on Thiruvonam the main day of celebrations.

AKS dedicates Onam 2020 to frontline Covid warriors Keralites in Ahmedabad traditionally celebrate Onam with great spirit and gaiety every year.

However, this year, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ahmedabad Kerala Samajam has decided to cancel all celebrations and dedicate the Onam celebration to our

senting the Malayalee community in Ahmedabad. The main objective of AKS is to harness our tradition and culture amongst the Malayalee population living in this city and foster a strong bonding with the local populace through various cross-cultural initiatives. With an objective to nurture talent, AKS has been undertaking various activities in the fields of education, healthcare, environment, humanitarian services, arts, sports, youth development, women empowerment, etc.

(Courtesy: K M Ramachandran, C V Narayanan of Ahmedabad Kerala Samajam, C S Mohanan of SNCM and Dr E K Damdaranan of World Malayalee Council for their valuable inputs)

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in brief

Tamil Nadu CM, deputy attend events together days after standoff CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam together took part in public events in Chennai last week for the first time days after they crossed swords over who should be the ruling AIADMK's chief ministerial candidate for 2021 assembly elections. The twin events of Gandhi Jayanathi and the death anniversary of former Tamil Nadu chief minister K Kamaraj brought the two leaders together as they took part in the official functions paying tributes to the late leaders.

It assumed significance since Panneerselvam, the AIADMK coordinator, had kept himself

both presided over by the chief minister.

Also, Panneerselvam did not attend the "One Nation, One Ration scheme Card" launch by Palaniswami at the Secretariat and in the evening he Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, his deputy seen together visited temples in days after standoff nearby Tiruvallur away from some official events district. Panneerselvam had also chaired by Palainiswami amid been holding discussions with reports of a rift between them his loyalists besides other on the leadership issue. leaders. On September 28, both Panneerselvam did not take part Panneerselvam and Palaniswami in a Covid-19 review meeting of had a heated debate at the district collectors while he was AIADMK Executive Committee not invited to a project launch meeting on the issue of chief event here on September 30, ministerial candidate for the

next year's assembly elections.

OPS is believed to have expressed displeasure over the “persistent” demands by EPS loyalists at the executive committee meeting that the CM candidate be announced “after giving the impression that the meeting would be confined to passing resolutions”.

Associates said OPS was “upset” with the developments.

With BJP continuing to play mediator, multiple sources confirmed that ministers S P Velumani and P Thangamani, close aides of the CM, had visited New Delhi to “meet BJP leaders”. A close associate of OPS said the deputy CM too had long sought a meeting with home minister Amit Shah.

PUNJAB

Farmers, parties intensify agitation in Punjab CHANDIGARH: Protests by farmers and political parties against the farm laws introduced by the Central government further intensified in Punjab.

Farmers led by 31 kisan unions laid siege to rail tracks, toll plazas and power plants across Punjab.

Claiming that the Narendra Modi government’s farm reform laws will leave food grain growers hungrier, the agitating peasants put up “indefinite” blockades of Reliance fuelling stations, Adani Group’s granaries at Moga, and Vedanta’s power plant at Mansa’s Banawali village.

They also cordoned the houses of BJP politicians across the state, asking for legal sanctity to the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops and its written guarantee through another bill. Akali Dal workers, led by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and senior party brass held a protest march across

Farmers protest against the new farm laws on a railway track near Amritsar

the state to Chandigarh. Sukhbir dared BJP to show the evidence of his party’s endorsement of the three farm bills in the Parliament, as claimed by the former alliance partner.

Talking to reporters before leading the Kisan March from Akal Takht to Chandigarh, Sukhbir said, “Show our signature, show me.” His reaction came in reply to a query that former Punjab BJP president Shwait Malik had claimed that

SAD(B) endorsed the farm bills in the Parliament.

Agitating farm leaders, however, have rejected Sukhbir’s offer of joint struggle to mount pressure on the Centre. Punjab general secretary of Kisan Mazdur Sangarash Committee Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “Politicians are staging demonstrations, taking out marches or staging dharnas only for their political interests and not for our benefit.”

PM acting at behest of corporates: Rahul Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh launched a three-day tractor rally at Badhni Kalan in Moga district. Addressing a gathering, Rahul vowed to scrap these new laws when the Congress returned to power at the Centre. Alleging that the BJPled NDA government was acting at the behest of select corporate houses to “destroy” the farmers, he said: “Modi ko Ambani aur Adani chalaate hain (Modi government is run by Ambani and Adani). What can the farmers expect from a PM who is a puppet in the hands of big corporate houses?” He claimed the Union Government wanted to dismantle the mandi system in order to benefit the capitalists.

“But we will not let that happen.

We will not let them destroy the farming sector. The Congress fully backs the farmers’ agitation,” he told the gathering.

WEST BENGAL

Bengal BJP leader shot dead; Governor summons CM, Home Secy KOLKATA: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manish Shukla was shot dead by unidentified miscreants on Sunday (October 5) night near Titagarh in North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. The incident took place on BT Road, barely few metres away from the local police station. Police sources said Shukla was shot multiple times in the back and upper torso. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead by doctors.

According to eyewitnesses, the assailants came on motorcycles and their faces were covered with masks and helmets. Two other BJP workers also sustained bullet injuries during the attack as they tried to

save Shukla. The West Bengal unit of BJP has organised a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Barrackpore area on Monday (Oct 5) in protest against the murder. A central team of the BJP, comprising general secretary Sanjay Singh, MPs Arjun Singh, Saumitra Khan, Jagannath Sarkar and Shanku Deb Panda visited Shukla's residence, sources said.

State Governor Jagdeep Dhankar has summoned CM Mamata Banerjee and state police over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"ACS Home @MamataOfficial and DGP @WBPolice have been summoned in the wake of worsening law and order situation leading to dastardly killing of Manish Shukla," the

Governor tweeted on Sunday.

"We demand a CBI probe into the role of the police. Arjun Singh's life is also in danger.

Mamata Banerjee cannot rule the state with terror," BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said. A popular public figure in Barrackpore, Shukla had defected from the Trinamool Congress two years ago. He was known to be a close associate with Barrackpore BJP MP Arjun Singh and had later joined the saffron brigade in the district.

CID takes over probe The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over the investigation of the murder case of Shukla on Monday. A team of CID officers reached the spot in the

afternoon to collect evidence and conduct further investigation into the case. The West Bengal Police took to Twitter urging people not to jump on to a conclusion without the investigation. “A person was shot dead in the Titagarh area of Barrackpore and the investigation is under way.

Police will look into all possible reasons, including personal enmity because the victim was accused in some cases of murder and attempt of murder. Please do not jump to the conclusion without proper investigation.

Irresponsible comments on social media tantamount to interference in the investigation.

Please refrain from this,” read the statement from West Bengal Police.

TN EXTENDS LOCKDOWN TILL OCT 31 The Tamil Nadu government has extended the Covid-19 lockdown till October 31, 2020, with some more relaxations. The state government has put on hold its earlier order which permitted students of Class X, XI and XII to go to school on a voluntary basis to clear doubts from teachers. The decision will be taken later on voluntary studies and school opening after discussion with expert committee recommendations, the government said. According to the government order, restaurants, tea shops will remain open from 6 am to 9 pm. Parcel services will be allowed until 10 pm. The cine industry can run with 100 persons at a time while shooting but no visitors will be allowed. The government has granted permission for 100 flights from other states to land in Chennai airport daily. No international flights are allowed except those permitted by the Home Ministry.

CONG NOT A PARTY WORTHY OF ALLIANCE: KUMARASWAMY Taking a swipe at Karnataka leader of opposition Siddaramaiah's recent remarks, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that Congress is not a party worthy of an alliance as it has scant respect for coalition dharma. This statement

by HDK comes with the state going to bypolls in two seats on November 3 with Siddaramaiah clearing the air about the possibility of a Congress-JD(S) coalition. The HDK-ruled coalition government was dislodged from power within 13-months at the helm. The statement from HDK comes in the wake of Siddaramaiah openly opposing the idea of joining hands with the JD(S) again for the November 3 polls. Incidentally, both the seats are known to be Vokkaliga belts which is the core voter base of the JD(S).

COVID-19 POSITIVE RATE FALLS BELOW 5 PC IN PUNJAB Covid-19 seems to be on the decline in Punjab as the last week’s average positive rate remained below 5 per cent. A fortnight ago, it was over 10 per cent. While the state has been conducting over 25,000 tests a day, average positive cases remained around 1,200 in the past week. The average positivity rate between September 14 and 20 was over 9.83 per cent. However, it started declining after that and the positivity rate of the week between September 21-27 came down to 7 per cent. In the September 28October 4 week, it dipped to 4.2 per cent.

According to experts, the fall in the positivity rate indicated a decline in the over-all spread of infection. Dr Rajesh Kumar, former head, School of Public Health, PGI, Chandigarh, said, “The same signals are coming from other indicators as well.

RAILWAY MINISTER'S 'DURGA PUJA' GIFT TO KOLKATA Weeks ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal, the Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal on Sunday (October 4) gave a gift to Kolkata by inaugurating the Phoolbagan metro station on the East-West metro. The Minister also flagged off the first train from the newly inaugurated station through a video link. Goyal congratulated everyone for taking extra initiative to complete the work in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic and expressed that this extension of services from the Salt Lake Stadium to Phoolbagan (a stretch of more 1.5 km) will be a great help for the commuters, more so because of its proximity to Sealdah station.

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10 - 16 October 2020

in brief PM MODI LIKELY TO VISIT GUJARAT ON OCT 31 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Gujarat on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is celebrated as national ‘Ekta Divas’ (Unity Day). He is also expected to visit the Statue of Unity (SOU) at Kevadiya. He is likely to inaugurate a series of tourist facilities at the SOU site and launch the seaplane service between Ahmedabad and Kevadiya. “The government will ensure that the PM’s visit does not face any issue regarding code of conduct for the assembly by-elections. As the PM is going to inaugurate projects of national importance, there should not be any issue regarding code of conduct,” sources said.

RANSOM SOUGHT TO FREE SEVEN INDIANS KIDNAPPED IN LIBYA Seven Indian workers, including one from Maharajganj and another from Deoria district of UP, are being held hostage by “local criminals” in Libya for the last two weeks, according to an FIR filed by a relative of one hostage. The kidnappers have demanded a $20,000 ransom for the release of the Indians, who were working with a company in Libya, the Delhi-based firm told the relative who filed the FIR. All seven workers - from UP, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh - were scheduled to return to Delhi on September 17 after the expiry of their visas. The family of Munna Chauhan, resident of Kushinagar and currently in the custody of Libyan captors, has appealed to the ministry of external affairs to rescue the Indians.

Chauhan went to Libya in September last year. He got a job as an argon welder but his visa expired on September 13 this year.

GUJARAT VIDYAPITH LOOKING FOR NEW VC The Gujarat Vidyapith, the university set up

by Mahatma Gandhi, is now in search for a new vice-chancellor with the term of the current vice-chancellor, Anamik Shah, coming to an end in December. A three member search committee, which includes members like Arvind Desai and professor Indira Hirve has been appointed. The Vidyapith officials were tight-lipped about the chancellor Ela Bhatt’s recommendation for the third member of selection committee.

Shah may not get the third extension as per the UGC norms. Bapu was the first chancellor (kulpati) of the Vidyapith and he had held the office between 1920 and 1948.

This time because of the university has adopted UGC qualifying conditions, the race for the post will be narrower. The vicechancellor should have both academic and administrative experience, should have been on the faculty or board of studies and should have been a member of an academic council or part of professional bodies.

GUJARAT HC GETS THREE NEW JUDGES The President of India has appointed three practising advocates as judges in the Gujarat high court with effect from the day they assume charges of their offices. The members of the Bar - Vaibhavi Nanavati, Nirzar Desai and Nikhil Kariel - have been elevated to the bench upon recommendations made by the Supreme Court collegium on August 14. Their appointment will take the HC strength to 30.

The three lawyers have legal practice of more than two decades. Advocate Desai has been a standing counsel for the central government. Advocate Nanavati has been on panels of various institutions and her area of practice includes constitutional law, civil law, company law, educational and land related laws. Similarly, advocate Kariel too has got wide practice in various fields of law.

PM Modi opens Atal tunnel, vows to fast track delayed border projects Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to fast track the border infrastructure and demands of the `security forces for modern equipment, which has been pending for a long time, while inaugurating 9.2 km Atal tunnel in Rohtang. Without naming any person or party, he said demands for modern fighter aircraft, ammunition, modern rifles, bulletproof jackets, extreme cold weather gear were shelved. He said the crucial Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip in Ladakh lay closed for 40-50 years - abandoned in the mid1960s, it was revived in 2008 by the IAF. “What was the compulsion (majboori)? What was the pressure?…The fact is that the Air Force was able to restart it due to its own determination, not because of any political willpower,” he told a gathering in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army chief General MM Naravane and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar at the tunnel’s southern portal at Dhundhi near Manali.

The tunnel’s opening, amid the ongoing India-China standoff along the Line of Actual Control, is going to help sustain troops mobilised in eastern Ladakh by providing an almost all-weather connectivity between Manali and Leh during the long, harsh winter months.

The tunnel is the newest addition to the Indian list of frontier infrastructure, the construction of which has riled

China which, over the years, has built an extensive network of roads right up to the LAC and the McMahon Line, stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The tunnel under the Pir Panjal range – it is the world’s longest highway tunnel above the altitude of 10,000 feet (3000 metres) - cuts the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km, and driving time by four hours.

It’s a boon for residents of Lahaul and Spiti Valley who remain cut off from the rest of Himachal Pradesh for nearly six months due to snow. Though the foundation stone of the tunnel was laid by then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in July 2010, it was wracked by delays, missing several deadlines. Calling it a “historic” day, Modi expressed his gratitude to those who had worked hard for the project jawans, engineers and labourers.

He said the tunnel would have taken another 20 years had work not been expedited after 2014.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the

foundation stone for the approach road to the tunnel in 2002 but the project was delayed after his tenure and only 1.3 km of the road was built until 201314, Modi said. He said the speed of blasting of the tunnel was increased from 300 m per year to 1,400 m per year after 2013-14.

Delays pushed up the cost from £95 million to around £320 million. Flagging the tunnel as one of the key elements of the strategic infrastructure upgrade that will help secure “security and prosperity,” the Prime Minister said the government had restarted several old projects crucial for securing the borders. The Kosi rail bridge was launched in September after hanging fire since 1934, and the Bogibeel Setu was commissioned in 2018.

The Prime Minister said there were dozens of such crucial border infrastructure projects lying neglected until his government came to power. He said in the last six years, the BRO has been building infrastructure with full force and a vast road network has

AIIMS panel rules out murder in Sushant Singh case Actor Sushant Singh Rajput was not murdered and it was a case of suicide, Dr Sudhir Gupta, who headed a team of forensic experts from Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has stated. Earlier, the 34-year-old movie star's family and many fans had alleged that he was poisoned and strangled.

Sushant, a rising star of Hindi cinema, was found dead at his apartment on June 14. At the time, the Mumbai Police had said he died by suicide and had been suffering from depression. His family, however, contested claims of mental illness and accused his girlfriend, actor Rhea Chakraborty, of driving him to suicide. The case was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Now, the AIIMS panel has completed the examination and closed the file after providing conclusive medico-legal opinion to the CBI in the case, according to reports. The AIIMS team, that had been tasked with re-examination of the late actor's autopsy, other medical reports and the crime scene, said the circumstantial evidence also suggested suicide.

The CBI is corroborating the medical report with their investigation. CBI is likely to continue its probe into "abetment to suicide," a charge originally listed by Bihar Police after the family's allegations. "All aspects are still open in the probe, if any evidence comes to light proving otherwise, Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (i.e., murder) will be added, but nothing has come up in 45 days of probe," sources said.

Meanwhile, Sushant's family, through their lawyer, had recently questioned the delay in CBI's probe. He also claimed that an AIIMS doctor had earlier told him that the cause of death in this case was strangulation and not suicide by hanging. However, Dr Gupta subsequently termed the lawyer's claims "incorrect." "The investigation is still going on.

What he is saying is not correct."

The CBI had also issued a statement after questions over delay in its probe were raised.

The agency said it was carrying out a "professional investigation," where "all aspects are being looked at and no aspect has been ruled out." Apart from the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate is probing allegations of money laundering in this case, while the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is investigating a high-profile drugs case related to Sushant's death.

In fact, the NCB has held many, including Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik in connection of drug case. Both are accused of procuring banned substances such as marijuana, and are currently imprisoned.

been created near the border areas.

“Whether it’s Kargil, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh, dozens of projects have been completed and roads, bridges are being built quickly,” he said.

The PM said ordnance factories in the country were strong at one point of time, but were “left on their own”, and no efforts were made to strengthen the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). “The selfishness of those who were in power until day before yesterday stopped our military capabilities from growing and damaged them.

These people had even prepared to pack our Tejas fighter planes in a box. Today, the situation is changing,” he said.

Modi said that reforms are being brought to promote indigenous production of weapons in tune with ‘Make in India’, and the long-awaited post of Chief of Defence staff has been created. It has been made compulsory to buy several parts and equipment from domestic industries and their import has been banned, while India’s institutes are being offered incentives so that foreign investment and technology comes to India’s defence industry, he said.

“We have to enhance our infrastructure, our economic and strategic power at the same pace at which India’s global role is progressing. Self-confidence in AatmaNirbhar Bharat is today part of the common person’s mentality. Atal Tunnel is a symbol of such selfconfidence,” he said.

GUJARAT ASSEMBLY BY-POLLS ON NOV 3 The much awaited by-elections for eight assembly seats in Gujarat will take place on November 3. Votes will be counted on November 10, said statements issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the chief electoral officer (CEO), Gujarat. The by-polls are expected to be a keenly contested affair after eight Congress MLAs resigned before the Rajya Sabha election earlier this year, reducing the Congress’ strength in the assembly and paving the way for three BJP candidates to be elected to the upper house of Parliament. Five of the eight Congress MLAs who quit the party before the RS election, have joined the BJP and are expected to be fielded by the BJP from the same seats that they won on Congress tickets in 2017.

INDIA REBUTS UNHCR CRITICISM India has pushed back strongly at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights over criticism of its proposed green norms, saying the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification does not violate its international green commitments but rather seeks to remove “redundancies” and bring “defaulters to the environmental regime” to book. In its point-wise response to a communication of special rapporteur of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, India said the proposed changes will promote the environmental cause and sustainable development as envisaged by international treaties.

26 WORLD / INDIA

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10 - 16 October 2020

Issa brothers and TDR Capital buy Asda group Indian-origin billionaire owners of petrol station operator and private equity group TDR Capital have taken control of Asda from Walmart, ending the US retailer’s 20-year foray into Europe that fell short of expectations. The transaction values the UK grocer at £6.8bn, only slightly more than the £6.7bn Walmart paid for the supermarket in 1999. Brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and TDR, who already jointly own British petrol station operator EG Group, will hold equal stakes in the UK’s third-largest supermarket, with Walmart retaining a minority shareholding.

The exact details of the size of the buyers’ stakes and how much they paid for them were not disclosed.

Asda’s existing management team, led by chief executive Roger Burnley, will remain in place. The Issa brothers, who started EG from a single forecourt in Greater Manchester and built it into a business with €20bn of annual revenues, said they were “very proud to be investing in Asda”, describing it as “an iconic British business that we have admired for many years”.

They pledged to invest more than £1bn in the company over the next three years and increase the share of UK-produced food that it sells. The deal will be financed using a £4bn debt package, which will comprise a combination of high-yield bonds and leveraged loans, led by Barclays. Judith

Zuber and Mohsin Issa

convenience stores, including Spar McKenna, chief executive of and Carrefour on its forecourts but Walmart International, said: “We the brothers have no experience of wanted to keep a stake running large-format in this because we believe in supermarkets. The Issa brothers the story to the upside, but equally said: “We believe that our we recognise that this probably is experience with EG Group, the right structure for Asda to including our expertise be successful for the long Issa around convenience term.” She noted that brothers were and brand Walmart, which will partnerships and retain a seat on nominated for the our successful Asda’s board, already had a Asian Achievers Awards partnership with TDR Capital, range of ownership in 2017 for 'Business can help to in structures accelerate and different overseas Person of the Year' execute [Asda’s] markets. “One size category growth strategy.” doesn’t fit all,” she said.

Observers predicted they The Issa brothers and would form more partnerships TDR said that Asda’s headquarters with other retailers to make better would remain in Leeds and that its use of space in Asda’s stores, basic strategy of “everyday low pointing to a recent trial in which would continue. prices” DIY group B&Q will open four Blackburn-based EG has

All accused in Babri Masjid case acquitted A special CBI court last week acquitted all 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, giving a major relief to saffron stalwarts like former deputy PM L K Advani, former UP CM Kalyan Singh, former Union minister M M Joshi, former MP CM Uma Bharti, Bajrang Dal founder Vinay Katiyar and three BJP MPs - Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Lallu Singh and Sakshi Maharaj.

In his order running into 2,300 pages, the judge, Surendra Kumar Yadav, said the demolition was not pre-planned and was the handiwork of "unruly elements (arajak tattva)" among the kar sevaks. Also, the CBI couldn't prove that the accused Sangh Parivar functionaries were behind any conspiracy to demolish the 16th-century structure on December 6, 1992.

He said the CBI could not produce any conclusive evidence against any accused. "Even VHP leader late Ashok Singhal was trying to stop kar sevaks from demolishing the disputed structure because the idol of Lord Ram was also inside the structure," the judge wrote in the verdict delivered on the last day of his tenure.

The court also accepted the defence's plea that Ram Lalla's idols were not removed from the mandir-masjid complex and it was left to the priest, Satyendra Das, to take those out at the last moment, showing that the accused had no plans to demolish the structure. Judge Yadav also agreed with the defence that the structure was demolished by

miscreants who defied the directive by BJP and VHP leaders assembled at Ram Katha Kunj to restrict themselves to symbolic kar seva in the vicinity of the now-demolished mosque.

Significantly, the judge took into account intelligence inputs from both local and central agencies about the possible presence of subversives, some backed by Pakistani agencies and others from J&K, in Ayodhya.

The acquittal comes in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict allotting the disputed Ayodhya site to Hindus for the construction of Ram Mandir, generating unease among sections of Muslims. The second victory for the Hindutva side can add to the unease. Prominent Sunni cleric and AIMPLB member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said everyone knows how the "Babri Masjid was demolished in full public view" and the "law of the land was shredded to pieces".

BJP, VHP and others were, however, jubilant over what they saw as the second consecutive judicial imprimatur over their

stand on Ayodhya amid the absence of any indication that the CBI could move the high court. When asked, CBI counsel Lalit Singh said a copy of the judgment would be sent to the agency headquarters in Delhi which would take a further decision.

BJP has maintained that the destruction of the mosque was not premeditated. VHP and others have ascribed the events on the fateful day 28 years ago to the spontaneous outburst of pent-up feelings of Hindus. Just as the accused were acquitted, some of them in the court loudly chanted "Jai Shri Ram" in the presence of the judge.

However, the Shiv Sena has been a defiant exception and even claimed responsibility for the demolition. Not surprisingly, unlike Congress, its coalition partner in Maharashtra, it welcomed the outcome.

The conspiracy charge against Advani had been dropped by the Allahabad high court in 2001, but was restored by the Supreme Court in 2017. In the muchawaited hearing, the judge occupied his chair in the courtroom at 12.10 pm and within five minutes read out the operative part of the judgment, pronouncing acquittal of all the accused.

The judge had superannuated on September 30, 2019 but the Supreme Court had extended his service period till delivery of the judgment.

shops in Asda supermarkets.

Zuber Issa 48, and Mohsin Issa 49, sons of an immigrant from Gujarat, began small, working on a petrol station in Greater Manchester in 2001, and went on to build a chain of petrol stations in Europe and the United States as part of their company, EG Group.

People who know them say that part of their success is in remaining curious about competitors and being willing to learn and pick up new ideas.

The entry of Walmart promised to shake up the UK grocery sector in 1999 and was welcomed by the government at the time, which hoped it would provide an antidote to high prices and unexceptional service.

However, strict UK laws made it hard for Walmart to expand Asda

in the way it had grown in the US, while an attempt to buy Safeway in 2003 was quashed by competition regulators. Over the past decade, it has faced increasingly potent competition from German-owned supermarket discounters Aldi and Lidl, which target similar customers with a keen focus on price and have opened hundreds of new stores in Asda’s northern heartlands.

Asda’s share of the UK grocery market is now about 14.5 per cent, down from a peak of almost 18 per cent in 2013. Even so, former Asda chief executive Andy Bond said the company’s ownership by Walmart “did change the face of UK retail, more indirectly than directly”, because it forced incumbents to cut prices and innovate. Walmart had been seeking an exit from the UK for some time to focus on its home market and faster-growing overseas ventures.

Asda, with about £23bn in annual sales, looked increasingly peripheral compared with its ventures in China and India.

Walmart reported total revenues of $500bn in 2018. An attempt to sell Asda to rival J Sainsbury was blocked by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority last year.

The CMA may scrutinise this deal too, since Asda owns more than 300 petrol station forecourts and EG has almost 400.

Amnesty halts India operations following freezing of accounts Amnesty International India said it was halting its activities in the country due to freezing of its accounts by the government in what the NGO described as the latest in an "incessant witch hunt" of human rights organisations over unfounded and motivated allegations. Amnesty said it learned about the Enforcement Directorate (ED) freezing its bank accounts on September 10 and the move compelled it to let go of its staff in India and pause all ongoing campaign and research work.

The crackdown over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts, it said in a statement, "was not accidental".

‘Violated foreign contribution law’ Refuting the allegation of “witch hunt” levelled against the government by Amnesty International India, the home ministry said the human rights NGO was facing a probe for circumventing the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 by receiving foreign funds remitted through the FDI route.

ED 1st raided Amnesty on October 25, 2018 The constant harassment by government agencies, including the ED, is a result of our unequivocal calls for transparency in the government, more recently for accountability of Delhi Police and the government of India regarding the grave human rights violations during the Delhi riots

and in Jammu & Kashmir,” Avinash Kumar, executive director of Amnesty International India, said, adding the latest attack was akin to "freezing dissent".

The ED first raided Amnesty on October 25, 2018. Following that, the agency has been probing the NGO’s sources of funding and violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). In 2019, Amnesty was served a show-cause notice and in 2020 the ED began its probe into money laundering. In all matters, investigation is still on and hasn’t reached the stage of filing charges. No arrests have been made. “Amnesty endured a 10hour-long raid by the ED in 2018, but most of the information and documents that were demanded during the search were already available in the public domain or filed with the relevant government authorities," it said. Then, in early 2019, Amnesty alleged that the I-T department started sending investigative letters to more than 30 small regular donors even though it did not find any irregularities. "But the process adversely affected our fundraising campaigns," it added. Amnesty claimed it stood in full compliance with all applicable Indian and international laws. It said the ED’s freezing of its accounts in September was a likely reaction to the two reports its released — one in August on the situation of human rights in J&K and the second on Delhi riots — that were not favourable to the government.

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10 - 16 October 2020

Covid-19 vaccine alone won't defeat spread of virus, warn experts A team of experts said that Covid -19 vaccine alone won't t be sufficient to prevent the spread of the virus and restrictions on daily life is likely to continue for some time. Hundreds of teams of researchers around the world are working to produce a vaccine against the coronavirus, with 11 currently in phase three human trials. The UK government has reserved access to six potential vaccines and has raised hopes that a vaccine could be on the cards by spring next year.

A report from a multidisciplinary group convened by the Royal Society, called Delve (Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics), says there are serious challenges to producing a vaccine, including hurdles in manufacturing and storage, questions around how well vaccines will work, and problems with public trust.

Prof Nilay Shah, the head of the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and an author of the report, said that while there would be vaccines available in March, the question was whether they will have been shown to be effective and passed regulatory processes. “Even if we get through that and the material is available and vaccination does start in the spring, it will take a long time to work through

the different priority groups initially and then the wider population later on,” he said, adding that it may take up to a year.

Prof Charles Bangham, the chair of immunology at Imperial College London and a co-author of the report, said: “Even if it is effective, it is very unlikely that we will be able to get back completely to normal. There is going to be a sliding scale even after the introduction of a vaccine that we know to be effective. We will have to gradually relax some of the other interventions.”

Bangham said few vaccines completely block an infection, but they can reduce both the severity of disease and the chance of passing it on.

However, in the case of vaccines in development against Covid, myriad questions remain.

Concerns have already been raised that vaccines against Covid may be less effective in older adults than in other groups – a potential issue if supplies are limited and vaccinations have to be prioritised to those most at

risk from becoming infected.

The team says a policy of vaccinating widely in an attempt to produce herd immunity could also run into potential difficulties, particularly if the vaccine has limited effectiveness. And for any mass vaccination programme, there are manufacturing and supply hurdles to overcome. “We need to make sure that [we are going to have all the ingredients for these tens of millions of doses in the UK, and several billions globally,” said Shah, noting that these range from chemicals to glass vials, while some may need to be kept at extremely low temperatures.

A vaccination programme would need to carried out at about 10 times the pace of seasonal flu vaccinations, said Shah.

“That would need many thousands of individual healthcare workers, retrained people, dedicated solely to delivering vaccinations,” he said.

Public trust in a vaccine may also present a hurdle. Dr Zania Stamataki, a researcher in viral immunology at the University of Birmingham, said: “By the time the first vaccines are released, we need to do our best to dispel any myths surrounding vaccination and reassure individuals and families that they are safe, tested properly and that no corners have been cut in their preparation at all regarding safety.”

On-arrival Covid-19 testing facility for international passengers at Delhi airport All international passengers can now avail on-arrival Covid-19 testing facility at the Delhi airport. As per earlier guidelines, only the passengers with further domestic connection were allowed to have RT-PCR test done on the spot. Rest of the passengers were required to produce a Covid-19 negative report done 96-hours prior to boarding.

On-arrival testing facility will help passengers seeking exemption from institutional quarantine if tested negative. Delhi Airport became the first airport in India to set up a Covid-19 testing facility at the International Airport Terminal 3 for the international passengers.

The facility was set up opposite the Terminal 3 at the multilevel car parking area for the incoming passengers who have to take connecting domestic flights.

This facility will now be used for arriving passengers.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the company that runs Delhi airport, collaborated with Genestrings Diagnostic Centre, a Delhi-based laboratory, which is currently associated with Delhi government to test Covid-19 samples to conduct the tests.

A passenger can get the test done at the airport for a fee of Rs 5,000. The fees include waiting room charges as the results can take up to 6 hours to arrive. The DIAL's press release said, "Results of samples collected at the laboratory will be declared within 4-6 hours to the incoming passen-

gers. Until the results are confirmed, passengers will be isolated at the waiting lounge or may opt to stay in a hotel."

Terminal 3 is the first such arrangement among Indian airports. An international passenger who does not have a Covid-nega-

tive result certificate from a test done not more than 96 hours prior to the journey, and does not opt for an onarrival testing facility at the entry airport, will have to compulsorily undergo seven-day institutional quarantine followed by seven-day home quarantine.

On August 2, the Union Health Ministry had said if an international passenger has a negative result from an RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey, he or she will not need to undergo institutional quarantine in India.

Dr Reddy's seeks DCGI nod to conduct trial of Russian Covid-19 vaccine The Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories has applied to the Drugs Controller General of India for permission to conduct phase-3 human clinical trials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V against Covid-19 in India, sources said. The Indian pharma giant has collaborated with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V as well as its distribution.

Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF will supply to Dr Reddy's 100 million doses of the vaccine, the firm said last month. 'The Dr Reddy's Laboratories has applied to the DCGI seeking permission to conduct phase-3 human clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine

against Covid-19 developed by Russia. The DCGI will carry out a technical evaluation of the application before giving its approval,' a source said.

Sources said it would be multi-centre, observer-blind, randomised controlled study.

The phase-3 trial of Sputnik V is underway in Russia since September 1 on around 40,000 subjects, they added. Sputnik V has been developed by Gamaleya National Research Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology and RDIF. Currently, two vaccine candidates, the indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the one developed by Zydus Cadila Ltd, are in phase 2 of human clinical trials.

We still see the word “depression” being used to refer to all mental health problems Shefali Saxena

Dr Chandni Pujara

Born and raised in the UK, Dr Chandni Pujara (BSc, MD, MRCPsych), has always encouraged fellow medics to have a good work life balance. After receiving her first degree in Neuroscience at King's College London, she went on to read Medicine in America where she completed her preclinical training and moved into Poland in order to gain experience within the EU. After graduating with an M.D, she went on to work for Cambridge University Health Partners.

Having gained international experience, including internships in the USA, Africa, India and Eastern Europe, her time at Cambridge shaped her into a “Doctor” and led her to obtain a coveted role specialising in Psychiatry with Central London. She has held various roles including President of External affairs of the Student Government Association whilst at University, President of the Doctors Mess and is currently representing all trainee doctors in the NHS trust she works for. She has recently qualified as a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has a passion for promoting physical health in patients with severe mental illness all the while trying to quash the taboo around mental health especially in the Asian community. On World Mental Health Awareness Day, Asian Voice spoke to Dr Chandni about her journey of foraying into a career in mental health, her perspective and experiences in treating the members of the community.

How and when did you decide to pursue a career in mental health? How supportive were your parents? have always been fascinated by the mind and brain, and really enjoyed studying Psychology at School, so I decided to go to University and study Neuroscience. Whilst at King's College, I spent a lot of time at the Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and it is here that I decided that I will go on to Study Medicine and specialise in Psychiatry. My parents have always been very supportive of my decisions, and have made it possible for me to travel around the world to increase my experience and pursue my Career. I recently gained membership to the Royal College of Psychiatrists and they were more excited about it than I was.

What are the challenges of being a front line worker in healthcare and maintaining your own mental peace?

There are many different challenges whilst working in healthcare and they range from basic things like managing how busy things are, to seeing many patients who are very unwell and distressed. At the moment, it is difficult to sometimes recognise these as stressors, but I think the key to mental wellbeing in general is to be self aware and recognise signs In yourself of stress and burn out and to allow yourself time to take care of yourself. As healthcare professionals we become used to looking after others and need to be mindful to make ourselves a priority.

What kind of cases have you witnessed during the pandemic?

Psychiatry, like most other specialties, saw a decrease in the number of patients accessing our services during the pandemic. This is because people were more concerned about the virus and were not seeking help. This meant that patients were presenting later in the course of their illness, and were therefore more unwell. We also saw an increase in the proportion of patients who were presenting for the first time, and often at an older age – this is still continuing to happen. Our usual demographics are people in their 20s presenting with Psychosis, and perhaps older (30s to 50s) people presenting with more depressive symptoms, however we saw a marked rise in older people with symptoms of psychosis. I am currently undertaking some research to look into this further to get a better understanding.

What would your advice be to aspiring mental health professionals who want to make a career in mental health care?

I think it’s important to look for a way that your interests and strengths can be applied to a career in mental health care. It is a demanding and mentally stressful career path and it is therefore important to contribute with something that you have a passion for. There are many career paths that can be taken and don’t necessarily have to be medical or nursing related. Of course there is psychology but also the option for physical, sports and occupational therapists, art and music therapists and many more. Whatever and however you decide to contribute, it is very rewarding.

How can women and men overcome the stigma attached to mental health issues in our community?

I think talking about mental health In our community is improving, but is still very stigmatised. I think this stems from a lack of education and exposure to these problems. We still see the word “depression” being used to refer to all mental health problems and that is because, even now, people are only aware of this one type of mental illness and it is the only one that they can freely talk about. We need to start with education, not only of what signs and symptoms to look out for, but also to educate them on the different types of help that are available so that they feel empowered to go and seek it.

I think this needs to start with the heads of communities, so it is easier to filter it down, and with these people often being highly respected, they can help break the stigma. Of course, grass roots education is also effective, but often more difficult to achieve.

How different/easy is it to treat men (you being a woman) when it comes to mental health issues? How comfortable are they in talking about it?

I think the difficulty in treating anyone, male or female, is linked to how long they have let the problem fester without seeking help. The longer you have taken to seek help, the longer it’ll take you to get better. The difference I have personally felt between treating men and women, is that although men present later, by the time they do, they are more ready to talk about things, whereas women may come earlier, but often feel the need to continue to “stay strong”. It’s important to stop spreading the message that strength is associated with someone’s ability to smile through tears and suffer in silence. Strength is being brave enough to talk about what is killing you inside. This applies to the previous questions as well.

28 ART & CULTURE

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10 - 16 October 2020

What would India be today, if Mahatma Gandhi was never born?

As a part of the celebration of the 151st birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, eminent Gandhian Scholar, Prof Satish Kumar answered a few questions that came from British Indian students from across the UK. Here are a few questions and their answers that discuss the contemporary relevance of Mahatma Gandhi.

Rhea, Law Student, University of Leeds

Shreshtha Saxena, Financial Maths Student, London School of Economics

How would the world or India be today, if Mahatma Gandhi was never born?

Prof: If Mahatma Gandhi was not born, we will be missing something very special.

Like the Buddha, like Lao Tzu in China, like Jesus Christ, like Martin L. King in America.

These great figures come into the world to wake us up and solve certain problems of their time, but their message is not just for their time. Their message is for all times.

And therefore, if Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t born, we will miss this new world view - the importance of nonviolence at personal level, spiritual level, political level, social level and ecological level. Mahatma Gandhi was one of the early champions of de-colonisation and bringing an end to imperialism. Under the British imperial power, the sun never set.

Mahatma Gandhi stood up and said that colonialism and imperialism is not right for humanity.

What would Mahatma Gandhi say to those who protest for important issues like rights to minorities and environment, but then themselves take to violence?

Prof: We should not divide, the end and the means. We should pursue noble ends and noble means. If our aim is to create a good society, society of equality, society of justice, society of compassion, then if we use wrong means, violent means, then we will not achieve a good end. So means and ends should be congruent. If your aims are good but your means are violent, then you are not going to reach good ends. There’s no way to equality, there’s no way to peace. Peace is the way. We have to live those principles which we want to achieve in the world today. Only few people can use violence, so the majority of people cannot participate in the movement.

America or any part of the world. If there are some good ideas, we should not shy away in accepting those ideas. Because good ideas, good philosophies and good examples inspire us. So for many people, Mahatma Gandhi is a great inspiration. Even though he lived 70 or 80 years ago, what he said about nonviolence, about simple and frugal living, about equality of all human beings and harmonious relationship between humans and nature, these are eternal and timeless values. We cannot just say that it is from the past and forget it. We have to listen to our ancestors, because without them we won’t be here. We should be grateful that we have given so much wisdom to religions, culture, philosophies, science, art and architecture from the past.

Aditya Batra, Uptown Court Grammar School, Slough

Paarth Bhatnagar, Pharmacology Student, Queen Mary University London

Why should we, modern British Children listen to an Indian leader from the previous century? How does it benefit us?

Prof: Wisdom is not a monopoly of any one person. And therefore, wherever there is wisdom, we should take it. Whether it is from the past, present or India, Africa,

If Gandhi was alive today, would he use the same methods like non-violence to prevent acts such as terrorism and crime in developed world which is very very different from what was there when he used to live in the world?

Prof: Mahatma Gandhi would say to the terrorists that instead of using violence for your cause, you should use non-violence.

Terrorism breathes more terrorism. If you sow the seeds of violence, they will grow into trees of violence. Therefore, if you want to create a better and peaceful society, you must pursue that through the way of persuasion.

‘Guru-shishya’ relationship reels under the threat of sexual abuse Respecting and worshipping gurus and teachers in reverence is ingrained in the Asian DNA. While touching the feet of gurus is considered pious in the Indian culture, those in the art sector who religiously learn music and dance from instructors have suffered countless instances of abuse and molestation by their teachers.

Withstanding the fact that these vocations may involve physical touch and posture correction, many instructors have taken the toxic route of patriarchy and missed their position for seeking sexual favours or molested students.

A recent report in The Guardian titled “India's classical music and dance 'guru' system hit by abuse allegations’ said that female musicians say abuse by gurus has

of sexual abuse. According to this report in The Guardian, “A group of 90 female classical musicians issued a statement in September, alleging sexual abuse and exploitation of female disciples by their gurus. They described a “fear-driven culture of silence” that forced women to submit to the sexual demands of their gurus for fear of having to end their careers.

The statement called for structural changes to tackle sexual harassment in the sector. The move followed accusations of sexual misconduct against Akhilesh Gundecha, a classical musician, and his late brother, Ramakant, at the residential music institute in Bhopal which the brothers founded.”

been an open secret for years in a culture where ‘toxic and old-fashioned patriarchy’ holds sway.

The guru-shishya (disciple) relationship in the Indian classical music and dance traditions has finally been hit by allegations

Renowned singer TM Krishna blamed the power imbalance that has existed in the industry for a long time.

Classical Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan wasn’t shocked by these allegations and asserted that enough of

the members of the community knew this was happening.

Classical Bharatanatyam dancer Swarnamalya Ganesh and TM Krishna are campaigning to reform these long standing shameful activities. They now run an informal group to raise public awareness and try to break stereotypes that further accelerate such cases of sexual abuse.

in brief in brief QUEER EAST FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH A HYBRID FORMAT OF ONLINE AND CINEMA SCREENINGS ACROSS THE UK The previously postponed Queer East Film Festival is returning to cinemas across the UK with an additional seven films added to the original programme this October. The festival’s in-person cinema screenings will now go beyond London to include Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol, as well as offer UKwide virtual screenings for audiences to enjoy at home. Viewers can discover 36 films (16 features, 4 documentaries and 16 shorts), including 7 UK Premieres from 13 countries brought to you by Queer East – the festival fostering and promoting a cultural understanding about the queer Asian community. Online screenings will be available to UK-wide audiences, including free-to-access titles. Spanning over 50 years of filmmaking, the first edition of Queer East is a mix of classic retrospectives and new releases, to explore how culture, law, history, and social norms have affected and built the current queer Asian landscape. Queer East is a celebration of queer storytelling and activism in East and Southeast Asia and aims to uplift and amplify the voices of those marginalised in the LGBTQ+ community. To reflect on the significant progress that has been made, as well as the obstacles that millions still face in Asia.

13TH-CENTURY ISLAMIC COIN TO BE AUCTIONED IN LONDON A rare early 13th-century Islamic coin bearing the name of Sultan Mu’izz al-Din Muhammad is going to be aucitoned in London on October 22. It is estimated to fetch between £2,00,000 and £3,00,000. Made of pure gold, the coin is said to be issued by Muhammad Ghori.

Specialist auctioneers Morton and Eden will lead the auction. Stephen Lloyd, director of Morton & Eden, told The Times of India, "This outstanding, large gold coin is of significant historical importance to the Islamic world and especially to India. This is because the man who issued it, Mu’izz al-Din, is credited as having laid the foundations for subsequent centuries of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent. This is a truly special coin. It was struck to celebrate and acknowledge the power and greatness of Mu’izz al-Din at the height of his achievements in India.” The report also claims that this will be the first time the coin has been seen at public auction, having been in a European private collection for decades.

Book Recommendation Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography by Pramod Kapoor

Pramod Kapoor, the founder and publisher of Roli Books (established in 1978), is a connoisseur of images. A sepia aficionado, he has over the course of his illustrious career conceived and produced awardwinning books that have proven to be game changers in the world of publishing. His first book as author, Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography, is the result of years of painstaking research on a subject close to his heart. Kapoor is dedicated towards decoding Gandhi for the modern generation.To bring them all together in this illustrated biography is to bring alive one of the most revered figures in modern Indian history, and in a way that is a departure from earlier works.

Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography is an intimate study into the evolution of a mischievous, fun-loving boy, into the Mahatma. From his schooling and early marriage in Kathiawar to his first brushes with the grandeur of London; from his chance employment for a legal case in South Africa to a train ride in Pietermaritzburg that led to his first fight for equality; from a relatively unsuccessful lawyer to a globally celebrated crusader for human rights – Gandhi was that rare rebel who redefined the meaning of mass resistance for generations to come.

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My kids are embarrassed to see my films: Juhi Chawla One would think having a gorgeous, talented and popular actress as your mom would be something of an exciting thing and one would be a fan of her work by default. However, this doesn't seem to be the case with Juhi Chawla and her children. Apparently, Juhi's kids - Jahnavi and Arjun Mehta try not to watch any of her films!

In a recent interview, Juhi revealed, "Actually, they are very embarrassed to

see my films, especially the earlier ones.

In fact, my husband (Jai Mehta) told them to watch Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke saying that it's quite a cute film."

She added, "Then, Arjun asked me, 'Mom is there romance in that film?' and I was like, 'yes, it is a romantic comedy.' To this he replied, 'I don't want to see your films that feature romance. It gets very strange. So, I am not going to watch any of your films.'

And that's it! They don't want to watch any of my films."

'Main Krishna Hoon' and 'Chalk n Duster' were the only two films Juhi's kids liked her in, says the actress. "They had a good time there. As far as the latter is concerned, after watching that film Arjun told me that it was nice and I was really good in the film. I was on cloud nine as I did not expect such a reaction from him," she concludes.

Adil Hussain bags best actor award for 'Pareeksha' and 'Nirvana Inn' Actor Adil Hussain has bagged the best actor award at the Indo- German Film Week in Berlin, for two of his recent performances - 'Pareeksha' and 'Nirvana Inn'. Prakash Jha directed 'Pareeksha' while Vijay Jayapal had helmed 'Nirvana Inn.' Adil was seen as Buchchi - a rickshaw-puller making all efforts to ensure best education for his child in Prakash Jha’s film. 'Nirvana Inn' is yet to be released. Adil wrote in two separate tweets, “Thrilled to have received the Best Actor Award for the role of Buchchi Paswan in Pareeksha @Pareeksha2020 at the #IndoGermanFilmWeek in Berlin last night.

Thank You for this recognition. I share this Award

with dearest @prakashjha27 . And of course with the entire team.”

Manoj Bajpayee was among the first ones to congratulate Adil.

Talking about the artists in his film 'Pareeksha', Prakash Jha had said in an interview, “In terms of creativity, Adil brings a lot to the table. I do not work with a hard set rule. We held workshops so that we build upon what we have. Each artist on sets brings his own creative inputs - Adil, Priyanka, Shubham and everyone else. The final output is something with everyone’s insight. Adil is a sensitive actor and I enjoyed working with all of them.” Adil, who has worked in several critically acclaimed films, received National Film Awards (Special Jury) at the 2017 for 'Hotel Salvation' and 'Maj Rati Keteki.'

Akshay’s 'Sooryavanshi' not releasing on Diwali Despite the government allowing the theatres to reopen from October 15, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif-starrer 'Sooryavanshi' is not releasing on Diwali. This was confirmed by Reliance Entertainment, one of the producer's of the film. Earlier, the government allowed theatres and multiplexes to reopen with up to 50 per cent of their seating capacity from October 15. The news was received warmly; as many as 10 highly anticipated Bollywood and Hollywood films are gearing for theatrical release. Among the films that were expected to go for a theatre release was 'Sooryavanshi'.

However, CEO of Reliance Entertainment, Shibasish Sarkar, said that they are in no hurry to release their film as there was no confirmation on whether theatres were opening in all states, including Maharashtra, where Bollywood is based. He said, “Theatres aren’t reopening in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu either. So, we shall wait and watch before deciding the release of the film. 'Even if theatres open in all states by November 1, we can’t release such a big film, doing only 15 days of promotion.'

He said that before releasing such a big film the makers would want to wait

and watch how public responds. He added, “Some film will definitely release in December. We shall watch the proceedings. We will know how many people came to see it. There has been much delay in the release of the cop drama; in March the makers said that the film has been indefinitely postponed amid coronavirus pandemic.” 'Sooryavanshi' is the continuation of the cop universe created by director-producer Rohit Shetty. His other films from the cop franchise include 'Singham' series with Ajay Devgn and 'Simmba' with Ranveer Singh.

UNDP honours Sonu Sood with Humanitarian Award Actor Sonu Sood who is often dubbed as the "messiah of migrants" for his philanthropic work during coronavirus induced lockdown, has been conferred with the prestigious SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The 'Dabangg' actor has received the award for selflessly extending a helping hand and sending millions of migrants, stranded students across geographies abroad, back to their homes.

Besides that, he has also been providing free education and medical facilities to young children and has been creating free employment opportunities

to the needy in the wake of the Covid19 pandemic. The award was presented to the actor at a virtual ceremony last week. Expressing his happiness over the honour, the actor said he fully supports the UNDP in its endevaours.

"This is a rare honour. UN recognition is very special. I have done whatever little I have done, in my own humble way, for my fellow countrymen without any expectations. However, to be recognised and awarded feels good," he said. "I fully support the UNDP in its endeavours to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Planet Earth and mankind will greatly benefit from the implementation of these goals," he added.

With this prestigious honour, Sood joins the likes of Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Watson, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman and Priyanka Chopra who have been similarly honoured by different UN bodies.

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'Bellbottom' completes entire shoot in the pandemic Pooja Entertainment became the first film production house to complete a feature film shoot from start to finish during the Pandemic. The Akshay Kumar starrer espionage thriller, 'Bellbottom' not only wrapped up shooting but also released a new poster and a teaser ahead of the release of the film early next year. Vashu Bhagnani, the founder of Pooja Entertainment, has now handed over the stewardship to next-generation producers Jackky Bhagnani and Deepshikha Deshmukh who pushed the creative envelope and finished the schedules in Scotland and England. The film directed by Ranjit M Tewari and written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh stars Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta Bhupathi.

Jackky Bhagnani says, "The Bellbottom shoot was a challenge but it makes the film even more special for all of us because what we saw unfolding was pure, cinematic magic.

There is a significant number of people dependent on the film industry so it was important that we restart the industry engines during the pandemic. Completing this film without a single case of ill-health was a big relief and it was important for us to show the world that it is possible to do what seems impossible with proper preparation and meticulous planning.

I hope our example boosts industry morale and lifts spirits."

The safety protocols observed from the start included a chartered plane for over 200 members of the cast and production crew, a mandatory two-week quarantine in Scotland, on set sanitization precautions for everyone including, foreign junior artists on assorted locations. Social distancing, medical-grade masks and face shields, hand sanitisation sta-

tions, painstaking cleaning of all touchsensitive surfaces, a mandatory wristwatch for all cast and crew members to constantly monitor their oxygen levels, body temperature, blood pressure, stress levels and pulse were part of the daily shoot.

There was also a centralised dashboard constantly recording the parameters of the entire unit.

Akshay Kumar says, "The new normal has made us realise a different way of working that none of us could have imagined. As much as I’ve been happy to be back on the sets, it's also important for us to take care of everything around us.

Pooja Entertainment laid down a water-tight safety plan for our shooting schedule in Scotland and England. These measures helped us accomplish a smooth and safe shoot. We were extremely glad to be able to start shooting for Bellbottom after the long lockdown. I hope this encourages film industries globally to do what they do best and start entertaining audiences again. I hope our shoot during the pandemic reassures others that it’s time to get things moving again.”

'Bellbottom' is set to release on April 2, 2021.

Amazon Prime Video and Excel Media unveil trailer of series 'Mirzapur' The Amazon series 'Mirzapur' will begin a new 10-part season on October 23. The main characters include Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Divyenndu, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Amit Sial, Anjum Sharma, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajesh Tailang, Manu Rishi Chadha along with new talent Vijay Varma, Priyanshu Painyuli and Isha Talwar.

Produced and created by Excel Media and Entertainment, the series can be watched by Prime members across 200 countries and territories.

Amazon unveiled the trailer of the series. The series deal with a new season of the hinterland crime drama where power and revenge provide a way to keep order, will reveal what happened to the infamous residents of Mirzapur, following the aftermath of a shocking Season 1. The new storyline dives deeper into the murky and rustic world of guns, drugs and lawlessness and traverses through myriad layers of vengeance, conspiracies, romance, drama and the formidable women power in the terrains of Mirzapur.

The narrative of 'Mirzapur S2' will unfold through the lens of popular characters from the first season. Fans can also look forward to some interest-

ing twists in the plot essayed by the new talent. Prime members can finally know the answer to ‘Kaun Lega Mirzapur?’, meaning ‘Who will take the

reins of Mirzapur?’ on October 23, 2020.

Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video said, “The fandom that has built for the world of Mirzapur over the last two years has been phenomenal; viewers have expressed their love and appreciation for the show. It’s characters have

become a part of popular culture. We have had a wonderful collaboration with Excel Media and Entertainment over many years and we are thrilled to join forces again for yet another gripping season.”

R i t e s h S a d h w a n i , Producer, Excel Entertainment said, “We, at Excel Entertainment, always strive to deliver highimpact, high-quality content for our viewers and we believe Mirzapur has set a precedent for every crime drama series that followed. Our association with Amazon Prime Video spans over multiple years and many titles, and we are happy to cross yet another milestone with them through the new season.” The series is produced by Excel Media and Entertainment, created by Puneet Krishna and directed by Gurmmeet Singh and Mihir Desai.

'Four More Shots Please!' nominated for Emmy award After the nomination of 'Made in Heaven' actor Arjun Mathur in the best performance of an actor category, Vikramaditya Motwane- directed 'Four More Shots Please!' has been nominated for the Best Comedy Series category in the international Emmy 2020. Actor Maanvi Gagroo calls it a wonderful experience that she got to be part of the series. “We couldn’t believe this has happened, and were dying to post on social media. But we wanted to confirm this first and once we got a go ahead, we went berserk,” she laughs.

Gagroo says that the news has finally sunk in and now more than anything, she is looking forward to the win. “We’re just waiting for the results.

If we win it, I’ll be very happy especially because there were many - mostly men - who didn’t like the show and the rea-

son was, ‘Arrey yeh kya hai, yeh toh fake feminism hai’ and all that nonsense. This win will shut those people who can’t appreciate something. I just want to win it for the trolls,” she says, adding that the writers of show Devika Bhagat and Ishita Moitra - have also won at the Screenwriters Association Awards in the Best Web Series, Original Comedy category.

She admits that being nominated for such coveted awards is in itself a big deal. She believes that after such recognition, one is taken seriously.

“International recognition does matter a lot here (in India). And only when we get some, peo-

ple start taking you (more) seriously.

So, such things do help. But I think in our case, it might not be that drastic.

We (her co-stars from the series Sayani Gupta, Bani J and Kirti Kulhari) all have been doing a lot of work here, and the show has already been loved. So, that jump may not be visible in our case,” says Gagroo, also known for web shows 'Tripling and Pitchers'.

Genre: Biographical web television series Duration: 1 season, 6 episodes

Let’s follow the life of Masaba and Neena Gupta Masaba Masaba is a tv series that is a scripted version of the life of Masaba Gupta and her mother Neena Gupta.

You may have heard of Neena Gupta before, she is an actress in India and her daughter Masaba is a fashion designer who owns her own fashion line called the House of Masaba. They are now letting us into their lives and showing us what it is like to be two single women in India.

The show starts with Masaba at her fashion house where there are rumors floating around in the press that her husband is divorcing her. After attending an award ceremony together, he confirms that he does want to split up and Masaba is distraught.

She cannot bare the thought of being in their house any longer and so she moves in with her mother, who wants to get back into acting.

We are also introduced to many other characters within the series, some of which are famous in Bollywood, including Farah Khan and Kiara Advani.

The series navigates through the lives of these two

women in India and their celebrity status that effects them along the way. Unfortunately, it does not delve too much into their relationship with each other, but it is a refreshing take to the industry and the star kid's life that Masaba faces.

So what do we know about Neena and Masaba’s real lives. Neena is a brilliant actress who had an affair with cricketer Vivian Richards back in the 80’s who was from the West Indies. Neena never married Richards and instead chose to raise Masaba as a single mother. She then went on to marry chartered accountant Vivek Mehra. Masaba on the other hand married film producer Madhu Mantena in 2015 but as we see it played out on screen the two decide to separate and then divorce. They have no children together, but they do remain friends.

Overall, I believe the show deserves a watch as it is interesting to see the fashion industry from a different light rather than just all the glitz and glamour. But be prepared for the fact that not all of this is based on real life and some of the characters have been enhanced for the show.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

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Janhvi Kapoor to star in the remake of this Nayanthara superhit!

Actress Janhvi Kapoor, daughter of yesteryear dream girl Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, had made her debut in films with the movie 'Dhadak' and was recently seen in the movie 'Gunjan saxena' which won good reviews from critics and audience.

Now even as Janhvi has a number of movies like 'Roohi Afza' and many more, the young actress has reportedly signed to play the lead in the Bollywood

Rajinikanth interested in restarting 'Rana'

Director KS Ravikumar has revealed that he recently narrated the script of his ambitious movie 'Rana' to superstar Rajinikanth once again. The director noted that it was Rajinikanth who wanted to revisit the script.

“About six months ago, he asked me to narrate the story to him once again. After hearing it, he said, ‘Ippo nammala panna mudiyuma? (can we do this movie now?)’ I said it was possible. But he had politics on his mind and said he didn’t know if he had that kind of time to invest in a film that

required a grand scale of production. 'Rajini pannina nalla irukkum' (It would be great if Rajini did the movie), but we don’t know what’s in store for Rana (sic),” Ravikumar said.

For the uninitiated, 'Rana' was earlier planned as a pan-Indian film, also starring Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. The big-budget period drama went on the floors in 2011. However, after the first day of shoot, Rajinikanth’s health condition worsened and he was rushed to Singapore for treatment.

Given that working on the movie was physically demanding, the project was shelved keeping Rajinikanth’s health in mind.

Ravikumar later ended up writing a prequel to 'Rana.' The film was called 'Kochadaiiyaan', an animated feature, which was directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth.

Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman to unveil trailer of 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai' Renowned Indian film director Mani Ratnam along with music maestro AR Rahman will be unveiling the trailer for the Amazon Original Tamil film 'Putham Pudhu Kaalai', an anthology of five short films. Each film is centred on a unique theme of love, new beginnings, second chances, and a glimmer of hope- set and filmed in the times of the nationwide lockdown.

The anthology marks the union of celebrated directors from the Tamil cinema, Suhasini including Mani Ratnam, Sudha Kongara, Gautam Menon, and Karthik Subbaraj presenting 5 short films with a distinctive storyline, characterization and narrative; however, are seamlessly woven into the common theme of New Beginnings.

These short films include: 1) 'Ilamai Idho Idho' directed by Sudha Kongara ('Soorarai Pottru') starring Jayaram ('Uttama Villain'), Kalidas Jayaram ('Poomaram') and Urvashi ('Soorarai Pottru'), Kalyani Priyadarshan ('Hero').

2) Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum directed by

explore how love, pride and honour influence complex relationships.

Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies and Ashi Dua Sara’s Flying Unicorn Entertainment, the film stars Kalki Koechlin, Padam Kumar, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Anjali, Bhavani Sre, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Hari, Kalidas Jayaram, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj and Simran among others.

Speaking about the film, director Gautham Menon said in a statement, “To explore a complex, difficult theme in an authentic and honest manner alongside incredibly talented directors is a

tremendous opportunity. The anthology reflects how pride, honour and social standing continue to influence individual choices all around us.”

Sudha Kongara added, “Each story in this

anthology explores unconventional, unfettered, and unconditional love.” Vetri Maaran said he enjoyed working on the project because he was able to tell the story he wanted to. He also called it a “fulfilling experience.”

Vignesh Shivan said, “As a filmmaker, being able to tell your story to a diverse audience, alongside three respected directors who believe in your story as much as you do, is an incredible opportunity.

This film explores the dark, often agonizing side of human relationships, tabling thoughts many have but are afraid to vocalise.”

Gautham Vasudev Menon (Yennai Arindhaal) starring M.S. Bhaskar (Sivaji: The Boss) and Ritu Varma (Pelli Choopulu).

3) Coffee, Anyone? directed by and starring Suhasini Mani Ratnam (Sindhu Bhairavi), Anu Hasan

(Indira), Shruti Haasan (Treadstone).

4) Reunion directed by Rajiv Menon (Kandukondain Kandukondain) starring, Andrea (Vada Chennai), Leela Samson (OK Kanmani) and Sikkhil Gurucharan.

5) Miracle directed by Karthik Subbaraj (Petta) featuring Bobby Simha (Petta) and Muthu Kumar (Pattas).

TV Listing

Four directors join hands to make Tamil film 'Paava Kadhaigal' Netflix announced its first Tamil film titled 'Paava Kadhaigal'. Directed by Gautham Menon, Sudha Kongara, Vetri Maaran and Vignesh Shivan, the anthology film comprises four stories which

remake of a superhit movie of Kollywood lady superstar Nayanthara.

It has been revealed that Janhvi Kapoor will play the lead in the Hindi remake of Nelson Dilip Kumar's 2018 hit 'Kolamaavu Kokila' starring Nayanthara, and the Hindi version produced by Aanand L Rai will be directed by debutant Siddharth Sengupta.

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 12 OCT FRI 16 OCT 2020 6:30 INTERNET WALA LOVE 14:30 KASAM 16:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 16:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 18:30 SHAKTI 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 SHAKTI 20:30 SHUBHARAMBH 21:00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 12 OCT FRI 16 OCT 2020 8:30 BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN 14:30 OM NAMAH SHIVAY 15:30 JAI SHRI KRISHNA 16:00 DHARAM THI GUJARATI 16:30 RASOI SHOW 17:30 CHHUTA CHHEDA 18:00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18:30 DIL KA RISHTA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) -

21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) SATURDAY 10 OCT 18:30 NAMASTE BREAKFAST 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR SUNDAY 11 OCT SEP 13:30 KHUDA GAWAH 16:30 DESI BEAT RESET 17:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 19:00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 2 19:30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20:00 NAAGIN (SEASON 5) 21:00 DESI BEAT RESET 21:30 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR

WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU-LAMHE PYAAR KE 22:30 MERE HUMRAHI SATURDAY 10 OCT 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 17:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) 20:30 BARRISTER BABU 21:00 BALIKA VADHU SUNDAY 11 OCT 11:00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2 17:00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA 18:00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA 19:00 BIGG BOSS (SEASON 14) WEEKEND KA VAAR 21:00 BALIKA VADHU

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Mental health of players our first priority: ECB Chief Executive Ahead of World Mental Health Day, the Chief Executive of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that the mental health of the cricketers is their “first priority”. Tom Harrison’s statements arrive as the ECB declared that it had lost over £100 million in revenue in the aftermath of the coronavirus and weeks after the Board announced that it had to axe 62 jobs. The coronavirus pandemic had initially threatened to wipe out the entire 2020 campaign but a full men's international programme went ahead alongside shortened county and women's calendars.

Discussing the after-shocks of coronavirus on international cricket in an end of the season briefing on Monday 5th October, Tom Morrison said, "The ECB has lost more than £100m of revenue and 800 days of live spectators in stadia. The consequences of that are now being felt by people across the game who are losing livelihoods and are going through some very, very difficult moments in their lives. Right now, at the ECB we are going through the

painful process of becoming a smaller organisation coming out of this summer.

“We are working to ensure the business of international cricket keeps going. But the Bangladesh tour to Sri Lanka is an understandable situation for the Bangladeshi team; two weeks of quarantine is not an easy thing to agree to for players and I don’t think we would agree to that either. We will not sign off on plans we’re not comfortable with, in terms of our No 1 priority: the health and wellbeing of players and staff on these tours.”

The Board also admitted that there is less clarity as regards to the men’s tours to Sri Lanka and India slated to commence January next year, especially with the exponential increase in the number of coronavirus cases in India recently. The ECB spent around £1m on Covid-19 testing alone this year and was able to avoid the projected financial loss of £380 million. Besides close co-operation with the government and support rendered from broadcasters, the ECB has assured that they had avoided the worst for the year. But,

Tom Harrison

ahead of a potential second wave and with increasing cases of coronavirus in the UK, Harrison has admitted that he was drawing up contingency plans for similar financial pain next year.

In the meantime, players like Stuart Broad have already announced that they are ready to co-operate with the ECB and take pay cuts in an attempt to save livelihoods of other essential staff.

Endurance and perseverance will always help you succeed Pallvi Gami and Rina Siyani We still can’t believe it! 48 hours ago, we ran a marathon. This year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Virgin Money London Marathon’s 40th race was postponed from April 2020 to October 2020. However, this was not going to be like any other London Marathon. This one was to be run virtually.

This meant that 45,000 runners from around the world had 24 hours to run 26.2 miles nearer home. So, as well as months of training, we also had to plan our own route, taking into consideration road surface, elevation (i.e. avoid all hills), water stations and pit stops.

We decided as this race was like no other, we would get 26 of our friends and family to each come run one mile with us. This was a stroke of genius – having the support and encouragement of close family and friends gave us the extra surge of energy to keep going, plus someone new to talk too as we battled tired legs and low motivation as well as a constant downpour of rain. Little did we know, our 26 one mile runners would enjoy the run and keep running with us for

Pallvi Gami and Rina Siyani

longer… and maybe even be inspired to sign up for a run themselves!

We are by no means the fittest people.

We’ve always been keen netball players but as shooters we wouldn’t exactly be called the best runners on the team. Running a marathon is a high task that required putting in the miles around other commitments Rina is a teacher (and mum to two teenagers!) and Pallvi is a trainee solicitor.

This meant going out for a run whenever we could, doing extra strength exercises and resistance training and also making sure we were eating healthily. There were times during training when morale was low but we had to remind ourselves why we were doing this. Whether it was for our own self-belief or for charity, we knew we had a goal and to achieve it meant persevering through.

The cherry on the top was that Rina and her sister Jyoti have managed to raise over £10,100 for the charity Children with Cancer UK. Pallvi Gami (age 29) and Rina Siyani (age 40) are active voluntary members of Shree Kutchi Leval Patel Community (SKLPC UK) from Gaam Samatra and continuously inspire the younger generation to better themselves through their SEWA work.

Big win for Delhi Capitals

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s top-order fell by the wayside as Virat Kohli and his men crashed to a 59-run defeat against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League contest in Dubai on Sunday.

Chasing a stiff target of 197 for victory, RCB’s hope of a grandstand finish went up in smoke early in their innings and they ended with 137/9. After the heroics of Prithiv Shaw (42) and Marcus Stoinis (53no), the DC bowlers turned on the heat. Spin twins R Ashwin (1/26) and Axar Patel (2/18), replacing an injured Amit Mishra, strangulated the openers before the South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (4/24) and Anrich Nortje (2/ 22) took over.

Earlier, Delhi Capitals thwarted a late resurgence by Kolkata Knight Riders to score an 18-run win in their IPL match here on Saturday. Shreyas Iyer showed his class with a captain's knock of 88 not out off 38 balls after Prithvi Shaw's opening act, propelling the Capitals to 228 for four. If that was not enough, Rishabh Pant (38 off 17 balls) dusted off his rustiness with a quickfire knock.

Smooth sailing for RCB Royal Challengers Bangalore’s head

coach Simon Katich recently introduced a mentorship programme in which young

opener Devdutt Padikkal's (63) buddy is skipper Virat Kohli (72). Through the bonding initiative, the players exchange ideas and also spend time together even after practice and matches. The move seems to be working as Padikkal teamed up with his skipper and their 99-run second-wicket partnership set the tone for RCB’s clinical eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the first afternoon game of the IPL. Chennai run out of gas So often in the past, Chennai Super Kings have ended on the winning side from

a seemingly hopeless situation with a late flourish. It seemed like CSK would do it again against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday night, but it wasn't to be. Needing 28 runs from the final over, CSK only managed 20 runs against rookie leggie Abdul Samad as they succumbed to a 7-run loss. MS Dhoni (47 not out off 36 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (50 off 35 balls) tried hard, but CSK's top-order problems cost them in the end.

MI tame KXIP Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma scored a half century to help Mumbai India coast to a 48-run win over a hapless Kings XI Punjab. Mumbai took full control of the proceedings early on in the Kings XI innings with Jasprit Bumrah cleaning up the inform Mayank Agarwal for 25 before skipper KL Rahul’s futile attempt to improvise with a lap sweep off leg-spinner Rahul Chahar only ended up in a long walk back to the dug-out. He managed 17 off 19. Chasing a challenging 192, Punjab had to depend on their untested middle order and West Indian Nicholas Pooran (44 off 27) offered some hope but with the asking rate mounting, he eventually succumbed under pressure.

in brief DHONI BREAKS RAINA'S IPL RECORD Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni broke his teammate Suresh Raina’s record to become the most capped player in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL). CSK’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 2 October, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is the former India captain’s 194th appearance in the T20 league. Raina, who earlier held the record with 193 appearances, had made himself unavailable for the ongoing edition in the UAE. After Dhoni achieved the feat, Raina in a tweet, wrote, “Congratulations Mahi bhai at becoming the most capped IPL player. Happiest that my record is being broken by you. All the best for the game today and am sure CSK will win this season’s IPL.” Both Dhoni and Raina had announced their retirement from international cricket on 15 August this year. Soon after Raina pulled out of the IPL, which began on 9 September, citing personal reasons. While the franchise has not named a replacement for him, Raina’s name was removed from the squad list uploaded on their website.

CSK REMOVES RAINA’S NAME FROM THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE Fans were eager to see Suresh Raina playing in the IPL ever since he announced his retirement along with Dhoni, last month. But the fans as well as the team of CSK got a severe blow when Raina pulled himself out of the tournament. He had pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons. He had said that if the situation gets better, he might return to the UAE to participate in the IPL 2020. But now, CSK have removed his name from the squad list uploaded on their website. CSK’s CEO Kashi Vishwanathan said, “We cannot look at Raina because he made himself unavailable, and we respect his decision and his space. We are not thinking about it”. He also added, “I can assure the fans that we will bounce back strongly. It’s a game and you have your good and bad days. But the boys know what they need to do and the smiles will be back.”

Harbhajan Singh's name was also missing in the CSK squad on the official website.

ROBIN UTHAPPA MAKES A DUBIOUS RECORD Rajasthan Royal’s Robin Uthappa last week surpassed Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli’s unwanted record. Kohli has been part of 90 defeats in the Indian Premier League. On the other hand, Uthappa has witnessed 91 defeats. This record was made when Rajasthan Royals were outperformed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th game of IPL 2020 by 37 runs. Kolkata’s Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik is positioned at third spot on the list of players who have been a part of most number of defeats. Karthik has witnessed 87 losses and he is followed by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been on the losing side 85 times. During the match against Kolkata, Uthappa also made a mistake which brought him into attention. He seemed to have accidently applied saliva while fielding.

This action was in violation of the ICC’s guidelines which bans use of saliva on the ball in view of the coronavirus pandemic.