UK Asian Voice | 11th February 2017
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Never forget your roots, says Lord Gadhia Stresses on Hindu values at a scintillating speech at Neasden Temple Anand Pillai A crucial part of remaining authentic is maintaining the family and community relationships that each of us builds up over time and never forgetting our roots, said Lord Jitesh Gadhia on Saturday (February 4). He was speaking at a Satsang Sabha at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden. He said the one lesson of recent events (Brexit, US elections, etc.) is to expect the unexpected. “And the one constant we all face is change and uncertainty. Not just political uncertainty but also the profound effects of rapid technological change. Be it: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles or Gene-based Personalised Medicine –no sector of the economy is immune from
Lord Gadhia addressing the congregation
and intolerant. This is the greatest danger of the present time and that is why Hinduism and Hindu values are even more important today than they have ever been. “We are the torch-bearers for the noble values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is one family) – a point which Prime Minister Narendra
Lord Gadhia being offered prasad by Prabuddha Muni Swami
disruptive forces. At the same time, we have seen instability created by protracted conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, having a corrosive human impact and forcing mass migration across continents.” He said closer to home the challenges of an ageing population will require a re-think about the traditional patterns of education, work and retirement as well as health and social care.
Modi emphasised during his first ever address to the United Nations General Assembly. Or in Pramukh Swami’s eternal words: ‘In the joy of others lies our own’.” He said: “We are not only the oldest religion in the world but the most peaceful and tolerant. Hinduism differs from other religions because we do not have: a single founder; a single deity; a single holy text; or a central religious authority.
Lord Gadhia performing Abhishek with trustees Jitu Patel and Vinu Bhatessa
He said in 1917 just 1 in 100 people lived till 100, while 50 out of 100 people born today will live for 100 years. Faced with these overwhelming forces, Lord Gadhia said there is a clear danger that societies may become inward, insular
This lack of formal structure means Hinduism is a deep rooted culture of spirituality and not an organised religion like Christianity or Islam. And that is our distinct advantage.” The secret of great civilisations is that they
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Indian-origin couple fight on space ticket in divorce battle An Indian-origin couple are caught up in a divorce battle which includes a £160,000 ticket on the futuristic first commercial flight into space on British entrepreneur Richard Branson’s famed Virgin Galactic, The Daily Mail and The Daily have Telegraph reported. Meera Manek has taken her husband, Ashish Thakkar, to the UK High Court this week to dispute his claims that his assets are worth just £445,532. According to the Daily Telegraph the 33-year-old food writer and blogger insists that her husband is in fact a billionaire. Speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper, a source said: “The Virgin Galactic flight will be discussed in court. It is an asset Ashish still holds and will be considered as part of the investigation into his total wealth. Meera will demand the cost of the ticket be counted in his assets. She could demand he cashes it in”. Thakkar was among the first to sign up for Branson’s dream project of launching the first commercial flight into space. The full amount of the tickets are paid up front but the tickets on Virgin Galactic are fully refundable up until the date of the flight. The UK High Court will now decide over the course of a five-day hearing which began on Monday what Thakkar’s assets are worth and a further trial will then determine how much Manek should receive as part of the divorce settlement. Thakkar is a Dubaibased businessman who runs the Mara Group and
Meera Manek
Ashish Thakkar
was born in the city of Leicester in the UK. His family were among the thousands of East African Indians who came to the UK after being deported by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 1970s. The 35-year-old married Manek in 2008 but the couple separated in 2013. His soon-to-be exwife claims her estranged husband is the beneficiary of a complex series of companies held offshore. But he has told the High Court that the beneficiaries of the Mara Group – an IT, banking and property group – were his mother and sister. ‘The Sunday Times Rich List’ had estimated Thakkar’s wealth at 500 million pounds in 2015 but he was missing from the list in 2016. Justice Moor is due to rule on Thakkar’s real wealth this week. Last July Mr Thakkar lost an opening skirmish when Mr Justice Moor ruled that the pair should not finalise a divorce until decisions had been made on how much Miss Manek should get. In the Family Division of the High Court in London Mr Justice Moor ruled in her favour. The judge said Miss Manek might be at a disadvantage if she was fighting as an ex-
wife rather than a wife. Mr Thakkar's parents had been forced to leave Uganda in the early 1970s to escape Idi Amin's exile of the 'non-African community'. They had lost everything and 'started again' in the UK, working in factories then starting their own business, lawyers said. Mr Thakkar was born in Leicester in 1981. His family had returned to Africa in 1993 and settled in Rwanda - shortly before hundreds of thousands were killed in a genocide. The judge was told that Mr Thakkar had left school at 15 with no qualifications and started to trade in computer hardware after his parents lent him about £3,500. Mr Francis said Mr Thakkar had 'joined forces' with his parents and other family members to create a collection of companies known as the Mara Group. But Mr Francis said Mr Thakkar did not own shares in the Mara Group holding company. He said shares were owned by Mr Thakkar's mother and sister. The judge heard that the 'beneficial ownership' of the holding company was 'hotly disputed'. Mr Thakkar is chair-
man of the United Nations Foundation global entrepreneurs council and founded the Mara Foundation in 2009, which serves as an online mentorship portal for young African entrepreneurs. Three years ago he was appointed to the advisory board of technology company Dell. In 2013, he became the first African to be named in Fortune magazine's annual 40 under 40 list, with total assets said to be in excess of $1bn and employees across 21 African countries. While Ashish Thakkar suddenly claims he is worth only half a million dollars, yet Wall Street Journal estimates that he may be worth $30 m. This turn round in Ashish Thakkar's wealth has appears to have had a major tumble in just a few months. Now he says all the wealth that was formerly attributed to him by his own PR company and media belongs to his mother and sister!! So why did he not make that clear before? When everyone was welcoming as a super rich billionaire, why did not clarify that his wealth is not even a fraction of a billion dollars? What do the media and his PR company have to say about possible misrepresentation. What do his business partners have to say? Is this all because Ashish wants to not pay out his dues in the divorce settlement? He needs to come clean. Ashish is a devotee of his Guru, Sant Morari Bapu who teachings are of keeping high morals and truth.
adapt. They retain their essential values and authenticity, yet modernise, the Kampala-born leader added. He said Hinduism is not dogmatic or driven by ideology, because it has no hidden agenda or motive except to spread truth. All Hindu scriptures state that “self-realisation” is the ultimate goal of every human being, whether Hindu or not. Also, the beauty of Hinduism is that it embraces noble thoughts from any direction. “We welcome truth from every side as stated in the Rig Veda – Aano Bhadra Krthavo Yantu Vishwatah.” Lord Gadhia said Hinduism does not proclaim monopoly or exclusivity of wisdom. Nowhere in the Hindu scriptures do you find that Hindus alone can find God. In fact, any
person who searches after truth will ultimately attain self realisation, whether Hindu or not, he added. “We enjoy absolute freedom of thoughts and actions as a cardinal principle. For example, even an atheist can condemn Hinduism and later proclaim that he or she is a Hindu,” the 46-year-old Gujarati leader said. Also, perhaps most significantly, Hindus do not actively convert people from other religions to Hinduism. He said these are the fundamental principles shared by all British Hindus which “we should be proud of and confident enough to explain more widely”. And that is why British Hindu values are now recognised at the highest level in this country – celebrated in Parliament and in Downing Street – and “our community is
seen as an inspiration for others to emulate”. He said the contribution of Hindus to British Life is wide reaching – Teaching in schools; policing streets; running businesses; serving in armed forces; saving lives in hospitals; donating to good causes, etc. In fact, at every turn “we display those values – Indian and Hindu values – of family, responsibility, enterprise and hard work”. Finally, the Cambridge University-educated investment banker said a lot has been achieved by “our community but I truly believe that our best times lie ahead provided we safeguard our cherished Hindu and Indian values and invest in the next generation”. Lord Dolar Popat, Lady Sandhya Popat, Lord Ranbir Suri, Lady
Tarlochan Suri, Lord Raj Loomba, Lady Veena Loomba and CB Patel, among others, were present. Lord Gadhia described CB Patel as his long-standing mentor who he had the pleasure of knowing for almost 30 years. Lord Jitesh Gadhia’s wife Angeli and children, Priyana and Devand, as well as his mother Hansaben were also present. Last August Jitesh Gadhia was made a Life Peer by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of then Prime Minister David Cameron. On September 12, at the age of 46, he was introduced to the House of Lords as its youngest Briton of Indian origin. He took his oath of allegiance using the Rig Veda – the first time anyone has taken the oath using the world’s oldest scripture.