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Research shows immigration rules are tearing families apart

Advani’s resignation had come in the wake of Rajnath Singh declaring Modi as the campaign chief

on Sunday at the concluding session of the National Executive meeting in Goa. Continued on page 26

The immigration rules of Britain are so rigidly enforced to prevent Britons bringing foreign spouses into the country, who they cannot afford to support, are leading to prevention of high-earning executives from settling in

the UK, a research has found. A group of MPs and Peers have further added that the new financial rules for migrants from outside the European Union are tearing UK families apart and causing anguish. Continued on page 2

War widow asked to pay £12,000 to acquire what is rightfully hers Narendra Modi with L K Advani

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The political crisis triggered by senior BJP leader L K Advani on Monday when he resigned from the party’s National Executive, Central Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee was resolved with the patriarch stepping back. The BJP decision to appoint Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra

Modi as Chairman of the party’s Election Campaign Committee remains unaltered. At a crowded press conference at Advani’s residence on Tuesday evening, BJP president Rajnath Singh announced that the senior leader had withdrawn his resignation.

UK is preparing to mark the centenary of the First World War next year. A candle light vigil in Westminster Abbey, a service for Commonwealth leaders at Glasgow cathedral, and an event at a Military cemetery in Belgium will start the official celebration in Europe. This naturally brings us to the conclusion that a similar celebra-

tion will also mark 100 years of the World War II. However, while Britain is getting ready to embrace an array of cultural programmes remembering the past (to be directed by Jenny Waldman, Creative Producer for the London Festival 2012), widow of a second world war soldier from a British Indian army is being asked to pay £12,000 to claim the

George Cross, that rightfully belongs to her husband, awarded before

India's independence in 1947. Continued on page 2

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Keith Vazwith MP

Keith Vaz MP

Rab Miah

goals? The long term plan for me would be to continue on my career path with Jemca Toyota. I have aspirations of becoming a General Sales Manager in time and feel that should the opportunity arise I would embrace the challenge.

Rab Miah is the sales manager of Jemca Toyota on Edgware Road, London. He started his career on an apprenticeship programme before working his way up to his current position. He is married with two children. 1) Please tell us about your current position? My current role is to manage one of the largest sales teams within the Toyota Network. We have a diverse team of sales professionals who collectively achieve record breaking sales volumes. 2) What are your proudest achievements? My proudest achievement is to consistently overachieve on our objectives and to be recognised as the UK’s number one Toyota Centre. 3) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career? I suppose I have been very for-

tunate in that I have been recognised by my employers for my work ethics and performance. I haven’t really had any obstacles as such. Personally I am very self-critical and sometimes this may hold me back. 4) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? The biggest influence in my career would have to be an individual I was managed by many years ago that didn’t really manage people, they would delegate without any real direction or coaching. This made me think about the type of leader I wanted to be and how as a

manager I could show value in what I say or do. 4) What is the best thing about your current role? The best thing about my role is that no two days are the same. I meet so many interesting people whom over the years have become more than just customers. I also get see and be involved in for what most people would be their second

biggest purchase of their life and the joy of accomplishing a dream or aspiration. 5) And the worst? The worst part of my current role is that I find it sometimes difficult to switch off. I find myself thinking up new ideas different ways of doing things at the strangest of times. 6) What are your long term

War widow asked to pay £12,000 to acquire what is rightfully hers Continued from page 1 While the UK court gave the ownership of the medal to the war hero's widow, unfortunately the astronomical amount that the 80 years old has been asked to pay to the claimant, Ashok Nath (as a compensation), has shocked the Indian community settled in Britain. The poor widow who earns no more than £180 per month through pension has now to arrange an amount of £12,000 (more than Rs 1million) to get back something that lawfully belongs to her. This is an alarming twist as it is virtually evident that a poor village widow with so little earning will definitely struggle to arrange that amount of money. Members of the Indian community in London are trying to raise money for the medal, more so as the International Widow's Day (23 June) is drawing close. This day is marked to celebrate the sacrifices made by the widows globally and the courage to withstand the hardships they face on their husband's death.

The soldier's widow Brahmi Devi, who lives in a village of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh. received the medal on her husband's behalf from then viceroy Field Marshal Lord Wavell in 1946. Her husband was awarded the George Cross, considered the civilian counterpart of Britain's highest military decoration - the Victoria Cross - for sacrificing his life to save his comrades while disposing of a misfired rifle grenade at a camp in Bangalore Sep 12, 1945. She had reported the theft of the medal from her house on Feb 3, 2002, when the trunk that had the medal in it, got stolen. It eventually landed in the custody of Ashok Nath, who lives in the UK. The Queen’s Bench Division of the High court ordered the medal be kept with the British Metropolitan Police until December 31. Ashok Nath, a former Indian army officer, in one of his communications to Himachal police, said he had acquired the medal in

good faith from S.L. Jain, a coin and medal dealer based in Delhi at £4000, after being shown two affidavits along with a video which convinced him that the medals had been acquired in a proper manner. The issue of the stolen medal came to light when Britain's leading auction house Dix Noonan Webb listed the medal for auction Dec 2, 2009. When the controversy reached its peak, the head of auctioneers Dix Noon Webb, based in Mayfair, London, reportedly said that Ram's George Cross medal was "disposed of" by his widow in 2000 - and not stolen from her house as she claimed. Later, on the intervention of the Indian government, the British authorities ordered that the medal be withdrawn from the auction. As the controversy of ownership reached the UK High court, the Queen's Bench Division, in its order dated June 5, 2013, said before the medal is restored to her, the defendant (Brahmi Devi) would have to pay the claimant (Nath) costs and expenses to the

tune of £12,000. The court, however, clearly specifies that "in the event of default of payment by the due date (Dec 31 2013), (the payment) shall be enforceable by the claimant against the defendant without further order". Till then it will be with the British Metropolitan Police. Surinder Thakur, a Shimlabased lawyer and nephew of Brahmi Devi, said, “She is a pensioner and gets £180 (Rs 14,000) a month. We are happy with the court order... We will now approach the Indian High Commission in London to get India's heritage back to the country.” Asian Voice approached the British Indian MPs, Lords and community leaders, asking about their opinion regarding this Court judgement. Lord Dholakia, Deputy Leader of the Lib Dem party told the newspaper that he is aware of the old woman's predicament and is looking into the matter. Alpesh Patel, a popular jour-

7) If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change? If I were Prime Minister I would invest heavily in the leaders of tomorrow’s trade and industry. I would introduce more work place apprenticeships not just in primary and tertiary sectors but across much broader spectrum. 9) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why? I would have to say Rosa Parks because of her determination and tenacious nature. I would love to hear first-hand how she had built the courage to say no oppression and segregation. nalist, column writer and a well reputed trade advisor told Asian Voice, it is ‘Time for revolution in India.’ Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing Southall in an exclusive interview told the Asian Voice, “‘I am saddened and disturbed to hear that Himachal Pradesh, an 80-year old widow was asked to pay £12, 000 to recover her husband’s George Cross medal. This is an exceptional medal awarded to soldiers for their high level of bravery and it is shocking that this medal would be put up for auction in the UK. Vijay Sharma of Arlingtons Sharmas Solicitors has done an excellent job fighting this case and representing Brahma Devi, especially as this was done pro bono. I am also glad to hear that a campaign is taking place to help Mrs Devi raise the funds to return the medal to her. With International Widows’ day approaching on the 23rd of June, I believe this is a clear issue in which we can unite and show our resolve in tackling such issues facing widows today.”

The Lohana Community: “We have squared the circle” The Lohana Community North London hosted a reception last week to honour the Ugandan Member of Parliament, the Hon. Sanjay Tanna, Member of Parliament for Tororo during his visit to the UK. Sanjay Tanna MP is currently the only MP of Indian origin in the Ugandan Parliament. Sanjay, an Independent candidate was first elected to Parliament in 2004 with 54% of the vote against the incumbent ruling party and all other major parties. In 2011, Sanjay was re-elected to Parliament with an even higher margin, making him the only person of Indian origin to the reelected to the Parliament of Uganda. Speaking at the reception, Lord Popat, also originally from Tororo, Uganda, paid tribute to Sanjay, “Sanjay and his family were extremely brave to stay behind in Uganda during the troubles of 1972. As a community, it is a great moment of pride for our community to see a young, Gujarati Parliamentarian in Uganda, the ancestral home for many of us.”

Lord Popat and Sanjay Tanna with other invited guests

Lord Popat went on to say that the Lohana Community had, “squared the circle,” with three Lohana Parliamentarians spanning worldwide, Lord Dolar Popat, Baroness Shruti Vadera and now Sanjay Tanna representing the Conservatives, Labour and even an Independent Party respectively. Sanjay was humbled by the

address in London and spoke of the tremendous progress Uganda has made in recent years. Lord Popat commented on Uganda’s outstanding contribution to the Somalia peace process, through its leadership of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON). Concluding the evening, Lord Popat spoke of the need for

the Indian community, “to build a lasting legacy amongst all ages, through engaging with the new generation of British born Indians to take up civic duty, such as politics, whilst producing a framework to provide ample care for the elderly in our community. Let us work together to take all the Gujarati communities to the next level.”

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Comment

Remembering the Tienanmen Square massacre 4 June 1989 was a day to remember – for all the wrong reasons. China was on the march economically. After decades of Maoist lunacies, which included the People’s Communes and Great Leap Forward, followed by the anarchic frenzy of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.. Millions of people had perished in the largest famine in recorded history and millions lost their lives in what was tantamount to an officially sponsored civil was by the demented Chairman Mao and the Gang of Four around him. His death in September 1976 was a huge release for the country and the darkness was lifted after Deng Hsiaoping took over the reins and put China back to work with the exhortation that “it was glorious to be rich.” State capitalism driven by the Communist Party became the norm. This was better than anything China had seen before during almost three decades of Maoist dictatorship. As the economic fetters came off, prosperity slowly returned to the land and its people. As life grew easier so did popular expectations of more liberties to replace the suffocating controls of the Communist Party’s political monopoly started to take root among university students. Demonstrations and posters demanded the restoration of freedom of thought and expression. Calls the rule of law grew louder and increasingly persistent. A tipping point was clearly reached, with intense behind-the scenes-discussions among Communist Party hierarchs on what action to take. Deng, the paramount leader, and his close associates, opted for the iron fist. And so on the fateful 4 June 1989, the world awoke to the horror of tanks on the streets of the Chinese capital mowing down protesting students with gunfire and crushing them under their treads. The image of a solitary student standing before a tank with outstretched arms remains an iconic symbol of 20th century courage in the face of overwhelming power of a one-party dictatorship. The red lines were drawn. The limits of freedom were publicly defined and the Tienanmen Square tragedy which claimed hundreds, even thousands of lives (nobody knows for certain how many), has had a veil of silence imposed by official decree. No candlelit vigils in public were to be permitted to commemorate the event. No mothers or friends of the dead were granted the right mourn in the public space. The event by official decree had become a non-event, which is today’s reality in China. There was a sliver of hope that, with a new leader-

ship at the helm in Beijing, a new dawn would emerge. But this was naïve. The previous Chinese president Hu Jintao may have been wooden and his successor Xi Jinping may present a smiling visage, but the medium was not the message. President Xi’s second in command Prime Minister Li Keqiang seemed genial and approachable, but beneath the velvet glove is concealed the cloven hoof, and it is business as usual. Continuity, not change, is the call of the hour. Media censorship, house arrest or imprisonment of dissidents is set to continue regardless of international or domestic public opinion. Confucius, the fifth century BC thinker, whose maxims placed social and political stability above every other consideration has been pressed into service by Communist Party mandarins because they have no credible alternative in their lockers. Premier Li made liberal use of Rabindranath Tagore’s name in his statements in India, but Tagore was a fearless and innovative thinker who at all times upheld the citizen’s right to free expression, as his criticism of Imperial Japan in the 1930s demonstrated only too well. China’s strident nationalism and assertiveness of arbitrary territorial claims don’t bode well for future peace and tranquility in the Asia Pacific region. The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, addressing the Shangri-La conference in Singapore, without naming China, made clear his reference to it: “somewhere in the region, there have emerged preferences for for unilateral might, groundless claims, and actions that run counter to international law and stem from imposition and power politics.” The final word belongs surely to the brilliant and perceptive Sinologist W.F. Jenner, who writes: “The state, people and culture known in English as China are in a profound general crisis that that goes deeper than the problems of a moribund communist dictatorship….The very future of China as a unitary state is in question…..The tradition of Chinese high culture that once led the world has long been in terminal decline. What ties all aspects of the crisis together is the past: what has happened in the past and the past perceived. Today’s objective problems, like the subjective ones that make their solution even more difficult than they would be otherwise, were created under two thousand years of bureaucratic absolutism. The history of tyranny is matched by the tyranny of history: perceptions, and thought patterns from the past bind living minds.”

The Good Maharaja: A tale of compassion and humanity Way back in 1942 some 5,000 Polish children arrived in the western Indian princely state of Jamnagar (now part of Gujarat) as refugees from Siberia, where they had been shifted following the Nazi invasion of their country in September 1939, which signalled the start of the Second World War. Their parents had died at the hands of the Nazi invaders. Now orphaned, most of these youngsters were to spend the next few years as guests of Jamnagar’s ruler Maharaja Digvijayasinhji. The bulk of the new arrivals came overland through Iran, others arrived through the port city of Karachi. Most landed in Mumbai (then Bombay), according to Polish Ambassador to India, Professor Piotr Klodkowski, a fluent Hindi and Urdu speaker. The poignant tale of these orphans has been made into a film, entitled “Little Poland,” directed by Anu Radha and produced by the National Audiovisual Institute in Warsaw and Doordarshan in New Delhi. The film is based on the testimonies of the child survivors of the war. The documentary, which received financial support from the Gujarat government and the Polish government is receiving its final touches prior to its public

release. Maharaja Digvijayasinhji, better known in his time as the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, established a camp for the children at Balachadi. Most of the children were Roman Catholic, explained Professor Klodkowski, and not Jews, as might have been expected. The suffering of the latter was beyond imagining, as the Nazi occupiers incarcerated them in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka, where large numbers of Jews, men, women and children perished. “The main characters in the film are the child survivors, and they recall with sadness, but also with gratitude the time they spent in India,” he said. There were other camps set up in Maharashtra by the Red Cross and the official administration of the day. But the figure of Maharaja Digvijaysinhji stood out like a beacon. He told the Polish children, “You may have lost your parents, but I am your father now.” His charges called him “our Bapu.” The Maharaja became a patron of a school in Warsaw, which, as a matter of policy, “admits children who are victims of circumstances.” The Polish Envoy told how in 2012 the authorities in Warsaw named a square “The Good Maharaja Square.” It is an uplifting tale in a grim era.

Indian migrants are the largest to enter Australia How times have changed. The White Australia policy which was once cast in stone has given way to one that defines contemporary Australia as part of the Asia Pacific region. The flow of skilled migrants from Greater China (including the mainland, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore) and India have overtaken those from the UK, Europe and North America. With the emphasis on skills, Indian software professionals, engineers, accountants and doctors etc have swelled India’s numbers to the top of the queue of those

seeking to enter and settle in Australia. Australian Immigration Minister Brendon O’Connor, releasing entry figures for 2011-12, revealed that Indian numbers stood at 29,018 for the year, up by 12.7 per cent from the previous year. China stood second with 25,509 for the same period. Seven of the top ten source countries were from Asia, said Mr O’Connor, reflecting the truth of the Asian century. Australia’s bonding with India and the rest of Asia is irreversible.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours - Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

The Politics of Europe and G8 I write to you from Luxembourg, the heart of the European political machinery. I am here to talk for Rothschilds Private Bank on what the super rich of Europe need to do with their industry which is under attack for being wealthy. On my return I will host an India day for the G8 with various Ministers (Britain holds the Presidency at the moment of these 8 largest economies). So where is Britains place in the world? The Europeans will not understand the British when it comes to the Euro and the British will not understand the European love affair with Europe. They were on opposing sides of a war, and history is not history. Britain does not see itself as just any other country. It sees itself with a sense of destiny. It is a sense of destiny that comes from its poets who had the gall and boldness to write that Jesus Himself may walked these lands. It is a confidence that comes from having the world’s largest Empire when you are only 1% of the world’s population. It is a boldness that comes from being on the United Nations Security Council. From knowing, even if others begrudge it, you saved the world from tyranny only 70 years ago. Do not underestimate this. Do not underestimate it, when you hear speakers from India talking of ‘the Empire strikes back’ or that Britain is a spent force. Your GDP does not measure your influence. Your people and their ingenuity does.

Especially, when as with the British they have a sense of heritage, a sense of history and a sense of destiny. So why is sovereignty important? And why so seemingly to the Conservatives? The Tories are more imbibed with tradition around nation than certainly the LibDems, even though the latter have a very long proud history. It was a Liberal PM who saw Britain through in World War One of course and they were once the natural party of Government. Labour was part of an international movement, around the worker, not the nation. But even they have a strong ‘standapart’ tradition. This is a country whose two unofficial national anthems have the lines “And did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England's mountains green: And was the holy Lamb of God, On England's pleasant pastures seen!” That is from Jerusalem. These people actually believe God walked here. On this tiny island. Aint no Central Bank telling them how to run their country. Or take the lines from Rule Britannia, ‘When Britain first, at Heaven's command, Arose from out the azure main; This was the charter of the land, And guardian angels sang this strain: "Rule, Britannia! rule the waves: "Britons never will be slaves." To Mrs Merkel, I say what Patton said to Romel, ‘You magnificent bastard, I read your books’. Mrs Merkel needs to read more about British history. On this island we live it, not try to forget it.

ASIAN VOICE is published by Asian Business Publications Ltd Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, (Off Coronet Street) London N1 6HW. Tel: 020 7749 4080 Fax: 020 7749 4081 Email: aveditorial@abplgroup.com www: abplgroup.com © Asian Business Publications

Midlands Voice

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Supermarket fined for selling illegal pills Birmingham: A shopkeeper has reportedly admitted that his shop sold potentially deadly tablets to pregnant women. The illegal pills, known as Shikor, were sold under-the-counter for £5-abag at Sheikh Uddin’s Sonali Supermarket in Small Heath. They were believed to have been made from polluted mud from developing countries and contained dangerous levels of arsenic and lead, Birmingham Magistrate's Court was told, the Birmingham Mail reported. The tablets were also linked to miscarriage and stillbirths, along with cancer, kidney and brain damage, the court heard. Christine Howrie, prosecuting, said eating Sikor was an “ancient tradition” still widespread in Africa and India as it was wrongly believed to stop indigestion and cravings in pregnant women. She also added that undercover Birmingham trading standards officers bought tablets under the counter at the store in March last year after receiving a tip-off.

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The shop at Small Heath Shikor pills

In a raid the following day, 15 plastic bags containing Sikor were found. Mrs Howrie said: “The Government’s Food Standards Agency later confirmed the tablets were not safe for human consumption.” Officers also found more than 90 cosmetic products on sale – all of which failed to meet UK safety laws. Uddin pleaded guilty on behalf of the business to three charges of supplying a dangerous product and nine of breaching the Consumer Protection Act. Michael Brooks, defending, said Uddin had been in Bangladesh at the time of the incident following the death

of his father and had left the shop in the control of his staff. “It seems members of staff would routinely take money from the till and buy things from vans that visited the store without his knowledge,” Mr Brooks said. “His business is essentially a fruit and vegetable shop and he has now removed all these items from the shelves.” Magistrates fined the supermarket £7,500, and ordered it to pay prosecution and product testing costs totalling £1,065, as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

Youths jailed over street fight Leicester: Six youths have been jailed for their part in a street fight in June 2011 that involved a number of armed men. A total of eight men, aged between 17 and 23, appeared in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court having played a part in the disturbance in Highfields, Leicester. Prosecutor Paul Stimson said: "This was a pre-arranged fight between two rival groups. "The police received several calls about young men armed with knives gathering in Spinney Hills Park." A member of the public filmed the defendants walking along Stoughton Street and they were later captured attacking a member of the rival group by CCTV cameras belonging to the St Peter's Neighbourhood Monitoring community group. One man was seen in the footage with a baseball bat and another was seen using a brick. Judge Jeremy Lea, sentencing the eight, said: "This violent disorder was pre-planned and organised. "That is apparent from the video footage of a large number of young men making their way with purpose along Stoughton Street armed and with hoods, answering a call to arms." Four of the eight sentenced also

LtoR: Joshua Hawkins, Adam Mayat, Zoheb Din and Ejaz Gul

faced drug-related charges. Zoheb Din (20), of Littlemore Close, North Evington, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for violent disorder, attempted grievous bodily harm and possession of heroin with intent to supply. Adam Mayat (23), of Halstead Street, Spinney Hills, was jailed for fiveand-a-half years for violent disorder, being concerned with the supply of heroin and attempted grievous bodily harm. Joshua Hawkins (23), of Apollo Court, St Peter's, was jailed for six years for possession of heroin and cocaine, aggravated vehicle taking and violent disorder. Ejaz Gul (21), of Berners Street, Spinney Hills, received 24 months imprisonment for violent disorder and

Dance show raises money for cancer research awareness Nottingham: A ladies-only charity dance show, organised by Shaheen Anwary to raise cash and awareness of cancer was a sell-out. It as a major project for her course at Nottingham Trent University and New College Nottingham. The event, that was held at Freer Community Centre, in Wigston Fields, featured live performances ranging from Bollywood to belly dancing and from street dance to Salsa. There was also a guest appearance from Leicester's Nehal Bhogaita, the winner of Miss India Worldwide 2013. Shaheen, 22, from Evington, who is studying technical theatre, told a local newspaper: "I wanted to do something to raise awareness about cancer in the Asian community, about the support there is for friends and families of cancer sufferers. "Macmillan Cancer Support does an excellent job in this field and I wanted people to understand they are not alone in difficult times and that

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there is help and support out there for everyone. "I decided to make it a ladies- only event because so often women are pushed to the back, they are always working. "I was really pleased with the number of people who came and would like to make it an annual event. So far, I have raised £612 for Macmillan Cancer Support, which is over my original target of £500, which is really good."

Mohammed Gul (19), of Berners Street, received a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months for the same offence. A 19-year-old was jailed for 54 months for violent disorder and supplying heroin, an 18-year-old was jailed for two years for violent disorder and attempted actual bodily harm, and the 17-year-old was given a youth rehabilitation order. In mitigation, barristers acting for the eight argued for lenient sentences, including, in some cases, their clients' minor roles in what happened and the fact one victim of the gang was armed with a stick or bat. Other arguments made in mitigation included the fact no one was seriously hurt. Judge Lea said the fact the young men joined in with the armed confrontation meant they all deserved tough sentences. He reportedly said: "Any partnership in a violent assembly is serious. Each of you played some part in what took place."

Police looking for 3 men after robbery Leicester: After a violent robbery in Leicester police have released images of three men they want to speak to. The 19-year-old victim had been waiting for a night bus in Gravel Street, outside St Margaret’s Bus Station, when he was mugged. Police said he had been sitting on a bench outside the bus station at about 3.20am when he was approached by three men. One of them sat down next to him and asked to borrow his mobile phone. When he refused, he was allegedly threatened and assaulted before his phone was forcibly taken. The trio then ran off. Racial insults were also reported to have been directed at the victim during the incident. Detective Constable Jonathan Davies reportedly said: “The victim was fortunate to only sustain superficial

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In Brief Police cautions elderly about stairlift maintenance scam Rutland: Earlier last week an elderly couple in Rutland were visited by two men who extorted £400 from them. The men said that they were calling due to the warranty on the couple’s stair lift which was coming to an end, and that they needed to pay for a maintenance package. The cost of this would be £400. One of the men stayed with the lady in her home while the other escorted her husband the cash point where he withdrew the money. The alarm was raised by the couple’s daughter when her father informed her later. The Police are now investigating. If you are approached in a similar way please, do not open your door and contact the police on 999. If you have any information about crime or anti-social behaviour in your area contact your local police on 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is in action, please dial 999.

Forced marriage and honour-based violence conference held Leicester: Social workers were given guidance on recognising potential victims of forced marriage and honourbased violence at a conference organised by West Midlands Police on June 11. It involved Midlands social workers who deal with emergency calls. Det Sgt Trudy Runham said social workers have a key role in making people at risk from forced marriages "safe at the earliest opportunity". The conference was being held in Leicestershire on Tuesday, 11 June. Det Sgt Runham, who works with the Walsall and Wolverhampton Public Protection Unit, said: "Linking with partners in front line services is vital as often these people may present as the only opportunity some victims may have to tell anyone what is happening to them." The conference looked at a number of case studies, including that of 19-year-old Rukhsana Naz, pictured, who was murdered by relatives in an 'honour-based' killing in 1998, a spokesperson said. The government's Forced Marriage Unit gave "advice or support" related to possible forced marriages in 1,485 cases last year. injuries but has been left understandably shocked by the incident. “We appeal to anyone who recognises the men in these images to contact us.” The first suspect is described as Asian, aged about 25, 5ft 11in tall, with average build, short black hair and brown eyes. He was clean shaven and wearing dark coloured clothing. The description of the other men is reportedly similar but for both being slightly talker and one having a “scrawny” face while the other was of muscular build with “mutton chop” sideburns down to his chin. Anyone with information is asked to call the police.

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COMPLETION 2013

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Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Carrier Celebrates Six Decades of Glorious Service Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier national airline Air India celebrated 65 glorious years of its operations from India to the UK on the 9th of June with a special gala reception at the prestigious The Montcalm Hotel in Central London. The event also coincided with Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official launch of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft into the key United Kingdom travel market. The high-profile event saw in attendance Shri Ajit Singh, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Government of India and top officials from Air India, as well as UK VIPs, politicians and dignitaries. Also in attendance were a host of foreign and UK press, who were all keen to hear more about Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner as well as about the airlineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting plans for the future. The event began with a cocktail reception before the distinguished guests were ushered into the Grand Ballroom for a sumptuous feast of fusion Asian cuisine. Proceedings began with a recitation of an ancient prayer to Lord Ganesha, which asked for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;path to be made smoother, so that the journey could be taken furtherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Mr Ajit Singh, Honourable Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Government of India, took to the stage for his keynote address. Mr Ajit Singh said: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;On 8th June 1948 Air India launched its first flight to Bombay [Mumbai]. Over the last 65 years we have seen Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet of aircraft and its operations expand consistently and successfully. Today, India connects London by three daily flights. The key travel, business and tourism hubs of India and the UK are now well connected thanks to Air India. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Today, we also mark the official launch of Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boeing 787 Dreamliner into the UK. The Air India network is expanding its fleet with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dreamlinersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The B787s will be a game changer for Air India. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The response from the

Shri Ajit Singh

public has been positive. The Dreamliner ushers in a new age in aircraft. It is fuel efficient, uses the latest technology and is passenger friendly. The Dreamliner will improve our performance.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Singh concluded: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Air India will enter into new frontiers through the Dreamliner. The Dreamliner is the next generation of flying Machine. Air India has been Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global ambassador, and so it must live up to the expectations of every Indian.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The ultra-modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner has joined Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleet of majestic aircraft and will be the jewel in the crown for Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stateowned airline, which was established in 1932 under the Tata Group banner, before assuming its postwar mantle as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 1946. After a successful phase in India, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner has already been launched in the strategic hub of the United Kingdom, ensuring that Indo-British trade and tourism links are enhanced and developed further. The modernised â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dreamlinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will consist of pioneering technology and gadgetry, futuristic mod-cons and excellent customer service to give passengers a superbly luxuriant and efficient journey. Highlights will

include large remote-controlled dimmable windows, so that passengers can control the amount of light that streams into the cabin. A hybrid aircraft of both low cost and full service carriers, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dreamlinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will have a more fuel efficient outlay. R o h i t N a n d h a n , Chairman & Managing Director, Air India explains: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Due to the growing passenger demand for our flagship aircraft and the route, we are proud to bring the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the United Kingdom, offering passengers the opportunity to experience this revolutionary aircraft and the best service in the sky first-hand. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The United Kingdom represents an important market for Air India and ranks in the top three

countries on Air Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global network. Central to this relationship is the ongoing support for promoting Indian tourism and trade provided by adding larger capacity aircraft between countries, and this B787 for the UK will further complement our partnership with the United Kingdom. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Air India would like to thank the loyal support we continue to receive from the UK communities, in sustaining Indo-British relations. We are committed to promoting and strengthening tourism and business further between India and the UK. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When you fly with Air India you get a complete service, as we are dedicated to maintaining excellent customer service, competitive fares and providing a first-class experience for all Air India travelers.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

UK teens arrested after Islamic school fire The British Police have reportedly said that four teenagers have been arrested after a suspicious weekend fire at an Islamic boarding school in a London suburb. The fire at the Darul Uloom Islamic School in Chislehurst came at a time of heightened community tensions in Britain. There were 130 people inside the school at the

time of the blaze and police said two were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Police said on Monday that two teens aged 17 and two aged 18 have been

arrested on suspicion of arson. They have also said that they have added officers and patrols at sensitive Islamic sites throughout London. Anti-Islamic attacks have increased since the death of Lee Rigby, an offduty British soldier who was killed last month, allegedly by two Islamic extremists. Both have been charged with murder.

IS the IPL brand worth it for Pepsi?

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com With the 2013 IPL cricket tournament now firmly finished and back in the pavilion, the brands associated with it are reflecting is it such a good thing to be playing on this sticky wicket. Pepsi paid over $70 million to sponsor the tournament over five years. Shelling out well over the odds to capture this tournament. Like many companies, they see India as a great growth market, and a place where they firmly

want to be established. As always Pepsi are trying to hit Coca-Cola for six and are fighting them tooth and nail to be the number one drink. Indra Nooyi, the PepsiCo CEO, who grew loving the game of cricket, sanctioned the move to sponsor the IPL. Even with its mass appeal, and how the IPL is changing the face of cricket, troubles are still abound. Most notably from the match fixing scandal that emerged this year. Three players from the Rajasthan Royals have been arrested: S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila

and Ankeet Chavan. While owner, Raj Kundra has had his passport seized. Scandals like this tarnish a game that is cer-

tainly not above suspicion, and is really not something brands want to be associated with. The rumour out of India is the Pepsi wants to end or at least renegotiate its deal with the IPL, and is thinking long and hard about continuing its deal. Furthermore, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help that the Mumbai Indians won the 2013 IPL, as their official beverage partner was nonother than Coca-Cola. While Pepsi has put all its chips in for the sponsorship rights, that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meant Coca-Cola was left in the dark. They made their presence felt at the tournament by buying out lots of 10 seconds ad slots, which invariably has cost them less and some may argue given them just as good exposure without being tied in long term. All of this topped with the fact that the viewing figures havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been as robust as expected, leaves the question where does Pepsi go from here?

Vedanta - A philosophy that transforms outlook of life by Swami Parthasarathy Vedanta, a philosophy that immediately captivates and transforms the outlook on life and everyday living. For those who always question the illogical dogmas and doctrines of the world, and now can find compelling answers for them. The philosophy takes the hollowness out of our mundane existence and confirms that there is a deeper meaning to life. Vedanta is an ancient Indian wisdom, regarded as the oldest philosophy known to humankind. For time immemorial it has been considered a manual for life and exalted living.. The study requires a level of consistent application but then the satisfaction is unmatchable. The

Swami Parthasarathy

benefits are almost immediate and immeasurable. Free of stress and anxiety, life is a pleasure, as it should be. Vedanta not only provides a clear vision of your personality but also of your purpose in this world.

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Vedanta forms the basis of almost all religions, but because of its presentation in an antiquated language it became inaccessible. This problem was solved by a wonderful man, Swami Parthasarathy, affectionately known as Swamiji. He has dedicated his life to the translation of the intricacies of this knowledge into modern teachings and practices. Swamiji is a living embodiment of Vedanta. His practical and logical way of thinking act as a powerful tool, in a realm of misperception and discontentment. He is acclaimed as one of the greatest living saints in India and remains an unparalleled resource. Swamiji will be delivering a keynote talk introducing Vedanta, at the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane, on the 17th of June this year. The evening will explore the fundamentals of relationships on both corporate and personal levels as well as techniques of developing the self. As we all come from different walks, our individual efforts on this knowledge can actually have instant and tremendous benefits not only on a personal level but also on society at large. This is a sponsored event, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the Vedanta Academy in Pune which has been recognised as a Scientific Research Organisation by the Government of India.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Follow-up: What is happening in the name of Ugandan Asians? Dhiren Katwa Just days to go before a major milestone event in Leicester to mark the arrival of Ugandan Asians into Britain, a series of questions remain unanswered. Readers will recall my piece in last week’s issue in which I shared the mixed reactions from people about the aims and purpose of this so-called thanksgiving service, taking place at Leicester Cathedral this Saturday (Jun 15). The event will be led by the Dean of Leicester Cathedral, the Rt Reverend David Montieth. “We are expecting the cathedral to be full with a number of special invited guests, “ said Revd Montieth. Asked if he had a personal connection to Uganda, “by sheer chance, I do, since I have done some voluntary work at Mengo Hospital, Kampala.” Some ‘in-theknow’ veteran Ugandan Asians said they felt it was unfortunate that Rev Montieth had been roped into hosting this event. The guest of honour at Saturday’s event is Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. It was on 4thAugust 1972 (41 years ago) that Ugandan dictator Idi Amin ordered Asians living in the country who had not taken Ugandan citizenship – an estimated 60,000 people – to leave within 90 days. In spite of protests from some politicians that India should take responsibility for the refugees, then British Premier Edward Heath said Britain had a duty to accept them. In an attempt to gain clarity and to better understand the vision and mission of the main organising body, The India Overseas Trust, I focused on its Business Plan, dated July 2012, titled ‘A Commemoration of the 1972 Expulsion & A Celebration of the Diaspora’s Achievements’. The six-page Business Plan, which begins with an Executive Summary, features high level, but general objectives, a list of proposed events for 2012-13, a generic organisational structure, a vague list of funding streams, Next

Eric Pickles

Rt Reverend David Montieth

Steps and Acknowledgements. Based on this Business Plan and invitation, I asked the following questions: Requested a copy of the latest available accounts for The India Overseas Trust; a full list of names of members under each of the Committees; total number of signed up volunteers; have other prominent Ugandan Asians, including Baroness Shriti Vadera, Shailesh Vara MP and Lord Dolar Popat been invited; how much money has so far been raised for the15th June event and who are the biggest donors; is the India Overseas Trust a charitable organisation; the initial £50,000 fundraising target from patrons, was this met; have you sought any assistance, financial or otherwise, from Hindu Council UK, Hindu Forum of Europe or any mainstream Hindu/Indian organisation; was your funding bid to the National Lottery Fund successful; the official press release sent to ethnic media, was it also sent to British mainstream media, including to Ugandan Asian veteran journalist Yasmin Alibhai Brown; and the Ram Katha in Leicester in October 2012 which was screened on Aastha TV – what funds were raised and what share did the organising committee receive. In an e-response event spokesperson, on behalf of lead organiser Praful Patel said: “I would rather Mr Patel does not answer these questions as I do not see the relevance to many of them for publication in the paper.” In a follow-up email, she added: “I would personally rather speak to CB uncle directly if this is ok, as I have a good relationship with him.” Mr CB Patel, wrote to me saying, “I believe I

Lord Dolar Popat

need not speak to her in regards to the important matter you are handling.” Mr C B Patel added: “I am impressed with your initiative and I have full trust in your professional integrity. The subject matter is of utmost importance, and I am glad that you have focused on the issues of public interest rather than individuals.” Ironically, Praful Patel, in a confidential email (copy seen by me) to his colleagues said: “The press publicity is very important and I am sure all of you are very experienced to handle this.” On the nine-day Leicester Ram Katha and Navaratri Festival of October last year, which was organised by The India Overseas Trust and

Shailesh Vara MP

L o n d o n - b a s e d I n t e r n a t i o n a l Siddhashram Shakti Centre, I asked the latter’s director Dr Rajesh Parmar how much funds this festival had raised and how these had been distributed. Dr Parmar, who is currently in India, said the event had cost around £30,000 and donations in the region of £6,000 were collected. All lost funds, he said, were covered by his organisation, the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Siddhashram Shakti Centre. Last Friday at an event in London, keynote speaker Sanjay Tanna, a 41-year-old Ugandan politician, told the gathering there were an estimated 25,000 Asians in Uganda, mainly Gujaratispeaking, that’s 20 times

in their respective areas of expertise and have accumulated huge wealth. This group of entrepreneurs, whose sons and Baroness Shriti Vadera Praful Patel daughters, have done more Asians in the couneven better than their try than in 1995. And peers, professionally, say they contribute around 65 they find it surprising that per cent to the Ugandan The India Overseas Trust exchequer. Mr Tanna said should be bringing back he believes there are three flashbacks from 1972 and types of Ugandan Asians. that they, or anyone, did Firstly, those who came to not need reminding. This the UK after expulsion in point was recently 1972 and settled well in emphasised by Tory MP the UK, thanks to the Shailesh Vara - who was British government. born in Uganda but Secondly, those who had whose family left in 1964 returned to Uganda from - when he said in the Gujarat, India, and the British Parliament, that UK as well as from other Ugandan Asians had nations, following an offi“become part of the fabric cial apology in 1997 from of our nation”, and that President Museveni. And they had “punched above thirdly, those who have their weight in Britain.” always lived there. Are you attending Some Ugandan this Saturday? We’d like Asians saw the expulsion to hear your thoughts, as a blessing in disguise. views, comments, analyMany, especially in sis on what’s happening London, Leicester, in the name of Ugandan Birmingham, Coventry, Asians. have excelled enormously

Research shows immigration rules are tearing families apart The inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, which is calling for an independent review of the minimum income requirement, looked at more than 175 cases from families affected by the rules and concluded that inflexible financial requirements imposed on those who want to “sponsor” their non-European partners into the UK means that even those with a family income of several hundred thousand pounds a year are failing to meet necessary thresholds. Thousands of Britons had been unable to bring a non-EU spouse to the UK since July 2012, when minimum earnings requirements were introduced. Children have also been separated from a parent, the parliamentary group said. Rules that came into force in 2012, require any British citizen who wants to sponsor their nonEuropean spouse's visa to be able to show they earn at least £18,600 a year, rising to £22,400 to sponsor a child, and a further £2,400 for each further child. The rules, which form part of a wider drive by Conservatives to bring down net migration to the “tens of thousands” by 2015. A Home Office impact assessment of the policy changes estimated that the family migration income

Virendra Sharma MP

threshold would reduce annual family visa allocations by 15,700. A total of 47,300 family visas were granted in 2012. The Parliamentary group also suggested that 47% of the UK working population last year would have failed to meet the income level to sponsor a nonEuropean Economic Area partner, the group said. By the government's own estimate, almost 18,000 British people will be prevented from being reunited with their spouse or partner in the UK every year as a result of the new rules, it added. Mark Reckless, Conservative MP on the Home affairs select com-

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mittee, said the government had promised to bring down net immigration and it had done so by "bearing down" on bogus colleges, caps on work visas and reforms on family immigration. "If you are bringing someone into the country, then you should be expected to support that person without recourse to public expense," he told a newspaper. "Over time, it might be possible that the regulations could be adjusted. There will be hard cases and we learn in light of those experiences." Virendra Sharma MP as ViceChair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration inquiry told Asian Voice, “The Government has set the bar for family migration too high, in pursuit of lower net migration levels. These new rules are keeping hardworking, ordinary families apart - I, and others like me, would not have been able to come to the UK to join my family if these rules had been in place then. Today we are calling on the Government to think again.” Baroness Hamwee, chairwoman of the inquiry and Liberal Democrat home affairs lead in the House of Lords, said the parliamentary group had been "struck by the Continued on page 30

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

An Insight into the British Women Empowered celebrates their one year birthday Sikh Community Rani Singh Tuesday June 4th the British Sikh report was launched in the Betty Boothroyd room in Portcullis House. The British Sikh Report (BSR), organised by a special BSR committee, is raising the bar for Sikhs in the UK by examining the state of the Sikh community here with facts and figures, and also by making key recommendations. The BSR group has an equal number of men and women and on Tuesday there was an equal number of men and women speaking, who mostly observed a strict time discipline, most unusual for an Asian-themed event! Chairing the evening was Philip Rosenberg, director of the Faiths Forum and also involved with the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Among the speakers was 32 year old barrister Jasvir Singh, chair of the BSR team, who told the Asian Voice afterwards, “We’re launching a strategic document that we hope will engage people both outside and within our Sikh community to address issues concerning Sikhs in modern day Britain.” Noteable speakers were; Fabian Hamilton MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs, Dr Surinder Hundal, a trustee of the Mosaic project, Dr Opinderjit Kaur Thakar, senior lecturer in religious studies at Wolverhampton University, and Asif Sadiq, president of the National Association of Muslim Police, based at the City of London Police. The full BRS team

consists of Rajinder Kaur, Dr Harpreet Kaur Bains, Hardip Kaur, Raman Kaur, Thalbir Kaur, Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, Devinder Kaur, Jaspreet Singh, Onkardeep Singh Khalsa, Amanteer Singh, Harry Virdi, Param Singh, Jasvir Singh, Jasdeep Singh and Sanj Mehmi. Partner organisations were the City of London Police, City Sikhs Network, Faith in leadership, Hope not Hate, Sikh Channel Sikh Directory, The Runnymede Trust, Turban Campaign, U K P H A , Wo m e n Empowered. The report is clearly and concisely laid out, and contains valuable information. It is comprehensive in its coverage and is a great tool for anyone interested in Sikhs. All of it is interesting reading, but of particular note are the recommendations in the final pages. These are for areas; Arts, culture, heritage, Entertainment/media, Caste, Gurudwaras, Gender, Politics, Identity, Family, Health and Wellbeing, Employment, Identity, Racism and Older people. At the end of the report is a section of introspection by the BSR team and some guidelines it would suggest for future documents of this kind. Below are some of the subbed recommendations. ENTERTAINMENT/ME DIA • A mentoring scheme where Sikhs and nonSikhs in the media are ‘buddied-up’ with British Sikhs interested in the industry. Organisations like the Creative Diversity

Network would be best placed to deliver this. CASTE • Sikh community organisations should host discussions about caste amongst Sikhs and the relevant teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. • A social media campaign via Twitter and Facebook to ‘mythbust’ British Sikh attitudes to caste discrimination. • Gurdwaras in a region including those based on caste lines should organise collective events such as sporting tournaments each summer. • Central Government should ensure participation from young British Sikhs during consultation in respect of caste legislation • Central Government should ensure that any definition of ‘caste’ in legislation includes reference to cultural attitudes and is not exclusively aligned to faith because caste is not a part of the Sikh faith. FAMILY • Courses should be provided for Sikh youths up to the age of 25 to effectively manage pressure from their family and community by improving their confidence and selfesteem. The British Youth Council is a leading light in this area and they should work with the Sikh organisations in order to set up such courses. • Organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous should set up Punjabi language meetings in areas with large Punjabi communities in the UK. The British Sikh Report can be downloaded free at http://www.britishsikhreport.org/

Kulveer Singh Ranger, Dr. Kamel Hothi, Nina Wadia, Mona Remtulla, Nihal Arthanayake, Reena Ranger, Sadia Siddiqui and Anjali Pathak

On Thursday 16th May 2013, under the high glass ceiling at Bright Courtyard Club in Baker Street Women Empowered (WE), on their one year birthday, held an event focussed on image, self-confidence and perception with the title “Make an Impression” sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group. Over 140 guests came to hear the experiences and advice of Nina Wadia, national icon and British Asian television pioneer best known for her roles in Goodness Gracious Me and Eastenders. Shared the stage was Sadia Siddiqui an entrepreneur, former model and TV Presenter and a male perspective was provided by BBC Asian Network and Radio 1 DJ Nihal Arthanayake. Reena Ranger, chairman and founder of Women Empowered, explained that the social initiative decided to hold an event on this topic by using the experiences of people in the media eye who are arguably more scrutinised than most. This would allow others to apply their approaches and advice to their circumstances to learn how to make the best impression one can and to keep going

when faced with difficult situations. She went on to explain that the perception of her and co-founder Mona Remtulla over the last year was that they were both staunch feminists and the perception of the clichéd image that word conjured up was different from their understanding. Dr Kamel Hothi of Lloyds Banking Group and the sponsor for the evening, opened the discussion with saying that, “no matter how hard you work, how dedicated you may be unless you give the impression to people around you that you need to be counted, you won’t make the right impression”. Nina Wadia explained that for her the best way to make a first impression was her sense of humour. Sadia Siddiqui opened with the words of her father, “if you can dream it you can do it” and said during her time as a model she was scrutinised. She explained that it was not the prejudices of men that she had to overcome, it was the prejudices of other women. She emphasised that one must learn to nurture young women and help them to realise their full potential.

DJ Nihal spoke of embracing new situations and being strong and confident. He said as a British Asian that he could go anywhere, do anything and achieve anything. He spoke of how his childhood of being one of very few Asians growing up and he learnt form a very early age how to “work it”. Mona Remtulla, cofounder, said of the event, “today marks one year of WE and we are also seeing what impression Women Empowered has made on those who have attended our events or followed our progress. Both Reena and I are proud of what we have achieved and we are receiving positive feedback and hearing some wonderful stories from people who WE has touched. It seems that WE and we are making the right impression!” WE tries to support individuals by putting them in touch with organisations that can nurture their ideas and mentors who can assist in achieving those goals. More details can be found at w w w. w o m e n e m p o w ered.co.uk .WE events are open to all including men and there is no membership requirement.

Sikh Council UK held its first ever Political Engagement Programme The Sikh Council UK held its first ever ‘Political Engagement Programme’ (PEP) event with the Conservative Party which saw sixty carefully selected Sikh candidates come together to learn about how to get involved in the political arena. Applicants were invited from across the community and were put through a rigorous selection programme to ensure they could demonstrate a history of professional excellence, service to their local community and a good understanding of Sikh philosophy. The event, which took place at Conservative HQ in Millbank, was hosted by Alok Sharma MP and Richard Harrington MP, both co-chairmen of the Party. Other speakers

included the likes of Paul Uppal MP and Gareth Johnson MP who offered insights into a life in politics. It also saw success stories from a range of individuals, such as Conservative Sikh Councillors Jeet Bains and Sukhpal Brar, who provided useful information for getting started in local politics. Richard Harrington MP explained, “Our job is to make sure our party reflects society as a whole”, and it is exactly this that the Sikh Council's PEP aims to do. The Conservative Party also announced a series of events and courses designed to help train and equip budding politicians. On speaking of the

Alok Sharma MP

programme, Navtaij Sangha, founder of the PEP programme explained “despite our heritage of success in all aspects of society, including education, the professions and business, Sikhs are almost entirely absent from the mainstream political landscape. We as a community need to take ownership and responsibility to address this prob-

Richard Harrington MP

lem". “Now is the chance for the Sikh Council UK to make a very clear statement that Sikhs are hungry to get involved in politics and this programme is going to work towards creating the next generation of political leadership from the Sikh community”. The event success proved testament to the

Paul Uppal MP

desire from the Sikh community to get involved in politics and is the first in a series of events set to take place with all the other main political parties. “Today has shown us that there is the appetite from the political parties, especially the Conservatives, to engage with the Sikh community. This marks the beginning

Gareth Johnson MP

of a truly unique relationship; we have recognised the values we share with the Party and want to make sure we work more closely with it for the betterment of British Sikhs and our country” said Navtaij Sangha. For further information on the next event, please visit: www.sikhcounciluk.org

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Patrick Cullen - an Artist Capturing the Spirit of India Patrick Cullen is a painter in oils, pastels and watercolours, known for his scenes of Tuscany, Andalucia and southern France. Recently he has made a number of trips to India, painting and sketching in the streets and markets of Rajasthan and Gujarat. He is a member of the New English Art Club (NEAC) and received numerous awards and prizes for his paintings: recently The most Chelsea Art Society Painting Award in 2012. He has also been the three-time winner of The Daler Rowney prize at the Pastel Society notably in their Centenary Exhibition in 2000, for a pastel of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. From Tuesday 11 June through to Saturday 29 June 2013, Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, a gallery dedicated to Fine Arts from

Patrick Cullen

LOWER

and inspired by South Asia, is holding an exhibition of new paintings by Patrick Cullen; The Colours of India recent paintings by Patrick Cullen. This exhibition of over 50 new pieces includes scenes from Patrick’s travels in India over the past two years. His paintings evoke scenes from the colour and richness of daily Indian life. He has painted in Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bundi in Rajasthan, as well as Delhi and Amritsar. He has included iconic buildings such as the Red Fort in Delhi and The Harmandir Sahib, The Golden Temple in Amritsar. Executed in oils and pastels the collection includes works of varying sizes from large canvasses in oil through to small pastel images. Some works have been executed en plein air (outside in the open air) whereas others have been painted from sketches in his London studio. We asked Patrick to describe his style and influences. He responded, “My painting is probably closest to the French Impressionists than to any other school or movement in art. Most of my work is completed en plein air

famous landmarks, the great forts and palaces, rather in the tradition of those eminent Victorians like Ruskin and Lear and “often with the same very tight academic approach. Few to my mind have captured the extraordinary vitality and colour that overwhelm one on arriving in this amazing country.” Patrick says that he has set out to give a flavour of the street life of India and above all the colours of India. Not in order to engage in a political commentary about poverty or caste or any other of the huge problems facing this country, he claims, for he would rather leave that to journalists, writers and photographers, “whose medium is better suited for such debate.” So, Patrick, in that case, why should Asian Voice readers come to see your show? He replies that he wants visitors to tell him if he has captured something of the spirit of Indian life as it is lived today on the streets of cities like Delhi and Udaipur and towns like Bundi and Kishengarh. “I hope that I have created paintings that are full of light and colour true to the spirit of India.

because trying to capture the light and atmosphere and a sense of the place I am in is at the core of what I do, as it was for the Impressionists. This tradition of painting from observation continued to flourish in England long after it had ceased to hold sway on the European mainland.” It is in the tradition of Freud and Hockney. Patrick studied Art at Camberwell in the 1970s, when life painting was popular there. “But for me this form of life painting had become drained of life. The model was treated like a carcass in need of clinical dissection. And in keeping with all this there was precious little colour.” When he left art school Patrick realised that he really wanted to be a landscape painter and that he wanted to try to return to the colour solutions that the Impressionists had pioneered for capturing light and weather. We decided to throw Patrick a curveball and ask him what makes him different to other English artists who adore India. He answered by saying that with a few exceptions most English artists in India have tended to paint the

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Your Voice Father’s day

Sometimes silent but great sacrifice of father in one’s life is not fully recognised until someone tells you. I don’t know about others but it happened to me. My father worked from 1948 to 1959 as an accountant for greek family owned Kwalukonge Sisal Estate, Mombo-Tanzania until he died in Dec 1959. He lived there many years alone so that we can have better education back in India and three of his children were able to get university degrees and able to settle down in foreign countries and financially better of. After my father’s death we lost touch with one of his bosses Mr. Stephen Emmanuel who was also a part owner of greek family and with whom my father was very close due to his work until one of our acquaintances met him in Dar-es-sallam during his visit to Tanzania and gave me Mr. Emmnuel’s phone number. Since than I called him periodically as he still alive and lives retirement life in Tanzania. First time I called him some 20 years ago, I vividly remember. He told me Suresh, I knew your father very well. Whenever I go to church I remember and think of your father because of his honesty and integrity. He was not only an employee but was also part of our family member. This made me so proud that after four decades since his passing away, his employer still thinks of him. Let us not make this Father’s day a big commercial event, but let’s celebrate it every day of the year. Suresh and Bhavna Patel Ontario, Canada

Doing good deeds will help you Thanks to Asian Voice readers including Ramesh Jhalla, Ila Kapadia and Kiran Parmar, I now have a much better idea of how reincarnation works. It is a fascinating subject which affects everybody. Some years ago a random survey of people across the world who had been declared “clinically dead” (and later revived from their near-death experience), all came up with the same story. They were very much alive, found themselves sliding sideways out of their bodies, transported quickly through a dark tunnel and looking down from above as doctors strived to save them. Then they floated away across beautiful countryside until they encountered “a bright light” and felt “relaxed and refreshed” in its presence. The light asked: “What good have you done in your life?” and after listening to their accounts, it said: “Go back, your time has not yet come” and they found themselves returning all the way back into their physical bodies and back to life. All of them said that from then onwards they felt impelled to do “good deeds”, a point made by all the above correspondents.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Sixty Years of Commitment On 4 June, HM the Queen joined 2,000 guests for a service at Westminster Abbey to mark 60 years since her Coronation. Some of those who took part in the 1953 service were also present among the congregation. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, said the event honoured “60 years of commitment”. After the State opening of Parliament last month, this was her second major task this year. After witnessing many tragedies in her personal life during her reign, what with the untimely death of her daughterin-law and her sister, she had some comfort when she participated in the wedding of her grandson and celebrated her diamond jubilee on the throne last year. We Asians from the East African countries should be particularly grateful to her for it was during her rule that we found shelter in this country after being expelled by the ruthless ruler like Idi Amin from Uganda. On this special day let us wish her well. Having spoken with Her Majesty a couple of times at Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace which I had the privilege to attend at the invitation of the Lord Chamberlain, I feel that she deserves peace and quiet at this stage in her life. So let us recite from the National Anthem and say “Long Live the Queen”. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Aid to India is a smart move The leading article in Independent about India no longer needing our aid (20 July) misses the point. Foreign aid is about geopolitical interests. It is in our interest to have a foothold in such an emerging super-power. India is a beacon of hope and freedom in a volatile part of the world and we need to have close links with the country. There is no such thing as a free lunch. India itself gives huge aid to Afghanistan and many African countries. It is all about winning hearts and minds and enhancing one’s commercial and political interests. Because of India’s massive population, damning statistics are produced as soon as it spends money on defence or space technology. The founding fathers of modern India did not want an army, believing in the goodwill of its neighbours, only to be invaded by China in 1962. This episode is still referred to as India’s humiliating defeat here in the West. It is as if unless India removes its poverty it should not do anything. Almost all countries of the world have poor people and many first world countries are in trillions of pounds of debt. Does that mean they have to stop everything and not do anything? India will not be hurt by the suspension of £295m aid but it will be a small saving at the cost of our long-term interests.

Rudy Otter Via Email

Nitin Mehta Via Email

No end in sight

Eat Less Meat

Thanks to Ilaben Kapadia for commenting on my letter. She has put philosophy in nut shell-“stithpragna”- balanced state of mind, with aim of freedom from reincarnation. I prefer to concentrate on mind during ones lifetime. Mind is the only medium that garners experiences of physical matter-the body, to deposit into bank of God, also known as Akashik records; the only time machine that navigates a soul towards causal- Godhead- through portals of birth and death. Latin proverb mentions healthy mind in healthy body. The adage tallies with yoga which begins with control of body via diet and exercise. Mental transformation follows automatically. In present world mind is king-maker. Mind gives merit or demerit to experiences of a physical body. The senses eg sound, sight, smell, taste and tactile feeling constantly bombard mind to keep it active. This process agitates mind to fritter mental resources and energy. Therefore practitioner of yoga is advised to monitor this flow of messages by meditation and following eightfold path. When perfect control of senses is achieved, mind enters realm of soul; then there is no limit to wanderings of mind in gross physical or divine domains, an out of body experience, similar to one induced by stimulation of parietal lobe of brain by illness or drugs. Budhhism describes mind as mirror, watchful eye, God, demigod, judge/ jury. Any aberration of mind distorts life of person. But this concept deletes supra mental and God factor, thus discounting and fogging soul’s journey back to causalthe Godhead.

One of the frequent disingenuous arguments put forward by the meat eaters amongst us is that plants also have life and they maintain the atmospheric oxygen levels (through photosynthesis) which supplies most of the energy necessary for all life on Earth. The obvious flaw in this argument is that livestock animals, whose meat the carnivores consume, need to eat plants. In fact according to the UN FAO “Livestock consume more human-edible protein than they produce”. The startling grain costs for meat production are as follows: l More than 10 kg of grain is needed to produce 1 kg of beef. l 4 to 5.5 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of pork. l 2.1 to 3 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of poultry meat. By implication, this also requires between 3 and 10 times as much water and cultivable land. The UK Food Group suggests that the production of meat causes an annual “calorie loss” around the world equivalent to the need of 3.5 billion people. Not many readers of Asian Voice would have missed the headline “MPs urge UK to eat less meat to help global food supplies” on the BBC website Tuesday 4th of June. Per se the argument that “plants also have life” is true. However, by eating meat one indirectly kills up to 10 times as many plants. Not only that, nature has provided plants with the ability to utilise water, carbon dioxide and energy from sunlight into carbohydrates. Nature has not provided this ability to animals and therefore they have to rely on plants for nutrition.

Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Significant developments of the 20th century The two most significant developments of the 20th century were the Internet and the Euro (1) The European Union evolved through the signing of various treaties. The dictionary defines “treaty” as a formal agreement between states. If the UK opts out of the common market in 2017, it will end up as a Turkish corner shop. Treaties were negotiated and signed by the representatives of the Member States, ratified by the national parliaments and approved by the European Parliament. Ministers from Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France, Germany and Netherlands met in Paris on 18 April 1951 and signed the Treaty of Paris to form a common market in coal and steel. Six years later ministers met in Rome on 25 March 1957 to sign the Treaty of Rome to form the European Economic Community - EEC. UK, Ireland and Denmark joined in 1973; Greece in 1981; Spain and Portugal in 1986. The European Single Act was signed in the Netherlands on 17 and 28 February 1986 to define qualified majori-

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Kiran Mehta Via E-mail ty voting; legal relationship between the Council and the European Parliament; and foreign policy cooperation. Six years on, The Maastricht Treaty or the Treaty of European Union was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, Netherlands, to form the European Union; the Economic and Monetary Union; Police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters [JHA]; the concept of European citizenship being superior to national citizenship; and EEC became EC. The Treaty of Amsterdam (1997); Treaty of Nice (2001) and the Lisbon Treaty (2007) followed. Nagindas Khajuria Via Email

Continued on page 13

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EducAtion/council Voice

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MPs finally acknowledge trend A Home affairs committee report has finally acknowledged that the trend of dangerous Pakistani men grooming young white girls does exist. It took the politically correct MPs very long to recognise the existing problem with the particular community, despite of other non natives trying to convince them to not address it as a common 'Asian problem'. However the police, prosecutors and social workers have emphasised that the issue must be raised without fear of being accused of racism, the committee added. It has also warned against stereotyping offenders because there is no straightforward link between race and child sexual exploitation. In shocking conclusions to a year-long inquiry, MPs said there were still areas where victims were being failed by the authorities. They accused councils in Rochdale and Rotherham of being ‘inexcusably slow’ to realise sex abuse was taking place on their doorstep. Last month seven Oxford men, mostly of Pakistani heritage, were convicted at the Old Bailey of running an appalling paedophile sex ring.

Councillor Kana Naheerathan for Queensbury ward has been elected as the first Sri Lankan Tamil Deputy Mayor of Brent after contesting election at Labour group AGM in May 2013

Practice what you preach James Caan, an enterprising Czar gave his own daughter an employee of the year award despite saying that parents should not give their children a leg up on the career ladder. Mr Caan, who was last week announced by Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, as an adviser on social mobility, attracted controversy after saying that parents should “let the child stand on their own two feet”. It later emerged that one of his daughters is employed by his private equity firm while the other works for a recruitment company in which he has invested.

New law to clean up Parliament to be introduced soon A bill to expel peers caught taking cash or found guilty of misconduct or bringing the House of Lords into disrepute is expected to be introduced in the next session of parliament. The planned legislation, which is backed by the Liberal Democrats, comes after The Sunday Times newspaper exposed three peers who were will-

ing to pull strings in Parliament - including by asking questions in the Lords -for cash. The Lords authorities began an investigation last week into the conduct of Lord Cunningham, Lord Laird and Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate. Cunningham and Mackenzie were suspended by Labour pending the outcome, while Laird

resigned the Ulster Unionist whip. All three deny wrongdoing. The bill would reduce the number of sitting peers, which has swollen to more than 750. Peers

who rarely turn up could also be expelled. A number of peers who have been imprisoned or found guilty of fiddling their expenses have faced suspension from taking part in debates and voting, but have been allowed to return to the upper house. Baroness Uddin, pictured, the Labour peer, was suspended from the Lords and ordered to repay

£125,000 after The Sunday Times had revealed she was cheating on her expenses. She returned to the House of Lords after her 18-month suspension expired. The proposals would not strip peers of their titles, which are given for life, but would remove their right to sit in parliament and take part in democratic debates.

University of Bedfordshire Business School is one of the largest in the East of England with 7,000 students (2,000 with partners overseas and 5,000 students in the UK) and 140 full-time staff. It has a diverse student body comprising more than 100 nationalities in the UK. Since the arrival of our new Executive Dean, we have set ourselves on the path of transformation, to launch ourselves as a leading practice led school that offers an employability driven business and legal education. To achieve this we bring the ‘boardroom’ into the ‘classroom’ through practitioners from the public and private sectors integrated into our curricular offer. We believe, our students need academic theory, of course, but they also need to experience real world business and environmental scenarios to be effective future managers themselves upon graduation.

A student comments on the MBA Practice week:

Even our learning spaces reflect this ethos with the award winning business Pods giving students the look and feel of business life from the very start of their course. Next year all our undergraduate students will have the opportunity to work in the Pods on real business problems – problems which may not always conform to textbook models.

Practice weeks are an opportunity to build sustained relationships with our communities. And for businesses, working on the employability of our students gives them a low risk opportunity to engage with talented individuals in who we are developing the creative mindsets that will shape futures both for themselves and the organisations they work with.

Our new Practice Weeks are also an embodiment of our practice led vision with students working on projects with employers every semester. Employers are only too aware of the gap between employability and employment whereby students may leave University without the requisite practice intelligence to succeed at work. We aim to bridge this gap through our practice weeks that are built on the ‘learning by doing’ philosophy and are integrated into our curricular offer. Regional and national businesses and organisations design, develop or deliver these practice weeks for a truly distinctive student experience.

“It has been a remarkable experience, something which I would always cherish. The opportunity to display our talent outside the University has been really special. It is a prominent achievement and something very crucial to boost my list of corporate world experiences. I think every student who gets such an opportunity is actually lucky and should make the most out of it.” Vishesh Kasliwal, cohort of 2012.

“As one of the only Indian Business School Deans in the UK I am particularly keen to involve Asian businesses locally, regionally and internationally in shaping business education that will deliver economic growth and enterprise through the workforce it develops,” says Dr Minocha, Executive Dean of University of Bedfordshire Business School. “We want to be known as a hub for talented and skilled people and a catalyst for shaping exciting new futures for our campuses, communities and cities alike.”

We are particularly interested in hearing from businesses who would like to work with us to develop our practice based vision further.

For further information please contact:

Tim Priestman on 01582 743972 Projects Executive, Executive Deans Office University of Bedfordshire, Park Square, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3JU.

Media Watch

Addressing the conference of Indian Chief Ministers on internal security in Delhi, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde spoke of the continuing attempts by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence Services (ISI) to recruit, fund, train and arm Sikh youth at home and abroad (UK, Europe and North America) for terrorist activities in Punjab and other parts of India. Mr Shinde accused Pakistan-based Khalistani terror groups of remitting funds to India via the Gulf and Nepal through Western Union Transfer and hawala channels.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 15th June 2013

[novice] trainees on the nuances of basic flying and expose them to modern avionics and navigation aids.” Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N.A.K.Browne described the induction of the aircraft as a significant milestone in the IAF’s transformation into a modern multi-spectrum strategic force, equipping young pilots with the

Significant revelations Mr Shinde laid out the facts. “There have been significant developments on the Sikh militancy front. Its commanders based in Pakistan are under pressure from the ISI to further its terror plans, not only in Punjab but also in other parts of the country…..Interdiction and interrogation have revealed use of jailed cadres unemployed youth and criminals….A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives including RDX has been recovered in police action in Rajasthan and Punjab in the last one year,” he said. Home Minister Shinde also focused on Islamist terror groups. “Jehadi tanzeems [groups] in Pakistan with affiliation to Laskar-e-Taiba, Jaish-eMohammed and Indian Mujahideen” and the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) are also actively raising money in the Gulf for operations in India , he said.

Holistic response Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a consensual approach to the “challenges of terrorism, communal violence and Leftwing extremism in a holistic manner.” He urged an approach that would take into account “the national interest, rising above narrow political and ideological divides.” (Hindu, Times of India June 6,7)

India targeted by China cyber spies India has been a prime target of a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign that has been active for the past eight years, according to Russia’s leading IT security provider. A report released by the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Lab in Moscow said an ongoing hacking attack had hit hundreds of sites in 40 countries since 2005, “with the largest number in Mongolia, India and Russia.” The Chinese group involved in these activities has focused on stealing data on space research, nanotechnology, energy production, nuclear power, laser technology, medicine and communications. Kaspersky has promised to release more information on victims of “selected parties, including local authorities of victim countries” (Hindu June 6)

India-Australia naval ties India’s Defence Minister A.K.Antony concluded a whirlwind tour of Singapore, Thailand and Australia, where he beefed up defence ties with each power on a one-to-one

Narendra Modi elected to lead BJP’s general election campaign in 2014

Australian PM Julia Gillard with Defence Minister AK Antony

basis and reiterated India’s commitment to the freedom of navigation on the high seas. His talks in Australia with his counterpart Stephen Smith were particularly significant because of the country’s size and geographical location. India has accepted Australia’s invitation to participate in the prestigious International Fleet Review to be held in Sydney in October this year. The defence dialogue between the two countries will continue and a major naval exercise between them is slated for 2015 (Hindu June 6)

necessary skills to handle the IAF’s latest high-tech warplanes (Hindu June 1)

New heads at DRDO, ASL Dr Avinash Chander has taken over as Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Scientific Adviser to the Minister of Defence from retired head Dr V.K.Saraswat. Dr Chander said DRDO would

Testing the waters with Vietnam Meanwhile, four Indian warships presently anchored in the Vietnamese port of Da Nang are set to sail into the South China Sea – over which China claims exclusive control - for a rescue drill with Vietnam’s navy, a case surely of testing the waters. The Indian flotilla comprises stealth frigate INS Satpura, INS Ranvijay (destroyer), INS Kirch (missile corvette) and INS Shakti (logistics vessel). In Singapore, Mr Antony watched over the signing of a five-year extension of a treaty to give training facilities in India to the Singapore Army and Air Force, which lack the space at home (Telegraph June 7)

IAF modernization The modernization programme of the Indian Air Force (IAF) received a considerable boost with the induction of the Swissmanufactured high performance trainer aircraft Pilatus PC-7 MKII at a ceremony at the IAF Academy near Hyderabad. The aircraft, of which 75 have been ordered so far, is capable of all basic training functions including aerobatics, tactical and night flying. Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh said: “Pilatus will prove to be the ideal platform that will initiate ‘ab initio’

Dr Avinash Chander

continue with the development of Agni V long-range missile and also long-range cruise missiles. The Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) in Hyderabad, which comes under the DRDO umbrella, also has a new head in Dr W. Sekeran, who is credited with designing the Agni V and has won a number of awards for his work on missile development (June 3)

Modi’s clean sweep in Gujarat polls Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP swept the polls in the Gujarat parliamentary and State assembly byelections, winning all the six seats contested by considerable margins. The victories were achieved at the cost of the Congress Party. The results com-

ing three days before the meeting of the BJP national executive in Goa and ensured Mr Modi’s leadership in the BJP’s election campaign in the 2014 Indian general election. If the BJP were to win the election, he will surely become India’s prime minister. While the BJP did outstandingly well in Gujarat, the party’s performance in other States such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was disappointing. Senior BJP L.K.Advani and colleagues Jaswant Singh and Uma Bharti stayed away from the BJP’s Goa conclave, underlining divisions within the party (Hindu, Times of India June 6, 7,8)

Latin America courts Modi Latin American and Caribbean envoys called on Mr Modi at Gujarat Bhavan in New Delhi and expressed their desire to promote economic relations with his State. “The main purpose was to increase relations between Gujarat and our countries in many fields. All ambassadors talked about possibilities in their respective countries,” said Costa Rican envoy Juan Cordero in an interaction with the media after the meeting with the Gujarat Chief Minister. Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner Chandranath Singh hailed Mr Modi’s “charisma,” saying “he is able to represent the power and strength of Gujarat. We discussed its economy and touched on several areas in which Latin American countries can collaborate with Gujarat.” Five months ago, EU envoys, including the UK High Commissioner to India held a similar meeting with Mr Modi (Times of India June 6)

Mukesh Ambani rolls out company plans Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has lined

up investments of Rs1.5 lakh crore over the next three years across its business from oil and gas to petrochemicals and from retail to telecommunications, making it the largest capital investor in India. To put things in perspective, the proposed size of the investment is equivalent to the Rs 1.50,000 of projects struck in the road and steel sector alone and is 30 per cent of RIL’s Rs 5 lakh crore worth of projects in the power sector. Unveiling the capital investment outlay at RIL’s 39th AGM in Mumbai last week, Mr Ambani said: “RIL is making huge investments at a time of global economic slowdown. Investment in manufacturing and retail will spur growth. The most important need for India today is employment creation through investments in manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, services, agriculture and the rural economy. Based on our strong faith in India, we are currently making investments in excess of Rs 150,000 crore over the next three years” (Times of India June 7)

Poor youth makes it big A 15 year-old schoolboy, Suvojit Dhara, the son of an illiterate rickshaw-van puller Taposh Dhara and his wife Saraswati Dhara, also unlettered, from Sakra Para in Nangi in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas, has stood fifth in the State Higher Secondary examination. His parents pillars of support, were keen to secure their son’s education, and, hence, his future. Suvojit was full of praise for his teachers at the Nangi High School for their help and encouragement. He singled out, in particular, his chemistry and physics teachers. Having surmounted his first academic hurdle, Suvojit Dhara has set his sights on more ambitious goals. He hopes to become a mechanical or electronics engineer, failing which, he would be prepared to settle for a career in mathematics. But his first priority, after finishing with university, he said, was to get a job and provide for his parents, who had sacrificed so much for his welfare (Hindu June 6)

Reliance Industries oil refinery at Jamnagar

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Your Voice Be warned, be prepared Daily Mail, the leading, popular daily has carried out an in-depth investigation as how elderly people who have failed to give power of attorney to their nearest and dearest are being targeted by secret courts and their assets taken over by court officials who administer their assets, charging exorbitant fees while paying miserly 0:5% interest, in line with Bank of England base rate. These courts set up by Labour to safe-guard elderly deemed incapable of looking after their own financial affairs deal with some 23,000 cases annually and there are £2 billion worth of assets under their management. Although money is safe, it is fritted away by low income and high administration cost while relations have to watch as bystanders, unable to challenge these courts who are law in their own right with no legal representation

allowed, decision taken behind close doors, reminisce to secret courts of Nazi Germany and Soviet Union. After publication of special investigation, in view of jailing of Wanda Maddocks who took her father out of care home and under her caring wing and comfortable home, Lib-Dem MP John Hemming raised the matter in HOC. There are some 16000 such cases under court’s management. May I request our Labour MPs to concentrate on such real issues rather than flogging dead horse of caste discrimination? I would also like to urge AV to print such forms for our convenience and every reader to give power of attorney to their partner before it is too late? Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

Caste Legislation Impact Assessment The impact of the caste discrimination legislation that has been passed by the British Parliament should not be underestimated. Whatever your position on caste discrimination in the Britain, by passing this legislation, the British government has already sent out a message that it warrants legislation. Everyone in the British Hindu community will be affected in some way. The sloppiness of the process used to get this legislation through parliament should not go unchallenged. British Hindus do not need to lobby ministers for a consultation process. It is our democratic right that a full consultation should have taken place

before the decision was made to pass this legislation. This did not happen. Through AV, I would like draw attention to the Impact Assessment process that is used by EU states before legislation is passed (). A British example is the series of Impact Assessments published alongside the Care Bill (). In my view, what the British Hindu community should be demanding is that a full Impact Assessment that reflects the diversity of the British Hindu community be carried out and published before this legislation becomes law. Dr Anjana N Patel Via Email

Internal fight in BJP leadership An internal civil war has broken between two groups of BJP politicians concerning the the selection of Narendra Modi as the chief to lead BJP election campaign in the Lok Sabha election in 2014. It is unfortunate that some sections of the old guard led by Advani and supported by Joshi, Naidu, Jaswant Singh and Sinha are against it. It is totally out of order on the part of Advani to resign from all the posts in the BJP to create division within the party. It is true Advani is highly respected elderly person in the BJP, but he does not have any base within the party. He is too old and he had two chances to lead the party to victory and both the times he failed. If he is a decent political leader, he should have resigned the the post when BJP lost the election four years ago. Is Advani hoping to become the Prime Minister at the third attempt?

Gordon Brown resigned as the leader of the labour party when he lost the election. Advani is is no match for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party is going for young people. Modi is the most popular leader in BJP and in India. It is true some sections of the press and Indian Muslim community are against Modi. Nitish Kumar and his JD(U) cannot dictate who should lead the campaign for BJP. It is a sad day for BJP and for Indian politics for Advani to blackmail the party and this is going to be disaster for the BJP. The chances of BJP becoming the largest party in the next year election now is very remote. Arun Vaidyanathan Via Email

Demanding the best for your children We always want to provide the best for our children. If you find yourself in a situation where you need legal advice on how to safeguard the interests of your children, Legal 500/Chamber UK Leading Firm, Duncan Lewis can By Shalini Patel assist; whether in relation to a divorce matter, seeking to secure contact with your children after a separation/divorce or where social services have become involved. Duncan Lewis’ Childcare and Family department consists of a team of highly specialised and experienced solicitors who will ensure your matter is handled with the utmost sensitivity and understanding throughout. Since April 2013 the Government has introduced many changes to the legal aid rules which consequently make it increasingly difficult for individuals to obtain legal aid funding for legal advice & assistance. However, Duncan Lewis continues to provide legal aid to those most vulnerable in our society where it remains available and has introduced a competitive private fee package for those excluded from legal aid to ensure that you only pay what you can afford. After a divorce or relationship separation many partners find themselves in a position where they cannot secure contact with their children. Duncan Lewis will assist you in trying to achieve an amicable contact agreement with the other parent of your child via mediation. If mediation is unsuccessful we will advise and assist you in making an application to court for a contact order. Contact proceedings are no longer covered by Legal Aid unless you can provide specific evidence of domestic violence having been perpetrated by the other parent. If such evidence is not available we are able to offer competitive fees for such

matters which you can afford. If Social Services are involved with the care of your children you will need to access legal advice as a matter of urgency. If you can provide evidence of your financial situation and are deemed financially eligible, Duncan Lewis can assist under Legal Aid. If Social Services have advised that they intend to start court proceedings or if court proceedings have already started you will be automatically entitled to free legal advice and representation regardless of your financial situation. If your partner has threatened to take your child out of the country or has already done so, we can assist you to ensure your child’s best interests and wellbeing is safeguarded. Duncan Lewis can assist you in obtaining an Order from the Court to ensure your child is either not removed from the country without your permission or is safely returned. Parental Responsibility is an important issue to be aware of. Mothers automatically have Parental Responsibility and all fathers who were married to the mother when the child was born, later married the mother or whose name is on the child's birth certificate from December 2003 onwards, have automatic Parental Responsibility. If you have Parental Responsibility you have a right to be involved in all major decisions that will affect your child's life from their health, education, religion to the issue as to whether they are permitted to being taken out of the UK. If you have not been involved in such important issues, you can seek legal advice on such matters. If you are a father who does not have parental responsibility Duncan Lewis can advise you as to how to secure parental responsibility in relation to your child to ensure that you have the peace of mind of knowing that going forward you can begin to demand the best for your children. Author is Shalini Patel, Trainee Solicitor at Legal 500/Chamber UK Leading Firm, Duncan Lewis.

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Diabetes czar launches ramadan Health Campaign in the House of Commons The newly appointed diabetes czar, Dr Jonathan Valabhji, has given his first speech in the House of Commons at the launch event for the Silver Star ‘Stay Healthy During Ramadan’ campaign. Over 100 GPs and representatives of Muslim groups took part in the launch of the campaign held in the House of Commons on Wednesday 5th June 2013. The event launched the Silver Star ‘Stay Healthy During Ramadan' roadshow which will be visiting mosques in 7 cities across the UK including B r a d f o r d , Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, London, Manchester and Rotherham to target Britain’s nearly three million Muslim population. The charity’s Mobile Diabetes Units and dedicated nurses will be on hand to offer free diabetes testing and advice. Diabetic Muslims who fast are at additional risk of both hypoglycaemia due to low blood sugar during fasting periods and hyperglycaemia due to high blood sugar when breaking the fast with iftar, the large evening meal that follows fasting. The complications from these conditions can be severe,

ranging from amputations, diabetic comas and diabetic retinopathy. The first testing event took place at the MKSI Community Centre in Leicester on the 7th June 2013. Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP,

Dr Jonathan Valabhji

Founder Patron of Silver Star said: “I am delighted that Silver Star have launched their campaign to raise awareness of the different management options available for diabetic patients wishing to observe Ramadan. The ‘Stay Healthy During Ramadan’ campaign will visit Mosques and community centres across the country to highlight the dangers of poorly controlled diabetes. Our message to diabetic

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP addressing the audience

ple of South Asian descent are efforts to provide practical supMuslims is clear; please consult six times more likely to develop your GP before you begin fastport and information to those type 2 diabetes compared with people with both Type 1 and ing.” the overall UK population. Type 2 diabetes who may be Dr Jonathan Valabhji, I applaud Silver Star’s planning to fast this summer.” National Clinical Director for Obesity and Diabetes said: Some of the forthcoming dates and venues of the test are: “Diabetes is one l Friday 14th June – Bradford - Islamic Cultural and Educational Association of the biggest health l Friday 14th June - Rotherham - Jamia Masjid Muslim challenges we face l Friday 21st June – Manchester - Manchester Central Mosque today in the UK. The majority of the 2.6 l Friday 21st June – Cardiff - South Wales Islamic Centre million people diag- l Friday 28th June - Tower Hamlets - East London Mosque nosed live with type l Friday 28th June - Wembley/Harrow - Harrow Central Mosque 2 diabetes and peo-

Fatherly love brings wealth to living God took the strength of a mountain, majesty of a tree & warmth of a summer sun, and when there was nothing more to add, he knew his masterpiece was complete, And so, he called it ... Dad

“One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters” Many people laughed at Sonora Dodd when she gave the concept of having a Father's Day. As traditionally, only mother is regarded as the sole nurturer of a child. The role of father is often relegated to a secondary status as compared to a mother. But all of us know that father is just as important for a child as the mother is. If mothers are the heroes of child rearing, significance of father in the development and emotional well being of a child is no less. In fact, for daughters, father is the ideal man in the world and also the first man they adore, while for sons, father is an idol and the strongest man they aspire to emulate. The idea of celebrating Father's Day Festival was given by Ms Sonora Dodd, a loving daughter from Spokane. Her father Henry Jackson Smart single-handedly raised Sonora and five of her siblings after the death of her mother during childbirth. When Sonora attended a Mother's Day Sermon in 1909, she thought that if there is the day to honor mother then there should also be a corresponding day to honor fathers. Sonora worked relentlessly for years to ensure that the idea of Father's Day becomes a reality. And every year, third Sunday of June started observing as Father's Day. Today, millions of children across the world express gratitude for their dads.

Significance of Father's Day Festival Father's Day give us the opportunity to express thanks to our Daddy for all their unconditional love and affection. Observance of Father's Day makes fathers feel that their contributions are acknowledged in the society and also by their children.! Besides this, children also come closer to their father and both of them create a stronger bond.

Father’s Day is celebrated varies from country to country It is celebrated in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the third Sunday of June. It is also observed in Argentina, France, Greece, Ireland, Pakistan, Singapore, and Venezuela. In Australia and New Zealand Father’s Day is on the first Sunday in September. In Thailand it is celebrated on December 5, on king’s birthday. Brazilian dads are honored on the 2nd Sunday of August. In India it is a relatively new concept but it is spreading fast. In Mexico it is “Día del Padre”, where families meet, prepare meals and distribute gifts, in South Africa, many social and cultural societies host the celebrations. On Father’s Day many people make a special effort for their fathers or father figures including step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers, great-grandfathers and even other male relatives. Father's Day may originate in pagan sun worship. Some branches of paganism see the sun as the father of the universe. The June solstice occurs around the same time of year as Father's Day so some people see a link between the two.

My dear Pappa, you have remained inspiration to many, but most of all to me, in the direction of 'dharma'. You are still steadfast like the Dhruv, the pole star. For me you are my Margdarshinya, my guiding light. I am and will always remain proud to be your daughter. Daxa Manharlal Patel To dad on father's day We are sure this father's day is the best so far times are fun when your around no nicer dad can ever be found you’re the greatest dad best friend and our hero any kid can have love you always from Chetan & Kishan To dad on father's day A year has passed You seem so near Yet so far we look up At night and you’re the brightest star looking over us as our angel always be missed today and forever with cherished memories love you always from Hiten & Chirag

To my dearest daddy (Raj) you are kind, generous, hardworking and determined, you are everything we strive to be. We love you lots.. Happy Father's Day from Mansi and Yash xxx Have I told you yet.. How much you mean to me.. Have I told you yet.. About all the happiness you bring! Have I told you.. That you mean the world to us Just in case we haven't.. I want you to know that.. You're the best thing that's ever happened to us! We love you Karishma and Kareena Raichada Dearest baba, we may not speak every day and have our differences, but we must let you know that you are the best dad one can ever have. Happy Father's Day. Lots of love and regards. Jhulu and Vivek xx

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

'Professional of the Year' Nomination is now open for Asian Achievers Awards 2013

Members of the public invited to nominate inspirational characters for this ‘People’s Awards’ It is yet again a time of year when Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar celebrate the various outstanding roles played by Britain’s Asian community. It is against this background that the Asian Achievers Awards salute individuals who are singularly responsible for bringing the Asian community to the centre stage of British life. Exceptional and exemplary achievements of individual that are truly inspirational. Whilst the early migrants struggled to make Britain home- their sacrifices, resilience and determined efforts have meant that the younger generations have been able to flourish, with the majority of them being well-settled, successful and occupying important positions in all walks of life. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar continue to proudly play their part in recording the community’s consistent efforts to maintain and enhance its position within the British

society. To ensure that the future generations will continue to carry the success further, ABPL recognises individuals from various fields for their contribution to the society through Asian Achievers Awards (AAA). The AAA is now in its 13th year and by an impressive array of high net worth individuals, industry captains, high level decision makers, Parliamentarians, community leaders and senior professionals. There are various types of awards, but Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) is rather unique. Instead of few individuals deciding who the award winner is, a truly independent panel of judges are given total freedom to select a shortlist and then the winner in each category. Not only the subscribers and the readers of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar but also the wider community is invited to nominate in various categories of the award, as its publicised

Dal Babu, Harrow Borough Commander and Seema Malhotra MP with Prof Sunil Shah, winner of Professional of the Year category

through radio, television, internet and various events. Every year we receive a record number of nominations and the calibre of the candidates are always very impressive. Asian Achievers Award categories comprise: Professional of the Year; Woman of the Year; Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Uniformed and Civil Services; International Personality of the Year; Lifetime Achievement Award, Sports Personality of the Year; Business Person of the Year; Achievement in Community Service and Achievement in Media and

Arts and Culture; Award for Entertainment. This year the theme of the award is Woman. However, one of the key category of the award is the Profession of the Year award. British Asians, who are in key positions in different professional capacity, deserve this award by every means for their continuous contributions over the years, to the British economy, especially their noteworthy mark in the City. Whether they work in corporate giants or Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs), they have created a benchmark that is very

difficult to match up with. Though the first generation have mostly contributed in the business areas, the second and third generations have taken the world by storm, by their unparalleled contributions and skills. This category is especially designed to choose professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession. Over the last years Professional of the Year has had winners like Professor Sunil Shah, Naynesh Desai, Nishma Gosrani, Manjul K Vasant MBE, Vijay Goel, Bhupendra Jasani. Some of the key short listed candidates over the years include Anuj Chande, Raj Joshi, Dalip Puri, Abhishek Sachdev, Rajay Naik, Dr Minaxi Sharad Desai, Prof Alimuddin Zumla and many others. Speaking about the awards last year, Professor Sunil Shah, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon based at Midland Eye in Solihull

and the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre in Birmingham, the winner of last year's Professional of the Year category said, “It is a great honour to be acknowledged in the category of Professional of the Year 2012. I was very pleased to receive the award in front of my friends and family and to make them and my colleagues proud of this wonderful achievement. One works very hard to give sight to those without and this can be very challenging especially with the babies and young children I treat. To be honoured for this work is humbling. My thanks to AAA for organizing this wonderful event” To salute their unmatched c o n t r i b u t i o n s , 'Professional of the Year' category is now open for nominations. These nominations can be registered via Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar newspapers, as well as online at: www.asianachieversawards.com Deadline for nominations: 12th July 2013

Please tick the appropriate category Achievement in Media, Arts and Culture ................................

Someone who has made a mark in media including print and broadcast media; cinema, art and culture.

Achievement in Community Service............................................

NOMINATION FORM The prestigious Asian Achievers Awards is hosted every year by UK’s leading news weeklies Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar to honour British Asians par excellence. If there is someone you know who has broken boundaries and deserves recognition for their unique contribution to the community and the nation then please nominate them for one of the awards listed below. Make sure that you fill in this application form and send it on or before 12th July, 2013 by post, fax or email to Mr. L George, Tel: 020 7749 4013, Fax 020 7749 4081, Email: aaa@abplgroup.com. If you are sending it by post the address is Mr. L George, ABPL Group, Karma Yoga House, 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW.

Name of the Person you are Nominating: _______________________________________ Contact Details of the Nominee (Tel & email):____________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Present Occupation of the Nominee: ____________________________________________ Please attach the Nominees's CV which includes the following information (Please do not exceed a limit of 1000 words) (1) Personal background (2) (3) (4) (5) are

Most important career achievements till date. Nominee's contribution to the community and nation. Future Plans, ambitions and visions. Any notable obstacles in the Nominee's career that has helped him/her to reach where they today.

Summary-

(Please include a summary in not more than 150 words why the nominee is worthy of win-

ning the particular award in a separate sheet)

Nominators name and contact details: __________________________________________ Nominators current Occupation/Company: ______________________________________ Tel/Mobile: __________________________________________________________________ Email:_______________________________________________________________________ NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS: This is a unique event where readers nominate and an independent panel of judges comprising of eminent personalities selects the winner. Judges’ decision is final. ABPL Group will not entertain any dialogue with members of the public regarding the judging process. In order to ensure a high degree of transparency and fairness, the management and members of the staff of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will play no role in the nomination or judging process. You may use an additional sheet if the space provided is insufficient. The winners will be announced at the AAA Awards ceremony on 6th September, 2013. Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar will publish the names of the short listed candidates and winners after the event. The winners names will also appear in our e-edition www.abplgroup.com You can nominate yourself if you wish to. Nominations and entries must follow the prescribed format. All nomination forms must reach our offices on or before 12th July, 2013

In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Sports Personality of the Year ...................................................... Awarded for excellence in sports.

Uniformed and Civil Services ........................................................

For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Professional of the Year ..................................................................

Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year ..................................................

Awarded to an young entrepreneur (less than 35 years) with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

Business Person of the Year .......................................................... Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Woman of the Year ............................................................................ The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

International Personality of the Year ........................................ Awarded to those who have acclaimed popularity internationally for his/her contribution in any particular sector and is recognised for their timeless philanthropic activities.

Lifetime Achievement Award ........................................................ To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Aishwarya is complicated: Dhanush

Karan Johar to star opposite Ranbir Kapoor

Director, producer, writer, chat show host, reality dance show judge: Karan Johar’s CV could rival that of the very best in showbiz. But the one thing the 41-year-old hasn’t done - a few cameos aside - is take up a serious acting role. Now, that is set to change. Few days back, Karan decided to take up an offer to act in Anurag Kashyap’s next, “Bombay Velvet” (BV). Karan says the offer “came out of the blue.” In the film, he will be seen playing the “antagonist” opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

In a recent interview with a leading daily, Dhanush has opened up about his wife, Aishwarya, his “Raanjhanaa” director Aanand Rai and co-star Sonam Kapoor. About his wife, he says that she is 100 times simpler than her father, superstar Rajinikanth. At the same time he says he also loves the fact that she is very complicated. Dhanush also credits her for being a beautiful and responsible mother. Sonam Kapoor is Dhanush’s first Bollywood heroine. He calls her his best friend in the industry and points to her straight forwardness and transparent nature as her best qualities.

Abhishek Bachchan walks out of Abbas-Mustan’s next

There has been some speculation about Abbas-Mustan's next, an ambitious remake of Tamil action flick “Vettai,” which was supposed to star the “Dostana” pair Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham. The film, which is about two brothers, would have been the 'pair's' first significant outing after their hit Dostana, save of course the sequel. However, Abhishek, who was slated to play the character of the elder sibling a cop who takes the flak for his younger brother played by John - has walked out the project citing date issues. Abhishek recently had a meeting with the directors and expressed his inability to be a part of the film. The 'parting' was amicable, it was learnt.

Priyanka Chopra's father passes away Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra's father, Dr. Ashok Chopra, breathed his last at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai on Monday after battling with cancer. Chopra, who was critically ill for the last few months, was diagnosed with cancer and said to be on life support. According to reports, Priyanka, her mother and younger brother were with him at the time of his death.

I don't want to be a part of Bollywood anymore: Trishala

Trishala Dutt finally opens up about dad Sanjay Dutt's arrest, her Bollywood aspirations and why she wasn't there by her father's side in Mumbai when he surrendered to serve his jail sentence, in her latest blog entry. “I've become an elder sister to my twin siblings Iqra and Shahraan. It's up to me to be strong for them and set a good example, being the eldest daughter of the house. There's no such thing as having an 'emotional breakdown' anymore. I love my father to death and I will always be his blood, his first-born, his everything. I wanted to be a part of Bollywood at one point (very stupid, stubborn decision of mine) but I'm glad I don't want to be a part of it anymore.”

Couple of months ago, actress Anjali was in the news constantly regarding her relationship with her step mom Bharathi Devi and director Kalanjiyam. The actress who was recently seen at the audio launch of a Telugu movie was spotted with her step mom and it was quite a surprise for everyone as there were many accusations from Anjali that her step mom and the director tricked her out of her own money. Now sources reveal that a settlement was made between them and all is well now. Anjali is currently acting in a Telugu movie Balapu which has Ravi Teja and Shruti Hassan too in the lead.

Sunny Leone's growing power in Bollywood Considering that she's an import from the adult film industry and barely began her innings as an actress, Sunny Leone has blazed through Bollywood like wildfire, becoming one of the most sought after actresses today. After making her Indian television debut with reality show Bigg Boss, the way was made for Sunny, bagging the lead role in Pooja Bhatt's Jism 2, which Mahesh Bhatt offered her on the reality show. After the release of Jism 2, Sunny was seen in the item song, Laila, in Sanjay Gupta's Shootout At Wadala. Her next stint is with Balaji Motion Pictures for Ragini MMS 2 and a 3film deal with Parag Sanghvi's Alumbra Entertainment. So, despite being a porn star and making her way through Bollywood as an unconventional actress, her popularity has risen to a point where Sunny is already being pegged as an A-lister, even though she has only one film to her credit. Sunny Leone is the next big thing in show business.

Ajith’s new look to be a secret

There has always been a lot of buzz on Ajith’s movies and his looks in the films he does. After flooring the fans with his salt and pepper look in “Mankkatha,” the star has also impressed with his looks in his yet to be release untitled film directed by Vishbuvardhan. Meanwhile Ajith has started shooting for his next flick with Siruthai Siva. While the fans are eager to have a glimpse of the first look of the star in the movie, looks like everyone have to wait a while for it. The makers are keeping the star’s look a secret and are requesting everyone who takes a snap with Ajith during the shoot, not to reveal it to the public.

‘Rambo Rajkumar' leaves Shahid Kapoor bruised

Shooting high octane action scenes for "Rambo Rajkumar" has left Shahid Kapoor bruised and battered, but he says he is still raring to go. "10th n last day of the action sequence for 'Rambo Rajkumar' today. Body bruised and battered. Spirit raring to go," Shahid posted on Twitter. The movie is being directed by Prabhu Dheva. Shahid also escaped a fire accident on the movie's set in May. He had ended up with burn injuries on his back and hand.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

ired of endless speculation about her motherhood plans, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor, who is married to Saif Ali Khan, said she might decide on not having children. The 32-year-old actress said during an interview to a fashion magazine that since everyone wants to know when she will have a baby "who knows, I might even decide not to have kids." She further elaborated that her husband has two children with his former wife Amrita Singh. Hence, she is not in a hurry to have kids. She called Saif and herself 'a modern couple' who are not restricted by society norms. She also revealed that they purposefully did not invite the entire film industry for their marriage last year. Saif and Kareena tied the knot last year after being in a five-year long relationship. While Saif was married to actress Amrita Singh, Kareena was in a steady relationship with actor Shahid Kapoor. Surprisingly, Kareena's career has not been affected by her marriage as she continues to be one of the leading actresses of Bollywood today. She has number of prestigious projects in her kitty including Prakash Jha's “Satyagraha” and Punit Malhotra's “Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.”

Salman Khan turns mentor for Daisy Shah We all know is that Salman Khan is a kind person but what we don't know is that he can be a great agony aunt too. The latest Bollywood buzz is that the superstar's co-star Daisy Shah has apparently been leaning on his shoulders for all her problems. Ever since Salman has started shooting his forthcoming film, there are rumours about his close friendship with his co-star Daisy Shah. The actress seems to be enjoying the special attention she is getting from Salman and is r e p o r t e d l y confiding her secrets to him. There are also rumours that Daisy runs to Salman for each and every thing. She takes his advice on both personal and professional matters. Salman has always been very protective and caring about his female co-stars.

hey were a couple who parted ways but mended their relationship and reunited as friends. No one really knows what exactly happened between them but Deepika Padukone candidly admits that her ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor has always been very special to her. The two have reunited in real life and reel life after five years and, interestingly, their second film together, “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” (YJHD), is reaping gold at the box office and audiences are loving their on-screen chemistry too. "I have always believed that chemistry can't be created between two people. You either have it or you don't. The script can only enhance it. I am glad that Ranbir and I do," said Deepika, who was seen with Ranbir in 2008 hit “Bachna Ae Haseeno.” "He has been a very special person for me in my life. I am glad that we share an on- screen chemistry. I am looking forward to doing more films with him," the 27-year-old said in an interview. She believes in competing with herself. "I think it completely depends on what each one's understanding of competition is. For me, competition is good; that is what keeps me on my toes and keeps me going. I am always trying to better my own work, do better than my earlier films...do films that are challenging and exciting for me. That is my competition," she said.

Amitabh Bachchan launches his maiden TV production A

mitabh Bachchan and Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap were not in best of relations in the past. But that acrimony is truly a thing of the past. Not only did Bachchan invite Anurag's crew to shoot at his bungalow for Bombay Talkies, but when Steven Spielberg visited Mumbai the veteran actor introduced him as the face of new Indian cinema. The bonhomie reached a new high now, when Anurag came on board Bachchan's fiction project for television as creative director. Recently, Bachchan officially launched his TV show, a fiction series on social issues that will go on floors in December. He is slated to act in the series as well. The show will be co-produced by Endemol and his company Saraswati Productions. "I have always wanted to work with Anurag," said Bachchan, adding that they spent long hours discussing what kind of project to embark on, till they decided to focus on television. While Bachchan's successful stint as the host of KBC continues, this will be the first time that he will be involved in creating content for the medium. Shoot will start by the end of the year.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Financial Voice Dear Financial Voice Reader,

I write to you from Luxembourg speaking on ‘where to invest now’ for the Rothschild Private Bank. I recall when recently I wrote, it was this - I write to you having finished travel…for 3 weeks anyway. I started in the States (downgraded by credit rating agency), then Italy (downgraded by credit rating agency) then India (not likely to be downgraded). And I am hearing from a lot of people they want to take up trading full time. So let me give you some advice. If you need £30,000 per annum to live on, and think you are nearly as good as Warren Buffett so should make 20% per annum in profits, then you need to have £150,000 cash to trade with. We’ll ignore tax for now. Of course some years you will not make 20% and you will have to go a whole year without food and water. To make life easier you may try to achieve 10% on £300,000. But most don’t have £300,000 speculative money hanging around. Then you read somewhere that 90% of private investors lose money trading the markets. True of course. But you reckon you are in the top 10%. Next comes time. How are you going to generate that return. You could spend every second trading. Maybe 10 trades a day. Maybe they cost you £10 each. That’s £100 in commissions or other costs. That is £500 a week, or £2000 per month or £24,000 a year. So you need actually to make not 20% on £150,000, but actually closer to 40% on £150,000. Or you may say you want to reduce those costs by trading less frequently but still look to make 15% say. This is more realistic. You would look to pick a basket of stocks expecting a 15% rise over 12 months. That seems to put less strain on your time and limited skills and experience. But how many stocks? Which ones? The number should be manageable. So let’s say 15. Any fewer and if one does poorly it will have a heavy impact on your whole portfolio. Any more and if one does very well it won’t have enough of a positive impact. Of course they should not all be in the same sector, or even geography, otherwise it’s really one stock disguised as 15. But which ones? What moves? What does undervalued mean and where do you find it? Online websites? Magazines? The pub? You can start with magazines dedicated to investments from your local newsagents. Look for reasoning of the commentator. Look to see if it is speculative or safer. For instance are they talking about the hope of discovering gold (speculative) or Apple? Stories told by stock commentators can be seductive and attractive and alluring – about prospect of discovery. Remember not to be greedy and lured into such fantasies. Go for solid analysis not hope. Learn what price-earnings ratios are and why they are important. Do all of the above, aim with a portfolio of 15 stocks aiming for 15% (once they hit your target decide whether another 15% is likely over another year) and if they drop 25% sell them no matter what excuses and you might just get out alive.

Indian govt moves to settle tax row with Vodafone

The government of India paved the way for the finance ministry to start negotiations for a possible settlement with British telecom player Vodafone in the Rs 140 billion tax dispute as part of a damage control exercise to avoid possible arbitration and improve investor sentiment. “We have just accepted a proposal for a non-binding conciliation. If the outcome is acceptable to the government then it will go to Cabinet and thereafter to Parliament for approval,” India’s finance minister P Chidambaram told a press conference after the meeting. The outcome of talks

in this case would impact at least four other cases, involving SAB Miller and AT&T-Idea, among others. Vodafone and the government have been locked in a bitter dispute for nearly six years over what the tax department says is the telecom giant’s failure to deduct capital gains tax on the $2 billion deal with Hong Kong-based Hutchison. Vodafone and Hutch have, however, maintained that there is no tax liability as the deal happened outside India. Even the Supreme Court had upheld that argument but the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee got Parliament to retrospectively amend the law to levy tax.

Exclusive

Face to Face with RBS’s Chief Executive for Business and Commercial Banking, Ian Cowie Rani Singh Q How are you building confidence and helping SMEs in Harrow and Brent? What’s important for us is; how do we support the customer locally and nationally? We have a regional footprint across the whole of the country. I’m down here in Harrow spending the day with staff and businesses to get a better understanding of local small businesses. Our main focus is in three key areas ; 1) Access to finance 2) Access to expertise and 3) Access to the bank; All are equally important. Access to finance is important in rebuilding confidence and trust for our staff and our customers. We want to lend to customers. We have a balance sheet to lend to customers. We’re not capital constrained, and we’re doing that every day We’re punching above our weight. We have a 2425% share of the SME business market and we’re lending about 3536% into that market. We were first out of

Ian Cowie

the block in the Government’s Finance for Lending Scheme. We spread an allocation of £ 3.4bn among 21, 000 SME customers and have taken away the arrangement fee that would normally apply to those loans to stimulate demand. We’ve been saving businesses about £70mn since launch.

“We want to lend to customers, we’re not capital constrained” We also play a key role in the government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. We

lead the way with 40% of the market in that space. The main barrier to confidence we continually hear from the SMEs is the uncertainty around the UK economy. As we see one or two positive signs in recent months it’s important we allow that confidence to bleed through into decisions those SMEs make, whether it’s to invest in a new piece of kit or equipment, more staff, or grow the business. Q What about access to expertise? For access to expertise we’ve done three things over the last two years; A lot of the team that work for me have never run their own business so we say to them, “Spend two days a year in a local business working alongside the local entrepreneur to get an understanding.” I and a number of my board have been involved in Working with You days. Alongside that, how do we put professional bank managers back into the community? We’ve

Woods of Windsor appoints M&N Traders as its exclusive wholesaler for independent pharmacies Yardley of London Ltd announces an agreement with M&N Traders to distribute its British heritage brand, Woods of Windsor to independent pharmacies in the UK. Woods of Windsor, established in 1770, relaunched this year with new striking packaging that captures the natural essence of the brand; larger sizes offering greater customer value and three new, on-trend scents to sit alongside their current portfolio of core floral fragrances. Managing Director, Quentin Higham comments: “Since we relaunched Woods of Windsor in February, on a global basis we have seen sales grow by 75%. This has been achieved by strong distribution gains in UK department stores and also in key international markets. We have set ourselves some challenging growth targets across key distribution channels, in particular within the pharmacy sector. We are delighted to be exclusively partnering with M&N Traders in working with the best independent

Quentin Higham & Narinder Kohli

pharmacies in the UK. M&N Traders are a wellestablished, premier distributor to retail pharmacies, specialising in fine fragrances and toiletries. With our investment in POS, merchandising and with the support of public relations and social media campaigns, we expect the brand to double in 2013/14.” At the heart of this quintessentially English brand lies a commitment to manufacturing on home

soil with all Woods of Windsor products still being made in Britain today, adding to the charm and heritage of the new look range, which represents the English countryside it originates from. M&N Traders Managing Director, Narinder Kohli, comments: “M&N traders is delighted to announce the welcome addition of the aspirational and luxurious, British brand, Woods of Windsor to our existing range of fragranced products. We believe this brand will prove very popular with our customers.” M&N Traders are inviting 200 pharmacists to celebrate the re-launch of Woods of Windsor at a Champagne Dinner & Dance in mid-June.

had a programme externally accredited by the Chartered Banker. 93% of our staff are through that programme. When you come in to talk someone you expect them to be knowledgeable. That’s going to be the bit that’s going to move the dial and support UK economic growth because good support and good advice is just as important as access to finance. We have a critical mass here in Harrow; there’s a big professional and finance community so we’re creating a sector focus here. Q And access to the bank? We have to make sure we’re easier to do business with. So in addition to relationship managers and business centres, if customers want to access us at a time convenient to them, now people can talk to us on the phone and online through web chat eight till eight Saturdays as well. In the last 12-18 months we’ve invested in a mobile business banking app and we’ve seen about 100,000 customers using that app twice a day.

` recovers on suspected RBI intervention Suspected RBI intervention hauled the rupee off a record low struck on Tuesday afternoon, reassuring a market worried by the central bank's earlier inaction as the currency's fall gathered pace. Striking 58.98 per dollar at its weakest, the rupee had plunged 3.25 per cent so far this week, notching record lows for two consecutive days. Dollar-selling by state banks, believed to be acting at the behest of the RBI, prevented a fall though the 59 per dollar level, though intermittent bouts of dollar selling by exporters had also slowed the fall. The partially convertible rupee recovered to 58.39 per dollar, but it was still weaker than Monday's close of 58.15/16. "Finally the central bank stepped in. The selling was not huge but enough to cause a rebound in the rupee," said a senior dealer with a state-run bank, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.

finAnciAl Voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

Half Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

In a recent trip to St Georges Hill, Surrey, to look at a deal we have been involved in, I was introduced to a local investor who has been prolific in the area and had been one of the biggest property dealers in this location. He had suffered in the down turn, by being over exposed and more crucially by giving a personal guarantee on one of the properties he was involved with, with one of the banks he had been involved with. The area is not one I know intimately, but I have heard of it. The little I know of it is that it’s mostly a patch where Russians and footballers live; it is seen to be the place to live, as it is the last place before you hit open country and the town is one of the most leafiest in Britain. A few years ago we arranged the funding on a property here for a former politician from the former Soviet Union. The mortgage wasn’t easy as he was classed as a PEP, meaning a Politically Exposed Person. Most banks did not want to lend to him because number one he used to be a politician and secondly he was from what was deemed as a highrisk country. The last thing any lender would want is their name in a newspaper headline where it says a property has been funded by the bank and the money used was laundered; therefore many banks have the policy of not lending at all to a PEP. This means politicians who are not purchasing property with laundered money and can show that their funds are legitimate are left out in the cold. Not all lenders fortunately take this view and some were prepared to do the due diligence required in order to fund this case.

Our clien t purc hased a pro perty in St Georges Hill fo r £3.9m in 2010 spent £500k on it an d is now selling it to so me one for £7.5m. Althou gh I d on't kn ow the area well, o ne thing I do kno w is t hat these are impre ssive n umbers; clearly this is an area which rise s in sync with the prime part s of Cent ral Lond on. modern and sharp. He told me straight away this property was designed by a German who put his German efficiency stamp on the property; it wasn’t in keeping with the area and has been on the market for over a year. So the only person who seemed to appreciate the house was the German who had built it (and me). I obviously did not know what is a good house here. This means to know an area properly you need an insider who knows the patch to provide information on the real driving forces on the area. In any business you have the external appearance and the inner dynamics, what the sea looks like on the surface may be very different to the currents which go on underneath. The same is with the economy, the superficial information you get from the main stream media and what’s really driving the economy is staggeringly different. The same goes for property.

However it should be noted that the property was purchased cheaper than market value as it was repossessed by a bank. Apart from the impressive numbers this is an area I don’t know, cannot pretend to know and has different dynamics controlling it. Our dealer in Surrey happened to know about this property, and knew of the details quite well and even knew the previous owner (prior to our client) who was also a Russian. I used this as a bone to test him with, and he came back with the right information. There are some principles which are the same, as it is property we are talking about after all. But what level of demand exists and which segment of the market this comes from is important to understand. For example, if the majority of the money for these properties came from Russia then the value of the property is highly dependent upon currency exchange rate fluctuations. If it’s a school nearby that is encouraging the values, then what happens if the school relocates? The Central London market is a very different market to the rest of the UK property market; a recent Knight Frank survey points to a twotier market, Central London and the rest of the UK. Researching these locations is not always so easy, so the internet is of limited use. Many properties, including the property we had funded, were not purchased in an individual name, for example the property we arranged the funding for was purchased through a company which was wrapped in a trust. When these properties are sold it will be done by way of a share transfer, this means you will not see from the Land Registry that the property has been sold. The companies may not even be based in the UK; which adds a further layer to the transaction. When looking at some brochures of property in the area I casually pointed out a modern newly built home and remarked to the dealer that this looks very good; the inside was superb and the outside was very

It is these u nde rcu rrents t hat are important, not what’ s happen ing on t he su rface. If you dive in ju st from look ing at the su rface yo u mig ht d rown. At times some would be investors like to impart to you their words of wisdom as to why you shouldn’t go for a deal. A few years ago we had sourced a flat for £275,000, this was a three-bedroom duplex ex council property in Westbourne Grove receiving £820pw in rental income, a real cash cow; I introduced this to a client who was based in Sussex, and ran a drink business from there, he liked the figures and so agreed to have a look at the property just from the outside as he only had time on the weekends. He drove down and looked at the property and then reported back to me and stated the property was ugly. I told him he wasn't going to be living there therefore it being ugly was irrelevant. Coming from a country town in Sussex where houses have character and individuality an ex council property in a block in London obviously will seem ugly. What you really should be focusing on are the figures. This was a £42,000 pa producing property; when you take into account mortgage, service charge and management fees you're left with a £27,000 income on a £70,000 deposit. A few years of this and you will have your deposit money back. I shared my view with him, but he stuck to his guns and so we moved on. The property was sold to a veteran property investor who purchased it blind, based solely on the cash flow. He still owns the property, the rental has dropped to £500pw (because of the new government policy) which is still a good yield of 9.4%. The challenge we have is many investors come with preconceived ideas, there are two ways this can go, either they suspend these and give us the decision making power, or they enforce these ideas in making a decision in an area which they are not familiar with. They have one saving grace in that the area is going up in general anyway so they will benefit from this natural buoyancy in demand. But they are likely to miss the real cream as they hold on to their own ideas of what is a good property investment, based on previous experience in another location, or what someone else has told them. In order to master any field of activity there is a need for real guidance from someone who has walked this path, and who knows the nuts and bolts of the industry. You can save a lot of time and money by jumping on someone else’s back!

The Real Deal Ealing, London, W5 Purchase Price: £835,000 l A double fronted semi detached house with potential to extend l Four bedrooms l Freehold l Garden l Integral garage l End value after works expected to be £1.5m Call us now to reserve!

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0207 993 0103 info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

55 Bryanston Street, Marble Arch Tower, London, W1H 7AA Follow us online:

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SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l In the current environment take care of your wealth and your health, the state will not do this for you! l Property is not as illiquid as many think; potentially it can be sold quickly through an auction and possibly for more money, don’t forget you can always refinance as well.

Maria Fernandes

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

skills, and supporting small and medium sized enterprises. All this I was sure would be music to the ears of the UK India Business Council and its popular chair Patricia Hewitt. But throughout the day, one thing was obvious. At every event the Modi name (though not quite “NaMo Mantra” yet) was on virtually everyone’s lips. Overwhelmingly the consensus from the British political and business establishment was obvious – Modi’s elevation as the chairman of the BJP’s election campaign would be a game-changer. The world wants and indeed, to read between Chukka’s lines, needs to see India raise its game. I however tried to air words of caution. Had none of these great luminaries heard that 86 year old BJP patriarch LK Advani had resigned in

protest at Modi’s appointment? They all had. But as one noble Lord said “who cares – he has resigned thrice in the last 8 years. Advani is the past, Modi is the future.” I would not have been as blunt and would wish that the elder statesman of Indian politics rethinks. A day in Indian politics is a long time. Yet from London this week the expectation of a new era emerging was palpable. A new BJP (and consequently one hopes a new Congress), a new political narrative, and perhaps, just perhaps a new opportunity to spread the inclusive development that Gujarat has enjoyed to other parts of India. That can only be in the UK’s interest. In London at least I think they get it. Manoj Ladwa is a wellknown lawyer and chairman of the Labour Community Engagement Forum.

India pulls up Fitch for sharing data with US market regulator

RBI fines three banks for violating norms

maria@abplgroup.com

The positive approach t was interesting to see that a theatre IHungarian group,

Attraction, won the Britain’s Got Talent contest. This was by the votes of the public and by a wide mile was the best act, richly deserved. It was interesting because the public were not put off by the fact that it was a non-British group. The talent of this group will no doubt become world famous and Britain will bask in the glory of having made this choice. It strengthens my view that the British people’s concerns about immigration are taken out of context and exploited for political reasons by all parties who repeat this mantra so often that it has become a fact. This week has also seen the result of a survey of the 20-somethings which indicate that they are very relaxed about immigration and about change in general. A YouGov survey also showed that when the benefits of immigration are explained to the public their opposition to it sharply drops. The direction and tone of the debate will need to change if there is to be any progress and woe betides any party that ignores the importance of this issue to settled migrants. New migrants are much more likely to vote than the population

as a whole. This of course does not mean that there should not be reforms. EU citizens are not subject to any checks whatsoever and this can be a problem for those who have criminal and driving offences abroad and who live and work and drive in the country without the ability of the police to check their criminal record easily. The records of non-EU nationals are checked prior to entry and the records of British citizens are easily available. Now we learn that the police are using the immigration system to throw out those who are accused of serious crimes but not tried or in some cases not convicted. Those who practice immigration will know that this has been the case for minor offences for some years. Now the move is to apply this to more serious offences. Whilst it is undoubtedly fair for criminals to be removed from the UK where they commit crimes, there must adequate safeguards in place. Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 28 years. Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

No money to pay you, Mallya tells striking Kingfisher staff Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya told the agitating employees of Kingfisher Airlines, who began a hunger strike, that he did not have money to clear their salary dues. "I don't have the money to pay your salary dues, because I cannot use the proceeds from the United Spirits-Diageo deal for this due to an injunction from the Karnataka High Court," Mallya reportedly told the striking employees. The employees of the grounded airline have been on a hunger-strike at the Kingfisher House seeking salaries which have not been paid since last August. Mallya told the employees that the airline's chief executive Sanjay Agarwal would hold meetings with them. The employees, however, said that the meetings with Mallya earlier did not yield any results and that they would continue with their hunger strike. Last November, Mallya clinched a deal with British liquor major Diageo to sell major-

Vijay Mallya

ity 53.4 per cent stake in United Spirits for Rs 111.66 billion. The deal also involves Mallya selling 19.3 per cent of his personal/promoter holding in United Spirits to Diageo for a consideration of Rs 57.42 billion. Kingfisher employees were expecting Mallya to bring in funds from the proceeds of the Diageo deal. Driven by mounting losses, the airline, which never made any profit since inception in May 2005, has remained grounded since last October and the regulator DGCA cancelled its flying licence in December. "As many as 60-70 employees are currently on an indefinite hunger strike at the Kingfisher House near the domestic airport," sources had said.

Baroness Verma, and an array Lords including Meghnad Desai (at last once again sporting his famous Don King like hair-do), Lib Dems Navnit Dholakia and Raj Loomba, Minister Greg Barker, and Labour representatives MPs Barry Gardiner and Seema Malhotra. I did not however spot my friend Shailesh Vara, leader of the Conservative Friends of India. Earlier in the day, the CII delegation met senior LibDem and Business Secretary Vince Cable, and the Labour Party’s very own “Obama” Chuka Umunna. Chukka made it absolutely clear that the “UK must be a part of India’s amazing growth story” and listened intently the list of very credible suggestions including greater focus on high-end manufacturing, education and

By Manoj Ladwa On Monday I attended the annual reception of the Confederation of Indian Industry, at Central Methodist Hall in Westminster. The CII’s UK head Gunveena Chadha, always goes all out, and this time was no exception. Some of India’s top business leaders including heads of TATA and State Bank of India were present. Many of the Who’s Who of British India business and politics were also there, including the ubiquitous Rami Ranger,

An angry Indian government has sought an explanation from Fitch Ratings over its move to share the country's rating file and confidential data with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Sources in the finance ministry said that the government was extremely unhappy with the rating agency. The ministry has asked the rating agency to explain why it had shared confidential client information particularly when the client is a sovereign entity. The SEC is the securities market regulator in the United States. "Fitch has not responded to issues raised about the acceptance of the principle of reciprocity in sharing of confidential client information," a source said. Fitch is one of the leading rating agencies apart from Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investor Services. Sources said the finance ministry is angry

and has taken strong exception to Fitch sharing the information with the SEC. They said that information gathered by the rating agency as part of its interaction with the government was privileged and non-public information has now been released to the US SEC. Fitch Ratings could not be immediately contacted. An email seeking its response to the Indian government's move was sent to its spokesman. The government has in the past expressed its unhappiness with the methodology adopted by rating agencies and in recent months has detailed the steps taken to revive

the economy and restore the health of public finances. It has also argued for an upgrade of rating, citing the reform measures and the progress on trimming the fiscal deficit. Representatives from Fitch Ratings had visited the finance ministry on April 12 as part of their annual review of India's rating. In June 2012, Fitch assigned a BBB(-) rating on India with a negative outlook. "It is not known if the SEC has given any directions to Fitch on their rating process or the outcome of the rating with regard to the rating given to India's sovereign debt," a source said. The sources pointed out that data and information collected by rating sovereigns cannot be treated on par with information on commercial entities. Finance ministry officials have expressed concern over the rating agency's practice.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed penalties on Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank of Rs 50 million, Rs 45 million and Rs 1 million respectively for violation of anti-money laundering norms. Noting that no money laundering appears to have taken place, RBI on Monday said that a conclusive inference can be drawn only by an endto-end investigation by tax and enforcement agencies. The penalties imposed by RBI are the highest so far and come in the wake of finance secretary Rajiv Takru called for levying fines running into millions of rupees. In the past, RBI had imposed penalties of up to Rs 500,000 per offence. Since then, the level of penalties permitted has been increased following an amendment to the Banking Regulation Act. The penalties are a fallout of an RBI investigation after a sting operation exposed violations in these three banks.

JLR to launch 'Baby Jag' for the entry level premium car market

The Castle Bromwich plant of Jaguar Land Rover in the UK is the engine of the company and lately, by extension, of its parent Tata Motors also. It rolls out luxury cars under the Jaguar brand and fourwheel drive vehicles under the Land Rover brand every year. That is the present. The future or at least the future that JLR would like, is also being shaped in that factory. That future is affectionately called the 'Baby Jag' - a smaller, cheaper and more fuel-efficient version of its marquee luxury car, Jaguar, which is known for its sleek, dynamic styling and the image of a leaping cat.

In its 91-year history, across multiple ownerships, this is as significant a turn as any taken by Jaguar. By retaining its DNA, while reducing its size and price, Jaguar is looking to drive into that half of the luxury-car market it has virtually ignored this far. This is the entry-level segment, where cars cost anything from $35,000 to $50,000 and which is

almost equally divided among the German troika: Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Each sells 13-15 times as many luxury cars as Jaguar. "We know our rivals have incredible design, incredible cars to drive and incredible strength," Ralf Speth, CEO of JLR and a German, told Autocar magazine this April. "We must create something that can rival that, which means our product must be extraordinary." The "extraordinary" eluded Jaguar the last time it tried to go small. "Jaguar is too small a manufacturer to expect high volumes in these segments, where competition is already so

intense," says Alexandra Legendre, co-deputy editor-in-chief, L'Automobile Magazine, France. "The three German premium brands, before beginning to produce medium- and entry-level cars, already produced more than 500,000 cars a year each. Right now, Jaguar is not there yet." Whether the Baby Jag turns out extraordinary, we won't know till the third quarter of calendar 2014, when it is expected to hit the market. Jaguar started developing the Baby Jag about two years ago. That work is being fast-tracked now, and the car is currently being tested in Sweden and UK.

finAnciAl voice

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

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

Dollar three month low against Pound

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 11th June 2013 @ 2.30pm GBP - INR = 90.83

Last Thursday, rumours circulated in the markets that US nonfarm payroll figures were going to disappoint leading to a massive dollar sell off. The result; a three month low for the dollar against the pound and the euro and the largest fall in over three years against the Japanese Yen However the losses were erased swiftly on Friday data from the US Labour Department revealed that 175,000 jobs were added in May surpassing an expectation of 170,000. The data sustained speculation that the Federal Reserve may look to reduce its quantitative easing programme. However, despite the expansion of the job market, the unemployment rate increased by 0.1% to 7.6%. Also US showed that consumer spending fell by 0.2% in April for the first time in almost a year. Credit rating agency S&P revised its long-term outlook on the countries credit rating to stable from negative on account of its improving economic outlook and the recent strength of the US dollar. The euro zone suffered worse than expected service

data, retails sales and GDP figures last week as the economy continues to struggle. Following a sustained period of poor data from the euro zone, Thursday’s interest rate decision and Mario Draghi’s subsequent press conference was expected to weaken the euro but the speech was largely overshadowed by the movements from the US. However Draghi did state that

too much emphasis is applied to ECB member’s individual comments and opinions and that the ECB remains united in its plans going forward. Manufacturing PMI from the euro zone came in at 48.3 in May, surpassing expectations as well as showing an improvement

from April’s reading of 47.8. However whilst the figures were an improvement, manufacturing output remains contracted as it remains under the all-important 50 mark. The euro traded stronger on Friday following a string of better than expected data from Germany. Trade balance data revealed a larger surplus of €17.7bn, imports and exports

grew by 2.3% and 1.9% respectively and industrial production grew by 1% in April. The bank of England’s interest rate decision on Thursday, Mervyn King’s last, did not change as expected following a good month for the UK’s service, manufacturing and industrial

production sectors. The UK revealed that manufacturing PMI expanded for the first since January, coming in at 51.5 beating a forecasted expansion of 50.2. The pound made broad gains as the data would suggest to investors that the BoE may refrain from expanding its QE programme anytime soon. Data also revealed that the deficit of the total trade balance and goods trade balance had marginally narrowed to £2.57bn and -£8.224bn. Regarding the UK, the next big ‘risk-event’ for the pound will be Mark Carney taking over as BoE Governor from Mervyn King. Following comments made at the World Economic Forum earlier this year, it is quite clear that Carney is an advocate for utilising monetary stimulus to boost economic growth. Given this, there have been fears amongst investors that Carney may look to expand the BoE’s current QE programme. But given the recent string of good data from the UK, Carney may reconsider this; but the uncertainty will hurt prospects for the pound.

USD - INR = 58.39 EUR - INR = 77.41 GBP - USD = 1.56 GBP - EUR = 1.17 EUR - USD = 1.33 GBP - AED = 5.72 GBP - CAD = 1.59 GBP - NZD = 2.00 GBP - AUD = 1.66 GBP - ZAR = 15.86 GBP - HUF = 351.53

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

Pakistan-Bangladesh-sri lanka

In Focus Lankan navy arrests 49 Indian fishermen

Colombo: At least 49 Indian fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lankan navy when they were fishing in the waters off the country's northern coastal areas. Ten trawlers of the fishermen were also seized by the Sri Lanka navy. Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Kosala Warnakulasuriya said 49 fishermen had been arrested on two separate occasions off the northern coastal areas of Kankesanturai and Talaimannar. While 24 of them were handed over to the Talaimannar police the rest of them were to be handed over to the Kankesanturai police. They will be produced in court and charged for violating Sri Lanka's international maritime border line, the Navy said.

31 dead as monsoon lashes Lanka

Colombo: Naval boats and helicopters scoured seas off Sri Lanka for dozens of missing fishermen, as the death toll from strong monsoon rains and winds rose to 31. The dead fishermen were listed as missing since the monsoon hit the island, destroying more than 100 houses. The monsoon hits the country twice a year bringing much-needed rain, but also frequently causes loss of life and damage to property.

Bill Gates offers to assist Pakistan in health sector

Islamabad: Former CEO of Microsoft and famous philanthropist Bill Gates has offered to extend his support to the newlyelected government of Pakistan in the health sector. In a letter delivered to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by Dr Waqar Ajmal, special representative of Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gates promised to extend financial and technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan as far as possible.

Measles kills 148 children in Pak

Islamabad: Measles has claimed the lives of 10 more children in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the past two days, taking the toll in an outbreak of the disease to 148. According to a spokesman of the health department, the death toll in Lahore alone is 80. At least 195 more cases of measles were reported in Punjab. The failure to launch an immunisation campaign against measles and the failure to purchase the vaccine were said to be the main reasons for the outbreak.

Taliban behead two boys in southern Afghanistan

Kandahar (Afghanistan): Taliban fighters beheaded two boys aged 10 and 16 as a warning to villagers not to cooperate with the Afghan government, local officials said. The boys, named Khan and Hameedullah, had travelled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said. "The boys were on their way back ... when they were stopped by Taliban insurgents who beheaded them," the chief of Zhari district, Jamal Agha, said. "Both of them were innocent children and had nothing to do with government or foreigners."

6 killed as Nato trucks attacked in Pak tribal area

Islamabad: Pro-Taliban militants attacked Nato supply trucks in Pakistan's restive tribal belt, killing six persons and injuring three, officials said. A convoy of trucks bound for Afghanistan was attacked near Landi Kotal town in Khyber Agency. About 10 men, on motorcycles, fired several rockets at the trucks and opened fire with automatic weapons. The dead included drivers and their assistants.

7 Taliban militants shot dead

Kabul: Taliban militants launched a grenade and gun attack on Kabul airport, seizing two nearby buildings and firing on military facilities before being overwhelmed by Afghan security forces. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up and all five other attackers were killed in fighting as elite Afghan troops stormed the half-built properties where the militants had holed up.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 15th June 2013

Pakistan PM Sharif allocates portfolios, keeps foreign affairs Islamabad: With new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif deciding to retain Pakistan’s foreign affairs portfolio, former minister Sartaj Aziz will play a crucial role as his advisor in charting a way forward on issues like relations with India and the US. The cabinet division has notified the appointment of the 84-year-old Aziz as adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs. Aziz served as both finance and foreign minister in Sharif ’s last term as premier in the late 1990s. Over the past few weeks, Aziz has been advising Sharif on foreign policy issues and participating in meetings with foreign envoys and visiting leaders. Sources in the PML-N said Aziz would play a major role in shaping the new government’s policy for relations with India and the US and for the endgame in neighbouring Afghanistan. Interior minister

Nawaz Sharif

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan from the Rawalpindi region, a hawk considered close to the military, will be the new government’s point man for dealing with law and order problems and a Taliban insurgency, while power minister Khwaja Asif, a former banker, has been entrusted with addressing a crippling energy crisis. Cities across Pakistan are coping with power cuts of up to 20 hours a day. Two women make it to 25-member cabinet: Twentyfive members of Sharif's

council of ministers were sworn in at the presidency last week. Among those who took oath were 16 federal ministers and nine ministers of state. They were administered the oath of office by Zardari two days after Sharif was sworn in after being formally elected the prime minister by the National Assembly or lower house of parliament. A majority of the new ministers are from Sharif's PML-N party, which swept the May 11 general election. One member each from the PML-F and National Peoples Party was included in the cabinet. The NPP has already announced its merger with the PML-N. Most of the new ministers are from Punjab, the stronghold of the PML-N. There were 19 ministers from the country's largest province, three from Sindh, two from Balochistan and one from KhyberPakhtunkhwa. Only two women - Anusha Rehman

and Saira Afzal Tarar - were included as ministers of state. Drone strike kills 9, envoy summoned: Pakistan on Saturday summoned the US envoy to protest a drone strike that killed seven people in the country’s northwestern tribal region a day earlier. “It was conveyed to the US that Pakistan strongly condemns the drone strikes which are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes was emphasized,” a foreign office statement said. It said Richard Hoagland was summoned on Sharif’s instructions and was told that Islamabad has consistently maintained that drone strikes were “counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives and have human rights and humanitarian implications”. The strike’s timing was uncomfortable for the new PM as it came a day after he took oath of his office.

China agrees to build Israel exports military economic corridor in PoK equipment to Pak: Report Beijing: China has begun discussing deals for projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India claims as its own. The Chinese foreign ministry has said China is looking forward to building an economic corridor with Pakistan, which would start in its border city of Kashgar, pass through PoK and terminate at Gwadar port in Baluchistan. Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said construction of the corridor was the most important consensus reached by the two parties during Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Pakistan. China will work with Pakistan to step-up the planning and construction of the project and make it the highlight of cooperation between the two countries, he said. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif mentioned the issue in his first speech after taking charge, and offered to build a highway and a railway link-

ing western China, and running through Pakistan from south to north. Gwadar port was built in 2006 with Chinese assistance totalling $200 million. It has proved to be largely unsuccessful because of extremely low utilization during the years it was managed by the Singapore port. Chinese companies recently took over the port's management. Pakistan is seeking additional funds from China to enlarge the port while holding out the promise of giving Chinese goods access to the Indian Ocean.

Islamabad: Israel has exported military equipment, including hi-tech gear used in combat jets over the past five years to Pakistan and Arab countries with which it has no diplomatic relations, according to a media report. The report released by Britain's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which deals with British government permits for arms and security equipment exports, said besides Pakistan, Israel has exported military equipment to Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. In 2011, Israel sought to purchase British components to export various systems to Pakistan, including radar systems, electronic warfare systems, head-up cockpit displays (HUDs), parts for fighter jets and aircraft engines, optic target acquisition systems, components of training aircraft, and military electronic systems. In 2010, Israel applied for

permits to export electronic warfare systems and HUDs with British components to Pakistan, the Haaretz newspaper quoted the British government report as saying. The report did not mention what the components would be used for though experts said they believed most of them were meant for use in the JF-17 Thunder jets developed jointly by Pakistan and China. Britain's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills oversees security exports and publishes regular reports on permits granted or denied to purchase arms, military equipment or civilian items that are monitored because they can be put to security uses. From January 2008 to December 2012, British authorities processed hundreds of Israeli applications to purchase military items containing British components for use by the Israeli Defense Forces, or to go into systems exported to third countries.

ducting Musharraf's trial at his farmhouse but it was later withdrawn after Zaidi raised concerns about his security. Zaidi also informed the Islamabad high court in writing about his security concerns. Zaidi had sought the establishment of a courtroom within Musharraf's farmhouse and a bulletproof vehicle for his personal use due to security concerns associated with the high-profile case. Reports said the administration of Islamabad had set up the courtroom and asked the cabinet division to provide a bulletproof car to the judge. The anti-terrorism court is currently located in the congested district and ses-

sions court complex in Islamabad. The administration of Islamabad recently recommended that Musharraf's trial should be held at his farmhouse because he would be exposed to threats every time he was driven from his residence to the court complex in the heart of Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban have issued at least two videos in which they threatened to kill Musharraf for carrying out operations against militants during his rule. Prosecutors have so far submitted an interim "challan" or chargesheet against Musharraf and a copy of this will be provided to the former president's lawyer, officials said.

Musharraf to be tried at his farmhouse in judges case

Islamabad: A Pakistani court allowed the trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for sacking and detaining dozens of judges in 2007 to be conducted at his farmhouse that has been declared a "sub-jail". The Islamabad high court said anti-terrorism court Judge Kausar Abbas Zaidi could conduct 69-year-old Musharraf's trial at his farmhouse in the suburb of Chak Shahzad. The court gave its ruling after its registrar and Zaidi reviewed security arrangements at the farmhouse. The anti-terrorism court is hearing a case against Musharraf for detaining dozens of members of the

Pervez Musharraf

superior judiciary after imposing emergency rule in 2007. Islamabad had no antiterrorism courts till recently and the court was created specifically for Musharraf's trial. The chief commissioner of Islamabad had recently issued a notification for con-

world

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

In Focus Indian restaurant owner beaten up in Australia

Melbourne: In an apparent racist attack, an Indian restaurant owner was allegedly beaten up and verbally abused by a group of teenagers in Australia's Ballarat near Melbourne. The 22-yearold Himanshu Goyal was allegedly assaulted while closing his Bridge Mall eatery about 9.30 pm on Friday when eight teenagers shouted racial abuse at him while another in the group punched him on face. The incident was being investigated by police and they were viewing CCTV footage and hoped to track down the attackers soon.

Bahrainis jailed for attacking Indian tailors

Dubai: A court in Bahrain has sentenced three Bahraini nationals to two years in jail for assaulting two Indian tailors in that country in a case dating back to 2011. A lower criminal court convicted the trio for attacking the Indians in August 2011 after anti-government riots had broken out Feb 14 in that Gulf nation. According to the victims, the five Bahrainis had entered their shop at Daih in north Bahrain and started attacking them.

Nelson Mandela in 'serious' condition

Johannesburg: Former South African President and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was in a "serious but stable" condition after being taken to hospital early on Saturday with a recurrence of a lung infection, the government said. The 94-year-old, who became the first black leader of Africa's biggest economy in 1994 after historic allrace elections, has been in hospital three times since December. He has been battling the infection for several days, a statement said. However, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj told local television that "doctors have assured us he is comfortable".

30 lashes, jail for Saudi who slapped wife

Riyadh: A Saudi man who slapped his wife has earned himself a flogging and jail sentence, in a rare ruling in the Gulf kingdom that imposes stiff restrictions on women. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 30 lashes. The woman, in her twenties, had lodged a complaint against her husband after he slapped her during an argument. The man admitted hitting her, saying his wife "was rude to his parents."

FBI to track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus Washington: Ten months after six worshippers died in the gurdwara shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will begin formally tracking hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindus and Arabs. An FBI advisory board meeting in Portsmouth, Virginia, voted to expand standard hate-crime incident reports used by police departments across the US to include crimes motivated by bias against the two religious groups as well as Arabs. The changes, which go into effect by 2015, follow years of pressure from civil rights groups and lawmakers. Sikh, Hindu and Arab advocates have praised the FBI decision, saying it would avoid underreporting of hate crimes and increase awareness among law enforcement personnel of their religions and cultures. "The new changes will strengthen diagnostic and deterrence efforts; increase awareness about

Sikhs among law enforcement officials nationwide; and encourage Sikhs to begin reporting hate crimes to local, state, and federal authorities," said Rajdeep Singh, director of Law and Policy for the Sikh Coalition. "While this is a monumental step forward, our work cannot end here," said Democrat Representative Joe Crowley who had, in April 2012, led a signature campaign that saw 93 members of Congress sign a letter urging the FBI to update the Hate Crime Incident Report Form to include crimes committed against Sikh-Americans. After the ruling, Crowley, along with the lone Indian American House member Ami Bera, the first Hindu-American legislator Tulsi Gabbard and five other lawmakers, circulated a letter to FBI director Robert Mueller among their House colleagues urging the FBI to urgently enact the Board's recommendation.

Suu Kyi wants to run for president Naypyidaw (Myanmar): Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi declared her intention to run for president, calling for all of the country's people to share the fruits of its dramatic reforms. Addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia in the capital Naypyidaw, the Nobel Peace laureate appealed for the amendment of the military-drafted constitution which prevents her from leading the country. "I want to run for president and I'm quite frank about it," the veteran democracy activist told delegates, as she sets her sights on elections due to be held in 2015. "If I pretended that I didn't want to be president I wouldn't be honest," she

added. The current constitution blocks anyone whose spouses or children are overseas citizens from being appointed by parliament for the top job. Suu Kyi's two sons with her late husband Michael Aris are British and the clause is widely believed to be targeted at the Nobel laureate. Changing certain parts of the text requires the support of more than 75 per cent of the members of the fledgling parliament, one quarter of whom are unelected military officials, she noted.

Washington: The US State Department renewed sixmonth waivers on Iran sanctions for China, India and seven other economies in exchange for their agreeing to reduce purchases of oil from Iran. "The United States and the international community stand shoulder to shoulder in maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program," secretary of state John Kerry said in a statement. The waivers, which the State Department calls exceptions mean that financial institutions in the consumer countries do not risk being cut off from the US financial system for the next six months. Sanctions are one of Washington's main strategies to choke funding to Iran's nuclear program, which Western countries suspect seeks to develop the ability to make weapons. Iran insists the program is for peaceful purposes. State Department and treasury officials have pushed consumer countries to "significantly reduce" their purchases of Iranian oil without defining the volumes that have to be cut. US and EU sanctions

more than halved Iran's oil shipments last year, helping to devalue the rial, the country's currency, and pushing up inflation. This May the sanctions drove the Islamic Republic's crude exports to the lowest level in decades according to industry sources and tanker tracking data. Despite the damage the sanctions have done to its economy, Iran's government has foreign currency reserves worth tens of billions of dollars with which it can fund the nuclear program. There is little evidence the sanctions have slowed the program ahead of a presidential election in Iran next week.

President Barack Obama issued an executive order imposing sanctions on foreign financial institutions that facilitate deals in the rial, which has lost two-thirds of its dollar value since late 2011. Lawmakers in Congress also hope to pass legislation this year that could further limit Iran's oil sales and reduce Tehran's access to its foreign currency accounts, mostly held in euros. The other economies the State Department renewed waivers for were South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan. Japan and 10 EU countries got waivers earlier this spring.

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South 93-year-old forced to live on terrace In Bangalore, police rescued a 93 year old man, who was chained and locked by sons, beneath water tank of the three story building he owned. Sadly, he has four sons and lives with the younger ones. His sons said that it is difficult to look after their father as he has no control over body and 'dirties the house'. Anantaiah Shetty is been chained for more than a year, neighbours alleged. "Please save me; shift me to any old age home," Anantaiah Shetty repeatedly requested police.

Rain won't go away

Every raindrop that fall on Bangalore roads will only go down the drain. But every drop that falls on the Metro corridor ends up recharging the ground water table. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) is one of the urban utilities to have adopted rain water harvesting in a massive and practical way. Byappanahalli have water tanks of one lakh litre capacity each, to store the rain water.

Jaya slams Centre for training Lankan personnel

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa slammed the Centre again, for what she termed its "astounding insensitivity" regarding providing training to Sri Lankan defence personnel on Tamil Nadu soil. She asked the Centre not to train the Sri Lankan defence personnel, until Colombo takes satisfactory and credible action to end human rights violations against Tamils. Despite the groundswell of public opinion in Tamil Nadu against continuing atrocities on the civilian Tamil population in Sri Lanka by the government, India has again invited two defence personnel to join a training.

Punjab Burail jail holds convocation For the first time, a convocation function was held at Model Burail Jail to award degrees to inmates who have passed various graduate, post-graduate and vocational courses. As many as 124 inmates, convicted of murder, robbery and kidnapping, among others, were conferred with degrees. The vocational courses included plumbing, sanitary work, baking and food preservation and fabric painting. 410 inmates have got enrolled in different educational and vocational courses and some of them would also be provided with placement services after their release.

Police inspector stabbed to death

An inspector of the Chandigarh Police was stabbed to death by a youth. Inspector Sucha Singh succumbed to the stab injuries at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). The inspector, who was in a police Gypsy, had stopped the youth and was being taken in the vehicle to the nearby police station when he attacked the inspector with a sharp-edged weapon. Afer the attack, the youth drove away in the police Gypsy.

Police turn over a new leaf

Taking a giant leap towards going green, Ludhiana police commissionerate has decided to do away with the use of paper by making every process online. The project is all set to reduce the use of over 15 lakh paper sheets in the commissionerate every month. Residents will no longer have to run from pillar to post to know the status of their police complaints as the working in the commisionerate will go online within two weeks.

Moga Is Punjabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drug capital

To make a fast buck, some persons took to illegal sand mining about two decades ago in the non-descript Daulewala village in Moga district. They have diversified into far more sinister activity of sale and peddling of drugs. Opium, poppy husk, heroin and other psychedelic substances are being sold by the residents of this village to drug addicts from not only Punjab but other states too.

www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 15th June 2013

PIL against Muslim clerics issuing divorce certificates Badar Sayeed, the first woman to head the Wakf Board and the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission in Tamil Nadu, has filed a PIL in the Madras high court to stop the practice of Muslim clerics or kazis issuing talaq (divorce) certificates. The first bench comprising acting Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan issued notice to the state and central government, returnable in two weeks. In her PIL, Badar Sayeed, who was AIADMK MLA between 2001 and 2006 and

had also served as additional advocate-general in the high court, said that though kazis had not been statutorily conferred any administrative or judicial power to issue certificates and other documents certifying or approving talaq, they had been continuing the practice unlawfully. According to her, Kazis Act, 1880 was enacted only for the purpose of attendance of a kazi at marriage, and the Act does not confer any power on them to issue certificates recognising divorces . "It has been repeatedly held that any talaq, unless preced-

ed by mediation or reconciliation, is invalid. But the kazis in Tamil Nadu are unilaterally issuing certificates and documents recognizing talaq," she said. Seeking to restrain kazis from issuing such certificates and documents, Badar Sayeed further said that kazis were judicial authorities under the Muslim Personal Law once upon a time, but their powers had been taken over by civil courts during the British rule. Even assuming that the practice of talaq in respect of personal law is constitutionally valid, whether the condi-

tion precedent for invoking triple talaq was satisfied or not cannot be adjudicated or inquired into by the kazis. Such a procedure can be conducted only by a court of law, she said. The petitioner further said that the mandatory conditions for pronouncing triple talaq are not being followed by many Muslim men and that Muslim women were left in lurch due to the lacuna. "They are asked to be satisfied by certain reliefs given under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986," she said.

Crime against women Siddaramaiah rules out increasing in Karnataka withdrawing gutka ban Even as crimes against women is raising country wide, more than 2,150 rape cases were registered in Karnataka alone in the past three years (2010, 2011, 2013). The legislature committee on women and child welfare, which tabled it report to the legislative assembly on Friday said 9,201 cases of sexual harassment and 936 dowry death cases were reported in last three years. The panel has called for the need for non-bailable warrant against accused and bringing the crime under the stringent Goonda Act. The report of the panel, headed by Seema Masuthi, looked into issues such as rape, atrocity, domestic violence, dowry harassment, child marriage and exhibition of obscene films. The panel recommended that non-bailable warrant should be issued against accused in rape cases, where doctor's report should be considered as the main proof,

and called for conduct of "Incamera proceedings" by amending the relevant law. Rape cases should be brought under the purview of Goonda Act, it said, adding, government should give compensation immediately, and provide full treatment to rape victims, whether they are women or children. Lack of coordination among police and prosecution departments, advocates and the court is the key reason for delay in disposing of atrocity cases against women, the committee felt, and urged the government to come out with solutions in this regard urgently and implement them.

Two opposition parties in Karnataka - JD(S) and BJP used two issues to take on the government in both Houses. While principal opposition party JD(S) insisted that the government delete certain remarks related to Cauvery water in the governor's address, BJP sought to move an adjournment motion against the government for its decision to ban gutka in the state, but it was rejected by speaker Kagodu Thimmappa-e When it was allowed for discussion, BJP demanded immediate withdrawal of the government notification, asserting that it will hit arecanut growers. But chief minister Siddaramaiah ruled out withdrawing the notification as the government had complied with a Supreme Court directive. The party's floor leader in the assembly chief minister Jagadish Shettar took exception to the government not taking the House into confi-

dence before issuing the May 30 notification. He charged the government with taking a hasty decision and not thinking about its impact on arecanut farmers. Visweshwara Hegde Kageri (BJP) said Karnataka accounts for 60% of the country's arecanut production and maintained there's nothing to suggest that arecanut is harmful. Kageri, a former minister who hails from Uttara Kannada district, a key producer of arecanut, alleged that a powerful lobby is behind the government's decision. What's needed is removal of harmful substances such as tobacco and nicotine from gutka, he felt. In the council, opposition leader DV Sadananda Gowda said he doesn't oppose the ban but the government should have suggested alternatives to farmers before banning it. "Karnataka contributes a major share to the country's total arecanut output," he said.

Amritsar-Kolkata industrial link Chandigarh to host first CII Tourism Fest in December

In a big push for industrialisation in the northern states, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the go ahead for the Amritsar-Delhi-Kolkata industrial corridor. It will cover the cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana in Punjab and Ambala in Haryana. According to a statement by the Prime Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office (PMO), the Prime Minister has approved the commencement of preparatory work for the industrial corridor stretching from Punjab to West Bengal by setting up an inter-ministerial group consisting of secretaries of the ministries of Industry, Finance, Road Transport, Shipping and chairman, Railway Board. This Inter-Ministerial Group will examine the feasibility of setting up this industrial corridor along with the structural and financing arrangements that would be required to operationalise it at the earliest. The IMG will give its report within a month. The Amritsar-DelhiKolkata industrial corridor is

modelled on the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) for which work is in progress. This is part of the government plan to unlock new infrastructure programmes to spur economic growth which in turn creates jobs. This project is estimated to create 3 million jobs, 5 metro networks, including bullet trains and 8-10 industrial zones. It will also lead to unlocking of new cities, creation of world class infrastructure, including airports and creation of national manufacturing zones which are large sized industrial townships. The rub off effect will be that prices of land in the vicinity of the corridor will go up as development of the corridor picks up speed. While the DMIC covers the western part of the country stretching from Rajasthan to Gujarat, the Amritsar - Delhi - Kolkata Industrial Corridor will stretch from north to east and use the Eastern dedicated Freight Corridor as the backbone.

The planned city of Chandigarh will host the inaugural CII Tourism Fest later this year. The CII's Northern Region is planning this mega event from December 5-7 to promote India as a tourism hub to local tourists as well as foreigners. Film and rural tourism will be promoted in a big way. The governments of Punjab, Gujarat, Jharkhand, MP, West Bengal, J&K and Chhattisgarh have pledged participation. Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha have shown interest as well. The festival may acquire an international flavour. Thailand has confirmed participation while Germany, Malaysia, China, Russia, Australia, USA, Canada,

South Africa, Jordan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Macau and UK are likely to join. Arjun Sharma, chairman, CII Tourism Fest 2013, said, "Through this event we hope to contribute to overall GDP growth. The aim is to showcase India as a global tourist destination by creating synergies between various stakeholders, devising enabling policies and infrastructure, and attracting investment in the tourism and hospitality sector." The event website www.ciitourismfest.com was launched recently.

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 15th June 2013

In Focus Six new ministers take oath in Maharashtra

Five NCP and an Independent legislator, were sworn in as ministers in the Maharashtra government as part of the much-awaited reshuffle. Madhukar Pichad and Shashikant Shinde of NCP and Dilip Sopal (Independent) took oath as cabinet ministers. While Suresh Dhas, Uday Samant and Sanjay Savkhare were inducted as ministers of state. These new ministers come in place of Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, Babanrao Pachpute and Laxman Dhobale, Bhaskar Jadhav, Prakash Solanke and Gulabrao Devkar.

Delhi mom drowns kids in washing machine, kills self

The woman’s relationship with her husband strained apparently beyond repair, a 27-year-old woman drowned her two children - a six-year-old daughter in a washing machine and an 11-month-old son in a bucket - and then committed suicide at her home in east Delhi's Mandawali. Sarita and Devender Yadav, 32, married in 2005 and fought often, according to neighbours. "At times, it got physical. They had a heated argument last night too," said Asha Singh, a local social worker.

No cellphones for unmarried girls, no jeans for women: BJP MP

Joining the ranks of 'self-appointed' guardians of public morality, BJP's Rajya Sabha member and Madhya Pradesh party vice-president Raghunandan Sharma has come up with bizarre suggestions to check crime against women: Girls shouldn't be allowed to use mobile phones before marriage and women shouldn't wear jeans. Sharma's gave vent to his thoughts while addressing a meeting of Brahmins in Ratlam district.

15 infants die in Purulia govt hospital Fifteen infants, admitted with various complications, have died at a government-run hospital in West Bengal's Purulia district. All the infants had complications like low birth weight, malnutrition, dehydration and meningitis. . The infants were admitted with their mothers and were treated in general beds as the hospital's neonatal unit has only ten beds.

Anna Hazare to start UP tour on June 23

Social activist Anna Hazare would start a tour of Uttar Pradesh, the fourth phase of his Jantantra Yatra, on June 23. Anna's associate Ramdheeraj said that the yatra, started with the objective of uniting youth and farmers to make the country corruption free, would enter Uttar Pradesh on the date after touring Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Four staffers killed in Mumbai IndusInd Bank blaze

Four young staffers of the IndusInd Bank were burnt to death in a major fire that broke out after an explosion in the bank's building in suburban Andheri East Mumbai. Later 20-odd employees trapped inside were rescued. However, some staffers ran helter-skelter in panic, lost their sense of direction, and could not be saved. Four employees were found dead. Seven employees were injured.

In a big victory for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party has won all the six seats (two Lok Sabha seats and four Assembly seats) in the by-polls. This includes the Porbander seat which was contested by former Congressman and now BJP leader Vitthal Radadiya. Hailing the victory as a big win for Modi, BJP leader Amit Shah said, "People have proved that Gujarat is a BJP bastion, all because of the developmental work carried out by BJP and Narendra Modi." The Gujarat by-polls were being considered as a litmus test for Congress as all six seats were held by it. For Porbandar and Banaskantha Lok Sabha seats, 30 and 37 per cent voting was registered respectively. However, for the assembly seats of

Limbadi, Morva Hadaf, Dhoraji and Jetpur 62 per cent, 64 per cent, 33 per cent and 45 per cent voting was recorded. In the state legislative Assembly of 182 members, at present BJP has 115 MLAs, Congress 57, Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) 2, Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) 2 and Independent and JD(U) has one member each member. In Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Prabhunath Singh defeated Janata Dal United candidate PK

Manmohan’s choice for foreign secy rocks MEA Mathai is set to demit The much-vaunted ministry

of external affairs (MEA) is facing a summer of discontent. While there has been a storm brewing over the appointment of next foreign secretary for several months, matters seem to have come to a head now with several top diplomats, including Sujatha Singh— the senior-most after incumbent Ranjan Mathai— threatening to resign if they are overlooked in favour of S Jaishankar, India’s ambassador to China and the Prime Minister’s Office’s choice for the top job.

office next month. It is learned that several top diplomats have officially conveyed to the government that they will quit if their claims are ignored. These include Singh, India’s ambassador to Germany. Singh was earlier looked upon as a strong contender not just because of her seniority and an unblemished record but also because she is a woman. So far only two women—Chokila Iyer and Nirupama Rao— have risen to become foreign secretary.

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Naxal attack victim V C Shukla dies

V.C Shukla, a former union minister and Congress veteran from Chhattisgarh, died in a Gurgaon hospital after battling injuries sustained in a deadly naxal attack on a convoy of party leaders on May 25, 2013. Shukla developed multi-organ failure. Severe bullet injuries and old age were major risk factors in his case, Mr. Dr. Mehta said. Mr. Shukla is survived by wife and three daughters.

Pakistan troops open fire in Poonch, one Indian jawan killed

The Pakistan Army has violated the ceasefire in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani troops opened fire in the Fauziyan sector of Poonch, killing an Indian junior commissioned officer or JCO. This latest incident comes just two days after new Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif took over. Mr Sharif has listed better relations with India as a top priority. Last week, Pakistani troops had fired at Indian positions along the Line of Control in Nawgam sector of Kashmir valley.

the state by-polls, saying it is an ultimatum to the government sitting in Delhi ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Modi, who was talking to mediapersons here on the sidelines of the chief ministers' conference on internal security, said the people of Gujarat have given a fitting reply to the Congress Party. "There was by-election in Gujarat for four state assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats. These all six seats were earlier with the Congress. Today, the people of Gujarat have given the Bharatiya Janata Party a glowing victory. The Congress Party had to face a very appalling situation. The Bharatiya Janata Party registered a grand victory in the two Lok Sabha seats," said Modi.

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Baba Ramdev to undertake proModi yatra in July

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has announced plans for undertaking a yatra or procession to mobilise support for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in July. Baba Ramdev accused some irresponsible leaders of trying to sabotage Modi's likely bid to become the country's next prime minister. Baba Ramdev described Modi as the only leader to have both guts and the courage to take on the United Progressive Alliance government, which is facing the heat over a number of corruption instances.

Shahi by a huge 1.36 lakh. This came as a big blow for the Nitish Kumar government and marked the return of Lalu Prasad as a key player. The election was very crucial for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The by-poll also tests how the JD(U)BJP alliance fares on the ground after the recent public squabbles between Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar. Gujarat by-polls verdict an ultimatum to UPA govt: Modi Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress Party following the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in

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www.abplgroup.com - asian Voice 15th June 2013

Gandhiji’s autobiography to be translated into Kashmiri ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’ life story of Mahatma Gandhi - will soon be available in Jammu & Kashmir. After growing demand from Kashmiris to print Gandhi’s autobiography in their regional language, the book is being translated by three scholars. The best translation which retains the heart of Gandhi’s teachings will be selected and printed. Managing trustee of Navjivan Trust Vivek Desai says that the Kashmiri translation of Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography aims to take the message of peace and non-violence in a state which has reeled under active terrorism for the past many years now. “Gandhi’s life would offer a solution to the problem of terrorism to the locals. We hope it helps trigger a mental thirst for peace through non-violence,” says Desai. ‘My Experiments with Truth’ is published in 15 regional languages. Kashmiri translation is prompted by persistent demand by the locals. “Every year, a big number of Kashmiris would throng our stall at National Book Fair in New Delhi and ask for a copy in Kashmiri. They insisted that Navjivan Trust print the book in Kashmiri.” The book has also been translated in Punjabi and will hit the book stalls

soon in the northern state. Meanwhile, Gandhi’s autobiography has sold over 48.60 lakh copies in the country so far. Regional translations were made available as recently as 1990 and have been top-grossers. The autobiography sells the highest in Malayalam with 18.50 lakh copies sold followed by Gujarati (6.50 lakh), Hindi (5.76 lakh) and Tamil (4.95 lakh). Least 3,000 copies of the autobiography were sold in Sanskrit language. “The regional reader base of Mahatma Gandhi is maximum in Kerala and Tamil Nadu where people have also started gifting copy of his autobiography along with wedding invitation cards,” said Desai. In Kerala, Gandhi is revered in most homes as many people had even given up their landholding following the Bhudan call by Vinoba Bhave which was conceptualized by Gandhi. Kashmiri doesn’t have a script and translators are deciding on the script to be used.

Suraj Pancholi held for abetting Jiah Khan's suicide Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi's son Suraj was arrested on Monday evening for abetting actor Jiah Khan's suicide. The action follows the delayed discovery of a letter by Jiah in which she holds an unnamed person responsible for her extreme step and mentions abortion, pain, abuse, torture and rape. Suraj, 22, was reportedly in a relationship with Jiah and was the last person she spoke to on phone before hanging herself at her residence last Monday. The police recorded Jiah's mother Rabiya's statement again, where she repeated her allegation that Suraj was the man Jiah addressed her letter to. Jiah's family found the letter in her handbag and gave it to the police. "We registered an FIR under the IPC's section 306 (abetment of suicide) on the basis of Rabiya Khan's statement and arrested Suraj. We will produce him in the Andheri court on Tuesday for remand," said senior inspector Arun Bhagat of the Juhu police station.

Suraj Pancholi & Jiah Khan

The police had initially stated there was no evidence against Suraj, but after the letter's appearance, they consulted legal experts about its contents before deciding to book Suraj. A police team went to the Pancholi residence in Juhu around 5pm and took Suraj in custody. His mother and sister followed him to the police station in a separate car; they left from there around 9pm. The police have said that before Jiah's suicide, Suraj spent two nights with her. On her last day, she phoned him, wanting to meet him, but he

refused; instead, they had an argument. The police have been examining Jiah's phone for communication details. In Suraj's phone, they found the messages the two exchanged deleted. On Monday morning, ACP (west region) Vishwas Nangre-Patil and DCP Chhering Dorje, along with other officers, visited Jiah's residence for more clues. Rabiya also held a press conference at her home, in which she reiterated that Jia's suicide was not due to a lack of assignments, but her troubled relationship with Suraj. "My point is to tell you the truth. It is being said that she was depressed and had no work, but it was not the case," Rabiya said. "She was attending at least three to four events a month. She was making money and was living comfortably in her house with two maids and even had a car and a driver. It was the insecurity that her love was not respected and recognized that was killing her day by day."

Medical tourism counter proposed at airport

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued a tender for opening a medical tourism counter - a first of its kind - at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at Ahmedabad to facilitate the international tourists get the best medical care in the city. "The aim is to improve facilities for passenger and not to earn money," said R K Singh, airport director. AAI will provide 10 sq m of space at the arrival area of the international terminal to the highest bidder.

The space will be provided at Rs 3,500/sq m/month which is much less than what AAI charges for other counters like food and hotels. "We usually charge Rs 6,500/sq m/month but for medical tourism counter, we are offering a subsidized rate," said Singh. The counter is aimed at providing the necessary information regarding the procedures, monetary transaction and international code of treatment. On being asked why will patients come to medical

tourism counter at airport when they already have a tie-up with the hospital concerned, Singh said, "People always seek better facilities. The counter will help them find the best option available for them." "If you go to a hospital, you will have to wait for your turn for long. The plan aims to do away with this waiting time. AAI has consulted with Apollo Hospitals, Shalby Hospitals and Vasan eye care for the medical tourism counter," he added.

COMING EVENT

London: Lord Bhikhu Parekh will be delivering a prestigious lecture on Gandhi in London at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday 20th June 1.00 pm. This is a special lecture arranged by the distinguished Gallery to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi. Lord Parekh will talk about the various places in London where Gandhiji stayed as a student, the people he met, the things he did, and how he discovered both Hinduism and Christianity at more or less the same time. The lecture is free though the places are limited.

Advani gives in, Modi remains BJP’s poll campaign chief Continued from page 1 Within seconds of Rajnath Singh announcing that Advani had withdrawn his resignation, Modi tweeted: “I had said yesterday that Advaniji will not disappoint lakhs of Karyakartas. Today, I wholeheartedly welcome his decision!” Rajnath Singh read out a prepared statement that said: “The BJP Parliamentary Board yesterday decided not to accept Advani’s resignation… On behalf of the party I assured Advani that his concerns about the functioning of the party would be properly addressed… Today afternoon, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat spoke to Advani and asked him to respect the BJP Parliamentary Board decision… Advani has decided to accept Bhagwat’s advice.” Advani was not present at the media briefing. Rajnath Singh said his presence would have been out of form. Rajnath Singh was flanked by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and former party president Nitin Gadkari. Neither he nor his colleagues took any questions from media persons. Singh, who appointed Modi as campaign committee chairman two days back triggering Advani's resignation, earlier ruled out a rethink on that decision. "Who is talking about changing the decision?... Where am I changing my decision," he told reporters in Banswada in Rajasthan when asked whether he would remain "firm" on his decision or change it in view of Advani's resignation. To a question on Advani, he said, "he has been our guide, is our guide and will remain our guide." Before the resolution of the issue, a

host of leaders like M M Joshi, Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Gopinath Munde, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kalraj Mishra and Gopinath Munde flocked to Advani's residence to persuade him to reconsider his decision, saying his "guidance" was required by the party. Amidst these efforts, Advani got backing from Jaswant Singh who said a solution should be found to the questions raised the veteran leader soon in the interest of the party as well as the nation. Jaswant Singh, considered close of Advani, also expressed hope that a solution would be found when asked whether Advani would reconsider his decision to quit. "A solution should be found soon to the questions raised by Advaniji. This is in the interest of the party. This is in the interest of the nation," Singh said after meeting Advani in Delhi. Sources said that Advani was mainly angry with Rajnath for not coupling the announcement about Modi with Nitin Gadkari being made the chief of election management committee for four states - Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh - going to polls this year. In January, Gadkari was denied a second term after storm over alleged deals in his Purti Group. BJP insiders said once Rajnath settled down, Advani "realised" Gadkari was a "victim" of a conspiracy and wanted some key work to be given to him. However, Rajnath thought a past chief should not be made a state in-charge. Advani agreed to Modi elevation, but wanted Gadkari rehabilitated. But again, Rajnath was not keen on two panels. Stung by the slight, Advani stayed away from Goa conclave, citing illness. His sup-

porters wanted Modi's takeover delayed but they did not openly oppose it. Rajnath then went ahead and announced Modi's name. Modi set to be PM candidate: Earlier the BJP leadership on Sunday appointed Modi as the chairman of its national election committee in a significant step towards complete compliance with the pressure from its cadre to declare the Gujarat chief minister the saffron candidate for prime ministership. The decision came in the face of resistance of Advani and marks Modi’s emergence as BJP’s preeminent leader at the expense of the former deputy PM and many others. Besides taking the party out of the long and stilllingering shadow of Atal Behari Vajpayee and Advani and enshrining cadre pressure as a major factor in Sangh Parivar’s decision-making, the big boost for Modi also heralds his rise as principal challenger to the Congress - in fact the entire “secular” end of the political establishment. Addressing party workers after the announcement of Modi’s elevation, Rajnath Singh said that he could not have ignored the wishes of millions of party workers: an assertion that was read as a message to the old guard and Modi’s peers to come to terms with the inauguration of a new phase in BJP, where the Gujarat strongman will be playing the lead role, perhaps rivalling even the RSS influence. Singh stressed that in his new role, Modi would be overseeing the party’s preparations for the coming electoral challenges. “All political parties take elections as their biggest challenge and so do we. We will move ahead with the resolve

of victory. Today I have appointed Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as chairman of the national election committee,” he said. However, the suggestion that in his new avatar Modi would be only looking after the poll preparations did not take away from the estimate that the appointment was only a precursor towards the leadership’s submission to the pressure from the saffron ranks to declare him the PM candidate for 2014 - the move as and when it is announced will force Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to quit NDA. BJP sources said that the leadership working in tandem with the RSS - wants Modi to lead the party into the 2014 polls, and there were enough pointers in public here on Sunday to back that assumption. Modi declares war, calls for Congressfree India: Hours after his elevation as the BJP’s central campaign committee chairman, Modi addressed a convention of Goa party workers, positioning himself as the BJP’s future prime ministerial candidate. And Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley showered praise on him, virtually presenting his prime ministerial candidature as a certainty. In his 50-minute speech, Modi attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government, saying they couldn’t inspire faith and projected himself as a leader who could do much better. He attacked the UPA over policy paralysis, saying power plants didn’t have coal as government didn’t take decisions, internal security and lack of credibility. He also mocked law minister Kapil Sibal, saying a lawyer-politician was unaware that sports was a state subject when he said the centre would make a law to curb match-fixing.

india

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Coal scam: CBI names Cong MP In a major embarrassment to the Congress, its MP Naveen Jindal and former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao have been accused of alleged cheating and graft by CBI in its fresh FIR in the coal scam. After registering the 12th FIR in coal block allocation scam probe, CBI sources said the agency on Tuesday carried out searches at 15 locations including residence and offices of Jindal in the national capital and Rao in Hyderabad. The agency team carried out coordinated searches at the 6-Prithviraj Road residence of Jindal and offices of his firms in Bikaji Cama place. Besides Jindal and Rao, CBI has also booked companies Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge which were allotted Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand in the year 2008. The agency also booked Jindal's companies — Jindal Realty and ND Exim and Rao's company Saubhagya Media. The agency has accused Jindal, Rao and the companies of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Pankaj Patel, Chairman & Managing Director of Ahmedabad- based Zydus Cadila; one of India’s leading pharmaceutical groups was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in Life Sciences category in the year 2010. Patel is envisaging his company to emerge as a global research company by the year 2020. By Nayan Dave

ast year Pankaj Patel, CMD and promoter of Zydus Cadila Group, was in the news for buying a jet plane and thereby joined the club of India’s elite corporate tycoons having a private aircraft. The Bombardier Challenger 604 is being used by him to reach far-flung manufacturing facilities of Zydus group spread across five Indian states – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Patel not only spearheads the group but also has been the guiding force behind the group’s phenomenal growth. From a turnover of Rs 2.50 billion in 1995, the group has posted revenue of over Rs 63 billion in 2013. His entrepreneurial vision was also acknowledged by global advisory Ernst & Young and declared him ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in the life sciences category. The pharma tycoon’s vision puts the company on global platform which was co-founded in 1952 by his late father Ramanbhai Patel, a pharmacy professor hailing from Bhadaran village in Central Gujarat, and Indravadan Ambalal Modi. Today Zydus has

operations in more than 50 countries worldwide. The group was declared as the ‘Emerging Company of the Year’ by one of India’s leading financial dailies for corporate excellence in the year 2010. Patel is envisaging his company’s turnover to cross $ 3 billion by the year 2015 and emerge as a global research driven company by 2020. The company’s portfolio includes vaccines and SugarFree, India’s top selling sugar substitute. Born in 1951, Patel holds Master of Pharmacy degree from Gujarat University. With an experience spanning over 35 years in the pharmaceutical industry, he combines both research and technocommercial expertise. His son Sharvil has already joined him in the business and is deputy Managing Director of the company. The company holds a commanding position in the domestic pharma industry sweepstakes. Globally, the group has strong presence in the regulated markets of the US, Europe, Japan and high profile markets of Latin America and South Africa. The drug maker has also a strong presence in other 25 emerging markets across the world.

CMs of non-Cong states oppose National Counter Terrorism Centre

Chief ministers belonging to parties not partners or allies of the ruling UPA alliance at the centre expressed strong reservations over the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), arguing that the mooted set-up was against the principle of federalism. Many chief ministers of opposition parties also pointed out that Naxalism was one of the biggest security threats facing the country. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi said: "On the NCTC, I think the new draft circulated has taken into consideration some of the concerns raised by the states. However, even on the new draft, some concerns remain. We have strong reservations about the proposed structure and functioning of the NCTC." He said: "The proposed structure of the NCTC is not in congruence with the principles of federalism and the clear division of powers between the union and the states as envisaged under the constitution, as it essentially creates a federal police, a concept totally alien to our country". Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar stuck to the apprehensions he had

expressed on the NCTC last year. "I had expressed serious apprehensions about the structure, powers and functions of the proposed NCTC. The draft order still suffers from several serious flaws," he said at the Chief Ministers' Conference on internal security here. Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar said: "The state government fully appreciates the need for an effective mechanism for sharing intelligence between the centre and the states. However, the state government had expressed opposition to the manner in which the Ministry of Home Affairs had sought to set up the NCTC". The chief ministers identified Naxal violence as one of the biggest security threats facing the country. Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh said: "Naxalism is the biggest threat to internal security. It is not just Chhattisgarh's problem, but that of several states. It requires a single national policy to tackle this menace." Modi claimed that the equitable distribution of benefits of development and progress to remote parts of his state had frus-

trated the designs of Leftwing extremist organisations in Gujarat, but the unveiling of an urban plan by the CPI (Maoist) was a matter of serious concern. "The spread of the benefits of development and economic progress to even the remotest parts of the state and a pervasive sense of socio-economic well-being have been the prime factors which have repeatedly and resolutely frustrated the designs of left-wing extremist organisations trying to enter Gujarat," he said. The Gujarat chief minister emphasised deterrence mechanisms, with a national policy of zerotolerance towards terrorism. He said: there was a need for a "clear legal framework against terror with a strong anti-terror law as its cornerstone, securing porous land and sea borders from cross border threats, tracking and checking cross-border infiltration". The NCTC is a proposed federal anti-terror agency to be created in India. The proposal came up after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but has met much criticism from the chief ministers of various states who see the move as a means to weaken India's federalism.

Zydus pioneers a breakthrough in treating Diabetic

n a major development, Zydus Group gets nod of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch the world’s first drug for treating diabetic Dyslipidemia – which combines lipid and glucose lowering effects in one single molecule. “LipaglynTM provides patients suffering from diabetic dyslipidemia the option of a once-daily oral therapy that has the beneficial effect on both Pankaj Patel lipid parameters as well as glycemic control,” said Pankaj Patel. "It has always been our dream to take a molecule right from the concept stage up to its launch. Today, we have realized this dream. It is an important breakthrough and I would like to dedicate this to all the Indian research scientists in the field of drug discovery,” Patel added. World over, it is estimated that 30% of all deaths occur due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In India, one out of every five person is in serious risk of developing CVD. Research has shown that diabetes is one of the major risk factors of CVD. India has a population of nearly 65 million diabetics and 77 million pre-diabetics. Almost 85 - 97% of the diabetes patients suffer from dyslipidemia or lipid abnormalities. Hence, addressing the problem of diabetes and dyslipidemia is crucial in tackling the health risk posed by CVD. group’s state-of-the-art R&D centre to make Zydus a global research driven company. Besides, around 15,000 people are working with the group worldwide,” said Patel.

“We have team of around 1,000 research professionals spearheading research and development programmes. Of these researchers 400 scientists involved in the

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Pankaj Patel is actively involved in many educational institutions. He is on the advisory committees and academic councils of several educational institutions. He is chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata. Patel is a member of the board of governors and also the chairman of the finance committee of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Patel is also currently on the governing board of The Ahmedabad University and a member of the Board of Management of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management studies. He also holds key positions in several business and industries associations. Currently he is the chairman of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Gujarat state council. Patel had also spearheaded India’s apex pharma body – The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance. He is the executive chairman of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, a regional cancer centre and one of the largest cancer centres in India, which is reaching out of the needy and underprivileged cancer patients.

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travel & women

www.abplgroup.com - asian voice 15th June 2013

Purvi Apurva Shah

Ajitnath – a ‘must visit’ temple on Gujarat travellers’ circuit

Jatinga, where birds commit suicide?

AV Correspondent

turbing occurrence - the 'mass suicide' of hundreds of birds. Locals have been witnessing the eerie phenomenon from September to November for the last couple of years. As the sun sets, hundreds of birds descend on the village and fly full speed towards buildings and trees, crashing to their deaths. The repeated episodes are confined to a 1.5 km strip of the village. With lush greenery and plentiful freshwater, Jatinga, the headquarters of the Dima Hasao district, is a resting place for many migratory birds. Haflong is 350 km from Guwahati.

Taranga, is the temple devoted to Ajitnath, the 22nd Tirthankar of Jains. One of the most beautiful locations, the temple is a "must visit" on a Gujarat travellers’ circuit. Though the hills are not high, only 365 metres (1,200 ft), they offer a marked change from the surrounding region, due to their atmosphere and panoramic views. The highlights of the temple are its huge pillars, softened by the beautiful carvings over them. In the centre is the octagonal nave topped by a beautifully decorated carved ceiling, 11mts in diameter. The porches on the sides are large and spacious with equally impressive columns. The temple, which has retained its original form and design, has a storeyed arrangement both inside and outside. The upper storey is concealed from the view and is accessible only by a very uncomfortable ladder. It is therefore considered a secret storey. Wooden bars are used to support widely separated walls. In the center of a huge plateau at the peak of Mount Taranga stands this beautiful temple of light sandstone, 45 m long and 30 m across. The large temple spire is supported by enormous pillars with beautiful maidens in winding, supple movements, figures carrying musical instruments, and topped by round lotus capitals. The exterior walls are also replete with figures carved in life-like poses and 12thcentury dress and ornamentation. The central image of Bhagvan Ajitnath in lotus position, a 5 m statue carved from a single block of white marble, sits amongst breathtaking carvings and is among the tallest Jain sculptures in India. The soul that became Bhagavan Ajitnath, in its earlier incarnation, was the great king Vimalvahan of Susima city in Mahavideh area- he led a sanctimonious life inspite of all the riches and princely grandeur. Due to his pious practices he purified his soul to that extent where he could get the Tirthankar name. History: Ajitnath discarded all the worldly things attached to his body, plucked his hair and recited 'Namo Sidhanam' and disappeared. From village to village, jungle to jungle, Ajitnath tried to spread the words of

he tranquillity of Jatinga, a scenic village nestling among the Borail Hills T range, is shattered every night by a dis-

Birds that have been sighted here over the years include the kingfisher, Indian pitta, green breasted pitta, green pigeon, black drongo, racket tailed drongo, whistling ducks, spotted doves, emerald doves, and grey heron. "It is not a suicide, to be precise. But the fact remains that birds are attracted by light and fly towards any object with a light source. This phenomenon still puzzles bird specialists. The 'suicide', however, is just a part of the mystery. The more baffling question is why birds fly after sunset at all, as reserach shows that most birds are diurnal, that is, active only during the day. "The most puzzling thing about this phenomenon is that so many species of diurnal resident birds should be on the move when, by definition, they should be fast asleep. The problem deserves a deeper scientific study from various angels. Jatinga was originally inhabited by the Zeme Nagas, who came across the bird phenomenon while guarding their paddy fields on a moonless, dark night. Frightened, the Nagas sold the land to Jaintias and left the place way back in 1905. Jaintias, the new inhabitants of Jatinga, also witnessed the phenomenon but interpreted it as a gift from the gods. The phenomenon has generated tremendous interest in wildlife circles A gujarati pickle enjoyed best with khakhras and dry snacks Ingredients: 1/2 cup castor oil 700 to 800 gms mustard (rai / sarson) oil 300 gms raw mango , peeled and chopped 50 gms salt , dry roasted 200 gms fenugreek seeds (methi) powder 1 tbsp asafoetida (hing) 4 red chillies 50 gms chilli powder. Method: Both the oil have to be heated in different pans. Mix the mangoes with2 tsp of oil and mix well. Keep aside. Place the fenugreek powder in a deep bowl, make a depression in between and put the asafoetida and red chillies and the heated oil and mix well. The mix has to be cooled down and then put

across the world and has made Jatinga world famous. The earliest reference to this phenomenon was made by E.P. Gee, a British tea planter in his book "Wild Life of India" in 1957. The Zoological Survey of India had sent a team to visit the place in 1977. Later, leading ornithologists from Europe, the US and Japan too studied the mystery. However, no case of migratory birds plunging to their deaths has been recorded yet. Some bird specialists attribute the phenomenon to the electro-magnetic forces of Jatinga, which is surrounded by geographical faultlines all round. But no conclusive evidence has emerged till now. The deaths, though perplexing, are not mourned. Locals are quick to trap the birds using bamboo sticks, which are then consumed with relish.

Jatinga Hills

Gopal Sainshai, a local resident, said in an Interview, "Over the years, the number of birds coming here has not decreased. I have seen many such birds." Those desiring a first-hand experience of the phenomenon can visit Haflong - with Silchar (110 km) and Guwahati (350 km) being the two nearest airports. If travelling by train, board a broad gauge train from Guwahati till Lumding, from where another metergauge train will take you to Haflong. The route from Lumding to Haflong passes through many tunnels and it is an exciting journey somewhat resembling the Kalka-Shimla track. By road, it takes around 10-11 hours as you have to negotiate bumpy roads.

Mango pickleGujarati style

red chillie powder and salt, mix well and allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add mango pieces, mix well and keep covered for 36 hours and fill in the glass bottle upto half and press well. Add the remaining oil, mix well and keep stored in an air-tight container. Make sure you do not leave the mangoes watery.

Health benefits: Raw mangoes are also rich in iron and other minerals, which are important for blood cell formation and metabolism.

jitnath Temple, located at 56 km from Mehsana, A nestled in the hills of

Sidhas. Such was the power of his words that all the natural enemies like lion and cow, wolf and deer, snake and mongoose used to sit around him peacefully and hear him speak. Ajitnatha was the second Jain Tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Ajitnatha was born to King Jitashatru Raja and Queen Vijaya at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. Birth of Bhagvan Ajitnath: Queen Vijaya Devi saw 14 auspicious dreams. Vaijayanti, the wife of king Jitshatru’s younger brother, Sumitra, also saw the same 14 dreams. This was a queer coincidence. When the learned men were consulted they said that Vijaya Devi would give birth to a Tirthankar and Vaijayanti to a Chakravarti. During the queen’s pregnancy, the influence of king Jitshatru was enhanced to such an extant that even the enemy kingdoms sought and negotiated friendly treaties with him. It became a common practice to say, "King Jitshatru is invincible (Ajit)." The queen gave birth to a son on the eighth day of the bright half of the month of Magh. Inspired by the popular lore, the king named the new born as the Ajit. The same night Vaijayanti also gave birth to a son who was named Sagar. Then both the princes came of age and were married. Time passed with the fusion of happiness. When king Jitshatru became old and wanted to devote the last part his life to spiritual pursuits, he called his younger brother and asked him to take over the throne. Sumitra had no desire for the kingdom; he, too, wanted to become an ascetic. Both the princes were called and offered the kingdom. Ajit Kumar was a naturally detached person since childhood, and so he too declined. At last prince Sagar ascended the throne. Ajit Kumar became an

ascetic in his youth and went into remote and dense forests for his meditation and penance. His personality and the intensity of his lofty practices cast a pacifying influence all around. Natural enemies in the animal kingdom, like the lion and cow, wolf and deer, snake and mongoose used to come and sit around him peacefully. After a 12-year period of deep meditation and other spiritual practices Ajit Kumar attained omniscience on the 11th day of the bright half of the month of Paush. The gods created the divine pavilion and Bhagawan Ajitnath gave his eloquent and magnetic discourses. Thousands of people accepted the path of renunciation. King Sagar, during this period, conquered the six continents and became Chakravarti. King Meghvahan and Vidyadhar Bhim, the ruler of the island of Rakshasas (demons), were the illustrious contemporaries of Emperor Sagar. Once they went to a discourse of Bhagavan Ajitnath. There, Vidyadhar Bhim was drawn towards spiritual life. He became so detached that he gave his kingdom including the famous cities of Lanka and Patal Lanka to king Meghvahan. He also gave all his knowledge and miraculous powers to Meghvahan. He also gave a divine necklace of nine large and shining beads. Meghvahan was the first king of the Rakshas clan in which the famous king Ravana was born. Death of Sagar’s 60,000 sons: Emperor Sagar had thousands of queens and 60,000 sons. Eldest among them was Janhu Kumar. Once all the princes went for an outing. When they arrived at the base of Astapad hills, they dug up large ditches and canals. In their youthful abandon they flooded these canals with the water of river Ganges. This flash flood inundated the houses and villages. The unruly princes lost his temper and turned all the 60,000 princes to ashes.

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