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VOL 44. ISSUE 2

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Rupanjana Dutta

The British Asian community is overjoyed at the latest appointment of the first ever Indian-origin woman MP to the Tory Cabinet. Priti Patel has become the Minister of State for Employment and will attend Cabinet, emerging as an inspiration to many Asians, especially women (including mothers), who now dream to join politics and believe that Britain can definitely have a Prime Minister, from their community.

Sajid Javid, another inspiration for the community has gone on to become Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills in the new governPriti Patel addressing the guests at the IJA ment of Prime Minister David Sajid Javid at Parliament Square during Annual Dinner in December 2014 the Gandhi statue unveiling Cameron. They are perhaps also the first cabinet Ministers withAnjana in 1970, also from Kampala, Nathabhai Patel, an Aeronautical out any Oxbridge education, to take Uganda, with roots in Sunav, engineer, originally from Tarapur, charge of such important portfolios.

Gujarat.

Gujarat, came to Britain from Educated at a grammar school in Kampala, Uganda in 1965 for further Continued on page 13 Watford and Keele University, where studies. He married Priti's mother Election Special page 16-18 she studied economics, sociology and social anthropology, Priti joined ASIAN VOICE GOT IT RIGHT the party under John Major. Married with a son, Miss Patel is the daughIn our 2 May issue, we predicted the prospects of the South Asian MPs ter of Ugandan Asians who ran a (pg 17) in this general election. Where most pollsters and pundits failed to post office in rural Norfolk, followed read the pulse of the people, Asian Voice managed to get it right regarding by a small shop in London. Her the outcome of these MPs’ fortunes. father Sushilbhai Kantibhai The list is still available on our website for reference.

Salman’s conviction stayed, out on bail The Bombay High Court has suspended the 5-year sentence handed out to Bollywood star Salman Khan in the 2002

Continued on page 26

Salman Khan

Jaya likely to return as Tamil Nadu CM

J Jayalalithaa, who was acquitted in a corruption case on Monday, is set to return as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The swearing-in could be held on May 17, an auspicious date, said Continued on page 26

Jayalalithaa

Fresh quake kills 42 in Nepal, 17 in India

A powerful earthquake jolted mountainous

Nepal on Tuesday,

Continued on page 26

2

UK

George Cross medal returned to World War hero's widow

A George Cross medal was stolen from Brahmi Devi (82), a destitute widow of a Second World War hero. The medal was stolen from her in 2002 and was recently returned to her in a ceremony in the Himalayan foothills, after a long legal battle, which was waged on her behalf by the Indian Government, Scotland Yard detectives and a British Barrister.

About 500 villagers attended the ceremony to watch Britain's Defence Advisor in India, Brigadier Brian McCall hand over the medal to Brahmi Devi. Brigadier McCall expressed that this medal carried a story of “service, of honour and gallantry that paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

The event also coincided with the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of VE Day, where they emphasised the courageous contribution of Indian soldiers in both the First and Second World War.

Stolen George Cross returned to Brahmi Devi

Brahmi Devi's husband, Naik Kirpal Ram fought against the Japanese forces in Burma. He had returned to an Indian training camp in 1946, when he saw a stray live grenade and threw it away to save his comrades.

The grenade exploded and caused his death. The Viceroy, Field Marshall Lord Wavell awarded him with the George Cross for “most conspicuous bravery in carrying out hazardous work.”

Islamic centre applies to increase capacity The Al-Huda Islamic Centre, an Islamic cultural and educational centre in Chadwell Heath has applied to increase the number of people permitted at the centre.

The Islamic Centre, which was a former police station on Wangey Road, has applied to increase the

Brigadier Brian McCall returning the medal to Brahmi Devi

capacity from 60 (a figure originally agreed by the council) to 150 people during Eid, despite residents' concerns regarding traffic.

The residents who live near to the Al-Huda centre have expressed their concerns several types regarding parking and

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Ex-Tory Councillor could face jail for lying about qualifications

Former Conservative Councillor, Monika Juneja (36) could be facing imprisonment after admitting to lying about being a qualified barrister in order to thrive.

The court was told that Juneja, who had become the deputy leader of the Conservative group at Guildford Borough Council had repeatedly told lies about her degree and law qualifications.

She was exposed by constituents living in green belt areas. They began looking into her background after raising several complaints regarding her work analysing areas of land for development.

Juneja began a degree in Sociology and Law in 1997, switching midway to Sociology and received a third-class degree.

She wanted to take a bar course and forged a letter from the university in order to get a place at BPP Law School because one must have at least a second-class degree to be accepted at the law school.

Juneja began the course in September 2001, yet failed three

attempts at completing course modules successfully. She was consequently declared not competent in law in July 2003.

Furthermore, she went on to forge another document from BPP Law School. The document stated that she received a final assessment of very competent in law.

Prosecutor, Kate Wilkinson stated, “It is right to say that she [Juneja] is not entitled to call herself a barrister in any sense.”

Monika Juneja pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery, dating back to 2000; obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception and a charge of “wilfully pretending to be a barrister” between January 2010- May 2014.

Parents will be fined £60 by schools if their children are continuously late for registration.

The £60 penalty will double if not paid within 21 days. Parents who refuse to pay could be prosecuted and even jailed.

Parents' groups have criticised this ploy, saying that the fines will end up punishing the children, not their parents.

Margaret Morrissey, from Parents Outloud, a campaign group stated, “For some families, the money they will be fined will be very important to them and it will be the children who lose out.”

In 2003, Labour introduced laws where parents could be fined for the regular truants of their children. In 2013, the Government got rid of their discretionary power, which allowed children to take off up to ten days during term time.

Ultimately, this led to approximately 64,000 fixed-penalty notices being issued in 2014.

About 500 primary and secondary schools in Hampshire have written to parents, warning them that from September 2015, parents will be find if their children are late for school more than ten times in a term.

Monika Juneja

Parents to be fined £60 for children's lateness

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A resident of Cedar Park Gardens, Natalie Powell expressed that the site was “highly inappropriate” and that there would be an “adverse effect on the residents of Cedar Park Gardens.”

She further stated, “I strongly argue that an additional Islamic centre will only add to this struggle and the police station is not the best location for it.” The Islamic centre was granted permission in 2014, subject to several conditions. The condition included that no more

than 60 people should be allowed on the premises.

According to the council, the reason for this condition was to prevent the building from causing “undue disturbance” to the residents at “unreasonable hours of the day.”

However, the centre has now applied to increase the capacity.

Chadwell Ward Councillor, Aziz Choudhury very openly supported the centre's application last year. He said, “I am supportive of the organisation and particularly it’s empowerment of women. I will wait to see the planning officer’s full report.”

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

COMMENT

Cameron pulls off a Houdini

David Cameron is back in 10 Downing Street for a second five-year term as Britain’s Prime Minister, having pulled a Conservative rabbit out of his hat and confounded friends and foes and neutrals alike. Against the predictions of pollsters this General Election was not a close call: Labour was soundly trounced, the Lib Dems were banished into outer darkness, and UKIP emerged with a solitary MP despite winning four million votes – a reflection surely of the anomalies of an electoral system needing close critical scrutiny. The exit polls got the result right, saving pollsters their blushes. Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage fell on their swords and resigned as respective leaders of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) . Mr Cameron’s Conservatives have a clear, if narrow majority in the House of Commons. The Conservative message of economic growth through austerity conveyed clarity and conviction; Labour’s lacked both, and it told. In foreign policy and immigration there was little to choose between the two, and that told, too. That said, Mr Cameron has his work cut out. Having promised a referendum on Britain’s continued membership of the European Union, he may have opened a can of worms whatever its result. John Major, in 1992, with a larger majority than Mr Cameron, presided over a fractious Conservative party deeply divided on Europe.

The truly astonishing aspect of the election was the massive and unprecedented mandate given to the Scottish National Party (SNP) by the people of Scotland. In the previous general election of 2010, Scotland returned six MPs to Westminster; that number has now increased to a staggering 56 of the 59 seats contested. Labour, which once ruled the roost north of the border, has only one MP, a fall from grace echoing that of the Archangel and certain to leave its mark on the future of the Union. It is true that Scottish independence wasn’t an election issue, but the subject looms ever larger, with the possibility of a second referendum after the elections to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.

As it stands, the ground reality is that of two distinct nations with contrasting social and political visions, with opposed views of their place in the global order. The SNP is firmly rooted to the values

of the welfare state, to increased public spending on health and education, a non-nuclear defence force and avoidance of an interventionist foreign policy crafted by the United States that has reduced the Greater Middle East to a ruined hulk.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has issued a welcoming call to Indian students to make Scotland’s world class universities their primary destinations, promising easier visa requirements than those unwisely put in place by the Cameron government.

Scotland clearly wishes to rid itself of the trappings of empire camouflaged in the velvet dressing of a great power lording over benighted humanity.

Among Mr Cameron’s first statements on taking office was his promise to devolve more powers to Scotland, to pay greater heed to Scottish voices, to keep faith with his goal of one nation ergo the United Kingdom. Is this too little, too late?

The alienation of Scotland began in the Thatcher years with the cavalier treatment meted out to the Scottish shipbuilding and coal mining industries and much else besides. Will Scotland return to the political paradigm of pre-1707, when the Act of Union with England was signed, making the country a junior partner in the British imperial enterprise. Scottish engineers, entrepreneurs and administrators left their mark across the world, from Canada to India and beyond.

Scotland and its people are spreading their wings in a post-imperial age. Whether they will continue to do this within a reformed United Kingdom or as a sovereign state only time can tell.

With election fever subsiding, it is time to reflect on the splendid showing of British Indians who stood as parliamentary candidates, of whom 10 were elected from both the main parties, Conservative and Labour. This is a stirring tribute to multicultural diversity and the shared values of free discourse within the rule of law, and the level playing field that encourages talent, is a spur to individual and collective achievement.

P.S. While the leaders of the three losing parties, Messrs Miliband, Clegg and Farage, resigned almost immediately the results were announced, in India Rahul Gandhi continues regardless, after his Congress was reduced from a party with 206 seats in Parliament to a derisory rump 40. Shameless, brainless, clueless: that is the man.

The rule of law requires that justice must be done, and seen to be done, for all citizens regardless of wealth, status, caste or race. Also, justice delayed is often justice denied. The recent trial of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has brought these fundamental principles into the public domain. It is alleged that Mr Khan, while returning home from a party under the influence of alcohol drove his car onto a pavement in Mumbai late at night killing a homeless vagrant and seriously three other men nearby. The incident occurred in 2002, yet it has taken 13 years for the authorities to press charges against him. Following the trial, the Sessions judge found Mr Khan guilty of homicide and gave him a five-year prison sentence. In response to an appeal on his behalf, the Bombay High Court granted him bail and suspended his sentence, pending the hearing in July.

Meanwhile, Mr Khan’s legion of admirers, perceiving the law to be an ass, have advanced specious reasons for his permanent release. They point to his much admired philanthropic work for the poor and much else. To them the whole affair was an unfortunate accident and should be treat-

ed as such. However worthy an individual Mr Khan may undoubtedly be, and however many the good causes he espouses, he has to answer to a court of law for the death of an innocent man who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It has taken over a decade for the case to come to court and judgment to be passed.

It was broadly so with Sanjay Dutt, another Bollywood star, whose father Sunil and mother Nargis were legends of the screen. Sanjay Dutt committed serious felonies, but due process proved dilatory and it took years before he was brought to justice, tried and sentence to a term of imprisonment. As with Salman Khan, a few prominent voices in public life pleaded perversely for Dutt’s release. Finally, in the notorious case of Jessica Lal, whose murderers belonged to the super rich Delhi elite and could pay to avoid police scrutiny, a brave and persistent media exposed the brutal truth and helped bring the guilty to justice and jail.

The one ray of light and hope was that the guilty were ultimately brought to justice. We must now move to speedy justice.

It was once a rural Assamese backwater where time had stood still for as long as anybody there could remember. Then came a road that opened up the opportunity for men, women and children of an obscure Assamese village, of an equally obscure district to make their tryst with a world they had never seen, let alone experienced. Then, all of a sudden life in the village of Niz Pokowa in Nalbar changed. A 2,376 kilometre road sprung up courtesy the Asian Development Bank. “It has been three years since we got this road running through our village and, yes, is has changed the scenario totally,” said 35 year-old Ranjit Baishya, a worker at a rice mill that came up in the wake of the road.

Before the road, there was just a narrow, broken

track – a quagmire during the rains, a dust bowl in the dry seasons. The mill today has become a magnet for local business, said its proprietor. It has become a hub for poultry farmers. There has been a rolling effect as surrounding villages have linked up; one with a large square has a passing resemblance to an urban shopping mall. Pottery, stitched apparel and the like provide an income for people who once eked out a precarious existence. A secondary school has been set up. Instead of wading through a foot of water to get to our classes, it is now a breeze getting there, explained a youthful teenager. See what a stretch of road can do to empower small communities. That’s the first rung of development.

Rule of law must prevail

The road to a better life

3

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

- Nelson Mandela

Lord Dolar Popat

of Harrow, Government Whip and Lord-in-Waiting with responsibilities for Business and Transport

A British Indian Success As the country woke up on Friday morning to the brilliant news of a Conservative majority Government, the analysis of how the result came started in earnest.

Some of the contributing factors were easy to identify: the strength of the economy; David Cameron’s leadership qualities; the rise of the SNP. But one shift in electoral behaviour has so far slipped through the net; the British Indian community supporting the Conservative Party in force.

Marginal constituencies in London like Harrow East, Hendon, and Finchley and Golders Green all saw huge increases in the number of British Indians supporting David Cameron.

This is my 9th election campaign and I’ve worked for over thirty years to try and bridge the gap between my Party and my community. Regular readers will know I have long-talked about the shared values between the two.

It is striking that so many of the potential Labour Party leaders have come out since Thursday and identified that they were not the Party of aspiration, one of the values British Indians value so highly.

Similarly, the Conservatives and the British Indian community have in common a love of entrepreneurship, and understand the importance of communities, faith and education.

Michael Gove’s reforms since 2010 have been hugely popular with British Indian parents.

These shared values have been highlighted and reinforced by the engagement work of David Cameron and Lord Andrew Feldman,

the Conservative Party Chairman. Andrew has personally overseen the Party’s work to reach out to the British Indian community, and it has paid off.

The launch of the Conservative Friends of India in 2012 helped, and the CF India video ‘Neela hai Asman’ was an international – and viral – success in the weeks leading up to the election.

What’s more, this trend is unlikely to change. As I type, Priti Patel has just been appointed as Minister for Employment and will join the Cabinet, having played an integral role in the Party’s national campaign.

Rishi Sunack has been elected as MP for Richmond, and a generation of new candidates like Resham Kotecha are coming through.

Similarly we’re seeing a rise in Conservative British Indian Councillors like Ameet Jogia, Meenal Sachdev, Hiten Ganatra and many others.

Add them to our existing MPs Alok Sharma and Shailesh Vara, and Mayuri Parmar, the brilliant CF India Director, and the relationship between British Indians and the Conservatives will only strengthen.

Before the election campaign I dreamed of a Conservative majority because I believe it is the best thing for our country. What I didn’t envision was that the British Indian community would be one of the driving causes behind it.

This is a victory to celebrate for our community, for our country and for years of hardwork from many inside the Conservative Party.

Long may it continue!

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4

MIDLANDS VOICE

Young entrepreneur at 16, balances two worlds successfully

16 year old Nina Devani, is what every teenager aspires to become- a successful and popular business-person before even turning 18!

Nina founded DevaniSoft two years ago, in Leicester, with it's offices in Oxford street, and has been running her business alongside her Alevel education.

Her achievement was recognised last month when she was shortlisted in the First Women: Young Achiever category of the Real Business First Women Awards, which celebrate the achievements of inspirational women from businesses and professional sectors.

Nina reportedly said: "I feel very proud. When I look back, I don't realise how far I have come. You don't realise how you are progressing and improving. It is really nice to be recognised for your achievements."

DevaniSoft provides an Android app and PC software called 'Prompt Me Nina', which people can install to remind them the various passwords they have to remember on a daily basis. If you down-

Nina then started looking for an investor, and found someone who did the coding for the software, while she worked on the design, the screens and the user experience.

She tries to balance her homework with her business, often uses her lunch hours and free periods too.

A confident Nina manages both worlds well.

"When you have that routine in place, you can just keep going. I also still have a social life," she added.

Rahees Iqbal

ing, said the incident took place on April 23 on a

Sikh optician kills daughter-in-law's father

A Sikh optician, Naunihal Singh (54) was arrested for slitting his daughterin-law's father, Ujjal Singh's (63) throat after a drunken row.

It is said that during the row about his daughter not having children, Ujjal Singh had accused his son-in-law, YawinderPal “Monty” of “firing blanks”.

It is said that as Ujjal Singh lay in bed, Naunihal Singh sat at the kitchen table drinking vodka before taking a kitchen knife from a drawer. He went into the bedroom, grabbed Ujjal Singh's jaw and slit his throat.

Hindu group to bid for new school in Leicester

Nina Devani

load this software, every time you open up an application that requires a password, a reminder will pop up.

Nina came up with this business idea after her dad said how frustrated he was with struggling to remember his different passwords. Nina told Leicester Mercury: "I came up with an idea to set up a reminder...

"My dad said, 'do it'.

He is an entrepreneur and businessman, so I have always had that in my family."

Drunk plane passenger faces jail after causing 'flight terror'

A 19 year old drunk man who brought terror to a Birmingham-bound flight with his abusive and aggressive behaviour is facing jail. A court was told that Rahees Iqbal’s drunk antics on an Emirates flight caused fear to both passengers and crew. The 19-yearold, who was allegedly drunk on vodka and miniature bottles of Baileys, shouted abuse during much of the flight and had to be handcuffed by police when the flight landed at Birmingham.

John Dove, prosecut-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Naunihal Singh

Naunihal Singh pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court and was jailed for at least 17 years and 39 days.

flight which left Dubai at 16.10. Iqbal's irritable behaviour allegedly involved fowl and threatening words, aggressive rants and resisting arrests.

Mohammed Fiaz, defending, reportedly said Iqbal, who had previously trained to be a plumber, was coming back from a five week holiday in Pakistan. Iqbal has pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court. He added: “He was suffering from a migraine, was taking tablets and was dehydrated. He is not normally used to alcohol.

“He is a social drinker.

He wants to apologise to all the people involved.”

District Judge Ian Strongman adjourned the case until May 29 for reports to be prepared. But he said that even after a guilty plea sentencing guidelines indicated a six month sentence.

Pradip Gajjar

Later this month, a Hindu group will be making an application to create a new free school in Leicester. The Avanti school trust is planning to open a new school that would educate pupils from 4-16 years of age.

The group already runs the Krishna Avanti Primary in Evington, which opened in 2011 and is reportedly oversubscribed now.

An application is yet to be made to the department of Education. The aim to open the school in September 2016 with two reception classes and six classes of Year 7 students, but the location has not yet been fixed. It will be called Avanti

Farm school, will include both boys and girls, and will teach the Hindu faith or ethos to Leicester youngsters. It would reach full capacity in 2023. This new school in Leicester, promises to be non-fee paying and take children from all backgrounds.

Avanti Schools Trust spokesman Pradip Gajjar reportedly said: "It will be called Avanti Farm School because we're hoping to create something with a rural specialism attached to it.

"We haven't identified a site yet but we want an ethos that is connected to nature." He said Krishna Avanti Primary and the new school would work

"closely together".

He said: "The primary school will continue because there is a growing demand for primary places here and both can co-exist.

"The primary is doing really well and is currently over-subscribed.

"We will put in the application to the Department for Education this month and expect to hear back within two to three months."

Free schools can be set up by parents, charities and faith groups.

They do not have to follow the national curriculum, but must provide a broad and balanced education.

Extra cash fails to attract GPs in Leicester city

Leicester city NHS faces crisis, after a £250,000 scheme has failed to temp GPs to come and work there. Local health managers are now deciding what else they can do to tempt family doctors to come and work in the city where nearly one third of the GPs are due to retire in the next 10 years.

Considering options, they have suggested that one way out could be to recruit from abroad.

Money for the scheme was put up last year by NHS England and a total of 17 practices successfully bid for a share of the cash, although one has since withdrawn. The money was targeted at surgeries with a significant number of patients whose first language is not English and those with higher levels of deprivation among patients. An applying practice also had to show that it had been unable to recruit to GP vacancies in the past 12 months. It was hoped the "golden hello" scheme would increase the number of doctors and improve services for patients.

Dr Azhar Farooqi

But in a report to the Leicester City clinical commissioning group's (CCG) primary care commissioning group Sara Prema, director of strategy said only three practices had successfully been able to recruit. Five practices decided to try and recruit jointly, eight tried doing it themselves.

She reportedly said traditional methods such as advertising in medical journals and on the website NHS Jobs appeared to have failed to attract applicants. Ms Prema questioned whether the scheme should now be "paused" to get advice on a new approach to recruitment.

However, city GP Dr

Azhar Farooqi, who is also chairman of the Leicester City CCG, reportedly said: "I don't think we can drop this.

Seven day working for GPs will no doubt be a post election push and we need to think outside the box."

He suggested one way of attracting doctors might be to look at ways of combining clinical and academic opportunities in partnership with local universities.

Colleague Dr Umesh Roy told the Leicester Mercury that recruitment nationally was difficult and committee chairman Daxa Patel questioned whether recruitment from abroad should be considered. Nick Carter, vice chairman of the CCG, added: "We need to call in expertise to see how the city is marketed as well as the attractiveness of being a GP." The committee agree advertising should go ahead and advice sought on marketing the positions.

5

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6

UK

India Modi-fied - one year on Spriha Srivastava

Exactly a year ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won general elections in India by an unexpected clear majority – a thundering victory the like of which the country had not seen for nearly thirty years. The level of optimism and hope was at its highest and Indians around the world celebrated and looked forward to an era of reforms.

One year later, where do things stand? The IMF forecasts India’s growth to strengthen from 7.2 per cent in 2014 to 7.5 per cent in both 2015 and 2016, overtaking China’s – for the first time since 1999 – which is projected to slow down to 6.8 per cent. The World Bank too projected India’s growth to accelerate to 7.5 per cent in 2015, but added that on the back of significant acceleration of investment, growth could even reach 8 per cent in 201718.

Keeping the figures and projections in mind, the new government has actively been introducing reforms in a number of sectors – from increasing foreign direct investment to bureaucratic reforms, reforming the coal and power sector and so on.

In order to boost its manufacturing sector, the government also launched a “Make in India” initiative, designed to transform India into a global manufacturing hub.

The growth agenda of the new government focused on revival of the manufacturing sector, with emphasis on the “Make in India” campaign, accompanies by liberalisation of foreign direct investment, a large array of investment facilitation measures and steps to improve savings.

According to a report from FICCI, “measures have been taken to cut down red tape, and to lay down the red carpet, diminish human interface and make the system efficient with technology.

There has been considerable action on administrative and procedural reforms which will provide comfort for setting of new business and improve confidence of all investors. With simplified procedures and rules, industry will save much time and costs which will also improve competitiveness.”

Former police guard claims “racist comments” were made against him

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Pc Nadeem Saddique, a firearms officer who has guarded former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, as well as members of the Royal family has claimed that his superiors wanted to get rid of him from the unit, saying that “he is just a P**i.”

Pc Saddique has trained as an Authorised Firearms Officer in 2001 and after five years, he became a VIP Close Protection Officer. He has taken Cleveland Police to

an employment tribunal.

He has alleged that he found out that an inspec-

tor had referred to him as a “black c***”, which his employer has denied making the comments.

Furthermore, he has also made claims that a firearms colleague was displaying an English Defence League (EDL) sticker on his holster while he was on duty.

Pc Saddique trained as an Authorised Firearms Officer in 2001 and after five years, he became a VIP Close Protection Officer.

S h o p k e e p e r , Chandrasegaram Satheeswaran was fined £3,000 for selling tobacco illegally. He was found guilty of three trading standards offences on April 28 at Willesden Magistrates Court.

He was charged with two counts of failing to display the correct health warnings on packets, as well as charged for failing to display the correct notice in shop to prohibit tobacco sale to anyone under the age of 18.

Trading Standards officers and HMRC visited the shop in September 2014. They discovered and seized 34 packets of cigarettes. An additional 374 pouches of chewing tobacco, along with more than 2,000 litres of alcohol were also seized for being incorrectly labelled.

They had no duty paid and were found behind as well as under the counter.

Satheeswaran admitted to breaking the law, although he blamed his mysterious supplier ‘Rajesh’, whom he failed to describe properly during the case. The shop-

keeper has previously been convicted for selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 in 2012. He was also cautioned for selling alcohol after the permitted hours, as well as allowing a person to drink alcohol in the shop.

A Harrow spokesperson stated, “Despite being cautioned and convicted of similar offences in the past, this shopkeeper [ Chandrasegaram Satheeswaran] has failed to comply with the law again. Not only could this have potentially put

customers at risk, but it is unfair to other businesses that are trading properly. We are pleased this individual has been charged again and we hope that it sends a strong message to other individuals and businesses.”

Satheeswaran had to pay a total of £3,251, which included a £1,000 fine for the cigarette packets having no English labels, £1,000 for the incorrect labelling on tobacco, as well as £100 for victim surcharge and £1,151 in legal costs.

Pc Nadeem Saddique

Shopkeeper fined for selling tobacco illegally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The report lists out key administrative reforms, some of which include more centralized decision making with PMO playing bigger role, decision making process restricted to four layers, two week deadline to answer queries, 7-slide presentations by bureaucrats to Ministers in place of lengthy reports and self certification of documents.

A number of reforms have been made in order to simplify procedures, for instance, reduction in regulatory compliance returns, relaxation of environmental clearances, no inspection to be undertaken without requisite approval, delicensing of many defence products and extending the 24*7 customs clearance facility to 13 more airports and 14 more sea-ports.

The government is also encouraging e-governance by introducing online application system for Industrial licensing introduced with 24*7 basis accessibility, introduction of online returns for business through a single form, online tracking of environmental and forest clearances and all registers required to be maintained by the business to be replaced with a single electronic register.

But it’s still a long road ahead. There are challenges in various sectors that the new government will need to deal with in the next few years. According to many UK-based investors, while the PM has done a

great job in inviting foreign investors to the country, the ground realities of doing a business still remain the same.

There is still rampant corruption at ground level and investors hope that with time this too gets reformed.

The last one year has been an interesting ride for India. The new government brought a lot of optimism along with it but along with that the economy benefited from low oil prices and a strong governor at the Indian Central Bank.

India is one of the biggest importers of crude oil in the world and thus one of the biggest beneficiaries of the fall in crude oil prices. Oil makes up more than a third of India’s total imports.

But there are risks ahead. India is at the risk from both domestic and external factors. The country still battles corruption, soaring inflation prices and a weak rupee.

The government and the central bank need to work together to fix this.

In terms of external risk, the oil prices seem to be slowly going up which can be a risk for the Indian economy.

Along with this, the country also faces the risk of policy tightening from the U.S. Federal Reserve and the impact on its economy.

While a number of reforms have been introduced and the country is a lot more investorfriendly than it was a year ago, recovery is still a long way away.

Let us know what you think.

Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

NHS inferior compared to other western countries According to a new report, Britain has less doctors, nurses, hospital beds and diagnostic equipment, compared to other affluent countries.

The Economist Intelligence Unit stated that the NHS is inferior compared with other western countries. This is due to Britain spending less ob healthcare.

It is said that the UK

have only 2.8 doctors and 8.2 nurses per 10,000.

Where as the Organisation

for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have an average of 3.2 doctors and 8.9 nurses. The Economist Intelligence Unit says that this is an unsettling sign because of the correlation between staff numbers and survivals in Britain.

A leading psychiatrist has warned that the frequency of sexting and cyberbullying among the current youth can lead to the prevailing of depression and anxiety when they

grow up.

Dr Natasha Bijlani, a consultant psychiatrist from Priory Hospital, Roehampton, expressed that young adults and teenagers already suffer

from body image issues, low self-esteem and have the tendency of selfharming, due to their childhood being scarred by online and digital abuse.

“Sexting” could lead to depression among teenagers

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Meera Syal bestowed with a CBE by Prince Charles 6th May 2015, at Buckingham Palace. She was joyously beaming at the ceremony.

Syal in known for her distinctive contribution to the creative arts in Britain.

After receiving the CBE from Prince Charles, Meera Syal stated, “I feel a bit stunned actually.

You beaver away in the creative artsit’s so hit and missyou go from one job to another, every job is different and you hope the work you do is reaching people.”

Syal's husband, Sanjeev Bhaskar, who is also her costar in Goodness Prince Charles honours Meera Syal Gracious Me and with a CBE at Buckingham Palace The Kumars was The entertainment allalso present at the cererounder, Meera Syal was mony and had nothing bestowed with a CBE by but praises for his wife. the Prince of Wales, on “The award is hugely

Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar with wife, Meera Syal

deserved, I’d be in huge trouble if I said otherwise, and all the other recipients here today deserve to be recognised.”

Bhaskar further added, “I can’t think of anyone else who has written screenplays, who has written for stage, written three novels and acts, is a mum and a wifeshe’s the talented one, puts me to shame.”

Meera Syal's third novel, The House Of Hidden Mothers, is due to be published next month.

Britain forced to take on Mediterranean migrants

Plans by Brussels seems to have afflicted David Cameron, who is in his second innings as the Prime Minister of Britain.

Brussels are planning to force Britain to accept tens of thousands of refugees from the Mediterranean.

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will affront David Cameron with legislation for anobligatory migrant quota system. The commission have decided that for the first time, the system will share responsibility for “mass influxes” of

non-EU migrants between the 28 member states during times of “emergency”.

The figures of people seeking asylum in the UK could double from 30,000

Civil servant feared dead in skydive plane crash

A civil servant from Hendon, North London, is feared dead, after the skydiving plane she was travelling in, crashed off a popular tourist beach in Mexico, with horrified tourists looking on.

Varsha Maisuria, 42, pictured, and her instructor Robin Ballachey are understood to have become entangled with the Cessna 180 aircraft as they left the plane on a tandem skydive. The pilot is believed to have descended close to the surface of the sea just 500m from the popular tourist resort of Las Glorias Beach, Puerto Vallarta, where the plane crashed. The pilot and two male passengers survived, but search and rescue teams are still working to find Ms Maisuria and US

national Ms Ballachey after the crash on Thursday at around 3:40pm local time. The small plane is understood to have sunk 1,000m to the sea bed. Her younger brother, who asked not to be named, told the Evening Standard: “We are absolutely distraught. She was the only daughter and the eldest child in our family...” A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of a British national missing in Mexico and we are providing consular assistance.”

to more than 60,000, as the government is being forced to accept refugees from Libya to Italy and Greece, crossing the Mediterranean

Missing Sikh teenager found Simran Jassal, a 13 year old Sikh girl, from Seven Kings, was reported missing after last being seen at the Exchange Ilford shopping centre in Ilford High Road on Saturday afternoon. The community feared she could be a potential victim of 'grooming', and raised alarm.

Several social media appeals were seen, requesting the community to assist in locating the teenager, who frequented the Manor Park area often. The Sikh awareness Society (SAS) dealt with it as a priority case, urging people to come forward and help. On Monday, 11 May, Redbridge police confirmed they had traced the teenager and the force thanked the media and the public for their assistance with the appeal.

UK

7

UKIP candidate had shotgun licence revoked prior to rival shooting threats The police investigated about Robert Blay (55), who stood as a UKIP candidate in North East Hampshire. He was suspended from the party after threatening to shoot his Conservative rival, Ranil Jayawardena, who has in turn successfully won his seat this elections.

It has been revealed that Blay, a former accountant had his shotgun licence revoked before he made comments about Jaywardena.

Blay had stated, “If this lad [Ranil Jayawardena] turns up to be our Prime Minister I will personally put a bullet in him. That’s how strong I feel about it. I won’t have this f***** as our Prime Minister. I absolutely

Robert Blay

Ranil Jayawardena

loathe him.”

Blay had even took digs on Jayawardena's background. “His name’s Jayawardena and I’m told that name is a Tamil name.

Well the Tamils were Indians which went to Sri Lanka to take it over and they got their asses kicked. So he comes here, ponces off us and then his

son’s in our political system.”

He further raged, “He’s 29 years old. He’s got his missus to drop a kid just before the Election. He’s planned the birth of the child, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a slippery b******. I’ve worked with him in the Tories.”

Preeminent scholars from nearly 30 countries have come together to write a fundamental narrative on Rabindranath Tagore, India's greatest cultural ambassador.

The book, “Rabindranath TagoreOne hundred years of global reception”, is an exploration into Tagore's travels globally, as well as his politics of friendship and practise of liberal

humanism. It is believed that Tagore had visited 37 countries, such as Iraq, Britain, France, central Europe, China and Japan during his existence.

The book has jointly been edited by a Hungarian expert, based in Oxford University and a german Tagore Scholar, from Santiniketan, India.

Rabindranath Tagore had won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

Rabindranath Tagore

Scholars from across the globe come together for book on Rabindranath Tagore

8

UK

As I See It

Lessons for this country's future David Cameron, more than his party, has won the election. He talks about One nation, Toryism, but he has been ruthless in his campaign, has mercilessly killed the coalition, and the victory has its own serious problems. European Union, Union with Scotland, economy, dissension within his own party are surely very big hurdles in his path. Human traffic in the Mediterranean and the reluctance of the Tory bigwigs in taking fair share of the refugees are additional challenges. It has happened in the past that a good man with honourable intentions has been prohibited by his own supporters and especially with his limitless promises to achieve his objectives.

Nevertheless, each one of us whose heart is for the Common Man would wish PM Cameron and his government the best of luck for economic prosperity, unhindered progress of the United Kingdom and its rightful role on the world stage, remaining in the European Union.

It appears that Cameron has especially chosen to cultivate British Indians in pursuing his desire to have more trade with and investment from India.

Nearly 2 million British Indians are surely in his calculations. He has not discounted Pakistan or the British Pakistanis too. Labour, on the other hand, appeared to have lost substantial support from the British Indian community especially Hindus and Sikhs, both for its omissions and commissions and its preference for the Pakistani and Bangladesh vote. For the first time, the Labour perceived, and to a certain extent the Conservatives, have tried to have a mix of religion/nationality and politics. This can work to a certain extent but the net gain is marginal, negative or problematic.

Right up to 6th May the 'Golden Triangle' officials were preparing to embark on post election negotiations. Sir Jeremy Haywood, Cabinet Secretary, Chris Martin, the Prime Minister's Principle Private Secretary and Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen's Private Secretary, had been hyper active to handle the constitutional contingencies of a Toryor Labour minority win.

The United Kingdom has no written constitution and the main reference points are: precedent and the Cabinet manual,

non binding guidelines prepared by civil servants and constitutional experts in 2010. By lunch time on 8th May all such notes and documents were being shredded but it was necessary to prepare for contingencies.

The elections are necessary and they are very expensive too.

Between May 2010 and December 2014, £110 million donations were received by Labour, £90 million by the Conservatives and £23.5 million by the Liberal Democrats respectively.

Labour could not claim to have been short of some change.

The Liberal Democrats were also not so poor in view of its 57 MPs and a limited number of winnable seats.

Strange signals are coming from the community. A certain campaign was on social media to label Labour as antiHindu/Sikh. Equally for whatever reason the Labour party appears to at least some as the one who did not listen to or care for the British Indian contingent which is more than double that of the British Pakistanis.

We should await analysis to deduce any lessons for the future of democracy in this country.

Minority languages are useful for GB, don’t kill them

In the last phase of the elections news came that Bengali, Gujarati, languages will be removed from the educational system. Some opposition, made several Conservative politicians assure the community that this is not the case. Rt Hon Nicky Morgan, now Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities who won in Loughborough is supposed to have assured her voters that minority languages will have their rightful presence in the educational system.

This reminds me of Sir Richard Francis Burton who left Trinity College, Oxford, in 1842 in a very strange vehicle – a dog cart. The same Richard Francis Burton joined the Indian service and reached India. Within six months he qualified as an interpretor in Hindustani. Four months later he passed the examination to interpret in Gujarati. Many more languages followed, until he was eventually said to be proficient in an astonishing total of 40 languages and dialects.

More important is to recollect the fact that on December 20, 1856, Burton arrived on the island of Zanzibar with his companion Jack Speke. Six months later, under the banner of Sultan of Zanzibar, the two men set off into the interior of Tanganika, eventually to be joined by 132 porters. The rest is history but what is more important to remember is the Dewan (Chief Administrator) of the Sultan was a Gujarati Bhatia as well as several other Gujarati Muslims and the advantage of knowing Gujarati and other Indian languages enabled Sir Richard Francis Burton to achieve his objectives. These facts are extracted from 'Sir Richard

Turn the Anand Mela purple for St Luke’s

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Sir Richard Fracis Burton

Burton's journey to the 'Secret City' by Severino Baraldi.

Today, the Indian diaspora is all over the world. In 174 countries out of those 206 UNO registered, Gujaratis are settled in some numbers and wherever there is a Gujarati there is trade and commerce. There are also potentials for bankers, investment advisors, traders and other professionals. Nicky Morgan should remember and ensure that the advantage of the knowledge of the Indic languages available to 3 million British Asians is not lost for ever.

Also for our younger generations it is important to remember that the knowledge their 'mother tongues' will be helpful not only to their careers but to retain the cultural aspects of one's own heritage.

- CB

St Luke’s volunteer, Dinesh Soree is calling on the community to join him in helping to turn the Anand Mela purple for St Luke’s. St Luke’s is the local hospice, working to ensure that everyone with an incurable illness can access the care they need to live well, know that their family and carers are supported, and to die with dignity in the place of their choice.

Dinesh says: "In 2005, my wife Reshma visited the St Luke’s Day Care centre whilst she was going through a bad patch following cancer. The care and the attention she had from the nursing staff and the medical team was excellent. She felt a lot happier mentally and was able to share her feelings with others attending the day centre. Our son got married whilst she was not well and she made sure that she shared one of her happiest moments of her life with colleagues and nurses by bringing the wedding photos to the day unit. Seeing her happier really made my day and I am sure this would not have been possible without the full commitment from the staff and volunteers. The medical team had reviewed her medical needs for her pain control and this was greatly appreciated by our family.

The hospice was there for me and my family when we needed them most, and now it is my turn to pay back for this big favour through my volunteering.

I have been a member of the steering committee for Midnight Walk committee for last eight years. It gives me great pleasure to see that the hard work I put in pays off by raising much needed funds for the hospice. It is rewarding to

Dinesh Soree

see that my efforts are truly appreciated by staff as well as participants in the events. I meet people from many diverse cultures and backgrounds and this makes volunteering even more interesting and rewarding.

The Midnight Walk takes place on the 26 June and the atmosphere is electric. Seeing so many walkers participating and collecting funds for the hospice is superb. If you would like to walk for the hospice or to join in as a volunteer just go to www.stlukes-hospice.org/midnightwalk I will also be volunteering at the Anand Mela. It community event and we would like to have involvement from all sectors of the community. What better way to spend a weekend than to participate in this event with your friends and help your local hospice to provide free palliative care for the community for many more years. Don’t forget to wear something purple!"

Come to the extravagant

Anand Mela

Anand Mela is an extravagant 2-day occasion where you and your family can shop, eat, dance and get entertained under one roof. There will be different stalls, ranging from beauty, fashion and wedding, property and investment, health and wellbeing, as well as food and drinks, plus many more. There will be consistent performances on stage throughout this two-day event.

There will be performances by singer Vikesh Champaneri from The Voice, Honey Kalaria Dance Troupe and AK Dance Academy, as well as a dazzling performance by singer Navin Kundra.

The Anand Mela attracts around 5000 visitors and is scouted as the best choice for a family day out. The event will be held at Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Harrow HA3 5BD on 6th & 7th June 2015, from 10am to 7pm. There will be ample free

parking for visitors and easy access for goods. The event will be covered by the press.

St Luke's Hospice will be the Charity Partner with Asian Voice for the Anand Mela. St Luke’s Hospice cares for people with incurable illnesses so that they can live well, know that their family and carers are supported, and when the time comes, die with dignity in the place of their choice. They offer all there services completely free of charge.

WorldRemit are the headline sponsors for this event. They are a leading global online money remittance company that lets people send money to friends and family living abroad conveniently and at a low cost.

For enquiry about hiring stalls at the Anand Mela, Please contact 020 7749 4085.

Dr Mitesh Badiani wins National Dentist of the Year 2015 The Dental Awards was held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole NEC on Friday 17th April 2015. During this event, Dr Mitesh Badiani was awarded National Dentist of the Year 2015.

Dr Badiani of Devon Dental Centre of Excellence also won the award for Dentist of the Year South 2015. He was recognised for his clinical prowess and commitment and dedication to patient care, as well as teaching and mentoring his fellow colleagues and peers from

Dr Mitesh Badiani (center)

all around the country.

Dr Badiani celebrated winning the awards on the night with his son, daughter, long-lasting friends, as well as his colleagues. The staff and his colleagues at Devon Dental Centre of Excellence congratulated him on this incredible achievement which recognised all the hard work, dedication and commitment to his profession.

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

High Commissioner Mr. Md. Abdul Hannan of Bangladesh on UK and India The new High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Mr Md. Abdul Hannan welcomed diplomats and civilians from several countries in addition to the UK for his country’s National Day celebration at the International Maritime Organisation’s headquarters in London.

Following the event, the Asian Voice was invited to the Bangladesh High Commission to get acquainted with the new G o v e r n m e n t Representative.

Mr Hannan obtained an M.A. in Diplomacy from the University of Lancaster, United Kingdom in 1989. He also obtained B.A. (Honors) in Economics in 1977 and an M.A. in Economics in 1979 from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Prior to his appointment as High Commissioner of Bangladesh in London, he was Permanent

Mr Md. Abdul Hannan

Representative and Ambassador to the UN Offices and other I n t e r n a t i o n a l Organizations in Geneva and Vienna, concurrently accredited to Switzerland and to the Holy See. He was Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Sultanate of Oman from October 2006 to July 2009.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, High Commissioner Hannan served as Vice Principal and Director General of the Foreign Service Academy, Director (Europe), Director (SAARC), and Director in the Prime Minister’s Office.

In Bangladeshi missions abroad, the High Commissioner served as Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission in Ottawa, Counsellor in Calcutta, India, and First Secretary in Moscow.

Earlier in headquarters, he was attached to the Foreign Minister’s Office as Assistant Secretary. Also, worked as Senior Assistant Secretary to the Personnel Wing and Political Wings of Africa and Welfare and West Asia in the Ministry.

High Commissioner Hannan came to diplo-

Get up to

macy as a member of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign Affairs) in the 1984 batch.

Earlier, he joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) in 1982. Prior to that, he served as a Research and Planning Officer in the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Social Affairs from 1980-1982.

Mr Hannan is married to Mrs. Shelina Afroza, PhD, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries & Livestock, Government of Bangladesh and has two sons.

There is definitely a ‘strong goodwill at the top leadership level’ High Commissioner Hannan stated that Bangladesh-UK relations are excellent. He is serious about making the bilateral relations with the host nation multidimensional and engage towards the relations between Bangladesh and the UK to new a height. Also, maintained that England as a valued economic

9

partner for Bangladesh.

That partnership should be strengthened after the elections and with the new leadership, he added.

The High Commissioner suggested that India is the “most important and trusted” friend of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and India can benefit from a strategic partnership through forging a meaningful “connectivity and complimentarily”. Both the Governments and even the private sectors are fully engaged toward achieving that.

Bangladesh has been fully engaged with China, India and Myanmar for creating an ‘economic corridor’ under a sub-regional mechanism (CIM).

On bilateral trade, India is in a better position viś-a-viś Bangladesh. India’s offer to duty free quota (DFQF) for Bangladesh has created an excellent opportunity to reduce the trade gap between the two countries. But Bangladesh could benefit more if the Non-Tariff barriers (NTB) removed facilitating access to Indian market.

There is definitely a ‘strong goodwill at the top leadership level’, Mr Hannan indicated.

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10

UK

Political view

Theplas to the Rescue

There are people who tend to take their right to vote for granted. They believe that their one vote will not make much difference to the final verdict or to the country, not knowing that every single vote matters in who gets to run the country for the next five years- a big decision which should not be done in jest or merely for the sake of voting.

While many follow the political debates to determine which party they are steering towards, some base their votes on their emotional values. For example, if their family have been an active Labour supporter for x number of years, they believe that the only way forward would be to follow suit.

Many people are even getting influenced by the negativity from political parties and vote for them in hope that it would eliminate “foreigners” from Britain, refusing to acknowledge the hard work and contribution that these “minorities” have devoted in order to make Britain successful. Although their votes may seem ludicrous to us, they are still entitled to their opinions. They are exercising their right to vote and their vote is a reflection of their thoughts.

Regardless of what influences us in voting a particular party, the point that needs to be emphasised is that we should not have a lenient approach, thinking that one vote will not make a difference.

If you are unhappy about the state of this country, advocate your rights to make a change. It is all in the hands of the public; they could either bring adversity by voting for an unbalanced party, or they could make this nation prosper further by voting for parties which actually aim for the betterment of the United Kingdom and its citizens.

We Gujaratis are well known for our love of “Dhoklas”, but now our “Theplas” are in the limelight. It has been reported that no less than 70,000 theplas have been sent on to Kathmandu in Nepal for the starving people who have been hit by a massive earthquake. A Theplun is a kind of roti which is made by Gujaratis all over the world and is very useful during long travel because of its long shelf life. People eat them either with a potato curry or yogurt and chutney made from garlic and red chillies.

Many organisations in the UK and other countries have responded to the appeal for help from various charities and sent assistance in cash or kind to people of Nepal but some Gujarati women in Mumbai came up with the ingenous idea to identify the usefulness of theplas in this crisis.

A home-made theplun would not lose its quality or taste for long periods and is also consumed at picnics. Theplas are made by combining wheat flour, oil, curd, turmeric powder and chili powder in a bowl and kneading into a semi-soft dough using enough water. This should then be divided into small portions and rolling each portion into 5 inch circular shape. This is then cooked on a tava or flat pan till it turns golden brown in colour on both sides. They can be made either savory or sweet by the addition of salt or gor (jaggery).

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Is BBC anti-Conservative?

A verdict in a very high-profiled case of Salman Khan, the mega star and the so called bad boy of Bollywood,one and only,unique, heart-throb for millions nationally and internationally; a 5 year custodial sentence is unjust.

Salman is a celebrated philanthropist.

He is a large commercial success and his contributions to film industry is phenomenal. Livelihood of number of people connected to films depend on him. Needless to say his absence from film will hit hard to general public.

It took good over 13 years for the case to come to the court. What a terrible judiciary system!!. All these years Salman is suffering silently wondering about his fate,uncertainty that is looming over him,living in fear and anxiety. He has already been punished.The victim of the unfortunate accident prefer generous financial compensation to custodial sentence which Salman is too happy to pay.

If a custodial sentence is a must, then it has to be nominal, a year or two.

Salman is a national asset and must not go waste. He has touched many lives.

Normally I do not take interest in politics or elections beyond performing my civic duty to vote. But it was quiet different this time with so much hype, constant exposure on TV, numerous debates and tons of leaflets dropped through letter box, not to mention tens of emails daily and occasional knock on the door.

One unmistakeable impression I felt was BBC bias in audience selection. Most were frenzied anti-Tori, left leaning, freebee joy riders of rent a crowd type that created an impression of Labour victory.

BBC’s claim that audience selection was responsibility of an independent organization did not cut ice, as they were paid agents who would do as they were told, pandering to its paymasters!

Perhaps Sajid Javid’s hint that in the age of digital subscriptions, annual fee of £145 may not be appropriate or justified.

If BBC has to fight for revenue like other commercial channels instead of having a fixed, permanent income, then perhaps it might change its’ attitude, be fair and open, as it would be financial suicide to offend paying public or advertisers, bite hands that feed or slay a hen that lays golden egg!

No wonder BBC had awful, incoherence, unimaginable election nightmare, lacking panache, with mumble jumble analysis that made us switch channels!

Niranjan Vasant By email

Kumudini Valambia By email

Vanshika Mishra By email

Rough justice

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Congratulations Vidya Patel of Birmingham!

I am sure AsianVoice/Gujarat Samachar and its readers will join me in congratulating Vidya Patel (19) who was a finalist in the Category of South Indian Dance in the very first of BBC Young Dancer competition. The Grand Final 2015 was held at Sadler’s Wells and broadcasted by BBC2 on 9 May 2015.

There were four Category Finals: Ballet; Contemporary; Hip Hop; and South Indian Dance. Vidya was selected by the Judges as the very best British talent from among the several excellent competitors in the South Indian Dance Category.

Although she was not the overall winner, she performed extremely well as showcased by her technical command, creative and expressive ability. It was clear she had worked consistently very hard and with absolute dedication. In the middle of her first performance in the Grand Final, my granddaughter Sonal who is 24 sent me a text which said “She is amazing!” Indeed, in our hearts, Vidya was truly a winner!

Congratulations again, Vidya, and keep going – we wish you the very best of wishes in your career!

Uttambhai D Mistry Bolton

Mangoes

I note that Indian (Alphonso) mangoes are in the shops, but why do I feel that we are being fleeced. During my daily walk towards a shop at Kingsbury Road, London NW9, a box of approximately 6 is sold at £13.00. Pre-banned the price was approximately £13.00 for 2 boxes. I wonder if there are similar cases elsewhere at other retail outlets.

I also understand that these mangoes are not even in season. They are ripened artificially. I leave it to your own judgment as to how.

As for myself, I shall be boycotting Indian at that price, and rather see them rot at the stores. I will be switching my allegiance to either South/Latin American or Israeli varieties. I am in agreement that these varieties are not as delicate or sweet as the Indian, but I believe, I have a very healthy and sweet solution for those who wishes to join me in this crusade. Cut and glaze with Gor (Jaggery).

Mohindra Master By email

Silly Miliband

I thought Labour campaigned vigorously in the weeks leading up to the recent general election, with leader Ed Miliband growing in confidence as polling day approached..

Then he made a fool of himself by carving six of his pledges in stone and declaring he would put the slab on display in the Downing Street garden when he became prime minister. Labour supporters must have regarded this as a juve-

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Patience will prevail

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There is an old saying - ‘A will find a way’.

Recently I experienced this in my life. I applied online using our community FOGA (Federation of Gujarati Association) code for a free ticket to PM Narendra Modi’s community event in Toronto by computer lottery system.

On April 8th I received an e-mail from info@pmvisit.ca regretting that no more ticketsmwere available. I was understandably disappointed. After an hour I received another e-mail subject ‘PM Modi visit urgent clarification’ informing me that ‘Your ticket stands are confirmed and you have received a confirmation RSVP. Please reach out to your organization leader over the coming weekend for your ticket’ and I saw a light at the end of tunnel.

I forwarded the above e-mail to our community leader, contacted them on the phone repeatedly but received no reply and my last call during that weekend gave me bad news that my name is not there in listing.

In my 73 years I was very fortunate to listen to live speech of former PM of India, Shri Naheruji, Shri Lal Bahadur Sahatriji, Shri Guljarilal Nandaji, Shri Moaraji Desaiji, Shrimati Indira Gandhiji, Shri Atal Bihariji and first deputy prime minister and home minister Sardar Patelji.

On April 15th PM Modi's event afternoon my son-in-law who is VP at Royal Bank called me and said that by courtesy of his employee Pratima Gupta who had event passes from Dy.Counsel General Of India in New York Mr Manoj Mohapatra could give me one pass and that was my happiest moment to go, attend and see in person PM Modiji Suresh Patel Canada

Ethnic languages

I hear that this Government has decided to scrap Examinations Boards issuing O level and A level certificates for teaching of ethnic languages which would include Gujarati.

For all the Gujarati speaking British citizens, many of whom are your readers, time has come to become active.

Most of the caste based, village based and religion based charitable societies and Associations we formed during our arrival specifically to preserve and propagate our culture and language should now rise up to the occasion and organise a massive campaign. That is the least we can do for our second generation.

I hope Gujarat Samachar will once again champion this cause and give a lead as it has done in the past to save Hare Krishna Temple.

Gulab Mistry London nile stunt and turned elsewhere in droves, paving the way for a welldeserved and impressive Conservative victory.

Rudy Otter By email

Continued on page 11

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Your Voice

UK election and Scottish independence

After about six weeks of campaign the UK election is over and the people have spoken. One of many possible consequences being discussed is whether Scottish independence is inevitable. The general consensus is it is not inevitable but it is more likely now than before.

The Tories have won the election by inducing fear in the English mind that Scottish National Party would have disproportionate influence on Labour Party if it was elected to form the government.

It is a strategy that de-legitimises SNP MPs’ right to take part in British Govt affairs. It has infuriated the Scottish people and they have voted in droves for SNP. The Scots have just voted to stay together in the UK. But to de-legitimise them by the Tories, despite their pre-referendum promise, is most likely to have very serious consequence.

The strategy of fear of SNP is the most dangerous strategy the Tories have played with. Nicola Sturgeon has said that the Smith Commission Report on Scottish Devolution has not gone far enough. Because of Tory strategy and the consequent election result David Cameron will now have to concede more power and privilege to the Scottish Parliament than what he would have otherwise done if he were to preserve the unity of the UK. By all accounts, especially due to Tory election propaganda and the way the English have voted, the UK is now a divided nation. Only the time will tell how history would judge the Tories and their leader David Cameron. The view that David Cameron could be the last Prime Minister of the UK might prove to be true prediction.

Jatindra Saha By email

Phir ek baar, Cameron Sarkar

While SNP victory was a Scottish tsunami, Conservatives victory was an English tidal wave. British voters endorsed David Cameron with enthusiasm unmatched since Mrs Thatcher’s triumph in 1983.

Most refreshing aspect was that Hindus united, voted for candidates deemed to be friendly, with Bob Blackman increasing his majority in marginal seat with Hindu’s backing. It is high-time the PM fulfilled his manifesto promises.

Ed Miliband indeed fought like a lion, routinely outperforming the PM. But ostracizing both the Jewish and Indian community lost him seats, although it was not fatal blow. It was his lurch to the left, deluded in self- beliefs that was the final nail in Labour’s coffin.

One sad aspect to emerge from this topsy-turvy election is the rise of Scottish ultra-nationalism where some eminent politicians lost their seats to delirious novices, even students who may struggle to walk corridors of Westminster.

Modi was the first to congratulate the PM who promptly invited Modi to visit Britain, an invitation that was gratefully accepted and may materialize by August.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Tory victory

After a couple of visits to India by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor George Osborne and former Foreign Secretary William Hague took the opportunity to travel there for business and investment opportunities. They promised that they would be happy to erect Gandhi's statue in London’s Parliament Square.

Rt Hon David Cameron together with Mr Arun Jeitley, India’s Finance Minister, Lord Desai and other dignitaries unveiled the statue on the centenary of Gandhi's arrival to India from Africa! As such all Indians were very happy with the Conservatives and felt that the Labour Party completely ignored the interests of their Indian and Hindu public.

During the last four weeks, and specially the last three days before last week’s General Election and cut-throat campaigning by all parties, most opinion polls and media forecasts put Labour and Tories as neck and neck.

Indians and Hindus all over Britain, but more in and around London, including Asian Voice writers and readers like CB Patel, Kapilbhai, Alpeshbhai, Bhupendrabhai Gandhi, my wife Ila, mnyself, and many more, were busy propagating incessantly about why we should all vote for the Conservatives!

To everybody's surprise including the Prime Minister’s, he has achieved a land slide overall majority victory.

Youth proving to be clueless about World War History

While we go on to progress strength to strength and become richer in sophistication, as well as up-to-date with the latest technologies, people seem to be getting poorer in knowledge and farther away from the British heritage and history. VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) commemorates the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

However, a recent survey suggests that more than half of the youth are unaware of what VE Day marks or stands for.

The poll also suggests that 40% were unable to distinguish Winston Churchill as the Prime Minister of Britain who remarkably announced Victory in Europe on 8th May 1945.

7% believed that VE Day was declared by the US President, John F Kennedy, another 7% believed it was Margaret Thatcher while 4% said it was Tony Blair.

Additionally, a further 55% of people in the age range of 18-25 were not

aware that Poland was the country whose invasion led to Britain to declare war on Germany in 1939. One in five believed it was France, while 5% said it was Britain's invasion that prompted the beginning of the battle.

Upendra Kapadia By email

Will Tory’s keep their promises?

On 7th May 2015, electors in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland went to the poles to elect 650 members of parliament (House of Commons). Those elected will serve us (or will they?) until May 2020.

For the last five weeks all the polls were showing Conservatives and Labour neck and neck at around 34% and a hung parliament. Against all these odds, David Cameron and his Conservative party secured 330 members of parliament, that is 50% plus five.

Other parties like the Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP were immediately thrown into confusion and their leaders resigned their leadership with immediate effect.

Before resigning, they accepted their responsibilities for their parties poor performances.

During the elections, David Cameron and the Conservative party made many promises to get our votes. Are they going to deliver what they promised?

Prime Minister David Cameron has already started appointing ministers for his government, and many more will be appointed shortly.

Only six Hindus were elected to this parliament. It remains to be seen how much they respect and understand the Hindu community.

Chuni Chavda By email

Have something to say about the stories featured in Asian Voice?

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MEDIA WATCH

The government is facing powerful head winds getting through vital pieces of legislstion through the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament), where it lacks a majority. The Land Acquisition Bill is a prerequisite to the “Made in India’ industrial base envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the captains of Indian industry, but strongly opposed by the farming lobby supported by the usual gaggle of populist agitators on whose backs the present decimated opposition in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) seek an easy ride.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is designed to introduce a uniform tax system for goods and services entering India’s states instead of the plethora of taxes that operate today and prevent the emergence of a single integrated Indian market. This is the second prop of the extensive manufacturing system needed to fulfill the ultimate goal of an advanced industrialized country. The GST would underwrite state losses in tax revenues with compensatory grants from the national exchequer. The encouraging news is that the GST legislation sailed through the Lok Sabha, helped, no doubt, by the walkout of Congress Party MPs. Whether this was simply a coincident or something craftier is hard to say. The GST has passed its first hurdle, the second will be the Rajya Sabha.

Bengal, Assam land swap with Bangladesh

The land swap between the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh received unanimous approval of Parliament . In a rare gesture, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a warm and generous tribute to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who was present in the Rajya Sabha, for the work he had put in to get these seemingly intractable problems sorted to the mutual satisfaction of India and Bangladesh.

PM’ gesture

Not to be outdone, Prime Minister Modi walked across the floor of the Lok Sabha to thank Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Party spokesman Mallikarjun Kharge for their support in easing the passage of enabling legislation. The boundary between the two countries during the partition of the Subcontinent contained numerous territorial anomalies, with Indian enclaves situated in Bangladesh and Bangladesh enclaves in India and their residents in legal limbo on citizenship. This will now be corrected and Indian citizens compensated for any financial loss incurred in the changeover, and through generous rehabilitation measures (Telegraph, Times of India, Mint May 2-8)

Upbeat Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her satisfaction at the Indian Parliament’s near unanimous decision to undertake the territorial adjustment that had lain untouched for decades. The issue was now settled and IndiaBangladesh relations could motor ahead into warm, tranquil waters (Hindu May 8)

Akash missile operational

The Indian Army has inducted the indigenously designed and manu-

factured surface-to-surface Akash missile system, capable of targeting multiple aerial threats up to a radius of 25 kilometres.”The capability that we have with this system will ensure that it takes care of the vulnerability of our assets.

Akash is a step toward self-realization of indigenization,” said Army Chief General Dalbir Singh at a formal dedication (Hindu, Times of India May 6)

BrahMos tested

India’s supersonic 2.8 mach, 290kilometre range BrahMos cruise missile, developed jointly with Russia, was put through its paces at the weekend through two successful tests of its latest version, which is capable of a steep dive to strike targets concealed behind mountains. “The tests have again established the missile as a lethal weapon with pinpoint accuracy to take on enemy targets anywhere,” said BrahMos chief Sudhir Mishra. The missile has been placed in Arunachal Pradesh. The Army and Navy have inducted them, while the Air Force is expected to follow suit shortly (Times of India May 10)

India, Iran MoU signed

India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of the port of Chabahar at the northern limit of the Persian Gulf. Chabahar is to be linked to Herat in western Afghanistan, hence will be an outlet for Afghan trade with India, which lacks access to Afghanistan’s land frontier.

Furthermore, India views Chabahar as a hub for its commerce with the Russian Federation through a railway link from Chabahar to Astrakhan and Commonwealth of Independent States bordering Russia. India is to finance and render all technical aid towards the fulfillment of the project.

India, Iran free trade

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

for his Mongolian hosts: a promise to build an English-language school in response to their request that India undertake the project.

This is part of India’s soft power diplomacy. Mongolia, like Tibet, with whom it has ethnic and religious links, was once part of China’s Manchu Empire; but with Russian assistance, Mongolia emerged as a sovereign entity when the empire collapsed in 1912. It came under the protection of the Soviet Union in 1936.In August 1939, the Red Army routed Imperial Japan’s forces in their assault on Mongolia.

Rebalancing ties

Mongolia today seeks to develop closer ties with India and the outside world, for which English is an indispensable tool of communication.

Sanjaasuren Bayara, Mongolian Ambassador to India, said: “This is a truly historic visit and the promise will demonstrate the potential of this relationship.”

Mongolia is rich in minerals, especially uranium, hence an economic partnership could be mutually beneficial. These and other matters are certain to be the subjects of Prime Minister Modi talks with Mongolian President Tsakhiagin Elbegdorj and Prime Minister Chimedent Saikhanbileg (Telegraph May5)

President at Moscow Victory Day parade

President Pranab Mukherjee was present at the grandest parade ever to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Hitler’s Nazi Germany, the greatest war ever fought in human his-

David Cameron waves with his wife Samantha at 10 Downing Street.

See commet page 3

Nigel Farage, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.

ing the German invasion and occupation of the country.

President Mukherjee, in an interview, said he was delighted that India’s 9th Grenadier Guards would participate in the spectacular parade for the very first time.

He said: “The role of Russian soldiers and civilians changed the course of the war, its outcome and the future of the world.”

Indian Grenadier Guards marching at Victory Day parade in Moscow

tory. President Mukherjee referred to the unparalleled sacrifices of the Soviet and Russian people in this epochal conflict in which over11

Acknowledgement of India’s role

Russia’s Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadkin, returned the praise, saying “Russia also cherishes India’s active role in the last World War and the sympathy of the illustrious founding fathers and all sons and daughters of this great land showed for the heroic efforts of the former Soviet Union.”

Iran has proposed an India-Iran free trade agreement. Rupee denominated trade with Iran, which began in 2012, has almost doubled Indian exports to Iran, now worth over $4 billion. “We don’t want to miss this opportunity and will move as expeditiously as possible,”said a source in India’s shipping ministry. India has already spent $100 million on developing the road network between the Iranian port of Chabahar and Afghanistan, (Telegraph May 6)

India’s English gift for Mongolia

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi flies to Mongolia this week to Ulan Bator – the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia he will be carrying an unusual gift

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in the Kremlin in Moscow

million Soviet soldiers died [the US and UK armed forces together lost around 950,000men]. Another 15 million Soviet citizens died dur-

President reaffirms support for Russia

Addressing diplomats, officials and scholars at Russia’s Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on eve of the celebrations,

See commet page 3

President Mukherjee assured his audience that “India-Russia relations will not be affected by transient global political trends. Russia has been a pillar of strength at difficult moments in India’s history…

India will always reciprocate this support.” Mr Mukherjee attended a cultural show “Namaste India” before returning home.

Talks with Putin

The Indian and Russian Presidents had a comrehensive discussion on India-Russian ties. According to a media briefing from Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, “They had a wide-ranging review of bilateral cooperation on energy and defence, including ongoing talks on joint development of the Ka226T helicopters as well as MoUs with ONGC for the Sakhalin oilfields and Arctic explorations, as well as with GAIL for gas pipelines from Russia. Mr Putin told Mr Mukherjee that his presence at the Victory Day celebrations was “a demonstration of our special and privileged strategic relationship.”

Message to US and EU

A senior Indian official said: “The President’s visit is a well thoughtout decision expressing solidarity with the country and Mr Putin for all they have done for us and continue to do.” Former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Russia, Kanwal Sibal, explained: “This is a message to our friends in the US and EU that India will maintain its key relationship with Russia, even as it discusses new relationships and strategic convergence with them.” The current Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar summed up: “We are here because this is a very important day for Russians. Anybody objective would recognize the Russian contribution to the end of the war and we want to say we are here on a day that means a lot to them.”

(Hindu May 5,8, 9.10).

UK

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Small majority, Big problems!

Public Service & Patriotism

Working long hours for less pay than they could have received elsewhere (Sajid Javid reportedly took a 98% pay cut to be an MP) reminds me that my role in the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme (and I’ve been undertaking this role since 2005) is public service. Why do it? Because like an MP deep down I always knew the entrepreneur is our last line of defence against all global ills – and public service is the highest service.

Clearly this Government’s focus is going to be job creation. And that has to mean entrepreneurs.

It is the entrepreneur, the risk taker who will continue to get us out of this global mess. How? Well the economist Keynes said the one thing he could not factor in any economic equation, no matter how much the State spent or lowered taxes to help the economy, was the magical ingredient of ‘animal spirits’. You and I may call it ‘fire in the belly’. It’s the thing that leads a Bill Gates to leave Harvard without a degree because he has to follow his business passion. It’s following your soul. It’s running a business because you have to do this thing, it keeps you awake at 4am. It is not being a professional, or walking the well-trodden path. It is risking everything.

And these adventurers as the Prime Minister said will be the people we all turn to, to get us out of this global mess. No they are not bankers. They are not that type of risk taker with other people’s money and nothing to lose themselves. They are people with everything to lose themselves including a roof over their heads.

Where are they? Well Thatcher’s Britain brought them out. I recall buying at the age

of 12 my first privatisation stock – British Gas. That makes you want to be selfemployed. After a taste of making money myself, I could never, and have never had a ‘proper job’.

And so it is that the inner spirit and mind of the entrepreneur is ignited. After all the old saying goes countries with McDonald’s in them – who’ve therefore presumably have embraced capitalism, don’t war against each other. It is the entrepreneur who in the form of Cadbury and Rowntree built foundations to eradicate child labour in Britain. It is the entrepreneur who builds the company that pays tax, that employs you so you can pay tax and that tax runs the country.

It is the entrepreneur who creates employment, not the employee. So yes, Prime Minister and MPs in Parliament encouraging entrepreneurship – you are right – but you need give us a break. We expect not to be taxed to the hilt because we believe in extra reward for our extra risk – after all risk and reward go together in all areas of life. If you don’t like it – try saving the world without us.

Thankfully this and the previous Government does understand the importance of the entrepreneur – I am not talking about the greedy non-dom denying their nationality and privilege and honour bestowed on them in order to spend more time with their money sitting in an offshore account investing in some financial product – I am talking about the proper entrepreneur – the one with the talent to have worked at any investment bank but turning it down to follow a passion. They end up being patriots without knowing it.

Patel, Javid break glass ceiling

Continued from page 1

Speaking to Asian Voice, her uncle Kirit (father's brother, who joined the family in Britain during Idi Amin's expulsion), and aunt Sushila Patel, said they have always believed that Priti is extremely talented and are really proud of her achievements. They currently run a shop in White Hart Lane, Tottenham.

Last year Priti was appointed to be the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and also served PM Cameron's government as UK's first Indian Diaspora

Champion.

Elected an MP for the first time in 2010, the new responsibility confirms Javid's rapid rise in British politics. He was previously Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and compered the unveiling of Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Westminster in March.

Son of a Lancashire bus driver and formerly an executive at Deutsche Bank, he was in his childhood impressed by the Bollywood blockbuster Sholay. Born in Rochdale in 1969, he is the middle child of five sons. His father Abdul, who came to Britain from Pakistan,

13

worked around the clock, earning him the nickname 'Mr Night And Day'. When Mr Javid was four, his father took over a ladies' wear shop in inner-city Bristol, and the family moved into a two-bedroom flat above it, where Sajid shared room with one of his other brothers and parents.

He was educated at Downend School, a state comprehensive school near Bristol, followed by Filton Technical College, also near Bristol, before he went on to study Economics and Politics at University of Exeter, Devon.

After British Prime Minister David Cameron won a clear victory in the general election on Thursday, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating tweeted: "Phir Ek Baar, Cameron Sarkar!"

The 2015 general election has been significant in many aspects. Mr Cameron promoted a series of women in his post election reshuffle, ensuring one third of his cabinet are female.

Female leaders all through out the campaign were also very keenly aware that history was being made, and they brought a certain dignity along-with, almost embracing a gesture of sorority. This election was also very largely based on religious groups- especially minority religions- often used as a divisive tool.

While many Asians especially Hindus and Sikhs have gone on to vote for Mr Cameron, Radhika Sanghani in The Daily Telegraph has highlighted a peculiar hurdle that the party still needs to overcome- 'the social taboo attached to voting for Tory'.

After she studied the attitude of young Britons

towards voting Tory, Sanghani wrote, “David Cameron may have won another term but his young supporters are still too embarrassed to tell anyone they voted Tory.”

She went on to say, there has been a suggestive shift in voting attitudes, but most of these youngsters haven't admitted who they voted for, “because these young Tories are not out and proud blues – they’re firmly stuck in the political closet.”

Sworn by secrecy, Ms Sanghani had a number of people coming forward to ‘confess’ their rightwing leanings. Though they’ve been swayed by the Conservatives’ economic policies, they were too embarrassed to tell anyone. Some have even lied and pretended they voted for Ed Miliband.

This is perhaps just the tip of iceberg. While Mr Cameron has promised to govern the country as one nation, winning by a thin majority, he faces a very different and potentially more difficult challenge now.

It is feared that he may face the same fate as John Major, who began his time as a Prime Minister with a majority

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of 21 seats - almost double Mr Cameron's - but by the end of his time in power was facing a nightly battle to get legislation through after losing his majority altogether. An organised rebellion over Europe and the Maastricht Treaty - had turned Mr Major into a Prime Minister widely seen as lacking authority, reported the BBC. In case of Mr Cameron, abolition of the Human Rights Act and the greater powers to monitor internet communications, the so-called "snooper's charter" - will be highly unlikely to meet much resistance from the Conservative benches.

But with absence of an Opposition (Labour) leader, his honeymoon period may soon meet with serious turmoil from a sizeable group of Conservative backbenchers, who have got used to rebelling against the government during the last Parliament and may find it a hard habit to break.

It will perhaps be wise for the PM to ensure that he maintains a good relation with smaller parties to avoid John Major's fate.

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UK

Dr Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary celebrations at India House The High Commission of India, HE Ranjan Mathai held a commemoration of the occasion of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's 124th birth anniversary, on 14th April 2015.

The celebration was held at India House, London and was attended by many dignitaries, such as Lord Bhikhu Parekh; the President of Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations, Dr. Santosh Das; the President of Sri Guru Ravidass Sabha, Shri Jograj Ahir, as well as representatives from many Indian community organisations.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was was a jurist and a politician. He was a social reformer who campaigned for the rights of the people of the caste then referred as the 'untouchables'.

Dr Ambedkar also converted to Buddhism. He was “a beacon of hope for the disadvantaged in India”, as well as “a staunch opponent of injustice, discrimination and oppression.”

Ranjan Mathai expressed to the

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Bhajan night held in Kingsbury for Nepal

Bhajan Night held at Kingsbury, in aid of Nepal

High Commission of India, Ranjan Mathai paying respect to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

attendees, “Ambedkar Jayanti is a unique occasion for all of us to proudly celebrate the genius of the father of that one great book which is the foundation of India- the Constitution. Dr. Ambedkar's unparalleled contribution in the

framing of our Constitution will always be recognised in the history of India. But we need to recognise also that his vision was ‘welfare of all'. He gave the nation a profound social content and challenging social-democratic objectives. Even six decades after its adoption, our Constitution has become the uniting sprit of the country, guiding us through challenging times and unprecedented global and national social and political change.”

On the occasion, Mathai also quoted Dr Ambedkar's words regarding unity in India and showed how it was still relevant in today's day and age, decades after the speech was made. “I do not want that our loyalty as Indians should be in the slightest way affected by any competitive loyalty whether that loyalty arises out of our religion, out of our culture or out of language. I want all people to be Indian first, Indian last and nothing else but Indians.”

Following the devastating earthquake which took place in Nepal, on 25th April 2015, a group of charities collectively came together and co-ordinate various events to raise funds to provide the basic necessities for the impoverished and injured. These charities (MZ & KZ Shah Foundation, Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Dharma Bhakti Manor, Shishukunj, Lions Club of Nepal and Hunnarshala) organised a Bhajan Night, held at Zaverchand Memorial Hall in Kingsbury, on 9th May 2015.

The singers enthralled and mesmerised the enthusiastic crowd with their songs. The Shiv Shakti Bhajan Mandal

rendered Kathiawadi devotional Gujarati Bhajans.

The fundraising Bhajan evening raised £62,000 in 4 hours, which calculates to £258 per minute, which showed exceptional devotion to the worthy cause. All the money raised will be donated to local organisations on the ground in Nepal.

These charity groups encourages everyone to donate some money. Even £1 is worth 150 Nepali Rupees, which is enough to feed one person for an entire day.

To donate online, visit: Donate online to: www.givey.com/nepal, #prayfornepal

UK celebrates 800th anniversary of Magna Carta

Dignitaries who attended the 124th birth anniversary celebrations at India House

This year marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in Medieval England, which was signed between King John and the barons of Medieval England, in June 1215.

Magna Carta derives from Latin, which means “Great Charter”.

An international commemoration will be taking place on 15th June 2015 to mark the 800th anniversary. HM Queen Elizabeth II will attend the ceremonial activities which are taking place on Runnymede Meadows near Windsor, where the Magna Carta was sealed.

Additionally, to honour the 800th anniversary, the new Weston Library at the Bodleian Library will host an exhibition called 'Marks of Genius', which will display the Gloucester Charter.

The Magna Carta is a document which consisted of a series of written promises between the king and his subjects that the king would govern England and deal with its people according to the customs of feudal law. The Magna Carta was an intent by the barons to

prevent a king from misusing his powers where the people of England could suffer.

England had owned land in France. The barons provided the king with both money and men to defend this territory. It is said that traditionally, the king would always consult with the barons before raising taxes and demanding more men for military service, as this was part of the Feudal System.

For many years, English kings had proven to be militarily successful abroad and had good relations with the barons.

However, King John had proven to be unsuccessful in his military campaigns abroad, plus his constant demands for more money and men for the military angered the barons.

By 1204, John had lost his land in northern France and in response to this, John introduced high taxes without consulting with the barons. This was against feudal law and accepted custom which further aggravated the barons.

Furthermore, 1214 proved to be a ruinous year for John. He again

King John and the barons of medieval England

suffered military defeat in attempt to get back his territory in northern France.

He returned to London and demanded more money from taxes, to which the barons did not comply with and rebelled against his power.

Ultimately, the barons obtained London, although they did not defeat John entirely. By the Spring of 1215, both sides were willing to discuss matters, which resulted into the Magna Carta.

The Magna Carta was also used by the British

Empire, which lasted more than 300 years across the globe. Magna Carta was used by imperialists to defend international aspiration and by endemic people to claim liberty and integrity.

Magna Carta’s imperial legacy accentuated the preponderance of location and status when seeking the protection of British justice.

While many assumed that British law applied in all of Britain’s territories and that everyone was equal before the law, what mattered greatly

was whether the subject was white, wealthy or British-born.

Merchants and emigrants proclaimed that as ‘freeb o r n ’ Englishmen the rights granted to them by Magna Carta were deployable, befitting not only in Britain, but also in Britain’s territories overseas.

In 1690, such merchants challenged the East India Company’s advantageous ownership as an ‘infringement of Magna Carta’. Following the challenge, an Act of Parliament allowed private firms to enter the field.

In the 1770s, the Supreme Court of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa argued that Magna Carta’s impingement was only local and that its protection did not apply in the East India Company’s provinces. The British res-

idents retaliated angrily and convinced that their rights had travelled with them to Asia. In this case, insistence of legal rights were mixed together with political demands and aspirations.

The rebellions began as a military mutiny which spread to large parts of the East India Company’s territories. Some of the rebels were violent and ruthless and the British authorities responded with equal harshness.

East India Company rule ended, only to be replaced by direct British rule. A promulgation delivered in the name of Queen Victoria announced that Indians would receive the same treatment as ‘all Our other Subjects’, as well as their rights to religious freedom and to seek office under the imperial government be acknowledged. While more Indians got involved in the government and some were guaranteed the falsity that was promulgated, as a whole, Indians continued to be treated more atrociously than their British 'equivalents' up to the Indian independence in 1947.

15

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Bhav’s drama tips

For comedy acting: when you think you need to shut upDON’T. Just keep going. Carry on and it will be funny. Say that naughty thought and it will translate as funny.

For dramatic acting: I always think of that quote from A Few Good Men; 'you want the truth, you can't handle the truth!’ The play I’m doing at the moment is that about feeling the truth of the scene and ask that's something you've got to learn ties so to handle without feeling just 'People much overwhelmed. hapdon't understand of my pen to body and be Indian. how much of emotions, as It’s a fresh look at multicultural youth yourself you have the mark of a professional. and interactions. I’m one of a few collaboto give.'

This sort of rators and it is incredibly rewarding to work gravity is what with other writers who are so open-minded actors always and open-armed. It’s all very relaxed and look for, and I’m that helps it all flow.” proud to have got here.”

A little stumble Signature Talent

However, it’s not all sobriety and ceremonial award-show tears. Having a playful touch is a huge part of acting too, especially if like Parmar, you are a natural comedienne. I was reminded of this when asking about her inspirational movie moment: “that bit from Shrek when the donkey tells him to have a tic-tac” she grinned “general hygiene when you’re rehearsing 24/7 is Sunetra Senior generally a good thing! See, this is why I’m now ready for this dramatic stuff; I was Parmar is a tribute to the sometimes misunderstood art of acting. all comedy before that. I’ve always written Appearing last week in the first of a kind Oxford play ‘Silent on the Matter’, poetry and been interested in dance shows choreography, and in college that a production confronting the sensitive issue of gender foeticide, and cur- and energetic imagination just clicked into that rently gracing the screens in L.A and Buenos Aires film festivals with witty direction. I was in an all-girls improvisationcomedy ‘Darren has a Breakdown’ and ‘Kari’ a film about honour killing, al group, and I’ve been on comic web Her show-reel, endorse by trendy she makes it all the more clear how distinguished her profession really is. shows”. management company Red 24, exhibits Young yet very sharp, Parmar shines out in a business that is one of the her trademark satire which uses situational humour as opposed to pure dialogue. most demanding.

Rather than the usual dry spirit of the chosis, and tests their relationship; it’s The business of truth genre, she sparkles like champagne. The another harsh ordeal in a very real context.” skit where she is on a park bench and is Seeing her on the set of the latter Acting brings to life the exploration of the asked out by the guy sitting next to her, for showed this gritty journalistic quality. The human condition in the scripts and screenexample, works well because of the physiscene of the emotional climax where plays: “That’s really what attracted me” cal setting. ‘And what exactly are your creParmar’s character finally ‘breaks’, or in a gushed the actress - her literary awareness dentials?’ she asks the stunned stranger, ‘If mirroring of her sister’s clinical mental detecouched by formal training at Stratford we were to start dating, what would you rioration, ‘falls’ in a difficult situation, left the College and the RSC vibe surrounding bring to the relationship?’ What is supwhole film crew tense. A social truth- the “understanding people. I enjoy studying posed to be a casual encounter turns (too) limits of empathy, even with those closest the different points of view: what makes blatantly into an interview: “I’ve been writing to us- had been successfully communicatpeople angry? What makes them upset? up some similar skits for a new British ed. In terms of conceptual delivery, an Their breaking points. Having and sharing Muslim channel” she continued. “There’s actress is fighting in the front line, the conthat message with the audience is key.” one about a girl who goes to wrong audinotation of physical effort included; This is certainly true of the two serious dration and just ends up committing it so “in order to relay the tension of mas she is working on now: “Silent on the I play on the desperation of an anguish you’ve got to hold it Matter’ was written by a woman whose actor. We’ve all been there.

'I enjoy all in, even as you explode” Asian friend was driven to an abortion Another follows a naïve overlooking at the young talent shared. because her child was not a boy” Parmar ambitious girl from Liverpool “People don’t understand explained. “It’s heavy subject matter about who wants to become a film different how much of yourself you a topical event that hasn't yet been put on director.” have to give. Especially stage and it’s going to raise some much Parmar is also part of points of coming from a background needed awareness. BBC Asian Network Asian generation X, children – where family is so important, I actually had us on to talk about it. I’ve also view' going on ancestors - of immihave to sacrifice a lot of time worked on an alternative short film called grants whose backgrounds are with loved ones…But,” she contin‘She Fell Away’ which features two Indian increasingly incidental: “the sketches ued “I see these challenging scenarios sisters, one of whom has fallen into psyare about everyday scenarios where identi-

This brought us to the not so amicable, but no less important discussion point of glass ceilings, or should I say, falling stage lights.

As if the trade were not intellectually, emotionally - and of course - physically demanding enough, Parmar conferred with me about the problem of cultural stereotyping in the business: “yes, that is probably the most limiting aspect. I mean I always get compared to Parminder Nagra from ‘Bend it like Beckham’. People at the top of the industry still tend to be from a certain upbringing and leaning, and do not fully understand where we're coming from. They do tend to categorise and make assumptions about the roles we are suited for. I see that my white British friends are offered more diverse experiences, and consequently the chance to grow as actors.”

“However”, Parmar made sure to add in her upbeat manner, “if we look at the flipside that encourages me to be more myself than ever and I end up wanting to meet people who are like-minded and who I can work together with to be more creative.”

Originally from Birmingham, her Northern accent being a delicious addition to her character, Parmar’s is a success story in the big ol’ smoky city. Even as we talked, the starlet glow was tangible. In-between one of many auditions and post 48-hour rehearsal, she imparted one final career insight: “Life and industry are the same, and so my motto applies to both. I always say it’s about the three‘t’s: truth, trust and tone. When you tell the truth, people will appreciate you. Trust others and you will be more comfortable and perform your best.

Finally, be aware of how you come across.

We all need to be a little more sensitive.

Especially if you’re feeling happy, make sure that you’re showing it.” www.bhavnishaparmar.com

www.facebook.com/pages/BhavnishaParmar-Actress twitter.com/bhavnishap

16

ELECTION SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

RECORD 24 SOUTH ASIAN MPS IN HOUSE OF COMMONS

EXCLUSIVE

Potentially a pro-India UK government

Ashis Ray

Among the various permutations and combinations that were being calculated prior to the 7 May general election, a potentially pro-India government appears to have emerged following the verdict of the British people.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s weakness for India is well known. One of his early overseas trips as leader of the Conservative party and of the opposition was to India in 2006. Writing in The Guardian a day after his arrival in Delhi, he wrote: “I attach the highest priority to Britain’s relationship with India.”

Four years later, he committed his party to a “special relationship” with India in their election manifesto. This time around, the same document asserted the Tories will “build on our (the UK’s) strong relationship with India, push for an ambitious EU-India (free) trade deal and support India’s bid for permanent representation on the UN Security Council”.

By contrast, neither the Labour party nor the Liberal Democrats bothered to make any mention of India in their manifestos whatsoever.

Cameron is the only British prime minister who has publicly criticised Pakistan’s alleged export of terrorism. He did so when visiting India in 2010. He said in a speech in Bangalore: “We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country (Pakistan) is allowed to look both ways and is able in any way to promote the export of terror whether to India or whether to Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.”

He was after such remarks forthwith reined in by the Foreign Office and never repeated them on record. Yet, he was merely echoing what his predecessors like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had often conveyed to their Indian counterparts in private.

The UK-India strategic partnership was, in fact, signed in 2004 when Blair was prime minister.

But 13 years of rule by the

Labour party – with which India historically sensed greater empathy since the Labour government of Clement Attlee granted independence to India in the face of fierce opposition from the Conservatives led by Winston Churchill - failed to reflect the effusiveness articulated by Cameron since he assumed the Tory leadership.

Indeed, in 2009, as Labour’s foreign secretary, David Miliband sparked a furore by suggesting a link between the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai and the long-running Kashmir dispute. He wrote in an article: “Resolution of the dispute over Kashmir would help deny extremists in the region one of their main calls to arms and allow Pakistani authorities to focus more effectively on tackling the threat on their western borders.”

Arun Jaitley, then a spokesman of the Bharatiya Janata Party and now the Indian finance minister, reacted by saying: “In recent years, there has been no bigger disaster than David Miliband’s visit.”

A pro-India British government, of course, does not translate to antipathy towards another country. Since the suicide bomb attacks in London’s public transport system in 2005, the powers-that-be in Whitehall have sought to prevent a repeat by establishing a quid pro quo with Pakistani authorities.

In effect, it means a slightly unhelpful attitude on the part of London when it comes to certain issues of concern to India.

An Indian official went to the extent of alleging that in one instance co-operation requested from the UK intelligence services about Pakistan-based elements inimical to India resulted in the latter being tipped off.

At the same time, given India’s ability to absorb British exports and the potential of Indian companies to invest in the UK, there is unlikely to be any hyphenating of India and Pakistan in a Cameron-led Conservative government’s economic policy.

A genuine special relationship between the two countries, though, will only be realised if and when London and Delhi see eye to eye on international political affairs and forge greater co-operation on the counter terrorism front.

The ball is in Cameron’s court!

The number of MPs of South Asian descent in the House of Commons rose from 17 in the previous Parliament to 24 in the present chamber. Out of the over 150 candidates of South origin who stood for election in the general election, only 24 were elected. The general election on 7 May re-elected Sajid Javid, elevated to the post of Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills. 23 others, either sitting lawmakers or elected for the first time, will take their places in the directly elected lower chamber of Parliament as the Conservative party led by Prime Minister David Cameron left pollsters and pundits red-faced by surging to an absolute majority.

Successful South Asian candidates in the General Election

NAME 1- Sajid Javid 2- Keith Vaz 3- Valerie Vaz 4- Seema Malhotra 5- Lisa Nandy 6- Virendra Sharma 7- Shailesh Vara 8- Priti Patel 9- Alok Sharma 10- Rishi Sunak 11- Suella Fernandes 12- Shabana Mahmood 13- Khalid Mahmood 14- Yasmin Qureshi 15- Imran Hussain 16- Rehman Chishti 17- Nusrat Ghani 18- Naz Shah 19- Sadiq Khan 20- Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh 21- Rushanara Ali 22- Rupa Huq 23- Tulip Siddiq 24- Ranil Jayawardena

ORIGIN Indian-Pakistani Indian Indian Indian Indian-British Indian Indian Indian Indian Indian Indian Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani Pakistani-Welsh-Czech Bangladeshi Bangladeshi Bangladeshi Sri Lankan

11

22

13

2

9

3

4

PARTY Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Conservative Conservative Conservative Conservative Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Conservative Labour Labour Scottish National Party Labour Labour Labour Conservative

21

18

17

10

CONSTITUENCY Bromsgrove Leicester East Walsall South Feltham & Heston Wigan Ealing Southall Cambridgeshire North West Witham Reading West Richmond, Yorks Fareham Birmingham Ladywood Birmingham Perry Barr Bolton South East Bradford East Gillingham & Rainham Wealden Bradford West Tooting Ochil & South Perthshire Bethnal Green & Bow Ealing Central & Acton Hampstead & Kilburn North East Hampshire

8

1

7

15

24

14

20

5

19

12

6

23

Number of Indian-Origin UK MPs remain at 10

The number of Indian-origin MPs in the British House of Commons will remain the same at 10.

All sitting MPs were re-elected bar one. Paul Uppal of the Conservative party, who were returned to office, lost in Wolverhampton South West in the West Midlands of England. He was defeated by Rob Marris of the Labour party by a margin of 801 votes in a constituency with a large number of Sikhs from India.

Uppal's loss, though, was compensated by victory for Rishi Sunak, also a Conservative, in Richmond in Yorkshire. This first time MP was

fighting a seat vacated by William Hague, who was until last year Britain's foreign minister. Sunak is a son-in-law of Narayana Murthy, one of the founders of the Indian software giant Infosys.

Those who retained their seats were: Keith Vaz (Leicester East), who has been an MP from 1987, his sister Valerie Vaz (Walsall South), Virendra Sharma (Ealing Southall), Seema Malhotra (Feltham & Heston), Lisa Nandy (Wigan), who is half Indian, half English, Sajid Javid (Bromsgrove), who is half Indian, half Pakistani and was minister for culture, media and sport in

16

the outgoing cabinet, Priti Patel (Witham), a junior minister, Alok Sharma (Reading West) and Shailesh Vara (Cambridgeshire North West), another junior minister who has been an MP since 2005.

Vara said: “I fought a positive campaign, based on what I have achieved for the constituency and what the Conservatives have achieved in government.”

Keith Vaz remarked: "I am absolutely delighted. I have served them for 27 years and they have given me the huge privilege of an extension of another five."

ELECTION SPECIAL

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

What composition of the Cabinet means

For the first time in 18 years, there is a government in Britain drawn exclusively from the Conservative party as a result of David Cameron securing an overall majority in the House of Commons in the 7 May general election.

The appointments reflect continuity as well as change.

George Osborne, a close confidante of the prime minister remains chancellor of the exchequer and de facto deputy prime minister. This probably signals a perseverance with austerity, more cuts in government spending to reduce debt and the deficit, but greater encouragement to the private sector to invest in housing, infrastructure, energy and other sectors.

A tough line on immigration and Islamists can be expected with Theresa May being retained as home secretary. The first would be to try and marginalise Ukip, who attracted nearly four million votes and under a PR system would have enjoyed 83 seats in the Commons as opposed to the solitary one they actually won. The second would be to please the rank and file of the Conservative party and their core supporters.

Early re-negotiation of

treaties with the European Union will be high on the government's agenda, what with a referendum by 2017 on whether or not to stay in the EU promised in the Conservative manifesto. In this respect, since Philip Hammond is seen as more Eurosceptic than an Euroenthusiast, this may keep critics of Cameron with the party at bay. At the same time, it would be suicidal to withdraw from the EU. It would have catastrophic consequences for the British economy. Most member countries, including the powerful ones in western Europe, would not want Britain to quit and neither would conceivably a majority of Britons. Nevertheless, the eastern European nations do not seem to be in a mood to allow a dismantling of the single market for employment and benefits.

Michael Gove as the new Secretary of State for Justice will be entrusted with the task of abolishing the existing Human Rights Act, which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights permits, among other provisions, appeals to a superior European Court. This is likely to be replaced by a British

Labour Shadow Cabinet • Harriet

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Harman, Acting leader of the opposition Chris Leslie, Shadow chancellor of the exchequer Hilary Benn, Shadow foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, Shadow home secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Shadow lord chancellor, shadow secretary of state for justice Rosie Winterton, Opposition chief whip Andy Burnham, Shadow secretary of state for health Chuka Umunna, Shadow secretary of state for business Rachel Reeves, Shadow secretary of state for work and pensions Tristram Hunt, Shadow secretary of state for education Vernon Coaker, Shadow secretary of state for defence Emma Reynolds, Shadow secretary of state for communities Caroline Flint, Shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change Angela Eagle, Shadow leader of the House of Commons and chair of the national policy forum Michael Dugher,

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Shadow secretary of state for transport Ivan Lewis, Shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland Mary Creagh, Shadow secretary of state for international development Ian Murray, Shadow secretary of state for Scotland Owen Smith, Shadow secretary of state for Wales Maria Eagle, Shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Lucy Powell, Shadow minister for the cabinet office Jon Trickett, Shadow minister without portfolio and deputy party chair Gloria De Piero, Shadow minister for women and equalities Chris Bryant, Shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport Shabana Mahmood, Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Liz Kendall, Shadow minister for care and older people Lord Bach, Shadow attorney general In the Lords Lady Royall of Blaisdon, Leader Lord Bassam of Brighton, Lords chief whip

Overall composition of the Commons

Women

2010

Men

22.8%

4.2%

Ethnic minority

77.2%

Where they were educated

Private school*

20MPS

Eton*

28.8%

71.2%

6.3%

35%

20MPS

32%

26%

28%

Oxford or Cambridge University*

Oldest MP

2015

*Source The Sutton Trust

85

Sir Peter Tapsell

Youngest MP

30

Pamela Nash

84

Gerald Kaufman

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Mhairi Black

Bill of Rights.

The fact is British courts even without being governed

by European laws have been strict on human rights matters. Applications to extradite persons who have allegedly committed crimes in India have either been consistently rejected by the judiciary here on the grounds Indian authorities may indulge in torture if the defendant is returned to India or where cases have been won in a lower court, they have been appealed against, thereby effectively denying deportation.

Eric Pickles, popular with Asians, has been

replaced by Greg Clark as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Clark has been chairman of The Football League. The welfare of the Asian community will be one of his responsibilities.

Sajid Javid, formerly with Chase Manhattan and Deutsche Bank, is quite qualified to be Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills. Dealing with India on the trade and investment front will be among his important tasks.

Priti Patel, though, has been given a challenging assignment as Minister of State for Employment.

In a speech delivered by Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, last year he said his father was from India and his mother from Pakistan. This makes him a person of Indo-Pak origin rather than one of wholly Indian or Pakistani descent.

The general perception, though, is he is Pakistani. Certainly the Pakistani High Commission thinks he is.

So, if he is included in the category of MPs of Pakistani extraction in the House of Commons, the number of such persons rises to 10, thereby equalling the tally of lawmakers of Indian heritage, if Javid is excluded from their list.

In the previous house, there were seven Pakistani origin MPs. One of these - Anas Sarwar lost in the constituency of Glasgow Central. Four new candidates, though Imran Hussain, Nusrat Ghani, Naseem Shah and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh were elected.

This enlarged the group to double figures.

Indian origin MPs numbered nine in the outgoing house. Among them, Paul Uppal lost in Wolverhampton South West, but Rishi Sunak and Suella Fernandes won for the first time to boost their list to 10.

In the modern era, Indian origin MPs in the

UK enjoyed a 10 year head start over their Pakistani counterparts.

Keith Vaz entered the Commons in 1987; whereas the first Pakistani MP Mohammed Sarwar (Anas's father) was not elected until 1997. But the Pakistani community, although half the size of the Indian diaspora in Britain, has clearly drawn level with the latter in terms of their presence and strength in the House of Commons.

Extrapolating from the research carried out by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council, today political participation in Britain among Pakistanis as a whole is greater than among Indians. "Regular attendance at a place of worship increases minority political participation," is the finding of the research. Among British Indians, Sikhs are the most organised as voters. But are yet to break through as MPs. Uppal's defeat means there are no Sikh MPs in the Commons.

It can even be interpreted that while Indians have made impressive progress towards attaining economic power - some of the richest people in the UK are Indians Pakistanis have in the past two decades concentrated on obtaining political clout and succeeded.

Pakistani origin MPs now equal Indian counterparts

Full List of Ministers

17

• The Rt Hon David Cameron continues as Prime Minister • The Rt Hon George Osborne becomes First Secretary of State and continues as Chancellor of the Exchequer • The Rt Hon Theresa May continues as Home Secretary • The Rt Hon Philip Hammond continues as Foreign Secretary • The Rt Hon Michael Fallon continues as Secretary of State for Defence • The Rt Hon Michael Gove becomes Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice • The Rt Hon Chris Grayling becomes Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons • The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan continues as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities • Mark Harper becomes Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) • Baroness Stowell is promoted to Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal • Amber Rudd becomes Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change • Priti Patel becomes Minister of State (Minister for Employment) and attends Cabinet • Robert Halfon becomes Minister without Portfolio and attends Cabinet • The Rt Hon Sajid Javid becomes Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills • John Whittingdale becomes Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport • The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith continues as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions • The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin continues as Secretary of State for Transport • The Rt Hon Liz Truss continues as Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs • Anna Soubry becomes Minister of State (Minister for Small Business) and attends Cabinet • The Rt Hon Greg Clark becomes Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government • The Rt Hon Justine Greening continues as Secretary of State for International Development • The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers continues as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland • The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt continues as Secretary of State for Health • The Rt Hon Stephen Crabb continues as Secretary of State for Wales • The Rt Hon Greg Hands becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury and will attend Cabinet • The Rt Hon Matt Hancock becomes Minister for Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Minister for Efficiency & Civil Service Reform) • The Rt Hon David Mundell becomes Secretary of State for Scotland • The Rt Hon Oliver Letwin is promoted to Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in overall charge of Cabinet Office • The Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC continues as Attorney General OTHER MINISTERS • Ros Altmann becomes Minister of State (Minister for Pensions) at the Department for Work and Pensions • Mark Francois becomes Minister of State at Department for Communities and Local Government • Penny Mordaunt becomes Minister of State (Minister for the Armed Forces) at Ministry of Defence • The Rt Hon John Hayes is the new Minister of State for Security at the Home Office • Alistair Burt is the new Minister of State at the Department of Health • Jo Johnson becomes Minister of State (Minister for Universities and Science) at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills • Philip Dunne becomes Minister of State (Minister for Defence Procurement) at the Ministry of Defence • Ed Timpson becomes Minister of State at the Department for Education • Nick Boles continues as Minister of State at the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with additional responsibility for trade union and employment law • Andrea Leadsom becomes Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change • Anne Milton becomes Deputy Chief Whip (Treasurer of HM Household) • George Eustice becomes Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs • Harriett Baldwin becomes Economic Secretary to the Treasury (City Minister) • The Rt Hon Francis Maude becomes Minister of State at the Foreign Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills • Therese Coffey becomes Deputy Leader of the House of Commons • The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP becomes a Minister of State at Department for International Development (The fate of Baroness Sandip Verma, Lord Dolar Popat and MP Shailesh Vara could be determined later)

18

ELECTION SPECIAL

Meenal Sachdev: First Indian female councillor for Hertsmere

Reshma Trilochun

Meenal Sachdev has become the first Indian woman to be elected as a Councillor for Hertsmere. Speaking to Asian Voice, she expressed her happiness, her struggles and her future plans.

"I am honoured to be the first Indian woman councillor elected in Hertsmere," added a proud Sachdev. "It’s a great council to be working for under the leadership of Cllr Morris Bright and we are grateful to have an excellent new MP, Oliver Dowden, who

Meenal Sachdev

used to be David Cameron’ s Deputy Chief of Staff."

Her parents came to England in 1972 when

they were exiled from Uganda. She has witnessed her family and community work extremely hard, and believes their inspirational achievements were facilitated by the positive opportunities that this country has provided them.

Meenal went to a very good school in London, graduated from SOAS and did an MPhil at the prestigious Cambridge University. Her passion lies in community service and working with vulnerable communities.

"Education really excites me," added Meenal. "I

believe it is fundamental to creating a strong individual, a strong community and a better world. I have studied various development and education models and invested in various schools in rural and urban areas in India. The Foundation I run works to fight the brutal crime of human trafficking and I realise through this, just how important education is to eliminating this criminal industry.

"I am excited to commit my time and skills in the most effective way to serve the local community..."

Sikh voters feel dejected at election result

Rupanjana Dutta

The UK’s General Election has resulted in a Parliament without any elected representatives from the Sikh community for the first time since 1992, the country’s largest Sikh body has claimed.

Whilst a total of 20 Sikh candidates (six Conservative, five Labour, five UKIP, two Lib Dem, one Green and one National Liberal Party) stood to become MPs, the majority were fighting in seats where they were unlikely to win and the Sikh Council UK is concerned that not a single Sikh MP was elected in this General Election.

Sikh Council UK Spokesperson, Gurinder Singh said, “The Sikh community in the UK is one of the largest in any diaspora country. Sikhs are a com-

munity that is well settled in every geographic part of the UK and are well represented in every aspect of UK society other than as elected representatives.”

In the last Parliament there was only one Sikh MP, Conservative Paul Uppal of Wolverhampton South West. He re-stood but lost the marginal seat to Labour.

Parliament should reflect and look like the communities it represents and serves. The Sikh community has been established in the UK in significant numbers for well over half a century. The relationship and shared history between Great Britain and the Sikhs goes back significantly further with a significant period being the Sikh contribution during the two World Wars.

“It is a significant concern for the Sikh community that not a single Sikh MP

was elected on May 7th.

This is a matter that should be of concern to all of the political parties too. The last time when there wasn’t a Sikh MP in Parliament was in 1992 and this situation is a significant step backwards,” he added.

Although black and ethnic minority (BME) communities have traditionally largely backed the Labour Party, the Sikh Council UK is concerned that parties should not take historic voting patterns for granted.

“Most Sikhs have historically voted Labour,” he said. “This is the same as all BME communities and is likely to have been the case in this election. However, out of all the BME communities, research shows that the Sikh and Hindu communities are moving away from the Labour Party at a slightly higher rate than other communities at suc-

Labour Leadership

British Pakistanis and British Bangladeshis continued to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the Labour party in the 7 May general election. A substantial number of British Indians persisted in doing so, as well.

Therefore, in a situation in which Ed Miliband has resigned as Labour leader, who becomes his successor and what ideological course the party takes should be of interest to South Asians.

David Miliband, elder brother of Ed, now working in New York, criticised his brother's leadership, saying he failed to do enough to woo the middle classes and voters "did not want what was being offered".

But he ruled himself out of running for the Labour leadership and refused to be drawn on who he believed was best to take over from his brother. In an interview to BBC, he said: “Both in 2010 and in 2015

Gordon (Brown) and then Ed allowed themselves to be portrayed as moving backwards from the principles aspirations and inclusion that are at the absolute heart of any successful, progressive, political project."

Andy Burnham has considerable government and frontbench experience. He served as health secretary under Brown, but lost to Ed, going on to hold the shadow health brief under his leadership. A section of trade unions may support him. He said he would "make some calls" on that.

Chuka Umunna was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and appointed shadow business secretary the following year. He is ambitious and is said to be ringing round MPs to sound out possible support. But at 36, is he too young?

Yvette Cooper was talked about as leader

material even five years ago. As shadow home secretary for the past four years, she has often outflanked Home Secretary Theresa May in the Commons. She did not stand to succeed Brown as her husband Ed Balls was in running.

But with the latter out of parliament and therefore unqualified to contest, she could well make her move.

Tristram Hunt is another who may throw his hat into the ring. As shadow education secretary, he performed capably on the coalition's education policies in England.

The question is: which of these contenders has a good understanding of the South Asian community? Also, what is their grasp of foreign of affairs? Certainly Labour has some distance to cover to regain the confidence of the Indian government.

cessive elections with the trend likely to have continued this time too.”

A survey taken from 1,000 respondents in March found that 40% of Sikhs were undecided on which party they would vote for.

Britain is home to between 600,000 and 800,000 Sikhs with about 500,000 eligible to vote. Sikhs form part of a politically active community with 2 in 3 people voting in the 2010 general election. He added, “Sikhs are responsible citizens who generally exercise their vote. The Sikh Council UK has encouraged Sikhs to register to vote and to use their vote. The Sikh Council UK has engaged with the two main political parties over the last two years and will once again be setting out a political engagement programme designed to increase Sikh representation at all levels.

RT

Hiten GanatraCouncillor in Milton Keynes

Hiten Ganatra was recently elected as the Councillor in Milton Keynes for the Shenley Brook End ward.

Ganatra set up his own property and finance business whilst studying at Cass Business School, prior to working for an affluent accountancy firm in the city.

After his graduation, Hiten Ganatra decided to continue to pursue his business interests and took it to new heights before moving to Milton Keynes in 2005, where he has lived ever since with his young family.

Shortly after being elected as a Councillor, Ganatra expressed, “I am absolutely delighted to have been elected to serve the residents of Milton Keynes.

I wanted to stand to give back to the society that has given me so much, and I looking forward to the challenge along with my Conservative colleagues.”

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Election related news items on page 16, 17 and 18 are written and compiled by Ashis Ray of RayMedia

The Abu Qatada Case

The freshly elected government of Prime Minister David Cameron intends to abolish the Human Rights Act and substitute it with a British Bill of Rights.

The ruling Conservative party and other critics say the Human Rights Act now in force in Britain has led to "perverse" judgements, including a ruling that found the United Kingdom's blanket ban on prisoners voting to be unlawful. More conspicuously to the British public, an order that the radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada shouldn't be deported to Jordan to face trial on terrorism charges predictably caused outrage.

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) said some of the evidence used against him may have been obtained under duress.

After years of legal battles, though, not to mention the huge cost to the British government, Qatada was ultimately extradited.

In a separate case, there was a ruling that the UK was violating an individual's right to privacy by holding fingerprint and DNA information of people who had-

n't been charged or convicted of a crime. The ECHR said retaining the information 'could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society'.

The Human Rights Act came into force in 2000, bringing the rights contained in the ECHR into British law.

The Act includes the rights to life, liberty and security, a fair trial, respect for private life, and freedom of expression.

Torture, slavery and discrimination are all banned as well. Supporters stress that if the UK scraps the Human Rights Act then it will lose legitimacy and effectiveness in speaking out against human rights abuses elsewhere. The Tories argue they want a Bill of Rights specifically designed to fit British needs and traditions.

They say the Bill would allow the ECHR to apply a "margin of appreciation" more discretion - in its rulings, so judges would be more likely to take into account British culture and history. Opponents say the plans could dilute human rights laws.

David Cameron's nailing an absolute majority is undoubtedly the headline of the general election. Not far behind, though, is the seismic change in the Scottish contingent in the House of Commons - an unimaginable 56 Scottish National Party (SNP) MPs out of a total of 59 from Scotland!

Scotland is important in that there is a sizeable Pakistani community in the Glasgow area. But other South Asians there are few and far between. The Pakistanis are, in fact, divided on the issue of Scottish independence, with a significant section of conventionally Labour supporters now breaking away to attach their allegiance to the SNP. Morally, the SNP have a case to uphold their election manifesto pledges. But mathematically - and constitutionally - they can do little to impose their will on Westminster.

David Cameron will undoubtedly have to deliver what was agreed between the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats by way of further devolution of powers to the Scottish government. A Downing Street source was quoted as saying: "He (Cameron) feels he's been very clear that he wants to deliver what he has promised."

The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, however, may demand greater autonomy and if denied, threaten to hold another referendum on independence. If Sturgeon insists on full fiscal powers and this leads to a confrontation,

Cameron could grant this, but terminate the Barnett formula, by virtue of which Scotland receives greater public expenditure than England.

An extra £1,623 per head, or 19 per cent, is given to Scotland compared to England.

The campaign for a separate Scotland is more about an enhanced welfare state than an emotional or ethnic stance. It is about the SNP wanting an end to austerity and a resumption of greater state expenditure. It is, in fact, a clash of ideologies and ideas.

So, where should South Asians stand on this fractious debate? The "Yes" lobby lost the plebiscite last year; and that should have closed the chapter. But it hasn't because the SNP are experiencing a sympathy wave after they lost the referendum; added to this is their populism, which has succeeded in swaying working classes, and a collapse of Labour as an appealing alternative. The SNP's stance on public spending in the current economic climate is arguably unaffordable and unsustainable.

Certainly Scotland doesn't have the resources to underwrite it.

There is strength in unity.

For Scotland to venture into its own is an avoidable risk.

Among other hazards, there is no guarantee that it will secure membership of the EU if it does. So does the South Asian community in Scotland have anything to gain from an independent Scotland? One should think long and hard before jeopardising one's future.

The SNP Phenomenon

REAL ESTATE VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

19

London property back on track

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

With the election now history, and the Conservatives with a clear win, the London property market is already on a roll. There was no time for the dust to settle, already there are reports in the market of deals being transacted.

Estate agents were reporting calls from buyers at the top end of the property market, as the Conservatives’ shock election win lifted fears of a mansion tax on £2m-plus homes.

At the top end, stalled transactions will now start to creep back into the market.

One agent reported calls coming in for properties just after midnight when the Conservative victory looked assured; half of which came from UK purchasers and the other half from overseas buyers.

This included a n offer from a middle eastern family on a £2.5m apa rtment in St John’s Wood which had been on the market stag na ting for the last eight months.

There was even a fear in the market from buyers, worried deals which were in the pipeline where the prices had been agreed pre election would now be pushed up in price.

Buyers were frantically trying to get them over the line, and it can now be seen there is a difference in property prices pre and post election.

Last week on Friday morning another agent had already done over £25m worth of exchanges which were in the pipeline, with another £5m expected during the rest of the day.

Another office had received three offers as a result of the election, two of which were on properties costing over £2m.

The threat of mansion tax had stalled the market since the beginning of the year.

The census is the election has been a very bullish outcome for the London property market at all price levels.

We’re in a situation where house prices are increasing more than a person can ea rn, let alone save, in short y ou’re probably better of buy ing another property than working!

Our view of investing pre election was based on taking a pessimistic view and looking at the worst case scenario. Even if Labour had won and the mansion tax was implemented, after the market understood what the policy was and how it would be implemented the prices would after a short time start rising again. It was the fear of the unknown which was scaring investors.

Taking into account this scenario London property prices would still carry on going upwards, I mean where else are investors going to put their money? There aren’t many cities in the world with their doors as wide open as London regarding property. Both in the amount one can invest and the ease of money flow in and out.

There was a herd mentality created by this uncertainty. Properties which were not even affected by the mansion tax were being sold cheaply in our opinion, with sellers in a rush to get out now.

With this in mind we closed a few deals which were cheap mostly due to the election. I believe the discount rate was around 50% of the normal market price. Two of which have exchanged and are yet to complete and another has already completed. They have no doubt risen in price overnight.

Some predict reside ntial property above £2 m to increa se by up to 20% in a year, and that over the next five y ears ca pital values in prime London could even double, now that the bra kes have come off.

This upbeat euphoria was not restricted to only bricks and mortar, for example shares in Foxtons, the London estate agent known for its green mini’s, soared by nearly 12 per cent on Friday morning alone, owing as much to the demolition of the “mansion tax” as to the defeat of Labour’s pledge to slash letting agents’ fees and introduce three-year tenancies.

Labour had plans to heavily regulate the rental sector.

Warning that these proposals could have destabilised the buy-to-let sector, Richard Lambert, chief executive of the National Landlords Association, said the Tory majority “should give confidence to landlords to invest their own money in providing homes and allow the rental market to develop to meet the needs of a rapidly changing tenant demographic”.

Regardless of the election result, the fundamentals of property still haven’t changed, there is a chronic lack of housing stock and the demand for housing is increasing due to factors such as net inward migration, the break down of the family nucleus etc. and the need for housing stock doesn’t look like it will be satiated in the near future.

The proportion of 25 to 34 year olds owning their own home has fallen from 59% to 36% in a only decade. Home ownership is decreasing.

Not surprising given house prices rose by just over 7% last year and almost 18% in London, correspondingly wages rose by only 2.1%.

We have come up with two investment de als both in Central London one via a fund route and the other directly in a property; the principle being it is better to own a smaller piece of a quality asset than a whole piece of mediocre one.

On that subject I was speaking to a property dealer/investor yesterday who was telling me about an investment he had made in Birmingham City Centre, eleven years ago. He had bought the property for £140,000, since that time the property had always been rented, but hadn’t gone up in value in fact it had gone down to £120,000. This made me feel quite smug about myself, as I too had invested in a property for £140,000 in Birmingham City Centre, apparently for a discount, about the same time and mine is worth £135,000 currently.

This drives home the first property mantra: Location, Location and Location. Keep chanting this when investing and you will probably do quite well!

The Real Deal

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Tips of the Week l More people lose money from not making a decision than making the wrong decision when it comes to property investment.

Remember - the early bird gets the worm!

l Chose a promising area to invest.

Promising does not mean the most expensive or cheapest. Promising means a place where people would like to live and this can be for a variety of reasons.

20

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Dear Financial Voice Reader,

So the elections are behind us and what a surprise that was, the Conservatives won the majority vote but what really caught most analysts, political and financial alike, was the way they won the race. Over the past weeks almost all predictions called for a very tight race, so tight actually that no one was willing to make a bet either way. All the polls called for a marginal difference between the two front-running parties and everybody was prepared for a thriller when the time came for the exit polls.

But as everyone knows by now, the Tories emerged as the clear and undisputed winner of the election and actually didn’t even need to form a coalition government. It goes without saying of course that this was perceived as a positive development for the London money markets and the FTSE and Cable both gained the following morning.

Focusing our analysis on the London index we saw the FTSE climbing sharply above the 7,000 points after the results hit the wires after having traded below the 6,900 area in the eve of the election. The fact that all predictions called for a possible stalemate between the two major parties in the UK had scared investors away but as soon as the clear win of the Tories was a fact the FTSE jumped almost 200 points to trade just shy of the 7,100 points this morning.

However the usual question that comes to mind after such a radical move in the main index is whether these gains can be sustained and if not what’s to come. My personal opinion is a bit reserved, I think that the rally was more a kneejerk reaction from the market participants and the real question is whether the FTSE can remain afloat above the 7,000 points. I think that this will determine whether the FTSE can really make it into fresh 7,100+ highs.

I believe it will be difficult for the London index to break into new highs this week, the index seems a bit overbought after last week’s rally and the 7,100 barrier has been rejected by the FTSE a few times already the past month. I believe that a consolidation between the 7,000 and 7,100 points levels is more likely, however should the 6,980 points’ pivot level get breached then I will be looking to short the index towards the 6,910 support floor.

I’ve made a complete online course to teach you how to trade shares. You can find it here: www.udemy.com/tradingonline (it’s free to keep for 30 days) and if you use the ‘asianvoice’ coupon code you get a 50% discount on keeping it for life.

Arun Batra wins HR award

Arun Batra

National Equality Standard (NES) founder Arun Batra won the HR Consultant of the year award for setting up the first every standard for equality in the workplace.

Batra was presented the honour recently at the M a n a g e m e n t Consultancies Association (MCA) awards which reward top achievers in the management consulting industry over the last year.

A diversity champion in human resources, Batra was recognised for establishing the National Equality Standard (NES), the UK’s first ever industry-recognised standard for equality in the workplace.

It is supported by the Home Office and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).Batra, who is also a director in EY’s advisory practice, said: “I am delighted and overwhelmed. This win would not be possible without my highly skilled team who understand how to navigate the complexities of diversity and inclusiveness in a business environment.

One of the great things about our work is that it is driving much needed change in business and making a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Eicher Motors acquires British firm

Eicher Motors, the makers of Royal Enfield motorcycles, announced the acquisition of Britain-based Harris Performance Products Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Eicher Motors will acquire all assets, employees, trade names, technical knowhow and intellectual property of the 40-year-old Harris Performance Products, the Indian company said in a statement.

According to the British company's website, it designs, develops, manufactures and markets road and racing motorcycle chassis and components that are marketed in Britain and exported worldwide.

"Royal Enfield (the two wheeler division of Eicher Motors) is working on its new generation of prod-

Up to £50 off RAC breakdown cover

RAC are offering up to £50 off their breakdown cover when you sign up for annual RAC vehicle based membership.

Deals are as follows: £10 off when you purchase roadside and recovery;£20 off when you purchase roadside, recovery and at home; £30 off when you purchase roadside, recovery, at home and onward travel; plus £50 off when you purchase roadside, recovery, at home, onward travel and European.

Roadside is RAC's basic breakdown cover option. It provides 24 hours, seven days a week RAC roadside assistance to its members across the UK road network. The cover also includes access to expert legal advice and assistance in the occurrence of an accident, as well as free tow of vehicle to a garage within the 10-mile radius of the breakdown location.

Recovery adds nationwide vehicle recovery to roadside assistance. The members

will have access to free vehicle recovery and transportation for up to seven people to any destination in the UK. The home breakdown cover adds a home help option to roadside assistance, but excludes nationwide vehicle recovery. This option will cover you if your car won't start on your driveway, or breaks down close to your home.

Home and recovery is the option to opt for if you want roadside assistance, nationwide vehicle recovery as well as the

home start option altogether in one package.

Home, recovery and onward travel, adds onward travel cover to the Solution 3 package.

With this package, you have access to a replacement vehicle for up to 3 days, as we;; as financial cover for emergency overnight accommodation.

For further details and the terms and conditions, visit rac.co.uk/visitauntie The offer is available from 13th May- 15th June 2015.

OFFICE ADMIN ASSISTANT Asian Business Publications Ltd publishers of Asian Voice (English) and Gujarat Samachar (Gujarati), premier newsweeklies for British Asians – one of the UK’s most progressive and enterprising ethnic groups are seeking an Office Admin Assistant.

If you enjoy keeping things in order and like being part of a team, this job could suit you perfectly. As an administrative assistant, you would be making sure that day-to-day office tasks run smoothly.

The tasks will include: • Dealing with printers, newspaper distributors and Suppliers.

• Typing and setting up documents such as letters and reports • Filing and record keeping • Ability to multitask • Provide secretarial services

Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday and weekends when necessary

ucts and platforms; to have the Harris Performance team dedicatedly working with us will clearly enhance our engineering and product design capabilities.

"Their proven expertise, deep insight and understanding of motorcycling and Royal Enfield will be invaluable for us in our journey towards achieving leadership in the global mid-sized motorcycling segment,"

Siddhartha Lal, CEO Royal Enfield and managing director, Eicher Motors was quoted as saying in the statement.

"All of the current staff at Harris Performance will now become employees of Royal Enfield, taking responsibility of performance and development engineering for our new range of motorcycles.

They will be part of Royal Enfield's upcoming UK Tech Centre," Lal said.

Skills and qualities required: • An organised approach and excellent time management skills • Good communication skills • The ability to work well as part of a team • Computer literacy and good typing skills • A good level of English spelling and grammar • Accuracy and attention to detail • The ability to use your own initiative but also know when matters need to be referred to a supervisor.

Selected candidate will receive a competitive salary.

Send you resume with a covering letter to: Mr L George on george@abplgroup.com or post to Asian Business Publication Ltd 12 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HW

CURRENCY VOICE

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

21

Foreign Exchange

Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX,

Election Result surges Sterling currency Currency Specialists.

On Friday 8th May, news emerged of Prime Minister David Cameron winning Britain's election, confounding poll predictions that the vote would be the closest in decades to sweep into office for another five years with a clear majority and his Labour opponents in tatters. The sterling currency, bonds and shares surged on a result that reversed near-universal expectations of an inconclusive "hung parliament", in which Cameron would have had to jockey for power with Labour rival Ed Miliband.

Instead, Cameron met Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace to accept a mandate to form the first majority Conservative government since John Major's surprise victory in 1992. Despite the unexpectedly decisive outcome, longer-term uncertainty looms over whether

Britain will stay in the European Union - and even hold together as a country. Secessionists swept the board in Scotland, and Cameron repeated a promise to hold a referendum on membership in the EU. The anti-EU, populist UK Independence Party (UKIP) surged into third place in the overall vote tally, but disappointed its followers by managing to place first in only one district to win just a single seat. Like Labour's Miliband, Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg and UKIP leader Nigel Farage resigned as party leaders.

Cameron's victory means Britain will face a vote which he has promised on continued membership in the EU. He says he wants to stay in the bloc, but only if he can renegotiate Britain's relationship with Brussels. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the EU's executive European Commission, congratulated Cameron on his victory.

The Commission would examine any British proposal "in a polite, friendly and objective way," a Commission spokesman said.

Payrolls rebounded in April, a sign companies are confident the U.S. economy will reboot after stagnating early this year.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 12th May 2015 @ 7pm

GBP - INR = 100.68 USD - INR = 64.22 EUR - INR = 72.08 GBP - USD = 1.57 GBP - EUR = 1.40

EUR - USD = 1.12 GBP - AED = 5.76

GBP - CAD = 1.88 The unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent. The jobless rate fell to the lowest since May 2008 as more Americans entered the labour force and found work.

Average hourly earnings climbed less than forecast.

Construction and health care were among the industries that accelerated the pace of hiring last month as the economy emerged from temporary setbacks that included bad weather and a labour dispute at West Coast ports. Such job growth and steadily rising wages may keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise its benchmark interest rate later this

year. Construction companies took on 45,000 workers in April, the biggest gain since January 2014. Employment in health services increased 55,600 in April, the strongest increase in five months.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen and her colleagues will use the data to help them parse the strength of the economy as they consider raising interest rates for the first time since 2006. Officials, who dropped a promise in March to be patient on raising rates, say they can act at any policy meeting, beginning with their gathering on June 16-17. Most expect them to move later this year.

GBP - NZD = 2.13

GBP - AUD = 1.96

GBP - ZAR = 18.88

GBP - HUF = 428.14

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.

11th May 2015

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22

WORLD

2 envoys killed in Pak copter crash Taliban claim it downed chopper with an anti-aircraft missile

Islamabad: Envoys of the Philippines and Norway and the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors were among seven persons killed when a Pakistani military helicopter crashed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) last week.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed it had downed the chopper with an anti-aircraft missile and said Premier Nawaz Sharif was its target. Bur Sharif was on another aircraft.

The Pakistan Army, however, ruled out the possibility of any terrorist or subversive activity in the crash in PoK’s GilgitBaltistan region and said the chopper had crashed due to a technical fault while landing.

Leif H. Larsen, the Norwegian envoy, and Domingo D. Lucenario Jr.

of the Philippines were killed along with the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors, besides two Army pilots and a crew member in the helicopter that caught fire as it crashed into a school.

Six Pakistanis and 11 foreigners were on board.

Sharif’s aircraft diverted: Polish ambassador Andrzej Ananiczolish and Dutch ambassador Marcel de Vink were also injured when the Pakistan mili-

Pak kept bin Laden as prisoner: US journalist

Pakistani Washington: officials not only knew about Osama bin Laden's location, they also kept him as a prisoner, according to a new exposé by US investigative journalist Seymour M Hersh.

Hersh's report claims that the Pakistani military's top brass was aware of the US Special Forces operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in May, 2011, that killed al Qaeda leader bin Laden.

Islamabad has always maintained that the US acted unilaterally in Abbottabad and that it had no prior knowledge of the al Qaeda leader's whereabouts - something which Washington also officially endorsed.

Hersh's claims, therefore, could cause not only an embarrassment to Pakistan's security officials but also to the Americans.

According to Hersh, "a

tary helicopter crashed in Pak-occupied Kashmir.

Sharif’s plane was already airborne for Naltar where he was scheduled to inaugurate two projects but it was diverted to Islamabad following the “tragic” news of the crash.

Military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said three Mi-17 military helicopters were carrying diplomats from 37 countries to Naltar.

Norway, Philippines saddened: Norway expressed “great sadness” over the death of its ambassador to Pakistan in a helicopter crash claimed by the Taliban. Larsen was “one of our best and most experienced diplomats” who was “very respected by his colleagues,” Foreign Minister Borge Brende told reporters, adding that his Pakistani counterpart had told him the causes of the crash “could not be fully explained yet.”

Larsen, married and the father of one, had been stationed in Islamabad since 2014. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of Ambassador Domingo Lucenario Jr., and that his colleagues in Manila observed a two-minute period of silence.

Indian embassy to organise yoga day in US

retired senior intelligence official who was knowledgeable about the initial intelligence about bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad" revealed most of the information which he used in his write-up. Observers say that bin Laden, who was wanted by the US for his role in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, had lived in Afghanistan for five years following the US invasion of the country and the subsequent toppling of the Taliban government. In 2006, Pakistani military intelligence, the ISI, “got to him by paying some of the local tribal people to betray him," according to the famed US journalist.

The official US version of bin Laden's death says the American intelligence agencies tracked the al Qaeda leader's compound in Abbottabad by following his couriers.

Washington: The first International Day of Yoga would be celebrated at the historic National Mall here on June 21 featuring yoga demonstrations by experts and Indian dance and music, Indian envoy to the US Arun K Singh has said.

Being organised by the Indian Embassy in the US in association with the 'Friends of Yoga', which is an association of Yoga organisations in the region, the event from 830 am to 11 am on June 21 would feature an exclusive video message

by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said.

Open free to the public; the Ambassador said the Indian Government is planning to celebrate the First International Day of Yoga in all countries, including the US. He was speaking at an Indian Embassy organised talk by

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on 'Relevance of Yoga in Modern Life'.

During his talk, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, emphasized the relevance of Yoga in today's world.

He said that yoga helps one to make one's individual life a pleasant experience. "While we may be the generation that enjoys most comforts and conveniences, we are not necessarily the most joyful and peaceful generation.

The dimension of transforming into joyful human beings is what yoga is all about. Yoga is a tool and technology," he said.

"While we have science and technology for external comfort, we should learn to use the tool and technology of yoga for internal wellbeing. Today about 2 billion people of the world are doing some form of yoga, and it should grow more," he said.

Sabeen Mahmud bance, from supporting rank outsiders in the local elections to organising flash protests on social media, and spiced up every organisation she belonged to, which was any outfit committed to challenging discrimination or injustice.

With her short-cropped hair and black-rimmed glasses, she looked like a New York intellectual and felt like a post-modern hippie child. She’d give you a straight, cool stare, equally straight talk, an easy laugh,

and a philosophy of absolute fearlessness. If you were afraid, she’d say, you’d get nothing done: especially not in army-ridden, intolerant Pakistan, where so much was never to be questioned or discussed, and certainly not by women.

The centre of all she did was in a comparatively shabby street in the posh Defence district, where people can come and discuss anything under the sun, no matter what their creed or disposition or label. Abuse and threats came often. She laughed them off. Other dissidents left Karachi, but she loved it too dearly to live anywhere else. Friends said she should put a security guard on the café door; she preferred to invite her ene-

mies in. In 2007 she hosted a talk by an author who had uncovered army finances; ISI people were invited, and some came.

On April 24th she had just held a meeting to “unsilence” Baluchistan, Pakistan’s most neglected and separatist province, where hundreds of activists and students had been abducted, probably killed.

Lahore University had been warned off the subject. There would probably be “blowback”, she told a friend; “I just don’t know what that blowback entails.”

The authorities and jihad-makers were all most extremely sorry. Not half as sorry as the artists, poets and thinkers of Karachi, who suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Sabeen Mahmud-Karachi’s wild child

Obituary

Karachi: Sabeen Mahmud, entrepreneur, campaigner and all-round agitator, was killed on April 24th, aged 40 in Karachi. She was shot at point-blank range by two men on a motorbike. The Pakistani Taliban denied all responsibility.

The Inter-Services Intelligence promised all possible help to the police.

Nawaz Sharif’s government ordered the police to find the perpetrators within three days. The police said they were busy ascertaining a motive.

Really, it wasn’t hard to spot one. Here in the midst of anarchic Karachi was a woman who was even more anarchic, crazy, noisy and in-your-face. She was at the heart of every distur-

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

In Brief

Syria-bound British family to be deported from Turkey to Moldova

Ankara: A British couple and their four young children detained in Turkey last month on suspicion of seeking to travel the part of Syria controlled by Islamic State militants will be deported to Moldova, a senior Turkish official said. Asif Malik, his partner Sara and the four children – who are aged between less than 12 months and 7 years old – were detained in Ankara just over two weeks ago after British police appealed for information on their whereabouts. "The family will be deported to Moldova of their own will," the Turkish official said. A second Turkish official confirmed that the family were being deported to a country other than Britain but gave no further details.

The British Foreign Office said it could not immediately comment on it. It was not immediately clear why the family asked to be deported to Moldova, a former Soviet republic sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine.

Another blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh

Dhaka: A blogger was hacked to death by assailants using machetes in Bangladesh on Tuesday, the third attack in less than three months on a critic of religious extremism in the Muslim-majority nation.

Ananta Bijoy Das, a blogger who advocated secularism, was attacked by four assailants in northeastern Sylhet district on Tuesday morning, senior police official Mohammad Rahamatullah said.

Rahamatullah said Das was a 33-year-old banker.

500,000 Indians arrive in Saudi Arabia in 16 months

Riyadh: Nearly 500,000 Indian workers arrived in Saudi Arabia in the last 16 months, making them the largest group of expatriates in the Gulf nation, a media report said. The number of Indian workers in the kingdom has reached about three million after an agreement to manage and organise their recruitment was signed between the two countries in January 2014, Arab News quoted an Indian official as saying.

The official said India has not received any request from Riyadh to amend the recruitment agreement, according to which sponsors must pay a guarantee of $2,500 for each worker. The agreement with Saudi Arabia exists only to ensure that the rights of Indian citizens who wish to work abroad are guaranteed and maintained, the official added.

Bilawal gets his Masters from Oxford

Islamabad: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party, has obtained a Master's degree from the Oxford University. Bilawal, 26, was congratulated on twitter by his father Asif Ali Zardari, and his sisters Aseefa and Bakhtawar. In his tweet, Zardari congratulated Bilawal and said by graduating with an MA from Oxford, he has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and mother Benazir.

Indian techie's body fished out of US river?

Houston: US authorities have recovered a body believed to be that of an Indian IT professional who went missing last week after a suspected drunken driver knocked him into a river when he tried to help the victims of a crash. Divers recovered a body, thought to be Puneet Nehra, from a stretch of the Brazos River in Brazoria County, Fort Bend County sheriff 's officials said. Nehra, 43, of Sugar Land, went missing on May 3 while he was assisting a motorist involved in a minor wreck at a bridge crossing the Brazos River at the Grand Parkway, ABC news reported. A passing driver struck the stranded car while Nehra and another person were trying to push it to safety, authorities said. Nehra migrated to the US from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, in 2005 and was working in Avanade -a Microsoft and Accenture joint venture.

Obama nominates IIT alumni to key post

Washington: US President Barack Obama has nominated an IIT alumni to his advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

Obama announced the nomination of Sanjita Pradhan, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology, along with other nominations for several key administration post. "These men and women bring extraordinary dedication to their roles and will serve the American people well. I look forward to working with them," Obama said while making the announcement.

Pradhan, a Nepali American, is currently serving as an Executive Officer of the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs at the Iowa Department of Human Rights, a position she has held since 2013.

Controversial land bill for joint committee of Parliament

The Narendra Modi government on Monday decided to send the controversial land acquisition bill to the joint committee of Parliament in view of continued opposition to the proposed legislation.

According to reports, the decision in this regard was taken during a meeting of senior cabinet ministers.

The controversial bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha amid a huge uproar by the Opposition. All major opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party staged a walkout in protest over the introduction of the bill.

The bill, which seeks to replace an ordinance, was passed by the Lok Sabha in the earlier part of the budget session in February but

was pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha was, however, prorogued in March.

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2015, seeks to replace an ordinance re-promulgated in April which had amended certain provisions of the 2013 act passed during the UPA rule.

The key points, which were removed from the earlier law, related to the consent clause and the social impact assessment study.

Introducing the bill, Rural Development Minister Birender Singh said since the new ordinance was promulgated in April, "it was important that we put the ordinance before the house".

Almost all opposition parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, opposed the new bill. Congress leader of the house Mallikarjun Kharge said: "The bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha. Where is the bill we don't know. In this situation, the bill which is alive...why are efforts being made to kill it". He alleged that the government was trying to impose the bill on the people. "We will not tolerate this. This bill is only for capitalists and corporates".

Biju Janata Dal member B Mehtab said: "We are opposed to the introduction of the bill. What was the need to re-introduce a bill which was passed by this very house". Trinamool Congress' Saugata Roy also opposed the bill citing constitutional grounds.

Intense lobbying takes place for Padma awards: Baba Ramdev

awareness about yoga ahead of the first International Yoga Day which will be observed across the world on June 21. Ramdev was tipped to receive Padma award this year but he wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh declining the honour, saying he was a ‘sanyasi’

(ascetic) and considered it his duty to serve the people and the country.

Speaking about the benefits of yoga, he told the gathering that 50 per cent of people in India are forced into debts and mortgage their assets to avail treatment for various diseases. “Diseases cannot be eliminated through medicines, rather it is the individual who is eliminated. About 50 per cent of people in India are forced into debts and mortgage their assets to avail treatment for various diseases.

Yoga is a way out of this quagmire. It would ensure that people of India lived a healthy life without medicines,” Ramdev said.

Family members of an Anand (Gujarat) resident, who died at an immigration detention centre in UK has demanded an apology from the British government. Pinakin Patel, 33, of Bhavanipura village of Anand's Petlad taluka had passed away on April 20 at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire.

Patel's family said that Pinakin along with his wife Bhavisha had gone to London for a holiday on visitor's visa in February this year. But the guards of UK's Border Agency doubting their credentials had sent the couple straight from Heathrow Airport to Yarl's Wood Detention Centre.

The couple had maintained before the police that they had planned a 10day holiday, which included visiting relatives in UK and a trip to Scotland. But when the border guards spotted copies of Bhavisha's education qual-

ifications, the couple was detained. Bhavisha has maintained that she had taken the copies with her as she did not know what documents to bring along.

On April 20, Pinakin, suffered a cardiac arrest at the centre where he died.

Bhavisha, the widow, was released only on April 24 following a hunger strike by her fellow detainees.

Pinakin's father Chimanbhai Patel has written a letter addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention and investigation from the UK government. "We have also consulted lawyers who have filed a case in UK court seeking a reply from the UK government on the illegal detention of my brother and sister-in-law," said Pinakin's brother Kalapi Patel.

"Although they had a tourist visa valid for six months and return ticket as evidence, they were illegally detained by the

guards. Also, there has been no proper investigation in the death of my brother," he said. Pinakin's body was later cremated in the presence of his friends at Wembley where Bhavisha is staying. Kalapi alleged that the Indian High Commission refused to provide any assistance to his sister-in-law to get justice. Meanwhile, Anand MP Dilip Patel said he had apprised Prime Minister Modi about the issue and the latter has assured him of every possible effort to ensure justice to the victim’s family.

Meanwhile, the Home Office in Britain has launched an investigation into the incident and a staff member has been suspended. The incident has been referred to police, according to a Home Office spokesman. He added: "A complaint has also been received, which will be investigated by the Home Office's professional standards unit."

Yoga guru Ramdev

Apology sought from UK govt over Anand's man's detention death

Maharashtra to buy Ambedkar’s London home

A team from India has finalised the purchase of a home where B R Ambedkar – regarded as the father of the Indian constitution – lived during his student days in London. Ambedkar, a champion of underprivileged people in India, spent a year at a three-story town house on King Henry’s Road in north London in 1921-22 when he was a student of the London School of Economics (LSE).

This is a historical moment for us because it is not just a house but has the emotions of all Indians attached to it. This has been a very fruitful visit and we expect the formalities regarding the purchase to be completed by the end of May,’ said Rajkumer Badole, a minister of social justice and special assistance in Maharashtra state.

Badole, accompanied by another minister Dilip Kample and Maharashtra’s principal secretary Ujjawal Uke, also initiiated talks on establishing an Ambedkar

Chair at LSE involving two new scholarships for Indian students.

“An informal proposal to set up a chair in memory of Babsaheb Ambedkar has also been discussed with LSE, in return for which the university could offer to cover tuition fees for two Indian students looking to study there,” said Badole.

The Indian high commission in London is following up both initiatives following discussions between the delegation and India’s deputy high commissioner to the UK, Dr Virander Paul. The esti-

23

mated cost of the London property, to be borne by the Maharashtra government, is expected to be between £ 3.2 and 4 million.

The building, which already has a memorial blue plaque dedicated to “Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Indian Crusader for Social Justice,” will require some essential repair work after which the Maharashtra government plans to open it to the public as a memorial-cum-museum.

Among some other proposals under consideration are to use one of the floors as a transitory residence for Indian students who arrive in the UK to study.

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Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who had declined Padma Vibhushan award, said that a lot of lobbying takes place behind the selection of Padma and even Nobel prize awardees and those with political influence succeed.

“The entire world knows that all these awards like Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan and even Nobel prize are given to good people also, but there is intense lobbying and those having more political influence succeed in getting them,” the Yoga guru. He was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by ASSOCHAM to spread

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INDIA

Hyderabad techie who joined ISIS dies in Syria

Hyderabad: An engineering graduate from Hyderabad, who joined the terror group ISIS, has died "while fighting in Syria," Intelligence sources said quoting his family members.

Mohd Haneef Waseem, 27, had reportedly joined the ISIS in Syria in February this year, they said.

The Telangana police are in the process of gathering more information about Haneef's alleged links with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

They are also trying to find out how he could have

"It seems they (IS) themselves might have buried it." Last year, Hyderabad police had foiled "attempts" by six youths from the city, who were allegedly plotting to join the ISIS ranks after getting attracted to the terror group's propaganda on social networking sites.

Besides, a 19-year-old woman from the city who was residing in Qatar and had flown to Turkey, allegedly wanted to join the ISIS but had come back to India in December last year after seeing the conditions there, police had earlier said.

gone to Syria.

"He (Haneef) completed engineering degree from Hyderabad around four years back. He later went to London where he completed his masters course. In February this year, he left for Syria from London. He seems to have joined the Islamic State in Syria where he died," a top Intelligence officer said.

"How he died we do

not know, but he died in March and the information was conveyed to his family members around 10 days back," the officer said, adding that Haneef's family members in turn informed the matter to police.

Asked about reports that Haneef had taken another youth of Karimnagar district along with him to Syria, the Intelligence officer said, "He was all alone." It appears that he might have joined the IS after getting attracted to it through social media, he said. To a question about the youth's body, he said,

Bengaluru: Srikar Gollapalli, the Bengaluru boy who has made an impact with his role in the Swachh Bharat initiative, has received offers from 6 US universities. He chose Princeton to do his Masters in Public Administration (MPA).

Two of the six varsities - Princeton, Harvard, Maxwell Institute (Syracuse University), Duke, Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon - even offered to waive his tuition fee and provide aid. In September, the Colgate University graduate will join Princeton University, which also offered a stipend to meet his daily expenses.

Working at Public Policy Research Centre (PPRC), New Delhi, as a research fellow, Srikar has done a comparative study on 'Politics of Performance'

Srikar Gollapalli under the guidance of Vinay Sahasrabudde, director, PPRC. The study paper was released by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Srikar is helping the Union government formulate the policy for public sanitation as part of the Swacch Bharat Mission. Srikar was motivated to study public administration to fight powerlessness. "There is a need for institutional restructuring in civic agencies to enhance the quality of life of the common citizen, who lacks power.

Hyderabad: Google will build its largest campus outside the US in Hyderabad, tweeted Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao, who is currently touring the US to raise investment for his state.

Excited to announce that Google & Govt of Telangana have inked an MoU to build their largest campus (outside US) in Hyderabad," tweeted KTR, as he is known. His father, KCR or K Chandrasekhar Rao, is the Chief Minister of India's youngest state.

The 38-year-old graduate, an MBA from an American university, has been meeting NonResident Indians and others in the US to draw cash to the IT hub of Hyderabad.

Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh as a new state last year. Causes for deep hostility between

the neighbours cover a broad spectrum including power and water. The turf war has been extended to the US - KTR's tour overlaps with that of Nara Lokesh, whose father, Chandrababu Naidu, is Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Like KTR, Nara Lokesh is seeking funds from foreign investors.

However, while KTR is a minister, Nara Lokesh holds no post in his father's government.

With the big Google announcement, KTR has marched considerably ahead in the competitive fund-raising between the sons of the rival Chief Ministers.

Jalandhar: Two Punjabi moneylenders were killed in Philippines in one week, raising questions about the safety of Indians involved in the trade.

Jaspinder Pal Singh Chohan, who was the president of the gurdwara in Bulacan, was gunned down by some unidentified assailants in front of a bank when he was sitting in his car after withdrawing money. Chohan, who was from Khurla Kingra village near Jalandhar, had been living in Philippines for the past several years along with his family.

Sources close to the family said he was involved in moneylending business and his two brothers and a sister live in the US. Earlier, Chohan's cousin Jaspal Singh Bhatti, also a moneylender, was killed in the same city.

Another Punjabi moneylender was kidnapped in Cavite city around 10 days ago, but his family has not

received any ransom call.

Sources among Punjabis settled in Philippines said another community member was abducted in Cavite a month ago and the man was released after paying ransom.

For the past decade or so, scores of Punjabi moneylenders were killed in Philippines and several others abducted. Most of the community members there are working as moneylenders.

The moneylending business in Philippines attracts many Indians, especially Punjabis, to the island nation. Punjabis earn handsomely in the lending business known as micro financing.

Money lending is popularly referred to as '5-6' in Philippines. When a man borrows 5 pesos, he has to pay back 6 pesos.

Minimum borrowing amount for a month is 500 pesos, for which a debtor has to return 600 pesos after 30 days.

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notices to Punjab government and Orbit Aviation Ltd, the owners of the bus company, in connection with the molestation and death of a 13-year-old girl.

The minor girl died after she and her mother were allegedly pushed off a moving bus on the Moga-Bathinda highway on April 29. The incident led to widespread outrage and a ban on the Orbit Company's buses by the Punjab government.

The high court also sought details of buses owned by the state governmnt, private-run buses and their ownership pattern.

Earlier, the Parkash Singh Badal government ordered a judicial probe into the incident. The judicial commission of inquiry will be headed by former chief justice of Kerala High Court VK Bali. The issue also led to

an uproar in the Parliament.

The family of the Dalit girl, who died last week, had refused to allow her autopsy and cremation till the owners of the Orbit Aviation Transport company, implying deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal and others, were booked. The mother and daughter were targeted with indecent gestures and were molested by some goons on the bus.

When they resisted the molesters, including three bus staff, they were thrown out of the speeding vehicle.

The girl died immediately while the mother was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition. The body of the girl was brought by her family from the Faridkot Medical College and Hospital where her post-mortem examination was conducted. She was cremated at her native village in Punjab after five days.

Bengaluru boy gets Google to build campus offers from 6 US varsities in Hyderabad

2 Punjabi moneylenders killed in Philippines

Moga molestation: HC notices to Punjab govt

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

South Brief

Organs from 5 save lives of 23 others

Chennai: The Apollo Hospital in Chennai has harvested two dozen organs from five brain dead patents and saved the lives of 23 people. Five livers, one heart and four kidneys were transplanted at Apollo Hospital; one heart was used at Fortis Malar and six corneas were sent to Sankara Nethralaya.

Four kidneys were transplanted into patients at a private hospital in Coimbatore and one kidney each was sent to Kamakshi Hospital and Global Hospitals.

Under the organ donation programme, the hospital that has the brain-dead patients is allowed to use the organs for its patients and give away the rest to other hospitals.

Cruise service soon between Kerala and Sri Lanka

Thiruvananthapuram: A cruise ship service between Kerala and Sri Lanka is likely to begin soon, said Sri Lankan minister Gamini J Perera. Perera told reporters that the first round of discussions was held last month when a Kerala delegation visited Sri Lanka.

"In a month's time, we expect to finalise all the details of operating cruise ships between Kerala and Sri Lanka," said Perera. The journey is expected to be completed in about 16 hours. Perera also discussed areas of cooperation between Kerala and Lanka in the field of food processing and food protection.

Andhra police arrest Chinese smuggler of red sander

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh police have arrested a Chinese smuggler of red sanders, officials said.

The Chinese identified as Yang Ping was arrested by police in Hyderabad. A police team of Chittoor district took him into custody and he was taken to Chittoor to be presented before a district court. The arrest has brought to the fore the role played by Chinese mafia in smuggling the rare red sanders from Andhra Praesh, the only state which produces the precious wood. As many as 55 Chinese nationals were arrested for being in possession of red sanders by the Indian police since 2013. The latest arrest is being seen as a major success for Andhra police, which last month gunned down 20 woodcutters in Seshachalam forests in Chittoor district.

North Brief

Jolt to AAP in Haryana: 7 leaders resign

Chandigarh: In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party, seven members of the party's Haryana wing resigned in protest against Parliamentary Affairs Committee's (PAC) decision to make Delhi legislator Naresh Balyan as in-charge of state affairs. Earlier, Yogendra Yadav was in-charge of the party's Haryana unit before being expelled. AAP national convener Naveen Jaihind tried to water down the resignation of members and said that the seven members who resigned had not done anything for the party and had been expelled long back. However, expelled AAP leader Anand Kumar described the development as: "This is beginning of end of AAP's Haryana story."

Prez, PM to be invited for 350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib

Chandigarh: Ahead of the celebrations of the 350th foundation day of Sri Anandpur Sahib, the Punjab government has decided to invite the President, the Prime Minister and the Vice President to attend the three-day celebrations beginning June 17. A decision to this effect was taken in a high level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to finalise the arrangements for this mega event, an official spokesman said here. Badal would soon personally extend an invitation to the President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same, he said.

HC dismisses PIL challenging ban on ‘MSG: The Messenger’

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the ban imposed by the Punjab government on screening of “MSG: The Messenger,” a film featuring Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The petition was filed by Gurpreet Singh of Mansa, challenging the ban terming it as “arbitrary and illegal”. The high court division bench did not accept the petition as PIL and it was “dismissed as withdrawn”, with the observation that if the makers of the film wanted to challenge the ban imposed by the state government, they could do so before the competent authority.

INDIA

Modi, Mamata bury animosity, bond in public

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee buried her differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and received him wholeheartedly during latter's first visit to the state.

While Modi's visit went like clockwork, the surprise was the half-hour unscheduled meeting between Mamata and Modi before the PM's programme at Nazrul Mancha. Clearly, the ice was broken. The smiles flowed easily when Mamata shared the dais with Modi for the first time and later broke bread with him at Raj Bhavan.

The chief minister later accompanied the PM to Asansol.

Mamata sat next to Modi at Nazrul Mancha.

The two were seen conversing freely and broke into a smile together at one point of time. So when the CM complained about the absence of banks in many panchayat areas of Bengal, the PM said: “I do agree with her view. This problem has persisted for 60 years. She has said this in front of me because she knows that I can deliver the goods.”

The audience at Nazrul Mancha witnessed two politicians, in complete command of their realms, talking of coopera-

Narendra Modi with Mamata Banerjee

tion and development and putting an end to confrontation. The CM, who had once mocked Tripura CM Manik Sarkar for meeting Modi, said: “The state and the Centre should work shoulder to shoulder for the country's development.”

With 12 Trinamool MPs in the Rajya Sabha, Mamata helped the Modi government in passing the coal bill, mines and minerals bill. Mamata's party has also given support, in principle, to the GST, which is due to be placed in the Rajya Sabha. In return, Mamata wants special assistance for cashstrapped Bengal - be it debt waiver, waiver of crop insurance or a special Backward Region Grant Fund. In a seven-page memorandum to the PM, Mamata listed the centrally assisted schemes where there has been substantial

cut in central support.

Team India bigger than politics: Modi: Prime Minister Modi made a forceful case for `Team India' to achieve greater cooperation between the Centre and the states in Asansol after Mamata made a similar pitch in her address calling for development to continue along with politics. “Political interests cannot be bigger than national interest,” said Modi. “Henceforth, for the economic development of the country, the state and Centre will act together and show the world the strength of Team India,” he said, adding, let bygones of 2014 election campaign be bygones.

Modi's outreach assumes considerable significance in light of Trinamool's belligerent opposition to some of the central government's proposed Bills, including land acquisition

and GST bills. To reinforce his case, he said the Rs 3,000 billion from coal auction will go to states for development. “I have tried to bring cooperative and competitive federalism in the Centre-state relationship because I have served for long as CM and know the problems of states,” Modi said.

Modi in his 25-minute speech at the Polo Ground in Asansol, about 200km from Kolkata said, “In my Team India, there are 30 pillars or 30 states. In Niti Aayog, the PM and CMs are members of the same Team India.”

Before Modi spoke, Mamata had said, “If we can work together, the country will move ahead.

When we divide, the country is doomed. We don't want division among people. Politics will be there and development will also be there. The federal and central structures will be there, and we will work together within the ambit of the Constitution.”

Modi visits Dakshineswar temple, Belur Math: Modi spent the Sunday morning in spiritual pursuit, praying and meditating at the Dakshineswar temple, the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission's headquarters Belur Math.

Narendra Modi sets ambitious agenda ahead of China visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was confident that his China visit would "lay the foundation for further enhancing economic cooperation with that country in a wide range of sectors". Prime Minister Modi is heading for China on May 14 which he hopes would leave a powerful impact on Asia, by pooling in strengths of the world’s two largest developing countries.

In a string of messages on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Modi said that he was “certain” that his three day visit to China from May 14 would “strengthen stability, progress and prosperity in Asia”. The Prime Minister opened his Weibo account recently, which has evoked energetic responses mostly laudatory, but also a significant number which question the status of Arunachal Pradesh.

Modi commences his visit from Xian, which is symbolically important as it is associated with Xuan Zang (Hieun Tsang), the Buddhist monk and traveller who had visited India, who has left an important record of interaction between China and India in the early Tang dynasty. The ancient city one of the four great ancient capitals of China is also the starting point of

Modi with Xi Jinping (file photo)

the ancient Silk Road, and therefore central to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Silk Road revival projects, which aim to integrate the economies of Eurasia. “Warmly recall my conversations with President Xi Jinping and his invitation to visit Xian in his home province,” Modi said, referring to his conversations with the Chinese President during his visit to India in September last.

While details of the Prime Ministerial agenda have not yet been revealed, Liu Jinsong, a Deputy Director General in the Chinese foreign ministry said during preparations of the visit that the two countries should now look beyond their successful interaction in Information Technology, where India’s software advantages have complemented Chinese strengths in the hardware arena. The official pointed

out that China was good in “three areas such as high speed railway, nuclear power stations and electricity facilities.” He added that India could also partner Beijing’s rapidly developing aerospace industry.

Regarding the disputed border, Huang Xilian, who is the deputy director general for Asian affairs, and deals with India, pointed out that, “Strong leadership [in China and India] will obviously provide strong guidance to our relationship, including on negotiation of the boundary question.” Analysts, however, stress that reinforcement of measures that will keep the border calm continue to remain in focus. The resolution of the border row is expected to remain a time-consuming exercise, but a “framework” or a set of rules to that apply to different segments of the mountainous terrain has been reached

during the previous rounds of boundary negotiations.

Signalling that the visit would have a strong economic content, Modi said that he was confident that his visit would “lay the foundation for further enhancing economic cooperation with China in a wide range of sectors”.

With India seeking Chinese investments, Modi stressed that he was looking forward “to meeting the captains of industry in Shanghai and sharing with them the wonderful opportunities India has to offer”.

Modi noted that India and China were the world’s “two largest developing countries”- a perception that aligns well with the Chinese leadership, known for its advocacy for deepening engagement with the Global South through a string of new institutions, including the New Development Bank, which has been founded by the BrazilRussia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping.

When Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat he visited China several times to study China's rapid economic development. He was treated with cordiality in China. He also made a vow to visit China during his first year as prime minister and is fulfilling it.

During his hour-long stay at the Math, located in neighbouring Howrah district, Modi meditated for about 20 minutes at ascetic-philosopher Swami Vivekananda's bedroom, which was specially opened at his request.

Modi also paid homage at the temples dedicated to 19th century mystic R a m a k r i s h n a Pramahamsa, Swami B r a h m a n a n d a , Ramkrishna's consort Sarada Devi and Swami Viveknanada.

Accompanied by West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi, the prime minister spent time with the monks at the main building, where he was welcomed with a bouquet by Ramakrishna Mission vice president Swami Prabhananda. Earlier in the morning, Modi became India's first prime minister to visit the Dakshineswar temple on the eastern bank of river Hooghly. Dedicated to 'Bhavatarini', an aspect of goddess Kali, the temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthro-

pist and devotee of the goddess. “He visited the sanctum sanctorum and touched the feet of the idol... Modi also performed aarti," said Kushal Chowdhury, secretary of the temple's board of trustees. Modi went to the room where Sri Ramakrishna, who served as the temple's priest for decades, used to stay.

On Saturday, Modi called on the ailing Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission president Swami Atmasthananda at the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan hospital and sought the monk's blessings.

Swami Atmasthananda has been in the hospital since February 21.

Their relationship goes back to Modi's youth when he wanted to join the order. Atmasthananda, then deputed to the mission's Rajkot centre, told him that his calling lay elsewhere. In 2013, Modi, then the chief minister of Gujarat, visited Belur Math and sought blessings from Athmasthananda.

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INDIA

Fresh quake kills 42 in Nepal, 17 in India

Continued from page 1 killing 42 people, bringing down buildings and triggering landslide less than three weeks after a devastating trembler left a swathe of destruction in the Himalayan nation. At least 17 people were killed in neighbouring India.

Hundreds of terrified people rushed out of their homes and buildings toppled as the 7.3-magnitude earthquake, centred 68 km west of the town of Namche Bazaar near Mount Everest, sent ripples in India all the way from the border states of Bihar and West Bengal to Gujarat and Delhi.

More than 1,000 people were injured as the quake flattened buildings in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal already weakened by the 7.9-magnitude April 25 earthquake.

The fresh tremors, which lasted nearly a minute, came just as residents of Kathmandu and other districts were picking up the pieces after last month’s quake that killed more than 8,000 people and uprooted millions.

Rescue helicopters were sent to districts northeast of Kathmandu, where landslides and buildings, collapsed by Tuesday's quake, may have left people buried, the government said.

Home ministry spokesman Laxmi Dhakal named Sindhupalchok and Dolkha districts as the hardest hit.

Many people were still seen grouped together on roads and open spaces more than three hours after the quake which was

followed by at least eight powerful aftershocks.

Nepal Police sent out tweets asking residents to clear the roads for movement of rescue workers while police also asked people not to clog the mobile network with calls and use text messages for sending information.

Operations at Kathmandu's Tribhuwan International Airport were suspended and Nepal's parliament, which was in session when the quake struck, was also adjourned.

"Search and rescue teams have been sent to all affected districts.

These are difficult times for Nepal, I appeal for all friends to help us and urge our citizens to stay strong," Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said.

17 killed in India At least 17 people were killed and a large number of houses collapsed in Bihar, a seismi-

cally active zone, after two powerful earthquakes rocked neighbouring Nepal on Tuesday afternoon.

Two strong tremors were felt in all parts of Bihar, especially its capital Patna, triggering panic among the people. First tremor felt at 12.36 pm while the second came at 13.09 pm. Major damages and deaths were reported from districts namely Darbhanga, Patna, Sitamarhi, Purnia, Siwan and Katihar.

Two people died in and around the state capital, while one died in Digha locality, another in Anand Bazaar in Danapur area. Two deaths were reported from Darbhanga district, while one death each reported from Purnia, Katihar, Siwan, Madhepura and Sitamarhi and Supaul district. In Sitamarhi town, one woman died after a wall collapsed on her in

Dumra locality, initial report suggests.

In Patna, panicked by first strong tremor at 12.36 pm, people rushed out of their houses and gathered at nearby open spaces.

While people are yet to return home, the second strong tremor felt at 13.09 pm. Panicked by two successive strong tremors, families have started shifting to big open spaces.

Soon after the tremors, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reached his office and convened an emergency meeting with ministers and senior officers.

He reviewed the situation and gave specific directions to officials of disaster management, home (Police) and health departments - alerts were sent to all the DMs and SPs to maintain peace and order in their areas and keep a vigil on rumour mongers.

Nitish Kumar later ordered the Patna DM to make quick arrangements of tent, lights and drinking waters at all open spaces where families have started shifting.

As per the CM's instructions, leave of all government doctors have been cancelled. NDRF teams have been put on alert. Similalry, jawans of Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) have been put on alert on Indo-Nepal Border. In the state capital, police were kept on extra alert. Police forces have been deputed around the big open spaces like Gandhi Maidan and Eco Park where people have started shifting out of panic.

Continued from page 1 hit-and-run case and granted him bail pending his appeal against conviction.

“He has been on bail for a long time and his liberty was not curtailed.

Normally, in such cases, the appeal is admitted and an accused is granted bail,” Justice Abhay Thipsay said, while staying his conviction and granting him bail. The judge directed him to surrender before the trial court and furnish a fresh bail bond of Rs 30,000 which he has complied with and gets bail formally.

Observing that the application of the charge of culpable homicide requires serious consideration, Justice Abhay Thipsay asked public prosecutor Sandeep Shinde, “Why will this case not be a case of only rash driving?” The judge observed that “even on the basis that there is sufficient evidence to indi-

cate that the applicant was driving the vehicle in question, at the material time, certainly, a number of arguable points have been raised, which need serious consideration.”

The judge further observed that “among other things, whether the offence allegedly committed by the applicant would amount to an offence punishable under Section 304 II of the IPC and not merely an offence punishable under Section 304 A of the IPC, would also need examination.”

“This would be of quite some importance as the offence punishable under Section 304 A of IPC is bailable, and invites a lesser punishment,” he said.

Soon after the judge made it clear that the appeal was admitted, Salman's counsel Amit Desai launched into a blitzkrieg against blunders that the probe, prosecution and the judgment itself revealed. He began

by disputing the conclusion that the car had only three occupants.

“Ravindra Patil, the complainant, said there were three persons in the car, we said four. The fourth was the driver Ashok Singh. It was known to the prosecution from 2002 itself,” Desai said, questioning the criticism over the “late introduction” of the driver as witness in the case. “It is not as if Salman Khan took this as an afterthought,” he said.

The other point Desai stressed on was the complete acceptance by sessions judge D W Deshpande of Patil's deposition as witness before the magistrate during the earlier trial for the lesser charge of rash driving.

“Patil was a reluctant witness, because he was asked to say certain things. His deposition was so artificial. His statement about Salman being drunk or driving at a speed of 90100 kmph was demolished during his cross-examina-

tion, yet the judge accepted it.”

Salman later furnished s bail bond of Rs 30,000 and gave an undertaking that he would fulfil all the bail conditions. The High Court will give his team the next course of action to be followed on June 15.

The case is not expected to come up for hearing before July, at the earliest.

Earlier, the sessions judge Deshpande found Salman guilty under the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment.

Judge Deshpande while pronouncing the verdict said, “You were driving the car, without a licence and you were under the influence of alcohol. All charges have been proved against you.”

When the judge asked the actor if he wanted to say something, Khan said, “I respect what you decide, and my lawyer will speak on my behalf.”

Salman’s conviction stayed, out on bail

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Happy 1st Birthday Veer Lukka

D.O.B 15 May 2014 Having you as a grandson is a gift from the BIG GUY upstairs. And I'm not talking about your father.

Your birth is truly a blessing!

What can we say about a grandson that’s so handsome, funny, kind and smart. Hey, wait...we just said it!

Happy birthday!

From Dada, Dadi, Dad, Mum, Foi & the Lukka Family

Jaya likely to return as Tamil Nadu CM

Continued from page 1

sources in her party, the AIADMK. There is even speculation that the ruling party could seek early elections in the state. The verdict "has paved the way for me to emerge as tested pure gold," Jayalalithaa has said.

There are indications that current chief minister O Panneerselvam will step down on May 16. Once he resigns, the AIADMK is expected to elect Jayalalithaa as leader of its legislative party, after which she can ask the state governor to swear in her new government.

Panneerselvam met Jayalalithaa at her Chennai residence soon after the High Court upheld her appeal against her conviction by a trial court. The conviction meant she was disqualified as a lawmaker and will have to contest elections within six months of being sworn in as chief minister. There is buzz that she could choose to have early elections, where assembly polls are due next year.

Jaya acquitted of all charges Earlier, a special bench of the Karnataka High Court set aside the trial

court order convicting Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case.

Justice C R Kumaraswamy, who read out the judgment, said the appeals of all the four accused, including Jayalalithaa, have been allowed and they were being acquitted of all charges.

With this, a case that had panned out over 18 tortuous years was over within seconds.

Jayalalithaa was acquitted, less than a year after she was sentenced to four years and a fine of Rs 1 billion in the disproportionate assets case.

The other three accused and acquitted were Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala Natarajan and the latter’s relatives J Elavarasi and V N Sudhakaran.

It is now left to the State of Karnataka to appeal against this verdict.

But the original complainant - Subramanian Swamy - can also appeal, as can DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan (the intervenor in this case) who got it transferred to Karnataka and whose submissions were part of the record during trial and appeal.

In a goodwill gesture, Pakistan has sent a pitcher of holy water of Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district of Punjab to BJP veteran LK Advani, who had in 2005 visited the temple for launch of restoration work.

The pitcher carrying the holy water from the 'Amar Kund' (holy pond) of the temple was sent to Advani by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit.

In 2005, Government of Pakistan had invited Advani, the then BJP president, to be the chief guest at a function to commemorate the restoration of the Katas Raj Temple in Pakistan's Punjab district.

Since then, the BJP veteran has been enquiring about the progress of the ongoing work there from

every important visiting Pakistani dignitary who have met him here, a statement from the party said.

It is said that the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the historical epic Mahabharata, stayed at this temple for four out of the 14 years that they spent in exile.

According to Hindu mythology, the pond at the temple was formed by Lord Shiva's tears which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Satti.

The story goes that when Satti died, Lord Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds -one at Pushkar in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit.

Pak sends holy water of Katas Raj temple to Advani

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What parents can do to stop childhood obesity Children in the UK are the fattest in Europe, risking lifelong health problems. There is a lot parents can do to prevent the problem, starting with the baby in the womb.

Childhood obesity is a global public health challenge. The alarming rise noted in the 1990s may have levelled off in the past 10 years, but still one in 10 kids in England are obese by the time they start primary school. By the time they leave, one in five is obese and a third are overweight. The UK is rapidly catching up with the US, is level pegging with Australia and has the dubious distinction of having the fattest kids in Europe.

A fat child is at risk of health problems throughout life and is more likely to become an obese adult.

In a review of surveys from 1970-92, about half of obese school-age children remained obese in adulthood. Yet parents are often in denial, rejoicing in their child’s “healthy appetite”.

Start when you’re pregnant: The food a woman eats during pregnancy can be detected in the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby in the womb – as early as 15 weeks a foetus responds to the flavour, swallowing more if the fluid tastes sweet and less if it tastes “bitter”. Food eaten whilst breastfeeding also flavours the milk.

This early exposure makes the baby receptive

to that taste when weaned. In addition, women who are slim themselves, don’t smoke, or gain too much weight when pregnant and have normal vitamin D levels are less likely to have obese children.

Breastfeeding: Breastmilk is less sweet than formula milk – and both the milk itself and the way the baby feeds may help in developing healthy eating patterns.

and it’s a good habit not to respond to every sign of distress by putting something in a child’s mouth.

Wean on bitter foods: If the first solid a child is exposed to is sweet fruit, it is less likely to be receptive to bitter artichoke.

But there is a window of opportunity between four to seven months when infants are very receptive to all flavours. The World Health Organisation rec-

Breastfed babies seem to be able to better regulate their food intake, and are probably at lower risk of obesity, though studies are fraught with confounding factors, as mothers in developed countries who breastfeed are also those least likely to be obese themselves.

Crying is not always about hunger: Babies cry and children winge and say they are hungry; but they don’t always need feeding. Babies cry for lots of reasons – tiredness, a dirty nappy, wind, being too hot or cold, wanting a cuddle, being bored or overstimulated.

Distraction is legitimate

ommends not introducing solids before six months, but, in reality, lots of parents do. Certainly, solids before four months old are firmly discouraged – and there is some, albeit contested, evidence that early weaning may increase the risk of obesity.

Persevere: Research shows that it takes five to 10 exposures to a new taste before a baby will accept it.

Baby-led feeding: Dr Michelle Lee from Swansea University’s College of Human and Health Sciences says babies should be encouraged to feed themselves

with appropriate bits of food from the age of six months rather than just being spoon-fed.

Stay aware: Stay aware of your child’s weight and growth. In the UK, there is no fixed timetable, but guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence state that “once feeding is established, if parents wish, or if there is professional concern, babies can be weighed at six, 12 and 16 weeks” and then again at about a year.

Eat well, move lots: There is a strong case for government intervention to limit sales of sugary drinks, improve school meals and consider taxing unhealthy foods and subsidising healthy ones. But parents are responsible for what goes on in the home. The message from health experts is clear; no TV or screens before age two and control what children eat.

Toddlers should be generally active at least three hours a day, as well as doing activities such as running, chasing a ball and using climbing frames.

Kids over five should spend at least an hour a day cycling or running round, as well as doing some vigorous exercise such as running fast. On three days a week, they should do some musclestrengthening exercise such as push-ups or gymnastics.

How olive oil and nuts can Cost of a healthy diet fuels global obesity crisis boost brain power

Swapping to a Mediterranean diet - with added extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts – may boost ageing brain power better than a low-fat diet.

Just four years of eating like the Spanish and Italians who use olive oil rather than less healthy fats can improve brain function in older people, says a new study.

The Mediterranean diet is regarded as the classic eating habits of populations from countries in southern Europe, even though fewer inhabitants follow it today. It has been thought to improve heart health and stave off cancer because it is high in fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, whole grains and 'healthy' fats such as those in olive oil, while low in red meat and dairy products.

But a new study shows further benefits, with people eating more olive oil or nuts gaining higher scores in tests of memory, attention span and abstract

thinking.

The research involved 447 men and women aged 67 years on average. They were regarded as high risk heart patients who were already taking part in the Prevencion con Dieta Mediterranea (PREDIMED) study. They were all regarded as ‘brain healthy’ at the start of the study, which compared a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts with a low-fat control diet.

The rising price of fruit and vegetables is stoking the obesity crisis, as people struggle to afford a healthy diet, experts have warned.

A new study has found the cost of eating healthy foods has soared 91 per cent while the cost of high-calorie processed foods has fallen.

The findings have prompted renewed calls for drastic action, introducing taxes on junk food to help stem the rising tide of obesity and obesityrelated diseases.

Researchers have urged the Government to introduce VAT on unhealthy foods, and use the proceeds raised to subsidise fruit and vegetables.

The move, they say, would save thousands of lives lost each year to weight-related illnesses.

In the UK, from 1980 to 2012, the price of an ice cream halved, while the price of fresh green vegetables rose by 199 per cent.

Researchers at the Overseas Development Institute, a UK-based think tank, were inspired to look at the cost of various foods in emerging economies - in comparison with trends seen in the UK and US. Focusing on Brazil, China, Korea and Mexico, the first study of its kind, found that between 1990 and 2012, fruit and vegetable prices soared 91 per cent, a price hike greater than in any other food group.

Meanwhile, some processed foods, including ready meals, have dropped in price by 20 per cent.

An easy and cheap device to detect heart attack Here's to some good news.

South Korean researchers have developed a simple thermometer-like device to diagnose heart attacks that could make detecting whether one has had a heart attack or not a lot easier and cheaper.

Sangmin Jeon from Pohang University of Science and Technology and colleagues said that one way to tell whether someone has had a heart attack involves measuring the level of a protein called troponin in the person's blood. Troponin's concentration rises when blood is cut off from the heart, and the muscle is damaged.

Today, detecting troponin requires bulky, expensive instruments and is often not practical for point-of-care use or in low-income areas. Yet three-quarters of the deaths related to cardiovascular disease occur in low-and middle-income countries. Early diagnosis could help curb these numbers, the researchers

said.

Inspired by the simplicity of alcohol and mercury thermometers, the researchers created a similarly straightforward way to detect troponin. It involves a few easy steps, a glass vial, specialized nanoparticles, a drop of ink and a skinny tube.

When human serum with troponin — even at a minute concentration — is mixed with the nanoparticles and put in the vial, the ink climbs up a protruding tube and can be read with the naked eye, just like a thermometer.

Photo Credit: American Chemical Society

It is of utmost importance that you follow a strict routine when it comes to your little one. Timely meals, healthy diet and proper sleep play a great role in the upbringing of children. Not many would like to believe, but sleep is as important for your child's growth as proper nutrition and wellplanned meals.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, positive bedtime routines facilitate proper sleep which helps in keeping children fresh, focused and energetic throughout the day.

Bedtime routines involve a set sequence of calming activities proceeding a child's bedtime. Such activities may include giving your child a soothing bath, brushing teeth and reading a bedtime story.

Researchers at the Saint Joseph's University, United States, studied the importance of bedtime routines in children and the subsequent effects on their sleep pattern. It was found that children going to bed at a fixed time every night had a much better sleep than those who did not follow a routine. The study involved over 10,000 mothers from 14 countries and was published in in the journal Sleep.

"Creating a bedtime routine for a child is a simple step that every family can do. It can pay off to not only make bedtime

easier, but also that a child is likely to sleep better throughout the entire nigh. It can pay off to not only make bedtime easier, but also that a child is likely to sleep better throughout the entire night," said principal investigator and lead author Jodi Mindell, professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University in the US. The researchers found that children with a bedtime routine slept for an average of more than an hour longer per night than children who never had a bedtime routine.

The positive impacts that increase with the consistency of the nightly routine include earlier bedtimes, shorter amount of time in bed before falling asleep, reduced night waking, and increased sleep duration.

Institution of a regular bedtime routine also was associated with decreased sleep problems and daytime behaviour problems as perceived by the mothers.

Bedtime routine makes kids sleep better

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www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Ineya, Nikesha fight on sets?

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t seems all is not well on the sets of 'Karaioram', a film which has Simran, Ineya and Nikesha Patel in key roles. Reports suggest that Ineya and Nikesha are

not getting along with each other and some heated arguments were also witnessed between them recently. In this movie, Ineya is said to be playing a

strong negative role.

Recently, a fight scene was shot between Simran and Ineya. Touted to be a crime thriller, 'Karaiyoram' is directed by Jagadish

Police warn actress Asin

Kumar. Its Telugu version has been titled 'Leela' and Kannada version as 'Alone'.

Vasishta and Ganesh are also part of the film's cast.

Sivakarthikeyan, Dhanush to fight for supremacy I t is official that Dhanush’s ‘Maari’ is going to be released on the 17th July taking on Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Rajini Murugan’ for which producers Thirupathi Brothers locked the date several weeks ago. ‘Maari’ directed by Balaji Mohan has Kajal Agarwal as Dhanush’s heroine and is said to be an out and out commercial fare while ‘Rajini Murugan’ has Sivakarthikeyan, Keerthi Suresh and Soori and is directed by Ponram who gave the super hit ‘Varuthapadatha Valibar

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o one would have forgotten actress Asin who a few years ago was one of the leading heroines of Kollywood having acted opposite superstars Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Suriya, Ajith, Vikram and

other top stars. The actress is now doing only Hindi films and is settled in Mumbai.

The actress’s next big release is titled ‘All is Well’ in which she is paired opposite Abhishek

Bachan.

Asin had parked her car Parking zone Mumbai airport sitting inside the the Mumbai attached her car

'Bombay Velvet'

“Bombay Velvet” is an upcoming Bollywood crime drama film directed and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, based on historian Gyan Prakash's book “Mumbai Fables.” Set in Bombay of the 1960s, the film tells the story of a boxer, Johnny Balraj, and an aspiring jazz singer, Rosie, and how their hopes and dreams collide with their individual realities. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar in lead roles with Kay Kay Menon, Manish Choudhary, Vivaan Shah and Siddharth Basu appearing in supporting roles.

Kashyap was inspired to make such a film after reading “L.A. Quartet,” a sequence of four crime fiction novels by James Ellroy, set in the late 1940s through the late 1950s in Los Angeles. The novels inspired him to "dig into the dark trenches of the history of Bombay", where he "found a treasure trove that was never-ending".

recently in a No at the and was car when Police to a tow

truck and were about to tow the car away when the terrified actress jumped out of the car and pleaded with the cops to excuse her who relented after 15 minutes and let her off with a warning.

Superstar Rajinikanth turns granddad again

ilmmaker Soundarya Rajinikanth, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth, delivered a baby boy at a private hospital in Chennai. "The baby was born on Wednesday last.

Both the baby and the mother are absolutely fine," said a source close to Rajini. Soundarya married Ashwin Ramkumar, an industrialist, in 2010.

This is the couple's first child. Soundarya is best known for directing India's first motion capture animated film “Kochadaiyaan,” featuring her father. At the audio launch of

Sexual abuse allegations against Shiamak Davar

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Sangam’. In recent times a lot has been written about a rift between Dhanush and Sivakarthikeyan which both of them have vehemently denied, but come the July Ramzan weekend, the box office will surely light up and it will be an interesting battle for supremacy between the two close friends.

ce choreographer S h i a m a k Davar is shocked and has denied sexual abuse allegations made by his former dance students Percy Shroff and Jimmy Mistry.

Percy Shroff, 40, and Jimmy Mistry, 33, both of North Vancouver, say they endured years of unwanted sexual touching at the hands of Shiamak, who they say, abused his authority as their spiritual leader to control all aspects of their lives, reports cbc.ca. They have alleged that Shiamak is a sexually abusive and controlling leader of a sect called VRRP Spiritual Learning group, according to two lawsuits filed in the Canadian province of British Columbia Supreme Court. Denying the same, Shiamak, a National Award winning talent, said in a statement: "I'm shocked by these allegations and deny them completely. I will not be intimidated into silence and will defend myself vigorously in court."

“Kochadaiyaan” in 2013, Rajini publicly wished for his daughter Soundarya to settle down and subsequently chase her filmmaking dream.

Rajinikanth already has two grandsons, Yatra and Linga, from his second daughter Aishwarya, who is married to popular actor Dhanush.

Ranveer regrets doing intimate scenes with Anushka

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part from his acting skills, Ranveer Singh is also known for his energy levels and sense of humour. At the “Dil Dhakne Do” brunch, the song 'Pehli Baar' in which Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma are getting intimate was shown. As Anuskha was speaking about the song, she also called Ranveer on stage. But Ranveer denied the offer saying, "I'm feeling shy right now. Is video ka mujhe javab dena padega." A lot of chuckles followed when he said this. Now, since the song shows him getting cozy with Anuskha, we wonder if he has to give the javab to Deepika Padukone, his alleged girlfriend. Also starring Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Shefali Shah, Rahul Bose and others, the film is scheduled to release on 5th June.

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Ranbir confirms marriage plans with Katrina R anbir Kapoor has confirmed that he plans to wed girlfriend Katrina Kaif by the end of 2016, ending the suspense that has surrounded their marriage plans. Things seem to be moving on the right path for lovebirds Katrina and Ranbir. Earlier this year, the two Bollywood actors moved in together.

Rumours of the 'powercouple' dating have been doing the rounds since the two worked together in Rajkumar Santoshi's “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.”

"This year, there's a lot of pressure on me because of work. I feel I won't be able to make the time. I'm thinking of getting married towards the end of next year. Till now, that's the plan for me and her, "Ranbir said in an interview.

The actor was further quoted as saying, "We

Shashi Kapoor honoured with Phalke Award

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both are very sure about the relationship now. If I don't speak now, I won't be respecting the relationship. I'm now 33. I want a family. Katrina wants the same. There is no need to hide anything."

When asked why superstars aren't honest and the reason behind his

aloofness, the actor said, "That's their business.

Some things they don't do, but I do. Some things I don't do, but they do.

The mystery surrounding stars is no longer there. I want to retain that mystery. The viewers and fans should see me just before the release of a film."

I am not materialistic: Deepika Padukone

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ctress Deepika Padukone says she is not materialistic and it is the small things in life that make her happy.

"On a personal level gold is not that important an asset... my needs are not material. I rather love to spend time with family, this is an important investment for me...I value that more. I am not materialistic in life," Deepika told reporters at a promotional event of her film “Piku” which was released on Friday. "But I was happy when I bought a house," the 29-year-old actress said while introducing an exquisite range of gold jewellery. "I feel a girl's best ornaments are her inner strength, personality and beauty. I like to keep minimal jewellery... I don't like to wear too much of everything. I am more into earrings," said Deepika, who loves both diamond and gold jewellery.

'Piku' directed by Shhojit Sircar stars Deepika along with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan and Moushumi Chatterjee.

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Sonam has a surprise this year at Cannes

A biopic on Sarabjit Singh

a t i o n a l a w a rd - w i n ning filmmaker Omung Kumar will direct a biopic based on Sarabjit Singh, the Indian prisoner who died in Pakistan.

Omung's directorial debut “Mary Kom” won the trophy for Best Popular Film at the recently concluded 62nd National Film Awards. "Yes, I will be directing and co-producing Sarabjit film.

Even though I have three scripts lined up, this will be my next film after 'Mary Kom'," Omung said in a statement. Sarabjit Singh was an Indian prisoner who died in Pakistan. In the film, Sarabjit's story will be told through the eyes of his sister, Dalbir Kaur. It was reported that actress Kangana Ranaut is in talks for the role of Dalbir, however, the filmmakers said they are yet to finalise an actress.

Deepika's Hollywood dreams

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e e p i k a Padukone, who will soon be seen in Imtiaz Ali's “Tamasha” as well as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's “ B a j i r a o Mastani,” said that she was excited about Hollywood films.

Deepika, who missed the opportunity of featuring in the recent instalment of “Fast And Furious,” said that she was open to Hollywood offers in the future. According to a report, the actor was quoted as saying that Hollywood films did excite her and that it was fascinating to set foot in a world that is completely different. She further added that the kind of films that they make is different and that it would be like starting all over again like she began her Bollywood career seven years ago.

She agreed that it would be challenging indeed, but that she wouldn't mind it.

ctress Sonam Kapoor will be celebrating her fifth year at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival and said that she can't wait to walk the red carpet and surprise everyone. The actress was signed as the face of L'Oréal Paris in 2010 and has since gracefully carried off both traditional and modern attire with ease during all of her red carpet appearances.

"I've always stood by the fact that fashion is forever changing but style is eternal. I can't believe this will be my fifth year already with L'Oréal Paris at Cannes and it's phenomenal. Now I can't wait to officially walk the red carpet at Cannes and surprise everyone with my plans for this year," the actress said in a statement reminiscing about the last four years.

In 2011, Sonam made her first impression by opting for Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2009 Couture gown on her red carpet debut at Cannes.

The fashionista kept it elegant and classy with smokey eyes, nude lips and no jewellery.

In 2012, the Khoobsurat actress decided to don a strapless red velvet Dolce and Gabbana number.

The next year, Sonam surprised everyone by wearing an Indian look for the opening ceremony of the festival.

She slipped into Anamika Khanna Couture white lace sari featuring intricate gold embroidered through-out.

Last year, the actress looked stunning in a black Elie Saab gown at the screening of “ T h e Homesman.”

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ollywood's evergreen charmer Shashi Kapoor was on Sunday conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, by Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.

The 77-year-old was wheeled on to the stage by his son Kunal and daughter Sanjana before an august gathering.

Shashi - the star of over 150 films in his over 40year career - was all smiles upon receiving the Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 1000,000 and a ceremonial shawl, which he accepted with reverence and folded hands.

"Shashi Kapoor is undoubtedly one of the most versatile personalities Indian cinema has produced. An actor par excellence, who competed in his time with the very best and almost competed with different generations of film actors," Jaitley said.

"He even produced and directed various kinds of films; combined commercial cinema with alternative cinema; defined languages and brought Hindi cinema and Hollywood closer.

Then also, he didn't leave his love for theatre," he

added.

The gathering saw the presence of Shashi's nephew Rishi Kapoor, grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor, grand-neice Karisma Kapoor and others like Neetu Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Nafisa Ali, Saif Ali Khan and Rekha.

Due to Shashi's ill health, he could not travel to the capital for the National Awards ceremony on May 3. So, minister Jaitley flew in to Mumbai to confer the award on him at Prithvi Theatre, which Shashi launched with his late wife Jennifer Kendal in 1978.

Jaitley said it's a "a fitting tribute...the award is being physically and symbolically conferred on him in an institution that he himself created - the Prithvi Theatre".

This is the third Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the Kapoor family after Shashi's father Prithviraj Kapoor and elder brother Raj Kapoor.

"The way it (the family) produces talent, I'm sure that it's not the last one. My best wishes to you for a improved health and a very long life. We wish you all the best, Shashi Kapoor," Jaitley said.

Priyanka's American TV Madhuri to launch 'Dance show to air on ABC this with Madhuri' app season

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riyanka Chopra is all set to make her debut on American small tube. Her TV show “Quantico” has been picked for telecast by TV network ABC. It will air in this season. Confirming the news, an excited Priyanka took to micro-blogging website Twitter to share the news. Priyanka, who is the first Bollywood actress to star in a pilot at ABC and has made her space in the West with her singing talent, plays Alex Parrish, a half-Caucasian, half-Indian FBI trainee with a haunting past. The show centers on a diverse group of recruits who have arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. Being the best and brightest of the lot, it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11, according to deadline.com.

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fter having her own dancing tutorial website actress Madhuri Dixit is all set to launch her own mobile application. The 47-year-old took to microblogging website Twitter to announce the launch of her Dance with Madhuri app. "Getting ready for the launch of the new Dance with Madhuri app! Lots to do... Have you uploaded your moves?

Might get to meet me at launch," the “Khalnayak” actress tweeted.

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UK

Bollywood Fever at South Bank during Bank Holiday Weekend

Bollywood Fever is an extravagant event which will be taking place from Friday 22nd May- Monday 25th May 2015, at Bargehouse along the South Bank. There will be a showcase of a series of Bollywood cult-classics to popular blockbusters.

There will also be traditional street food, plus live music and dancers for your entertainment.

This event aims to cap-

ture the essence of Bollywood in order to provide the public with a full mesmerising experience into the worldwide phenomenon.

To find out more about Bollywood Fever and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://bollywoodfever.co.uk/ For further enquiries, contact Kirsty Endfield: kirsty@cellardoorgroup.com

Coming Events

l Tushar Trivedi Production presents Jivanlaley Jaan jodi. Friday 22nd May 2015. Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, 4A Castletown Road, West Kensington, London W14 9HE. Contact Tushar Trivedi: 07821 131 774 l Pankkaj Sodha presents Pappa Avaj Hoi Che. Wednesday 20th May 2015. Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, 4A Castletown Road, West Kensington, London W14 9HE. Contact Sureshbhai: 0208 205 6124/ 07941 070217 l Shiv Katha. Sunday 17th May- Friday 22ndMay 2015, 5pm- 8pm. DLC Hall- Lohana Centre, Dhamecha Lohana Centre, Brember Road, South Harrow, HA2 8AX. Contact Ashwin Patel: 07949 888226. l SSGPS Gathering & Directory Launch. Sunday 17th May 2015 from 4pm. Sattavis Patidar Centre, Forty Ave, (j/w The Avenue) Wembley Park, HA9 9PE. 020 8904 9191. l Gujarat Hindu Society. Bhajan Bhojan, Sunday 17th May 2015 from 9:30am. Bowel Cancer Seminar, Sunday 17th May, 2pm- 3pm. GHS Centre, South Meadow Lane, Preston PR1 8JN. l Something Then, Something Now. Saturday 16th May 2015, 7:30pm, The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. Sunday 17th May, 7pm, The Lowry, Salford Quays. l Love Aaj Kal. Thursday 21st May 2015, 8:30pm.

Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. l Beyond Roots, Saturday 23rd May 2015, 1pm.

Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. l Tour Programme of Acharyashri Ghanshyamji.

Thursday 21st May- Saturday 23rd May 2015.

London.

Contact Bhupendrabhai K Mistry: 07958 575632 l Inner Management with Sadhguru- Yogi Visionary and International Speaker. Thursday 21st may 2015, 6pm. The Nehru Centre, 8 South Audley Street, London W1k 1HF. Contact: 020 7491 3567. Golden Voices of Bollywood. Saturday 23rd May 2015, 7pm. The Bushey Arena, London Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, WD23 3AA Editor: CB Patel Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 - Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Senior News Editor: Dhiren Katwa Freelance Correspondent: Rudy Otter Chief Operating Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Chief Accountant: Akshay Desai Tel: 020 7749 4087 Email:accounts@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 - Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Business Development Managers: Rovin J George - Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 - Mobile: 07875 229 219 Urja Patel - Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Sales Executive: Daxa Gami - Email: daxa.gami@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4089 - Mobile: 07875 229 111 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 - Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Europe Enterprise, Raj Surani Tel: 01530 481600 (BPO) AB Publication (India) Pvt. Ltd. 207 Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad.

Tel. +91 79 2646 5960 Bureau Chief: Nilesh Parmar (M) +91 94266 36912

Jaipur Literature Festival returning to London for the second time The Jaipur Literature Festival is returning to London for the second time for a two-day extravagant event, on Saturday 16th May and Sunday 17th May 2015, at South Bank.

This delightful festival is considered as one of the biggest festivals in Asia, where people from all across the globe come to visit.

The Jaipur Literature Festival is a mesmerising tour which will exhibit South Asia's multilingual literary heritage, books and ideas, oral and performing arts, dialogue and

debate, plus Bollywood and politics over the two days course. In true Jaipur Literature Festival style, each day will begin with music and end with a huge party.

This year's line up for the festival includes Anita Anand, Binod Choudhury, Nasreen Munni Kabir, Rajdeep Sardesai and Shrabani Basu, plus many others.

For further information and ticket inquiries, please visit: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/jai pur-literature-festival88784

Student union officer claims she's 'not racist'

Bahar Mustafa, pictured, a student union officer at G o l d s m i t h University, sparked a backlash when she allegedly told white people and men they should not attend an event on "diversifying the curriculum".

She reportedly banned white people and men from an event promoting equality, but has now hit-back, claiming that she "cannot be racist" as she belongs to the ethnic minority community.

The student's union

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Don't be afraid to act forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change. If you know your ground and are not afraid to stick your neck out, you can create your own opportunities. Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs, the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your inner foundations, so to speak.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21

Start the week by inviting comments and criticism of what you have in mind financially, but do not lose your temper when you get others' views.

Instead, use them to advantage. A friendly relationship or marriage of people you know could be wavering or on the point of break-up. Try to understand things.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

There are subtle transformations taking shape in your life and a feeling of helpful influences in the background. There is much to suggest that you are in tune with your inner self and in touch with those hidden forces which often seem to take a guiding hand in one's life. Focus on essentials and establish a solid foundation.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

You may find yourself hard at work behind the scenes, although that may not be apparent to others. You may find yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, with opportunities to advance on both the inner and outer level. There is likely to be a powerful incentive to do what remains to be done and tie up loose ends.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 Co-operative ventures are likely to generate financial success. So, if hoping to drum up support or backing, it would certainly do no harm to adopt a more pushy and outgoing approach to life. As social life will tend to draw you into a wider circle, the chances of meeting someone attractive are greatly increased.

had previously said it was reviewing how it communicates with people to "avoid any future misunderstandings" after the backlash over Ms Mustafa's comments ahead of the scheduled event in April.

Much enthusiasm goes into professional ambitions right now, but you need to be your own boss in many ways. Circumstances will make you more determined to place your lifestyle on a foundation of greater security. Taking a broad perspective on the prevailing cosmic pattern, far-reaching change begins to gather momentum.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

There is an element of disruption or stress which may be hard to avoid, but it appears that there is a strong sense of purpose in the background. A certain amount of sheer hard graft will be necessary for a short while, but the final result will be extremely pleasing. An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Email: nilesh.parmar@abplgroup.com Consulting Editor: Bhupatbhai Parekh, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Tel: +91 79 2630 4142 Urvashi Jagadeesan (India) Mumbai: Kanti Bhatt, Hemraj Shah (Jumbo Advertiser) Horizon Advertising & Marketing: 2012, Shalibhadra Complex, Opp. Jain Derasar, Nr. Nehru Nagar Circle, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Tel +91 79 2646 5960 Email: horizon.marketing@abplgroup.com Business Manager: Hardik Shah (M) +91 99250 42936 Email: hardik.shah@abplgroup.com Advertising Manager: Neeta Patel (Vadodara) M: +91 98255 11702 Email: neeta_abplgroup@yahoo.co.in Business Co-ordinator: Shrijit Rajan M: +91 98798 82312 Email: shrijit.rajan@abplgroup.com International Advertisement Representative: Jain Group (South India) Tel: +91 44 42041122/3/4 Fax: +91 44 25362973 Mumbai: +91 022 2471 4122 Email: jain@jaingroup.net Delhi Office: Tel: +91 9311581597

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Retrograde Saturn transit occurs in your solar second house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to new financial initiatives.

There may be the need to resolve old, nagging issues regarding personal finances. Take this time to re-budget and re-think how you want to spend your cash during this period.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21 Saturn, the planet of caution and discipline is retrograde in your solar first house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to your body language. You will be re-assessing your work place as well as people around you. Good time to review your partnerships and relationships.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

Retrograde transit of Saturn occurs in your solar twelfth house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to private and personal matters. Be as non-judgemental as you can, but do keep an eye out for deceptiveness and falseness in others. Good time for yoga and meditation.

Bear in mind that Saturn, the planet of caution and discipline remains retrograde in your eleventh house of friends and associates as well.

Good time to re-assess friendships and it would serve you well if you spend more time listening than speaking. Keep an eye on your investments

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Bear in mind that Saturn, the planet of caution and discipline remains retrograde in your solar tenth house, this transit will force you to slow down and reflect on your past achievements and future goals. It is now time to take stock, consolidate and plan ahead. You should not allow other people to rush you.

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Infighting breaks out in Indian Olympic Association

India's faction-ridden Olympic Association faces a power struggle that could threaten its involvement in future Games, just days after IOC head Thomas Bach told the body to stay united. Hockey India president Narinder Batra demanded a special meeting of the Indian Olympic Association to press for a no-confidence vote against its chief Narayanaswami Ramachandran.

In a letter sent to Batra office-bearers, claimed a majority of members disagreed with Ramachandran's running of the body, adding they felt he was “working towards weakening and finishing off the IOA”. He threatened to call a gather-

months in December 2012 after officials linked to corruption were elected to executive positions following the chaotic running of the Commonwealth Games two years ago.

During the suspension, India's national Modi with Thomas Bach flag was barred from ing of disgruntled supportinternational competitions ers if a special meeting was and the IOC deprived the not called within a month national organisation of to discuss the president's funds. future.If Ramachandran, The suspension was who enjoys the revoked during the Sochi International Olympic Winter Olympics in Committee's support, is February last year after a forced to step down and new set of office-bearers replaced with a tainted was elected under the official, it would draw the leadership of World organisation's ire. The IOC Squash Federation chief suspended the IOA for 14 Ramachandran.

If the IOC is not satisfied with the IOA's officers it could suspend the association again. Indian athletes would have to compete under the IOC flag and any medals they won during that period would not be credited to the country.

Earlier, Bach warned the IOA to stay clear of infighting and work together to improve sport in India. “After the IOA suspension ended last year, this was an opportunity to discuss how to make the future for Indian sport brighter,” Bach said in New Delhi during a two-day visit where he held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What price the position of Asian Football Confederation vice president? For Praful Patel, it meant ensuring more fixtures and playing opportunities for arch-rivals Pakistan. Patel was elected unopposed as the AFC VP from the seven-nation South Asia (SAFF) block in Bahrain recently after Pakistan's soccer head Faisal Saleh Hayat withdrew in the final hours.

With Pakistan, who played only two matches in 2014, knocked out of joint 2018 World Cup and

Association of Maldives for a tournament there," Pakistan Football Federation marketing official Sardar Naveed said after Patel was elected.

"Similarly, Bangladesh Football Federation chief Kazi Salahuddin has agreed to a three-match series there in July."

Naveed said they had also been assured that three Pakistan players would be involved in next season's Indian Super League, despite broken promises on that happening for the inaugural campaign last

term. There was also talk of a two-match bilateral series between the old foes, who have fought three wars and endure an uneasy truce, starting in early next year. India, dubbed the "sleeping giant" of world football by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, also only played two internationals in 2014 but Patel has the benefit of guaranteed matches and television rights money in the offing after his side beat Nepal to make the second round of the dual qualifying tournament.

Patel elected South Asia football vice president

Praful Patel 2019 Asian Cup qualifying in the first round by Yemen they faced a long spell in the international wilderness. Not any more.

"We've had an offer from the Football

C3 South Indian stars play for noble cause On 9th May 2015, a charity cricket match was held at the Alliance Rugby Stadium, between the Celebrity Cricket Club (C3), from Kerela, India and the UK Blasters, London. The proceeds from this match went to endosulfan affected victims in Kerala.

Endosulfan is a widely-banned pesticide with hazardous effects on human genetic and endocrine systems. In the mid 1970s, Kerala villages used aerial spraying of endosulfan on plantations, which affected many of the residents. To this day, many of the locals are still suffering. It has had many hazardous effects, which includes sensory loss, delayed reproductive development, neurotoxicity, longrange contamination, endocrine disruption, bioaccumulation and autism.

A day prior to the match, the C3 members were invited to the prestigious house of cricket, Lord's Cricket Ground, where they were given a tour and had the opportunity to practise for their upcoming match. A press conference was also held at the Lord's where the members spoke to the press, explaining how important this match was

Celebrity Cricket Club (C3) press Unveiling of the jersey conference the family of the victims man of C3. At the press and what cause they were suffer in a much more bigconference at the Lord's playing for. ger way. All the financial Cricket Ground, he The Celebrity Cricket support that we can do is expressed, “The charity Club is a cricket team for the endosulfan victims part plays a very big role made up of celebrity and for their welfare; for C3 because this time members from Kerala. It that's the main motto why we are doing it in a much is a registered charity C3 are going to help out more bigger way. organisation that plays the endosulfan victims Endosulfan is a pesticide exhibition matches for back in Kerala.” which has affected almost various charitable causes.

The one-day T20 three generations back in C3 consists of popular match between C3 and our hometown in Kerala. film stars and singers UK Blasters at Alliance Almost 30 years ago, this from Kerala, such as Stadium was conducted pesticide was sprayed Kunchacko Boban, Asif in association with the over a plantation... and Ali and Vijay Yesudas, England & Wales Cricket even now, almost 10,000 plus many more.

Board (ECB), Middlesex victims are there still sufActor, Kunchacko Cricket County and Club fering. Apart from that, Boban is also the chairCricket Conference, an organisation celebrating its 100th year of formation.

This friendly charity T20 match was organised by Vintage Event Management, based in London. Vintage Event took immense pride in exposing the South Indian talent of these entertainers to the UK audience, while also raisSouth Indian stars at the press conference held at ing funds for a noble Lord's Cricket Ground cause.

SPORT WORLD

ICC to probe rebel organisation amid fears of split

31

The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed it was investigating the registration of company names which it regarded as of "concern to the sport of cricket" as reports of a rebel organisation which might split the game continued to emerge.

Reports said that an Indian media conglomerate, the Essel Group, had attempted to register the company name "Australian Cricket Control Pty Ltd" and had made similar efforts in other cricketplaying nations. Owned by Subhash billionaire Chandra, the driving force behind the ill-fated rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), Essel issued a statement saying they were "geared up to enter the sports business at a global level, focusing on cricket".

"The ICC is aware of certain recent registrations which are of concern to the sport of cricket, and the matter is under investigation," an International Cricket Council spokesman said. Whether it is merely an international Twenty20 league or a full scale assault on the ICC's governance of the game, it is clear some challenge to cricket's status quo is afoot.

Cricket Australia dismissed as "highly speculative" media reports that

Michael Clarke and David Warner would be offered $40 million and 10-year contracts to play in a rebel league. A report said Essel, which through its Ten Sports channel owns rights to cricket around the world but not in India, had registered 15 citybased leagues in India.

"We have a massive plan for cricket in India and groundwork has been going on in many states," Naresh Dhoundiyal, a senior Essel Group official, said.

"I can't give you details of the project as it is going to be made public in the next six months."

Lalit Modi, who helped set up the lucrative IPL Twenty20 league before falling out with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said he had approached by been Chandra to get involved in a plan to set up a new global governing body but had turned him down.

"Subhash is a powerful body no doubt but it is a foolish plan at the moment," he said in an interview. "But he does what he wants and I wish him all the luck. It could be very close, who knows?

If he presses the button and puts the money on the table things could start very quickly. The ICC should be fearing him."

Newly-appointed coach of the Indian hockey team Paul van Ass will be a happy man now. Not only did his team beat Japan 21 but with this victory they also won the four-match series 2-0 with a match to spare.

After both the teams failed to score in the first quarter, VR Raghunath put India ahead in the dying minutes of the second quarter at Kalinga Stadium. Six minutes after restart, the home team struck again as Akashdeep Singh scored his first of the series. However, Japan didn't go down without a fight and it was Hirotaka Wakari who reduced the lead towards the end of the third quarter.

It was another good performance by the Indian team where they dominated the game for most of the 60 minutes. India cre-

ated a lot of chances but, like the last match, they failed to convert them.

The strikers were also a let down as far as winning penalty corners are concerned. But on the whole, things look a lot better than what it was during the first match of the series. If they can carry on this form, the Indian fans can hope for some good results during the World League Semifinals.

Earlier in the match, Japan went on the offensive from the very word go.

But the Indian defenders continued with their good show and kept the Japanese strikers at bay.

Birendra Lakra and Jasjit Singh Kular kept their cool and made some excellent clearances.

India didn't sit back though and made their first move six minutes into the match.

India wrap up hockey series with victory

IPL 2015 point table

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

IPL CSK KKR SRH RR RCB MI DD KXIP

M 12 12 12 13 11 12 12 12

W 8 7 7 6 6 6 4 2

L 4 4 5 5 4 6 8 10

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NRR 0.813 0.372 -0.017 0.027 1.212 -0.302 -0.174 -1.577

Pts 16 15 14 14 13 12 8 4

32

SPORT

www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 16th May 2015

Sunrisers hold nerve to move to 4th place

A blitzy half-century from Kedar Jadhav, only his second in the IPL, brought the required runrate for Delhi Daredevils from almost 12 with eight overs remaining down to less than eight in the last three overs, but the hosts ran out of steam on the last stretch.

Ishant Sharma bowled his last two overs for just 16 runs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar served up a mix of yorkers and low full-tosses to give away six in the penultimate over, the two helping Sunrisers Hyderabad to hold on to a narrow sixrun win that propped them up to number four in the points table. The result also meant Daredevils became the second team after Kings XI Punjab to fall out of the race of making it to playoffs.

Jadhav hit seven fours and two sixes in the fourover period after 13, reached his 50 off 24 balls, but after edging the first ball off the 18th over to the boundary, he couldn't

Moises Henrique

get the groove. When a six was needed off the last ball to tie the game, he could merely drill it back to Ishant, the bowler, to Sunrisers' delight.

The curve Jadhav's innings followed sloped the other way in comparison to Moises Henriques' unbeaten 74, that had injected life into Sunrisers innings in the second half and helped it grow to 163,

a total that was going to be testing on a sticky, bouncy pitch and the refreshingly large outfield in Raipur.

Unlike Jadhav, Henriques had started slow. He was in early, in the fourth over, struggled for timing in the initial half of his innings, and was 10 off 16 deliveries at the end of 11 overs. By that time, Sunrisers had

lost all three of their halfcenturions this season and the innings was hobbling at less than six an over. Then, with a slog off Amit Mishra in the 12th over landing over the boundary at midwicket, the timing appeared.

Still, Henriques waited for the start of the last five overs before going allout attack. He smashed a long-hop from Mishra into

the stands, then took a treble of couples in the same over to kick-start Sunrisers' surge. He continued running hard and brought up his maiden IPL half-century off 39 balls in the 18th over.

Three more sixes from Henriques in the last two overs helped Sunrisers to ratchet up 64 off the last five overs, with Henriques scoring 46.

Daredevils' chase started in sprightly manner, with Quinton de Kock, playing for the first time this season, sprinting to a half-century off 29 balls by the eighth over.

But Karn Sharma struck twice in two overs, getting de Kock out stumped and beating JP Duminy's cut to have him out bowled.

In between, Yuvraj Singh disappeared in a painfully familiar, yet now almost expected, manner.

Jadhav and Saurabh Tiwary played their respective best innings this season, adding an unbeaten 91 for the fifth wicket, but it all came too late for Daredevils.

India climb two spots to fourth in Test rankings

India on Monday gained four points and climbed two rungs in the ladder to rest at the fourth position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test team rankings as heavy defeats against England and Australia in 2011-12 no longer count.

South Africa have extended their advantage over Australia from six points to 22 points at the top of the rankings following the annual update, according to an ICC release. The annual update has also seen a reshuffle in the middle of the pack and now just three rankings points separate thirdranked New Zealand from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka.

Prior to the annual update, the gap between the third and seventh ranked sides was seven points.

Fifth-ranked England and sixth-ranked Pakistan have slipped on the ladder after dropping five points apiece.