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Dee Katwa
Asian Voice - Saturday 17th September 2011
Midland Voice Contact: Dhiren on 07970 911 386 or dhiren.katwa@abplgroup.com
Ram Katha: Ten years on Memories from a spiritual Indian festival, the Ram Katha, which took place in Birmingham a decade ago, were brought back last week as part of a special oneday legacy reunion. The tenth anniversary celebration saw scores of people, mainly Hindus and Sikhs, come together to reflect on the nine-day Ram Katha Vedic Festival of 2001. The 9am-5pm programme, held last Saturday at the New Bingley Hall in Hockley, Birmingham, featured presentations, speeches, food and drink, and a series of short performances, each symbolic of Lord Rama, hence Ram Katha. This major two-part event, which had been in planning for months, was organised with joint efforts of all denominations of Birmingham’s Hindu and Sikh communities, under the leadership of Bhimabhai Godhania, long-term chief financial controller with Midland-based KTC Foods. The morning began with an Indian breakfast, served by the volunteer team from the local Swaminarayan (BAPS) Temple. Then, dignitaries were each presented with a bouquet of flowers by Ram Katha committee members. Among them were C Gururaj Rao, the Consul General of India in Birmingham, Lord Tarsem King, Sukhjinderbhai from Nirankari Bhawan, Haribhai Duggal, MD of the New Bingley Hall, Jeet Singh from Sangat TV. I was representing Mr CB Patel, editor and publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar. Keynote speaker Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh was absent. He had to go
to India “for an emergency”. Representing him were his wife, Baldev Kaur, aka Mataji, and Sukhbir Singh from Ilford, a trustee of Sangat TV. Then, the lamp was lit, symbolic of any event opening, in front of a large idol of Lord Ganesh, by the listed dignitaries. It was indeed interesting to observe that Mr Guru Raj Rao was the only person to remove his shoes when lighting the lamp, tribute to his spiritual conscience. In his remarkable speech, Mr Rao said Ram Katha was about “moral evolution of mankind”. And by understanding the meaning of Ram Katha, he said, helps “destroy sinful activities, dispels ignorance and confers peace of mind”. He said that our aim in life should be God realisation and that each of us should attempt to have a “daily appointment with God”. Instead, he said, we were all far too busy in our daily lives chasing materialistic elements in search of happiness. He also expressed his disappointment at the lack of young people in the audience. “I was informed there would be lots of youngsters. I’m disappointed,” he said. His words were echoed by Lord King. “I travel on the train from Birmingham to London almost daily. I see the look on passengers’ faces. I don’t know if they’re rich or poor, but most look worried and down,” he said. Also, “a quarter of the nation is on benefits
Race case, ex-councillor gets £122k Raghib Ahsan, a former Birmingham councillor has won £122,000 compensation from the Labour Party following his claim of race discrimination. Mr Ahsan, 65, who represented Sparkhill from 1991 to 1998, was deselected following unproven allegations that he helped Asian families jump the queue for housing repair grants in return for votes. He was replaced by a white candidate. He brought a case of discrimination under the Race relations Act against the Labour Party in 1998. It was finally determined in the House of Lords in November 2007. Now Mr Ahsan, who lives in Handsworth, and works as a solicitor, has been awarded £42,247 for personal injury and the parties have agreed a further sum of £79,992.41 for loss of income. His costs, so far and pending, have come from the public purse.
which can only be a burden on the other threequarters. They are always blaming each other.” Compered by Jyotsnaben Thanki and Dineshbhai Chauhan, Chair and PR officer, respectively, of Hindu Council of Birmingham, the morning featured the following: a simultaneous’ tabla’ drum musical by six young boys, of Ram Tabla Group; dances by Jilna Karia, Kruti, aged six, Shivani Parmar, Anjali Myanger; bhajans by Anjanaben Shelat, Nareshbhai Patel, accompanied by distinguished tabla player Subhash Rathod; and songs in Punjabi by Sonia Sahota, part of the Sahota Brothers group. Following an hour of Gujarati folk dance ‘raasgarba’, in which everyone took part, then lunch, the afternoon featured a speech by Jindy Khera, managing director of KTC Foods, an Indian musical by 10-year-old Preyash Modi of Coventry and his team and the ever-popular amazing stick and sword dance by the Maher Cultural Dance troupe of Leicester. At the 2001 Ram Katha, Shri Morari Bapu, a globally-revered Hindu holy man, had agreed to recite from the Hindu scriptures during the nineday Ram Katha Festival. But, he pulled out at the eleventh hour, giving poor health as his reason. This left the committee in limbo and sparked controversy. Immediately, Mr Godhania flew to India in the hope of bringing Morari Bapu with him, but he failed. His replacement, another Hindu holy man, Kiritbhai Fatania, was quickly found and the
festival went ahead, as planned. Thankful to Kiritbhai ever since, the committee decided to invite him again to the tenth anniversary celebration. Initially, he provisionally agreed. Flyers and posters were printed featuring Kiritbhai. As the event drew nearer, the committee requested confirmation from Kiritbhai. But the committee claim that he ignored their several telephone calls. Apparently, there is an ongoing dispute between Kiritbhai and the committee over a five lakh payment to a filming company. Asian Voice contacted the Delhi-based filming company, but failed to get a response. However, Kiritbhai responded to our enquiry and asked our reporter to contact him by telephone. And soon after Asian Voice intervened, Kiritbhai telephoned a committee member confirming his attendance as main speaker. But so that the 2001 episode would not be repeated, the committee had decided to replace, at an earlier stage, Kiritbhai’s recital with performances by local talent. Hence the series of short performances, which gave local talent the opportunity to shine. Such letdowns by respected and revered holy men and women, regardless of faith or religion, can divide, rather than unite communities. Naturally, this can cause anger, uproar, disillusion, dilute people’s faith and cause relationships to be soured. Fortunately, such incidents are rare. Most holy men and women are seen as role models, particularly for the younger generation, are they not?
Lord Ganesh takes a dip Four coach loads from Birmingham travelled to Seacombe Port on the River Mersey last Sunday to mark Ganesh Chaturthi, the annual Indian celebration. Couple Jagjivanbhai and Minaben Chauhan and their son Pritesh, who had organised and funded the trip, immersed an idol of Lord Ganesh into the river which was followed by vibrant ‘raas-garba’ chanting and dancing on the ship.
Blue it is Blue is the most popular car colour – and the West Midlands has been named top region for blue car drivers, according to an AA/Populus survey.
News in Brief Ex-footballer death Scores of mourners descended on Villa Park last week to bid a final farewell to Bernard, aka Bernie Gallacher, a former left back player with Aston Villa Football Club. Bernie, 44, pictured, died last month at Good Hope Hospital. He leaves behind his partner Sheila, daughter Amy and two sons, James and Charles.
Cabbie fined A Midland taxi driver has been ordered to pay £545 for failing to set his meter and for overcharging. Rashid Mahmood, 35, of Walsall was caught as part of a council sting when officers got into his hackney carriage. Mahmood charged them £15, instead of £9.50, Walsall magistrates court heard.
Hindu meeting The annual general meeting of the Hindu Forum of Britain will take place at the Shri Krishna Temple in Sparkbrook, Birmingham (B11 1JL) between 10am and 12.30pm this Sunday (Sept 18). All welcome.
Tots raise cash for charity Three cheers to the team at Russell Nursery School in Hall Green, Birmingham, who raised £283.30 for Barnardo’s, the charity, by dressing up as animals and completing a sponsored walk around their playground. Nursery manager Jasula Ravat extends her deep gratitude to everyone who contributed.
Save money on cooking People are being encouraged to use an online planner to save money when cooking food. An average family throws away £50 worth of food each month. To find out more visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/everyday_perfect_portions
Farewell to Councillor Bill Tweddle, a popular Midland politician, has died. He was 70. Conservative Councillor Tweddle, pictured, described as a “real diamond, a man of the people”, represented Walsall’s Bloxwich East ward. He leaves behind wife Lynn, two sons and three grandchildren.
A step too far Four in every ten west Midland men and women get out of breath walking up stairs, a survey for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has found.
Spot check on cabbies A safety spot check on taxis in Birmingham last weekend saw 89 vehicles pulled over – with more than 40% facing prosecution. There are 1,500 Hackney carriages in Birmingham and around 5,500 private hire vehicles.
Coach chief steps down Dave Kaye, managing director of National Express, has left the Birmingham group “for personal reasons” after less than a year at the helm. National Express delivers 75% of west Midlands’ bus service.
Contractor cops Private rent-a-cops are being hired for £20 an hour to work on high-profile murder investigations by West Midlands Police, reports the Sunday Mercury. In total, 24 staff have been drafted in from G4S, the security firm. It is understood that G4S pays the contractors £12 per hour plus expenses. A serving police officer is paid a maximum of £17 per hour.