AV 17th April 2021

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE Vaisakhi SPECIAL : Attitude of Gratitude SEE PAGE - 14 - 17

Success story of Indian-origin people in the US

R

SEE PAGE - 21 Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

17 - 23 APRIL 2021 - VOL 49 ISSUE 49

HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh 10 June 1921 - 9 April 2021

Rupanjana Dutta The UK is observing a national period of mourning as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday 9 April 2021. Even amidst controversy, Prince Harry flew down from the US to stand by his family to bid farewell to his grandfather. The funeral preparations are currently underway, complying with Covid rules, with no public procession or access.

The Duke who always loved to maintain a low profile, left behind strict instructions for his funeral in his final wishes. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the funeral will take place in the afternoon on Saturday 17 April at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, adhering to the current Covid guidelines that will allow just 30 mourners to be present.

Continued on page 6

A man whose death is subject to an ongoing murder investigation has been named as 47-year-old Anand Parmar.

Mr Parmar, who is also known as Andy, was found by officers after a chase, in the boot of a vehicle in Brighton Road, Evington with serious injuries in the early hours of Monday 12 April morning. A post-mortem examination identified that he died from significant injuries to his head and chest.

Picture Courtesy : Leicestershire Police

FAREWELL PRINCE PHILIP

Brit-Indian kidnap victim dies, five arrested for murder

Anand Parmar

Continued on page 9

India approves Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine

India has approved the use of Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said.

The RDIF, which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, said the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved the use of Sputnik V. This paves the way for India to rollout its third vaccine against the coronavirus infections.

Continued on page 25

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17 - 23 April 2021

with Keith Vaz

Review finds more unrecorded offences at Greater Manchester Police

Nikita Mehta Nikita Mehta is the Creative Director, Storyteller & Product visionary behind Fable & Mane. With a passion for Ayurvedic ingredients, product innovation and conscious rituals. Her mission is to bring consciousness into beauty and awaken our roots with wild wisdom.

Nikita graduated from University College of London in Computer Science & Management and spent her career building prestige and luxury fragrances.

A committed philanthropist, her respect for big cats led to the creation of the Fable Fund that helps secure a future for our planet’s wildlife.

1

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

When I am with nature. By the mountains, with rivers, with animals.

Humanity’s “forgotten” home is my refuge.

What are your proudest achievements?

Seeing our hair brand launch in Sephora US and seeing the smiling faces and positivity from our community after using our products.

What inspires you?

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The body’s ability to heal itself through movement and the interdependency in nature. Also, nothing can beat experiencing the unconditional love and innate joy within a dog.

What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

Getting product to market because I am a perfectionist, I took 3 years but was worth it.

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

My brother and co-founder Akash have helped me immensely grow in many ways and my mother for her wisdom and reminders to have fun - life is

4 5

for us to enjoy!

What is the best aspect about your current role?

Creative freedom, to create express and delight consumers. Working with the best labs in the world to fuse modern science with ancient Ayurvedic rituals.

And the worst?

6 7

I love taking risks, but it can be challenging at times especially when it comes to supply chain.

What are your long-term goals?

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To be the leader in hair wellness and to inspire many to find their own inner light through self-care rituals.

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

Plant based meals with meditation classes in school lunch breaks.

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

The Buddha, we would just sit in stillness and yet feel so whole and complete.

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10

Men deny wrongdoing after a Sikh taxi driver was racially abused and assaulted Two men charged with racially abusing a taxi driver will now stand trial in November after denying the allegations.

Vaneet Singh was driving the men from Reading to Basingstoke in September last year when they allegedly racially abused, calling him “Taliban” and assaulted him.

The incident is said to have happened as they

were driving along the A33 on September 20, between 10.20 and 11.45pm. Dean Brandon Smith and Frankie Gregory pleaded not guilty at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court and are now due to face trial on 8 November.

Smith, was charged with four counts of racially and religiously aggraVaneet Singh vated common assault, racially and religiously aggravated public order, theft, and threats to commit criminal damage.

Frankie Gregory, was FINANCIAL A SERVICES charged with racially or religiously aggravatPROTECTION MORTGAGES ed common assault.

Life Insurance Residential Additionally, Billy-Sam Critical Illness Buy to Let Simon Shervell, 20, of Income Protection Remortgages Honeysuckle Close in Swindon, was charged with racially or reliPlease conta act: giously aggravated Dinesh Shonchhatra S criminal damage in Mortgage Ad dviser connection with the incident.

Call: 020 8424 C 4 8686 / 07956 810647 sameHis case has been adjourned until May 77 High Street, Wealdston ne, Harrow, HA3 5DQ 13, also at Basingstoke mortgage@majorestate.co om ~ majorestate.com Magistrates’ Court.

Greater Manchester Police which was criticised over crime recording failures has now been under the scanner after a review of cases found a further 1,655 unrecorded offences.

Greater Manchester Police said a daily audit of more than 150,000 incidents between December 2020 and March 2021 had now uncovered 6,155.

In March, it was reported the review had already found 4,500 unrecorded crimes. The force was put in special measures over its failures to record 80,000 crimes in the year up to June 2020.

Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said it had retrained 6,000 officers in supporting victims of crime and reporting crimes accurately and extended its criminal jus-

Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain

tice units in response to the critical report by the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

He added that three units had also been set up to boost support for crime victims. Mr Hussain said to ensure crimes were being recorded "correctly, we have around 70 officers across the districts responsible for reviewing every incident which comes in".

In his statement to the BBC, he said, "Through our due diligence process, between December 2020 and March 2021 of the 150,283 incidents which have been reviewed, a further 6,155 crimes have been recorded. We have conducted a review of body-worn video for domestic abuse cases to see if we could have done more to support them. We are using this to take the learning and improve the service we provide and have taken action where we have seen both good and poor practice."

He added that while it "clear we still have a lot of work to do to regain the confidence of the public", the force was "working hard" to deliver the "high-quality service" the area's residents "rightly expect of us".

Doctor reportedly fearful about deportation of mother A doctor whose husband died from Covid-19 is reportedly fearful that she will have to leave the country and the NHS if her elderly mother is deported.

Dr Liza Harry, a consultant paediatrician at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, informed the BBC that she needed the support of her mother to help look after her seven-year-old daughter.

Her 48-year-old husband, Dr Vishna Rasiah who worked at the Birmingham Women's

and Children's trust, died in April last year and Dr Harry’s mother reportedly came to the UK from Trinidad in June to care and help reassure her daughter.

Dr.Vishna Rasiah In her statement to difficulty has been trying to do the BBC, she said if her mum my job planning without has to go back to Trinidad, she knowing whether I will have will have to leave too because any help with childcare at she will not have childcare. home".

She said, "Having her here The Home Office has has made such a difference and assured that this case will be I am planning to return to fast-tracked. work later this month but the

Boohoo agrees lease at former Arcadia warehouse Sale of a distribution centre used by Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group has been agreed, and the new landlord has leased it to Boohoo, the Evening Standard reported.

The joint administrators to the Arcadia Group and various subsidiaries agreed the sale of

the Daventry warehouse to property firm Prologis.

The company noted: “In

aggregate, these sites will give the group net sales capacity in excess of £4 billion.”

Boohoo added that the deal is expected to secure up to 500 jobs and in the future create up to a further 1,000 jobs as capacity increases at the site.

Leicester University threatens to strip professor of his title The University of Leicester has threatened to strip an 81-yearold professor emeritus of his title after his criticism of the institution on social media, it has emerged.

Peter Armstrong, who accepted the offer of emeritus status when he retired from the university in 2010, tweeted about how the management had threatened to rescind his honorary title because his comments breached the university’s “dignity at work” policy.

Armstrong, a leading scholar in the field of critical accounting, is one of multiple academics to publicly criticise Leicester University, where staff are holding a ballot for strike action over plans for up to 145

redundancies across five academic departments and three professional services units.

He tweeted, “Universities are supposed to be places where academic standing is respected.

At @uniofleicester we have a dysfunctional reversal in which mediocrities are showing the door to some very eminent scholars. And pointing this out is disrespectful?”

He has also criticised the governance of the university’s finances and broader concerns about restructuring and the direction in which the univer-

sity is being steered. The university has also been accused of attempting to silence the staff who speak out.

According to the University and the College Union, the financial statements of 2019-20 of Leicester University show the university’s finances are fragile.

Almost four-fifths of the staff (79 per cent) are prepared to take industrial action short of a strike, which could involve things like not doing unpaid overtime.

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17 - 23 April 2021

Commonwealth mourns the modernist It has been a difficult year for the Monarch. The loss of her husband after over seven decades of support and partnership is unimaginable. The Duke of Edinburgh had been by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout her almost 70-year reign, the longest in British history. Known for his tough, disciplinarian lifestyle and a propensity for occasional gaffes, Prince Philip was instrumental in modernising the monarchy in the post-World War II period.

Quick thinking and no small measure of bravery by Prince Philip reportedly saved dozens of lives during the Second World War, earning him a lifelong debt of gratitude from his comrades at arms. During the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily, the 22-year-old, then a first lieutenant in the Royal Navy, foiled a Luftwaffe bomber that looked almost certain to destroy his ship. But the story of how the Duke of Edinburgh saved the ship only emerged in recent years when veterans began to talk publicly about the incident.

Then, less than five years later when Elizabeth became Queen following the sudden death of her father George VI, this no-nonsense, straight-talking man had to adjust to the life of a royal consort; his true personality lost against the expected protocol that required him to walk a few paces behind his wife.

Philip may have been second to his wife in their public role, but at home, he took the lead in family discussions, and decisions from schooling of the couple's four children to running the royal estates.

In fact, some royal watchers have said that his absence from this role in recent years with declining health has played a role in some of the monarchy's recent travails, such as the crisis of Charles' younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, and the decision that saw them give up their royal roles.

In a speech in 1997 Philip said, "The main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any

happy marriage.

"It may not be quite so important when things are going well, but it is absolutely vital when things get difficult. You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance."

As the Queen bids farewell to her ‘beloved’ and most trusted accomplice, other family members and leaders across nations came forward to remember Prince Philip as he was.

The Commonwealth and Prince Philip has had a close relationship. He was committed to meeting people from every walk of life.

Since 1949, HRH visited 70 per cent of the world's countries; visited 50 Commonwealth countries; made 229 solo visits, often to the most remote parts of the Commonwealth.

The Duke of Edinburgh first visited India on his own in 1959, as a part of a world tour and was welcomed by Jawaharlal Nehru.

The royal couple then together went to India in 1961. One of the first events of their royal tour included tiger hunting hosted by Maharaja of Jaipur. They were also the guests of honour for the Republic Day parade in Delhi that year. Their subsequent visit to India was in 1983 when the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi ensured that the couple lived in the guest wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, once the home of the British Viceroy. In their last visit to the country in 1997, to celebrate the country’s 50th Independence anniversary, they visited Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and laid a wreath on the site at which General Dyer had opened fire at a gathering of Indians in 1919.

The Asian community in the UK and leaders across the world has joined Prime Minister Boris Johnson to pay homage to the Duke of Edinburgh, describing how he “earned the affection of generations” at home, in the Commonwealth and across the world with his history, heroism and legacy.

Has Britain’s race relations really changed?

It has been 40 years since the Brixton riot, when people living in the neighbourhood saw it burn to the ground. Brixton was then centre of UK’s Black community. Now it has become the centre of yuppie cultural vibrance. The Scarman report, that was produced in November 1981 to examine the riot, for the first time acknowledged the discriminatory policing of Black people. Locals are still questioning what has changed in the last 40 years.

Amidst racial intolerance and competition over resources, the white working class of the Notting Hill area, launched an attack against members of the black community in August 1958 Racism in Britain has its shades. Fourteen witnesses saw Blair Peach, a member of the Anti-Nazi League, being beaten by an officer in Southall but nobody was charged with his death. 42 years since, the events are still a sensitive topic among the Asian community. Activists still accuse the police of instigating violence of racism and of using excessive force.

The Bradford Riots began in 2001, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, occurred as a result of heightened tension between the large and growing British Asian communities and the city's white majority, escalated by confrontation between the Anti-Nazi League and far rights groups such as BNP and national Front.

Similar ethnic had occurred earlier in other parts of Northern England, such as Oldham in May and Burnley in June.

Last week, at least 20 organisations and individuals who were listed as stakeholders in the government’s race disparity commission have distanced themselves from the report and its findings.

The report that was released at the end of March, concluded that while racism and racial injustice still exist, geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion all have a greater impact on life chances. It has been widely condemned by MPs and community leaders.

Of course, Britain has come a long way. But the problem remains that the authority refuses to acknowledge that past defines our present and the future. Britain constantly denies talking about its colonial past and the plunder. We never had an official apology for the Jalianwala bagh massacre or the Bengal famine.

One of the paragraphs in the 258 pages long report talks about how ‘a new story needs to be told’. How do you tell a different story about something as heinous as the slave trade? Can Britain’s colonial past be glorified as heroic?

To accept that a country has come a long way begins from realising and acknowledging that there were mistakes and the desire to set things right. Saying that racism does not exist in today’s Britain is a bit far-fetched- especially after reports about more than 60,000 racist incidents happened in schools in the past 5 years. The Windrush scandal is not too long ago, or even the attack on Stephen Lawrence.

The vaccine hesitancy in the Asian community is not just because of the community’s faith or influence, but mainly because of their distrust in the authorities for the discriminations they have constantly faced.

Gaslighting people or victim shaming is a very old tactic to hoodwink minority.

There is no doubt that Britain largely gives tremendous opportunities to people of all races and the Indian community is one of the greatest examples of success stories.

But as Sunder Katwala, the director of British Future said, “If a graduate in Manchester with an ethnic-sounding surname still gets fewer job interviews than a white classmate with the same CV, why should they feel lucky that the odds might be worse in Milan or Marseille?”

China’s Brahmaputra project is a new threat to India South Asia accounts for about 22% of the world’s population but must manage with barely 8.3% of the global water resources. Water is becoming the new oil in this region. India ought to make water diplomacy an important tool of its regional foreign policy so as to facilitate rules-based cooperation and conflict prevention. Such is India’s geographical spread that it has a direct stake in all the important river basins in the region. India is potentially affected by water-related actions of upstream countries, especially China and Nepal, while its own room for manoeuvre is constricted by the treaty it has with downstream Pakistan and Bangladesh on the Indus and the Ganges, respectively. Indeed, no country in Asia is more vulnerable to China’s re-engineering of trans-boundary flows than India because it alone receives nearly half of all river waters that leave Chinese-controlled territory.

China knows its troops cannot fight and win decisively against the battle hardened Indian military. So, to contain India, it has been applying asymmetric warfare techniques to attack India’s weak points. Now it is using the Brahmaputra project as a new tool to fight India. Beijing’s dam-building frenzy on India’s periphery extends from Myanmar and Tibet to Pakistan-held Kashmir. India must devise a counter-strategy to fight China's new war front.

China’s newly approved Brahmaputra mega-project should shake India out of its ad hoc approach to Chinese aggression. The project is to harness the force of a nearly 3,000 metre drop in the Brahmaputra’s height when the river, just before entering India, takes a U-turn around the Himalayas to form the world’s longest and steepest canyon. By setting out to dam the Brahmaputra there, China is seeking to effectively weaponise water against India.

Unidentified Chinese upstream activities in the past have triggered flash floods in Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh and, more recently, turned the water in the once-pristine Siang –

Brahmaputra’s main artery – dirty and grey as it entered India.

Indeed, such is China’s defiant unilateralism that, to complete a major dam project, it halted the flow of a Brahmaputra tributary, the Xiabuqu, in 2016 and then started damming another such tributary, the Lhasa River, into a series of artificial lakes. In 2017, China openly demonstrated its use of water as as a tool of coercive diplomacy when, in breach of two bilateral accords, it punitively cut off the flow of hydrological data to India, an action that undermined downstream flood early warning systems, resulting in preventable deaths in Assam. China reversed the data cutoff only after the 2018 Wuhan summit.

About a dozen small or medium sized Chinese dams are already operational on the Brahmaputra’s upper reaches. But with its dam building now moving to the river’s India-bordering canyon region, China will be able to manipulate trans-boundary flows and leverage its claim to the adjacent Arunachal. The serious implications, however, are being obscured by misinformation or ignorance. In the Mekong Basin, the environmental havoc unleashed by China’s upstream giant dams is becoming increasingly apparent.

The Brahmaputra mega-dam will be built in a seismically active area, thus implying a ticking “water bomb” for downstream communities. The expanding water war is clearly part of China’s multidimensional strategy against India, which seeks to employ all available means short of open war. Its unconventional war is profoundly impacting every core Indian interest. To deal with this structural challenge, India must give China a taste of its own medicine. India has little choice but to asymmetrically out-compete China’s asymmetric war by exploiting its internal vulnerabilities, fissures and frailties, including in Tibet, the main launch pad for its unconventional warfare. India has the capabilities to outwit and deter China; what it needs is the vision and resolve.

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough. – Og Mandino

Alpesh Patel

The China Problem As the UK PM gets ready to visit India, the UK’s pivot has never been strategically stronger to the country. It has never coincided with a similar focus by the US on India – witness the Quad – the USIndia-Australia-Japan alliance.

Insular, often inward looking India, has an opportunity as the most powerful regional democracy to shape the region and the world. It will not.

India does not think like that. Maybe it is because Hinduism doesn’t seek to convert and save souls through war and conquest that it is not in the DNA of India to project power beyond its borders.

There are exceptions. The India League, Gandhi, Vivekananda, Swaminarayan movement, Hare Krishna, all sought peacefully to effect global change for the better. And indeed, the Indian Government’s Public Diplomacy initiative.

As China now officially becomes a pariah State – as the red Dragon encroaches on every territory, with conflicts with the British, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and India – basically all neighbouring democracies – it is clear this dictatorship of communism is a rogue State with absolute power in the hands of Xi or Pooh Bear as social media prefer to call him.

I am on the side of the British. There was an agreement relating to Hong Kong to protect civil liberties and that has been broken by the Chinese.

There was an agreement with the world not to create deadly chemical viruses. Are you seriously saying it is a coincidence Wuhan is the centre for Virology in China and the birthplace of the Chinese virus? Their wolf diplomacy is aptly named, it was a sheep till now.

There was an agreement with humanity to end slavery – yet Muslims reside in concentration camps on the Western border.

There was an agreement with India not to encroach on territory – that is broken. There is was an agreement with the world, not to dump cheap products – that has been broken – ask Trump and the war of words with America.

I was in Beijing on 9/11. And the next day lecturing at one of the Universities. The room was packed.

They wanted to know the impact on world trade.

They were not traders – just regular students.

Our values are our own. Not all values are equal.

Communism is not Chinese. It is not part of their civilisation or culture. And it will be overthrown.

I visited Tiannamen square a in 2019 ago, and was surprised at the security. You only need security of that level – far more than in our Parliament Square if you truly do not have the consent of your people. They do not.

As Mao Tse Tung said in the ‘Little Red Book’ – the people are not naturally socialist. They have to be unshackled from this dictatorship. This aggressive world destroying, religion destroying, trade destroying, virus like dictatorship which has infiltrated all supply lines and choked and strangled them.

The ordinary people, the people I meet on my trips, are the loveliest, most patriotic you will ever meet. But they are in no way supportive of the Communist Party and its stranglehold of fear.

Social dissent is coming – we shall have to make sure of it. It deserves it. Right and justice deserve it.

The apologists for China in the West on the Left think there is an international brotherhood – just as Blunt and Maclean – the traitors did.

India needs to step up its game by a factor of ten fold, yes within the confines of liberal secular democratic values, but for a start it could raise its Muslim population to make the Uigur cause global.

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Indian diaspora urges Johnson to expel Oxford University Professor Over 100 Indian organisations have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson about concerns over the lack of action against an Oxford University faculty member for his alleged "Hindu hatred and bigoted views”.

In their letter to Johnson, organisations including Hindu Council UK and Hindu Forum of Europe have demanded that Dr. Abhijeet Sarkar should be suspended with immediate effect. They also demanded that he should be “expelled after a thorough investigation as “Hindu students (particularly female) would not feel safe and comfortable in his presence”.

The letter appears after Rashmi Samant who became the first Indian woman to be elected President of the Oxford Student Union (SU) was forced to resign amid controversy over some of her past social media posts.

Rashmi is pursuing her MSc in Energy Systems at Oxford University remotely from her hometown in Udupi, India. She said the "cyber bullying" made it difficult

Rashmi Samant

for her to consider returning to the university. Other signatories include Friends of India Society International (FISI) UK, Akshay Patra Foundation UK, Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK and National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHT). Concerns raised by the signatories include: 1. Rashmi Samant was the first Indian female to be elected President of Oxford Student Union with landslide victory but within few days she was forced to resign by the “cancel culture” woke brigade because of her distant past social media posts for which she sincerely apologised.

2. Dr Abhijit Sarkar, a faculty member, instigated hate-filled trolls on social

Dr. Abhijit Sarkar

media against her which led her to go into hiding and finally leave the country. Dr Sarkar continued stalking Rashmi on social media, attacking her and her family for their Hindu faith and beliefs which led her to severe depression and hospitalisation.

3. Dr Sarkar’s posts reflect his racist and bigoted views with multiple misogynistic and sexualised comments including gender slurs to various women on social media. This amounts to a breach of the University’s Equality Policy, and Policy and Procedures on harassment. In effect, he has committed a “hate crime”.

4. In spite of global outrage, including discussion in the Indian Parliament, hun-

dreds of emails, around 50,000 signatures on online petition and nearly 100 hate crime complaints to the Police, alarmingly there is not a single statement by the University nor by the Thames Valley Police to allay these concerns.

The letter has called on the local Thames Valley Police to charge the accused with a hate crime. The organisations have further highlighted that Dr Sarkar has come to the UK on “an Exceptional Talent visa” and have urged the Home Office to “review his visa status in view of his racist and hateful actions on social media”.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier responded to the developments, stating that India would “never ever turn our eyes away from racism wherever it is” and that these developments will be monitored “very, very closely”. A Change.Org online petition launched on March 23 calling for the suspension of the faculty member has gathered nearly 48,000 signatures.

University of Glasgow project investigating the effects of Covid-19 A project at the University of Glasgow that is aiming to better understand the effects that Covid-19 infection has on blood vessels and blood pressure has received a grant of £250,000 from national charity Heart Research UK. Research has shown that people who are older, obese, male or those who have other medical problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or chronic lung conditions, have a higher risk of developing severe Covid-19. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is very common with more than one quarter of adults in the UK affected.

Covid-19 can also cause damage to the walls of the blood vessels which makes

Prof Padmanabhan (L) and his team

the risk of blood clots higher, and this has been seen more often in people with high blood pressure. The reasons for this are not yet known which is why we need to understand more about the links between Covid-19 and high blood pressure.

This study, which will be led by Professor Sandosh Padmanabhan, will look at routinely collected health

records for people in the West of Scotland who attended hospital or had a positive test for Covid-19 between April 2020 and April 2021. This will be compared to the records of patients who attended hospital during 2019, for another reason. They will also look in detail at a group of people with high blood pressure.

Prof Padmanabhan’s

team will also study a group of people that have recovered from Covid-19 infection. They will undergo blood pressure monitoring, and tests of heart and blood vessel health. These tests will be repeated after 12 and 18 months to see if there have been any changes.

They will be compared to a group of people who have not had Covid-19.

Finally, the study will look at markers in the blood (biomarkers) with the aim of identifying any which are linked with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or death in Covid-19. This study will give a better understanding of the links between Covid-19 infection and high blood pressure and help to improve the longterm outcomes for sur-

Hairdresser saves carvings from a Hindu temple An art-loving hairdresser has saved beautiful carvings from a Hindu temple. Piero D’Angelico saw builders were working on the Old Library on Mill Road, and discovered that the intricately carved stone pillars around the former altar were to be destroyed. The former Bharat Bhavan temple is currently being renovated by Cambridgeshire County Council.

Now he has persuaded county council officials to hold off the demolition while he raises the cash to

pay for sympathetic removal of the stonework which he hopes to display locally in a public outdoor space. In a statement to Cambridge Independent, Piero said, “My grandfather was a stonemason and sculptor who mostly worked on restoring churches. As a boy, I used to work with him and so when I saw these carved columns I knew that thousands of hours of craftsmanship had gone into creating them.

“I thought it would be a criminal waste to destroy

them so I’ve been talking to the contractors who have been very sympathetic and if I can raise money for the work and specialist equipment then they will allow them to be removed carefully and preserved. They really are beautiful and I think something that the general public would enjoy, so I hope that once they are removed I might be able to find somewhere that is willing to host them. I have a couple of places in mind to approach. We must protect diversity and cultural iden-

tities in Mill Road.”

The county council took possession of the grade II listed building, which had been leased to the temple, and is carrying out essential renovations, after it was vacated by the Indian Community and Culture Association in January 2020. The council has said the team on site will work with Piero D’Angelico to ensure the stonework is removed safely. The money must be raised in the next few days in order to save the carvings.

How to deal with difficult times?

Rohit Vadhwana Are you having a difficult time in your life?

Feeling anxious or challenging? It might happen for whatever reason, but certainly, it causes a lot of anxiety and stress in mind.

In such circumstances, it is not easy to cope with the challenge which becomes even more stressful to the already stretched muscles of the mind.

Difficult time might be because of many factors sounding us - family, friends, enemies, business, job or illness.

Sometimes the end to such difficulty is visible and we have to wait till it is over. But mostly, in adversities, no solution appears on the horizon. There is always light at the end of the tunnel but the tunnel has a turn and the visibility of light is blocked, making everything dark in difficulty.

How to deal with this time? Easier said than done, of course, I know. But still, there are ways to deal with it. Some might be applicable to our situation, some completely irrelevant. But no harm in trying some of the effective ways that have worked for other people.

1. Keep a low profile: Whenever difficulty arises due to people surrounding us, who turn into adversaries, it is better to keep a low profile especially when we know our time is not good. Hold on to your response and wait for a better opportunity. Just take the situation as of now and bear with it.

2. Change your attitude: Mental pressure can be reduced by changing our attitude towards a difficult situation that becomes unbearable. A slightly positive outlook can help in seeing something good in the darkness. Even though the light is not visible at the end of the tunnel, thank your circumstances that the tunnel is not blocked. In this way, you can at least hope to walk till the end of the tunnel.

3. Avoid confrontation: To reduce tension in the situation, better to avoid any further confrontation. Having already landed in a soup, why add to difficulties? Therefore, keeping simple, not falling into any altercation, is important for peace of mind in such circumstances.

4. Have faith: Pray to whoever you believe in. If you are an atheist, meditate and practice relaxation. Affirmation and seeking support from your revered God can give you the courage to fight against the situation. If you are a strong believer, be sure that nothing happens without almighty's desire and whatever will happen, will be for the good.

5. Don't run away: Try all the methods to avoid adding to your worries, but don't give up. Hold on to your ground if you believe you are right. Do not run away from the situation because it will not resolve the problem, but just keep it away from your sight. Better to resolve it to final conclusion and bury it forever.

Based on your particular situation, there might be other solutions as well. If you keep an open mind and look for them positively, maybe some will appear in front of you miraculously.

(Expressed opinions are personal.) vivors of Covid-19. Also, the findings may lead to recommendations on the monitoring and management of blood pressure during the pandemic.

Prof Padmanabhan said, “The burden of hypertension as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic is unknown but

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17 - 23 April 2021

creates a realistic plan for reopening Businesses and society are which generates confidence and momentum. And that’s why all eyes craving for opportunities were on the report from the Global Taskforce last week, seeking that international travel Travel solutions to the international travel conundrum. creates It’s the start of a plan. Their recommendations have included a traffic light system for destination countries, depending on the prevalence of the virus at any one time and the success of vaccination roll outs around the world.

While it is not quite clear, yet which countries will be red, amber or green this summer, it does offer welcome confirmation that the UK will be taking a risk-based approach and scaling back onerous quarantine restrictions Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL for travellers from some destinations.

With increased transmission and Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL is President of the CBI. He is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of new Covid variants emerging overseas, the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited, a Joint particularly in key markets for UK Venture with Molson Coors, and Chairman of trade, firms recognise the governMolson Coors Cobra India. He is the Founding ment’s need to proceed with caution Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a on international travel. However, furDeputy Lieutenant of Greater London, and a for- ther turbulence is now expected for mer Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now firms in the hard-hit international the University of West London) - the youngest travel sector as the proposed testing University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. regime from the Government will limit travel possibilities and hamstring eigniting the UK economy will be a demand by passing significant costs onto complex task. While vaccine rollout consumers. The industry will need time to has increased optimism for a rapid prepare, while it may be necessary to recovery, plenty of hurdles remain. reopen discussions about further financial Business confidence must be renewed, support measures if firms’ ability to trade consumer freedoms restored, and connectheir way to recovery continues to be tions rebuilt between companies, cities restricted. As the government is now and nations if we are to regain lost making mass rapid lateral flow tests availground. able for everyone in the country, includIndeed, it is this idea of repairing coning workplaces to test 2 times a week, they nections which is proving one of the must consider using these tests to open biggest challenges of recovery – yet one up travel as it will be far easier, quicker, with the potential to yield some of the cheaper and more practical. biggest rewards. The Government’s Global The taskforce recommendations repreTravel Taskforce has gone some way to sent a starting point for engagement with doing this – publishing its review just last industry about how to scale-up internaweek - but it is very much still just a begintional travel. Key milestones to review ning. progress must be agreed in partnership Restarting global traffic is unquestionwith the travel industry, their supply chains ably a cross-economy priority. The imporand wider sectors that rely on global contance of international connectivity nectivity to ensure the most appropriate extends far beyond firms directly involved balance between driving economic recovin the travel sector. Air, sea and rail routes ery and protecting public health. underpin much activity across the wider None of us can afford a badly managed economy – as illustrated by recent events restart necessitating further lockdowns. in the Suez.

Yet the success of the UK’s vaccine push Travel gives businesses access to cusmeans pragmatic consideration can now be tomers and talent, links firms to global given to a measured, risk-based reopening markets, and enables imports and exports in the near future. Indeed, our progress via passenger flights, ferry routes, and the means Britain has a unique opportunity to Channel Tunnel. Everything from the lead the world in restarting international UK’s world-leading professional services travel – and in doing so, reap the economic firms, to universities, manufacturers, rewards earned by being ahead of competiretailers, and hospitality companies, thrive tors. in large part due to the movement of peoSuccessfully restarting travel will ple and goods, not only into and out of the reopen access to world markets. This UK, but between its constituent nations would provide an instant lift to UK comtoo. There can be no true recovery until petitiveness, for sectors as diverse as prothis is restored. fessional services through to advanced Airlines UK data reveals a lost summer manufacturing. of air travel alone would cost the UK an Companies know the Global Travel additional £26billion, plus £55.7billion in Taskforce marks only the beginning of lost trade and 574,000 jobs. The beleawhat may be a long and likely difficult jourguered UK tourism industry would take a ney. But business – and society at large – further £3billion hit. But this goes beyond craves the opportunities which internaone industry – it strikes to the heart of the tional travel creates. Positive momentum UK economy. to remove barriers and establish a new norThat’s why it is vital that government mal cannot come too soon.

R

40 years after Brixton riots, over 40% young black Britons still unemployed More than 40% young Black Britons are unemployed faring three times worse than white workers of the same age according to an analysis

by The Guardian analysis.

The black youth unemployment rate was the same in the last quarter of 2020 as in the early 1980s, around the time that the Brixton riots occurred. Forty years on from the Brixton riots, which spread across the UK during a recession in which

black people lost their jobs in disproportionate numbers, experts have warned that coronavirus has exposed deep-rooted inequalities that still exist in the employment market.

Between October and December 2020, 41.6% of black people aged 16-24 years were unemployed – the highest rate since the last financial crisis, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

reveals. Unemployment among white workers of the same age stood at to 12.4%. According to the ONS the data was weighted to official population projections from 2018, contained estimates of the number of 16- to 24year-olds in the labour market and was not seasonally adjusted, while noting that demographic breakdowns reduced sample sizes.

Steel billionaire misses deadline to file accounts British Indian Steel billionaire is apparently into troublesome waters after it has emerged that Liberty Steel has reportedly missed deadlines to file accounts for some of its biggest British businesses.

Sanjeev Gupta is listed as the director of 15 companies whose accounts are overdue at Companies House, including those that operate the Liberty Steel works in Rotherham and Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire. Other facilities with overdue accounts include those in Newport and Tredegar in south Wales, Dalzell in Scotland and Coventry in the West Midlands, plus Gupta’s Scottish aluminium smelter.

Additionally, according to The Guardian, Sanjeev Gupta is also listed as a director of 79 UK firms.

Previously it had been reported that Sanjeev Gupta was urgently seeking finance for companies under the umbrella banner

Sanjeev Gupta

of GFG Alliance, including Liberty Steel, an aluminium company and an energy company. The alliance has about 35,000 employees worldwide, of whom 3,500 are in the UK. But if media reports were to be believed then the government had reportedly refused to bail him out amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Sanjeev Gupta has funded takeovers of the various metals assets in the UK, Australia and elsewhere in part through loans advanced

by Greensill Capital, a lender founded by the Australian banker Lex Greensill. Greensill collapsed last month after having lent Gupta’s companies as much as £3.6bn. The UK

government ordered an independent inquiry into the former prime minister David Cameron’s role in lobbying for Greensill to access governmentbacked coronavirus loan schemes.

Earlier in an emotional appeal to save his troubled steel giant from insolvency, the industrialist called for “cool heads and collaboration” with banks seeking to wind up Liberty Commodities, one of the central pillars of his metals empire.

Writing for The Times Red Box, Gupta acknowledged that Liberty’s parent company, GFG Alliance, needs to “over haul” its financing arrangements after the collapse of Greensill Capital, its main lender.

Despite his empire being in billions of pounds in debt, Gupta said, “Most of our businesses are now sustainable.”

Warm wishes of Vaisakhi (harvest festival), Gudi Padwa (Marathi spring festival), Bohag Bihu (Assamese New Year), Ugadi (Telegu New Year), Navreh (Kashmiri New Year), Vishu (Malayalam New Year), Puthandu (Tamil New Year), Poila Boishak (Bengali New Year) and Ramadan to the readers of Asian Voice and those celebrating. &DOO

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17 - 23 April 2021

FAREWELL PRINCE PHILIP Continued from page 1 Therefore, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given up his seat to allow a member of the Royal family to attend in his place.

The Duke who died at the age of 99, was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years and became the longest-serving consort in British history.

Even in his 90s, he carried out a busy programme of public engagements, reflecting his own charitable interests. The Duke Floral tribute outside will be commemoratBuckingham Palace on Friday ed with a statue on The Mall after the idea received cross-party backing on Saturday night.

Behind every strong leader is a strong community A statement from Buckingham Palace on 9 April said, "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."

Prince Andrew said that The Queen, 94, has described the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as leaving “a huge void” in her life. She was at Prince Philip’s bedside when he died, after reportedly promising not to go back to the hospital again.

Although he wanted to be known as a Danish prince, the Duke of Edinburgh was born into the Greek royal family. He never wore a crown himself but was always by the Queen in her public presence, as her “strength and stay” and was regarded as the private head of the family.

British Press unitedly stood by Her Majesty on Saturday in their nationwide tributes to Prince Philip. Despite covid restrictions, people travelled and gathered outside the gates of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, to lay flowers and reflect on Prince Philip's legacy.

India, the jewel in the Crown India was always considered as ‘jewel in the Crown’ by the British and has ever since held a special place in the post-colonial era. Prince Philip went to India for the first time in 1959, as a part of his world tour and was welcomed by Pundit Nehru. The Royal couple made three visits to India- the first was in 1961, when the tour included visiting Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Agra and Kolkata. He was accompanied by Sir Charles Wheeler, who later became father-in-law of now Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

His second visit was to mark India’s 50th Independence anniversary and the royal couple’s last visit was in 1997.

However, the visit took a controversial turn when the British Foreign Secretary made a remark about India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir. The remark was not welcomed by Indian politicians. They also visited Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and laid a wreath on the site at which General Dyer had opened fire at a gathering of Indians in 1919.

Prince Philip will always be remembered for his gaffes, that were labelled as ‘legendary’. Some critics in fact believed they were not really gaffes and often borderline ‘racist’ comments, but supporters preferred to disagree, calling those comments often ‘well intended though imperfectly delivered’.

In fact, while on a royal visit to India, Prince Philip was being followed by photographers and he noticed one of them fall out of a tree.

"I hope he breaks his bloody neck," the Prince had reportedly said.

Among his other gaffes included a joke in 2009 at an Indian-origin entrepreneur during a Buckingham Palace reception for hundreds of successful British Indians. He said, “There's a lot of your family in tonight.”

Commonwealth and Prince Philip Paying tribute in a heart-felt press statement the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, reminisced about his contribution to the Commonwealth. She said, “His Royal Highness described the Commonwealth Studies Conferences, which he Baroness Patricia Scotland founded in 1956, as “an extraordinary experiment. Past, present and future generations of Commonwealth citizens owe a debt of gratitude to Prince Philip for remaining constant and steadfast in his commitment to the Commonwealth, and his assuredness and vision of its global importance.

“When meeting His Royal Highness, I always found him charming and witty, and he showed real kindness making every effort to put me at ease.”

Prince Philip founded The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1956, which is a youth awards programme, that has since expanded to 144 nations. In fact, the International Award for Young People (IAYP) delivers the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in India to offer Cambridge schools new ways to broaden their curriculum.

The Sky News on Saturday reported that a tribe in the remote

island nation of Vanuatu who hailed Prince Philip as a god is marking his death with ritual wailing and ceremonial dancing.

Tribute from the British Asian community Shailesh Vara MP in a speech in the House of Commons on Mondayspoke about the success of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme saying that it was perhaps the “most visible” of the Prince’s Shailesh Vara, MP achievements which had “benefited generations of young people” including some in his constituency.

Mr Vara also recounted a personal memory of meeting with Prince Philip, when they discussed the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda and how he was impressed with the Prince’s attention to detail, saying “here was a Prince who had a real depth of knowledge”.

Following the debate Mr Vara said, “Prince Philip was a towering figure who played a significant role in our nation and the Commonwealth for much of his life. I doubt we shall see the likes of him again and it is fitting that Parliament should pay tribute to his life and achievements.”

Lord Raj Loomba said, “HRH Prince Philip was an extraordinary and a remarkable man. His support and dedication to the Queen as a husband and consort Lord Raj Loomba CBE for over seven decades will not be matched. His presence, calm nature, patience for listening and appetite for a jovial sense of humour will be missed…

“Princess Royal has said that she would like to walk in her father’s footsteps, who always thought of helping others.

Through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, he helped more than a million youths in over 100 countries to succeed in their lives. I am proud to say that my daughter and two granddaughters are the recipients of this award.

“I had the good fortunate and honour of meeting him at a London First event many years ago. He asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I replied that I was a businessman; however, I also ran my own charity which supported widows and their children around the world. Then, I mentioned that there are over 258 million widows around the world. His quick and spontaneous response was – ‘Have you counted them all?’ I saw his sense of humour first-hand. I was left with immense pleasure after that discussion and meeting with him. It will always stay with me.”

Swamis at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple), London fondly recollected the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to the Mandir on 23 July 1996. In a statement Duke of Edinburgh welcoming they said, His Royal Highness HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj to was impressed with the devo- Buckingham Palace tion, the architecture and the volunteers who had contributed to the making of the Mandir, as well as His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, its founder and creator.

A year later, on 15 October 1997, during a visit to India, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and expressed a wish to meet with His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.

When His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj visited the UK later that year, His Holiness heartily accepted an invitation from the Duke of Edinburgh to visit Buckingham Palace.

A meeting between His Holiness and His Royal Highness duly took place on 10 November 1997.

Yogvivekdas Swami, Head Swami at Neasden Temple, shared, “On behalf of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj and everyone here at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in the United Kingdom, we offer our deepest condolences and prayers to the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. We shared and deeply valued his commitment to interfaith harmony and care for the environment, and our special friendship will serve to further his noble work. His invaluable contribution in bringing religions together will leave a lasting legacy across the world. Our heartfelt prayers are with the Royal Family at this time.”

Board of Trustees & Central Working Committee of Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (World Council of Hindus) said, “Among Prince Philip’s many achievements through the years has been the consistent encouragement of inter faith dialogue – and in our case, through his high regard, in particular, of the Universal principles of Peace & Fraternity of Hindu Dharma, contributing to the overall development of Britain as a multicultural and diverse tapestry.

“He expressed this to the International Trustee of the World Council of Hindus at a Buckingham Palace luncheon in 1993, highlighting the participation of Her Majesty The Queen’s representative Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Sir William Bulmer at the 10,000 strong Hindu Sangam held in Bradford in 1984, and the participation of the Gurkha

Lord Dolar Popat

(Former Lord in Waiting and member of the Royal Household)

Prince Philip – the epitome of public service The nation was gripped with sadness following the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – Britain’s longest serving consort of a British monarch.

Prince Philip was indeed an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. He was the epitome of public service who devoted his entire life to Crown and Country. He demonstrated the essence of selfless service and lived by the motto that the things you do for others remain your greatest legacy.

Described by Her Majesty The Queen as her ‘strength and stay’, Prince Philip was the Queen’s loyal and unwavering companion for over 73 years. It was no easy feat, one which required him to walk several steps behind her wife.

However, it was a role that he held proudly, and he became incalculable to the success and stability of the monarchy. In years to come, be became a strikingly modern figure who transformed the role of consort.

I have some particular fond memories of His Royal Highness from the time I served as a member of the Royal Household as a Lord in Waiting and Minister of Crown. I was struck by his devotion to service and his positive attitude to issues, particularly his deep interest in faith. He served with a remarkable generosity of spirit, which became an example to us all.

His life reflected the sweeping changes of the turbulent 20th Century. During the last century he dedicated his entire life to the construction of a better Britain, urging the country to adopt scientific methods, embracing the ideas of industrial design, planning, education and training. His most endearing passion was his commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme, which he founded in 1956. The programme operating in more than 140 countries, especially in India, encourages young people to volunteer for community service.

Prince Philip had deep connections to the Commonwealth, particularly India, given his Uncle Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India. He visited India with Her Majesty on a number of occasions, including on Republic Day. They also had very close connections to the Royal Family in Jaipur who used to send Alphonso mangos on his birthday every year!

By character, he was an avid sportsman who enjoyed participating and watching sports until his last years. Often described as restless, he was a man of distinction who possessed a keen intellectual curiosity. He was a man with a sharp mind (occasionally a sharp tongue!), who quickly learnt to carve out a role for himself within the Royal Household. He pursued a number of interests, including the environment, warning for the need for environmental sustainability long before it become fashionable.

Prince Philip also had a strong business instinct who championed industry. It is often said that had it not been for his Royal background, in another life, he would have made a fine and astute businessman. He possessed the right listening capability, always asking the right questions. Prince Philip was devoted to empowering people to be the best they can be, and he understood how to motivate people. He was never afraid to speak his mind and his motto was to get things done.

The passing of Prince Philips marks an end of an era and will no doubt leave a tremendous void for Her Majesty The Queen and indeed the nation. At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Queen who has become a widow. In the midst of this pandemic, like so many families up and down the country, the ability to mourn and support each other is all the more harder. However, Prince Philip’s passing unites us in grief and gratitude.

Prince Philip was one of a kind whose like we will regrettably never see again. He leaves behind a fantastic legacy and a proud nation. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Regiment (of which he was the Commander in Chief) in Hindu Marathon at the 120,000 great Hindu gathering called Virat Hindu Sammelan held in Milton Keynes in 1989. His respect for the British Hindus was all too well known.

“We express our great gratitude for the significant contribution of Prince Philip to the development of inter faith understanding and cooperation for the common good: one that reflects in our Universal Hindu Philosophy, is of ever greater importance in our increasingly diverse society and interconnected world.

“Prince Philip leaves a legacy of fortitude, supreme service, and duty to the British Nation, the Commonwealth and Humanity.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 April tweeted, “My thoughts are with the British people and the Royal Family on the passing away of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He had a distinguished career in the military and was at the forefront of many community service initiatives. May his soul rest in peace.”

(Additional reporting by Shefali Saxena)

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17 - 23 April 2021

in brief PARENTS ALLEGE RACISM AT DAYCARE CENTRE A daycare centre has reportedly been dragged in the middle of a race row after a "disturbing" video appeared to show white kids being served lunch before their black classmates.

Parents attending the nursery in Historic Roswell, Georgia, were reportedly shocked when they clicked onto a livestream feed to see what their kids were up to. The parents of one two-year-old boy say they were left outraged to see white children being given their food while black kids were seemingly made to wait. However, those that work at the daycare center say the image is very misleading.

According to The Sun, father Adryan McCauley said, "They were skipping all of the black kids it seemed like," after taking a screenshot of the scene at the Kids 'R' Kids center. All the white kids got their lunch, and all the black kids had to wait. From the videos and pictures that we saw today, we are just completely disturbed. Mom went and picked him up immediately, and the director said 'I'm not really sure because I'm not in the classroom, maybe it's a dietary thing,''' McCauley said.

An Instagram post published alongside the shocking screenshot reads, "This is truly unbelievable. You better know this won’t be the last time you hear from me on this. Why does every white kid have their food? Not one black child has food in front of them! Thank God for cameras in classrooms because there is no way to hide this racism."

MAN DENIES MURDERING GEETIKA GOYAL

Geetika Goyal

A man has denied murdering a 29-year-old woman found dying on a street. Geetika Goyal was pronounced dead at the scene after being found lying injured in Uppingham Close, Leicester, on 4th March.

A post-mortem examination found she had been stabbed. At Leicester Crown Court on Monday, Kashish Aggarwal, 28, of Wintersdale Road in Leicester, pleaded not guilty to murder and is due to stand trial on 18 October.

BRENT COUNCIL APPROVES £3.3 MILLION SCHEME FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS Cleaner air, healthier travel, warmer homes, greener spaces, and a thriving local economy are the benefits set out in Brent’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy and has been approved by the council’s Cabinet.

The 10-year plan sets out how the council will strive towards “net zero” carbon emissions and is accompanied by new funding, as well as a Year 1 delivery plan. It has been developed over the past year in close consultation with residents, from the Brent Climate Assembly through to the recent consultation process on a draft version.

In the same session, Cabinet approved a £3.3 million scheme to make the necessary energy efficiency improvements to civic buildings including libraries, sports and day centres.

Improvements will include a range of measures, such as better insulation, improved glazing and low carbon technology, to help cut carbon emissions from heating.

Home Office extends one-year visa for health workers Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced free one-year visa extension for thousands of crucial frontline health workers and their dependents.

Free one-year visa extensions will be automatically granted to eligible overseas health and care workers whose visas were due to expire before 1 October 2021. Since starting the free extensions last year, the Home Office has extended the visas of more than 10,000 people

across the UK. It is expected that today’s announcement will benefit a further 14,000 applicants.

This will mean that doctors, nurses, paramedics, midwives, occupational therapists, psychologists and others will be able to continue their crucial work in the fight against coronavirus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said, “The dedication and skill of overseas health and care workers who are leading the UK’s fight against coronavirus is truly

Priti Patel

extraordinary. Thousands of them have helped save countless lives throughout this pandemic

ISIS supporter jailed for life

BMA advocates for better pay for doctors Almost 1500 doctors and members of the public have written to their local MP1 calling for better pay for senior hospital doctors following the Launch of the BMA’s Fairness on the Frontline campaign in March. The doctor’s union is calling for doctors and NHS staff to get the pay increase they deserve after the ‘woefully inadequate’ recommendation from the Government of a 1% pay settlement.

With Labour’s NHS Pay Award Bill being presented by Carolyn Harris MP in the House of Commons tomorrow, the Association says that the Government must listen to the voices of hardworking doctors, NHS staff and the public who support a pay rise. This comes as NHS workers continue to care for those with Covid-19 as well as treating the millions on waiting lists – the largest ever backlog of care the NHS has known.

A survey commissioned by the BMA in March2 also found that 60% of the public felt that the country's doctors should get a pay rise in recognition of the risks they have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly three-quarters believing such a rise should be between 3% - 5% or more.

Dr Rob Harwood, BMA consultants committee chair, said, “This Bill could be an important opportunity to bring a renewed focus to the importance of giving a pay rise to hardworking doctors and NHS staff who have gone to incredible efforts in the past year. The overwhelming response to our campaign and sheer number of those writing to their MPs calling for a pay rise shows the strength of feeling that the 1% proposed by the Government is nowhere near good enough.

“The past 14 months have taken an enormous toll on the wellbeing of frontline staff, and with the largest backlog of care ever to contend with in the NHS’ history, doctors and NHS staff deserve at the very least, to be fairly rewarded for their contribution. We believe that 5% is a fair pay rise for hospital consultants in England - some of the country’s most experienced doctors - who have demonstrated incredible leadership and clinical excellence over the past year and who will continue to steer the ship in the challenging years ahead."

10-year-old dies after hitting head on a wall A 10-year-old boy has died after he hit his head on a wall while playing football at school, an inquest heard.

Yasir Hussain, from Ward End in Birmingham, died in hospital five days after he was injured at Leigh Primary School, the BBC reported. An inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court heard that

and are now playing a vital part in the hugely successful vaccination rollout. Our offer of free visa extensions shows how our country values the contributions of these heroes.”

This extension will cover healthcare professionals working in the NHS and the independent health and care sector.

Their visas will be extended for a year, free of all fees and charges, including the Immigration Health Surcharge.

A 27-year-old ISIS supporter who tried to buy a sharpened, deadly 18 inch “warrior sword” to commit terror in Britain has been jailed for life. Sahayb Abu, ordered the sword and a combat vest online but did not receive them after police intervened in his plot.

He had already obtained a lock knife, balaclavas, gloves and other clothing prosecutors said would be used in an attack, The Independent reported.

The Old Bailey heard that if Abu had acquired the sword and body armour, he “would have been in possession of all that he needed to carry out a lone attack on a target of his choice”.

Judge Mark Dennis QC said, “He was anxious to take

Sahayb Abu

delivery of these items and carry out this act without further delay.

“He intended to commit it without coming to harm himself and without being recognised … all that was left to decide was the time and place.” Abu, who denied preparing acts of terrorism, was convicted by majority on 12 March, and told the jury he was a “man of world peace” who was a fan of TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh.

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Yasir Hussain of Leigh Primary School

the boy was playing in goal and struck his head while jumping.

The school's deputy head said she understood he had slipped on a puddle when she called emergency services.

Christopher Rabone, the school's community sports health officer, said Yasir was on the floor and able to speak, but he could not explain what had happened. He was taken to the first-aid table and was able to walk unaided.

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8 UK 17 - 23 April 2021

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SP

South Asian Therapists is the largest digital Directory of its kind: the brainwave of systemic activist, Raj Khaira, it was created during the high-pressure time of lock-down. Raj has represented the underacknowledged issues of the South Asian diaspora in the UK since launching her first successful grass-roots project, the Pink Ladoo Project, which encourages South Asians in the diaspora to celebrate & announce girls’ births by distributing vibrant sweets. Her current cause meditatively offers specific psychotherapy that wholly “validates and explores the challenges” of those with Asian subcontinental heritage: especially, again, young women. “For a lot of South-Asian women, lock-down wasn’t new. They’ve been living like this for a long time. We began exploring this point on the Pink Ladoo Project through a series called Brown & Locked Down. However, I began receiving so many distressed messages from girls who were struggling to cope and wanted to provide followers an effective contact for counselling. I put out an initial call for South-Asian therapists, and received an unprecedented response from around 500 therapists across 16 different countries. I quickly realised the idea warranted an entirely separate platform.” Thus, South-Asian Therapists was born!

Continuing on the legacy of Pink Ladoo, Brown & Locked Down as well as several of Raj’s inspiring endeavours over the years, this project around cosmopolitan mental health gained traction quickly internationally, ultimately becoming its own brand. Indeed, Raj states mutually affirming connectivity as the big highlight: “knowing we’ve become the largest South-Asian collective for mental health in the world is amazing. The site gets 160,000 views a month and 95% of those come from the diaspora, spanning UK, Canada and the US. Actually 55% of that is from the latter alone. My favourite part is getting messages from the thankful public whose lives have been intimately changed.” Raj elaborated on the nuances that South Asian Therapists address that is otherwise missing in western practice: “there are many and varied particulars. However, one issue that comes up time and time again is the desire to have somebody who really understands South-Asian familial dynamics and our cultural norm. People constantly say they’re sick of their white therapist telling them ‘just talk to your parents’. South Asians who seek support for mental health often want someone who empathises with what their life looks like. This preference is not something that should be dismissed.” Indeed, it can be hard to even start a dialogue, let alone argue for individual authority within a closeknit informal household. Raj continued: “another unique aspect is first-

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TLIGHT

Raj Khaira: South Asian Therapists

Sunetra Senior

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generational guilt. You are constantly reminded of how lucky you are compared to your parents who migrated here and lived in difficult conditions.

Then we start to see toxic gratitudeculture show up as well.” In this sense, the South-Asian Therapists platform provides positive validation and truly tackles the feeling of being socially unseen. “Many South-Asians have to expend so much mental energy explaining their world to their white therapist. This becomes yet another barrier to opening up emotionally”: an action that is already internally difficult or culturally taboo.

In lieu of demoralisation then Raj’s platform brings personal emancipato-

authentic humanitarian fervour. It’s what runs through her entrepreneurial yet fundamentally sensitive work.

“My quest is based on the deep desire to help those who simply want the chance to be able to embody benevolent change too.” Raj further recently authored the book, Stories for SouthAsian Super Girls, which has been selected as Children's Book of the Week and Children's Book of the Month by the Times and The Guardian respectively. The collection was made to correspond with Eurocentric Feminist book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, by Elena Favilli to provide as many accounts of Asian sub-continental female strength. Similarly, South Asian Therapists honours India’s soulful humility alongside western strident assertiveness, especially regarding the setting of boundaries which is contemporary capitalistic trend: “we are told to articulate our needs and to fight for what’s important to us, but it’s right to respect other people’s wants and be kind to them in the process too.” Indeed, what is the virtue of independence could not be so brutally straight-forward.

And so, going beyond even complete multicultural awareness, Raj finally champions an ideologically bal-

“

"One issue that comes up time and time again is the desire to have somebody who really understands South-Asian familial dynamics and our cultural norm. People constantly say they’re sick of their white therapist telling them ‘just talk to your parents’. South Asians who seek support for mental health often want someone who empathises with what their life looks like. This preference is not something that should be dismissed”

”

ry hope. As well as being key in networking, connecting people to the fitting therapy, running socials and publishing helpful conversational tips, “a second offering of South Asian Therapists is the monthly package, accessibly priced, which comes with a mental health workbook where popular psychology is reframed from a South-Asian perspective. We not only acknowledge relevant topics, but also continue to unpack and decolonise them. We consider how certain behaviours have knock-on effects and their affect in the long-run. Again, this level of care isn’t present for minorities in dominant psychotherapy.” The project is institutional. Raj herself has actually battled with mental health, having been diagnosed with depression at the very young age of twelve. “I have no problem admitting that I, the founder of the largest South-Asian enterprise has battled anxiety and depression for most of my life.

Therapy has been key to my recovery on numerous occasions. I mean it when I say I believe in it.”

anced spirit. “Unfortunately, we live in in a world where we’re constantly told to fear our own irrelevance. It’s draining. That’s why I don’t accept or engage with awards. They might throw flowers at you today and then tomatoes tomorrow. I don’t want someone else influencing how I feel about my work. I’m trying to run my own race. I might not always manage but I’m consciously trying.” Actively living and tangibly sharing the social awareness she raises; Raj makes progressiveness an impactful industry.

She shows that meaningful work is free of vanity, cumulative and moreover always relatable: “I am motivated by people’s capacity for change. I really believe society wants to grow and improve, but most people just don’t know how. I am a firm advocate of providing people with a place to start: giving a subtle nudge. That’s what all my projects have in common.” Raj concluded that she wants to change the face of South-Asian mental health.

In truth she has built widely counteractive character.

Here the consummate campaigner’s beautiful ethos at once emerges:

W: https://southasiantherapists.org/

Sarwar’s plan to save the Scottish high street On Friday 9th April, Anas Sarwar announced his plans to save the Scottish high streets by giving a £75 prepaid card to every adult in Scotland as part of “the largest economic stimulus plan in the history of devolution”.

The Labour leader aims to address the shift from high street shopping to online retail that was accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic and the opposition party’s manifesto will reportedly also propose the ‘Great Scottish Staycation 2021’ with the offer of a ‘third night free’ Scottish government subsidy of holiday accommodation.

In his statement to LabourList, he said, “The last year has been tough for us all. The pandemic has separated us from our friends, families and neighbours. But amid the hope of an end to the public health emergency, we must recognise that Scotland still faces a job crisis.

“Without urgent and ambitious action in towns across this country, hundreds of thousands of people face a future out of work – with empty town centres hollowing out once vibrant communities. But it doesn’t

have to be that way – the people of Scotland deserve a

Anas Sarwar

brighter future, and we have it in our power to act.”

The prepaid card would be given to everyone aged 16 and over to spend in nonfood businesses in Scotland.

It would be time-limited, starting in June – or whenever it is safe to reopen retail – and last six months. The money, which could not be used for online purchases, would be launched alongside a “local shop” campaign encouraging people to support their local high streets.

Unspent cash would be donated to food banks.

The policy is similar to the one proposed by the Resolution Foundation think tank last year, when Rishi Sunak was advised to give every household in Britain high street vouchers worth £500 per adult and £250 per child.

Rita Chakrabarti hits out at Jeremy Paxman BBC presenter Reeta Chakrabarti has hit out at Jeremy Paxman after the latter claimed that “any fool” could present a news bulletin.

Paxman has made a series of criticisms of the BBC and television news

Rita Chakrabarti

since stepping down from Newsnight almost seven years ago, stating that “newsreading is an occupation for an articulated suit”.

Chakrabarti presenter of the BBC news bulletins has disagreed with this assessment. In her interview with the Radio Times, she said, “It’s his opinion, but I wonder why he says it when he spent quite a few years himself reading an Autocue. And if I’m present-

ing the One O’Clock News, I’ve written a lot of what I’m reading out. Those aren’t someone else’s words.

“I’m a journalist, I know what the stories are, I discuss them with the editor and the correspondent, and I pride myself on being able

Jeremy Paxman

to write with simplicity and clarity. Maybe ‘any fool’ can do this, but I think it’s a skill.”

Her statement arrives after Paxman, said earlier this year, “I can’t see any point in reading the news at all. Reading aloud, do you remember reading aloud at school? That’s what it is. I don’t think it has any grandeur or skill or anything to it. Any fool can do it.”

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17 - 23 April 2021

in brief STAKEHOLDERS DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM THE RACE REPORT At least 20 organisations and individuals who were listed as stakeholders in the government’s race disparity commission have distanced Lord Simon Woolley themselves from the report and its findings, The Guardian reported.

The report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, released at the end of March, had noted that while racism and racial injustice still exist, geography, family influence, socioeconomic background, culture and religion all have a greater impact on life chances. Following the publication of the 258-page report, it was widely criticised by MPs, doctors, unions, equality campaigners as “divisive” and a missed opportunity for systematic change.

Now, at least 20 of the organisations and individuals listed have distanced themselves from the report, many of them alleging the commission ignored their testimonies in its considerations. Those who have distanced themselves from the report include the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) who stated healthcare professionals were “dismayed” by the report, which it said used “inflammatory” language. The British Medical Association (BMA) also rejected the central argument in the report that structural race inequality is not a major factor affecting the outcomes and life chances of many citizens.

Others include the National Black Police Association, Race Council Cymru and National BAME Youth Forum Wales UK Youth, and Lord Simon Woolley, who was head of No 10’s race disparity unit until last summer. Labour MP David Lammy also accused the prime minister of “standing in the way” of young people who want to end racial inequality. Whereas, the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE) in their statement stated that they were “dismayed” by the report. “It is deeply disappointing that the report failed to take notice of the compelling evidence that racial disparities in health, and particularly in mental health, are driven in large part by social factors which are structurally determined.”

PATIENT RAISES £40,000 FOR HAREFIELD HOSPITAL On 7th April, Harrow Times reported that a man who underwent a complex 14-hour heart operation raised over £40,000 for a hospital.

Naren Hathi was diagnosed with a severe heart condition, endocarditis, and required urgent care at Harefield Hospital.

The complex heart operation took 14 hours, and after its success he spent three months last year recovering at the hospital.

Since then various Lion Clubs in Kingsbury, Hatch End, Kenton, Hendon, Sudbury and more were among the groups to donate to a fundraiser in which Mr Hathi expressed his gratitude to Harefield Hospital.

He said, “By the grace of God and the excellent care, support, and dedication of all staff at the Hospital, I am fortunate to have fully recovered. I cannot thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital enough for the care they showed to me as a patient and also to my family who visited regularly.”

The funds raised will go towards the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity’s Covid-19 Relief Fund, which aims to provide equipment and well-being for staff treating Covid-19 patients now and into the future.

Intoxicated driver jailed for 18 months

Wembley Mosque faces objection

35-year-old Sharaz Ali had drunk vodka and taken cocaine when he was pursued by two patrol vehicles and the police helicopter around residential streets in Bradford.

He was already under investigation for supplying cannabis and possession of cocaine and MDMA, prosecutor Clare Walsh told Bradford Crown Court today. He pleaded guilty to those offences as well as dangerous driving and driving while over the prescribed limit for alcohol and cocaine. He had £277 in cash with him as well as 19 street deals of skunk cannabis worth £340, £137 of cocaine and £20 of MDMA. He had 14 previous convictions for 23 offences, including supplying drugs and driving over the limit, and while disqualified.

Wembley Masjid and Islamic Centre, in Stanley Avenue, has applied for a certificate of lawfulness from Brent Council’s planning department after a recent sale of the building. The mosque’s bid for legal recognition is being objected by residents despite being in operation for several decades.

A former residential property, it received temporary consent to operate as a mosque and educational centre from December 1988 to December 1990. According to the applicant, Mohammad Khawaja, it has served the community since 1974.

Harrow Times, reported that in his application, Mr Khawaja noted this site is “one of the earlier mosques in Brent.

It [meets] the needs and

Sharaz Ali

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Richard Mansell QC, said Ali had a complete disregard for the law as far as the rules of the road were concerned. He jailed him for 12 months for supplying cannabis and six months to run consecutively for the driving offences. Ali was banned from driving for two years and nine months and until he takes an extended retest.

Wembley Mosque

demands of the community and residents. The locals use and rely on this mosque – it adds to part of the local culture and social cohesion.”

Despite its longstanding operation, many living close to believe the mosque should not be given the certificate due to its impact on the surrounding area.

Home Office under scrutiny for accommodation of asylum seekers The Home Office is once again under scrutiny for the use of sites such as military barracks to accommodate asylum seekers and now an inquiry is to be carried out into the subject.

MPs and peers from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on immigration detention agreed to proceed with the inquiry with the cross-party group due to publish its initial findings before the summer recess.

A Home Office spokesperson said that asylum seekers at Napier have the same

Brit-Indian kidnap victim dies, five arrested for murder

access to health services as other members of the community and denied that a curfew has operated at the barracks. The news comes as at least 10 new legal challenges have been launched by asylum seekers transferred to Napier over the last few days.

In a statement to The Guardian, a Home Office spokesperson said, “While pressure on the asylum system remains we will continue to make use of Napier barracks. Asylum seekers are staying in safe, suitable, Covid-compliant conditions,

where they receive three nutritious meals a day.

“Napier has previously housed army personnel – it is wrong to say they are not adequate for asylum seekers, and we have made a significant number of improvements to the site following feedback from residents and inspectors. Our new plan for immigration will reform the broken asylum system, allowing us to welcome people through safe and legal routes, while preventing abuse of the system and the criminality associated with it.”

In Loving Memory

Continued from page 1 He was taken to hospital for treatment, but died shortly after 8am. A post-mortem examination identified that he died as a result of significant injuries to his head and chest.

A 25-year-old man was arrested by officers in the area of Brighton Road on suspicion of kidnap and theft of a motor vehicle, before being further arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of 47-year-old Mr Parmar.

An investigation, led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) major crime team, began and following further enquiries a 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder in Leicester, shortly after 11.50pm on Monday.

In the early hours of this morning, a 40year-old woman was arrested in Thurmaston also on suspicion of murder and a short time later two men aged 44 and 34 were arrested in Leicester on suspicion of assisting an offender. All five remain in custody at this time. Detective Chief Inspector Tony Yarwood, the senior investigating officer, said, “First and foremost, my deepest condolences go out to Mr Parmar’s family.

“While five people are currently in custody, our investigation is very much continuing and we owe it to his loved ones to find out who is responsible for his death.

“Officers are carrying out further enquiries and I would ask anyone who has information regarding this incident to come forward. I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a red Vauxhall Astra being driven in the area of Evington late on Sunday night into the early hours of yesterday morning.”

(You can pass on information online by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk /ro/report/ ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/and quoting incident 32 of 12 April. Alternatively, call 101).

Amratbhai Ghelabhai Desai MBE Demise: 17/4/2018

Father to Unmesh Desai, loving husband to Urmilaben Desai and doting grandfather to Kavita Priyadarshini Desai, Amratbhai was born in Amri village, near Navsari, Gujarat, India, on 18/9/1929. He made a name as his village’s youngest-ever Sarpanch- head of the Village Counciland took part in the independence movement marches.

He followed his father, Ghelabhai Vasanji Desai to Tanzania in 1954 where he was a teacher at Karimjee Jivanjee Secondary School and Hindu Mandal Secretary, Tanga, for many years.

Amratbhai came to the UK in 1976 and settled in Brent, London. He ran a Post Office/News Agency in Canons Park and eventually retired in 1996 after working as the Manager of Brent Indian Association.

A committed community activist, he received the MBE in 2004. Amongst many events, he organised Brent’s Indian Independence 50th Anniversary celebrations at Brent Town Hall in 1997.

A progressive man with liberal values and a firm believer in women’s equality and education, Amratbhai died after a short illness in Newham General Hospital on 17/4/2018, having moved to the area in 2017.

He will be remembered for his humility, kindness and generosity of spirit. In these difficult times with the corona virus, he would have been more concerned about its impact on others and especially the world’s poor. We don’t think anyone ever had a bad word to say about him!

He never stopped caring about us until his last breath and we in turn will never forget him. His memory will always be cherished.

Rest in eternal peace, father, husband and grandfather!

Unmesh Amratlal Desai Urmilaben Amratlal Desai Kavita Priyadarshini Desai

10 READERS' VOICE

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17 - 23 April 2021

Call for 2-part webinar next year I refer to Rudy Otter’s timely comment on webinar which was mostly conducted in Gujarati. He is one of my favourite contributors. While most of the participants were Gujaratis who are proficient in both languages, namely Gujarati and English, it makes sense if webinar is divided into two parts, so that non-Gujarati speaking participants can make valid and valuable contribution.

This will also encourage our youngsters to participate and contribute their special and specific views, needs and preferences, as English is the main, even mother tongue for these intelligent, highly educated youngsters born and brought-up in this country.

Asian Voice is the foremost, most influential, widely read ethnic English weekly among Asian community, that include Sikhs, Bengalis, South Indian and many more who may not feel at ease in participating if the talk is mostly in Gujarati!

I hope next year’s seminar will be in-person rather than webinar, with its’ pros and cons, held in a prestigious location, like 4* hotel in Wembley or Harrow, with dinner, as many elderly contributors are not at ease with modern IT, in perpetual predicament.

Most letter writers are elderly, many over eighties and we have already lost some prominent writers like Dr Vidyanathan, Dr Kapadia, Mr Khajuria and few more while others have put their pen to rest, namely Dinesh Seth and Ramesh Jhalla, earning well-deserved retirement from limelight, positive exposure, tackling issues, raising concerns that we put in public domain, with our vast and varied writings, much appreciated by readers, especially among cross-party politicians!

Lastly, I wonder whether Indian parliament should debate increasing violence in Northern Ireland which may lead to disharmony, endangering peace and may lead to fragmentation of UK! Bhupendra M. Gandhi London

Zoom Boom At last, some encouraging news about pandemic appearing to be slowly dissipating but reverting back to full normality might be still away. This lockdown has kept our lives, work, moving with the inception and use of new high technology communications such as zoom, Teams, social media like Facebook which has allowed us to be in contact, informed and keeping up with our routine.

Quite a few positives have come out of zoom boom, like keeping in contact with family, friends and work. Yes, it is not same as giving hugs, or in person meet ups, but we have nurtured it with our human spirit and attuned to our positive mind shift. We have also discovered gifted people through the showcase of their online talents.

Then there are experts, specialists, scientists in medical world, consultants, doctors, nurses who have given us that practical health and safety applications with their incredible know how. Something to be proud of and acknowledge that all these brilliant workers exist to give us normal lives.

Jatish S Shah Northampton

US to oppose China’s bid to challenge its status “US to oppose China’s bid to challenge its status” in AV dated 10-16 April 2021 shows the rivalry between the US and China.

China’s growing geopolitical influence and mismanagement of the Covid19 crisis have added fuel to rising anti-China feeling across the world including India. Time and again most western countries have criticised China for human rights abuse and meddling in other countries internal affairs.

China has spent plenty of money in developing the manufacturing industry as well as in infrastructure which is difficult to compete. China has capabilities of producing highquality products at a very low cost based on mass production.

The world has seen that they set up new hospitals in a number of days when Covid19 was at its peak in Wuhan. The manufacturing base of most of the European countries including the UK has gone down substantially and moved to China to remain cost-competitive in the domestic market.

The US has realised the importance of having a strong manufacturing base locally to support job market as well as to reduce dependence on China. The US is now looking for like-minded democratic countries like India, Japan and Australia to support them in putting a halt to China’s growing influence.

I think, this is a golden opportunity for India to get favourable monetary terms for capital investment projects in critical sectors. India has all the capabilities in terms of readily available infrastructure, trained English speaking manpower, very well-developed IT industry etc. If all the political parties think about the development of the country putting aside personal / party’s political agenda for time being, the growth rate of India will be very high. Needless to add red-tapism should be minimum to attract foreign companies to India.

Hitesh Hingu London

KHICHADI Follow me on Twitter: @kk_OEG Kapil’s

Liberation of Bangladesh First of all my sincere thanks to Councillor Humayun Kabir for inviting me to be part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the independence of Bangladesh.

Freedom is the greatest desire of oppressed people everywhere. In the case of Bengal, the freedom from British rule turned quickly into a nightmare. It did not take long to realise that under Pakistan the people of Bengal would become second class citizens. As far back as 1952 Pakistan declared the Bengali language as not an official language of the country. Beyond religion the people of Bangladesh have a culture and history that they share with their fellow Hindu Bengalis. The wearing of Sari by ladies is one of the parts of the common Bengali culture.The Bengali language is one of the sweetest of languages and the Bengali people are famous for expressing this beautiful language in music and poetry. Nobel prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore's poem, ' Ekla Chalo Re' is one example of the sublime Bengali language. Bongobondhu Mujbhir Rahman personified the poem which exhorts one to walk alone until the goal is reached. The fight for independence came at a great cost. Tens of thousands of Bengalis died and suffered unthinkable atrocities. The 20% Hindu population was also specially targeted, and many were forcibly converted. Around 10 million Bengalis took refuge in India.

In India we had a lady prime minister who could not bear to see the suffering of the people of Bengal, and she took what may be one of the boldest decisions in recent history. She decided to come to the aid of the Bengali people. But this was far from easy. Pitted against India and backing Pakistan was the world's most powerful nation the United States of America. The US did not like India which had the temerity to criticise the US carpet bombing of Vietnam and also forming a block of non-aligned nations which refused to take sides during the intense cold war going on between the US and Soviet Union.

On Dr. Kissinger's proposal president Nixon opted to help Pakistan to quell the unrest in Bengal.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi turned to Russia and signed a defence treaty. At the height of the war of liberation in December 1971 the US sent the Seventh Nuclear armed fleet to the Bay of Bengal. Known as Task Force 74 it comprised a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier called Enterprise, the Amphibious Assault carrier called Tripoli, destroyers Decatur, McKean, and Oriek as well as Guided Missile Escors called Waddell, King and Parsons. Lastly, they also had a nuclear-powered attack submarine Gurnard and supply ship Wichita.

Britain too had naval ships in the Arabian sea as a backup, for the US fleet. The Soviet Union in response dispatched the 10th operative battle group of its Pacific fleet.

The Indian army, navy and air force were not fazed by the US show of power. One can imagine the gumption of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and India's defence forces.

As the Pakistani army surrendered the US fleet went back having aborted their plans. Indira Gandhi and the army generals led by chief of defence staff general Manekshaw called America's bluff and stood their ground.

General Manekshaw by the way was a Parsi whose forefathers had been given refuge by a Hindu king. They were fleeing from religious persecution in Iran. India risked its own existence in defence of the people of Bengal.

Many Bengalis from Hindu and Muslim background have made great contributions to the spirit of Bengali heritage. Going forward the only guarantee for peace, progress and harmony is to acknowledge and respect differences.

The small Hindu minority in Bangladesh must be able to live without fear and practice their faith freely. At the time of independence from the British there were almost 35% Hindus in Bangladesh there are now only 8%. A big existential challenge facing Bangladesh is the climate change and the fear that many areas could be submerged in water.

Bengalis in the UK can help by sponsoring a massive tree planting programme and introduce solar power installation in a big way and cut out activities which increase climate change.Once again many, many felicitations on the 50th year of independence.

Nitin Mehta London

A month of festivals April month is a very auspicious month with so many festivals. April 2 Good Friday, April 4 Easter Sunday, April 13 Vaisakhi, Chaitra Navratri, start of Ramadan, April 14 Dr.B.R. Amabedkar Jayanti, Bengali New Year, Ugadi, April 21 Ram Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti, April 25 Lord Mahavir Jayanti and April 27 Lord Hanuman - for the followers of Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Jains sects.

Devotees perform rituals, observe fasting, give donations to various charities and offer prayers to God. But some people suffering from hardships easily get swayed by the so called ‘healers’ and give up life’s earnings.

Our advice to them is to be careful.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

Arise Awake O Bharatwasio Kapil Dudakia Bharat Varsh: The extent of the lands that made up historical Bharat is often overlooked by historians as well as the people who follow Indic Dharma. Bharat Varsh was more than five times the size of India as we have it today. Just think about it, more than five times means that all our neighbouring nations were once part of our peaceful nation.

Indic faiths (Dharmic) are fundamentally different to the religions of the west. Religions are a construct of men, for men, to control and enslave the masses. Under the pretence of a loving or a peaceful God, these faiths have decimated countless civilisations, peoples, languages, cultures, and heritage. Their growth is a function of murder, rape, treachery, deceit, and genocide. Over 2000 years these so called ‘faiths’ have systematically dismantled and corrupted the histories of the enslaved.

Indic faiths are based on Dharma. Dharma that is directly linked to the very essence of our common humanity and the forces of nature that created and control the cosmos. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists have a common root in the Dharmic traditions of Bharat Varsh. These faiths have never forced themselves on any other people or nation. Those who wish to follow them of their own free will can do so with as much vigour as they can muster.

However, with some 2000 years of distortion by the invaders, the Indic community of today are mostly ignorant of the richness of their own history and heritage. All too often it is the narrative from the Middle East or the Imperial West that continues to trap Indic people in a subservient mindset.

The 21st Century has finally seen an awakening. Very slowly we can see some Hindus who are waking up to the truth. The vast majority, unfortunately, still remain in the grip of their imperial master.

Arise, awake O Bharatwasio, for it is now time to accept your rich past so that we may assure a rich future for the world.

India needs to write the true history of Bharat Varsh which should then become part of the curriculum in every school. Our Billionaires need to put their money to good use. It’s time to fund positive research into our true history with leading universities around the world. Muslims and Christians have been doing that to undermine us for decades. If those with the means from our community cannot see the light, then what is the worth of all that wealth?

Pakistan gets away by murdering 3 million Hindus in what was then East Pakistan. The British Empire got away when it let millions starve to death in Bengal in the 1940’s.

The Islamic invaders destroyed some 50000 Hindu Mandirs, yet to date they have not been made accountable. Millions were forced to convert at the end of a sword, and those who did convert remain slaves to a faith that destroyed their ancestors. How many Sikh Gurus and children sacrificed to protect Dharma against Islamic brutality? The list is endless, is it not time to document the truth of the atrocities committed against the people of Bharat Varsh?

Only this week we saw a Judith Leiber clutch bag selling at Harrods in the image of Lord Ganesh made from leather!

We have seen designers and global companies produce and sell items depicting Hindu deities in poor taste. Would they dare do that to Muslims?

Arise, Awake O Bharatwasio. Whilst you sleepwalk through life, your heritage is being undermined with impunity and condescension.

Think before you buy I would advise people approaching retirement to stop buying new clothes and other items for the workplace or for frequent socialising. I rashly continued to purchase suits, overcoats, shirts, ties and shoes well into my early 60s. When I retired, I found myself mostly preferring to lounge around the house in casual wear and dress casually while out shopping or walking in the park. Retirement, I discovered, is a totally new and more relaxed way of life. No need to dress up regularly anymore.

Rudy Otter London

Better late than never It was pleasant surprise for me to know about the letter writers’ webinar. In my career as a librarian, I have gone through hundreds of newsletters and magazines, but I do not remember if I came through any such event. Of course, The Times and The Guardian do publish collection of good letters in book form, but your webinar is different, and I hope more and more readers of both of your newsweeklies will be encouraged to write letters. Congratulation.

Mahendra Raja Jain

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H

is Royal Highness Prince Philip, Edinburgh, laid the foundation stone of Duke of Edinburgh died on the the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi morning of 9 April 2021 at on January 27, 1959. Established as College Windsor Castle. He passed away at the age of Engineering in 1961, the Institute was of 99 years, two months before his 100th later declared as an Institution of National birthday. He was a member of the British Importance and renamed "Indian Institute royal family as the husband of Queen of Technology Delhi" in 1963. Indian Elizabeth II and was the longest-serving Institute of Technology Delhi, is one of the royal consort in fifteen Institutes British history. of Technology created as centers of He was born for excellence as Prince Philip of training, research Greece and and development Denmark on 10 in science, engiJune 1921 into the neering and techGreek and Danish nology in India. royal families. He The Institute has was born in made a notable Greece, but his mark in higher family was exiled technical educafrom the country tion and research. when he was Ruchi Ghanashyam It has been ranked eighteen months very high among old. After being Mrs. Ruchi Ghanashyam is the former High national and intereducated in Commissioner of India to the UK. With a career national instituFrance, Germany in Indian Foreign Service for over 38 years, she has tions of higher and the United been posted in many countries including South learning.

Kingdom, he Africa, Ghana, before arriving in the UK. She was I had the privijoined the British only the second woman High Commissioner to lege of briefly Royal Navy in the UK since India’s independence and during her meeting HRH The 1939 at the age of tenure, she witnessed a number of significant Prince Philip in 18. During the developments in the UK-India relations.

July 2008 in Accra, Second World Ghana. He was War he served visiting Accra for the 30th Triennial with distinction in the Mediterranean and Conference of the Royal Commonwealth Pacific Fleets. He was a keen sportsman, Ex-Services League. During his visit, the was an advocate for the environment and then British High Commissioner to Ghana supported numerous charities including held a reception in his honour at the those for preserving the environment, supBritish Residence. I was struck by the easy porting the youth, the British Heart manner in which The Prince Philip minFoundation, amongst others. He remained gled with the invitees. He spoke at length extremely active until his retirement from to me recalling his visits to India. his royal duties on 2 August 2017, completPrince Philip and Queen Elizabeth ing 22,219 solo public engagements since were married on 20 November, 1947.

1952. He met the Royal Marines in his final Theirs would perhaps be the longest marsolo public engagement at age 96. The then riage in British Royalty. The loss of her life UK Prime Minister Theresa May thanked partner of over 70 years would undoubtedhim for "a remarkable lifetime of service". ly be felt most personally by the Monarch.

Prince Philip was well acquainted with In private, according to information India. He accompanied The Queen on visonline, the Queen is supposed to have its to India in 1959, 1961, 1983 and 1997. The described her husband's death as "having President of India expressed grief over the left a huge void in her life". The Queen passing away of The Prince Philip, Duke of referred to Prince Philip in a speech on the Edinburgh. In a tweet, he said, he is sadoccasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as dened to learn about the passing away of her "constant strength and guide".

The Prince Philip, friend and admirer of Referring to Prince Philip in a speech in India. He said, his thoughts and prayers are 1997, Queen Elizabeth said, “He has, quite with The Queen and members of the Royal simply, been my strength and stay all these Family. The Prime Minister of India said years ..”. Sharing the quote, the Royal that his thoughts are with the British peoFamily wrote, “At The Queen’s Coronation ple and the Royal Family on the passing in 1953, The Duke of Edinburgh swore to be away of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Her Majesty’s ‘liege man of life and limb’.

Edinburgh. PM Modi recalled his distinThe Duke was a devoted consort (companguished career in the military and said that ion to the Sovereign) for almost 70 years, he (Prince Philip) was at the forefront of from Her Majesty’s Accession in 1952 until many community service initiatives. his death.”

It was during his first visit to India in May his soul rest in peace.

1959 that HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of

RIP The Prince Philip

Britain witnesses record levels of loneliness Levels of loneliness in the UK have increased since spring 2020. According to the Office for National Statistics between 3rd April and 3rd May 2020, 5% of people (about 2.6 million adults) said that they felt lonely “often” or “always”.

From October 2020 to February 2021, results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) noted that the proportion increased to 7.2% of the adult population roughly about 3.7 million adults.

Mapping trends across the country also showed the types of places where a higher proportion of people felt lonely often or always, and differences in personal wellbeing. Areas with a higher

concentration of younger people (aged 16-24 years) and areas with higher rates of unemployment tended to have higher rates of loneliness during the study period (October 2020 to February

2021).

Local authorities in countryside areas also had a lower loneliness rate than urban, industrial, or other types of area. Living in a single-person household, difficulties with relationships caused by the pandemic, and not having anyone to talk to have also contributed to experiences of loneliness.

Previous research during the pandemic found nearly twothirds of students have reported a worsening in their mental health and well-being.

Investigating discrimination in maternity care A panel established by the charity Birthrights is investigating discrimination ranging from explicit racism to racial bias and microaggressions that amount to poorer maternity care, it has emerged.

Among the complaints of parents included a testimony of a British Bangladeshi woman who said her labour concerns were dismissed. In her statement to The Guardian, she said, “I felt unsafe and like maternity professionals are not used to being challenged by brown women. There is a stereotype of Asian women that we are tame, quiet and compliant people who have no voice and

will be obedient.

“I was treated like a vessel, not like a human. The experience left me feeling humiliated, disempowered and ashamed.”

These complaints appear ahead of next week when the parliament is due to debate the large racial disparity in maternal mortality in British

hospitals, after a petition from the campaign group Five X More gathered 187,519 signatures. Black women are four times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy or childbirth in the UK. Benash Nazmeen, cochair of the inquiry and director of the Association of South Asian Midwives, in her statement to The Guardian, said, “Even those with very traumatic births identified at least one professional who was ‘amazing’ – whether a community midwife, health visitor or doctor. This shows good, compassionate, culturally sensitive care is possible.”

Lord Rami Ranger appointed Chairman of Sardar Patel Memorial Society Sardar Patel Memorial Society UK committee members are G P appoints Lord Rami Ranger to Desai and Jayant Patel. Kanti lead the organisation at their Nagda MBE is the Hon. Chief Annual General Meeting on 11th Executive of the organisation.

April 2021.

Commenting on the appointment, Lord Rami Ranger said, It is the Sardar Patel Memorial “My appointment to the role of Society (SPMS) UK’s aim to bring the chairman follows a career awareness on the life and work of Lord Rami Ranger dedicated to public service and the great leader, not only to our intend to continuing with SPMS UK. I children, but to the wider communities. look forward to working with the The New Executive Council has Executive Council, who I know are comappointed Lord Rami Ranger as Chairman, mitted to providing a modern and firstPravin G Patel, Vice-Chairman, Krishna rate service to all. It’s vital that we continPujara, Secretary General, Deepak Patel, ue to propagate the life of Sardar Patel in Treasurer. Trustees include C B Patel, the Spirit of Unity.”

Jitubhai Patel and Sumantrai Desai. Other

12 MEDIA WATCH

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SCRUTATOR’S At Dandi, Naidu sees a ‘New India’ by 2047 India's Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said he is confident that the country would prepare a detailed outline to build a “new India” by 2047, the 100th year of India’s independence. Naidu was speaking at the conclusion of the 25- day-long Dandi yatra, taken out by 81 participants from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city as part of the ‘Aazadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ to mark 75 years of India's independence. “From 1947 till now, we have walked on the footsteps shown by our freedom fighters. We have achieved many things,” Naidu said.

Naidu said the entire world today respects and recognises the strengths of India, thanks to the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and all the states, irrespective of political parties (ruling the states). “I am confident that on this occasion, taking into account India at 2047, the completion of 100 years of our independence, we will prepare a detailed outline to make a new India in the next 25 years. We will work to achieve it also in the next 25 years,” he said. “Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inspire us to build a new India of our dreams,” he said. (Agency) Man on flight took off clothes, misbehaved with crew

AirAsia passengers last week witnessed an unprecedented incident on the Bengaluru to Delhi flight when an unruly passenger stripped naked onboard. A passenger said, "firstly, the unruly passenger started a heated argument with the cabin crew about life jackets.

He later misbehaved with the crew and suddenly took off all the clothes in the flight."

Confirming the incident, AirAsia India spokesperson said a crew member somehow controlled the unruly passenger with the help of co-passengers and informed the pilots about the unwanted incident, following which the pilot of the aircraft informed Delhi's Air Traffic Controller about the incident and sought priority landing. Just after landing, the passenger was handed over to police. The Delhi police have registered a case against the passenger. The airline is yet to put him on the no-fly list. (Agency) Parents struggle to get birth certificate for boy born mid-air

Parents of the baby boy who was born in the BengaluruJaipur flight have been running from pillar to post to get a birth certificate for their child. The couple had boarded the flight from Bengaluru and landed in Jaipur airport on March 17 with their newborn baby. As per the rule, the birth certificate must be issued within 21days of the birth. Bhairu Singh, father of baby, said, “after the flight landed in Jaipur, the child and his mother were taken to a

private hospital there. The father said he did not get his wife and child admitted as it was very expensive. So after initial check-up, “we straight away came to my village in Beawar district.” After reaching the village, Bhairu started the process to get his son’s birth certificate. “I went to the sarpanch who told me to go to the government hospital from where I was sent to another hospital. Both the hospital officials seemed confused as soon as I mentioned that my son was born in mid-air. They told me to go to the gram panchayat.” The gram panchayat initially declined to issue the certificate citing jurisdiction.

Finally, the district officials said that the certificate will be issued at the earliest, but Bhairu said that he will believe it only when he gets the document. (Agency) Earthmovers used to make laddoos for voters With the panchayat polls in UP set to begin on April 15, candidates are deploying novel strategies to attract voters. A video has gone viral in which a candidate and his supporters went to the extent of using earthmovers and spades for mixing ingredients to prepare laddoos to be distributed among voters. Police have booked 10 for violating model code of conduct.

The incident occurred in Gauspur

village under Singhawali Aheer police station of Baghpat. The village has 3,500 votes. According police, Mohammad Jabbar, a candidate for the post of gram pradhan, along with his supporters had made huge quantity of sweets and distributed them among the villagers, which is a violation of the model code of conduct. A video has also come to our notice, in which he has deployed an earthmover and spades for making laddoos. Jabbar and his nine associates along with

a dozen others have been booked.

(Agency) NZ slaps travel ban on travellers from India

New Zealand has for the first time imposed a temporary ban on travellers coming from India, including its citizens, from April 11 to 28 due to a surge in Covid 19 cases among visitors to this country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The travel restriction comes after New Zealand recorded 23 new positive coronavirus cases in managed isolation, of which 17 came from India, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield was quoted as saying. While arrivals from India had triggered the risk assessment, Prime Minister Ardern said the government would be looking at risks posed by other Covid-19 hotspot countries. The ban began on April 11 and will be in place until April 28. “This is not a permanent arrangement,” Ardern said, adding that the temporary hold would also help reduce the risk that travellers themselves faced. (Agency) Lost at 2016 Ardh Kumbh, reunited at Maha Kumbh Krishna Devi went missing at the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2016. Her family desperately tried to find her but there was no success. Five years on, a routine identity verification drive for the ongoing Maha Kumbh suddenly led to the 65year-old woman in Rishikesh and she was reunited with her family.

Krishna Devi’s story goes back to 2016. Following the death of her girl child, Krishna Devi left her home in Udaipur to go to Haridwar where the Ardh Kumbh Mela was on, police said.

Disillusioned and overcome with grief, she drifted away. As weeks went by, she went from one shelter home to the other, either unable or unwilling to get in touch with her family. Her family which was desperately looking for her, filed a missing

person report at the Udaipur police station. Just as the Maha Kumbh Mela started, police launched an identity verification drive. At Triveni Ghat shelter home, they came across Krishna Devi and she was reunited with her family. (Agency) Rabies vaccine given instead of Covid shots Three women Saroj Devi, 70, Anarkali, 72, and Satyavati, 62 - of Shamli’s Kandhla town in Uttar Pradesh walked in to get their Covid-19 shots at the community health centre last week, but they walked out with anti-rabies shots instead. The elderly women arrived separately but they were grouped together at the health centre. “The first floor of the centre is where Covid-19 vaccinations were being administered. The queue on the ground floor was for anti-rabies vaccination,” Shamli chief medical officer Dr Sanjay Agarwal said. “Instead of going to the first floor, they joined the queue on the ground floor.” It appears that no questions were asked the type of vaccine they wanted to take. Quietly and unknowingly took the wrong vaccine and left. But before Saroj Devi could reach home, she fell sick. Following an inquiry, the authorities realised the mistake of administering the wrong vaccine. The pharmacist who administered the vaccine has been suspended, Shamli DM Jasjeet Kaur said. (Agency) Donkeys turn Covid rule enforcers

Donkeys will do men's job of enforcing Covid rules among the villagers of Jabad in Amreli district of Gujarat. And how? The beast of burden will perform a “shame parade” in front of the offenders’ houses and try to

infuse Covid sense into humans!

The decree of the gram panchayat, which included a fine of Rs 1,000, was announced by traditional drummers around the streets of the village with a population of around 1,800 to 2,000 people. The village panchayat couldn’t find a better way to tackle the menace and enforcing Covid protocols strictly but by invoking the donkeys to bring shame to the families who do not follow it. Apart from levying a fine of Rs 1,000 from Covid guidelines violators, the “shame” will be deepened by the march of the donkeys, said sarpanch Bhupendra Khuman who authored the interesting punishment. “First time violators will be asked to pay a fine of Rs 1,000. But, if he or she continues to violate the rules, a herd of donkeys will be sent to their houses to shame them,” Khuman said. “After paying fine one gets the liberty to break rule again.

But the ignominy of being publicly shamed will have a deeper impact psychologically and people will be more conscious and understand the importance of following the guidelines,” the village chief added. (The Times of India) Antique ornaments found in pot A realtor who was trying to level a plot next to the Warangal-Hyderabad National Highway in Jangaon district found antique ornaments that may have been used to adorn the idols. While levelling the plot he discovered a copper pot. The earthmover broke the pot containing the gold and silver ornaments. The pot contained silver ornaments reportedly weighing 1.727 kg while the gold weighs 187.45 grams. They include earrings, nose rings, beads, anklets among other things. As soon as the news spread, the district authorities took charge of the treasure under the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878 and said the ornaments would be kept at the district treasury.

Archaeology experts are expected to study the ornaments and the location to put a date to the find. (Agency)

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Most defining chapter of the Bhagavad Gita Subhash V Thakrar, BCom FCA FRSA Former Chair, London Chamber of Commerce and Founder Chair, Charity Clarity The chapter 2 of Gita is probably the most defining chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. It provides a clear answer to the questions of who we are and of life and death. From what I know about other religions, the Gita provides the clearest explanations to our birth and what happens when we leave this world. This chapter is often quoted at times of funeral to bring solace and understanding of who we really are and what is death.

The most revealing part of the message of this chapter is that we are made up of an imperishable soul (atma) which is enveloped by the costume of our bodies. When we can understand that the soul is permanent and this body enveloping the soul, is temporary, we begin to appreciate the wonders of this life. Our body is changing all the time and its physical form changes every 7 years or so. What we need to understand is that this temporary change continues after the event that we call death. All that happens is that the soul assumes and new costume, which is the event of birth. So the Atma never dies but it does change its envelope or costume. When we understand this, our attitude and behaviour towards other souls also changes for better.

The other powerful message and learning of this chapter is the duality of the life’s experiences of pain and pleasure, heat and cold etc that arise from our senses getting in physical contact with objects. These experiences are temporary but do cause pleasure or discomfort to us from time to time. The senses carry sensa-

tions to our mind and the mind gets agitated.

We learn from this wonderful teachings that we can gain peace by practicing to withdraw our senses from the objects. This is done by regular meditation to control our mind to have a balanced response to the dualities of our experiences like pleasure and pain. So we do not get excited about a pleasurable experience nor do we get stressed too much about any painful experience. If we can control our mind and have a neutral reaction to life’s experiences, we can enjoy peace. We have to learn to control our senses by drawing our mind from outside to inside.

The third message of this chapter is about how we should perform our actions. This has brought an amazing transformation in my own life. Initially, as a business and professional person, I always believed that I should first define the fruits of my actions i.e. have a target and then perform my tasks accordingly. However, the teachings of chapter 2 are quite revolutionary on this subject. It says that one should not concern himself or herself with the fruits of their actions like gain or loss and victory or defeat. Instead he or she should concentrate on the actual actions by performing these with excellence and leave the fruits of actions in the hands of the Almighty. Initially this is hard to grasp but when you think hard, it is so very powerful. In any sphere of our lives if we perform relevant task with excellence i.e. hardwork, sincerity, honesty, care etc, then the outcome will always be the best. If our actions are driven by greed, deceit etc then the outcome also be bad.

When we have have learnt and mastered our understanding of these three realities, we are able to face any consequences that life brings upon us. We are as I say, top of the world.

Vaccination does not invalidate fasting during Ramadan Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has published their #SafeRamadan guidance this year whereby they advise of the numerous ways in which Muslims across the UK can continue to observe Ramadan both socially and spiritually.

Their guidance includes advice on hosting and attending virtual iftars (meal at the end of fasting), to tuning in to their local mosque’s livestreamed or pre-recorded services, to top tips for working or studying from home. For small outdoor gatherings between households that are planned in-line with current coronavirus rules, they have advised to exercise caution with a reminder that British Muslim communities have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

Most fundamentally, they

Zara Mohammed

have resorted to resolving doubts of fellow Muslims that getting vaccinated may break their fast. The MCB’s guidance has re-iterated that getting vaccinated does not invalidate an individual’s fast and should not be a reason to delay getting vaccinated. A Ramadan health fact sheet co-produced with British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) provides further advice for fasting patients and NHS health care professionals.

Commenting, Zara

Mohammed, Secretary General of the MCB said, “Ramadan is an important time to strengthen our connection with God through worship, reflection, fasting and charity. This year’s Ramadan for British Muslims will be an important one, looking back on a year of the pandemic, remembering those we’ve lost and the lives changed forever.

“As we take these tentative steps out of lockdown, it’s important we continue to follow the advice to keep safe this Ramadan, as we look forward with hope, determination and faith. The message for vaccination during Ramadan is clear: vaccines don’t invalidate your fast. Stay safe, protect one another and get vaccinated.

Finally, I wish everyone a blessed and joyful Ramadan.”

Harrods stops sale of Lord Ganesh clutch bag Luxury retailer Harrods has agreed to stop selling a handbag following concerns raised by the Hindu community according to MyLondon news.

The brand received complaints after it sold a Judith Leiber multi-embellished clutch designed in the image of Lord Ganesh on its website.

Reach India UK raises awareness of Indian cultural heritage and recently expressed the offence that the leather bag had reportedly caused among the Hindu community. The bag, which

retailed for £6,430, was one of more than 70 accessories in the Judith Leiber collection.

Nandini Singh, 50, of Reach India in a statement to MyLondon said, "Our simplicity and our beliefs are mocked by Harrods. The deity we worship is sold in leather.

How much further will they go to hurt Hindus for their profits? Why did they do it?"

She added that selling the items was "very insensitive"

and hurtful and questioned whether the store could not do basic research.

She further noted, "Lord Ganesha, who Hindus worship, is made in clay or metal or marble. Was Harrods ignorant that Hindus do not even wear footwear in the pooja or prayer room? This was a clear case of disrespect

by Harrods and it needs to ensure this never happens again."

Why we can all learn from Ramadan Ramadan is here (12 April – 12 May), but how much do those of other faiths, or none, know about this important religious festival? Former primary school teacher Catherine Lynch of education resource experts PlanBee takes a closer look at why and how Muslims celebrate Ramadan and considers what the whole family can learn from its customs and rituals.

A Pillar of Islam Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and lasts 29 to 30 days. The Islamic calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, so its dates change every year. This year, Ramadan will begin on the evening of Monday 12th April when the new moon first appears in the sky and end on Tuesday 11th May, the night of the waning crescent moon.

No food or drink During Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat or during the hours of daylight.

Children don’t usually fast until they are 14 years old. Some Muslims don’t have to fast, including, pregnant women, elderly people, those who are unwell and people travelling.

Which meals are eaten during Ramadan?

The meal Muslims have before the sun rises is called Suhoor, meaning ‘of the dawn’. Iftar, meaning ‘break of a fast’ is the evening meal eaten after sunset What is Qadr Night?

Laylat al-Qadr is the night Muslims believe the Qur’an was sent down from Heaven to the world and revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Laylat al-Qadr is thought to have happened between the 23rd and 27th night of Ramadan.

What happens at the end of Ramadan?

The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a big celebration called ‘Eid ul-Fitr’.

Muslims dress in their finest clothes, give gifts to children, spend time with their friends and family and give money to charity.

What are the Five Pillars of Islam? ² The Five Pillars of Islam are acts that are important in Muslim life: ² The first is Shahadah, the declaration that Allah is the only God. ² The is Salat, the five prayers Muslims say every day ² The third is Zakat, meaning to be charitable and give to those in need. ² The fourth is Sawm, the month-long fast Muslims do during Ramadan. ² The is Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Family time Muslims try to spend time with their family during Ramadan. They also try to help people in need, give up bad habits and devote time to prayer. Many Muslims try to read the whole of the Quran during Ramadan.

Easy Ramadan crafting with children ² Make moon-sighting binoculars with your children ² Get two toilet rolls and stick them together to make binoculars. ² Decorate the toilet rolls to look like the night sky. ² Attach string to the binoculars.

This Ramadan, support children in the UK Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity wishes Muslims across the UK ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ as the community prepares for the holy month of Ramadan.

With this being the second Ramadan during the global pandemic, Barnardo’s recognises that many families will face specific challenges this year, including grieving for loved ones, struggling with mental health needs, and worrying about the future. As such, the charity is urging Muslims to consider donating closer to home this year to support vulnerable children and young people in the UK who have been affected by Covid-19 and more.

Last Ramadan, funds raised by Barnardo’s supported the charity’s Coronavirus Appeal and as well as its employment programme for Syrian refugees in the UK which launched in February 2021. This was also the charity’s first Zakat-compliant service.

After a successful campaign last year, Barnardo’s is once again delighted to be launching a Ramadan appeal with MyTenNights, and will be one of nine charities featured on the platform this year. MyTenNights is an innovative platform that allows donors to automate donations over the last ten nights of Ramadan, so they never miss giving on Laylatul Qadr (the night of power/decree) again.

Through its Ramadan campaign, this year, Barnardo’s hopes to raise vital funds for its Children in Crisis Appeal and other interventions aimed at supporting minority communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

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ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE “Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. The harvest can either be flowers or weeds.”

- William Wordsworth Shefali Saxena What was our first and instant reaction when lockdowns were announced worldwide last year? The answer is - panic buying.

What did we need the most?

The answer is, food. As the lockdown got extended from a week to fortnight, fortnight to month and then months altogether, many of us had an epiphany while cleaning, cooking, working and surviving the emotional atrocities of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The epiphany was regarding food, the importance of each grain of food we were using, because the pandemic made the rich,

less rich, and unfortunately, the poor, poorer. One did not know which grain or food item would fly off the shelves amid panic buying.

Yet, our farmers didn’t get a single day off. They were and still continue to be our lifeline, which also signifies the importance of Vaisakhi, because Vaisakhi means that the harvest is complete and crops ready to sell, representing a time of plenty for the farmers. While you worked from home, they worked for you so that you could stay comfortably at home and be well fed.

Yet, students were hungry, school going kids were starving for food, while the rich were baking banana

bread and dalgona coffee. It was then when people from all faiths in the South Asian community came forward to fight the crisis together.

During Christmas, when France, Poland and other European countries had shut borders with the UK, leaving many trucks stranded, it was the Khalsa Aid

charity that went on to feed people on the borders, once again proving the spirit of selfless community service within Sikhs.

A special tribute goes out to the Sikh community for opening the doors of Gurudwaras for vaccination drives, and for producing unlimited amounts of food in langar to feed every single person who came forward to seek help.

For centuries, the Sikh community has fed free food to people irrespective of their religion, caste, gen-

der, economic status or ethnicity. When the world needed saviours, the Sikh brethren arrived much before time and continue to save the world as you read this.

The auspicious occasion of Vaisakhi is also a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith. In 1699 the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, chose Vaisakhi as the occasion to transform the Sikhs into a family of soldier saints, known as the Khalsa Panth. Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa in front of thousands at Anandpur Sahib.

To honour and remember the significance of

Vaisakhi and Guru Nanak Dev, for our special feature this Vaisakhi, we bring you the stories and accounts of some renowned Sikhs who continue to enrich the cultural heritage of the community.

Asian Voice spoke exclusively to the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Spokesperson, for this issue, while also exploring the historic relevance of Sikh women during partition, festive food and more.

We also bring you messages from Lord Rami Ranger, Gurudwara Singh Sabhas, among other esteemed members of the Sikh community in Britain.

‘Sikhs have a presence, they stand out literally and figuratively’ Professor Harminder Singh Dua CBE FRCS was born in Jalandhar, Punjab. He is an Indian-British medical doctor and researcher. He recently became the 453rd High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in an installation ceremony at the Gurudwara in New Basford. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to eye healthcare, health education and ophthalmology.

He is the chair and professor of ophthalmology at University of Nottingham and is the head of the Division of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Prof Dua is also the co-editor in chief with Arun Singh of the British Journal of Ophthalmology. He was president of EuCornea, the European society of Cornea and Ocular surface disease specialists. He has over 200 research publications, 20 published letters, and 14 book chapters to his credit.

In an exclusive interview for our Vaisakhi special feature, Prof Dua spoke to us about the importance of Sikh community, its cultural heritage and more.

Q - During the pandemic and even before that, the Sikh community has always been the first to come forward and help people irrespective of their ethnicity and nationality. Please elaborate on it.

Service to the community, meaning service to all people regardless of social status, caste, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age or gender, is at the core of the Sikh religion.

The first Guru of the Sikhs is Guru Nanak Dev ji. At the age of 12, his father, an established businessman in the village, gave Guru Nanak some rupees with the advice to use it to make an honest deal. Guru Nanak Dev bought some food and distributed it among a group of holy men who had not eaten for a long time. His simple message was, what deal could be more honest than this? He conveyed such honest and practical messages through his deeds. The people who followed him became known as Sikhs,

which means a disciple or follower. This tradition of ‘Langar’ serving a simple but delicious and nutritious meal to everyone and anyone, cooked and served by one’s own hands and followed up by cleaning the utensils making them ready for the next serving, represents Service, Sharing and giving of time, labour and wealth, Equality and Humility. The holiest place of worship of the Sikhs, the Golden Temple (Shri Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, Punjab, India, houses the largest kitchen in the world and serves over 50,000 meals every day, with the number doubling during festivals and special occasions. Not surprising that humility and service come through naturally.

Q - As the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, what according to you should be our approach towards life as the Asian community in the post-Covid era?

We are still in the ‘Covid era” and likely to be here for a while. What the pandemic has brought home to all is that we are in it together. We are only as strong as our weakest member. No one is safe until all are safe in the community, in the locality, in our nation and in the world. As Asians we are all part of the same community ‘regardless of social status, caste, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age or gender’ as the Sikh Gurus have taught us. We have to look out for each other and do what we can within our means. We can make a huge contribution, individually and through our families, by following the national health and social advice; take the jab and follow the rules to contain the virus. Help our neighbours with the help they need. Follow the basic tenants of our individual religion and faith , they are all the same, in my opinion. For Sikhs they are “Naam japo, Kirat Karo, Vand Chhako” – Remember God, Do good, Share and Eat. Something I have often said to whoever cares to listen is that “the more wealth you have, the more you will leave behind”.

Q - Why is Vaisakhi important?

Vaisakhi is the day the Sikhs, in their

present form and attire, were born. Sikhism started with the disciples of Guru Nanak Dev ji but on Vaisakhi day, 13th or 14th of April, 1699 the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh ji baptised Sikhs to the Khalsa panth (the community of the pure). He consolidated the concept of the ‘Saint-Soldier’ (SantSipahi) implying that Sikhs should pursue the religious and spiritual philosophy of Sikhism but also be prepared to use necessary force to defend the rights of the innocent when perpetrators of tyranny and persecution cannot be overcome by nonviolent means. Vaisakhi was celebrated as the harvest-festival and the new-year day of the Sikhs long before the Khalsa panth was created. Shri Guru Gobind Singh ji chose Vaisakhi day to initiate the Khalsa panth, giving it a huge added importance.

Traditionally, Sikhs have always carried the charisma of strength, protection, service and hard work. Only 2% of India’s over one billion population are Sikhs. India has the largest standing volunteer armed forces in the world, over 15% of them are Sikhs. In parts of Punjab, an age old tradition in Hindu families, to make the first born male child a Sikh, to serve and protect the nation, is still followed. They are not just warriors, there isn’t a profession or vocation where Sikhs have not excelled.

Sikhs have a presence, they stand out literally and figuratively. An anecdote illustrates the point. A man parked his car outside a busy restaurant and asked his son to step out and check if there was a table available for the family to have dinner.

There were about 40 people in the restaurant of which three were Sikhs. The son came back to his dad and said “it's full of Sikhs”. This visibility together with the reputation of Sikhism brings responsibilities. It happened with me, as a young lad in medical school, I was waiting in a crowded bus stop, when a middle aged lady in distress ran to me for help, ignoring all the older and bigger men around me.

Professor Harminder Singh Dua CBE

Q - How different will this year's Vaisakhi be from other years for you and the community?

This period of three weeks or so is significant in that we have Holi, Easter, the start of Ramadan and Vaisakhi all coming together.

As High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, to mark Vaisakhi, I have organised an interfaith meeting in my local Gurudwara, Singh Sabha, in Nottingham.

Leaders from the community, of Sikh, Islam, Hindu, Jew and Christian faiths will give a small talk each on an aspect of their respective religion. The event will be on the 17th of April at 11am and can be watched live or later, via a Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/kirtanandkathlive/ Q - Please share a message for the readers of Asian Voice on the occasion of Vaisakhi that might give them hope and perspective to navigate through such difficult times.

My message is embodied in my theme for my term in office as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, 2021-2022. Community, Religion and Environment encapsulated in one word - CARE. Care for those we serve, Care for those who serve us. A community is not a collection of silos of ethnicities, but a seamless cohesion of individuals of different ethnicities. God is at the core of all religions, there is only One God. You can’t live clean in a dirty house. Our Environment is crying out for our care, give it.

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BJP Spokesperson Tajinder Bagga reminisces the legacy of Guru Nanak Dev and talks about farmers’ protests in India

Sikhs celebrating Vaisakhi at home with aromatic delicacies Kunjal Zala

India is an agricultural country. Agriculture and its allied activities act as the main source of livelihood for more than 80% of the population of rural India.

As of 2017, it was reported that it provides employment to approximately 52% of labour. Its contribution to Gross Domestic product (GDP) is between 14 to 15%. Exploring the recent developments in the country, Asian Voice spoke exclusively to BJP Spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (BJP MLA Candidate Hari Nagar VidhanSabha, Delhi, 2020). He shared his perspective over the cultural traditions of the Sikh community, ongoing farmers’ protests in India and he also explained how the government actually wants to help farmers in India.

BJP Spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga with Indian PM Narendra Modi

On the ongoing farmers’ protests “The government has tried to talk to the farmers. There were more than eight to ten meetings that happened which included cabinet ministers along with the farmers. The farmers asked the government to give in writing that no MSP will be deducted which the government agreed to do. The government further said that it was ready to put a hold on the bill until both parties reach a consensus over the matter. Post that, the government made a committee with the Supreme Court of India, wherein both the government and the farmers were allowed to have a certain set number of people. But the farmers didn’t agree. This was being termed as a “political” movement, but now farmers' leader Rakesh Tikait is going to Bengal, Kerala and he said he will go to all the states where elections are happening and meet the farmers. So I think it is clear that their motive behind the protest is not the bill. The motive behind the protests is - that they hate BJP, they hate Modi. They know that these protests will benefit them, hence they are letting them happen.”

Guru Nanak’s ‘sachcha sauda’ “When Guru Nanak Dev Ji was young, his father gave him 20 rupees and asked him to go and do a fair deed (Sachcha sauda) with the money. On his way he met some people who had been starving for almost 20 days. So he used all the money given by his father, to feed these people and came back home. When his father interrogated him about what he did with that money, he said I did a fair deed (Sachcha sauda) and I fed hungry people. So Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the langar pratha as a tradition. He also told the community to save 10 percent of their earnings and donate it to the Gurudwaras or community for langar (community kitchen) as many times as possible on a regular basis.

Thereafter, for 100s of years till date, if there’s any natural calamity or global issue where any kind of help is needed, the Sikh community is the first to come forward to help.”

The future “Farmers used to sell a vegetable at 4 Rs/Kg. Traders used to take about 6 Rs from the farmer. It used to reach Delhi and retails used to get it at 10 Rs/Kg, and it used to be sold at about 20 Rs/Kg finally.A lot of big brands came in and there was a harvest of vegetables that would go stale if not consumed within a certain period of time. This was a very common phenomenon four - five years ago, it happens even now sometimes. This system has existed for the last 70 years and it cannot be abolished by just pressing a button. What the big brands had, was a huge amount of storage facilities. So they took produce from farmers and started storing and selling it to customers not at 20 Rs/Kg but 10 Rs/Kg. Farmers started getting 6 Rs instead of 4 Rs. Everybody was benefitting from this. Now, if this chain of four to five people breaks, everybody will benefit, including the farmers. So what Indians abroad can do to help is create big storage facilities for farmers in India, help them in getting the best price so that both farmers and customers can benefit.”

This year Vaisakhi will not be marked with the customary large gatherings and processions in different parts of the world as the community is urged to stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, with all events cancelled.

The processional singing of holy hymns, nagar kirtans, will go online, for instance from Gurudwaras supporting the government's stay-at-home message to lessen the spread of deadly virus.

Festivals, in India, may mean many things — gathering with family and friends, the thrill of having presents from the elders, new clothes, a holiday from everyday routines and unbridled joy. They also mean food. There are different dishes prepared on Baisakhi day.

The word Gurudwara means the door to the guru. So when you visit the guru you cannot come back empty handed. The guru offers his sweet blessings to you.

Thus kada prashad signifies these blessings and one should never say no to kada prashad when you visit any gurudwara.

Kada Prashad is a smooth, soft, velvety and rich halwa made with whole wheat flour (atta), ghee, sugar and water. In gurudwaras, this prasad is prepared with lot of devotion and continuous chanting of hymns.

Makke ki roti is a very popular dish in northern parts of India – especially Punjab. The roti is served straight off the griddle and is topped with lip smacking fresh homemade butter.

Makke ki Roti is often accompanied by sarson da saag – the duo makes a mouth watering breakfast.

The lip smacking sarson da saag is a plate full of nutrients as the main ingredients are mustard greens, spinach and green leafy veggies that are rich with vita-

mins. The dish is delicious, healthy and extremely nutritious. If you want to celebrate Baisakhi the traditional way, then you have to have this combo as a part of your menu.

North India's favourite delicacy Kadhi Pakora is one of the most preferred dishes on the day of Baisakhi. Some of the ingredients used to make this dish are chickpea flour, turmeric, curd etc. With the help of this, the mouth-watering dish is prepared and enjoyed by families.

Punjabis are incomplete without lassi.

Be it a huge festival or a small occasion, this community always has Lassi in their meal. Whenever guests visit, they offer a glass of lassi which is the signature of their affection and hospitality towards their friends and relatives. This lassi is available in different types of flavours like fruit lassi, plain lassi, sweet, salt and so on.

A traditional sweet, phirni is a creamy pudding - one of the most popular North Indian dessert recipes made with ground rice and milk. Phirni is usually prepared during festivals and special occasions.

While rice kheer is made from whole rice, phirni is prepared with finely ground basmati rice. To add a nice taste and aroma, add saffron strands or rose petals to the dish. It serves as a perfect dessert post a Mughlai meal.

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We need to celebrate safely elebrating Vaisakhi is a special moment for Dr Harpreet Sood me. Being with family and friends at our local gurdwara is something I look forward to every year.

The day is also an important celebration for the Sikh community.

However, this year, like last year, we will need to celebrate safely. We know that ethnic minority populations have the worst outcomes from Covid-19. Many of us have lost family members, friends and colleagues to this nasty virus. We are still in a pandemic and despite restrictions being lifted on April 12, we must all still play our part in following the guidance.

Even if we have been vaccinated, we should stay alert and be aware of the latest rules to protect our loved ones and ourselves. Continue to wash your hands regularly, do not share food with others, keep a safe distance from others, do not mix households inside and wear face

C

coverings indoors (for further advice please visit https://www.nhs.uk/coronavirus).

Also, when you’re asked to come forward to be vaccinated, please do so.

The vaccine gives us the best chance to be able to worship together again and celebrate occasions with loved ones.

I have had my vaccine and my parents have also had their first dose and we will continue to remain vigilant and follow the guidance. We are looking forward to my brother’s wedding in the gurdwara this summer once lockdown restrictions are raised. However, we will only be able to do so if we continue to make the excellent progress with the vaccinations and the number of Covid-19 cases coming down. Let’s all play our part with this progress and come out of this pandemic.

Happy Vaisakhi to all those celebrating.

(Dr Harpreet Sood is NHS England’s Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer and a GP in London).

Lord Rami Ranger, CBE, Chairman - British Sikh Association Wishing everyone a very happy Vaisakhi, Lord Ranger said, “On this day in 1699 the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the brotherhood of Khalsa to establish the tyranny and injustice of the then emperor Aurangzeb. The emperor wanted to destroy diversity in India. According to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, diversity must be accepted, respected and if need be, defended. He defended the diversity of India that we enjoy today. It was the brotherhood of Khalsa that stopped the relentless invasion into India via the Khyber Pass and saved Indian civilisation. Therefore, Vaisakhi is not just the celebration of the Sikh, it is for every Indian who is enjoying religious freedom in India, thanks to the supreme sacrifices of the Sikh Guru and their followers. It saddens me when I see some misguided Sikhs trying to divide us from the rest of India. First of all, they are going totally against the teachings of Sikh gurus and their actions diminish the respect of Sikh gurus and their followers in the world. I’m indebted to the government of India, for celebrating the lives and teachings of Sikh gurus on a national and international scale. Therefore, please shun all those people who are going against the teachings of our gurus. We are as proud of India as India is proud of us. So let’s unite and celebrate Vaisakhi as one great nation.

Harmeet Singh Gill, General Secretary, Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall Sharing the plans for Vaisakhi, Harmeet Singh Gill told Asian Voice, “Vaisakhi celebrates the foundation of the Khalsa by the 10th master, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in April 1699. The Khalsa was created with the Punj Piyare (the five beloved ones), who each personified the five virtues of Compassion, righteousness, courage, commitment and oneness. This year will be the second Vaisakhi that we won't be celebrating with our usual colourful Nagar Kirtans (processions) or large scale functions in our Gurdwaras. This Vaisakhi will remind us that the virtues Guru Gobind Singh Ji instilled in the Khalsa are more important than ever. During the pandemic, Sikhs across the world have shown their compassion and commitment by serving their local communities with Langar (free kitchens), serving all regardless of background, recognising humanity's oneness. Volunteers have shown immense courage, working to feed those on the front line. For Sikhs serving humanity through the pandemic has been the most righteous way to celebrate Vaisakhi. With the easing of lockdown restrictions, we will be resuming services for the Sangat (congregants) to safely visit and take part in celebrations at our Gurdwaras, services will start at 3am so as many people can attend.” Prince Edward visited the Gurdwara on behalf of Prince Philip in 2018 to present the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

“We became the first ever SIkh Gurdwara to offer the scheme,” Gill told Asian Voice.

Why the Sikh community is highly-valued in Malaysia Sikhs have known to be of high importance for Malaysia, making it a culturally rich society. An online portal reported that, “The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said although the Sikhs made up only 2.5 per cent of the population, they had always stood out and made their presence known.”

The Sultan expressed his gratitude towards the Sikh community at the launch of

the book titled 'Sikhs in Malaysia: A Comprehensive History' written by Ranjit Singh Malhi.

He said that the Sikhs were “at the top of their game in all professions including as lawyers, judges, accountants and distinguished academicians.”

“A few turbaned and moustached Sikhs were apparently all it took to strike fear into the hearts of those considering doing

wrong. A well-deserved reputation for courage, loyalty and discipline also played an important role, of course,” the Sultan said.

According to the Sultan, some eminent Sikhs in Malaysia are: the former Chief Justice of Malaya Tan Sri Swaran Singh Gill, Malaysia's first female paediatrician Dr. Harban Kaur Virik, footballer Datuk Santok Singh, and singer DJ Dave.

The Sikh women in Partition According to Google Art and Culture, Jagjit Kaur is an Indian Hindi/Urdu singer and the spouse of the music director, Mohammed Zahur Khayyam. She sang fewer songs for films than her contemporaries like Lata and Asha, yet all of her songs have been described as memorable masterpieces.

Tikka Rani Jagjit Kaur Bedi kept strict purdah before 1947. She, along with her husband Tikka Surinder Singh Bedi, migrated to Delhi soon after Partition.

She wore this burkha while fleeing Kallar. Once in their new home, with the pressing need to help rebuild their lives, she gave up on the purdah and never wore a burkha again.

Generously donated by Sarabjit (Gugu) Kaur. The book ‘This is from Borders and Boundaries - Women in India’s Partition by Ritu Menon’ also mentions the story of Sikh women who came to India during the partition and remained in the country. Some of them even started working which

Ganeev Kaur

made their respective partners (husbands) a bi complacent. Some of them were allowed to work but without any compensation such that the monetary responsibilities of the family still stayed with men, not the women. Some of them also tried to study.

The book quotes Bibi Inder Kaur, where she said, “Partition provided me with the opportunity to get out of the four walls of my house. I had the will power, the intelligence, Partition gave me the chance. In Karachi, I would have remained a housewife.

Speaking to Asian Voice, Ganeev Kaur, Curator (Exhibitions) The Partition Museum said,

“Following the Partition, there was an enforced change of circumstances which meant that many women who had earlier observed strict purdah now joined the work stream. In the official rehabilitation schemes in Punjab, the government provided women with sewing machines and encouraged them to sew, embroider and knit and become selfsufficient and contribute to the economy, so these products would then be sold in the market.”

“In the Partition Museum at Amritsar, we have a burkha donated by a lady who observed strict purdah until the Partition.

She wore this burkha while fleeing from Kallar, now in Pakistan, but after reaching India never observed purdah again! Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin’s book, “Borders and Boundaries” has a very powerful oral history of how a woman literally says that she “found her wings” after Partition,” she added.

‘Topknot or not?’

Jaspreet Kaur has written the script for BBC’s documentary ‘Topknot or not?’ that airs on BBC this week.

It is the story of a 14 year old Sikh boy who gets tired of being asked by classmates as to why he wears a handkerchief in a knot over his head.

Speaking exclusively to Asian Voice, Kaur said, “The short coming-of-age film shares the complex realities and nuances that exist for many young Sikh boys across the world. I was really humbled to write this story, one that so often has been

Jaspreet Kaur

underrepresented, and even sometimes, ignored or erased. We had forty-five Sikh boys audition for the role which tells you how important these kinds of stories are to young people, and how important it is for them to see someone that looks like them or they can relate to on-screen.” “It was

inspired by my husband’s journey, and what it was like for him growing up, trying to navigate having a juri alongside all the societal pressure and peer pressure young Sikh boys have to face as teenagers. Speaking to him about his kesh (unshorn hair) and what it means to him and his identity really moved me to write this script,” she added.

“Though I have been a writer and poet for many years, this was my first script to screen project and I can’t wait to share more stories that I have in the pipeline,” Kaur said.

First pair of British Sikhs and South Asians create history as they officiate the English Football League Two British Sikh brothers Bhupinder and Sunny Gill made history at the English Football League last weekend when they became the first pair of British South Asians to officiate in the same match.

Bhupinder and Sunny were born to Jarnail Singh in the UK. He was the first turban-wearing Sikh English Football League referee, who moved to Britain from Mehna village in Moga in Punjab. Their mother, Baljit, is from Khanna in Ludhiana.

“Britain’s highest-ranked, South Asian-origin assistant referee Bhupinder, 36, a PE teacher from Iver, will be assistant referee and his brother, Sunny, 37, the most

senior British South Asian referee, who referees in the Vanarama National League, will be the fourth official, at the Bristol City vs Nottingham Forest Championship match at Aston Gate on Saturday.

There will not be any spectators owing to Covid-19.

Sunny is an HMP Feltham prison officer from Winkfield,” The Times of India had reported.

“I do not think there are any other Sikh referees in English football right now,”

Bhupinder had said. He also said that he wants to encourage young people from Sikh and other backgrounds to take up refereeing. Jarnail has retired as a referee and works as a community support officer at Heathrow and is a match observer.

Shadow secretary of state for international development Preet Kaur Gill, Britain’s first Sikh female MP, said: “I think ahead of Baisakhi to see this game and to see two Sikhs refereeing will be absolutely something the Sikh community here in Britain can be really, really proud of and will really inspire others.”

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Dear Financial Voice Reader, Alpesh Patel How to Make Your Child A Millionaire It’s the new tax year, so your allowances for your children’s investments can restart. For our community to be socially mobile, it is up to all of us, this paper, those who knowhow like me, and parents. It takes a village to raise a child as they say.

For most people, investing is about one of two things: retirement or their children’s well-being. Passing on survival skills to our children is an essential aspect of parenthood.

And what better gift is there than financial independence?

As we all know, becoming a self-made millionaire is no mean feat. However, through saving, some well-timed or wise investments, and a little financial education, you can set your kids on the right path.

Below, I will list several methods that show you how to make your child a millionaire.

Junior ISA A junior ISA is permanently tax-free. They come as either cash ISAs or as an investment wrapper. In the 2020/2021 tax year, investors could place as much as $9000 per year that will be locked away until a child’s 18 birthday, at which point it becomes a regular ISA. However, for parents, choosing the suitable Junior ISA is essential. Depending on the age of your child, an investment wrapper could be the right choice. Investing tends to outperform cash over the long term; however, investment comes with more significant risks. Cash ISAs tend to perform slow and steady but typically produce returns below the stock market.

Tax Wrappers Of course, if you want your child to become a millionaire, you’ll need to start saving early. Setting up a Junior ISA or Junior SIPP for them once they are born is a great way to get them on the way to a comfortable retirement. You can contribute a maximum of £9,000 this year and the investment growth in it is tax free. The tax benefits mean the returns compound significantly faster as the years go by.

Investing If you want the best returns, you should consider investing. While it is riskier, the rewards are often much more significant. Paul A. Merriman makes the case in a Marketwatch post that $1 a day can result in seven-figure gains from smallcap value stocks.

By investing $365 per day in low-cost ETFs at around 12% a year, the parents' $6,570 could compound into $20,348 by the time their child is 18. By setting up an individual retirement account (IRA), this child can then add this money taxfree and watch it grow.

Holding onto these funds at a 12% compound interest rate throughout their working life is where this method really delivers. The nest egg could grow to a staggering $4,185,342 by their 66th birthday.

Financial Education Of course, setting up savings and pensions funds for your kids is just one method. Another, favoured by Warren Buffett, is about teaching children financial literacy from an early age.

Indeed, Buffet is so serious about this that in 2011 he created a children’s cartoon series Secret Millionaires Club. Buffet has many lessons to give anyone about financial management, but for kids and parents, he keeps things simple.

Chief among his advice is teaching financial literacy as early as possible. Setting a good example and demonstrating the value of even a tiny level of savings are all tools that should be passed down to younger children. Buffet also suggests that instilling children with an entrepreneurial spirit and a constant desire to learn are vital factors for ensuring financial independence.

Turning Your Kid Into an Investor Of course, we won’t always be around to help and look out for our kids. So teaching them how to invest while we can is an excellent idea. With the bulk of our brain growth happening by three years of age, financial concepts can be taught in these formative stages. While that might seem young, a study by the University of Cambridge suggests basic money concepts can be grasped by children aged 3-4.

The pandemic — and resultant enforced homeschooling — provided an opportunity for many parents to orient their children towards money management.

Conclusion A mix of intelligent investing and education is required to help your children retire as millionaires. Consistent savings and a combination of investments and junior ISA are all that it takes to net seven-figure retirement funds. However, teaching financial guidance is a must.

I’ll return to Warren Buffett for the final word. He suggests that the number 1 financial mistake parents make with their children is teaching them financial literacy too late.

To conclude, it’s never too early to start saving, investing, or learning. I want everyone to learn how to invest for themselves, or at least the right questions to ask their fund manager, or financial advisor. I create a Campaign to teach for free people how to invest better and so they feel they are seated next to me, connect with me on instant messenger and see what I see. It’s all free on www.campaignforamillion.com

Greensill scandal: Cameron, Sunak, Hancock under scrutiny Former UK prime minister David Cameron finds himself in the middle of piping hot soup as the Greensill Scandal continues to grow feet. In fresh updates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a probe into his lobbying on behalf of the now collapsed Greensill Capital.

The investigation will also look into the firm's engagement with the government.

Reports also suggest the inquiry may have licence to recommend changes to lobbying regulations.

After a month-long silence on accusations of his involvement, Cameron finally spoke up with a 1,700-word statement on Sunday. The media has relentlessly published about his lobbying efforts for Greensill, and his correspondence to two junior ministers, senior civil servants, a No. 10 special adviser, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak himself. He said he accepted that he should have communicated “through only the most formal of channels” and there were “important lessons” to be learned.

He said he was “desperately sorry” for people affected by the collapse of the

revelations have been made in the last few weeks. The most damning being Cameron's lobbying Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman soon after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It has also emerged that he had directly lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak to give Greensill a role in the government's Covid-19 loan scheme, and approached Health Secretary Matt Hancock about the scheme in 2019.

Reportedly, Cameron approached the Bank of England, and head of NHSX, Mathew Gould.

He is also said to have lobbied financial secretary to the Treasury, Jesse Norman.

BoJo's independent review will be led by corporate lawyer Nigel Boardman.

While a timescale has not been set, however, things are expected to move along quickly. Not just Cameron, Sunak faces a lot of heat as well as text messages reveal him telling the former PM that he had “pushed” Treasury officials to help Greensill participate in the multimillion-pound Covid19 scheme. Media reports suggest the chancellor personally intervened to try and help the firm for Cameron.

Around two months of negotiations took place between the second-most senior official in the Treasury and Greensill as they tried to find a way to accommodate them.

The Labour Party said the messages suggest Sunak may have broken the ministerial code and called for a “transparent and thorough investigation.”

Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said, “They suggest that Greensill Capital got accelerated treatment and access to officials, and that the chancellor had pushed officials to consider Greensill's requests. The chancellor's decision to open the door to Greensill Capital has put public money at risk.

the grace period for checks on supermarket goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

EU sources have told UK officials that 90 per cent border checks could disappear if Britain agreed to align food standards with those of the bloc. Ireland's

Europe minister Thomas Byrne called the situation “delicate”, but he said it would be “excellent” if a veterinary deal could be achieved as it would solve problems both in Northern Ireland and those facing food exporters in Great Britain.

Rishi Sunak and David Cameron

firm, and that he had approached ministers “not just because I thought it would benefit the company, but because I sincerely believed there would be a material benefit for UK businesses at a challenging time.” Cameron said he understood concern about the “ease of access and familiarity” in lobbying ministers via text message and email, but he argued he wanted to make his case quickly during the coronavirus crisis when Greensill had a “genuine and legitimate proposal to help.”

“As a former prime minister, I accept that communications with the government need to be done through only the most formal of channels, so there can be no room for misinterpretation,” he said. Several damning

UK, EU holding 'technical talks' over border checks In the past two weeks, officials from London and Brussels have been involved in intense “technical talks” over future border checks on food, plants, and parcels going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. An official spokesman from Downing Street said the discussions had been constructive, however, there were “still significant differences that need to be resolved.”

Sources in the know said

that while progress has been made in Northern Ireland, efforts did not involve removing checks on goods, but instead concentrated on removing the series of “rolling deadlines” from the implementation of border controls. The talks began a fortnight ago after UK relations with the EU reached a low point, with Brussels launching legal action against the UK for taking a unilateral decision to extend

Fullers Food, General Traffic on Sunday Times list of UK companies with fastest-growing profits The 22nd annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table ranked Britain's private companies with the fastest-growing profits over the last three years. The league finds an average of 59 per cent a year over the last three years to a combined total of £932 million. As impressive as it is considering the ongoing Covid19 outbreak, it is slower than the record high of 82 per cent a year in 2016, and the lowest since 2003.

Leeds-based Fullers Foods found itself on the 8th rank with an annual growth rate of 85.74 per cent. The family businesses operate 120 factories in 12 countries to supply home

brand frozen, chilled, and ambient prepared foods. Joint chief executives and brothers Jason and Adam Fuller led the group to record profits of £9.2 million in the year to January 2020.

Also on the list is General Traffic on Rank 25 with 73.79 per cent annual growth rate.

Founded in 1982 as a single store by brothers Adam and Imtiaz Umarji, this car parts firm has 28 branches across the north of England, including two new sites in Keighley and Halifax.

Headquartered in Bolton, it is now run by the second generation of the family, Adnan and Adil Umarji.

Revision to UK takeover Bill for fear of deterring investors The UK plans to make amendments to the proposed National Security and Investment law for fear of losing on investors seeking to buy stakes in British assets.

Under a proposed government amendment, prospective overseas buyers of UK assets must notify the government if they are seeking a stake of 25 per cent or more, compared with 15 per cent in the existing draft bill.

The changes will be discussed when the legislation returns to the House of Lords for its report stage from April 15. The move comes at a time when the government tries to push the economy out of the worst recession the UK has seen in three centuries.

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17 - 23 April 2021

IMF raises India’s FY22 growth forecast to 12.5 per cent The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised India’s growth projections for 202122 to 12.5% from its January estimate of 11.5%, making it the fastest growing major economy in the world. Top Indian policy makers have so far said there is no need to scale down the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) 10.5% GDP growth projection for 2021-22 as the country is better prepared to deal with the second wave of the pandemic with vaccinations progressing at a brisk pace.

The World Bank had recently forecast the Indian economy to grow in the 7.5% to 12.5% range in 2021-22, given the significant uncertainty at this stage about both epidemiological and policy developments. It had also said that it expects

India’s economy to grow more than 10.1% in the 202122 - a sharp upward revision of 4.7 percentage points from its January 2021 forecast.

The Indian economy has scripted a swift recovery after plunging into technical recession with two consecutive quarters of contraction in the previous fiscal year. It is estimated to contract by 8% in 2020-21

but most estimates see growth rebounding strongly in the current fiscal year.

But some economists see the recent surge in Covid-19 cases and the steps taken by authorities in states such as Maharashtra to combat the pandemic hurting growth and the ongoing recovery.

The IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) showed that China is

projected to grow 8.4% in 2021 and 5.6% next year.

India, at 6.9%, is also expected to grow faster than China in 2022- 23 and also retain its title as the fastest growing major economy for the second consecutive year.

For 2021-22 if the IMF’s projection is realised, India would be the only major economy to post double digit growth.

The report said that thanks to unprecedented policy response, the Covid19 recession is likely to leave smaller scars than the 2008 global financial crisis.

However, emerging market economies and low-income developing countries have been hit harder and are expected to suffer more significant medium-term losses.

Airtel and Jio seal £150 mn spectrum deal Sparring telecom companies Airtel and Reliance Jio came together for a near £150 million spectrum trading deal as the mobile operators took steps to rationalise and monetise their spectrum holdings just weeks after the conclusion of a mega airwave sale by the government.

Jio signed an agreement with Airtel to acquire some of the latter’s spectrum in the 800 MHz band in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Mumbai circles at an aggregate deal value of about £149.7 million. As part of the agreement, Airtel would receive £103.8 million from Jio for the proposed transfer.

In addition, Jio will also assume the future liabilities of £45.9 million relating to

the spectrum.

Notwithstanding the deal, Jio and Airtel have often been at loggerheads with each other right since Mukesh Ambani re-entered the telecom business in September, 2016. Airtel had accused Jio of engaging in predatory prices to capture the telecom market, while also alleging that the new entrant had disrupted the financial model of the telecom industry by making

voice-calling free.

Jio, on the other hand, had accused Airtel and other rival Vodafone Idea of deliberately not providing enough inter-connection points at the time of the launch of its services, which had finally seen regulator Trai slap a £305 million penalty on the rivals of Ambani’s venture.

Commenting on the current deal, Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia), of Airtel, said, “The sale of the 800 MHz blocks in these three circles has enabled us to unlock value from the spectrum that was unutilised. This is aligned to

our overall network strategy.” Jio gets a “right to use” on Airtel’s 800 MHz spectrum in Andhra Pradesh (3.75 MHz), Delhi (1.25 MHz) and Mumbai (2.50 MHz).

“With this trading of right to use spectrum, Jio will have 2X15MHz of spectrum in the 800MHz band in Mumbai circle and 2X10MHz of spectrum in the 800MHz band in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi circles, thereby further consolidating its spectrum footprint in these circles.

With the enhanced spectrum footprint, Jio has further increased its network capacity,” Jio said. The companies said that the transaction is subject to requisite regulatory and statutory approvals.

In a 1st, RBI to buy £10 bn worth govt bonds in Q1 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a government securities acquisition programme (GSAP) where it has committed to buy bonds worth £10 billion in the first quarter.

This unprecedented step has been taken to keep interest rates in check to support growth, which RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said was paramount. The central bank’s announcement had the intended impact with the yield on the 10-year bond falling more than 11 basis points after the announcement to 6.07% from 6.18%.

This is not the same as the RBI using its balance sheet to support government borrowing.

“Since bonds are being purchased from the secondary market, this would amount to monetisation of debt. On the contrary, monetisation of fiscal deficit, if it amounts to printing money in that particular year to finance it, is inflationary as it is effectively subscribing to the

primary issuances of government,” said SBI group chief economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh. He added that monetisation of debt, however, may not be directly inflationary as it entails financing through Gsecs in secondary market and, if carried judiciously, is not inflationary particularly when there is over-capacity as in the current situation.

“The RBI clarified that the G-SAP will run alongside other instruments, namely longer term repo/reverse repo auctions, forex operations, operation twist, and other open market operations. Given this, it is no surprise that bond yields have softened since the policy announcement,” HSBC chief economist Pranjul Bhandari said.

“The bond market was in a wait-and-watch mode going into FY22 to digest £12 billion of G-secs supply.

With the explicit guidance now on the G-sec buying, supply concerns seem to have been addressed,” ICICI Securities said.

RBI deputy governor Michael Patra said, “This is the first time that the RBI is committing its balance sheet to conduct of monetary policy. It is different from open market operations where we announce the amount and the timing. We are giving up this discretion to give an assurance to markets. Giving a number enables participants to plan their actions accordingly.”

He added that it was a

judgment call to announce a scheduled asset purchase and could go awry, but it was a challenge that the RBI has taken up. Internationally, central banks have been buying assets from banks as part of their quantitative easing programme. Patra said that the RBI chose to buy government bonds as it was the best quality asset, and the prices of government bonds have an impact on all credit markets.

INDIA FASTEST GROWING MARKET FOR LEVI’S IN ASIA India has emerged as the fastest growing market in Asia for the US' Levi Strauss & Co. For the first quarter of 2020-21 that ended February 28, the company’s sales in India grew ahead of the same period in 2019, Harmit Singh, global CFO at Levi Strauss & Co, said. “Asia as a region declined 8%. The full digital ecosystem in the region grew over 60% in the quarter. India’s performance was slightly ahead of the region. More importantly, this market grew compared to Q1 of 2019…,” said Singh. Levi’s, which is the largest maker and retailer of denim wear both globally and in India, reported sales of £111.8 million in 2019-20 (the company follows a December-November financial year).

Pepe, which is the second-largest brand in India after Levi’s, reported sales of £40.3 million during 2019-20. “Our international markets such as China, India and Russia all had great first quarters and represent significant growth opportunities,” said Chip Bergh, CEO at Levi Strauss & Co.

Death & Taxes Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

I once saw a billboard which said Death and Taxes on one side, on the other side it said always pay your taxes, and in regard to death it said there was a loophole, eternal life through Christ.

However, below I’ll be sharing a few “loopholes” in regards to tax.

I have been asked to revisit a property transaction that took place a couple of years ago. The purpose is to see if there is a means to reclaim the stamp duty which has already been paid, and if this type of property should be exempt from stamp duty then this will help the onward sale of this property to a developer.

We currently have a tax specialist examining the transaction to see what relief, if any, can be claimed.

This would not be the first time a solicitor has charged the wrong stamp duty.

There are many reliefs and exemptions which are listed on the HMRC website, which many solicitors are unaware of. Not only are they unaware, they do not tell you they are unaware. A few say they do not advise on the stamp duty payable, and this will need specialist input.

There have been a couple of situations wherein we had to convince the solicitor of a particular transaction regarding the actual stamp duty payable.

In one scenario, the solicitor who was a partner in his firm, was not aware of the multiple dwelling relief available when purchasing a freehold block consisting of many flats. In another, the transaction was completely exempt from stamp duty; we had to show the relevant legislation to the solicitor for him to apply it to the purchase!!!

Stamp duty is an area which has its many nuances, and when purchasing property it’s always worth looking into this aspect by a specialist. Even something as simple as purchasing a residential property in the country. If there is a right of way, for example, it could possibly benefit from an exemption.

These are not some pie in the sky schemes, which will blow up in years to come. This is the legislation written in law, in plain sight.

This revisiting of a transaction occurred off the back of a conversation I was having with an accountant who specialises in property. His assertion, for this particular property, was if the property was uninhabitable at the time of purchase, no stamp duty should have been payable. The definition of unhabitable is not simply that it needs a quick make over; it is so much more than that. With this property, the utilities were not connected, and deeper inspection into the details may find that it was under the category of uninhabitable. Therefore, it’s being examined more forensically by a specialist to see what reliefs or exemptions it might qualify for.

On a development transaction we sourced for an investor, he was pleasantly surprised when we managed to purchase the property without any stamp duty payable whatsoever.

These are not the only exemptions available. For example, there is something called capital allowances.

Recently, we managed to get about £275K of capital allowances for clients we are working with on a commercial building undergoing development. This acts as a tax credit which means our investors can take up to this much income from the project, without paying a penny in tax. These examples are from our experience. Remember, that each scenario is different, and therefore it is always important to take sound advice from a specialist.

RBI HOLDS RATES, VOWS GROWTH SUPPORT The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left interest rates unchanged and vowed to maintain an easy policy stance to sustain growth but cautioned that the recent surge in Covid-19 infections adds uncertainty to the domestic growth outlook amid tightening of restrictions by some state governments. The monetary policy committee (MPC) decided to keep the repo rate - the rate at which the central bank lends to banks - unchanged at 4%. It also unanimously decided to continue with the accommodative stance as long as necessary to sustain growth on a durable basis and continue to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economy. The MPC also decided to retain the GDP growth estimates for 2021-22 at 10.5% and the projection for CPI inflation has been revised to 5% in the fourth quarter of 2020-21; 5.2% in the first quarter of 2021-22; 5.2% in the second quarter; 4.4% in the third quarter; and 5.1% in the fourth quarter, with risks broadly balanced.

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Pakistanis troll Imran Khan for blaming ‘obscenity’ in society for rape ISLAMABAD: Outraged by his remark linking sexual violence to "increasing obscenity" in society, Pakistanis have flooded social media with memes of PM Imran Khan, many of them showing him in Western attire in the company of foreigners, and accompanied by comments like "he is trying to convert halfclad British beauties to the benefits of purdah". In response to a question, Khan had said, "History tells us that when ‘fahashi’ (obscenity) increases in society, sex crimes go up and the family system breaks down".

Pakistani journalist Reema Omer tore into him on Twitter.

"PM’s comments linking rape with "obscenity" are ignorant, dangerous and condemnable," she wrote. "His propagation of this rape myth shows he has no understanding of the issue, and amounts to providing excuses for criminal acts of perpetrators while blaming the victims."

Another social media user responded to Omer with a sarcastic defence of the PM. "You

Imran Khan

need to give him (Imran Khan) a break as he is saying what he is told or messaged. His past life shows how colourful he was."

Rights activist Meena Gabeena didn't hold back either.

"I can guarantee that one day a number of women will come out with accusations on Imran Khan of harassment and even rape," she said. "A man with such mentality is definitely in the crime himself." Pakistan’s legal fraternity, rights groups and women rights forums, too, condemned Khan, terming his remarks "factually incorrect, insensitive and dangerous".

A statement signed by repre-

sentatives of several rights organisations, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, War Against Rape and Pakistan Bar Council’s Journalist Defence Committee, said that the PM had actively fostered and promoted rape culture and rape apologia.

"In a country where the total reported cases of rape represent only the tip of the iceberg, such statements have the effect of further traumatising and silencing survivors of sexual violence by placing the blame on them, instead of on those who carry out the crime and the system that enables rapists," the statement said.

"Comments of this nature also disregarded the prevalent cases of sexual violence that seemed to have escaped the Prime Minister’s attention, including but not limited to the rape of minor girls as young as a few months old, sexual abuse of young boys, even in madressahs, and sexual abuse and violence

within the confines of the home, perpetrated by family members, including mehrams (a person whom a Muslim cannot marry)."

Jemima slams Imran His former wife Jemima Goldsmith has also slammed Imran him over his rape remarks. In a response to Khan’s comments, Jemima did not mince words and blasted her former husband for stating that it is the women’s dress and vulgarity that has given rise to rape cases. “Say to the believing men that they restrain their eyes and guard their private parts. Quran 24:31. The onus is on men”, maintained Jemima, citing a verse from the Holy Quran to school the Pakistani premier.

Jemima also went on to express her surprise over what she called ‘a transformation’ in the viewpoints of her former spouse, hoping that it was a mistranslation. “I’m hoping this is a misquote/mistranslation. The Imran I knew used to say, put a veil on the man’s eyes not on the woman,” she said.

Another Pak Hindus girl abducted, forcibly converted ISLAMABAD: The persecution of Hindu minorities in Pakistan continues unabated.

Last week, a 22-year-old Hindu girl named Aarti Bai was abducted from Larkana in the Sindh province, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to a man. The members of the Hindu community protested outside the court after it declined to allow parents to meet their daughter.

As per the family of the victim, the girl went missing on April 3, after she left home for a beauty parlour located in Resham Gali where she is working. When she did not return home, her father suspected that his daughter might have been

kidnapped and approached the police to rescue her. The family of the girl was worried about their whereabouts and stunned by her mysterious disappearance. Later, it came to be known that the girl was converted to Islam and married to her abductor.

Six days after the girl was kidnapped, a Karachi based journalist Veengas posted a video on Twitter that showed members of the Hindu community protesting for justice for the parents of the kidnapped girl. It was also reported that the local court did not allow parents to meet their daughter.

Hindus in Pakistan, especially girls, are leading a partic-

2 Christian nurses face blasphemy case in Pak ISLAMABAD: A blasphemy case has been registered against two Christian nurses in Pakistan’s Faisalabad after they were accused by a Muslim co-worker of desecrating wall hangings containing Quranic verses inside a hospital ward. Scores of staff at Faisalabad Civil Hospital staged a protest against the Christian nurses, identified as Mariyum Lal and Newsh Arooj, while alleging that both had committed blasphemy. Among the protesters were clerics demanding strict punishment to the duo.

Sources said Lal and Arooj had been directed by a senior, Rukhsana, to remove old wall hangings and stickers from the psychiatric ward.

Rukhsana, according to the sources, held a grudge against Lal and allegedly provoked other Muslim staffers by claiming that wall hangings bearing Quranic verses had been desecrated. A pharmacy worker attacked Lal with a knife just as she was attending to a patient. She survived the attack with minor injuries to her arm. The hospital administration called the police, who took the nurses into protective custody. The police later registered an FIR in connection with the blasphemy. In Pakistan, false accusations of blasphemy are common and often motivated by personal vendetta.

ularly vulnerable life in the country where forced conversion of Hindus into Islam has become a common norm. The Islamist fanatics routinely abduct Hindu girls, forcefully convert them into Islam before marrying them. Last month, on March 11, a 13-year-old Hindu girl named Kavita Oad from the Kandhkot area of Sindh was reportedly abducted and then forcibly converted to Islam. A couple of days later, her house was set on fire by unidentified miscreants.

In March 2021, a journalist in Pakistan was shot dead by unknown assailants for exposing the role of politicians and clerics in facilitating the force-

ful conversions of Hindu girls.

In December 2020, a top US diplomat for religious freedom Samuel Brownback stated that Pakistan was marketing Hindu and Christian women as “concubines” and “forced brides” to China.

Even the courts fail to do justice for Hindus in Pakistan.

In fact, in some cases, the courts have actively participated in the injustice meted out to the Hindu and Christian minorities. In June 2020, a district magistrate allowed a Muslim man to keep his Hindu wife even after the parents of the girl alleged that their daughter was kidnapped and forcibly married off to the man.

Russia, China thwarting international response to Myanmar crisis, says EU NAYPYIDAW: The European Union’s top diplomat said that Russia and China were hampering a united international response to Myanmar’s military coup, as the death toll from a military crackdown climbed past 700. “It comes as no surprise that Russia and China are blocking the attempts of the UN Security Council, for example to impose an arms embargo,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post.

“Geopolitical competition in Myanmar will make it very difficult to find common ground,” said Borrell.

“But we have a duty to try.”

Security forces have killed more than 700 unarmed protesters, including 46 children, since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, according to a tally

Josep Borrell

by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

That included 82 people killed in the town of Bago, near Yangon, on Friday.

“The world watches in horror, as the army uses violence against its own people,” Borrell said.

China and Russia both have ties to Myanmar’s armed forces, as the first and second largest suppliers of weapons to the country, respectively.

While EU economic leverage in the country is rela-

tively small, Borrell said the EU could offer to increase its economic ties with Myanmar if democracy is restored.

That could include more trade and investments in sustainable development, he said. EU foreign direct investment in Myanmar totalled $700 million in 2019, compared with $19 billion from China.

Despite the bloodshed, protesters continued to rally across Myanmar.

University students and their professors marched through Mandalay and the city of Meiktila on Sunday, according to local media.

Some carried stems of Eugenia flowers — a symbol of victory. In Yangon, protesters carried a banner that read: “We will get victory, we will win.”

in brief INDIAN AMERICAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER KILLED An Indian American software engineer in Missouri, Sharif Rahman Khan, was fatally shot in a possible hate crime. According to reports, the 32-year-old Khan, a native of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, was shot to death on March 31 at a University City apartment in St Louis. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police have arrested Cole J. Miller, 23, in connection with the murder. Police said Miller had a “romantic fixation” with a female friend of the now-deceased Indian engineer, according to reports. On March 31, Miller went to the University City apartment, where Khan’s female friend lived. Khan was also there. An argument flared up between Khan and Miller. During the course of the argument, Khan allegedly punched Miller, following which the latter shot the former, reports said. Miller told police he believed the woman was being trafficked.

PROF MOHIT IYYER RECEIVES NSF CAREER HONOUR The University of Massachusetts announced that two members of its staff, including Indian American Mohit Iyyer, were honored by the National Science Foundation with Career Awards. Iyyer, along with fellow recipient Justin Domke, are both staff members in the university’s College of Information and Computer Sciences. The NSF’s Career program is intended to provide junior scholars who have the potential to serve as role models, both in their research and teaching activities, with significant funding. The ultimate goal of the grant program is to help cement the foundation for a lifetime of integrating research and teaching activities. Iyyer’s research specialty is natural language processing, or the study of how to make computer languages understand human language. Iyyer will spend the next five years building text generation systems that interact with people.

JESAL PATEL ELECTED PRESIDENT OF LINCOLNWOOD The citizens of Lincolnwood, Illinois, has elected Indian American realtor Jesal Patel to the post of president. Patel, a trustee of the Lincolnwood Alliance Party, beat fellow trustee Independent Georjean Hlepas Nickell, by roughly 2.5 points, according to Cook County Clerk officials. The Indian American received 1,268 to Nickell’s 1,201 for 51.36 per cent to 48.64 per cent, the results showed. Patel has lived in Lincolnwood since he was just 4 years old. He has been a trustee in Lincolnwood since 2007 and has served as board liaison to multiple village committees and boards while also serving as chairman of the finance committee and the committee on ordinances, rules, and buildings. His vast experience and knowledge along with his obvious passion and ability make him an excellent member of local government. Patel will replace outgoing president Barry Bass, who chose not to seek re-election.

AGENTS TRY TO CHEAT BUSINESSMAN SUDHIR RUPARELIA Land agents face jail after allegedly forging businessman Dr Sudhir Ruparelia’s signature to obtain money by false pretence. They forged the tycoon's signature signature on a fake legal document allegedly drawn by Sudhir’s lawyers.

The suspects presented the document to money lenders as “proof” of being able to service the loan as the document indicated they were to earn $1.2m off the dubious deal.

The conmen claimed that they were brokering a property deal between Sudhir and his Meera Investments on one part and Joyce Meyer Ministries and Christian Life Ministries at a fee of over $60m. The tycoon said that this is a false transaction. They forged my signature to say they are getting $ 1 mn in commission and went to money lender to borrow money against this forged agreement.” The law firm also distanced themselves from the document.

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in brief IMF'S $2 BN LOAN PROVOKES KENYANS Angry Kenyans took to social media to protest a $2.34 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan to Kenya, arguing that the East African country is already overburdened with loans. Over 160,000 Kenyans have signed an online petition, asking the IMF to cancel the recently approved loan as previous disbursements to Kenya have been lost in corruption scandals and remain unpaid.

Nairobi, however, has argued that the amount is necessary to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and reduce debt vulnerabilities. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani says access to vaccines is critical, and help from the international community is urgently required.

Antoinette Sayeh, IMF deputy managing director, said in a statement that “the Kenyan authorities have demonstrated a strong commitment to fiscal reforms during this unprecedented global shock, and Kenya’s medium-term prospects remain positive."

UAE NAMES FIRST WOMAN ASTRONAUT The UAE named the next two astronauts in its space programme, including the country’s first female astronaut. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, named the two astronauts on Twitter. He identified Noura al-Matroushi as the UAE’s first female astronaut and her male counterpart as Mohammed al-Mulla. A government video described al-Matroushi, born in 1993, as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co. Al-Mulla, born in 1988, serves as a pilot with Dubai police and heads their training division, the government said. The two will undergo training at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. If al-Matroushi ends up going on a mission, she could become the first Arab woman in space, the UAE government said.

FRENCH PREZ SET TO SHUT THE COLLEGE HE WENT President Emmanuel Macron will announce the closure of France’s Ecole Nationale d’Administration, an elite finishing school that has produced many of the country’s presidents, ambassadors and business leaders, French media reported. The move to abolish what has for some in France become a symbol of unequal opportunity is part of Macron’s drive for a fairer society. Macron himself studied there. A new school will be established in its place with revamped rules for recruitment and access to the highest tiers of the civil service. France’s Europe 1 radio reported that Macron was expected to unveil the move to senior civil servants in a virtual meeting, two years after he first said he planned to close his own prestigious alma mater. The postgraduate school was founded in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to train a postwar administrative elite drawn from across all social classes. With time, however, it earned a reputation for selecting from the upper social echelons and being disconnected from reality - an image it struggled to redress.

SAUDI TO ALLOW ONLY ‘IMMUNISED’ PILGRIMS TO MECCA Saudi authorities said only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round umrah pilgrimage from the start of Ramzan, the holy fasting month for Muslims. The haj and umrah ministry said three categories of people would be considered “immunised” - those who’ve got two doses of the vaccine, those administered a single dose at least 14 days prior, and people who’ve recovered from the infection.

Only those people will be eligible for permits to perform umrah, as well as to attend prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The condition also applies for entry into the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Success story of Indian origin people in America WASHINGTON: At a virtual interaction with Nasa scientists who were involved in the historic landing of Perseverance on Mars on March 3, US President Joe Biden remarked, “Indian-of-descent Americans are taking over the country. You (Swati Mohan), my Vice-President (Kamala Harris), my speech writer (Vinay Reddy).”

Biden, who was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, is in a good place to judge that. He has created history by appointing at least 55 Indian-ofdescent Americans to key positions in his administration. And of course, his vice-president, Kamala Harris, is also an American of Indian-descent. In fact, Indian-of-descent American have for some time been considered a “model minority” in the US – they are better educated, have better jobs, are wealthier than many other immigrant populations and enjoy both political and business clout.

America First Choice for Indian Immigrants According to the Migration Policy Institute, from 1980 to 2019, the Indian immigrant population in the United States increased 13-fold. There are 2.7 million Indian immigrants residing in the United States as of 2019, and the country is the second most popular destination for Indians living abroad, after the United Arab Emirates (3.4 million).

Younger and Working Indians living in the US are also younger than other immigrant populations and native born – the Indian median age was 40 years, compared to 46 years for all immigrants and 37 years for the native born. The advantage Indians have here: a high number of them are working-age Indians, 81 per cent of all Indian immigrants were in the 18-to-64 age-bracket versus 78 per cent of the overall foreign-born population and 59 per cent of the native-born population.

Better Educated Indians have much higher education rates than both the US-and overall foreignborn populations. In 2019, 79 per cent of Indian immigrants aged 25 years and older had at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 33 per cent of both US-born and all immigrant adults.

Indra Nooyi who was till recently, CEO of PepsiCo have also made their mark in other industries.

Influential Voters Though Indian-American voters which would account for just 0.82% of the all eligible electorates in the US – a Carnegie Endowment report, says there are 1.9 million of them – they Swati Mohan Kamala Harris play a signifcant role in US politics.

According to a report in the Los Have High Employment Rate Angeles Times, Indian-Americans “have conPeople of Indian-descent have higher tributed more than $3 million to 2020 presiparticipation in the US labor force as comdential campaigns – more than the coveted pared to all other immigrants and the USdonors of Hollywood”. In the 2020 US elecborn population. About 72 per cent of Indian tions, at least 21 people of Indian descent immigrants aged 16 years and older were in pitched in more than $100,000 to Biden's the civilian labor force in 2019, compared to campaign coffers.

67 per cent of the foreign born and 62 per Indian voters are better educated and cent of the native born. More importantly, their significant presence in the US swing Indians are more likely to be employed in states – Pennsylvania, Michigan and management, business, science, and arts Wisconsin, where the 2016 race was decided occupations than the overall US- and forwith very less margins – may have well played eign-born populations. a critical role in sealing the 2020 race to the Have Better Paying Jobs White House.

Indians overall have much higher Indians Get Most H-1B Visas incomes than the total foreign and nativeBetween fiscal 2001 and fiscal 2015, more born populations. In 2019, households headthan half (50.5%) of all H-1B visas for firsted by an Indian immigrant had a median time employment were issued to Indian income of $132,000, compared to $64,000 nationals. The share of these visas issued to and $66,000 for all immigrant and US-born workers from India far outspaced the share households, respectively. Indians form a sigissued to workers from China (9.7%), the next nificant chunk of IT workers across US's tech largest origin group. In 2019, 278, 491 H-1B hubs. According to one report, in Silicon visa recipients were from India, according for Valley 70 per cent of foreign workers are 71.7 per cent of the total number issued. employed in the IT industry. In Seattle, Majority OPT Programme Beneficiaries where nearly 40 per cent of the IT workers are Indian are foreign born, more than 40 per cent are College graduates from India and China from India, the report said. China comes a accounted for the vast majority of Optional distant second with 13.5 per cent.

Practical Training (OPT) approvals in 2017.

Indian-origin CEOs Nearly 70% of all OPT approvals involved Though Indians make up 1 per cent of the graduates from these two countries, far outpopulation, they comprise 8 per cent of the pacing the number from South Korea, founders of high-tech companies – and oneCanada and other nations. The US' OPT prothird technology startups of Silicon Valley. gram allows US colleges and university stuSome of the high profile CEOs of Indian oridents temporary authorisation to work in the gin in the US are in the technology industry – United States has surpassed the H-1B visa Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Alphabet's Sunder program as the largest source of new tempoPichai, IBM's Arvind Krishna, Adobe's rary high-skilled immigrant workers. Indian Shantanu Narayen to name a few. Others like students are recipients of a large number of Ajaypal Singh Banga – CEO, Mastercard, or scholarship in the country.

Concern over effectiveness of Chinese vaccine BEIJING: China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has raised the prospect of mixing vaccines and varying doses to boost efficacy, the first time a government body has acknowledged concerns over the effectiveness of domestic jabs. Gao Fu, the CDC’s head, said that the agency was “considering how to solve the problem that the efficacy of existing vaccines is not high”. Gao proposed mixing different vaccines as well as changing the number of doses and amending the interval between them.

Any new strategy will have ramifications for the more than 20 countries that China said it was supplying in bilateral “vaccine diplomacy” deals. As of March, China had supplied 40mn doses to countries across the globe, including Brazil, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates, prompting the US and its allies to launch their drive to supply 1bn doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine to south-east Asian nations.

Chile, which has relied on China’s Sinovac jab for its vaccine drive, is in the middle of another Covid-19 wave arising from new variants. It has administered 62 doses per 100 residents, the third-highest rate in the world. A recent study of the effectiveness of Chile’s vaccination programme found the effi-

cacy of a single dose of the Sinovac jab was only 3 per cent, compared with 56 per cent with two shots. However, local health experts have not linked the latest wave to the vaccine’s efficacy rate.

Social-media posts on Gao’s remarks were swiftly censored, according to Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. “It is the first time . . . a government official publicly

admitted that the protection rate is a concern in the vaccination drive,” Huang added. China had administered 65mn doses across the country by the middle of March. Unlike other vaccine producers, China’s manufacturers have not published their phase 3 trial data, leading to accusations of a lack of transparency on the vaccine’s effectiveness on different groups.

Sinopharm claims a 79 per cent efficacy rate, similar to

those achieved by AstraZeneca in its US trials. Sinovac’s vaccine has an overall efficacy rate of 51 per cent among people aged 18 to 60, according to documents published by a Hong Kong panel of experts. Peter English, a retired communicable disease control consultant at Public Health England, said it was “astonishing” that phase 3 trial data for the Chinese vaccines had not yet been published.

Hindu group protests criminalisation of ‘swastika’ WASHINGTON: After a US state legislature sought to ban swastika as a symbol of hate, a prominent Hindu organisation has launched a campaign to educate Americans that swastika is an an auspicious sign of goodness. A move by the Maryland House of Delegates to pass House Bill irked the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), which argues that the poorly written bill could negatively affect Hindus, “or worse, our homes and religious sites could become targets.”

The group said the bill falsely defines the swastika as a symbol of hate and bans its display on school grounds, including on clothing, folders, and similar items, while cautioning that “our kids could be subjected to even more bullying in school”.

Neo-Nazi groups and white supremacist extremists have been spotted sporting the swastika at gatherings.

Though the Nazi symbol was originally called the hakenkreuz (‘hooked cross)’, early transla-

tions of Adolf Hilter’s “Mein Kampf” into English substituted swastika for hakenkreuz, thereby popularising the notion of a “Nazi swastika,” HAF said. The organisation also revealed that Hindu leaders had discussed the issue with Jewish leaders at a 2008, Hindu-Jewish leadership summit in Jerusalem resulting in a declaration recognising the importance and positive intent of Hindus using the swastika. “Swastika is an ancient and greatly auspicious symbol of the Hindu tradition. It is inscribed on Hindu temples, ritual altars, entrances, and even account books. A distorted version of this sacred symbol was misappropriated by the Third Reich in Germany, and abused as an emblem under which heinous crimes were perpetrated against humanity, particularly against Jewish people. The participants recognise that this symbol is, and has been sacred to Hindus for millennia, long before its misappropriation,” HAF quoted the declaration as saying.

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BJP, TMC betting big on star power The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) are betting big on star power in the highpitched assembly elections in West Bengal. Popular actors, singers, and other artists have made their way into both camps. The elections in the state are held in eight phases which started from March 27 with the final round of

Celebrities who joined Bharatiya Janata Party: Mithun Chakraborty: The 70 year old veteran Bollywood star campaigner for the BJP is not new to politics. The BJP is the third political party for the film star and is now campaigning across the Bengal.

------Babul Supriyo: One of the five MPs the BJP has fielded for the election, Babul Supriyo will contest from Tollygunge seat in Kolkata. He had joined politics ahead of the 2014 assembly election, defeating the ruling Trinamool Congress’ Dola Sen by 60,000 votes.

------Srabanti Chatterjee: BJP has fielded Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee from Behala West Assembly seat against heavyweight TMC leader and state education minister Partha Chatterjee.

------Yash Dasgupta: Popular Bengali actor Yash Dasgupta had joined the BJP on February 17. He had his debut on the big screen with the title role in the Bengali film “Gangster”. The BJP has fielded him from the Chanditala assembly seat in Hooghly.

------Tanusree Chakraborty: Bengali actor and famous model Tanusree Chakraborty will contest the election from Shyampur constituency in Howrah district.

------Paayel Sarkar: Actor Paayel Sarkar has been fielded from Behala Purba. She was recently given Ysecurity in view of the polls. She had joined the party this year in February.

------Rudranil Ghosh: From being an active Leftwing student leader from Howrah's Narasinha Das College to being a close confidante of Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, one of the finest Bengali theatre and film actor, Rudranil Ghosh is now a BJP leader. Ghosh is fighting the election from the Bhabanipur constituency where Banerjee lives and has been elected MLA twice.

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voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Bengal politics has developed an obsession with the glamour world. The obsession of roping in stars from Bengali film industry and giving them tickets to contest election existed when the Left Front ruled the state for 34

years. Till the last election, only handful Bengali celebrities, mostly from the world of television, adorned the party offices of BJP in Kolkata. But the 2021 election changed the entire scenario.

Celebrity candidates became a trend. It seemed TMC and BJP were in some form of a race to rope in the Bengali celebrities.

Papiya Adhikari: An actor who recently joined BJP and will contest from Uluberia South constituency against Trinamool Congress candidate Pulak Roy. ------Ashok Dinda: West Bengal's second-highest wicket-taker, Dinda was inducted into the BJP on February 24, almost three weeks after he called it quits having played for Goa in his last domestic appearance. Dinda will fight Trinamool Congress' Sangram Kumar Dolai, a sitting legislator since 2016.

------Hiran Chaterjee: Bengali actor Hiran Chatterjee joined the BJP recently in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Namkhana. Chatterjee, who was the vice-president of TMC’s youth wing, quit the party recently.

------Debashree Bhattacharya: Bengali TV actor and TMC leader Gautam Deb's niece Debashree Bhattacharya also joined the BJP last week. She said BJP is a clean party and hence, I have joined them.

------Soumili Biswas: An actress who works in Bengali films and television. She has previously modelled for brands, and anchored shows. Biswas is well known for her talent in classical dance.

------Anjana Basu: Noted Bengali actress is being fielded by the BJP for the election. She will contest on the party ticket from Sonarpur South, South 24 Parganas district, facing up most prominently against her film industry colleague Lovely Moitra from Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Sayantika Banerjee: Tollywood actor Sayantika Banerjee will contest from Bankura constituency for the TMC. She will compete against BJP candidate NiladriSekhar Dana.

Celebrities who joined Trinamool Congress: Aditi Munshi: Folk singer by profession, Aditi Munshi is the wife of TMC youth leader Debraj Chakraborty.

She will be taking the political plunge from the Rajarhat Gopalpur assembly constituency which fall in North 24 Paraganas.

------Saayoni Ghosh: The TMC has fielded actor Saayoni Ghosh from Asansol Dakshin, a constituency that the BJP has maintained a lead in the past few elections.

Union Minister Babul Supriyo had won the Asansol seat twice – in 2014 and 2019.

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------Koushani Mukherjee: She made her debut in 2015 in the Bengali film industry and has been fielded from the North Krishnanagar seat where the BJP had a lead of 53,551 votes over TMC in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. She is up against BJP national vice president Mukul Roy, a former TMC veteran.

------Raj Chakraborty: Film Director by profession, Raj Chakraborty will be contesting from Barrackpore assembly constituency which falls in North 24 Parganas.

Chakraborty is one of the most successful film-makers in Tollywood. He has been associated with TV shows as well.

------Manoj Tiwary: The Trinamool Congress has fielded the cricketer from the Maynaguri constituency which is an SC reserved seat and comes under Jalpaiguri district. Manoj Tiwary had joined the TMC on February 24.

------Bidesh Bose: Footballer (Former Mohun Bagan Captain) by profession, Bose will try his political fortune from Uluberia Purba constituency of Howrah district.

------Lovely Moitra: The TMC has fielded the actress in this assembly polls. Lovely Moitra will take on rivals from Sonarpur Dakshin.

------Dheeraj Pandit: He is a film actor/director who has worked predominantly in Bollywood and has joined TMC before the assembly elections.

------Deepankar De: Actor Dipankar Dey, joined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of the West Bengal Minister Bratya Basu at Trinamool Bhavan.

Most people believe the actors are joining the political race without much of an awareness of political history.

Since the parties were chasing them, they are being made to feel important and coveted. There are even unproven accusations of coercion and offering hefty monetary compensations for joining political parties.

------Shaona Khan: Shaona Khan joined TMC in the presence of the West Bengal Minister Bratya Basu at Trinamool Bhavan.

------June Malia: June Malia, a renowned actor, joined TMC earlier this year, saying she has taken the plunge after much deliberation. June Malia is contesting from the Medinipur constituency, Paschim Medinipur district.

------Kanchan Mullick: Best known for his popular TV show 'Janata Express', popular comic actor in Bengal, Mallick has worked in movies like 'Mahakaal' and 'Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona'. Riding on Mallick’s popularity, the TMC set high pressure on the saffron camp’s candidate.

------Nusrat Jahan:- A film actress who predominantly works in Bengali cinema, joined TMC in 2019.

------Chiranjeet Chakraborty: As a number of TMC leaders continue to leave the party in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections, actor-turned-MLA Chiranjeet Chakraborty expressed his desire to quit politics and focus more on acting but Mamta asked him to wait for few days.

------Neel Bhattacharya and Trina Bhattacharya: The husband-wife duo has joined TMC and are backing Mamata Banerjee's party this poll season.

------We will have to wait till May 2 to know how the celebrities influenced the voters in the election and to see whether they were able to bring change or not.

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CBI asks former Maharashtra Violence during Bengal election: 4 killed in CISF firing minister Deshmukh to join probe Five people were killed, four of them when a CISF unit that had been attacked opened fire on a mob, in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi on Saturday as Bengal’s fourth round of polling turned out to be the bloodiest and most disrupted one of the eight-phase elections so far.

A 14-year-old boy was among several injured in the seven rounds of firing by CISF that left four villagers died. The Election Commission countermanded polling in booth number 126 of the constituency, based on a report from special observer Vivek Dube. The first victim of Saturday’s violence was 18-year-old Ananda Burman, who was shot by two bike-borne assailants just as he stepped out of a polling booth after casting the first vote of his life. Cooch Behar SP Debasish Dhar said Burman died before he could be taken to hospital.

Trinamool and BJP blamed each other for the death, which occurred around 9 am and seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day. Two people were arrested in connection with the attack while the EC sought a report on the incident. Trouble started 45 minutes later at Amtali Madhyamaik Shiksha Kendra, about 15 km away, after 14-year-old Md Manik collapsed near a polling booth.

Villagers said his mother had asked him to wait outside before stepping in to vote.

Three women from the neighbourhood were trying to revive Manik when CISF personnel guarding the booth stepped out to check what the commotion was about.

The CISF team offered to shift the boy to

a hospital, reports reaching the EC office in Kolkata suggested. But, according to another account based on what a section of villagers said, Manik was injured in an assault by the CISF personnel. Around 350 people gathered in no time and attacked the CISF team and others, including unit head Sunil Kumar, a 32-year-old home guard, two poll officers and an Asha worker, sources said.

The mob reportedly tried to snatch firearms from the CISF personnel. A quickresponse team headed for the site was apparently waylaid by residents of the area and their vehicle ransacked.

According to officials, the CISF personnel fired two rounds in the air at first, but that failed to disperse the crowd. They then fired seven rounds in “self-defence”, leading to the deaths. “Primary investigation revealed the force opened fire in self-defence after a few from the mob tried to snatch their firearms,” DIG (Jalpaiguri range) E Annapa said.

Court allows ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque complex A local court in Varanasi allowed a survey of the entire Gyanvapi Mosque complex, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to find out "whether the religious structure standing at the present and disputed site is a superimposition, alteration or addition, or there is structural overlapping of any kind".

The order came just over a year after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, saying there will be a Ram Mandir at the disputed site and Muslims will be given an alternate 5-acre land for their mosque. In its order, the court of civil judge (senior division), Ashutosh Tiwari, directed the ASI director general to constitute a five-member committee of eminent persons who are experts and wellversed in the science of archaeology, two of whom should preferably belong to the minority community.

The court also directed the DG to appoint an eminent and highly experienced person, who can be regarded as expert in the science of archaeology, to act as observer.

"Such person should preferably be a scholarly personality and established academician

of any central university," it said.

The five-member committee shall submit a report of its survey work to the observer on a daily basis. The court further said the "committee shall prepare comprehensive documentation along with the drawing, plan, elevation, site map with precise breadth and width of the disputed site, marked with hatched lines in the plaint map".

“The purpose of the archaeological survey shall be to find out as to whether the religious structure standing at the present and disputed site is a superimposition, alteration or addition or there is structural overlapping of any kind. If so, then what exactly is the age, size, monumental and architectural design or style of the religious structure, and what material has been used for building the same," the court said.

For that purpose, the committee shall be entitled to enter into every portion of the religious structure, the order said. The committee shall first resort to ground penetrating radar or geo-radiology system or both to satisfy itself as to whether any excavation or extraction work is needed in any portion.

A festival to experience the mystical beauty and divine presence of Goddess Durga Navaratri is a significant Hindu festival celebrated with much joy and enthusiasm every year. During Navratri Goddess Durga is worshipped in each of her nine forms. It is believed that worshipping Goddess Durga during Navratri can help get salvation and seek her blessings for the future.

Chaitra Navratri is the first Navratri and as per the Gregorian calendar, it falls in March or April. This year Chaitra Navratri begins on 13 April 2021 and will end on 22 April 2021 Thursday.

The Mahakali temple is situated on the top of Pavagadh Hill in Panchmahal district. Devotees of Mahakali Mata visit the temple throughout the year as Pavagadh is one of the main pilgrimage center and one of the Shakti Peeths of Gujarat. Chaitra Navratri and Ashwini Navaratri are best time to visit this temple; a big fair is also arranged here on eight day of Chaitra Sud. Devotees can perform rituals like Navchandi Yagya, other Karma based on their wishes. A large number of devotees visit Pavagadh temple during Navratri by walking from their hometowns for darshan of Mahakali Mata.

Chaitra Navratri is known as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, while in Kashmir it is known as Navreh.

The CBI on Monday asked former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to join investigation into the allegation of extortion levelled against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The agency has asked Deshmukh to appear before it on April 14. The decision to call Deshmukh, though entirely expected, was taken soon after the agency questioned Mumbai police ACP Sanjay Patil once again for over three hours. In his letter to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh had referred to Patil's messages on WhatsApp to level the charge against Deshmukh. On Sunday, the CBI had questioned two of Deshmukh's personal assistants.

The CBI team, sources indicated, quizzed Patil on some technical details regarding WhatsApp chats which it has collected during the probe, sources said.

The Supreme Court earlier allowed the CBI to go ahead with its probe into Param Bir Singh’s allegations against the NCP functionary of extortion, bribes for transfers and interference in investigations into important criminal cases.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta said probe by an independent agency was needed in the case in view of involvement of high-profile figures of the level of minister and former Mumbai police

chief in the controversy. The bench said the minister and the police chief were hand in glove and working together till they fell apart.

The bench said it was not a case of corporate or political rivalry but a "virtual right hand man" of the minister making allegations against him.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Kapil Sibal, appearing respectively for the Maharashtra government and Deshmukh, tried their best to convince the bench that the HC order was illegal as it was passed without giving an opportunity to the minister to counter the allegations and it will set a bad precedent if a probe is ordered on hearsay without credible evidence against a person.

They invoked the SC verdict in the BirlaSahara diary case to emphasise that investigation against a person can be ordered only when there is prima facie evidence against him and not on the basis of diary entry or allegations. Sibal said that law must be equally applicable to all.

But the court dismissed their plea and was so convinced about the correctness of the HC order that the order was passed without hearing Param Bir Singh and other opposite parties. Senior advocates Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi and Ranjit Kumar did not have to argue the case against the state government and the former minister.

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in brief

New Covid cases cross 10,000-mark in Karnataka Bengaluru: A record 10,250 new Covid cases were registered in a day across Karnataka, with its state capital Bengaluru accounting for 7,584 cases, said the state health bulletin.

"With 10,250 testing positive, the state's Covid tally shot up to 10,65,290, including 69,225 active cases, while 9,83,157 recovered so far, with 2,638 discharged during the day," said the bulletin.

As epicentre of the pandemic in the state, Bengaluru reported 7,584 fresh cases, taking its Covid tally to 4,81,982, including 51,236 active cases, while 4,25,930 recovered till date, with 1,184 discharged in the last 24 hours.

Of the 40 lives lost to the infection in the state, 27 were in Bengaluru, taking the state's death toll to 12,889 and the city's toll to 4,815 since the pandemic broke out in mid-March year ago. Of the 440 patients in the intensive care units (ICUs), 177 are in Bengaluru hospitals, followed by 44 in Kalaburagi, 33 in Kolar, 23 in Mysuru, 20 in Tumakuru, and 15 in Dakshina Kannada districts.

Out of 1,32,706 tests conducted across the state during the day, 9,635 were through

rapid antigen detection and 1,23,071 through the RT-PCR method. The positivity rate was 7.72 per cent and the case fatality rate 0.39 per cent across the state. Meanwhile, 70,000 people, including 30,439 senior citizens and 45,38,427 people in the 45-59 years age group were vaccinated across the state during the day. Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that if the number of Covid-19 cases does not come down in a week’s time, he will consider imposing lockdown or any other measures required.

Kerala announces fresh curbs Kerala has reported 6,986 new Covid-19 cases in the state. The state has also reported 16 new deaths. The state also reported a total of 2,358 recoveries. The active case load in the state stands at 44,389. The total recoveries have reached 11,17,700 and the cumulative death toll has been reported at 4,783. In the wake of a sharp increase in cases, Kerala has imposed new restrictions to contain the surge.

State health minister KK Shailaja admitted that the next two weeks will be crucial for the state. “It is a fact that during the elections, most of the restrictions were

EC TOLD TO CONDUCT RS ELECTIONS IN KERALA thrown to winds. Cases are likely to up considerably in the next two weeks. There is no need for panic but people should be extra cautious,” she said.

Tamil Nadu reports 6,700 new cases Tamil Nadu has reported a total of 6,700 new Covid-19 cases. The state has also reported that 2,314 people were discharged or cured from Covid-19. Around 22 fatalities were also reported in the state. Among these, Chennai reported 2,125 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,65,126. The state recorded 22 deaths, putting the state toll at 12,908. Twenty of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 2,314 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,78,571.

According to a bulletin issued by the health department of Tamil Nadu, 2,05,20,126 samples from the state have been tested till date. There are 261 Covid-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 192 are private facilities.

PUNJAB

Centre flags gaps in Punjab health infrastructure NEW DELHI: The central teams visiting Punjab to help the state contain the surge in Covid-19 cases have flagged the fast exhausting ICU bed capacity in most of the eight red districts witnessing a rise in infections. The team in its report to the Health Ministry said while ICU bed occupancy rate in the state was high, availability of isolation beds with oxygen was shrinking. As of today, the occupancy rate of isolation beds with oxygen is - Hoshiarpur 98 per cent, SAS Nagar 69, Ludhiana 46, Amritsar 38, Jalandhar 35.6, SBS Nagar 35.2, Patiala 34.4 and Rupnagar 25 per cent. In all above districts, more than 75 per cent of the infected are under home isolation, mandating strict monitoring by the state health authorities.

The proportion of the positive persons isolated at home in the state are - Ludhiana 100 per cent, SAS Nagar 95, SBS Nagar 88.5, Jalandhar 82.3, Amritsar 78.6, Patiala 78, Hoshiarpur 77.82 and Rupnagar 77.3 per cent. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan flagged the above gaps to Punjab Principal Secretary, Health, Hussan Lal in a letter, urging enhanced contact tracing in Patiala and Ludhiana.

“Contact tracing and surveillance efforts in SAS Nagar are being hampered due to

shortage of manpower. Low rates of testing have been reported from Patiala. There is no RT-PCR testing laboratory in Rupnagar.

This has to be addressed urgently,” Bhushan said. Citing the findings of the Central teams, Bhushan said there was no dedicated Covid hospital in SAS Nagar and Rupnagar and patients were being referred to Chandigarh and other districts.

“The teams have reported lack of Covid care centre and dedicated Covid hospital in Rupnagar. Hospital bed occupancy rates in SAS Nagar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana are on the higher side and must be addressed in view of the surge. They have also reported issues with procurement of ventilators for proper case management in SBS Nagar and Rupnagar. Although ventilators are available, these are not being optimally utilised due to shortage of healthcare workforce, particularly doctors and nurses,” Bhushan said, advising Punjab to hire contractual workers. He said shortage of healthcare workforce had been reported from Patiala and SAS Nagar also.

3,477 new cases, 59 more deaths Punjab added 3,477 fresh Covid-19 cases and 59 deaths to its tally, as per the state bulletin. With 59 fresh deaths, the toll in Punjab due to Covid crossed 7,500-mark and

reached 7,507. As per the district wise breakup of 59 deaths, nine died in Amritsar, seven each in Sangrur and Ludhiana, six in Hoshiarpur, five in Jalandhar, four in SAS Nagar, three each in Bathinda, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur, two each in Faridkot and Fatehgarh Sahib and one each in Fazilka and Kapurthala.

Total infections in the state reached 2,72,772 and total active cases in Punjab are 27,874. The maximum new cases were recorded in Ludhiana (530), SAS Nagar (423), Amritsar (274), Patiala (260) and Bathinda (252), While 43 patients in Punjab are ‘critical and on ventilator support’, 342 are on oxygen support. The maximum active cases are in district SAS Nagar (4,749) followed by Ludhiana (3,434), Jalandhar (3,126) and Amritsar (3.124).

WEST BENGAL

Mamata banned from campaigning for 24 hours New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was banned from campaigning for 24 hours over speeches that the Election Commission said violated the poll code. The Chief Minister was accused of breaking the law with her comments on Muslim votes and for allegedly urging voters to revolt against central security forces.

Mamata announced a sit-in protest against the ban. "To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission of India, I will sit on dharna on Tuesday at Gandhi Murti, Kolkata from 12 noon," she tweeted.

The ban till 8 pm on Tuesday - outgoing Election Commissioner Sunil Arora's final order - comes half-way through the Bengal election, with four more rounds of voting left in an intense campaign pitting Mamata Banerjee against a galaxy of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mamata had been served two notices last week by the Election Commission, which said her replies to them betrayed "selective

Mamata Banerjee

amnesia". She was asked to explain her speeches on March 28 and April 7, allegedly accusing central forces of intimidating voters and urging women to hit back or surround the security personnel. "Who gave so much power to them that the central police are threatening the women without allowing them to cast their votes? I saw the same thing in 2019, I saw the same thing in 2016," she said during the March rally.

"I know under whose instruction they beat up people and how they beat up. It is your duty to save the families of the people. If

any of our mothers and sisters suffer a single strike with the stick, attack them with ladles, spuds and knife. I am telling you. It is the right of women. And if any of our mothers and sisters are denied entry in the voting compartment all of you come out and revolt," she allegedly said.

The Election Commission called these "false, provocative and intemperate statements" that "vilified" central forces and had caused "extreme demoralisation" in their ranks. In another notice, the Chief Minister was accused of "openly demanding votes on communal grounds".

Her response to both the notices were defiant. Mamata's Trinamool Congress blasted the Election Commission, dubbing it "Extremely Compromised" - not for the first time. Mamata has had a running feud with the Election Commission in these polls. She was earlier warned over a "factually incorrect" complaint over voting in Nandigram, where she faces her aide-turned-BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari.

The Kerala High Court has directed the Election Commission to hold the biennial election to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala from the present state Assembly. "It is seen that at least after it arrived at the decision that it is its duty to see that the vacancies are filled up at the earliest, the Commission is yet to take any steps for the same," it said. "When the Commission itself has admitted that it is duty bound to conduct the election and complete the process at the earliest, it is only appropriate that it takes expeditious steps without further delay to complete the election before another electorate comes into existence on May 2, 2021," Justice PV Asha said in the order. The ruling party has challenged the Election Commission's decision to keep in abeyance proceedings for the Rajya Sabha elections in the state.

TELANGANA FLAGS VACCINE SHORTAGE Telangana has joined several states in flagging a shortage of Covid -19 vaccines to the centre, and has written to Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan saying that the state's vaccine stocks would last only for three more days. In a letter sent to Bhushan on Saturday, Telangana chief secretary Somesh Kumar asked for 30,00,000 doses of vaccines for the next 15 days. He said the state has only 566,000 doses left which would "last for three days at maximum."

Apart from Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi , Kerala and Jharkhand had also warned the centre of fast-depleting coronavirus vaccine stocks, even as a deadly second wave of infections threatens to overrun the country and its already-creaking medical infrastructure.

PUNJAB FARMERS TO GET DIRECT CASH TRANSFER OF MSP The Punjab government has agreed to roll out the online direct cash transfer of MSP to bank accounts of farmers instead of arhtiyas accounts. This will start from the current rabi marketing season (RMS), which will kick off in Punjab from Saturday. With this the MSP payment to farmers across the country will become online. Confirming this, food and public distribution secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said, “The Punjab government has agreed that for the wheat procurement (RMS) starting from April 10, the MSP given to farmers shall be paid directly to their bank accounts on the basis of physical document of the land duly counter signed by either patwari or sarpanch of the village.

In six months, the land record will also be integrated online.” The arathiyas will continue to get their commission of 2.5% separately, officials said.

BIHAR SHO LYNCHED

BY MOB IN BENGAL A police station in-charge of Kishanganj police station in Bihar, who had gone to conduct raids in adjoining West Bengal area to arrest an accused in a theft case, was killed by a mob. The accused was wanted in a theft case in Pantapara village, near Goalpokhar police station area bordering Bihar's Kishanganj district. A police official said that SHO Ashwini Kumar had arrived at a village near Dheksara to arrest the accused. The police team was surrounded by the locals as soon as they reached the village. People from nearby areas also gathered there, following which the police team tried to save themselves from the mob. The police station in-charge was killed on the spot in an attack by the mob.

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India back to world No. 2 in total Covid cases India has surpassed Brazil to record the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases at 1,35,27,717, as a record 1,68,912 new infections were reported in a day.

The active cases have surpassed the 12,00,000 mark, while the death toll increased to 1,70,179 with 904 new fatalities in a day, the highest since October 18, 2020, according to the Union health ministry data.

The national Covid-19 recovery rate has fallen below 90%. According to the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) data, India has overtaken Brazil, which is now at the third spot in the Covid tally with 1,34,82,023 cases. The US has the highest number of cases at 3,11,98,055 while globally 13,61,36,954 cases have been reported.

Registering a steady increase for the 33rd day in a row, the active cases have increased to 12,01,009 in India comprising 8.88% of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 89.86%. Before the latest surge, the active caseload was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020 and had decreased to 1, 35,926 on February 12.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,21,56,529, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.26%, the data stated. According to the ICMR, 25,78,06,986 samples have been tested up to April 11 with 11,80,136 samples being tested on Sunday.

Deaths during the week also rose by 70% to 5,079. This too was the sharpest weekly surge in fatalities and the highest toll since the October 12-18 week.

Among states, Maharashtra is leading this ongoing wave with 63,294 cases. This is not only India’s highest but also there are only two other countries (except India) that have

reported more cases than Maharashtra. After Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh, along with Delhi and Karnataka are going through an exponential surge in cases. These four states alone accounted for about 100,000 new cases reported in the country.

Data also shows that apart from these states there are five other along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan that have each reported over 5,000 cases.

Gujarat records highest active cases How big is the current Covid surge? It’s big enough to propel Gujarat into the list of top 10 Indian states with highest active cases. The state surpassed Delhi (17,332) to claim the ninth position with 17,348 cases.

However, there is a major gap between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh on No 8 which has 24,155 active cases. In terms of percentage of active cases, however, Gujarat ranks fifth among these 10 states with 5.3%. Maharashtra topped the list with15.2%, followed by Chhattisgarh (13.6%), Punjab (10.1%), and Madhya Pradesh (7.7%).

Uttarakhand CM removes state control over 51 temples In a landmark decision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has announced to free 51 temples and shrines, including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri from government control.

The newly appointed CM has overturned the decision taken by his predecessor Trivendra Singh Rawat.

"There will be a review on the decision of formation of Char Dham Devasthanam Board. State government's management over 51 prominent temples to be removed," he said. The decision comes after major temples protested against the state takeover and registered their protest with the CM. Around 51 shrines were under the direct control of the state government after

Governor Baby Rani Maurya gave her assent to the Char Dham Devsthanam Management Bill which was passed during the winter session of the Assembly. Justifying the passage of the new act, Trivendra Singh Rawat had said the new act will help in the professional management of the shrines.

Priests and monks from the Himalayan state were furious with the BJP government for passing the law saying they have been managing the affairs of these temples for generations which were set up by their ancestors. Priest of the Gangotri shrine Rajnikant Semwal had even met Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders.

India approves Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine Continued From page 1 The country has been administering Covishield - the OxfordAstrazeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and home-grown Covaxin.

According to RDIF, India has now become the 60th country to approve Sputnik V. "India is the most populated country to register the Russian vaccine. Total population of 60 countries where Sputnik V is approved for use is 3

billion people or about 40% of the global population," said RDIF. "The vaccine has been registered in India under the emergency use authorization procedure based on results of clinical trials in Russia as well as positive data of additional Phase III local clinical trials in India conducted in partnership with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories," the Russian body added.

According to the medical

journal Lancet, Sputnik V is 91.6% effective in protecting against the coronavirus. Russia registered Sputnik V for public use in August, the first country to do so, though the approval came before the start of the large-scale trial in September. "We appreciate the decision of India's regulatory bodies to grant authorization for Sputnik V. Approval of the vaccine is a major milestone as Russia and India have been developing an

extensive cooperation on clinical trials of Sputnik V in India and its local production," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the RDIF. On last Friday, DCGI sought additional data from drugmaker Dr Reddy's Laboratories on its Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine trial, in its second such request after an initial evaluation in February.

The committee had earlier asked the company to submit a comparative analysis of late-stage

immunogenicity data from both its Indian studies and an ongoing Russian study, as well as data on serious adverse events and positive cases reported till date. The RDIF has reached agreements with the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country (Gland Pharma, HeteroBiopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech) aimed at production of more than 850 million doses per year,” noted the release.

26 ART & CULTURE

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Relevance of books in the time of digital learning Shefali Saxena Relevance of books in a digital world, especially in the postCovid world which is going to lean on smart schools and digital learning is under threat.

What is the future of books and more importantly, reading when most people skim through content now? Asian Voice spoke to renowned authors to know their perspective.

Zanib Mian’s books have featured on BBC’s CBeebies Bedtime Stories and The Guardian for their contribution to diversity in children’s literature.

Zanib studied Molecular Cell Biology at University College London and went on to teach Science in secondary schools before she made the decision to give up the career to create change within children’s publishing. She felt that diverse characters from all minorities and backgrounds weren’t being fully represented in books for young children.

She launched Sweet Apple Publishers with a clear

commitment to publishing inclusive books, many of which she has authored herself. She regularly features in the Bradford Zanib Mian Literature Festival, was commissioned to write an opera for The Mahogany Opera Group, and is also on the panel of judges for the prestigious Young Muslim Writers Awards. The Planet Omar series is her first for older readers, and is published by Hachette Children’s Group.

Speaking to Asian Voice Zanib Mian said, "Children will be fortunate enough to have books that represent everyone, seeing themselves in characters like Omar, which works wonders for self confidence and for enlightenment through learning about others. The digital world is fantastic for allowing for exciting formats and to access these stories

wherever you are, but S i t a there’s nothing like Brahmachari holding a book and told Asian turning its pages!"

Voice, “During Sita Brahmachari lockdown we won the Waterstones have seen that Children’s Book Prize more people with her debut have been Artichoke Hearts and Sita Brahmachari; reading than is one of the most Credit- Martin Levenson ever. So much of interesting and life has gone important voices in children’s onto screen that perhaps the books today. Tender Earth was book we can hold in our hands awarded an honour by the has been a more private, International Board of Books relaxing and immersive portal for Young People, and her most to open in our minds and recent novel, Where The River hearts. A space where we can sit Runs Gold, published to great with ourselves and another’s acclaim in July 2019. Sita’s narrative in contemplation and books have been shortlisted for empathy. This has been true for the UKLA Book Award, me. I find it no surprise that the nominated for the CILIP impacts of reading on wellCarnegie Medal, and have been being have been proven. There translated into many languages is a collective need for around the world. She was the narratives that heal and help us 2015 Booktrust’s Writer in navigate this world. Books are Residence and is the current here to stay, to love and Writer in Residence at Islington treasure, like family and old Centre for Refugees and friends we value them deeply Migrants. Sita is also an and want to re-visit them Amnesty International whenever we can.” ambassador.

Lincoln Seligman’s forthcoming exhibition to showcase Oxfordshire countryside and memories of India British artist Lincoln Seligman, has always deeply loved India.

Seligman is known for traveling to India every year to depict the country and its people, in brilliant colour with a layer of humour. He visits the Udai Bilas Palace, as a guest of his friend, the Maharaja of Dungarpur every year. Subjects are often Maharajas in flowing turbans riding in a Rolls Royce with their hunting cheetah companions.

In a press statement, it was revealed that he has been observing India over the years while staying in Udai Bilas Palace, Gujarat. His old school friend Maharaja of Dungarpur, collects Lincoln’s paintings and prints, as well as vintage

include approximately 30 paintings. Seligman immersed himself in the profusion of wildflowers near his home, seeing a parallel with the massed crowds and vivid turbans of India.

Lincoln has divided his new show into two parts: flower fields in the Oxfordshire countryside, and memories of India. During lockdown, his new Indian paintings are reimaginings from collections of sketchbooks, painted as if through a film of gauze, rather than with the forceful brushwork of past times. The exhibition will take place at Osborne Studio gallery from May 11 to June 6, 2021.

Lincoln Seligman

motorcars and aeroplanes for his private museums. In return for the luxury of a mirrored suite of rooms in the palace, he offered Lincoln to paint in tranquillity, and a driver to take him in search of paintable people and places.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his annual visit to

India didn’t happen in 2020, therefore he channeled his creative genius and found new inspiration for a 2021 exhibition.

His latest work comprises exuberant hedgerows in the english summer 2020, in juxtaposition with vibrant colours and teeming crowds of the subcontinent. The show will

Khushi Kantha - the 'Happy Blanket’ Khushi Kantha is reworking the ‘kantha’ approach to meet global hygiene and safety standards, while retaining the principles of ‘reclaim-repurpose-reuse’ and bringing the cultural heritage of Bangladesh to a wider audience.

Khushi Kantha (‘Happy Blanket’) has been selling multipurpose baby blankets made from reclaimed and ethicallysourced cotton. They are sustainable, hand made and embroidered aimed at empowering women. These blankets are hand-stitched by mothers in Bangladesh. The contribution towards each blanket goes to a struggling mother to provide for her children with dignity. The programme aims to help mothers in supporting their families.

‘Kantha’ (which translates as “stitched cloth”) refers to the Bengali tradition of mothers repurposing their old cotton saris to create ultra-soft, multilayered blankets for their babies.

Khushi Kantha is totally unique and takes up to 20 hours to stitch. It endorses the idea of ‘buy less and buy better.’

Founder of Khushi Kantha, Laura Rana says, “When you become a mother, you become part of a global community of women who want to do all that they can to give their children the best start in life. We continually reflect on how we can use the collaborative power of community to build better futures for everyone. We want the words ‘Made in Bangladesh’ to be a statement of hope, pride and happiness.”

On International Mother Earth Day, April 22nd, Khushi Kantha will launch a rewardsbased crowdfunding campaign, with the aim of raising £10,000.

The funds raised will be used to train the first group of mothers;

purchase fabric, embroidery threads and other raw materials; and make safety tests and transport the first collection of ‘Happy Blankets.’ Blankets can be purchased for £50 each through the campaign.

Once you have pledged your £50 and chosen the embroidery design and

colours you want, along with any personalisation, one of Khushi Kantha’s talented artisan mothers Khushi Kantha will hand-stitch your blanket.

There will be also other exciting rewards on offer, as well as an option to simply donate whatever you can spare to the campaign. You can check out the work on KhushiKantha.com.

Corona - Don’t lose hope!

ChaiCup Productions in association with NHS South West Yorkshire Partnership (NHS Foundation trust) virtually held a bilingual play in Urdu and English about the impact of the pandemic on a South Asian family when one of its members gets Covid-19. The play was followed by a question and answer session with Dr Harsh Duggal, Consultant in

Public Health and Dr Uzma Qureshi, Bradford based GP.

in brief ‘THERE ARE MANY NEGATIVE, MISUNDERSTOOD AND STEREOTYPICAL VIEWS ABOUT HINDUS’ The Hindu Women's Festival 2021 took place from April 7 to April 11 last week. It was hosted

by Beyond the Bindi this year, in an attempt to celebrate British Hindu Women and Hindu perspectives on femininity and womanhood. Beyond the Bindi is a literary initiative nurturing ideas around Hindu femininity, and is due to publish their first anthology with independent publisher Tattva Press in Autumn 2021.

The festival brought together over 700 participants from across the world. Vidhu Sharma, Commissioning Editor, Beyond the Bindi said, “There are many negative, misunderstood and stereotypical views about Hindus, perpetuated by the media and popular culture, and many of those that capture public attention are the ones involving women: arranged marriages, goddesses of fertility and death, subservience and docility, saris and bindis, Bollywood dancing queens and dowry. We seem forced to seek solace in the feminist views espoused by the west without understanding and appreciating the nuances of the Hindu cultural perspective. We have also grown to accept notions of feminism without critical examination.”

Bringing together 60+ speakers from around the world, a great many Indian and Hindu organisations that contributed to the festival, included NHSF UK, PwC Hindu Network, City Hindus Network, HSS UK, Chinmaya Mission, The Jai Jais, Jammu Kashmir Festival, Vichaar Manthan UK, Voice of Dogras, Utho, Kaho, Sangamam, Yog Foundation, Sewa Day, Another Mother Story, The VM Podcast and many more.

EKATRA: INDIA’S LARGEST DIGITAL LITERATURE PLATFORM PARTNERS WITH RENOWNED PUBLISHING HOUSE India’s largest digital literature platform, Pratilipi has partnered with a traditional publishing house for the first time. The new imprint partnership titled Ekatra brings together Pratilipl, India’s largest digital literature platform, and Manjul Publishing, best known for translating the Harry Potter books into Indian languages. The partnership will carry books in regional languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and English as both print and e-books. Titles will initially be made available in 4 languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and English 5 April 2020: Pratilipi and Manjul Publishing house have launched the first four of 50 books which will see leading novels and short story collections from Pratilipi published in print for the first time,” a press statement read. The first four books include Pratilipi’s top hits Tashree by Sumit Menaria (published on 25 March), Angoothi Ka Bhooth by Manish Sharma, Anakalaniya by Sanjay Vaidya and Bujgavan! by Kanishk Hivrekar (pre orders available now). Ekatra represents a key step towards Pratilipi’s vision to democratize story-telling across languages, devices and formats, particularly with licensing deals for authors in this case.

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HEALTH

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17 - 23 April 2021

How to stay healthy during the month of Ramadan?

The holy month of Ramadan commences on April 13. A time of giving and embracing humility through prayer, Roza or fasting is one of the main parts of the festival. It intends to help teach Muslims self-discipline and generosity.

Those observing Ramadan begin fasting at dawn after consuming suhoor, until sunset when they break their Roza with Iftar. If not prepared for it well, the entire day of fasting may take a toll on one's body.

Not just staying fit, but staying healthy and prepping one's body to embrace the change in routine needs forethought and proper planning. Below are a few

useful hacks to not feel mentally or physically drained this Ramadan.

Never skip suhoor Ramadan's pre-dawn meal, suhoor plays the most important part throughout the month. If one is to fast from sunrise to sunset, they need the energy to carry them through the day. No matter how tired or sleepy you may feel, make sure to wake up at least an hour before sunrise, prepare yourself a hearty meal, and enjoy it in peace. Doing this not only prepares you for the day ahead, it also helps you start your day on a positive note. You will feel more in control of your body and mind. It

will also keep hunger pangs at bay.

Hydrate yourself How can one hydrate themselves during a month's worth of fasting, you ask? It is simple. Take in as much fluid as is possible during suhoor and iftar. You can consume fresh juices, smoothies, and plain water, of course. Avoid caffeine and sugar-loaded aerated drinks as they trigger thirst, and dehydration. It is also advisable to stay out of direct sunlight and avoid strenuous exercise.

Take a nap!

Sufficient sleep boosts overall wellness. One of the prime ways to stay healthy during fasting is catching up on that lost sleep.

Exercise, healthy childhood diet ensures bigger brains as adult A new research on mice reveals exercise and a healthy diet in childhood leads to adults with bigger brains and lower levels of anxiety. The study, conducted by UC Riverrun is the first to examine the long-lasting, combined effects of both factors when they are experienced early in life.

A report quoted study lead and UCR physiology doctoral student Marcell Cadney as saying, “Any time you go to the doctor with concerns about your weight, almost without fail, they recommend you exercise and eat less. That's why it's surprising most studies only look at diet or exercise separately. In this study, we wanted to include both.”

They scientists determined that early-life exercise generally reduced anxious behaviours in adults. It also led to an increase in adult muscle and brain mass.

The mice became fatter and grew into adults that

preferred unhealthy foods when fed “western” style diets high in fat and sugar.

Findings of the survey have recently been published in

the journal Physiology and Behavior. The researchers divided the young mice into four groups – those with access to exercise, those without access, those fed a standard, healthy diet, and those who ate a Western diet.

In layman's terms, get-

ting a jump start on health in the early years of one's life is extremely important.

Cadney said, “During the Covid-19 lockdowns, partic-

ularly in the early months, kids got very little exercise.

For many without access to a park or a backyard, the school was their only source of physical activity. It is important we find solutions for these kids, possibly including extra attention as they grow into adults.”

Proper hand washing is the best way to fight germs A new study indicates that using air hand dryers to dry your hands may spread germs more than paper towels. Previous studies have also found that air hand dryers can blow bacteria from bathroom air back onto your hands.

Experts say that proper hand washing is still the most important action we can take to prevent transmitting Covid-19. During the pandemic, many businesses have turned to touchfree methods to cut down on opportunities for spreading germs.

For example, many restaurants now provide a QR code for viewing their menu on your smartphone in lieu of traditional paper menus. In addition, many business restrooms use hand dryers rather than paper towels.

However, according to a new study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the latter may not be as effective as we might think it is. High-speed air dryers may actually leave more contamination on your hands than paper towels do. In addition, they may spread germs onto your clothes, leading to more of them being transferred to other surfaces.

Dr. Paul S. Pottinger, a physician and

director of the Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Clinic at the University of Washington Medical Center-Montlake, who was not involved in the new study, said the purpose of the new research was to attempt to understand whether different hand drying methods might affect the spread of germs in a hospital environment. According to Robert Smith, PhD, assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at Nova Southeastern University Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, there were several problems with the study.

Best way to wash and dry our hands Pottinger said that the important thing is to wash our hands carefully using soap and water for at least 30 seconds. “The way in which we choose to dry our hands is comparatively less important,” Pottinger said. “But, as the study suggests, there may be benefit in choosing paper towel over electric hand dryer.

In either case, the most important thing is to ensure that we prevent our freshly cleaned hands from coming into contact with contaminated surfaces, including a paper towel dispenser or a hand dryer,” he explained.

Take a short 20 minute nap and see your mind restart. However, keep in mind to keep them short because long midday sleep makes the body more lethargic and is counterproductive.

Refrain from overdoing Iftar While the prospects of a yummy iftar is more than enough reason to stuff yourself with all

kinds of food, it may lead to digestive disorders and is not at all advisable after a whole day of food deprivation. Practice mindful eating and watch what you eat.

Consume foods that take longer to digest to keep hunger at bay.

Avoid empty calories and junk food. Include healthy portions of protein and dairy products.

Eat your greens to build muscle strength A new research from Edith Cowan University has shed some light on the direct relation between leafy greens and muscle strength.

Published in the Journal of Nutrition, the study found that regularly eating nitraterich leafy greens like spinach and kale, can boost muscle function, which in turn may help prevent falls and fractures.

The researchers evaluated health data from 3,759 participants over a 12-year period. Those who ate the most nitrates had 11 per cent stronger lower limb strength. Their walking speed was approximately four per cent faster compared with participants who ate less leafy greens. The body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, which can open up the blood vessels, improving blood flow and exercise performance.

A report by Healthline quoted Dr Casey Kelley, founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health as saying, “In general, leafy greens are some of the most nutrient-rich, calorie-light foods on the planet – packing a punch with numerous vitamins and minerals.” Muscle strength is a critical component of overall health. Kelley said, “Muscle maintenance ensures that your entire system is functioning correctly

and efficiently. After all, the human is one complete system, not disparate parts operating independently.”

So what leafy greens to consume? The researchers found that lettuce, spinach, kale, and beetroot had the greatest health effects.

Other nitrate-rich leafy greens include fennel, radishes, parsley, cabbage, and arugula. Supplements may be beneficial for those who don't like the taste of leafy greens.

Include these antiinflammatory foods in your diet Inflammation is a part of your body. It can be both good and bad. While it helps your body defend itself from infection and injury, chronic inflammation may also lead to weight gain and disease.

So how can one keep inflammation in control?

Consuming certain antiinflammatory foods can be a good start.

1) Berries They are small fruits rife with fibre, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain antioxidants called anthocyanins. These compounds have anti-inflammatory effects that may reduce your

risk of disease. The most commonly consumed berries are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

2) Broccoli Broccoli is an extremely nutritious cruciferous vegetable. It is rich in sulforaphane, an antioxidant that fights inflammation by reducing your levels of cytokines and NF-kB, which drive inflammation.

3) Avocados One of the few supposed superfoods worth the hype.

Avocados are packed with potassium, magnesium, fibre, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. They

also contain carotenoids and tocopherols, which are linked to reduced cancer risk. They offer various beneficial compounds that protect against inflammation.

4) Green Tea One of the healthiest beverages one can drink, green tea reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and other conditions. It contains a substance called epigallcatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which inhibits inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production and damage to the fatty acids in one's cells.

28

BOLLYWOOD

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Deepika, Amitabh to star in the Bollywood remake of 'The Intern' Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone are officially set to star in the Bollywood remake of Warner Bros' 'The Intern'. Bachchan replaces the late Rishi Kapoor, who was the first choice to star in the movie. The original was directed by Nancy Meyers and featured Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro in the lead. It went on to be a massive hit and collected $193 million globally.

The movie will be directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma of 'Badhaai Ho' fame. It will be produced by Sunir Kheterpal for

Athena, and Padukone via her KA Productions. The adaptation is by Akshat Ghildial and Mitesh Shah.

'The Intern' is a part of an ongoing agreement between Warner and another Kheterpal entity, Azure Entertainment, to identify, develop, produce and distribute Warner titles for Indian audiences. Another upcoming collaboration includes an Indian version of Hong Kong's 'Infernal Affairs' trilogy, upon which Warners' Martin Scorsesedirectorial 'The Departed' was also based.

Kangana spends Salman's niece Alizeh time at spirituality Agnihotri to make centre as 'Thalaivi' Bollywood debut release postponed Actress Kangana Ranaut is spending her time at a Coimbatore-based yoga and spirituality retreat, as her 'Thalaivi' release has been delayed due to rising Covid-19 cases. The actress shared a few pictures from the rejuvenation centre on Twitter, and highlighted the importance of spirituality in her life.

Kangana also spoke about her love for South Indian food and spending time at a “serene place where chirping birds wake you up in the morning and fluttering butterflies make you hum songs that were forgotten”. She also added that she is “indulging in yoga and meditation”. Kangana-starrer AL Vijay directorial, 'Thalaivi' was set to release on April 23. However, it has been delayed due to the rise in Covid-19 cases.

On the work front, she will soon be seen in 'Tejas', 'Dhaakad', an Indira Gandhi biopic, and the second instalment of her 'Manikarnika' franchise.

Salman Khan's niece Alizeh Agnihotri is set to make her Bollywood debut with Avnish Barjatya's untitled next. Avnish is filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya's son.

Reportedly, the film will also mark the debut of Sunny Deol's younger son Rajvir, who play the male lead. The film is said to be a rom-com and will be on the lines of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone's 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'.

For the unversed, Alizeh is the daughter of Atul Agnihotri and Alvira Khan and is the eldest grandchild of the Khan family.

While the official announcement of this film is awaited, earlier there were rumours that Alizeh will make her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan's 'Dabangg 3.' She has been going to acting and dance classes and Salman is monitoring her progress very closely.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan will be next seen in Prabhudheva's 'Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai,' which is scheduled to hit the screens during the Eid weekend. The film, which is the adaptation of the Korean film, 'The Outlaws', also features Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff, Gautam Gulati and Randeep Hooda in pivotal roles.

Amitabh Bachchan is all praise for son Abhishek in 'The Big Bull' Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan lauded his son Abhishek Bachchan's performance in his latest 'The Big Bull'.

Writing in his latest blog post, AB Sr said, “Aahhh .. children shall always be in the softest of spots no matter what !!

And when they do something remarkable the pride and the chest swells further ..” He added, “For a Father it is ever a moment of great pride to see their 'progress report' prosper and do well .. I am no different from any other Father.. the mention of such always brings emotion and tears .. particularly when there is an exhibition of immense value ..”

'The Big Bull' relays the story of Harshad Mehta, and the 1992 stock market scam that shook India. However, people and critics are drawing parallels between the movie, and Hansal Mehta's career-defining show 'Scam 1992: The

Harshad Mehta Story'. Pratik Gandhi's portrayal of the deceased stockbroker garnered a lot of praise.

In his blog, Amitabh wrote, “So despite the fact that Big Bull had been seen privately within the confines of the home much earlier, the excitement of watching it when the entire world shall be seeing it at the same time, was different .. The drive back from work was indulgent .. connect mobile to Disney Hotstar .. on with the dongle for internet connectivity .. open the packet of biscuits and the aerated water and .. there he is .. my SON ..”

Produced by Ajay Devgn, 'The Big Bull' is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. It also stars Nikita Dutta, Sohum Shah, Ileana D'Cruz, Supriya Pathak and Mahesh Manjrekar in pivotal roles.

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Priyanka revisits childhood on Siblings Day Genre: Coming of Age Romantic Drama Duration: 6 Episodes Streaming On: Netflix

Mismatched There is a girl that does not want to get married and a guy who is a hopeless romantic.

What could possibly go wrong when the two of them are thrown together and have no choice but to work together if they want to succeed in life’s race.

On April 10, actor Chopra Jonas marked Siblings Day with a montage of photos featuring her brother Siddharth Chopra. She also took to her Instagram Stories and shared pictures from the siblings' different eras. The photos ranged from their childhood, up until her wedding day. The montage also featured her husband Nick Jonas and mother Madhu Chopra.

She shared the video and wrote, “Happy #NationalSiblingsDay! Love you.” The actress has been stationed in London since the beginning of this year. She has been busy with her upcoming projects in the United Kingdom. Currently, she is filming for her upcoming series 'Citadel', backed by the Russo Brothers. It also stars Richard Madden, of 'Game of Thrones' fame.

Sonam Kapoor pens heartfelt note on missing India, 'new home' Actor Sonam Kapoor is currently in the UK, waiting out the Covid outbreak with her husband Anand Ahuja. Sharing a picture from the streets of London, she penned a heartfelt note on missing India, and her “new home”.

She wrote, “I miss india so so much , and I've been craving to go back home and see my family and friends desperately. But I realise I might by dissing my new home a little bit that has given me so much including my beautiful husband, @anandahuja . “A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.”

She quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson in the photo caption. “'The best bribe which London offers to-day to the imagination, is, that, in such a vast variety of people and conditions, one can believe there is room for persons of romantic character to exist, and that the poet, the mystic, and the hero may hope to confront their counterparts.– Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th-century American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet #everydayphenomenal #london #mumbai #delhi."

Her mother and other family members took to the comments section. Her mother Sunita Kapoor and father/actor Anil Kapoor wrote, “miss you so much”.

Sonam has been spending time in Notting Hill, London since July 2020 with Anand, where the couple share a home. On the work front, Sonam was last seen in the 2019 release 'The Zoya Factor'. She also began shooting for her film 'Blind' in 2020, a remake of a 2011 South Korean thriller.

In Mismatched two young adults are pitted together although they are completely different.

Dimple wants to make apps whereas her parents want her to get married, they believe that once she is settled, she could open her own cybercafé and be happy running it, this is not her plan. Rishi on the other hand is a romantic at heart. Both find themselves going through the motions of life facing all the family drama. They are both expected to find their life partners.

Whilst on this mission the two of them find themselves at a summer course at college which is brilliant for two people who are trying to avoid the talk of marriage, but as the series goes on it becomes obvious that this is looming over them. Rishi

Sonu Sood encourages vaccination, Covid awareness

believes Dimple is the one for him and he will marry her, and she has much different ideas to this.

Dimple’s character is much like Devi in Never Have I Ever where she has a huge imagination what takes her on some wild adventures within her own mind.

It isn’t really funny as such and is not posed as a comedy show but it is rather amusing as we watch these teens try and navigate their way through life.

Mismatched is a TV series based on the best-selling novel by writer Sandhya Menon ‘When Dimple met Rishi’ although when it was changed into a film one major factor that was different is that in the book Dimple and Rishi are American Indian’s and so some of the situations they face are very different to those of the characters of Dimple and Rishi in the TV Show.

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

During a vaccination awareness drive in Chandigarh, actor Sonu Sood spoke about the importance of getting the shot, and combating Covid-19. He is the brand ambassador of 'Sanjeevani: A shot of life', an initiative launched in Amritsar to encourage people to get vaccinated. He took the vaccine during the programme launch.

Sood gained extra popularity last year, when he helped thousands of displaced migrants and other people return home safely during the governmentannounced Covid lockdown.

Speaking at the campaign, Sood said, “As the second wave of Covid-19 is peaking, we have to start initiatives to help migrants, especially in terms of jobs, healthcare and education for their kids.”

He said it is crucial to provide them skill development training.

“This way, even if they want to stay in their villages for their safety, they can earn a living. I've already given jobs to around 200,000 people through our 'Pravasi Rojgar' and Good Worker initiatives. I plan to generate 80,000 more jobs in the next three months on priority.”

Sood added, “Every individual should lend a supporting hand to others and help them. We can do so by providing medical aid, creating awareness and encouraging people to get vaccinated.”

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Mithila Palkar set to make Telugu debut with 'Oh My Kadavule' remake Actor Mithila Palkar will be making her Telugu debut with the upcoming yet-untitled remake of Tamil romantic comedy 'Oh My Kadavule'.

She will be paired with Vishwak Sen, and has joined the sets in Hyderabad. A picture from the sets of the film was shared by producer Vamsi Kaka on his Instagram page, over the weekend.

The original starred Ashok Selvan and Ritika

Singh in the lead, with Vijay Sethupathi in a cameo role as God. In the movie, the male lead is given another chance by God to save his marriage after he falls in love with another woman.

Makers of the Telugu remake are yet to reveal the rest of the cast and crew. Sources reveal Sethupathi might reprise his own role from the original.

Dhanush's 'Karnan' released in theatres despite govt restrictions Following the rising Covid-19 cases,the Tamil Nadu government announced a slew of restrictions, including a capacity limitation on theatres.

However, that has not deterred the makers of 'Karnan' as they decided to go ahead with the April 9 release as planned.

A day prior to the scheduled release, Kalaippuli S Thanu tweeted, “As promised #Karnan will arrive in theatres tomorrow. As per the need guidelines of our Govt #Karnan will be screened with 50% capacity in theatres along with proper safety measures. I kindly request everyone to provide your support for #Karnan.” Several Indian states have brought back safety measures as the second wave of the coronavirus lashes across the country. Many high-profile films that were set to open in theatres have been postponed. Alongside Tamil

TV Listing

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 19 APR FRI 23 APR 2021 14.30 KASAM 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI

20.30 MOLKKI 21.00 PINJARA KHUBSOORTI KA 21.30 BAWARA DIL 22.00 NAMAK ISSK KA SATURDAY 17 APR 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.30 BEST OF COOKERY SHOW DESI BEAT RESET 19.00 UDAARIYAAN 19.30 CHOTI SARDAARNI 20.00 SHAKTI 20.30 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SUNDAY 18 APR 16.00 THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 18.00 CHOTI SARDARNI 20.30 BEST OF DESI BEAT 21.30 DANCE DEEWANE 3 SATURDAY 17 APR

11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA

16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 KHATRA KHATRA KHATRA

* Schedule is subject to change

MON 19 APR FRI 23 APR 2021 8.30

BHARADWAJ BAHUEIN

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA

16.30 THE RASOI SHOW 17.30

CHHUTA CHHEDA

18.00 TUM KAUN PIYA 18.30 DIL KA RISHTA

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA

20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE 22.00 ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN 3

19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 BARRISTER BABU

21.00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

SUNDAY 18 APR

11.00 DESI BEAT SEASON 2

16.00 SILSILA BADALTE RISHTON KA

16.30 THE RASOI SHOW

17.30 DESI BEAT SEASON 3

18.00 VLCC FEMINA MISS INDIA 2020 19.00 BHAGYA KA LIKHA 20.00 DIL SE DIL TAK

20.30 DESI BEAT RESET

21.00 BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE

Nadu, Karnataka too reintroduced the 50 per cent cap on the occupancy.

Dhanush-starrer 'Karnan' is written and directed by Mari Selvaraj. It also stars Lal, Yogi Babu, Natarajan Subramaniam, Rajisha Vijayan, Gouri G. Kishan, and others.

Rajinikanth takes off to Hyderabad to resume shooting for 'Annatthe' Thalaivar Rajinikanth set off on a private plane to Hyderabad last week to join the shoot of his upcoming film 'Annatthe'. The shooting came to an abrupt stop following a Covid-19 outbreak on the sets of the films in Hyderabad.

Four crew members tested positive for the virus, while Rajini tested negative. However, the situation caused fluctuations in his blood pressure level, prompting hospitalisation.

The actor spent a few days under the observation of the doctors before cancelling the remainder of his shooting schedule and heading back to

Chennai for complete rest.

His health conditions even forced him to drop his much-awaited plunge in electoral politics. He later announced that he no longer holds the desire to launch his own political party.

Rajini will join his costars Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Khushboo, Prakash Raj, and others on the sets. Bankrolled by Sun Pictures, the movie is written and directed by Siva. The movie is expected to be released during Diwali.

Tamannaah talks about her OTT debut with web series Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has finally made her OTT debut with the web series '11th Hour'. Directed by Praveen Sattary, the eight-episode drama is currently streaming on the Telugu OTT platform Aha. Talking about the show, Tamannaah said, “The show came to me at a point in my life when circumstances were against me. So, portraying this character on screen became easier for me given my journey at that point.

The '11th Hour' will always stay close to my heart.” Talking about her character Aratrika Reddy, she said, “I could live the character, I didn't have to hurry up my expressions or feel things faster. So, I can perform with a real-time feeling. For me, working for this show is a new experience. Moreover Aratrika represents every woman in society. She is an entrepreneur, and she has a big family but struggles with patriarchy. The men in her life don't believe that she can fight. I think this is the

problem that society has and it has become possible to show that in an entertaining way in the web format.”

'11th Hour' revolves around a woman whose aim is to make her place in a man's world. It also deals with how she saves her company when faced with impossible odds. Tamannaah added, “Right now, I think the lines between web shows and films are blurring. Now, it is only content. The attention span has changed a lot now because the consumption of content has been changing. As actors, we have a chance to present ourselves in different formats.

These formats may be different, but their intention is to give entertainment.”

On the work front, Tamannaah has 'Seetimarr' coming out soon. She also has 'Maestro'. 'F3', and 'Gurthunda Seethakalam' at different stages of production.

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in brief SACHIN DISCHARGED, TO STAY IN HOME ISOLATION Former India captain and batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, who was hospitalised as a precautionary measure after testing positive for Covid-19, was discharged and is now recuperating in home isolation. The former player posted a statement on Twitter to confirm the development. "I have just come home from the hospital and will remain isolated while continuing to rest and recuperate. I would like to thank everyone for all the good wishes and prayers. Really appreciate it," Tendulkar said. Tendulkar also thanked the medical staff for taking care of him during the hospitalisation. "I remain ever grateful to all the medical staff who took such good care of me & have been working tirelessly for over a year in such difficult circumstances," said Tendulkar. Tendulkar was hospitalised on April 2 as a precautionary measure after testing positive for the dreaded virus on March 27. However, all his other family members have tested negative.

OLYMPIC-BOUND TENNIS ACE SANIA INCLUDED IN TOPS Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was included in the government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), four years after she opted out of the programme. Sania was selected in the TOPS during the 56th meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell. The 34-year-old multiple Grand Slam winner had opted out of the scheme when she was selected last in 2017 because of an injury breakdown which had led to a lay-off. “Yes, Sania has been selected in the recent TOPS list,” a Sports Authority of India source said. Sania has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics based on her protected ranking before she took a break from the game due to pregnancy.

BHOPAL SAI CENTRE: 24 ATHLETES HOSPITALISED As many as 24 Indian athletes, primarily from wushu and judo disciplines, were admitted to a hospital in Bhopal after they tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest round of precautionary tests conducted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) at its National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) in the Madhya Pradesh capital. None of the athletes who returned positive for the infection are Tokyo bound, as the centre doesn’t house Olympic probables. The athletes have been shifted to a city’s healthcare facility as a precautionary measure and are reported to be non-critical, the SAI said. The development comes a week after 26 athletes and coaching staff were taken ill by the coronavirus at NIS Patiala. In the latest development, SAI conducted precautionary tests in NCoE Bhopal and 24 athletes and 12 staffers were found symptomatic. In another test, it was reported that as many as 18 people were infected. After overall count from the SAI’s twin testing resulted in 36 positive cases, the sports body revised its Covid standard operating procedure, calling for mandatory weekly testing of athletes and staff across all NCoE facilities nationwide.

INDIA BEAT ARGENTINA 4-3 FOR WINNING START TO TOUR The Indian men’s hockey team made a positive start to its tour of Argentina, beating the reigning Olympic champions 4-3 in the first practice match. Nilakanta Sharma (16th minute), Harmanpreet Singh (28th), Rupinder Pal Singh (33rd) and Varun Kumar (47th) were the goal scorers for India. Dragflicker Leandro Tolini (35th, 53rd) and Maico Casella (41st) scored for the home team.

Young pacer seals the deal for Punjab Kings Sanju Samson's Rajasthan Royals, chasing a daunting target of 222, nearly made it over the line before Punjab Kings' young pacer Arshdeep Singh kept his cool in the last over to seal the deal for Punjab Kings.

Throughout the chase, Samson (119 off 63 balls) had kept his cool. Though he became the first debutant captain to score a century in the IPL history, he could not take his team over the line as the Kings sneaked in a four-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

With 13 required from the last over, Punjab seamer Arshdeep Singh (3-35) kept his nerves in check and gave no room to the firing Samson and took his team home.

RR tried their luck with the new opening pair of Ben Stokes and Manan Vohra, but in vain.

The two departed within the first four overs with the scoreline teetering at 25/2. Samson soaked in the pressure and gave the team a hope of a happy ending, but ran out of support from the other end.

Earlier, put in to bat, Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul, the highest run-getter in the previous edition, made his intent clear once again as he slammed 91 off 50 balls while anchoring the innings. Courtesy some brutal hitting, Punjab posted a daunting total of 221/6, thanks in part to Deepak Hooda’s

incredible 28-ball 64.

As Rahul took his time to settle down, Chris Gayle (40 off 28 balls) paced the innings, taking Punjab’s powerplay score of 46/1 to 89/1. In came IPL veteran Deepak Hooda with all guns blazing, and promptly demolished the RR attack.

Knight Riders begin with a bang With Kolkata Knight Riders hitting their straps from the getgo, there was little the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper could have done but wonder what could’ve been after he put the opposition in. The Knights found the gaps at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai with their left-right opening combination of Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill getting along like a house on fire. Their bowling unit nicely complementing the batting effort.

Rana has been an important part of the KKR outfit ever since he was acquired by them in 2018

and he once again proved his worth with an impressive 80, an innings of p e r c e n t a g e cricketing shots that powered his team to 187 for six. Unlike KKR, Sunrisers suffered for want of momentum and finished at 177 for five to fall short by 10 runs despite Abdul Samad’s late charge - the same margin by which they lost to RCB in their first match last edition.

Shaw-Shikhar tango floors CSK The last few months have been a roller-coaster ride for Prithvi Shaw. On Saturday, the 21-year-old opener showed why he is rated so highly as his sparkling innings of 72 from 38 deliveries and the 138-run opening wicket stand with Shikhar Dhawan (85) helped Delhi Capitals cruise past Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A stiff target of 189 set by CSK demanded a strong start from the DC openers. Shaw and Dhawan provided just that with their 82-ball blitz. The duo took little time to get going. They were severe on the loose deliveries and pierced through the gaps with surgical precision.

Shaw began with a boundary

over square-leg in the second ball of his innings. Dhawan too teed off with a four behind point region to signal his intentions.

By the time the Powerplay overs concluded, the Shaw-Dhawan pair had knocked off 65 runs from their target and they were just getting started. The duo’s onslaught left CSK skipper MS Dhoni searching for answers.

Last-ball win for RCB In the inaugural game of the IPL’s 14th edition which was held in Chennai, the defending champions Mumbai Indians eventually lost by two wickets to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). MI struggled against quality medium-pace – especially Harshal and Siraj – before limping to 159/9. So was the case when the Royal Challengers batted, with Marco Jansen and Jasprit Bumrah bowling tight lengths to keep Virat Kohli’s team in check. However, it was AB de Villiers’ 27-ball 48 that kept Bangalore in the chase.

Piling on after Virat Kohli’s 33 and Glenn Maxwell’s 39 had set the tone, ABD stayed almost until the end before Patel had to finish the proceedings.

Batting first, Rohit Sharma opened MI’s innings with Chris Lynn. Sundar took a great catch running backward to send Lynn back while 30-year-old Patel picked up 5/27 off four overs. The total was just about par and RCB huffed and puffed to the target.

Charity reminds authorities of anti-Semitism in football as Israel observes Yom Hashoah A two-minute silence was observed in Israel on Thursday 8 April as sirens rang out throughout the country to mark Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews during World War II between 1941 and 1945 Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some 6 million Jews across German occupied Europe, around two third of Europe’s Jewish population.

Yom Hashoah coincides with the 27 of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar) to mark the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of

Jonathan Metliss, AAD chairman

1943 when Jewish resistance fighters defied the Nazi’s and fought for freedom and dignity.

Action Againts Discrimination (AAD), a charity at the forefront of combatting anti-Semitism in football once again reminded the relevant authorities of the need to rid football of anti-Semitism as Yom HaShoah remembers the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

AAD chairman Jonathan Metliss said, “Disappointingly, 76 years after the Holocaust and the liberation of the concentration camps in Europe, anti-Semitism in English and European football

continues. We remain of the belief that inadequate efforts have been made to combat and eradicate this.”

A press release from the charity said that hissing noises (mimicking the gas chambers) at football matches, and aggressive responses to the chanting and use of the word ‘Yid’, sadly have not disappeared. Furthermore, it said, Israeli footballers, such as Celtic’s Nir Bitton have been abused on the internet and antiSemitic abuse was recently posted on Aston Villa’s Twitter feed after the club had wished their Jewish supporters a Happy Passover.

Sadiq Khan promises to bring Indian Premier League matches to London Sadiq Khan has vowed to work hand-in-hand with cricketing authorities to make the Indian Premier League the latest global sports league to stage matches in London.

The Labour candidate for Mayor has promised to ‘keep banging the drum’ for investment in the capital including through international sport, as he pursues his vision for a better, more prosperous London after the pandemic.

During his first term as London Mayor, Sadiq successfully brought Major League Baseball to the capital for the first time and extended London’s relationship with the NFL, helping to secure a ten-year

commitment for the league to play regular season matches at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Following its establishment in 2008, the IPL has achieved stratospheric global growth and is now commonly considered to be one the largest sports leagues

in the world.

Bringing matches to London would allow the capital to build on the legacy of the three global competitions in recent years that have seen both major cricket grounds in London (Lord’s and The Kia Oval) sold out months in advance. Speaking at a visit to

watch young cricketers training at Kingstonian CC, Sadiq Khan said, “This is part of my plan to build a better London after the pandemic. “I know Londoners are hungry to see more of the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and, with two of the world’s greatest cricket grounds in Lord’s and The Kia Oval, London is ideally placed to host IPL matches.

“The absence of live crowds at elite competitions has been hard for many sport-loving Londoners but I know we can build a better, more open and prosperous city after the pandemic and see our capital confirmed as the undisputed sporting capital of the world..."

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