UK
Asian Voice - Saturday 19th March 2011
Alpesh Patel’s Political Sketchbook: The Politics of Valour in the Face of the Enemy and the Big Society I have had bestowed upon me this past week the greatest honour I shall ever receive. Greater than most people have ever or will ever have. For this past week, on Constitution Hill, on Commonwealth Day, just before the Gurkha Bugle to commemorate 5million Commonwealth soldiers who fought in the World Wars, I shook hands with a hero. A hero. A Victoria Cross recipient. Corporal Johnson Beharry. He is the first living recipient of the VC in the British Army since Rambahudur Limbu, a Gurkha in 1965. The citation for Corporal Beharry read: "Private Beharry carried out two individual acts of great heroism by which he saved the lives of his comrades. Both were in direct face of the enemy, under intense fire, at great personal risk to himself (one leading to him sustaining very serious injuries). ... Beharry displayed repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour, despite intense direct attacks, personal injury and damage to his vehicle in the face of relentless enemy action." But here lies the problem and here is where politics has a role. You see the memorial service was to remember and commemorate. Field Marshall Inge read from Field Marshall Slim’s memoirs recounting the bravery of Indian soldiers in the Second World War, ‘but if you really want to know how brave the Indian soldier was…just ask the enemy’. The problem is, as Corporal Beharry noted in February 2009, the lack of
support for ex-servicemen and women. As Baroness Flather, chairwoman of the Memorial Gates Council of which I am a member, reiterated, the support for the widows of Indian soldiers was non-existent. So it is, we ask boys to do a heroes job, then once it is done, we civilians walk away in case they may ask something of us. A couple of years ago, I did a favour for a friend, I introduced him to an investment and he made a lot of money in a short space of time. But after that, not a thanks, it was as if I had the plague. It is human nature. Those who do things for us, then those of us without character or values avoid them who did us the favour, for fear they will ask us for something. So when you consider your Big Society, consider the international society. Consider the soldier and consider too, whatever your view on war, if you do not honour the heroes, then for what do you want a society to begin with? And in case you think soldiers are all brawn and no brain, Field Marshall Slim was awarded an honourary doctorate from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. I will leave you with thought as you contemplate difficulties at these harsh times, Viscount Slim described moral as this: ‘That intangible force which will move a whole group of men to give their last ounce to achieve something without counting the cost to themselves; that makes them feel they are part of something greater than themselves.’
Obituary
Geeta Dasgupta Amin passes away Geeta Dasgupta was born in 1948 in London, the daughter of a doctor who practised in Bermondsey throughout World War 2. She had been in poor health for some time before her sudden death. She was widowed and is survived by her brothers, sister, nieces and nephews, who live in London. Geeta Dasgupta had been employed in Social Services in the London Borough of Hounslow until she took early retirement some years ago. She used her retirement to work actively in her borough to further her great passion – social interaction between different cultures and age groups. She felt that her birth in London before the influx of Asian immigrants gave her an unusual skill in bridging the gap between the host country and the Indian, especially Gujarati, communities. She was also concerned about older people being marginalised. She volunteered and supported the Older People’s Pool, Age Concern, Diabetes UK,
13
A peep through the curtain
Equality of women 0In the last 30 years Britain has progressed in various areas. What has still not developed is equality in race relation, tolerance in immigration law and equality towards women especially in the ethnic communities. Women still suffer from forced marriages, honour killings, domestic violence and discriminations in the heart of Britain. The Tories are still trying to cut down on immigrants and a new set of laws are going to halve the skilled immigrants. The most recent statistics show 1735 cases of actual or attempted case of forced marriages, as reported by BBC, despite of having an anti forced marriage legislation and unit. In fact twice as many British women are actually beaten up after a RangersCeltic game – the socalled "Old Firm" match in Scotland. According to Strathclyde police, offences of domestic violence in the west of Scotland rise by 138.8% when the game is played on a Saturday, with smaller but still significant rises (96.6% and 56.8%) for games played on Sundays and weekday evenings. 17th March 1978 l Police in Slough looked for a witness who watched a Pakistani woman drown herself and her three children in the Thames at Windsor. Mrs Arshad Begum Akhtar aged 28, her two
sons, Asser (4), Aamer (2) and her daughter Sahida (6) were pulled out before their bodies reached the weir at Romney Lock, but they were all dead. The mother had left home in Beechwood Road, Slough, Berkshire with the children after a domestic incident in which her husband Mr Pervez Akhtar was showered with a pan of boiling fat. The
woman's mother in law was taken to hospital too with head injuries. No one else was involved in that incident, the detectives reported. l Mr Mahendra Patel- a believer of Sarvoday movement in India rooted for party less democracy. But in Brent, he was a fully paid member of both Conservative and Labour party. However he was trying to get elected as a councillor since 1969, but he failed as a Labour candidate, since he did not have the requisite 2 years party
membership. He tried againbut as a Conservative member. The Tories were shocked to learn he was a member of both Labour and Conservative and asked him to withdraw! A man for all seasons indeed! l A reception was held in the Indian YMCA at Central London to honour Uttar Pradesh MLA Sohan Singh Tomar and Himachal Pradesh Speaker Sravan Kumar. l The Begum Nusrat Bhutto, wife of Pakistan's detained former PM- Mr Z A Bhutto was put in a house arrest in Lahore after being accused by the military authorities of making provocative statements and instigating street demonstrations. l The number of immigrants accepted for settlement in the UK fell from 80,745 in 1976 to 69,313 in 1977 according to figures released by the Home Office. The number of commonwealth citizens fell by 24% . Of those who were allowed to settle on arrival- there was a fall of 47%, a fall of 44% in West Indian citizens and in 19% in Bangladeshi citizens. But 15% more Pakistanis were allowed to settle. Much of the drop was attributed to the introduction of amended rules in 1977, by which men were no longer allowed to settle immediately on marriage. The number of work permit holders and dependants also fell from 16,753 to 14,749.
Hounslow man charged with raping a child
Geeta Dasgupta with the Mayor of Hounslow, Councillor Colin Ellar
the Stroke and Falls Prevention Programmes. She founded Golden Age Hounslow, and the Sager Gujarati Women’s Group at Age Concern. She organised trips, aimed at older people, to European cities. During the past year she had been active as a Health Trainer. She frequently organised widely acclaimed and hugely successful events, such as Antakshari in 2009, and the Gujarati Gala Day in 2010. Geeta was extremely well known among all community activists (of all cultures) in the
A Hounslow man appeared in court after being charged for allegedly raping a child, as reported by the Hounslow Chronicle. It further reported that Rajesh Patel, 53,
Borough. Both Council staff and many people in the wider community are quite shaken by her death. She was kind hearted and hard working and will be greatly missed.
To advertise in
& Asian Voice call
020 7749 4085
Asian Voice wishes all its readers a Happy Holi
appeared at Ealing Magistrates' Court on Saturday (26 Feb), charged with rape of a girl under the age of 13. She was 12. Patel was arrested at his home in Denbigh Road,
Hounslow. The incident is said to have happened on October 22, 2010 in Southall. Patel was remanded in custody and appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on March 8.