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UK
Gandhi an asset to the Parliament Square
www.abplgroup.com - Asian Voice 19th July 2014
Last week, the visiting envoy from PM Cameron's Cabinet announced in India that a statue of Mahatma Gandhi would be erected in the Parliament Square. This will be the second statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London, after the first one sculpted by Fredda Brilliant was installed at Tavistock Square in 1968. When George Osborne and William Hague in New Delhi, announced their decision to install this statue, Baroness Shreela Flather told the Asian Voice: “If anybody deserves to be placed in Parliament Square, it is Gandhiji. He was the role model for both Martin Luther King and Mandela and he should really be in Parliament Square as someone who influenced so many leaders who took on his teachings and followed them through.” Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP in a statement told AV, “I am very pleased that, after years of campaigning, Mahatma Gandhi’s statue is finally going to come to Parliament Square. This decision shows that India is the UK’s best friend in Asia. This is excellent news and will be a wonderful way to commemorate the incredible work done in the name of peace by this great man.” While many other Britons, especially Asians, have also agreed that Parliament Square should be the rightful home for India's 'Father of the Nation' (beside the statue of Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Nelson Mandela), it has sparked widespread controversy in Whitehall. The Sunday Telegraph reported that Ivan Saxton, founder of the Public Memorials Appeal Trust Charity, had been raising money to erect a monument at the same place for the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Saxton reportedly said, “We don't want to be gazumped by this Gandhi statue.” The plan already has the backing of a number of Tory MPs who have worked with Lady Thatcher. Last week Saxton met Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 Committee, to secure more support. Now apparently he has written to PM David Cameron to win his backing. The Public Memorials Appeal Trust has raised half of the £300,000 needed to erect the statue and have also commissioned a sculptor, who has started working on a design. Saxton reportedly said, “I don't want anyone to pop up and bag this site. Margaret Thatcher is going to get a statue in the Parliament Square, and it will be the definitive statue.”
The Gandhi statue in Tavistock Square, London
Conor Burnps MP, who was close to Lady Thatcher in her retirement, added: “It seems appropriate that we honour the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th Century, who left an indelible stamp on Britain and her people. With statues to Gandhi, Mandela and Lincoln, Parliament Square is starting to look like a congested United Nations.” Westminster City Council which manages the square, usually insists that the statues can only be erected 10 years after the person's death. This rule however has been waived off before - notably for Mandela. In the letters to the Editor section in The Times newspaper on Saturday 12th July, Randhir Singh Bains from Gants Hill and Malathy Sitaram from Swindon wrote letters supporting that Gandhi deserves a statue in the Parliament Square. In fact Ms Sitaram speaking about reaction to this news, emphasised that the Sikhs in India would be proud that a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be installed in Westminster. However she added, "It is some Sikhs in the West who have developed an extreme ideology of victimhood and a consequent hostility to India based on the massacre that followed the assassination of Mrs (Indira) Gandhi by a Sikh bodyguard. Some of these Sikhs have probably never been to India. Their claims that Gandhi was a racist, a ‘sexual weirdo’ and a proponent of the caste system are risible. “Gandhi was anything but a racist, and his support for the rights of Muslims led to his assassination. He worked hard to free people from their belief in a caste hierarchy.
“As for being a “sexual weirdo”, there may be some purchase here. He was obsessed with the notion of celibacy which is an important part of Hindu mythology and theology. He tested himself in unusual ways which could and does attract criticism because he was selfish in getting young women to play a part in testing his willpower. He was a complex man but his life, work and achievements have secured his place in history as an extraordinary and great leader. He ranks with Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, who were both inspired by him.” Anthony Martin from South East London however argued, “A statue of Gandhi already exists in Tavistock Square, near the British Museum. Gandhi’s reputation is not without blemish. On December 24, 1940, he congratulated his “dear friend” Adolf Hitler on his “bravery and devotion to [his] fatherland”. He had sent similar letters in the 1930s. Gandhi also preferred to trust India’s fate to “God or the Japanese” rather than the hated British. Following the old principle of “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” led the “pacifist” Gandhi to keep some unusual company.” In another letter, Dennis Lanner, from Guestling wrote, “There are already ten statues in Parliament Square: seven British prime ministers, one South African prime minister, and two presidents. All were considered to have been outstanding statesmen of their time. Gandhi never held high office and although he was a great man he was not, strictly speaking, a statesman.” Anne Hewson, from Cheshire said, “Forgive my cynicism but if we are erecting a statue to the Father of India and former opponent of the British Empire could we not erect one of Michael Collins, who fought for freedom from English rule too?” But whatever be the popular belief, as Peter Watson in his article 'Why Gandhi belongs in a new British pantheon' (The Times, 11 July) correctly writes, “There is plenty of space in the square, so let's move with all deliberate speed to create more statues, more monuments to people who have led lives of example... “Let's hope the statue of Gandhi boosts relationship with India. But let's also hope it's just the latest in a long line of freedom fighters honoured in a very understated British way.”
A new South Asia Institute in London
In January 2014 SOAS University of London established a new Institute to further promote its research and teaching on South Asia. The study of India and South Asia has been core to the SOAS mission throughout its first century of existence, and SOAS now has the largest multi-disciplinary community of scholars working exclusively on South Asia of any university in Europe. More than fifty academics in twelve different departments offer more than 100 courses on the anthropology, art, culture, development, economics, films, history, law, literature, music, politics and religions of South Asia. Uniquely in the UK, they also teach five South Asian languages to degree level: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit and Urdu. The South Asia
Institute’s teaching and research will attend to the achievements of South Asian societies and the challenges that face them, and to both geographical South Asia and South Asian diaspora communities worldwide. A new two-year Masters in Intensive South Asian Studies, available from September 2014, will include compulsory lan-
guage training and will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to work or conduct research in the region. New research initiatives will be taken in priority areas including resource pressures, citizenship and inequality, cultural and religious politics, art, history and economics. The Institute will strengthen its partnerships with institu-
tions of higher learning in the region and in London it will continue to host and organise a rich programme of events, most of which are open to the public. The Institute’s founding Director, Professor Michael Hutt, sums up its purpose in the following words: ‘As India and its neighbours become an increasingly powerful economic and cultural force in our world, it is all the more important for us to understand and explain South Asia in the world-renowned SOAS way—across the full range of humanities and social sciences disciplines; with a solid grounding in the regional languages; and in close collaboration with our partners there.’ For more information on the SOAS South Asia Institute, please visit http://www.soas.ac.uk/ssai/
Government demands justice for British victims in Gujarat riot
William Hague with Sushma Swaraj
The former British Foreign Minister William Hague during his visit to India recently, has reportedly urged the Indian government to speed up action against those who murdered three British citizens during the Gujarat riot. UK Foreign Office reportedly said the matter was discussed between Hague and the Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj who "took note of the concerns". Three British citizens, who were of Gujarati origin - brothers Saeed and Shakil Dawood and their friend, Mohammed Aswat were among more than 1,000 people, who were killed in those riots. The family of the Dawood brothers are now running a campaign to get justice. The families of the three had requested Hague to bring up the issue with the Indian government. They had reportedly told Hague that even after 12 years of the killing, the remains had still not been returned to them. Also, the perpetrators of the crime had not been brought to justice. Six men were initially charged with the murder of the British citizens but they were released on bail and a number of key witnesses turned hostile.
Manchester city centre opens up for late night to celebrate Eid
In a first for Manchester, the city’s retailers are set to open their doors for late night shopping in the run up to Eid al-Fitr, with many stores opening until 9pm on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th July. The Muslim religious holiday marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The spirit of gift giving is prevalent in the run up to Eid, gifts usually include new clothes for women and children and donning new items on the day of Eid is a celebratory tradition. Retailers across the Heart of Manchester BID (Business Improvement District) are honouring Eid with extended opening hours and special offers. Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, House of Fraser, Debenhams, Next, Boots, Jack Wills and many more across the city centre will open until 9pm, with various stores running promotions.