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VOL 41. ISSUE 25

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe 20th October to 26th October 2012

There were no Lobbyists, only Goodwill Ambassadors

Hearts go out to the doctor who lost his wife and children in a 'mysterious' blaze

The real story behind the UK Government's decision to engage with Modi

Manoj Ladwa

respect) this. British Gujaratis: A lot of people in the UK are now claiming that they were the ones who made it happen. That they were on the ones who placed the right calls and held the right meetings. Actually they are all right. In fact, if all of the 600,000 British Gujaratis and wider Indian community in the UK said

Narendra Modi

found culpable, he should be hanged. The fact is that in the last few months there have been numerous convictions in cases pertaining to the riots. But Narendra Modi has been exonerated on each occasion. The judicial system in India is slow. But it works. The UK government I think has come to understand (and possibly

that they had a role to play, they too would be all right. Narendra Modi has overwhelming support from the British Indian community. God only knows what rock-star frenzy will erupt when he eventually lands on British soil. The Goodwill Ambassadors: Throughout the last 10 years there have been numerous

Goodwill Ambassadors who have stood by Gujarat and Narendra Modi. Some have even suffered personal abuse at the hands of religious and political extremists. Tallest amongst these, without a doubt, has to be Barry Gardiner MP, a senior Labour party politician and chairman of the Labour Friends of India. Barry has known Narendra bhai (as he refers to him) well before he became chief minister. In fact it was Barry who took Narendra Modi to 10 Downing Street in 2001. So if Prime Minister Cameron invites Narendra Modi, it won't be his first time. Barry's landmark speech at the opening session of the 2009 Vibrant Gujarat where he openly chastised the then UK High Commissioner for not being present, has been widely seen in political circles as the turning point where the UK started to take serious note of the situation. Second Track Diplomats: Also instrumental has been Lord Gulam Noon, a moderate Muslim and previous critic, who along with the ever energetic Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice UK Publisher/Editor CB Patel, has consistently raised the Gujarat issue with ministers and policy makers in the UK. CB Patel's forthright editorial comments over the years have been the best barometer of community concern over this issue and solid support for Narendra Modi. Continued on page 26

Hira, 12, Sohaib, 11, Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, Ryan, 6, Muneeb, 9 and Maheen, 3

Doctor Abdul Shakoor

Communities and local neighbours fear that a serial arsonist was responsible for a blaze that has killed a doctor and four of her children in a house fire as the police launched a crime investigation. On

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Tuesday, as the paper went to press, Police investigating suggested that it could be a case of mistaken identity. Abdul Shakoor jumped to safety from a first-floor window and had to be held back by neighbours as he desperately tried to save his family from the flames at their home in Harlow, Essex. His wife, Dr Sabah Usmani, 44, sons Sohaib, 11, Maneeb, 9, and Rayyan, 6, and daughter Hira,13, were killed. Their daughter Maheen, 3, was in a critical but stable condition, as AV went to press. Continued on page 30

Aerial view of the house

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Since the UK Government's historic announceto ment engage with Narendra Modi, I have been inundated with calls for details of the inside story. I have also been credited for being the man behind the scenes. I am flattered. The reality ultimately, like with most things in life, was much different and more complex. No lobbyists: The myth therefore prevailing is that Narendra Modi engaged expensive international lobbyists to persuade the UK Government. There were no lobbyists engaged, despite a beeline of top international “government relations” firms knocking on Narendra Modi’s door claiming they would solve all his problems. No business pressures: The second myth was that there were some UK business interests that Narendra Modi was stalling on. Only a couple of months ago I asked the previous British High Commissioner to India Sir Richard Stagg at a lunch in London why the UK government had not changed its no-contact policy during his tenure. He was candid enough to say that there had not been any pressure on him to recommend a change. He said the only thing he ever heard from UK companies doing business in Gujarat was how happy they were. No apology: The third

myth is that there was some secret deal regarding an “apology” by Narendra Modi for the 2002 riots. This is, for anyone who knows Narendra Modi and knows the politics of India, total nonsense. Narendra Modi has repeatedly made it clear that the Indian courts should be allowed to dispense justice and if he was in any way

AV_P2_6 temp 16/10/2012 19:23 Page 2

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

one to one

Keith Vaz MP with Dr Bhujang Pai Born in Mangalore, India, Dr Pai was schooled in Mumbai. He completed medical graduation from Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai in 1981. He achieved a Post Graduate degree in MD (Radiology) in 1985 securing a rank in Mumbai University. Dr Pai has been a practising Consultant Radiologist since 1985 and has presented more than 1000 papers in Radiology at both national and international conferences. He has authored several chapters in leading medical text books and has more than 60 publications to his credit. He recently became the 1st Indian to have been conferred with Membership of the Royal College of Radiologists in London. Dr Pai is married to Sangeetha who works as a Consultant with Jet Airways, and has 2 children, Dr.Vivek Pai and Shwetha Pai who is studying law. 1. Please tell us about your current position? Currently, I am the Chief of Radiology at the Seven Hills Hospital, a premier 1500 bedded multispecialty hospital in Mumbai. 2. Please tell us about your partnership with the diabetes charity Silver Star? It all began on a February afternoon this year when I had a short but wonderful meeting with you and you asked me if I was ready to take on the responsibility of manning a Mobile Diabetes Assessment Unit. I agreed to your

proposal immediately and thus began the partnership of Silver Star and Seven Hills Hospital. 3. What are your proudest achievements? Getting a rank in the Post Graduate MD Radiology examination held by the University of Mumbai held in 1985. Being the 1st Indian to be awarded the Membership of the Royal College of Radiology, London on the 25th May 2012. Appointment as a Honorary Radiologist to the Board of Control of Cricket in India, the Mumbai Cricket

Association, the Asian Cricket and Asian Football Federation.

Five British Indians have been honoured here for promoting Hindi in the UK on the occasion of 'Hindi Diwas' organised by the International Hindi Society. Lord Gulam Noon, Chairman of the Noon Products and chief guest on the occasion, presented the award to Deepak Dogra, Managing editor of Maya Newspaper, C B Patel, Editor/Publisher of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, Dhruv Gadvi of

Sunday Times recently five Asian owned compublished Britain’s 250 panies have been includleading mid-market pried recording strong vate companies. At least growth. They are: Name Turnover Profit £564mn £444.3mn £270mn £270mn £192mn

8. What are your long term goals? Improve the health scenario globally. Certain diseases e.g Cancer, Diabetes, AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malnutrition to name just a few, keep growing at an alarming pace despite the best measures adopted by various governments. It becomes imperative to curtail if not completely eradicate these deadly diseases. 9. If you were Prime Minister of India, what one thing would you change? I would amend the health care system. This would mean getting stringent laws to weed out corruption in the health sector, make quality health care affordable and accessible to one and all, and above all impart excellent education to the medical and paramedical students. 10. If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figures would you like to spend your time with and why? There have been countless historical figures who have tread upon this planet. But if I were marooned on a deserted island, I would like to spend time with, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Socrates, William Shakespeare, Sir Wilhelm Roentgen and the Beatles.

British Indians honoured for promoting Hindi in UK

Asian companies shine amongst Britain’s 250 leading mid market companies

Dhamecha Foods Lycatel Southall Travel 99p Stores Day Lewis

4. What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?

Honestly, there has been no big obstacle in my career to date. The Lord Almighty has been extra kind to me. 5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date? Without doubt the biggest influence on my career has been my late aunt, Miss Usha Pai. I lost my father when I was just a year old and my brother was posthumously born, leaving my mother stranded to take care of us. My aunt gave me and my brother education as well as the much needed emotional and financial support to all of us. She remained a spinster throughout, toiled hard and nurtured a dream of making me a doctor. She singularly saw us through darkness and showed us light at the end of the tunnel. 6. What is the best thing about your current role? Interacting with my patients and doctors has been without doubt the best thing about my current role. In addition, the added responsibility of creating awareness about Diabetes in Mumbai in conjunction with Silver Star is not only challenging but promising as well. 7. And the worst? Time frames not being met with, people who are sloppy and hence lose focus about the deadlines and goals that they have to achieve

£11.5mn £9.5mn £11.9mn £7.3mn £15.1mn

Zee TV, Jaskaran Singh, Editor/Publisher of Pardes Weekly and Rajendra Joshi, Patron of the International Hindi Society. Speaking on the occasion, Lord Noon described the UK as a "fair country" and welcomed its decision to resume contacts with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. He also lauded the achievements of British Indians in this country in all walks of life, particularly in the field of education. Seema Malhotra, Labour MP, said: "We can feel proud of our secular identity." Dr Onkar Sahota, Member of Greater London Assembly emphasised the need to promote Hindi in

Diwali

Lord Gulam Noon

Seema Malhotra MP

the UK. He said, "In this country Chinese is taught in primary and secondary schools. We should see Hindi is also taught similarly." Dr Jagdish Kaushal, Chairman of the International Hindi Society said: "very soon we will have Women's Wing and Youth Wing of the Society here." Councillor Ashok

Kapoor, Vice Chairman of the society, said: "the vision of the society is to promote all Hindustan's culture to unify under one umbrella no matter what religion, language and culture." Pritam Lal, First Secretary (Coordination) in the Indian High Commission, and Jagdish Sharma, Leader of the Hounslow Council, also spoke on the occasion.

Festival of Light

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Seeing your interest in contributing to our forthcoming Diwali magazine, on PUBLIC DEMAND our last date of entry in English for youngsters between 10-25 year olds is now extended till 21st October 2012. Diwali is now a fortnight away. The New Year is knocking at the door, waiting to bring colours and light to your lives with fervour of joy and ever lasting happiness. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar as every year will be publishing the ‘Diwali Special’ Magazine for our fabulous and supportive readers like yourself. Write an article in English on ‘how you celebrate your Diwali every year’ or ‘your most memorable Diwali’ in no more than 700 words and email to aveditorial@abplgroup.com with your full name, age and contact number. New last day of entry is Sunday 21 October 2012. Hurry don’t miss a chance to have your article printed in Britain’s biggest Asian newsweekly. - Asian Voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

COMMENT

EU wins Nobel peace prize, despite debt crisis Peace is a state of harmony characterised by the lack of violent conflict and the freedom from fear of violence. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the establishment of equality, and a working political order that serves the true interests of all. In international relations, peacetime is not only the absence of war or violent conflict, but also the presence of positive and respectful cultural and economic relationships. The Noble peace prize awarded to EU has its admirers as well as opponents. Some people have questioned

the wisdom of awarding the prize to EU despite many member countries passing through major economic crisis and explosive situations. Peace is always at a premium. It is not easy to bring peace and even more difficult to sustain it on a permanent basis. The European Union won the prize for its historic role in uniting the continent and the award meant as a morale booster for the bloc as it struggles to resolve its debt crisis. The EU has been a key in transforming Europe "from a continent of wars to a continent of peace.” The European Union has been the most effective creator of peace in the world since its inception with the coal and steel cooperation in the 1950s.

Britain finally acknowledges Modi’s importance The British Government led by PM David Cameron has taken a welcome and appropriate step to renew contact with Gujarat led by CM Narendra Modi which was necessary and desirable. In 2004 the then Labour government had taken the wrong decision to snap relations with Gujarat on a very flimsy grounds. Modi has long been accused by political opponents and human rights groups of complicity in the 2002 riots, when Hindu mobs attacked Muslim communities killing many men, women and children. The riots followed the burning of 58 Hindu pilgrims, who were travelling in two bogies of Sabarmati Express, at Godhra by Muslims fundamentalists. PM Dr Manmohan Singh told the Indian Parliament some 4 years ago that in the terrible Gujarat riot following the train carnage at Godhra, almost 800 people lost their lives of whom two-thirds were Muslims. Of the third who were all Hindus, mainly shot dead by the police. One inquiry initiated by Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Railway Minister opined that the train fire was caused internally. The verdict was rejected by the Supreme Court. In the subsequent inquiry ordered by the Central Government it was clearly stated that the train tragedy happened due to the external attacks. Following this incident, riots broke out in Gujarat and Modi was blamed for it. Modi, however, denied the allegations and condemned the riots. In the aftermath of the riots, many EU countries had what a senior British official described as a “gentleman’s agreement” to shun Modi. He was also banned from visiting the US. But as Gujarat’s economy has prospered,

many western governments have been gradually and quietly restoring ties. Gujarat comprises of 5% of land mass, 6% of the population and provides almost 17% of industry output, 23% of exports, nearly 50% of the pharmaceutical industry and over 30% of the Indian stock market investments. And moreover Gujaratis are recognized as peaceful, businesslike and loyal citizens of the UK. Over 8,00,000 British Gujaratis reside in the UK. Nearly 2,00,000 Gujaratis with British nationality reside in Africa, Middle East, India and some other countries. In a major diplomatic decision, the UK government last week decided to end the decade - long boycott of Modi. The UK government made an announcement to restore diplomatic relations with Gujarat, saying it would work towards normalizing ties with the state. It also said the British High Commissioner would visit Gujarat to increase engagement with the state. The announcement marks the end of Modi's diplomatic isolation in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots in 2002. So what was burdened by Labour government was removed by Tory government. A senior British official insisted the renewal of contact with Gujarat was not about rehabilitating Modi, but rather exploring opportunities for Britain in fields such as business, education, science and technology. The increasing Indo-British economic relations will be helped by the decision of the British government. After all it was Gujarat where three sailing ships of the East India Company reached over 400 years ago and thus started the long and now dignified and durable Indo-British partnership.

Pakistani schoolgirl shot by Taliban A Pakistani schoolgirl was shot by Taliban gunmen for promoting girls’ education. The 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, whose shooting has drawn widespread condemnation, will require prolonged care to fully recover physically and psychologically and has arrived in UK for specialised treatment. Malala has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Taliban's efforts to deprive girls of education. Pakistanis have held some protests but most government officials have refrained from publicly criticising the Taliban by name over the attack, in what critics say is a lack of resolve against extremism. Unfortunately Pakistan which was formed by violence is still struggling with violence. The Shias are under enormous pressure. The women are also fighting for their fundamental rights and for dignity. The fundamentalists want to keep the country under their control. They don’t want the country to progress so that they can run their writ on the people. “If you live by sword –You die by sword.” Pakistan itself has a violent origin and that legacy is continuing even now. Some of the Muslims cannot tolerate any type of criticism. Examples are the Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses and the recent film on Prophet

Mohammed. Many Muslims accuse Rushdie of blasphemy and in 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwā ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie. Numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings resulted from Muslim anger over the novel. The issue was said to have divided "Muslim from Westerners along the fault line of cultures," and to have pitted them against a core Western value of freedom of expression. Opponents of Pakistan's government and military say the shooting is another example of the state's failure to tackle militancy, the biggest threat to the stability of the country. The shooting of Malala was the culmination of years of campaigning that had pitted the young girl against one of Pakistan's most ruthless Taliban commanders, Maulana Fazlullah. The Taliban has warned that it will attack her again if she survives. What is happening in Pakistan is very depressing and breaking the stranglehold of Taliban is necessary if the country wanted to progress. The only way to progress is education and employment and the unity among people against fundamentalists. The public opinion since the attack on Malala provide a unique opportunity for Pakistani establishment to begin a more peaceful, tolerant and all inclusive march.

Greed v/s good governance Good governance, whether in the public or private sector, is always a challenge. While we want and expect people to act with honesty and integrity, in many cases, self interest, greed, and a lack of respect for the rights of others overcomes the basic obligation to act ethically. Greed is against democracy. Greed has given rise to corruption and bribery because it puts personal gain above the common good. Corruption charges should not remain unanswered. India Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal has levelled fresh charges against Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi. He was pointed for quid pro quo deal with real estate giant DLF for business on highly favourable terms. That came on top of earlier accusations that the large funds provided by DLF to Vadra facilitated lucrative deals, which allowed the latter to amass extensive real estate, in return for favours provided by Congress governments in three states. The questions raised by IAC deserve an answer from Vadra. Kejriwal has also alleged that Union min-

ister Salman Kurshid was involved in financial irregularities by his trust run for the welfare of the physically challenged. Kejriwal alleged that instead of spending the grants for the welfare of the disabled, the amount was misappropriated by the trust. In UK there is also alleged corruption in defense services, procurements with retired Generals of army or similar rank acting as the agents of arms dealers. India is the world’s second largest importer of weapons. Tony Blair, the former British PM has acquired huge millions of pounds by advising other countries on diverse subjects. If greed is the main cause of corruption, it goes against good governance and democracy. What is the way out? Resistance is one way out. If the corruption is not resisted, it will grow into a monster. The politicians and bureaucrats should realize that they are in position of power because of the trust of people. They should use the opportunity for the welfare of the people instead of using it to amass wealth for themselves.

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Thought for the Week

Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Political Sketchbook Alpesh Patel’s Gujarat – always a tough place for the British Gujarat has always been a problem for the British. I’ve just returned from there, from the Gandhi Ashram. Ever since there has been a Mahatma and a Sardar Patel, Gujarat has been a problem for the British. I am Gujarati. And it pains me when anyone criticises Gujarat. When they forget, the Mahatma was Gujarati – the man who was the inspiration for Mandela and Obama. When Indians forget the Gujarati, Sardar Patel, my relative through my maternal grandmother, was the man who created the Union of India. Without Gujarat and these two Gujaratis, let no one dare deny, there would not be an Independent India, there would not be a unified India. So how should Gujarat be treated? A State in the world’s largest democracy. Well with a hell of a lot more respect than it has been. To essentially provide lower diplomatic relations than with China on the pre-text of human rights, serves neither the cause of human rights, or of British interests. As Rami Ranger points out, even the Central Government of India, did not stop dialogue with the Government of Narendra Modi. But more importantly, British Gujaratis and NRIs did not stop dialogue with the British Government. And it is that dialogue which meant that as Manoj Ladwa puts it, ‘In fact, if all of the 600,000 British Gujaratis and NRIs said that they had a role to play, they too would be all right.’ From the highest, those in the Lords, like

Lord Dholakia, Lord GK Noon and Lord Dolar Popat who showed me the innumerable letters he had sent various government officials especially given his personal friendship with the Prime Minister and voice in the governing Conservative Party, down all the way to the commoner, Manoj Ladwa and everyone in between – this happened because Gujaratis in Britain matter. And so they should – to save Britain from herself at times. The spirit of the Mahatma and the Sardar lives – they too were as much interested in saving Britain from herself, and their respective ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ attitudes to the British are reflected in the diaspora. I first met Narendrabhai Modi about a decade ago at the offices of Asian Voice. I was sitting in the audience, and as he finished his speech, and left to go upstairs with CB Patel, Manoj Ladwa who organised the visit, turned to me, and asked me to join them. I was touched. And since that day to this, I know the work behind the scenes Manoj, a British educated lawyer, has been doing for UK Gujarat relations. When more recently Manoj and CB Patel again organised a UK conference with Narendrabhai appearing via video, Manoj kindly introduced me – simply – ‘Alpesh is from Karamsad’ and to that Narendra replied, simply, ‘Jai Sardar, Jai Karamsad’. Really, the British need only understand that Narendrabhai sees himself carrying the legacy of Sardar Patel, to understand the man and to know what he is, and is not capable of.

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LEICESTER / MIDLANDS VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

CF India launches first regional branch in Brum Conservative Friends of India (CF India) marked its first ever appearance at Conservative Party Conference last week with a widely acclaimed four day programme. The new organisation, which was officially launched by Prime Minister David Cameron in April, launched its first regional branch on Sunday 7 October, at the 100,000 square foot warehouse of East End Foods. The launch was one of

attended a community event that celebrated the contribution of British Indian businesses, on the shop floor of one of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful wholesalers. The attendees were addressed by Tony Deep Wouhra, founder of East End Foods, Attorney General the Rt. Hon Dominic Grieve MP, Alok Sharma MP, Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, locally born Paul Uppal MP, Minister of State for India the Rt. Hon. Gregory Barker

Launch of the Birmingham branch of CF India

the biggest receptions of Conservative Party conference, where over 200 members of the local community

MP and Lord Popat, and received a message of support from the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. David Cameron

Police called after 'dead body' seen being wheeled through university campus Chairman of CF India, Lord Popat with Dominic Grieve QC, President of CF India

MP. The launch of the Birmingham Branch underlines CF Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to being a regional, memberled organisation, dedicated to reaching out to the British Indian community right across the country, celebrating British Indian success stories and engaging with British Indians of all political views. Commenting on CF Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference debut, Chairman of CF India Lord Popat said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;CF India is about doing politics in a positive way; truly engaging

with communities and focusing on our young, Britishborn Indians who have so many opportunities. It is too easy to forget that politics happens everywhere, not just in Westminster. We held a community forum in Birmingham last month and we have been inundated with requests for more events here in the Midlands; the overwhelming response has been â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;what took you so long!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; so I am delighted that we were able to launch the first regional branch of CF India right here in the heart of the Midlands.â&#x20AC;?

Men armed with handgun rob Leicester bank known how much money they stole. Leicestershire Police said the area would have been "teeming with people" and urged witnesses to contact them. One of the men was wearing a grey hooded top and grey trousers. The other wore a black tracksuit with red stripes down each leg.

Two men armed with what police believe was a handgun have robbed a Leicester bank. Officers were called to the Narborough Road branch of Santander at about midday on Saturday. The two men threatened a cashier with a gun before running off along Danvers Road. It is not yet

New study finds that sitting for protracted periods increases health risks A new study led by the University of Leicester, in association with colleagues at Loughborough University, has discovered that sitting for long periods increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease and death. The study combined the results of 18 studies

and included a total of 794,577 participants. It was led by Dr Emma Wilmot, a research fellow in the Diabetes Research Group at the University of Leicester, and carried out in collaboration with colleagues from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

Leicester â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Loughborough Diet, Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit. According to the study, those who sit for long periods have a two fold increase in their risk of diabetes, heart disease and death. Importantly, associa-

tions were independent of the amount of moderateto-vigorous physical activity undertaken, suggesting that even if an individual meets typical physical activity guidelines, their health may still be compromised if they sit for long periods of time throughout the day.

Worker threatened with handgun during armed raid A filling station worker was threatened with a handgun during a robbery in Houghton on the Hill. Police said two people entered the station in Uppingham Road at about 7.55pm last Sunday and threatened a member of staff before taking cash from the till. They then ran

off toward Ingarsby Lane before escaping in a red getaway vehicle. No-one was injured during the incident and no shots were fired, Leicestershire police said Monday. Following the robbery officers on patrol in the Highfields area of Leicester

arrested three boys - one aged 17 and two aged 16 as well as a 25-year-old woman. All four remain in police custody. Police are investigating the possibility the robbery may be linked to four others which took place in the county over the weekend. One of the robberies

happened in Uppingham Road on Friday with the other three on Saturday, at premises in Humberstone Lane in Thurmaston, and Saffron Lane and Cardinals Walk, both in Leicester. They say on three occasions shots were fired and that one shop worker was injured in the arm.

Birmingham is the UK's whiplash capital The number of motoristsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; claims for whiplash continues to rise, with drivers in Birmingham making more than anywhere else in the UK, says a study. The West Midlands city has 11 of the 20 worst

Post Code districts for making third party injury claims, with Manchester, Bradford, Liverpool and north London completing the list. The lowest number of claims, meanwhile, was

seen in districts in Scotland, including Inverness, the Hebrides and Edinburgh. The increase in claims comes despite police statistics showing a fall in road accident injuries, the

Institute and Faculty of Actuaries showed. The body blames the rising disconnect between injury numbers and third party injury claims on claims management companies.

Police were called to reports of a dead body being wheeled through De Montfort University campus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only to discover it was a lifelike mannequin. Officers trawled CCTV footage and interviewed business owners in the De Montfort University area of the city after they received a call from a concerned passer-by. The well-intentioned resident was convinced a corpse was being pushed in a wheelchair from Leicester Royal Infirmary to the campus, on Friday morning. Investigating officers discovered it was actually a dummy used to teach medical students, being wheeled by hospital staff to a lecture at the university. Tony Cope, who owns a pub in the area, saw stills from campus security cameras and said he was convinced the "grue-

some" image was of a dead body. Police popped into his pub, The Font, in Gateway Street, to see if his security cameras had filmed the alleged dead body as it was wheeled past his pub. "The police came to see my footage and of course I said yes, but when I asked them what they were looking for they showed me this picture of a dead body taken by the camera across the road," said Tony. "It put me on a bit of a downer to be honest. I wasn't expecting to see a dead body. It was gruesome. They didn't say anything about it being a mannequin. To be fair to whoever called police, it looked exactly like a body wrapped in black bags slumped in a wheelchair. I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked real. I'm relieved to find out it was a mannequin."

Call for metal detectors at Bournville College after student is stabbed Demands have been made for better security at the Birmingham college where a teenager was stabbed. The 17-year-old student was fighting for his life after the incident at Bournville College. West Midlands Police described the teenager's condition on Sunday as "stable". A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with Friday's stabbing and was

being held in custody. Witnesses said the student was knifed on the steps at the entrance to the building after a heated argument. Police and paramedics were called to the Longbridge Lane campus at about 1.30pm on Friday, and the student was taken to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Lessons were halted and the college was closed.

Third teenager held in probe on death of Ben Morutare A third teenager has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in connection with the murder of Walsall 16-year-old Ben Morutare, pictured. The 17-year-old from Birmingham has now been released on police bail. It comes after two other 17year-olds, appeared at Wo l v e rh a m p t o n Magistrates Court on Saturday in connection with the death of Ben, who was stabbed in the leg outside the Smethwick Home Guard & Old Comrades Club in the early hours of July 28. He later died in hospital. The pair, who are both from Birmingham, are

charged with violent disorder and one of the youths also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice. They were both bailed. A 17-year-old, who can also not be named for legal reasons, has previously appeared in court accused of his murder.

AV_P5_6 temp 16/10/2012 19:07 Page 5

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

God says NO to blind faith; so DOES Asian Voice Rupanjana Dutta The war against ‘blind faith’ in ‘self proclaimed God’s men’ on this earth has been depicted wonderfully through the recent bollywood hit film Oh My God (OMG). The film is based on the life of a Kanjibhai (Paresh Rawal), an antique shopkeeper, predominantly agnostic, almost border line case atheist. When an earthquake destroys his antique store, the insurance company refuses to give him money, since the damage was caused by ‘an act of God’. Kanjibhai in turn sues God. As no lawyer takes his case, he fights it himself and challenges all the greedy saints, priests, fortune tellers, magic healers who portray themselves to be God’s own men/messengers, to pay him back for his loss. The film revolves around Kanjibhai’s efforts in taking down God or those hollow believes that preachers instil in people, as Kanjibhai is surprisingly helped by God or Lord Krishna Himself (Akshay Kumar) to wage a war against nepotism and zealots. Why I am referring to the OMG story? A few weeks back I saw a 100mmx75mm card in

my letter box. It said, “Don’t suffer in silence... S he ik h I br a h im ...He could solve all your problems regarding marriage, love, health, success in jobs, exams, court cases and financial transactions in business. He could also protect you from bad spirits, curses and black magic. I can also solve your sexual problems such as impotence. I also advise you on all your problems. My work is strictly guaranteed. If you need and help, please contact: Sheikh Ibrahim...” followed by his phone number, email address, his language skills and postal address. My first reaction washow can a man save you from your own problem other than yourself? He is not God- is he? A few days later, a second card was dropped into my letter box, that said, “Mr K a w o s u. 786. An international spiritual healer/advisor with 21 years experience. He can

give advice with all your problems regarding marriage, love, jobs, exams. He can unite your family together and improve your business. He will help you have success in your career. If you are looking for someone in your life, he will make it possible for you. If you are suffering from black magic or any evil cases he will get rid of them. Also men suffering from impotency problems. As well as women who cannot conceive a child....” followed by his two mobile numbers. Such businesses which en-cash on weak minds promising them the world through miracles, is no less than a heinous crime, and if God was here, I have no doubt he would have despised it too. This is the 21st century. People have fought endlessly to attain the freedom we enjoy today and not on God’s will alone. People to take advantage of one’s helplessness and weakness

is called opportunism. Of course superstitions are not unknown to our Asian households. Superstitions in people originated as religious practices observed by them no longer adhered to religions that gave birth to those practices. Being superstitious may not be healthy, but is perhaps acceptable as long as it’s a matter of personal choice and are not imposed on others or are exploitative. But believing in miracles to remove pain or unscientific and magical solutions to problems are more like blind faiths or con tricks. Ignorance leads to such practices and vulnerable people often seek for a quick fix. That is particularly the opportunity for zealots like tantriks, wiccan spell casters, wizards, black magic witches, voodoo priests et all wait to seize in return of thousands of pounds. People in tight spots do fall prey- losing hard earned money- with no expected results. Sometimes catastrophic. The truth as the film OMG suggests- a solution to your problem is in your hands and no magical force can alter your destiny for you. As the BBC finally bowes to launch an independent inquiry into the

sexual abuse of children at the corporation by Sir Jimmy Savile, after so many years when so much has been lost including innocence of hundreds, we as a leading Asian newspaper think it’s our duty to make our community aware NOW of the ill practices that may ruin their lives. Every week we lose almost £900 by denying adverts from these magic healers, astrologers, tantriks etc. Recently even ebay decided to follow our footsteps to say ‘no’ to such misleading advertise-

ments. Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar strongly believe taking advantage of vulnerable and weak people is wrong- perhaps as bad as Savile’s alleged sexual abuse. Hence we are relaunching our campaign and we wish to ensure that our community does not fall prey in the hands of such ‘frauds’, or ‘crooks’ who loot you in the name of the Holy Divine. Agree or disagree with us? Email your opinion in 100 words at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

10,000 Muslims protest outside Google offices in London

A protest by 10,000 Muslims outside the offices of Google in London on 14 October is just the first of a many attempts to force the company to remove an antiIslamic film from website YouTube in Britain. Thousands had travelled from as far afield as Glasgow to take part in the demonstration, ahead

of a planned millionstrong march in Hyde Park in coming weeks. Anger over ‘The Innocence of Muslims’, an Americanproduced film which insulted the Prophet Mohammad and demeaned Muslims, according to protesters, remains available to watch on the website YouTube, a subsidiary of Google.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

EXCLUSIVE

Choose life over smokeless tobacco Indrani Thakurata Most South Asian gatherings, especially marriages are complete with their food menu which also has a freshener at the end of it. Recently, a news report talks about the variety of paan that will decorate the menu in Saif-Kareena wedding. Paan, misri Indian tobacco, betel quid are popular fresheners with the south Asian community. Reports claim that many women from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are addicted to paan. Well, we are all aware of the health hazards the smoking tobacco causes but very few know the hazards that these smokeless tobacco cause. Infact , most health professionals have gaps in their knowledge when it comes to smokeless tobacco. What the directive says... A directive from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), released last week aims to fill that void and educate people about smokeless tobacco. The guidance focuses on interventions that help people of south Asian origin—the main users of smokeless tobacco—to quit. It covers a variety of smokeless tobacco products used in England such as the powdered misiri India tobacco, paan, and betel quid. South Asian women, older age groups, individuals from lower socioeconomic groups, and people of Bangladeshi origin are more likely to use smokeless tobacco. The guidance states that a brief intervention from health professionals can help users quit. Such interventions can include simple opportunistic advice, an assessment of a person’s commitment to quit, pharmacotherapy or behavioural support, selfhelp material, or referral to more intensive support. Additionally, it recommends that health professionals receive training so they can recognise the signs of smokeless tobacco use, record use in

patients’ notes, and explain the associated health risks using local names for smokeless tobacco products. Changing attitudes to smokeless tobacco, mistakenly seen as safe by many people, will be diffi-

cult, especially where cultural and language barriers exist, and health-seeking behaviour is low. The NICE guidance is a valuable aid to improve cessation services for a neglected health problem in an often-underserved population. Its implementation should be coupled with culturally appropriate, targeted prevention programmes in areas of the UK with large south Asian populations. Smokeless tobacco use needs to be viewed in the same way as tobacco smoking—as a habit damaging to health that requires intervention. What consumers say... “I love gutka, and I buy it every three days. And gutka packets have warning signs but since i like it, I still purchase it,” says Wasim Mohammmed. Carrying forward the conversation, “ I am well

Paan shop

aware of the consequences of consuming smokeless tobacco but since I am addicted to it, I take it. Many youngsters smoke here, well aware of the health hazards, so

why point out South Asian community for smokeless, it seems like a racial cornering,” argues Zahid Syed, a student. Posing a different point of view, Mehzabeen from Wembley appreciates this directive. “This directive will help spread awareness amongst women who are consuming it without any knowledge. not only will it spread awareness , but GP’s will help quit addiction.” Mithun Saha, a consumer originally from Bangladesh talks about the ignorance that leads people to their peril. “My aunt never knew about the health hazards associated with paan. She took it to be a harmless freshener. When i told her about it, she was shocked to hear about the diseases it can cause. Which goes on to show that, paan and other non packed tobacco which comes without the warning are infact consumed by many unaware of its consequence.” Sanjay Patel form Nishat paan shop Wembley says, “I only sell sweet paan, so none of the injurious stuff is in sweet paan. And while selling gutka, we do tell customers about the product.” Following in the same line, from Hamza Paan shop, Southall, “We ask customers whether they have had the tobacco before, if not we warn them against it. After that, it is customers wish.” Bhola Paan shop, Southall, is no different from the rest claiming that they educate the buyers. “ The paan shops are here to sell there product, they will never advertise against buying. After all they need the money too,” concludes Wasim. Health Hazards Several health problems can arise from use, including nicotine addiction, mouth and oropharyngeal cancer, dental disease, cardiovascular disease, and problems in pregnancy and after childbirth (eg, fetal anaemia and stillbirth).

Why a Groupon discounting strategy for brands is dangerous

Mo Luthra Branding Consultant www.moluthra.com Almost a year on from its floatation on the stock market, which raised $700 million and rated the company at $13 billion, question marks around Groupon still remain very prominent. The marketing phenomenon which is Groupon, offers daily deals on behalf of local businesses to over 35 million online users. In these times of austerity it has made Groupon very popular and the fastest growing company of all time.

While it helps businesses attract new customers, what Groupon fails to do is attract any brand loyalty. Business owners in panic mode tend to offer discounts to grab potential customers in the hope of building a new client list. In reality when everyone is after a bargain, any place will do. While it is easy to discount in a downturn it offers no long run stability to a business. It strips the brand of any emotion and positive feeling that has been generated over time and values the business from a functional and

price position, treating it like a commodity. A further issue with discount strategies is that it is hard to meet demand. Sudden flows of customers while being a good thing often

block the ability to service the long term valued customers. Also the capability of a business to cope with the increased demand and anticipating staffing requirements makes any planning very difficult. Growth is really a steady thing, similar to our children or even plants; it is constant growth with little spurts which leads to a healthy being. The same is can be said for our businesses. Investment in building a brand will bear fruits, but it takes the commitment and foresight to do so. Building messages which promote the concept behind the business and give reasons to buy are much more powerful. The temptation for a quick buck and to discount will always be there and it needs to be resisted. If we look at the brands we aspire to and admire, there is nothing knock-off about them. At the end of the day, quality always wins out.

CIMA elects New President Gulzari La Babber FCMA, CGMA, Chartered Management Accountant, has been elected President of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) at its Annual General Meeting on 9 June. Mr Babber, has been a CIMA member since 1984 and served as a Council Member before being elected CIMA President. He is one of the Institute’s registered Members in Practice and from 1985 has run his own accountancy and taxation practice in Harrow, West London. Since 2001 Mr Babber has chaired a number of the policy committees including the Members’ Services Committee, the Marketing Committee, the Professional Standards Committee and the Technical Committee. He has also been a member of the Institute’s Executive Committee. He was the joint chair of the Metropolitan Hindu Consultation Forum and also the Chairman of the Ealing Community and

Gulzari La Babber

Police Consultative Group. Mr Babber, born in Lahore, is a British Indian. His family emigrated from India to Nairobi, Kenya in 1956 and Mr Babber moved to London in 1972. He is actively involved in voluntary and religious organisations. On becoming CIMA president, Mr Babber FCMA, CGMA said: “I am delighted and honoured to be elected as President and I look forward to building on CIMA’s success with our dynamic Council. With a rise in University fees and difficult economic conditions CIMA’s relevance continues to grow. I am excited to be presiding over

CIMA during a time of global change and strengthening our joint venture with AICPA. I will strive to further develop CIMA’s activities and strategies with our students, members and stakeholders.” In addition to Mr Babber’s appointment Malcolm Furber FCMA, CGMA has been elected deputy President, and Keith Luck FCMA, CGMA has been elected vice president. Mr Furber has been a member of CIMA’s Council for 14 years. He currently has his own consulting business where he has played a major role in business improvement assignments in both the private and public sector. Mr Luck has extensive experience in both the public and private sector and has been a CIMA speaker and respected ambassador for the organisation throughout his career. In 2004 he was voted CIMA’s Business Leader of the Year for his pivotal role in transforming the finances of the Metropolitan Police.

The National Archives marked 40 years since Ugandan Asian expulsion in a London event The National Archives marked 40 years since the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin with a special event on Tuesday 9th October 2012. Guests from all over the UK - including a sizeable contingent from Leicester which saw the greatest influx of Ugandan Asians - attended the event in London to share their memories and view original government documents relating to the expulsion.

The day began vibrantly, with guests invited to get their hands dirty by making clay items and reminiscing about Uganda to a backdrop of African music. The National Archives has been working with the Asian Centre in Haringey over the past four months on a pottery project which involved using clay to explore memories of Africa. Many of the group who were themselves Ugandan Asians enjoyed

sharing their stories in this expressive way. Members of the Asian Centre then took the audience through the journey from expulsion and exodus to a new life in Britain using song and dance (Garba). The audience were invited to sing along to a haunting rendition of the classical Indian and East African song, Malaika. Speakers and audience members then shared vivid

first-hand accounts of the expulsion. Those who had witnessed the events of 1972 gave moving testimony to the effect it had on them and their families. Although often traumatic, speakers chose to reflect on their experience with a note of optimism about the new lives they had been able to make for themselves in Britain. CB Patel, Editor of Asian Business Publications Ltd, spoke about how Indians living in

the UK at the time had reacted to the Ugandan Asian influx - bringing a different perspective on the expulsion. The group demonstrated the positivity, strength of character and drive-tosucceed which had enabled them to make the most of the opportunities presented to them. Some chose to thank the British government, the British people and even Idi Amin himself for the success of their new

lives in the UK. In the afternoon Karim Hussain, a records specialist at The National Archives, delivered a talk on what the documents can tell us about the expulsion and the British government’s response. The audience were then given an opportunity to look at the original records for themselves, many for the very first time. (A detailed story to follow)

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

EXCLUSIVE

Tattooing: Growing in popularity amongst Asians By Rani Singh A while ago, Asians would “tut, tut” on seeing someone adorned with body art, sporting a tattoo. It was at one time a sign of rebellious, bohemian behaviour associated with bikers, bad boys and naughty girls. Or so Asians thought. If they had looked at history, they would have seen that the tradition of tattooing can be traced back to 3300 BC in Eurasia and for many centuries has been part of Indian tribal culture, known as “Godna.” In India, a stone sculpture from 200 C.E. of the Sunga period has tattoo marks on its cheeks and chins. Tattoos had religious and superstitious significance as well. Women tattooed for the welfare of husbands and children. Tattoos were thought to ward off disease, and to ensure nonwidowhood. For women, cheeks, brows, necks, arms, shoulders, and wrists were popular while men got tattoos on their arms, shoulders and wrists to ensure virility. Tribals had their entire bodies tattooed for camouflage in the forests (the colour of tattoo in India is often green). Tattooing in the UK as well as in India is developing rapidly, partly thanks

to the breaking down of taboos about it and partly due to the popularity of television programmes like LA Ink, London Ink, NY Ink and Miami Ink, American reality shows based in tattoo salons. Directories are bursting with tattoo parlours, and when Asian Voice contacted many of them, they all reported a high number of Asian clients. It’s not surprising that there are some really good tattoo experts around now from the Asian community. They’re setting a trend – and reaping the rewards.

Davinder Singh at Inkspirationz

One of the UK’s professional tattoo artists, Davinder Singh, is the

Tattoos by Davinder Singh

owner of Inkspirationz. He agrees that many Asians of an older generation were wary of tattoos, despite it being an ancient Indian

tradition in some quarters. “But now it’s becoming more acceptable, more people are getting tattoos now than ever before.” Davinder studied Product Design at West Thames College and always had a talent for art. He observed that a few of his relations and friends got tattoos, so he decided to add another string to his bow and made it his profession. He is now approaching his 10th year in the industry. Davinder was always encouraged by his family to be a free thinker, be creative and artistic. Having apprenticed and set up his own studio, he custom designs for clients. His Japanese, memorial and anniversary designs and portraits are especially popular. “It’s always a pleasure seeing new and old clients come to me for tattoos, making their words transform into a piece of art that they can treasure.” “More professional studios are opening up now in India than ever before” he adds. “Sterilising and hygiene has to be the topmost priority; before, during, and after the tattoo is complete. A good tattoo means a happy client.” Tattooing is still a sensitive area for people to talk about openly; many Asians were too cautious

to speak to us directly. But Davinder sent out a message on Face book for Asians who had been tattooed to talk to Asian Voice- and quickly got many responses for us. Good survey technique! One customer, Gurveer Choda, who had a lion on his inner bicep tattooed, said “My friends and family love my tattoo, they were very impressed with the level of detail and the feeling of depth conveyed. I got a tattoo because it’s a permanent reminder of the creative space deep within us, where the mind does not come into play. It’s all about the feeling when producing art and creating something from nothing.” Sunny Bangar, 27, from Southall, who has a musical theme on his sleeve, said, “My family and peers were pleased with Davinder’s work because he is a fantastic artist. I got half a sleeve tattooed which I am completing very soon. He did an amazing job with detail and shading. It’s all based around music. I gave him a few ideas and he transformed them all into an amazing piece of art.”

Moon Hunjan at Naseem’s

The owner of Naseem’s hair and beauty salon that he runs with his wife just by Southall Broadway,

Moon Hunjan is also a popular tattoo specialist. He’s reporting a huge take-up since he introduced tattooing at his salon. He got the desire to become a tattooist after visiting Florida on holiday, and a friendly tattoo salon owner there gave him the name of a professional in Middlesborough to study with. Even before Moon started, he had observed old Asian ladies like 70year old grandmothers with symbols tattooed on their bodies and necks and realized that the art form was not a new phenomenon. Moon soon had his certificate and says that prospective clients should check qualifications. “It’s important when you’re going to get a tattoo, that you check if the person has an up to date license on the wall,” he told Asian Voice. He also told us that a steady hand is needed! Moon is very careful about who he tattoos. “You have to know who you can and who you can’t tattoo. Someone might get rebuffed for a job if he has an obvious one. I send a lot of people away. I guide them; I might tell them to have it on an arm rather than their neck. I won’t do anything homophobic, racist, or gang-related. And you have to be over

18.” Moon finds that he has equal numbers of men and women coming to get a tattoo from him, with most being in the 18-35 age group. H gets a variety of cultures and religions. Indians in the UK who have left their loved ones back home will often have their girlfriend or wife’s name inscribed, Moon observes. He says that tribal designs are popular with men, as are lions and any form of writing, like a name, in old fashioned English script. Quotes and sentences also figure frequently. Butterflies and flowers are liked by ladies. “Two Sikh ladies came all the way from Southampton after being recommended to me by word of mouth. They had a little flower and a butterfly done.” Moon was astonished when a lady arrived from the nearby Sikh temple after her son had been to him for a tattoo. “She got some words from the Sikh scriptures, “Ek Onkar” and a khanda (Sikh symbol) done on one arm, as well as her three sons’ names written in English. Then she came back later on and got an “Om” done. She didn’t look like the kind to get a tattoo. I thought she was here for something else. She went away happy. You have to try and make the customer happy for the work you are doing.”

Former Gurkha becomes a community hero Kruti Patel Taitax Phlamachha, a shopkeeper and former Gurkha, whilst on an evening walk with his wife Asha, was attacked by a mugger with a “six inch knife”. National media reported the incident and stated that he was “thrust up against the wall near Maidstone Town Centre”. Then given two options of either handing over the money or getting stabbed. The former Gurkha soldier, a black belt in karate was brave enough to challenge the attacker. Though the attacker unfortunately still managed bury a knife into Mr. Phlamachha’s arm, whilst they were “tussling” on the ground, somehow, the martial arts expert defended all the attacks attempted against him. When Mr. Phlamachha was asked about the incident he said : “my wife helped me. I told her to not to go next to them, as they had a big long knife”. He had “tossed” his phone to his wife, who was “screaming for help” and she eventually managed to call 999. This former soldier risked his own life for his wife’s safety. “When they were attacking me I didn’t think of the size of the knife; my only concern was my wife”. The only thing that ran through his mind at that given

moment was his “family”. He warned the mugger saying, “‘Don’t mess with Gurkhas. We’re trained to fight,” and knocked him out by kicking and punching him. He even heard the injured attacker say: “I am in trouble now!” The offender Jamie Stone, from Maidstone has been “charged with attempted robbery, grevious bodily harm with intent, possession of an offensive weapon and common assault”. Immediately rushed to Maidstone Hospital, in Kent by medics, he was later moved to The Tunbridge Wells Hospital located in Pembury, where the surgeons began to remove the blade from his wound. Taitax Phlamachha, a qualified engineer joined the army in “on the 1st of January 1999”. When asked about why he chose to join he made reference to his father who also was a soldier and how he was simply “inspired” by him.

He holds a strong belief in standing up for what is “right”, like any true Gurkha would do. “Better to die, then to be a coward”, said the former soldier giving an inspiring closure to the brief interview. The former soldier received acknowledgment and became an epitome of bravery for the local community, especially praised and commended by the “County Council” and “police officers”. He seemed happy about the responses he received, which were also expressed through “get well cards” given to him. Today, people try and run away from a situation that deeply terrifies them. It could be any situation, rarely similar to the one Mr. Phalmachha was put through. Surely, if this was an ordinary individual their death would probably be guaranteed in the hands of the attacker. It’s perhaps ironical that the offender chose to mug a former soldier and an expert in martial arts! The 38-year-old shop owner was taking an evening walk with his wife Asha when they stopped to look in the window of a health shop in Maidstone, Kent. Suddenly he was hurled against a wall and allegedly told to ‘hand over the money’, or be stabbed.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan - an oasis grants from The Arts Council believes “the Bhavan’s work has which helps to fund performancbeen an adventure in faith. He es and also helps in development also mentioned that the Bhavan of audiences and artistes. Indeed in the UK is extremely grateful recently a couple of our artistes to Mr C.B. Patel and his team for their strong support since our performed in the BBC Promenade Concerts. The inception in 1972 and throughBhavan is a Centre for all the out these four decades and we arts of the Indian subcontinent.” wish ABPL warm 40th Bhavan’s contribution in the Anniversary wishes. Gujarati past 40 years has been immense. dramas and plays were started in An annual M.P. Birla lecture is the UK in 1973 and C.B. Patel has been a consistent and generous supporter.” Mr John Muir is the Administrative Manager at The Bhavan who joined the Bhavan in 1996. He recalled Bhavan's Bharatanatyam students that the auditorium was partly funded by The conducts some 100 performanctwelve part-time teachers. There National Lottery Fund. es annually in their premises. It are in excess of twenty different Mr Muir also said that subjects taught under one roof, has a 20 member strong “Working in the Bhavan which are complementary to Executive Committee and about is like being part of a each other. 1500 members comprising of family.” He went on to Pandit Ravi Shankar is a say that, “80 to 90% Patron of the Bhavan and has students in regular been instrumental in sourcing classes are of Indian talented teachers. On average, heritage whereas 95% five percent of students become of students in yoga Pandit Ravi Shankar, Late Mr L.M Singhvi professional artistes, whereas classes are of non- (Indian High Commissioner to the UK in the the rest become dedicated audiIndian heritage. The 90s), George Harrison, Mrs Sukanya Shankar ences, rasikas or messengers. Bhavan receives regular A major concern of The held. Past speakers have been Bhavan is funding. former Presidents of India. Funding comprises Lectures on Vedas, Jainism, income from activities, Sikhism, Islam, etc. are also constudent fees, donaducted. Inter-faith committees tions, grants from the have been held in the past and Arts Council and the artistes from Pakistan and Diwali Banquet. The Bangladesh have performed in Bhavan also hires out the Bhavan. The Bhavan celeits facilities at nominal brates Christmas. A new course fees to the public. is being envisaged in conjuncThere is a 295 seat tion with Trinity London (Music M o u n t b a t t e n Institute) for the Foundation HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwell with Bhavan's Auditorium, an art Founding chairman, Mr Maneck Dalal OBE Certificate and Advanced gallery, a hall, a library Certificate in Indian music. and other facilities. Bhavan activities in London. Mr Traditional values of India The Bhavan is grateful Associate, Fellow, Life and Devchandbhai Chandaria found should not be diluted in our to the M.P. Shah famiDonor members. that a disused church was for enthusiasm to be part of the culRegular school timetables are ly for their very first ture of our adopted country. The sale in Hammersmith and it was synchronised with The Bhavan’s large donation. Mrs P. Bhavan endeavours to preserve then purchased by The Bhavan teaching timetables. Some Birla was also a major Indian culture and values and is in 1977-1978 for £85,000. teachers are based in the UK and donor. There is a M.P. Under its present Chairman, an oasis for the younger generasome of the specialist teachers Shah reference library Mr Joginder Sanger, Bhavan UK tion. It helps in learning and are invited from India. Outreach at The Bhavan. conducts courses in art, drama, leading a balanced and noble life classes are also held at Wembley Mahatma Gandhi had languages, dance, music, yoga, with harmony with the environ(the Sattavis Patidar Centre) lived nearby from art and archaeology. ment and promoting and experiand Edgware in the Sangam 1889 to 1891 as a law Approximately nine hundred encing happiness and peace. Centre. There are eight full-time student and visited Mr Joginder Sanger, Chariman of Bhavan students attend annually. Please visit this church. members of staff. There are also Courses are at Open, Diploma http://www.bhavan.net/ Dr Nandakumara Centre with the current High Commissioner, eight full-time teachers and His Excellency Dr Jaimini Bhagwati and Master’s levels. The Bhavan Tel: 020 7381 3086 The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was founded in Mumbai in 1938 by Dr K.M. Munshi. The Bhavan in India now has more than 100 branches. The teachings of Mahatma Gandhi are diligently adhered to by The Bhavan. In 1972, the Bhavan’s branch in London was inaugurated. The new auditorium was inaugurated by HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in 2005 and Prince Charles is also the Bhavan UK’s Honorary Life Member. Mr Maneck Dalal OBE is the Bhavan UK’s Founder Patron. Lata Mangeshkar is also a Patron. The Bhavan UK has an Executive Director Dr M.N. Nandakumara, who joined in 1977. Mr Mathoor Krishnamurthy was the Founder Director and Mr Maneck Dalal was the Chairman since 1973 to 2011. He and Mathoorji were responsible for setting up the

Asians shine in three recent London exhibitions By Rudy Otter Enterprising Asians were among the 225 exhibitors and hundreds of visitors at the fifth annual launch, the award-winning exhibition which focuses on the the latest innovations in the booming “eating out of home” market. Food service analyst Horizons’ marketing director Emma Read said consumers “increasingly eat out wherever they are, expect a wide choice but often want something quick, cheap and easy to eat.” Anup Pala, packaging co-ordinator of Mission Foodservice who is based in Coventry told me the Mexican firm produces naans, chapatis as well as tortillas, pitta and other flatbreads. A Kent firm, Kff, is also

producing spicy fare like chicken tikka snacks “ideal for coffee shops and bakeries”. Karimix, another Kent firm, was promoting its relishes, chutneys, pastes and sauces. New York Delhi, which products ViP nuts in various flavours was also kept busy answering questions. Naynesh Karia, sales director of Global Fine Foods of Leicester, said his family-run business provides “ready-made finger foods” like vegetable samosas and onion bhajis to hospitals, universities, trains and airlines. Along with his brother Jake and sister-in-law Neeyantee, they aim to keep ahead of fast-food tastes which can “change rapidly”. His parents, who moved from Gujarat to Kampala and then left for the UK during

the 1972 Idi Amin upheavals, are “avid readers” of Asian Voice’s sister paper, Gujarat Samachar, beamed Naynesh. At the Speciality & Fine Food Fair, a Sri Lankan man and his Gujarati wife were determined to stem the flow of artery-clogging ghee into Asian cooking. Thilak Abeysekera, a former insurance representative, suffered a heart attack because of “careless eating” and resolved to mend his ways. His wife, Kenyan-born Vibha Shah, agreed that Asians could benefit greatly by switching to olive-oil cooking. “It is far better for one’s health,” the couple told me. Other Asians participating in the show included Indi Kaur who started Suhaav, a food and eventstyling company in

Birmingham just 10 months ago and business has turned into a “whirlwind”. Her delicious cake balls, she said, “are a UK first”. Tahira Mian started her Maha Partnership six months ago in Slough, Berkshire. The chilled chutneys, made by her mother Khurshid in carrot, mint, coriander and yoghurt flavours, have found their way into such high-class London stores as Partridges. Award-winning Bibijis of Coventry, set up three years ago by IT worker Ian Bell and his Sikh wife Baljit, produce eight “light, gluten-free” curry sauces such as tikka masala, korma and bhuna, and sell to farm shops, delis and independents, including some Co-op stores.

Sukhjinder Basra and his wife Sukhvir started Choco Deli in London’s Victoria two years ago, specialising in hand-decorated chocolates from France and UK sources. “We plan to expand into Easter eggs. fudge and ice cream,” he said. Nitesh Mehtani and his sister Meeta were manning their Nizami Foods stand, a family firm based in London’s Mill Hill since the 1990s. They produce award-winning sauces, pickles and chutneys aimed at three market sectors ethnic, fusion and oriental with the entire family of parents, two sons, daughter and a daughter-in-law helping in everything from manufacturing to marketing. Several glass ceilings collapsed at the “office” show as career-minded sec-

retaries and their colleagues learned how they could progress up the office ladder as high as they wanted to go. The obstructive “glass ceilings” many feared proved to be nothing more than a figment of their imagination as they listened to morale-boosting talks by top achievers such as Seema Shah, Sportech’s London HQ manager who was named Executive PA Magazine’s 2011 PA of the Year. Indian participants included Mandi Uppal, 22, a Punjabi graduate from Vancouver, who now works as a membership secretary for the 3,000-strong PA Club, an east London networking organisation which she says “offers business and career development expertise as well”.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Leading Lights

by Rani Singh

Special Assignments Editor

Veda Khulpateea, 34 Veda Khulpateea is a Senior Advisor at Asia House, London. Asia House is a dynamic pan-Asian organization, whose goal is to promote the exchange of ideas. Asia House has a diverse program of events covering culture, business and policy through which it hopes to facilitate lasting relationships between the UK and Asia. Veda took her Ph.D. at Binghamton University, USA and taught English Literature and Composition before relocating to the UK four years ago. In early 2012, she became involved in the Matho Museum Project began and she is presently responsible for marketing and fundraising activities. Q: Tell me about your family background, and where you grew up. A: I grew up on Long Island, New York and have a younger brother, Beman. My Mom and Dad immigrated from India and Mauritius respectively, and met while completing their medical training in Brooklyn. Q: Tell me about your current project. A: The project was initiated at the request of H.H. Dungsey Gyana Vajra, the son of H.H. Sakya Trizen, the throne holder of the Sakya order, to help preserve the collection of Buddhist art stored in the Matho monastery. He approached Nelly Rieuf, an experienced Asian art restorer and now the project manager. She and a group of experts from architecture to economic development formulated a strategy to restore the monastery’s art collection in an innovative way. The team aims to preserve this vital aspect of India’s cultural heritage in the context for which it was created: a place of worship, while building a base for sustainable economic development in the region of Ladakh. Q: What is Ladakh like? A: Ladakh is one of the most isolated regions of India, located in Eastern Jammu and Kashmir, bordering Tibet and China. As I’m sure you can imagine, it is stunningly beautiful-surrounded by snowcapped peaks and overlooking the Indus valley-but agriculture and industry are very limited here. Ladakh has very little employment outside the public sector and the nascent tourism industry is concentrated in Lehthe region’s largest townlocated 40 minutes by car

from Matho. The sector is focused on outdoor activities such as mountaineering, hiking and rafting. Although cultural tourism is growing, very few monasteries in the region offer more than an old, usually badly maintained, structure to visit. Guided tours by monks or trained tourist guides are a rarity. The collection consists of more than two hundred thangkasreligious paintingsthought to be from as early as the 11th century Q: What is the collection? A:The collection consists of more than two hundred thangkasreligious paintings-thought to be from as early as the 11th century; over one hundred clay statues; a similar number of metal statues-some believed to date to the 9th centurymasks; rare texts and ceremonial crowns. Q: What is the aim of the project? Would you say this is a conventional art restoration? A: Absolutely not! For our team, economic development goes handin-hand with cultural preservation and we take care to be respectful while working with religious artifacts. All restoration work is done on site, in a special restoration room outfitted in the monastery, which means no piece of art ever leaves the monastery during the project. An international team of restorers will train local volunteers in restoration skills and all restoration work will be done in pairs: one international and one local restorer. Among the local team will be women from Matho village and the monks themselves.

Veda Khulpateea Any decision regarding the project will be made in collaboration with the Matho Monastery Cultural and Welfare Society, the monks’ representative body. The participation of monks is critical because their devotion ensures the preservation of these artifacts, something that India struggles to do from public funds. Q: What is the cost? A: The project is estimated to cost € 300,000. Q: I understand a museum is planned? A: Yes. A team of international and local architects, specialized in local construction techniques, will design and oversee construction of an extension to the existing monastery to house the museum. One of the design principles is to use local materials and craftsmen to the maximum extent. When tendering the construction work, it will be a prerequisite that the majority of services are rendered by the local population who may in turn uses these skills at other monasteries in the region. The team is planning an energy audit to find renewable energy sources for the extra demand that the project will create. For more on this endeavor, please email veda@mathomuseumproject.com Q: Does Asia House subscribe to the Asian Voice? A: Not yet!

Will US primary school bussing system work in London? Kruti Patel London is undoubtedly an ethnically diverse city, but we often find division between communities. Primary schools are fundamental aspects of society’s values and in a city such as this, many would say that diversity is an intergral part of socialisation. Such a bussing system would benefit London, where majority of UK’s “ethnic clusters” are found. As already elaborated by The Evening Standard, the head of City of London school, David Lenin highlighted the gradually increasing trend of children growing up in “monoculture”. “We should try and forge a mix of children. At the moment, we have a form of social segregation,” said David Lenin. Transporting children from inner city estates to schools in wealthier areas could have beneficial effects. We can see the impact it had in the US when this system first began in the 60s, where there were clear established divisions between communities. It helped encourage the notion of an ethnically integrated America during the civil rights movement. After contacting schools in London from different boroughs, particularly faith schools, it was concluded that a pro-

posal like this would generally fuel a positive response. Gareth Jones, the head teacher of Krishna Avanti school in Harrow was one among a few that gave us a response. Although he is not a primary school head teacher yet, he suggested that it would certainly be a “fairer” opportunity for many children.

Do we look at why people choose to “cluster”? Inner city towns do tend to have ethnic clusters even in a so called meritocratic society. It could be that families find comfort in these communities and are not willing to send children to schools further away because it would be hard to track their child’s progress. There are apparent divisions in our social structure, however these divisions are dependant on the circumstances of the parents that send their children to schools. “I think people choose to cluster because of circumstance, work, cheap housing, all amenities nearby and good transport links”, said Bharati Tailor a community leader, who is currently responsible for educational matters within the Hindu forum. “From my experience

Indians happiest The Americans have this sorted. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Are they happy? That’s not the point. The pursuit’s the thing. A Guardian story has suggested that from the Office for National Statistics and that of the Prime Minister’s, Indians and those of Indian descent in the UK emerge the happiest. They number about 1.4 million – the largest visible minority – and on average, they rate life satisfaction as 7.5 out of 10. White Britons and those identifying as Chinese are next with 7.4 out of 10. Black communities are least happy: just 6.7 out of 10. Dr Rami Ranger, much celebrated Indian captain of industry suggested that the three reasons that lead to such contentment is simple- family, family and family.

as a Governor, chair of PTA and a worker in a school I found that people will endeavour to get their children the best education they can”, Bharati Tailor further added. Clustering may restrict some primary school children from attending wealthier schools, but not all. There are parents out there who supposedly will live “frugal lifestyles” so that they can send their children to private schools. Would a bussing system really be successful? Whether or not such a system would be effective is open to debate. The circumstances of parents cannot be generalised, as to why they choose to send their schools locally. “People make choices for many different reasons”, stated Bharati Tailor. This bussing has apparently been tried before in Britain during the 70s. Children living in Luton “from Bury Park were bussed to white schools on the edges of the town, such as Farley and Wigmore”. However, although it gave exposure to these children they still continued to have friends in the area they lived in and so went back to segregation. This system gave an opportunity to these children to merge, however it had no significant long term benefits, as it gave an “artificial setting”.

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Islam in India I noted with joy that Arun Vaidyanathan has read my letter in Asian Voice about anti Muslim film and vicious reaction. But I am irked by wrongful deduction that I am ignorant about various religions that have originated in India; and about history of Islam, before I write about Muslim community. His insistence about naming other religions separately is reasonable, but I have covered it by using the word “non Muslim religions”. I acknowledge all other religions, but cannot name them due to pragmatic reasons which also apply to Arunji as co-writer to Asian Voice. Constitution of India has allowed all religions arisen in India under single term Hindu. Therefore not mentioning various religions separately will not reduce sanctity, spirituality and divinity of any religion. Also note that in multi religious environs, it is desirable to have strong collective stand under umbrella of single name in interest of Hindu unity. Unfortunately various factions insist on individuality and weaken Hindu unity. Thus it is most important to use single word HIndu when in public, and individual names in private. As regards to reading Muslim history, I have witnessed all that he has mentioned. There is nothing pro Muslim in my letter. Actually I have advised that Muslims must practice non violence too. If that advice is pro Muslim, I will repeat it thousand times. We write to express our reactions without fear or favour any party or community. When letter is accepted by editor’s team, it should be read with open mind and appreciation, a la Dineshbhai’s comment about doctors in India. Ramesh Jhalla Via Email

Smarter approach The European Commission has just spent £8 billion more than it has been given by EU member states and now is asking for yet more taxpayers’ money to plug the shortfall. While the European Parliament wants to grant extra money to the European Commission in the form of a 6.85 percent increase, it is on a collision course with national governments who will allow a 2.79 percent increase next year. I would go further than the member states and favour a complete budgetary freeze for 2013 and a re-prioritisation of EU money so that every cent is directed at delivering projects that create jobs and foster economic growth. There are plenty of EU schemes whose budgets should be cut right away, such as EU subsidies for tobacco production, and EU funding for campaigns to promote the euro. The European Commission need to end its Oliver Twist mentality and adopt a smarter, more controlled approach that gives bang for every buck. Syed Kamall MEP for London

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Our out of touch NHS bosses

India v/s Britain

We all have to put up with our balmy, left leaning, out of touch bleeding hearts politicians but these unelected toff NHS bosses will surpass the blunders of our politicians if allowed to put their bizarre ideals into practice. According to the latest reports published in national newspapers, new guidelines have been issued across England, informing GPs to register asylum seekers, overseas students and short term tourists, as denying them NHS treatment will be discriminatory and will breach their human rights! I have been a frequent visitor to European countries in EU where we are by right entitled to free medical care but in reality I have seen ambulances turning away if we could not produce a medical insurance policy to the paramedics! In fact no major holiday company will let you book a holiday unless you buy their all inclusive insurance policy or have a similar one of your own. So why our overseas conciliates do not insist for such a policy before issuing tourist visas! Speaking to some of my friends in NHS, I was assured that these do-gooders; although vocal are in a minority and will not be able to change the present NHS policy, unless our politicians back them to the hilt. But it seems dictate has already been issued, perhaps without the consent of the politicians. But our coalition government do not inspire much confidence, as both leaders; David Cameron and Nick Clegg have practically broken every preelection promise. It would be difficult to imagine our hard working GPs cooperating with such a dictate when their long registered patients have to wait a long time to get a hospital appointment. I would like to urge every reader of AV/GS to write to their MPs that charity begins at home and we should take care of our own in these economically hard times.

In the recent editions of Asian Voice I have noted with interest, letters written by Mr. Nitin Mehta decrying the comments allegedly made by Alpesh Patel with regard to Governance in India and how it would benefit if it were to be recolonised. I am unable to understand how criticising Britain, makes India great. When we talk about Britain we must remember some facts which cannot be disputed. It is a country which fought two world wars and although it won both of them the damage done to its finances were colossal and it never did truly recover from that. Despite what we perceive it to be, Britain today is the 20th richest country in the world measured by per capita GDP whereas India on a similar count is 120th. In Education, Aerospace and Pharmaceuticals, Britain is second best and largest in the world and London’s standing in the Financial markets is second only to New York’s. It is true that Britain has some pockets in its society which are corrupt and it is true there is unemployment and it is true the youth do not always behave the way we expect them to but please note, Britain does have a law and enforcement system which deals adequately with corruption and crime. As for unemployment and economy, I would be interested to know of one economy in the western world which has not suffered from the 2008 financial crisis. Please do not misunderstand me. I love India probably as much as Mr. Mehta does. But I do feel a little embarrassed when I learn about a number of scandals and court cases which have remained unresolved in India purely on account of rampant corruption at every level. Had it not been for Britain, a lot of us would not have been where we are and what is more, we have developed a voice too which is usually heard. Lalit Shah Shirley, Croydon (abridged version)

Bhupendra M Gandhi Via Email

A Boon to Readers As general secretary of Shree Jain Sangh- East London and Essex, it falls on me to look out for suitable venues to celebrate various religious and social events, and as function halls are like gold dust and difficult to find, I need to book them as early as one year in advance of the function. So I was looking for a source to find out the dates in the new year to establish when the various Jain events like Mahavir Jayanti and Paryushan fall in 2013. The first thing which came to my mind was the ABPL (AV + GS) calendar but on looking it up, I was disappointed to see that the calendar only goes up to the end of December 2012 and not upto Diwali next year. I was hoping that the calendar will show the auspicious dates upto Diwali next year. The regular festivals of the Jain year

follow the traditional Indian calendar. The Indian calendar is based on the lunar month which is divided into the bright half of the moon (when the moon is waxing) and the dark half (when the moon is waning), so the dates vary from year to year in the solar based European calendar and hence it is not yet possible to find out the dates when the various Jain events will fall next year. Therefore in order to establish the dates of Hindu and Jain festivals vis-à-vis the European calendar, It would be helpful if the ABPL calendar is either based on the Indian tradition, starting from Hindu new year and ending at Diwali, or is sent out earlier. Having said this, the ABPL calendar, which is given free, is a boon to the readers and contains all the necessary information about Jain/ Hindiu festivals. Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

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Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is equated with Guangdong of China, he invited Chinese business community and public enterprises to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit- 2013. He highlights Gujarat’s special investment regions as areas where Chinese companies could invest. He called on China to invest in infrastructure and power projects in the state, wooing potential investors with a sales pitch that showcased Gujarat as a state with levels of “governance, transparency and stability” that they could not find elsewhere in India. He declared that “the two great countries will make Asia the centrestage of the global economy.”

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A new theory says that any physical activity for 15 minutes every day is a good insurance against a plethora of health problems, be it related to the heart, the brain or even cancer. A study published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, said that just a quarter-hour of physical exertion a day could reduce a person's risk of death by 14% and increase life expectancy by three years compared to inactive people. Incidentally, another theory published in a different British journal said daily TV-viewing for six hours could take

away five years from your life. Adding and subtracting years from your life has never before been quantified in such medical terms, say doctors. The 15-minute short-cut to good health, in fact, changes the most fundamental rule that was approved by the World Health Organizationthat 150 minutes of activity a week is needed to stay healthy. )(.#(/

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If you read Asian Voice, pen down your opinion, suggestion, criticism in a few lines as a letter to the editor and we would love to publish them*. Write to in no more than 250 words and join our team of frequent letter writers. (Challenging views of others or issues is not a problem but please refrain from personal attacks. The item must be appropriate for our readers)

Young at heart It is great to see Asian Voice finally having a page for the youth. I like Tanveer’s experiment with music, fashion and jokes, it would much helpful if she could career a bit of travel and career guide in her column. May be a little bit of gossip could make the column even more interesting. None the less, I like to read your newly started restaurant review column. It adds spice to the UK section. Opportunities for readers through competitions make it even more worthwhile! Great job. Aditi Iyer London

Mosque in West Ham I read your story on the mosque in West Ham. I have been a resident of East London for the last almost 45 years. I used to be in merchant navy in those days and I have seen how the area metamorphosed. We used to come to England by ship that was anchored in the East Ham area. As I settled in East London, I saw areas like East Ham, West Ham, Ilford grow from a predominantly white area into an Asian area. I have seen Isle of Dogs growing into a financial hub and Canary Wharf adding sudden class and money to an otherwise very poor area of Tower Hamlets. The Olympic park area was just a waste land even 10 years back. Now it’s perhaps one of the most sought after locality. Changes are good, changes are signs of growth. But changes are about moving ahead. One must not forget half of the world was ruled from the docks of East London. With building of a mosque, what will surely happen is ghettoisation. One must understand, in times of despair, living in a single community area is common. Then that area becoming your home is also very natural. When Gujaratis arrived from East Africa or Sri Lankan Tamils arrived from Sri Lanka, as asylum seekers, because of the civil war, they chose particular areas to settle down. But in today’s time, diversity and diaspora is the ‘mantra’. Stratford has had a facelift recently. The Olympic stadium has given the area a bit of glamour. Now with a high mosque, the area will only attract one sort of people, affecting local businesses that were created in hopes of wider clientele over the years. Arun Sen Via Email

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In a rare gesture, China’s top leadership hosted his delegation at Great Hall of People and had a free and frank discussion and exchange of ideas on a range of subjects including trade, industry, socioeconomic development, investment, and prevailing global economic scenario. Modi emphasized about the shared heritage of India and China, and common vision for improved quality of lives of their people. In his meeting with the Mr Wang Gang, Vice Chairman of the China People’s Political

1 Year 2 Years

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EDUCATION / COUNCIL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Fake penalty charge notice warning Ealing Council is warning residents to beware after a man was sent a fake penalty charge notice demanding he pay £1,000 within five days or risk losing his driving licence. The man received the bogus ‘Notice to Driver’ through the post alleging that he had been caught by CCTV camera using his mobile phone whilst driving in Southall in August. It detailed his vehicle and what he was wearing at the time. The notice from the bogus ‘Borough Parking Association’ warned that he had five days to pay the extortionate amount via an on online PayPal

account or risk bailiff action, penalty points or losing his licence. It contained a PCN number beginning with the ‘EA’ reference used in genuine Ealing Council PCNs and a contact email address for PCNealing@collector.org which is not used by the council. Fearing the repercussions the motorist’s friend attempted to pay the fine for him via a PayPal account. It was only when his friend spoke to staff at Ealing Council’s Customer Service Centre on his behalf that she learnt it was a scam. The incident has been reported to the police and

the Council’s Audit and Investigation team is also looking into the matter. Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for Transport and Environment said: “I am appalled at the lows scamsters will stoop to in order to rob people of their money. Only the police can issue fixed penalty notices for dangerous driving, such as while using a mobile phone. The notice looks realistic and we want to warn all drivers that these are not genuine. Neither we nor the police use PayPal. If residents have any doubts then they should always get in touch.”

Cutting nursery staff ratios 'may reduce care quality' Attempts to make nurseries more affordable by letting staff look after more children at a time may reduce the quality of care, campaigners have said. The government is considering cutting staffto-child ratios as a way of reducing childcare costs to parents. The Preschool Learning Alliance says its members fear such a change would risk children's safety and wellbeing. Chief executive Neil Leitch added such a move was unlikely "to reduce the financial bur-

den on parents". Earlier this year, a report by Elizabeth Truss MP, now education minister, said staffing ratios in nurseries should be reduced to cut red tape and costs. Her proposal is being considered by

the Childcare Commission, which has been charged by the government with finding ways to make childcare more affordable and reduce any unnecessary regulatory burdens on childcare providers.

Harrow Council lead the way for Vaz welcomes change in rules for international students aspiring graduates Harrow Council has launched a pioneering work experience scheme to equip graduates with the skills needed for their future careers. 75 per cent of people on the scheme finding paid employment once their placement has ended. Fewer entry levels jobs and high volumes of graduates have made it even harder for inexperienced university graduates to find jobs in a very competitive market. Harrow council's initiative aims to address these problems by providing graduates with practical work experience in the hope that they can find jobs more quickly once their placement is over. They also benefit from coaching and job search support from an

assigned mentor for the duration of the scheme to re enforce learning and share expertise. C y n t h u j a a Satchithananthan, aged 23, took part in the graduate scheme and managed to secure temporary employment at Harrow Council once her placement was over. She has since found permanent employment elsewhere. She said: "My experience with the X21 Grad Scheme has been highly rewarding and a wonderful experience which allowed me to gain employment. I was placed with Quality Assurance, Commissioning and Schools (QACS) directorate in the Children and Family Services. I barely knew anything about Children and Family

Services and even less so about QACS. However, during my weeks here, I learnt a great deal about the council itself. I had a really great and supportive placement manager, who challenged me from the beginning whilst providing support. As a result of my placement with Harrow Council, I gained two jobs, a temporary and permanent position; I made friends with some of the other graduates in the course, gained incredible transferable skills, and gained a sense of purpose. I owe a great deal to the Xcite scheme and team. I would thoroughly recommend the X21 scheme to any graduate, as not only was it a wonderful experience, but it was the first work experience scheme targeted at graduates."

Brent gets tough on burglary and alcohol-related crime Brent's teamed up with the police and the probation service to introduce the Safe As Houses burglary prevention campaign. The initiative kicked off with a series of weekend, public workshops throughout September, giving practical tips and advice to householders about keeping their homes and their belongings safe. Presented by Brent Community Safety officers and the police, the Safe As Houses workshops

attracted over 250 people who were each given security tips and useful items; including marker pens, additional locks and personal alarms. Two further events are due to take place on 18 and 25 October at Harlesden and Wembley Park tube stations (respectively) to raise awareness amongst commuters about home and personal security. A further breakfast workshop is planned soon to help registered social landlords find out how

they can use their powers to manage offensive tenants and get financial help towards paying for external door security. The council, police, Brent NHS and the probation service have also joined forces to develop tough plans to curb excessive drinking, after new, Home Office figures reveal that the cost of alcohol misuse to society is between £17.7 billion and £25.1 billion per year, with the cost to the NHS of £2.7 billion.

Residents warned to beware of rogue traders Residents across Barking and Dagenham have been put on alert to be on the lookout for rogue builders. The Council’s Trading Standards officers are aiming to shut the door on rogue builders following an increase in complaints by local people. One recent victim of a rogue builder was told that

a full re-roofing needed to be done shortly after minor work was agreed to. In another case while a resident was speaking with a bogus builder in his garden he found the builder’s associate already on his roof. In many cases the quote from these builders starts with a small amount for example, £50, increasing to over

£1,000 on their return to complete the work. If a builder enters your property or starts work without your agreement, please contact the Police immediately or call the Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06. Details of reputable traders can be found on www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk

International students studying in the UK will no longer have to join long queues, sometimes through the night, to register their details with the British police. From Monday, they will be able to register through their universities

or collect pre-stamped forms from the Overseas Visitors Records Office and return the completed forms by the end of the year. Keith Vaz said: “I am delighted by this sensible change in the rules which will save international stu-

dents valuable time. This is a very important step forward. It sends a strong message that the Government recognises the valuable contribution of international students to the UK and that Britain is a welcoming destination for them.”

Bursaries for poor ‘a waste of money’ Universities should take millions of pounds from bursaries and tuition fee discounts for poorer students and put it into helping schools prepare pupils for higher education, a new report says. A study by Alan Milburn, the government’s social mobility czar, will raise concerns

that universities are wasting the money they spend on attempting to attract students from low-income homes. Milburn, a former Labour cabinet minister, argues that poor GCSE and A-level results rather than high tuition fees are the reason poor students are less likely to go to uni-

versity than those from privileged backgrounds. “The principal reason . . . is not money, it’s qualifications,” he says. “The universities know that and argue that but then don’t put their money behind efforts to help school kids in disadvantaged areas get better school qualifications.”

Universities drop traditional interviews which could favour private school pupils Universities are scrapping traditional interviews over concerns that they favour applicants from middle class families and independent schools. The move follows claims that the usual format, where candidates are questioned by a panel of academics, could give an advantage to confident and articulate pupils who have been coached in how to respond.

Instead, interviews are being replaced by a “speed dating” style process where each candidate undergoes a series of brief one-on-one “mini-interviews”, solving problems and taking part in roleplays rather than answering general questions about themselves. The new assessments are seen as fairer because they reward innate skills, such as empathy, rather

than eloquence. It comes as universities face increasing pressure from the Government to broaden their intake and admit more students from poorer families and state schools. Sixth formers applying this month to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science at at least five institutions around the UK will undergo the new speed dating style assessments.

Parents not schools boost exam success, study suggests Supportive parents do more than good schools to boost children's exam results, a study suggests. Parents who help with homework and attend school events can outweigh the effect of weak schools, according to researchers in America. Co-author Dr Toby Parcel, of North Carolina Sate University, said: "Our study shows that parents need to be aware of how important they

are." Dr Parcel, a professor of sociology, said parents "should invest time in their children, checking

homework, attending school events and letting kids know school is important. That's where the payoff is."

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Scrutator’s “Don’t Kill The Indian Dream” - the title of an editorial in the Times of India (October 6) - was an anguished appeal to India’s opposition parties to support the government’s economic reforms in the national interest. But while the Communists, BJP and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress see through their glass, darkly and denounce such reforms as “loot”, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, infinitely wiser in the ways of the world, sees Indian reform as a unique seedbed of opportunities for Britain and India alike. The Indian cabinet has passed 44 proposals to re-energize in just three weeks, more than was achieved in an entire year. Mr Cameron, according to the Times of India (October 6), “is set to visit India for the second time in less than 30 months with the British government enthusiastically welcoming the Indian cabinet’s decision free up the insurance and pension sectors.” The British minister heading the India desk at the Foreign Office, Hugo Swire, questioned on India’s reforms, replied: “I’d like to react extremely positively. It’s an extraordinarily exciting development.” During Mr Cameron visit Hugo Swire expected in January next year a British trade delegation will also come calling. However, these will be preceded by British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s presence in New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart S.M.Krishna and other senior colleagues and officials on counter-terrorism cooperation and related strategic issues.

Opening to Gujarat India is the sum of its parts. The British government well understands the need to enlarge the UK’s economic footprint in those parts of India that are most market friendly, Gujarat being a case in point. The UK and US have hitherto refused to grant Chief Minister Narendra Modi a visa, blaming him for not doing enough (or doing very little) to curb the communal vio-

hereon. Expect, therefore, a permanent British trade centre in Ahmedabad following talks between Mr Modi and the visiting UK High Commissioner to India Sir James Bevon. Mr Modi acknowledged the bridge-building role of the UK’s Gujarati community. British Labour MP Keith Vaz was seen by many as a facilitator. (Hindu, Times of India, Telegraph October 12).

Partners In science

A Times of India report (October 4) suggests that India may have taken a giant leap into “the hallowed club of space research” with such leaders as the US, Russia, France, Britain and Chief Minister Narendra Modi Germany choosing Indian collaboralence that engulfed the state in tors in a variety of fields. The March 2002, in which Muslims latest data reveals a 56 per cent were the principal sufferers. increase in such ventures This, to an extent, was playbetween 2001-05 and between ing to the gallery, since neither 2006-10. country has applied restrictive An analysis done by measures – none at all, in fact Thomson Reuters and submitted against Pakistani leaders for the to the Ministry of Science and widespread oppression of minorTechnology in New Delhi is a ity Hindus and Christians in significant pointer. Indian and their country. Instead, Russian space scientists coIslamabad continues to be the authored 29 papers between recipient of billions of dollars in 2001-05, the output rising to 82 Anglo-American military and papers by 2009-10. Similarly, economic aid. Put this down to with the UK, output involving the demands of flawed stateIndian researchers increased craft. from 107 to 177 papers during Mr Modi has ridden out the same decade; with France Anglo-American disapproval the figure rose from 113 to 206 with little discomfort. He has papers, with the US Indian received red carpet treatment in inputs rose exponentially from Israel, China, Japan and Russia. 315 to 465 papers. Science and There is no reason for the UK to economics strengthen each miss out on a potential commerother as they keep in step. cial bonanza, so it’s all change

Tessy Thomas honoured Tessy Thomas, a key member in the Defence Research & Development Organization’s (DRDO) Agni missile team, was given the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award by President Pranab Mukherjee at a glittering function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. It was in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Indian self-reliance in a critical technology vital for the country’s national security and strategic autonomy.

when we needed it, directly to the job site of Sable and Laval.” (Bengal Post September 20).

GM crops favoured The Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister has come out in favour of genetically modified crops because they would enhance the nation’s food security. The Council dismissed ill-informed speculation that GM crops were a health hazard. The Council hailed the success of GM maize, soya, potato,

Tessy Thomas receiving award from President Mukherjee

In a 24-year career, Ms Thomas, who is married to senior naval officer Commander Saroj Patel, has done valuable work in areas such as guidance, control, inertial navigation, trajectory simulation and mission design. She was Associate Project Director for Agni 1, II and III. She is currently Project Director of Agni IV, which was successfully fight-tested in November 2011 (Hindustan Times October 1).

Trade with Taiwan India’s bilateral trade with Taiwan is expected double in the next five years from its current turnover of $7.6 billion. Taiwan is particularly upbeat about the blizzard of economic reforms which it believes will bring fresh dynamism into the Indian economy.”The Indian government has adopted policies that are very attractive to foreign investors…..The manufacturing industry from Taiwan will also be interested to come here,” said Chie-Yien Huang, Senior Manager, Taipeh World Trade Center (Business Telegraph October 6)

canola and cotton. The Council said “the precautionary principle was inherently sound” but it had to be applied through a science-based safety assessment. “There needs to be a rational process for evidence gathering and an objective way of reading the evidence.” Jairam Ramesh, the former environment minister aborted the development of GM brinjal on grounds deemed flimsy by local biotechnologists. (Telegraph October 10).

Stars shine in Kashmir A Rahul Gandhi-led business delegation descended on Kashmir for a free and honest interaction with the state’s youth. The most luminous figures in India Inc turned up for the event, underlying its seriousness.

Aditya Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh, and Rajeev Bajaj, Managing Director Bajaj Auto. Delegates later had a session with Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, where they undertook to promote a new business culture in the state through a more visible footprint in the valley (Economic Times October 6).

Pune blast plotters held With 26/11 Mumbai terrorist mastermind Abu Jundal in jail, his interrogation led Delhi police to the lair of Indian Mujahideen trio Asad Khan, Imran Khan and Sayed Feroz, each of whom bore responsibility for the Pune bombings of August 1. Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar told reporters that the men were planning an attack in India’s capital city Delhi and Bodh Gaya in Bihar. Explosives and bomb-making equipment were seized from their hideout (Times of India October 12). India’s struggle against Islamist terrorism continues apace.

Home sweet Home One of the surest symptoms of seminal national decline is the exodus of a country’s most productive people for greener pastures abroad. Portuguese engineers and accountants are leaving in droves for their former African colonies, Angola and Mozambique, and thence to Brazil, in South America. Their Spanish and Greek peers are not too proud to seek gainful employment in London’s Continental coffee bars. Contrast this with Kishore Jayaram’s observation to the Times of India (October 6) vis-àvis Indian numbers: “Never seen such a wave of people wanting to return.” As head of Rolls Royce (RR) India and a former high profile player with General Electric in every habitable continent, Mr Jayaram thinks big.

Tata Steel bags French deal Tata Steel has been contracted to supply France’s Eiffage company quality rail for a new 182 kilometre high-speed BrittanyLoire line, which will connect the cities of Le Mans and Rennes. The order is believed to be worth 50 million euro. The steel will be manufactured in Scunthorpe, UK, before being rolled into rail at the Tata plant in Hayange, in north-east France, for delivery from 2015. Jean-Luc Trottin, Eiffage Rail Managing Director, said: “One of the key reasons for awarding this….. to Tata Steel was its commitment to deliver the rail

Ratan Tata and company interacting with students in Kashmir

Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, told a gathering from Kashmir University that the dialogue had opened the door of opportunity. Rahul Gandhi spoke of the advantages of FDI in multi-brand retail. He said he had kept his word from his previous visit to facilitate a meeting between India’s top business executives and Kashmiri youth.. Other participants in the Kashmir experience included

India’s economy may be slowing, but at 6 per cent GDP growth it compares well with the derisory figures of the Eurozone and US. Mr Jayaram saw a huge potential in India for his company in all five of the manufacturing sectors for which RR is globally renowned. Defence and civil aerospace are key, with nuclear power an indispensable requirement for the future. Digest the talk of a doer.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Merumaya - anything turned pleasurable is no longer a chore

by Debasree Ghosh

Be a Fashionista, Be You! If you have any questions or a story or a new style to share with us, please write to Shree at

aveditorial@abplgroup.com

Paris meets Mumbai For centuries, India has been known as the land of Maharajas and their grandeur. Undoubtedly it’s a skewed, romanticised vision favoured by the colonial Europeans, but it has been a very effecting and enduring image. The Maharajas and their Maharanis are long gone but their legacy still stays in the palaces they lived in, the clothes they wore and the jewels they adorned themselves with. The inception of the modern Indian fashion industry, SincIndian designers have been heavily inspired by the Royals of India since their work still reflects the age old detail work on their creations. But in recent times, International fashion houses have started taking notice of the rich Indian culture and craftsmanship. It was pleasantly surprising to see Chanel introduce their Pre-Fall 2012 collection which was themed ‘Paris meets Mumbai’. The models wore the alluring silhouette designed by Karl Lagerfeld but were styled the Indian way by adding jewellery, shoes & boots and accessories all of which had a touch of India. Traditional Indian pieces of jewellery added to the scene, almost stealing the show from the clothes with its bling. The collection features intricate embroideries, raw silk and other extravagant materials characterise an exquisite combination of delicate Indian handcraft and Parisian fashion. An array of

colours blended perfectly, from bright hues to ivory tones, deep pigments of red and shades of gold and silver. The shining ‘Maang Tikkas’ which adorned the forehead of every model at this show would have made our Royals proud. More recently, Inspired by their love for 1960 s Indian fashion, Marchesa featured stunning saris, elaborate hand-embroidery, layered fringe, lacy gowns, bejewelled tunics and feminine silhouettes during the recent Spring 2013 Fashion Week in New York. Although not originally intended for such a purpose, many of the collection’s evening gowns would be absolutely fabulous for western weddings! There’s literally something for every kind of bride, from romantic to glamorous to bold and sassy! We can imagine some of the gowns worn on encore brides as well as during chic after parties. While on the subject of bridal-wear, the very coveted bridal-wear designer Vera Wang, showcased her Indiainspired Spring 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week. Inspired by the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s dressing style, Vera blended the discipline of Indian men’s clothing with the mystery and sensuality of Indian women in her incredibly feminine and sensuous apparel line. The eclectic mix displayed the famous Nehru collar, gold

embroidery and brocade in hues like white, vibrant turquoise, emerald green and bright purple. The opulently textured and detailed collection featured gold hammered bullion skirts, lace dresses, heavily embroidered sleeveless tops, silk cocktail dresses and fitted canvas and choli jackets. Louis Vuitton made headlines in fashion news when they came out with their collection of bags inspired by India and even changed the window display of their stores by displaying an artwork of Hindu Godess ‘Laxmi’ during Diwali festival. LVMH even launched a collection ‘L’ame du Voyage’ which is inspired by travels in India and the range consists of handbags, travel bags, jewelry and accessories. Judith Leiber and Christian Louboutin have long been releasing bags and shoes heavily inspired by traditional Indian craftsmanship. Now only if I had the dosh to score myself one of those Marchesa creations! Do I really need to though? I can always raid my mother’s closet and come up with absolute gems. All I hope is that, in all this flurry of global high-fashion spotlight, our craftsmen back in Kanjeepuram, Lucknow, Patiala and all the other hinterlands of India are receiving some recognition for their immeasurable skill.

Maleka Dattu, the British founder of Merumaya Integrative, Effective Skincare ® has received numerous successes within the cosmetic industry in the span of 27 years, and has now branched out to launch a range of her own skin care (anti-ageing) products. Recognised by the industry, which she has “so much love for,” she was voted by her peers as Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever of the Year, 2006. “It was special because it was the industry that voted me for it. It wasn’t the board who sat around the table and decided who was going to be awarded it...”, Maleka Dattu had said prior to the description of her evolutionary brand. Although Maleka Dattu spent “27 happy and successful years in corporate life”, she felt that she could not continue to conform to processes within the industry that did not really make sense to her. Thereby, she began the innovation of Merumaya, Integrative Effective Skincare®, with major contributions from leading cosmetic scientists around the world, one being Dr Karl Lintner. The signs of ageing aren’t just a growing concern for women but also men in some aspects. In a fierce cosmetic market such as this, major manufacturing brands are thriving to their products out there. But as much as they progressing, they are also striving to evolve their skin care solutions in a way

can be, particularly for women. It can be viewed as a “chore”, as Maleka Dattu rightly puts it. However, Merumaya’s evolutionary range of products removes the ‘chore’ element to a daily skincare regime and restores “pleasure, sensuality and femininity back into skincare”, simply because using them are delightful to the senses. which best appeals to their consumers. Maleka Dattu’s “integrative” skincare programme mixes and merges “nature’s resources” with “innovative scientific advances for efficacy”. It is a curative and preventative approach to ageing. All skin is inevitably vulnerable to ageing, some age a lot quicker than others. With a range of solution that Merumaya offers, the skin is protected from ageing aggressors, as well as managing to perfect the existing signs of ageing.

From a daily chore to a daily pleasure Something which delivers “immediate gratification” with long-term effects is a feature of a product that would draw upon any consumer who is very much concerned about ageing quickly, or gaining fine lines and wrinkles. We see an increasing obsession with anti-ageing products, especially in the West. For many that make use of skincare products, you can point out how dull the process of applying it

So what are the products like? Due to the integrative characteristic of Maleka Dattu’s skincare products, it is fair to say that they are much more complex to produce, as you are focussing on preventing and curing the effects of ageing. Maleka Dattu mentions that she loves serums and perhaps this why the Iconic Youth Serum™ has been developed, to bring about a youthful, vibrant and radiant touch to the skin and is her signature product. Other products include Intensely Youthful Eye Cream™ that reduces ageing around the eyes, a luxurious Melting Cleansing Balm™, Youth Preservation Moisturiser™ SPF15, Pure Radiance Mask™ and so on. It seems as though Maleka Dattu has many tricks up her sleeve and is so keen to add to her work in the near future. The products are now available on her website www.merumaya.com and in select John Lewis stores and John Lewis online from 12th January 2013.

Killer brags he could serve his 30 year term ‘standing on head’ A self-proclaimed ‘psycho’ killer jailed for blasting a student in the head at point-blank range has bragged in a letter to a friend that he could serve his 30-year term ‘standing on my head’. Kiaran Stapleton, 21, said he had ‘the best cell’ on his wing and spent his time watching soaps. His letter - littered with misspellings - emerged just days after he launched an appeal against his sentence for the unprovoked shooting of 23-year-old Anuj Bidve, who had come to Britain from India to study micro-electronics. Despite his sickening

boast, the 21-year-old has begged a judge to reduce his sentence, which he is currently serving at York’s tough Full Sutton Prison. The letter emerged after its outraged recipient passed it to The Sun recently. The source told: ‘It’s clear Stapleton doesn’t care that he’s in prison. He thinks he has a cushy life there. It’s disgusting.’ Stapleton has appealed for his sentence to be reduced at the Court of Appeal. It is believed he has pleaded for his age and mental health problems to be taken into account. The judges have reserved judgement for a

date yet to be fixed. Stapleton, pictured, was found guilty of murder in July for killing Mr Bidve in ‘a piece of coldblooded controlled aggression’.

ART & CULTURE

India Connect How do I apply for a visa to India? If you are planning a trip to India, irrespective of the reason of travel, you need to complete an online application form, take a print out and submit it at the nearest India Visa Application Center in the United Kingdom. This Form is common for all categories being applied for and can be found on our website at http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk along Jiten Vyas, VFS Global with all required information on fees, documents required and locations where the application can be submitted. You also have the option to send us the application form and all required documents via post to our visa application center in Hayes. It is very important to keep in mind that the two photographs that you do need to submit along with your application must be of a specific size i.e. 50x50 and with a white background. The visa centers in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh do have photo booths that will be able to provide you with the right size and quality. Please note that incorrect or incomplete applications, documentation or photographs may not allow us to proceed with accepting your dossier at the visa center. A comprehensive FAQ tab on the homepage of our website will provide you with more information on your application requirements. Where do I apply for a visa to India? There are 8 locations within the United Kingdom where you can submit your application for a visa to India. These are: India Visa Application Center 60-62 Wilton Road, Victoria, London, SW1V 1DE. India Visa Application Center 142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7DU. India Visa Application Center 1-3, Canalside, Uxbridge Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 0JN India Visa Application Center 20 - 21 Pemberton Street, Birmingham B18 6NY India Visa Application Center 66 Hanover Buildings Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 2NN Submission of Application for all the above centers: 0830 - 1430 Hrs Collection of processed passports from all the above centers: 1300 - 1630 Hrs Monday-Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. The India Centre, Sanquhar Street, Splott, Cardiff, CF24 2AA. Working hours are from 09.00hrs until 14.30hrs Monday to Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. Mel Milaap Centre 134 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HY. Working hours are from 0930 - 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday India Visa Application Center C/o. Jain Community Centre 669 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4QE. Working hours are from 0930 – 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday What documents are required and the subsequent fees to be charged? Complete information on the documents required and the subsequent fees which will be charged can be found under the section ‘All About Your Visa’ on the homepage of our website http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk. Under each category information is broken down into four tabs at the top of the page titled: Visa Fees, Document Checklist, Application Form, Photo Specifications and FAQ.

For more information regarding any quires about Indian Visa please contact by email or post: Email: info.inuk@vfshelpline.com Customer Relations Department. India Visa Application Center, 60-62 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DE

India Connect - your questions answered on India visas” a service offered by

RESTAURANT REVIEW Previously known as Glo, Ma'jong is a break from the usual high street food hubs. Sort of a boutique restaurant, it is situated a little away from London in a wonderful place called Walton on Thames, close to Kingston. Minutes away from the mainline station, the restaurant has been revamped recently. It is a perfect place to catch up with friends over tasty cocktails or enjoy a perfect fusion food that brings sheer joy on one's face. The decoration is chic and stylish. With outside seating available, the restaurant is divided into two section. First the lounge bar as you can spot the coloured cushions thrown around on comfortable sofa overlooking the bar. Walk in further and you will see a spread out space with dark wooden tables and dim lights. Popular for its steaks on stones and cocktails, Ma'jong has plenty for the vegetarians as well. The restaurant serves a variety of cuisine starting from Chinese to Thai to Italian. If you are a fish eating vegetarian, you have plenty to choose from especially sea food. Our recommendation to 'fisheterians' will be the Assam curry, which leaves you craving for more. For pure vegetarians, NasiGoreng is a good option but if you fancy Korean- try grilled Kim chi

Ma'jong, Unit 6, The Heart, New Zealand Avenue, Walton on Thames, Surrey KT12 1GH Phone: 01932 222 004

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Ma’ jong

dumpling. If you love spicy foodtry red curry with mixed vegetables. Of course if you are visiting with family, do not worry about your toddler. The kids menu has many attractive items to choose from including juice and dessert. A cocktail will cost you £6.95, whether its signature long drinks or martinis. If you are a Bond fan and

a martini lover, try the Lychee martini though the Strawberry Margarita and Kyushu Pear are much sought after. If you love sparkling cocktails, you have many bubbly to choose from. Don't be disheartened sweet lovers- there are plenty for you and the desserts are to die for. It is easy to find a reasonably priced restaurant outside London, but what makes Ma'jong exclusive is its innovative and experimental menu and the warm hospitality. Very well looked after by Anupam Seth, General Manager, Ma'jong is a must visit for foodies. Ratings

Food Taste: Ambience: Location: Service: Décor:

WWWWW WWWW WWWW WWWWW WWW

Competition Answer the following simple question and the winner will receive a £25 voucher to spend in the restaurant. Q: What was Ma'jong previously called? a. Blo b. Glo c. Flo Please email your correct answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by 31st October 2012. The winner will be chosen on a lottery basis from the correct answers. If you want your restaurant to be reviewed, email Rupanjana Dutta at rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com or call 020 7749 4098.

Annual event of the UK (London) Chapter of ICAI UK (London) Chapter of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is organising its Third Annual event on 27 October, 2012 at Hotel Crowne Plaza London – St. James, 45-51 Buckimgham Gate, London SW1E 6AF and is likely to be attended by more than 180 people including members, guests from business houses, financial institutes and senior functionaries from accountancy profession. This is the third such annual event of the chapter after the success of last two year's events which brings together members of the Institute of chartered accountants of India in the UK, their family and friends. The Guests of Honour for the evening include Mr Virendra Sharma, MP - Ealing Southall and Mr Richard Heald, CEO- UKIBC, Mr Joginder Sanger, Chairman of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. The event will has a session of seminar in the first half and the second half of the event will be a fun filled evening with Indian Classical and Bollywood music & entertainment performance, a raffle with exciting prizes (Including return Air Ticket to India among other prizes), appetising food and plenty of opportunity for networking. The chapter has highly subsidised the rates for this event. This year’s event is sponsored by HDFC, ACT (The Association of Corporate Treasurers), CPA Ireland.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), one of the largest accounting bodies in the whole world, is recognised globally for its contribution in the fields of education, professional development, maintenance of high accounting, auditing and ethical standards. UK (London) Chapter of ICAI is one of the largest and most active chapters of the 21 overseas chapters of ICAI and has more than 600 registered members. The Chapter was formed 11 years ago with the mission of promoting the Indian Chartered Accountancy Profession in UK. The Chapter, from time to time provides opportunities to the members to meet, exchange views and interact with one another for furtherance of their techni-

cal competency and knowledge. This is also achieved by hosting seminars and events. Also, by organising social and cultural events the Chapter strengthens the community ties among the members. The Chapter has from time to time has also partnered with various

businesses and leading accounting bodies and has organised various activities of professional interest to not only its members but also to the wider group of professionals engaged in professions other than accountancy. Chapter’s members are working in various sectors such as consumer, retail, financial services (including investment, banking and insurance), technology, media and telecommunications, manufacturing, etc. And many are placed at top management positions, as decision makers. A fair number of the members are in practice, working with big 10 accounting firms or have their own practices across UK. The Chapter’s activities are managed by an elected honorary body of the members.

Lions Club of Sudbury celebrates Shraad Bhajan & Bhojan Under the chairmanship of Lion Dharmesh Desai, Lions Club of Sudbury held a Shraad Bhajan & Bhojan in aid of the charity “Facing the World” at the Harrow Arts Centre, in Hatch End Middlesex on Sunday, 14th October between 6 -10pm and has raised a sum of £4,000. Over 250 guests attended from various communities. The event started with a very special vegetarian Bhojan prepared by The Pragsani Group. The guests were then presented with specially prepared goody

bags which were donated from “Facing the World”. After a welcome and a short introduction by Manju Parmar, the current President of the club, the Bhajan & Gujarati Lok Dario commenced at 6.30pm. Two great singers were on the stage, Vinod Patel & Preeti Varsani with a team musicians. The guests were entertained with tradi-

tional bhajans, shairis, lok geets and gujarati jokes, which crowd enjoyed thoroughly. Dr. Niall Kirkpatrick, a plastic surgeon, gave a speech about helping children with disfigurement and how it impacts their lives. Facing the World surgeons and teams helps these children to give them back a natural face and a smile.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

If you have any particular topics you would like covered on my page, please let me know.

MuSIc

Tanveer Mann

TASHA TAH “MALANG” FEATURING RAOOL

www.punjabeeblonde.wordpress.com tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

SPOTTED! An Evening with Jay Sean…

Tiffin Beats Records presents the smashing new track, “Malang”, with vocals by ‘it girl’ Tasha Tah and is in collaboration with No Limit Productionz Super Act ‘Raool’ The voice behind smash hit “Haan de Munde” is back with a more sultry and sexy sound on this new track combined with the distinctive hip-hop swagger of D.Wunder (Raool) and big beat production from future hit maker Macks Wolf (Raool). Fans have been extremely enthusiastic with their support and viral promotion of the single already! With a short snippet collecting over 3000 hits on the Tiffin Beats

Records Soundcloud in just over 2 days, it is evident that Fans have already fallen in love with the song! Tasha Tah & Raool will be performing MALANG, live and exclusively on the XOXO World Tour (November 2012). The UK leg takes in 11 venues and is a ladies only night tour. The tour will showcase live music (including new material) from popular British Asian Collective ‘Stranger Family’ and internationally acclaimed South Asian supergroup ‘Culture Shock’ from Canada. The tour will also showcase new act ‘Raool’ (D.Wunder & Macks Wolf). Further information and tickets are available at www.events.strangerfamily.com

Did you know..? The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat", which means, "the king is dead".

Word of the Week: Impecunious: adj. without money; penniless.

On Tuesday 9th October, Lebara Mobile hosted an “Evening with Jay Sean’ in anticipation of the Lebara Mobile Asian Music Awards taking place on 25th October at Wembley Arena. The evening marked 10 years in the industry for Jay, coinciding with the awards’ own 10th year anniversary. The star made a short visit to the UK especially for the event, where he took part in an intimate Q&A hosted by BBC Asian Network’s Tommy Sandhu, and was later presented the special ‘British Artist Of The Decade’ award by Richard Robertson, Managing Director of Lebara Mobile. Other guests at the exclusive evening included Eastenders actress and singer Preeya Kalidas, BAFTA award winning actor Adam Deacon, ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ actor Ameet Chana, Punjabi singers Juggy D and H-Dhami and rising British Asian stars such as Shide Boss and Arjun. On accepting the ‘Artist Of The Decade’ award, Jay Sean said: “I am truly honoured to receive this award. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t

Ha Ha..... He He.... :P What do you get if you cross a centipede with a parrot? A walkie-talkie! What did the dentist say when his wife baked a cake? Can I do the filling?! What did the traffic light say to the car? Don’t look I’m changing!

RAPID FIRE INTERVIEW Entouraaj is a brand new wedding and lifestyle online magazine especially for the contemporary Asian groom. As editor and co-founder of the publication, Gary Singh used his own experience of wedding planning to launch this innovative and beneficial magazine. How did the idea for a magazine for grooms come about? The idea really stemmed from the experience of organising my own wedding two years ago. There wasn’t a single comprehensive source of information that I could go to as an Asian groom, as most of the advice was aimed at brides. Thus why we launched Entouraaj - it was about time that a magazine was launched that’s just for Asian grooms. What different skills did both you and your wife bring to launching this magazine? We both have an extensive media background. Kunjal has worked in editorial for 6 years with a variety of established consumer-based publications and I have 8 years of sales experience for a leading media organisation in London. Combining our skills, we are able to ensure that the content is current and

informative. What makes ‘Entouraaj’ different from the groom section in Asian bridal magazines? Our publication is dedicated entirely to the Asian groom, focusing on more than just simply what a groom should wear. We cover all key aspects ranging from his responsibilities in the run up to the wedding as well as life after marriage. We also cover the lifestyle of Asian grooms-tobe, which include both getting in shape and looking good. With Weddings becoming increasingly grand, how do you keep up with the changing 'fash-

ions'? By combining our knowledge and establishing ties with industry experts, we’re confident that we can keep up with the latest trends and innovations. We would also love feedback from grooms themselves, as this is another great source of knowledge on what’s ‘hot’. How important do you think it is to have a magazine online as opposed to hard copies, especially after Social Media and Blogging has taken over? Having an online magazine has never been more important. The beauty of it is that it is readily accessible, convenient and current as content is being updated more regularly. In relation to Entouraaj, an online title was the perfect vehicle for men, as it allows them to be discrete when it comes to their own wedding research. What possible areas in the magazine are you hoping to expand into? We are keen to develop the lifestyle aspect further. This would include featuring more general interest articles such as gadgets, entertainment, cars and sport as well as diversifying our fashion and health categories.

Rovin George with Jay Sean

for some of my family and friends who are in the room tonight, so to receive it in front of them is really special. I want to say a big thank you to the Asian Music Awards for this memorable evening and for all their support over the years. And finally a big congratulations for 10 years of the Asian Music Awards!” Rovin George, a member of the Asian Voice team, had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Jay Sean – lucky for some!

BOOKS Over the years, I have accumulated a vast range of books that delve into various different genres. Books making their way to the floor due to lack of shelfspace still puts a smile on my face: evidence of satisfaction and content for those books I thoroughly enjoyed, pure determination for those that I was committed on finishing. Only when

you have read a few ‘bad’ books do you appreciate the good however. Here are a list of 15 books that I have personally enjoyed and believe are a necessity to read: 1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 2. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier 3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 4. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald 5. Beloved by Toni Morrison 6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 8. 1984 by George Orwell 9. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson 10. Armadale by Wilkie Collins

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Arjun's daughter to debut in Kollywood? Action King Arjun's daughter Aishwarya is getting ready for her Kollywood debut soon. Her debut flick will be directed by Boopathy Pandian and Vishal will play the lead. There are reports that the film is titled as “Pattathu Yaanai.” The film is touted to be an action comedy and will be shot in Tirunelveli, Karaikudi and Trichy. The shooting is likely to go on floors from next month.

Wedding bells for Actor Jothikrishna Actor Jothikrishna, who recently made his debut with “Oo La La La” has reportedly been engaged and is getting ready for marriage, according to reports. Jothikrishna is the son of popular producer A M Rathnam and has previously directed the film 'Kedi' featuring Ravi Krishna, Ileana and Tamannah. The engagement apparently took place in August in the presence of close relatives and friends. The bride to be, Aishwarya, is from Hyderabad and is a postgraduate in Bio-technology.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Tamannah happy as journalist Tamannah is thrilled that she is playing a journalist in her upcoming Telugu film ' C a m e r a m a n Gangatho Rambabu', which has leading Tollywood star Pawan Kalyan as hero. "I always admired a journalist's job since it is a very interesting and daring one. I felt so happy when I was offered the role of a media personnel in this film," she says. Stating that she did enough homework to get her act right in 'Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu', Tamannah says she followed director Puri Jagannath's instructions and further improvised the role. "I am eagerly looking forward for the movie's release," says Tamannah, adding that she would sign a Tamil movie soon.

Hot Garam masala Girls understand love better than men: SRK Known for his romantic films, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan says that according to him women understand the emotion of love better than men. He says that love is a very simple emotion and needs to be kept private. “Relationship and love is between two people. When you are in love you just have to be yourself. Simple things matter like listening to each other and giving a hug. Girls know how to love better than men. It needs to be very personal and quiet,” he said at a promotional event of his latest love story, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. Directed by Yash Chopra, the film also stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The actor said that he has not done such a romance for a while now.

Is Sridevi's daughter the next big thing? Away from the media glare, Sridevi apparently has been quietly grooming elder daughter Jhanvi for a career in films. With her return to Bollywood after a span of 15 years, it is not just her renewed career that is on Sridevi's minds right now. If rumours are to be believed, the senior actress is busy grooming her elder daughter Jhanvi, 15, for a career in the film industry. Our source points out, “Jhanvi is the next heroine in the making. A lot of heads turned when she made her appearance at the recent premiere of her mother's comeback film ‘English Vinglish.’ She showed amazing grace and poise while posing for the shutterbugs. For a 15-year-old, she has amazing confidence!”

Anupam Kher teams with his son Sikander Veteran actor Anupam Kher is teaming up with his son Sikander on the big screen for Chandan Arora’s new film, and says he is kicked about working with his son. “It is a brilliant script that we are working on. But unfortunately, there is only this much I can reveal about the film as of now,” Anupam said. Sikander made his Bollywood debut with “Woodstock Villa” in 2008. He went on to do films like “Summer 2007″, “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey” and “Players”, but none could rock the box office. Anupam is excited to work with Sikander. I am looking forward to work with him. I love the idea of working with young people and newcomers. In fact, in the past five years, my maximum work has been with young and fresh people. I’m sure this film will be great too,” said the 57-year-old.

Sonakshi turns into a 'real' bride! “Son Of Sardaar” cast and crew couldn't get over how Sonakshi Sinha resembled a real bride during the shoot of her wedding song. Bidding farewell to a bride can melt the hardest of hearts. No wonder that when the cast and crew of her upcoming film saw Sona's latest song ‘Bichdann,’ they couldn't stop talking about the pretty lady. A source present on the set says, “The emotional song has been filmed on Ajay and Sonakshi and it has also become the actor's favourite song. Everyone is saying how Sona looks like a real bride and that they would love to get married to her!” Devgn says, “We shot the song in Patiala. I agree that she is really looking very good in it. It's become everyone's favourite song.” The source from the unit points out, “Sonakshi got very emotional during the shoot of the song. This was the last song that was shot during the Patiala schedule and since the schedule itself was coming to a close, everyone was a little sad.”`The second music track from Ajay Devgn's upcoming Diwali release will be available on the Internet.

Karan Johar wants to change Imran's look Punit Malhotra and Karan Johar are in a fix; they are diverting all their energies towards creating a new look for Imran Khan. Imran who is known for his sexy metro-sexual look in the industry has turned rustic for his upcoming films “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola” and “Once Upon A Time Again.” Punit and Karan have seen Imran's look in these films and they have absolutely loved it. They think he has carried off the rustic look so fabulously that now they are in two minds about where they want to take Imran's look for their own film. "Seen carrying off a metro young and edgy look so elegantly, they had

not expected Imran to be able to carry off such a rustic and earthy look so well. But now after watching the film they are pleasantly surprised to see Imran's versatility", says a source close to the film. "This has made them think how much can they experiment with Imran and try something completely different and new for his look in the next film. Punit has contacted stylists from different countries to see the different looks they can create for Imran" adds the source. Stylists from New York, London, Australia and India have been contacted and roped in for this project. The film which is currently untitled seems to have a lot in store for us as we are going to see Imran in a new light yet again.

Deepika has the best smile in B-town Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has the best smile as has been voted by a brand survey at a recent dental seminar. Deepika's glowing smile has gained the highest amount of votes by the dental brand. Among the other personalities of the film industry who were being shortlisted for the same, Deepika bagged the highest number of votes by the dental brand. She was extremely pleased with it and when people congratulated her on winning the survey, she expressed that according to her Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri have the most pleasant smile amongst the others in Bollywood.

Saif, Kareena finally tie the knot

Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor on Tuesday tied the knot in a quiet affair after a five-year courtship. Saif, 42, son of late Nawab of Pataudi and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, sealed his relationship with Kareena, 32, at his residence in suburban Bandra through a registered marriage. "It was a registered marriage with three witnesses -- Kareena's father Randhir Kapoor, her mother Babita and Saif's mother Sharmila," marriage Registrar Surekha Ramesh said. The couple who started dating in 2007, married in the presence of close friends and family. The couple had officially declared their intention to tie the knot in the beginning of 2012 after the release of their film “Agent Vinod” in March. Randhir and his elder daughter Karisma later waved to the waiting fans and media from the balcony of the house.

Big B turns 70: A birthday bash to remember The Indian film industry's biggest stars like Dilip Kumar, Yash Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan and southern superstar Rajinikanth to high profile politicians like Praful Patel flocked to the big bash organised in Mumbai to usher in the living legend Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday. The red carpet was rolled out for as many as 800 guests at the Reliance Media Work, Film City, Goregaon. Amitabh, dressed in a black velvet outfit, came with his family - wife Jaya Bachchan, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and he too walked the red carpet with live orchestra playing hit numbers from his films. Big B, who turns 70 on Thursday last, told media, "Thanks for coming", while Aishwarya, flaunting a cream long dress with golden detailed work all over, told reporters, "We are so happy that we are all here today celebrating his birthday. Thank you so much." If yesteryear veterans like Hema Malini, Saira Banu, Waheeda Rehman, Vinod Khanna, Prem Chopra, Kader Khan, Pran, Zeenat Aman, Jeetendra and Asha Parekh came to wish Big B, his co-star of many films like "Deewar" Shashi Kumar was wheeled in to join the revelries. Aishwarya and Abhishek played a perfect host and escorted 89-year old legend Dilip Kumar inside the venue. Many Bollywood stars attended the party. Madhuri wished him all the "happiness and success", while Juhi said: "I respect him, admire him and I had a great time working with him." From down south, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna and Ram Charan Teja were present among others. If glamour was at its high, the big names from political corridor including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav gathered here to wish Big B.

I am a hungry actor: Paresh Rawal Actor Paresh Rawal has dabbled with a variety of roles in his career spanning over two decades. But he is still discontented and strives for meaty roles. “For me, a role is a role. I don’t see it as a protagonist or an antagonist. Even if I am not in the lead role, but if I have a good role, I do it with honesty,” Paresh had said. “As an actor I am very hungry. Give me a good and meaty role and I am for it. I like to do roles that I enjoy and involve some sort of a challenge. Anything that can be done easily, I don’t enjoy doing it. The only nice thing about it (easily doable jobs) that you get money,” he added. Recently, he played an atheist in Umesh Shukla’s “Oh My God”, an adaptation of his Gujarati play.

Vidya to compete with Pakistan's Humaima Vidya Balan's dare bare show in "The Dirty Picture" has bagged her nomination in the best actress category at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs), for which Pakistani actress Humaima Mallick is also in competition for her role in "Bol". Vidya played southern sex siren Silk Smitha in the Ekta Kapoor produced movie, which won her accolades. Humaima essayed the part of a strong woman who combats patriarchal society in "Bol". They are competing alongside names like Korean actress Cho Minsoo ("Pieta"), Russian actress Darya Ekamasova ("Once Upon a Time There Lived a Simple Woman") and Philippine-based Nora Aunor ("Thy Womb"), according to the official APSA website.

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Panel report may get Vodafone off tax hook Dear Financial Voice Reader, As I mentioned last week and the week before, I recently gave a talk at the Women Empowered event in London. So I am writing this mini-series for the female entrepreneur. Not sure if it fits in with a spouse/partner/child life – the having it all issue "Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career." Office Space, 1999 Issue: Being an entrepreneur for everyone and anyone is an activity they just have to do no matter what, whatever their obstacles are. Some are driven by greed, others by guilt. Men had different motivations to men and those motivations were often swamped by counter-desires which were stronger than for men (eg the desire to make a better product was a comment women’s desire to be an entrepreneur, whereas for men it was to ‘make money and prove themselves’. So the counter pull for women of ‘raising their child and being what they perceived as a good partner/mother over-road their desire compare to a counter pressure on a man which was ‘security’ for family. Solution: There is nothing wrong with not being an entrepreneur because you want to devote your time to something equally or more worthy. All our choices involve regret and sacrifices in life. The issue is which path has the least regret for you? Then you must put away the guilt of the choice. Easier said than done. Doubt is in each entrepreneur. It’s part of the training. That is why you need mentors and a brain trust. If you really want to be an entrepreneur and are looking for additional pushes – list them. Common ones are: this actually is helping my family; this is not a selfish act; this provides more security. "My ability to get through my day greatly depends upon the relationships that I have with women: my mother, my aunt, my girlfriends, my neighbors, the mothers in my children's school. I have this wonderful network of women where we rely upon one another for emotional and practical support. In these women I find a place of comfort and sanity and peace like no other. We ground one another." Michelle Obama, Campaign speech, July 2007 "When I talk with a lot of my women friends who have their careers, sometimes [they will] go into a company or a situation where they often think they should be like somebody else… but when you learn to be yourself, and go where your passions are, I think fantastic things happen out of that... So my women friends and I talk about that a lot: Follow your passions, and just be who you are." Belinda Gates Alpesh Patel, author, ‘Our Turn: A guide for women entrepreneurs’

A government of India panel has said that foreign companies undertaking mergers and acquisitions in India should pay taxes only prospectively, not retrospectively, paving the way for telecom giant Vodafone to get off the tax hook. The recommendation, when accepted - as is likely – would end a messy dispute that has also hit investor sentiment. The committee examining retrospective amendments, whose draft report was made public for feedback, said that no person should be treated as an assessee in default or as a representative assessee with regard to a transac-

tion of transfer of shares of a foreign company having underlying assets in India as this would amount to the imposition of a burden. “This would imply that the government could apply the provisions only to the taxpayer who earned capital gains tax from indirect transfer,” the report said. Further, the panel, headed by economist Parthasarthi Shome, said that in all cases where tax demand has been raised on account of the retrospective amendment no interest under various sections of the Income Tax Act should be charged and no penalty should be levied.

The government said it was considering a clarificatory circular on levying interest, penalty and disallowing expenses related to retrospective tax law changes, unveiled in the last Budget. The statement indicated that a decision on making the retrospective amendment redundant for past M&A deals is in the offing. The retrospective tax changes introduced in the 2012-13 Union budget going back to 1962 meant that Vodafone, which acquired Hutchison Whampoa's 67% stake in an Indian telecom venture in 2007, faced the prospect of paying Rs 130 billion in

capital gains tax on the acquisition. The tax department had argued that Vodafone should have deducted tax before making the final payment. However, both companies said no liability arose as the transaction took place outside India. The Supreme Court agreed with their contention that the deal was outside the jurisdiction of Indian tax authorities. But the finance ministry under the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee introduced a “clarificatory amendment” in the Finance Bill, arguing that the demand on Vodafone was part of the fight against black money.

Property show demonstrates major opportunities for investment in Indian real estate

(Left to right) Mitesh Vekaria, Alistair McMillan, Manoj Ladwa, CB Patel, Ramesh Sachdev, Vikram Goyal & Arjan Vekaria at the inauguration of the India URealty Show.

Specialist property investment company Unesta hosted the India URealty Show at the Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley on 6th and 7th October 2012 bringing together a host of property developers and showcasing residential and commercial real estate opportunities in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Vadodara. Some of the top developers from India, including

Ansal API, G-Corp Estates, Godrej Properties, Jaypee Greens, Rustomjee and The Wadhwa Group were key exhibitors. The show was inaugurated by Mr Ramesh Sachdev, CEO of Lifestyle Care Group; Mr Arjan Vekaria of Vascroft Contractors Ltd; Mr. Manoj Ladwa of legal firm Sherrards MLS Chase and Mr C B Patel, publisher/editor of Asian Business Publications Group. Unesta also took the opportunity to launch the second edition of its popular URealty magazine at the show, which focuses on the path to sustainable growth in Indian real estate. The Indian real estate market has been through a period of consolidation since 2009, having experienced a boom in the years following 2005 when doors were opened to Foreign Direct Investment in real estate and construction, and the crest in 2008 when 18 construction companies took their offerings to IPO.

CB Patel & Ramesh Sachdev giving their blessings to the show and launching the new edition of the URealty magazine.

Despite the global financial crisis, strong domestic demand for housing has buoyed the Indian property market, which continues to offer good investment opportunities to the knowledgeable investor, including Gen Y and NRI (Non Resident Indian) Diaspora looking to invest in property in India. Vikram Goyal, Managing Director of Unesta said, "We wanted to use the India URealty Show to address the concerns of our audiences, including first time buyers and seasoned investors, for example by offering indepth analysis and expertise in the second edition of our URealty magazine which showcases new cities including Delhi NCR, Pune and Vadodara – all of which are new additions in Unesta's portfolio. He concludes, “The URealty show is our effort to be part of India's Vision 2020 and to be a catalyst in the world of real estate investments." In addition to showcasing premium

investment opportunities from Indian real estate in the residential and commercial markets, the show also hosted free seminars focused on navigating the complexities of investing in India and maximising returns. International property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield teamed up as ‘Knowledge Partner’ in the Show sharing key trends and analysis in the Seminars. As proud sponsors of Sewa Day, Unesta also teamed up with the City Hindus Network to organise a book collection at the Show, with the plan to redistribute the books through the Akshaya Patra Foundation and Kids United Vision charities in India and the Red Balloon Learner Centres in the UK. Together Unesta and the City Hindus Network collected around 4500 books. Barry Gardiner, MP and Head of Brent Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt also visited the Show and were most impressed by the Sewa Day initiative.

Citigroup chief Vikram Pandit steps down in shock move

Vikram Pandit, the chief executive of Citigroup, has announced his retirement from the US bank with immediate effect. Mr Pandit, 55, who had headed Citigroup for nearly five years, said in a statement it was “the right time for someone else to take the helm” at the bank, having led it through the financial crisis and a period of partial government ownership.

Vikram Pandit

Shares in Citigroup were trading up 0.6pc in early trading after falling

more than 2pc in pre-market trading in New York on the news of Mr Pandit’s surprise departure. Since Mr Pandit took over as chief executive in December 2007, the group's shares have fallen 89pc. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Mr Pandit resigned from Citigroup following clashes with the board over strategy and performance.

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

It’s not just about the numbers

Suresh Vagjiani Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

This week we exchanged on a property in Durham Terrace W2 mentioned in last week’s article. This was a property where two independent parties purchased this property jointly for £980,000 with the aim of refurbishing and reselling. This allows them to purchase a property which would otherwise be out of their reach or comfort zone. It is very difficult to find properties in the £300-£500,000 range where one can purchase, refurbish and make a profit. The property market is shaped like a pyramid where as you go up the scale there are fewer buyers and so more of a chance to bag a good opportunity. Though the primary aim is to refurbish and sell on, there does exist a small window of opportunity to flip this property for £1.05m and make a quick £70,000 prior to completion. If this was to occur the investors would make a 70% return on their funds. This is within a four week period and without getting our hands dirty by getting involved in the building work. Due to the demand of the location there are always a number of different options with a property. With cases like this interest comes from end users who already live on the same road. The issue which will arise on the buyer’s side in this scenario will be whether the lender will be happy with a sub sale. This means the property will be sold on prior to completion. Not all lenders are happy with a sub sale scenario and the sale could get stuck at this juncture.

Altho ugh the sale can been agreed the lend ers may refu se t he mort gag e lat er d own t he line , meaning mo ney an d time has be en lo st on bot h sid es. So it is bette r to iron t his issue ou t u pfron t to e nsu re the sal e g oes smoot hly. With any prospective purchaser we will ensure both their lenders and solicitors are happy with this situation. The purpose of this rule is I assume to prevent fraud, where investors buy property and then have the valuer inflate the price and sell on very quickly thereby extracting money from the deal rapidly, and leaving the lender with a toxic asset where the mortgage will not even cover the property price. The problem is lenders lose business on many genuine cases where traders are selling the property prior to completion. Perhaps given the lack of lending this isn’t a problem for lenders. In Central London this happens a lot due to the liquid fast moving market. Many property investors only trade, known as ‘flipping’ properties. Lenders who specialise in this area are generally happy to lend given a few questions are answered satisfactorily. We currently have a property similar to the above one in West Kensington. This property is a Share of Freehold and is a three bedroom in a portered block. In a nutshell the aim will be to spend £100k max on this property and resell it within a 6 month period for £1.2m. The flat is very large at over 1300 sq ft. The price we have secured this property at is £892k fighting off other bids which were higher in the process, this is due to the close relationship we have with the agents. The property belonged to a lady who is going into a nursing home. Often many properties with a margin are those where the owner has passed away or gone to a home.

The Real Deal Probably the Cheapest property you'll find in W2 l Only £235,000 – 1% stamp Duty l No this isn't Ex Council l Studio in poplar Art Deco Block in W2 l Probate Sale l Requires quick movement l Rental of £300 pw achievable

Th e price equates to only £650per sq ft. This is very cheap g ive n the location . The ad ded cherry on the pie with th is pro pe rty will be the completio n period. As the old lady has all her things in the property accumulated over decades the family want a delayed completion. This suits us fine as it gives us an opportunity to resell the apartment in between for say £1m, leaving some margin in there for another investor or end user. And remember this is Central London so the price will be increasing month on month. Of course we will be gearing up for completion, but this will be our insurance policy if we do not sell on. Often people get caught up in the price of the property and focus on this alone, yet time is a very important factor, in certain situations more important than the price. The numbers on this property stack up as an investment, on top of this it’s a freehold. This is normally a nightmare for many Indian investors as they wish to keep the property in their family for at least 21 generations. They view a leasehold property as one where their family wealth will be decreasing as the length of the lease is decreasing year on year. The management is very good on this property, the communal areas are well kept, and the porters do their job, this maintains and up lifts the property price. You will be surprised in how many blocks this is not the case,. The building is done in an Art Deco style, this is a style created in 1920s but took hold after the second world war, this adds to the attractiveness of the building. The above are the fundamentals of what one should look at when considering a property investment. However you should not neglect the feel of the property. It is important the property has a good feel about it. This property has three aspects meaning three different views, three sides of the apartment has windows to it, this means there is plenty of daylight coming into the property. It is important to recognise this, as purchasers will be guided by this. People are emotional creatures and the buyer of this property, especially if he is an end user, will often be guided by this unseen force. You don’t have to be a Vastu expert to note the importance of daylight and the effect it has on the feel of the property, and the corresponding effect it will have on the potential purchaser. This property will require £520,000 of investment. Roughly £260,000 per investor, the returns are calculated to be 22% over a six month period. This opportunity allows an investor to purchase a property they cannot purchase individually or where they may not be comfortable sticking the whole amount into one purchase.

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in Central London Property Sourcing

0207 313 4595

Tips of the Week lOften people get carried away with terms

like Below Market Value; remember this is not the main consideration, the potential for future growth needs to be there. A property may be cheap but that doesn’t mean it will increase in value in the future.

lLeveraging equity in your home, or equity Westbourne House, 14-16 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RH

from another property investment, can be an effective way to buy an investment property especially from a tax perspective.

fInAnCIAl vOICe

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Amit Patel has over 15 years experience in the field of Leadership and Human Resource Management

Maria Fernandes

maria@abplgroup.com

The Immigration Debate As of the 1st October all those who have overstayed their leave to remain by 28 days will be automatically refused if they make a fresh application. This change will mean that if a person is refused and does not either appeal or bring proceedings in the High Court a fresh application cannot be made unless there are exceptional circumstances. In points based cases, the case of Alvi which shook the very core of the system when the Judges by declared the system to be unlawful, is set for more fights after the UKBA set out its solution to the problem by advising its caseworkers to withdraw the unlawful decision but to re-make it applying the new law. In effect it puts the applicant in the same position as before. There are contradictions in the guidance. At one point the caseworkers are advised that decisions are lawful unless they are declared to be unlawful. At other points they are told that if applicants are out of time for appealing decisions or bringing High Court pro-

ceedings then their cases must not be considered. In effect they are advising their caseworkers to pay lip service to the rules. Challenges are inevitable. In other news, the numbers of immigrants is down to 216000, and the Home Secretary has indicated that the target of getting numbers to 100,000 is well on its way to being fulfilled. She has also firmly indicated that students will not be removed from the definition of migrants as some of them stay for 3,4 and 5 years. The London Metropolitan University who recently were granted permission to have their case heard, were singled out as a warning to Universities to put their houses in order. Meanwhile students do get it. There has been a sharp drop in numbers coming to study. Darren Brown, the illusionist,, provides a fascinating insight into the part that subliminal messages play on our attitudes and behaviour. In our daily life we are bombarded by negative stories of immigrants that portray impressions of foreign

prisoners using human rights law. Of the 216000 migrants mentioned above, only 195 were foreign prisoners. In response the Conservatives have introduced tough laws that have and will continue to see a drop in numbers, particularly of plebs. Only the educated and high earning patricians will be welcomed into our shores. The level of frustration is intense among employers who are having to wait for months to obtain a licence only to be told after that they cannot bring a member of staff. And in the meantime it is worth noting as a fact that the people most likely to vote in the general election are the immigrant minorities who engage much more vigorously in the process than the indigenous population. Maria Fernandes has been in practice exclusively in immigration for the past 25 years. Fernandes Vaz is based at 87 Wembley Hill Road Wembley in Wembley and can be contacted by telephone on 02087330123, by email on info@fernandesvaz.com.

‘World of Opportunity’ at Cityscape Global Vijay Parikh, head of commercial investments at Harold Benjamin Solicitors, attended Cityscape Global which was held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE, between October 2 and 4, 2012. The event was hosted by some of the largest global players in the property and real estate market. Branded as a “World of Real Estate Opportunities,” the event was well attended by people from all around the world. The exhibitors included some of the largest international developers, architects and property companies, including the United Kingdom. “It was evident to see that there is a strong and continued interest in UK property and, in particu-

Vijay Parikh

lar, the London region,” said Vijay. “We are seeing a high level of interest in London developments and we believe that this will continue,” said a representative from Chesterton. “Almost 60% of our clients’ developments in London are sold to overseas buyers,” he added. The event also had particular emphasis on the Middle East and especially Dubai. Many of the large developers from the region have commenced new projects and are seeking

to complete their current outstanding projects. “Central Dubai and City have attracted large amounts of investment and buyers within the last 12 to 18 months,” said a representative from Damac, “and we believe the Dubai market has now stabilised and is set for good growth.” Another source from Nikhil stated that investors are now seeing 10-12% income return on capital investment within the UAE market.

Making a U-Turn

Imagine that you are approached by someone seeking your advice on what to do. They tell you that despite having clearly defined goals, a practical and logical plan and no shortage of motivation they are still struggling to achieve their goals? They tell you that they have tried everything, they have worked as hard as they possibly can and have left no stone unturned but still they don’t seem to be able to achieve their objective. They have now run out of ideas and their motivation is low. You are their last hope. What would you say? There are numerous motivational slogans you could use such as, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Or you could cite stories of legends such as the 300 Spartans who took on the Persian army in a battle which they could not win. The point is that in all likelihood you would make some attempt to motivate them and urge them to keep going. The reason we would do this is because we are taught that progress and success are closely associat-

ed with perseverance and courage. We believe that when faced with adversity we should keep going forward and take it on. As Winston Churchill would often say during the war, Britain had only to persevere to achieve victory. However, going forward or carrying on is not always the right option. World War One became synonymous with the trenches. Both armies had dug trenches in the muddy fields of Belgium and every day the British would climb out and attack the Germans in their trenches. This meant running directly into the German bullets without any sort of cover whatsoever. The high number of casualties did not deter the British high command for they were that convinced that eventually they would wear down the Germans and make the crucial breakthrough. That day never came, but death did come to hundreds of thousands of soldiers who fell because they were told to ‘keep on going’. There will be times when perhaps it is wiser to

By Amit Patel

re-evaluate your goals, or re-think your strategy. Sometimes taking a different direction will get us to where we want to get to. For some unexplained reason we think that making a U - Turn is a sign of failure or defeat. But actually it takes a great deal of courage to make a U-Turn. It means accepting that perhaps you got something wrong and that perhaps, you made a mistake. But it also means that you live to fight another day. Just as the Irish proverb which says, ‘A good retreat is better than a bad stand.’ A man who makes a mistake once is human, he makes the same mistake again is a fool. Amit Patel has over 20 years experience in the field of Personal Development and Human Resource Management. He provides consultancy services and ideas on issues such as Leadership, People Management and Development. To contact Amit, email amitpatelmail @gmail.com

Cinven acquires Amdipharm Group

European private equity firm Cinven has acquired the Amdipharm Group, a family-owned international niche pharmaceuticals business, for a total consideration of 367 million pounds ($589.5 million). Amdipharm will initially operate as a standalone business but Cinven will be looking to merge Amdipharm with its existing portfolio company, Mercury Pharma, which it acquired in September 2012. Mercury and Amdipharm each market mature, niche pharmaceuticals, both branded and unbranded. The businesses are highly complementary as Mercury’s customer base is largely UK focused, whereas Amdipharm has a significantly greater international business, with its products sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Amdipharm was founded by Vijay and Bhikhu Patel. The Group, which has grown strongly through

Vijay and Bhikhu Patel

acquisition, today generates revenues of over £110 million. The founders will retain a significant minority stake in the combined business going forward. Commenting on the transaction, Supraj Rajagopalan, Partner at Cinven, said: “Our acquisition of Amdipharm is completely transformational. It not only doubles the size of the combined group in terms of revenue and profitability but, importantly, creates a truly global business. This

investment is another example of our ability to source proprietary opportunities through our dedicated sector expertise.” “Vijay and Bhikhu Patel have grown a highly successful business and we share their vision for a global pharmaceutical company through a combination of both the Mercury and Amdipharm businesses. We look forward to working with the management and employees of both companies as we bring the businesses together.”

Ties between India and Hamburg strengthened further

India’s partnership with Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city and a major trading hub of Northern Europe, was further strengthened following the visit of Olaf Scholz, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to India from 13 to 20 October. Olaf Scholz, government leader of Hamburg,

visited Mumbai and Delhi. He was accompanied by around 40 representatives from the spheres of politics, business and culture. Hamburg is Germany’s main gateway for Indian goods into Germany and the European Union. The majority of trade between Germany and India is conducted through Hamburg, with a volume in excess of

USD 1.6 billion in 2011. Hamburg provides Indian enterprises with access to the European market. Around 35 companies, including Mittal Steel, Tata Consultancy Services and the wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy, have head offices in Hamburg. The wind energy sector benefits from the strong infrastructure of

Hamburg’s maritime and aviation industries. Airbus, Europe’s biggest aircraft manufacturer, is also based in Hamburg. Hamburg is Europe´s wind energy capital, currently, more than 14,000 people work in the field of renewable energy, and this trend is increasing. Over the last few years, international corporations from

the wind energy sector have based themselves in Hamburg. Hamburg is regarded as Germany’s wind energy capital. India’s economy is developing at a rapid rate, and Hamburg is also enjoying sustained growth. This has led to an increasing demand on both infrastructure and environmental protection. However, the Hanseatic

City of Hamburg is not only a leading economic centre of Northern Europe; it is also a model region of sustainable urban development. Mr Scholz has met Dr Farooq Abdullah, India’s Minister of New and Renewable Energies, at the beginning of his visit. Hamburg has had its own representative office in Mumbai since January 2011.

financial VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Foreign Exchange Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

Euro to strengthen on rumours of a triple play Last week saw two notable announcements; both illustrated the serious situation in Europe, yet they had diverging effects on the single currency. The perception of Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to pay its creditors was downgraded two notches by S&P; this caused an irrational strengthening of the euro as investors felt it might result in Rajoyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government hastening the request for a bailout. However fears of slowing growth in the single union, and broadly across the world, caused the markets to react a bit more conventionally, weakening the euro. Despite last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downgrade, and with another potential relegation from Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the cards, any hope of an imminent Spanish bailout is just wishful thinking. The required fiscal stringency would be inimical to the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity in the upcoming regional elections, whilst the 10year bond auction last week showed yields remaining at manageable levels for the struggling nation. Once again the dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in global currency as the safe

haven will decide its direction this week. All ears pressed against the walls of the EU summit, were expected to reveal key direction and aid the euroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short-term, bullish view. Such an effect would cause the dollar to weaken off against its counterparts. However waiting on the euro finance ministers to make impacting decisions is an all too familiar feeling, investorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concerns over the slowing global growth could cause sudden

bouts of euro weakness until a substantial announcement is made. The euro is expected to continue its rally as investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; belief that the next step is on its way, builds market optimism. It has been touted that the troika will look to tackle three major issues in one fell swoop next month. Murmurs that Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next tranche, Cyprusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bailout and Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bailout saga will be combined and funds will be released

0 8 0 8

$ 0 4 5

in conjunction with one another. Such an unprecedented action would provide huge reassurances for investor confidence, which has been most effected in times of frustration discussing these matters. Undoubtedly there will be periods of euro retraction, with the US dollar being the beneficiary, however these are likely to be fleeting phases risk aversion, the general trend is euro strength. Last week in the UK, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speech outlined the Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiscal strategy moving forward. On Monday however an IMF official came out urging caution with respect to austerity, highlighting that maintaining growth was more important for the long-term health of the economy. In the coming week sterling will be part of investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; peripheral vision, with more attention being paid, as usual, to Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s woes. Range bound strength against the dollar is expected, whilst the sterling is unlikely to make any headway with the euro.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 16th October 2012 @ 1pm GBP - INR = 85.14 USD - INR = 52.91 EUR - INR = 68.85 GBP - USD = 1.61 GBP - EUR = 1.24 EUR - USD = 1.30 GBP - AED = 5.91 GBP - CAD = 1.58 GBP - NZD = 1.97 GBP - AUD = 1.57 GBP - ZAR = 14.10 GBP - HUF = 344.02

www.rationalfx.com Information provided by RationalFX. None of the information on this page constitutes, nor should be construed as financial advice. The exchange rates used are the commercial foreign exchange rates provided by RationalFX. For a live quote or to find out more about how RationalFX can help you, call us on 0207 220 8181.

PX XJ S F U S B OT G FS G FFT B OE OP IJ EEFO D PT U T

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Pak schoolgirl shot by Taliban in UK for treatment In Focus Islamabad: The Pakistani schoolgirl shot by Taliban gunmen for advocating girls’ education has been sent to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, a military spokesman said on Monday. The spokesman said in a statement that 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai, whose shooting has drawn widespread condemnation, will require prolonged care to fully recover physically and psychologically. An air ambulance provided by the United Arab Emirates had transported Malala to the United Kingdom, said the spokesman. "The panel of doctors recommended that Malala be shifted to a UK centre which has the capability to provide integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury," said the spokesman in a statement. Malala has 'good chance of recovery' In London, British doctors said that Malala has a "good chance of recovery." She is admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, which has a specialist major trauma centre where British servicemen who are seriously wounded in Afghanistan are treated. "Doctors believe she has a chance of making a good

Malala Yousufzai

recovery on every level," said Dr Dave Rosser, the hospital's medical director. Malala's treatment and rehabilitation could take months, he told reporters at the hospital. "Clearly it would be inappropriate on every level, not least for her, to put her through all of this if there was no hope of decent recovery," he said. Dr Rosser said that specialists at the hospital were "in a good position to treat her" because they had 10 years of experience in treating UK military casualties and her condition was much the same as a "battle casualty from a physiological point of view". Malala and two schoolmates were shot by the Taliban in her hometown of Mingora in the Swat Valley last week. She was targeted because she spoke out against the Taliban and cam-

paigned for girls' education. Once Malala recovers sufficiently, it is believed she will need neurological help as well as treatment to repair or replace damaged bones in her skull. Doctors have already carried out a series of tests on the teenager and a hospital spokeswoman said they hoped to give an update on her condition later. Malala has become a potent symbol of resistance against the Taliban's efforts to deprive girls of an education. Pakistanis have held some protests and candlelight vigils but most government officials have refrained from publicly criticising the Taliban by name over the attack, in what critics say is a lack of resolve against extremism. Opponents of Pakistan's government and military say the shooting is another example of the state's failure to tack-

le militancy, the biggest threat to the stability of the nucleararmed South Asian country. The shooting of Malala was the culmination of years of campaigning that had pitted the young girl against one of Pakistan's most ruthless Taliban commanders, Maulana Fazlullah. Fazlullah and his faction of the Pakistani Taliban took over Malala’s native Swat Valley in 2009 after reaching an agreement with the government which gave them de facto control of the former tourist spot. Fazlullah imposed the Taliban's austere version of Islam there, blowing up girls' schools and publicly executing those deemed immoral. The army later launched a major offensive in Swat, forcing many Taliban fighters to flee. The Taliban say that's why they sent assassins, despite a tribal code forbidding the killing of women. Taliban sources said Fazlullah ordered two men specialising in high-profile assassinations to kill Malala. The attack on Yousufzai has angered many Pakistanis, raising questions over whether the incident could sharply turn public opinion against the militants and give the military a big edge.

Bangladesh's ex-army chief Mob ransacks house of Pakistan surrenders over graft cases Christian boy accused of blasphemy

Dhaka: Former Bangladeshi army chief Harunur Rashid surrendered before a court, days after the cancellation of the bail granted to him and four others in a major money laundering case. Rashid, currently chairman of a private business group, surrendered before the court to seek fresh bail in two money laundering cases, court officials said. They said Rashid and a director of the controversial Destiny Group appeared before the court of senior special judge Mohammad Zahirul Haque who is expected to deliver an order on their bail petitions. Their appearance came weeks after the same court overturned their bail orders and four others issued earlier by a subordinate court for their alleged involvement in siphoning out Taka 3,285.26 crore by cheating investors. The bail orders of Rashid and 16 others were scrapped after the statutory AntiCorruption Commission (ACC) had filed four criminal

appeals challenging the legality of the bail granted to the Destiny officials by three lower courts. The ACC on August 13 and September 12 filed the appeal petitions with the court seeking cancellation of the bail. The subordinate metropolitan magistrates had granted bail to the accused on different dates, although they have no jurisdiction to deal with money laundering cases as per provisions of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2009. Reports of massive irregularities in the business group earlier this year prompted different government agencies and the ACC to launch investigations against the Destiny's "shadow business" in the name of multilevel marketing company (MLM) and cooperative societies. Rashid, a 1971 liberation war veteran who served as the army chief in late 1990s, joined the Destiny group as its virtually ornamental chairman several years ago.

Karachi: A mob led by Islamic clerics ransacked the home of a teenage Christian boy in Pakistan's Karachi city and set fire to furniture and some other household articles after he was accused of sending text messages with blasphemous content, a media report said. The incident occurred in the staff colony of the Sui Southern Gas Company, a middle-class neighbourhood in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area. The mob ransacked the Christian boy's home and set furniture on fire. Police said the boy was accused by local residents of sending text messages containing blasphemous content to employees and officers of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) at the residentialcum-office compound, the Dawn newspaper reported. After the news circulated among residents of the colony, a mob attacked the quarter of 16-year-old Ryan Stanten. His mother, Rubina Bryan, works as a superintendent in Sui Southern Gas Company. The boy and his mother were

unharmed as they had left the quarter the previous night due to tension in the area. "Had they not left the house, the situation could have been really bad," a senior police officer told the daily. The mob ransacked the house and set fire to household articles, including a washing machine and a fridge, after bringing them out on the road. The protesters shouted slogans against the Christian family. The SMS was allegedly passed on by the teenager on his cell phone. After receiving it, some local residents had gone to the boy and asked him about it. He told them that he had forwarded the SMS after he had himself received it, according to DIG Shahid Hayat. "Ryan told complainant Khursheed Alam and Pesh Imam Qari Ghulam Qadir of the SSGC Jamia Mosque that someone sent him this SMS and he forwarded it to all Muslim friends without reading it," said Hayat.

Zardari graft case: Pak SC approves Swiss letter Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court approved the amended draft of the letter to be sent to Swiss authorities seeking reopening of corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The letter, submitted before the court by law minister Farooq H Naek, stated that proceedings in Swiss courts will be conditional to the immunity granted to the president. The approved draft

said the earlier letter sent by the former attorney general Malik Qayum for closing the graft cases against the presi-

dent and his slain wife, Benazir Bhutto, should be considered void. “It should be assumed that Qayum’s letter had not been written and sent,” the draft said. It said all cases against the president be reopened, adding that Zardari had the right of defence in accordance with the law, constitution and international law. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa,

heading the five-member bench hearing the case, said the letter’s draft was satisfactory even praiseworthy. “It was the first time that an honest attempt had been made to write the letter,” he said. The court turned down the law minister’s request to retract the contempt of court notice issued to Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for his earlier refusal to write the letter.

Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's house in Lahore ransacked by robbers

Lahore: Famous Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's house was swept clean by robbers in an armed heist in Lahore. According to Ghulam Ali's brother, Ashiq Ali, four armed robbers barged into the bungalow, locked the family inside a room, ransacked every nook and corner, and got away with gold ornaments weighing around 90 tolas, nearly Rs 700,000 in cash, and several mobile phone. The bandits were driving a white car, he added. "The hold-up lasted about one-and-a-half hours," Ghulam Ali's grandson said.

26/11 case trial adjourned till November 3

Islamabad: The trial of seven suspects, including LeT's operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, involved in 2008 Mumbai attack case has been adjourned till November 3 as the judge of the Pakistani court hearing the case has been admitted to hospital, a prosecutor said on Saturday. Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman would be on leave till October 26 due to his health problem, special public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said. The trial has been adjourned till next month as the judge's leave would be followed by the Eid holidays. The exact nature of the judge's health problem could not immediately be ascertained. Lakhvi and six other suspects have been charged with planning, financing and facilitating the 26/11 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.

13 minor girls 'bartered' to settle feud

Islamabad: A tribal council in Balochistan allegedly chaired by a Pakistani lawmaker Mir Tariq Masuri decided to barter 13 minor girls, aged between four and 16 years, in marriage to settle a dispute between two clans. The 'barter' which took place under the illegal custom 'vani' prompted the supreme court to take action against those responsible. A bench of the SC headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, summoned Masuri and other members of the concil to appear in court.

Car bomb blast in Pak market kills 18

Peshawar: At least 18 people were killed and over 40 wounded when an explosiveladen car went off near a marketplace in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Dara Adamkhel on Saturday. The target of the attack appeared to be the office of a progovernment militia set up to fight the Taliban, local security officials said. It was unclear how many people were there at the time of the attack, but officials said passers-by as well as local elders of the militia were among the victims. “Five of the wounded, two of them children, were critical,” said Naeem Khan, a senior police officer. Most of the wounded were taken to hospitals in Peshawar and the nearby garrison town of Kohat as local facilities could not cope with the situation.

154 Pak lawmakers suspended for not declaring assets

Islamabad: Pakistan's Election Commission temporarily suspended the membership of 154 federal and provincial lawmakers, including interior minister Rehman Malik and former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's two sons, after they failed to submit details of their assets and liabilities. The lawmakers suspended by the poll panel included members of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, the Senate or upper house, the Punjab Assembly, the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Assembly, the Sindh Assembly and the Balochistan Assembly. The Election Commission said they could not function as lawmakers as they had failed to meet a deadline for submitting an annual report on their assets and liabilities as well as the assets and liabilities of their children and spouses.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

In Focus Austrian skydiver lands safely after 24-mile leap to Earth

Roswell: Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner landed safely on Earth after a 24-mile (38.6-kilometer) jump from the stratosphere in a dramatic, record-breaking feat that may also have marked the world's first supersonic skydive. Baumgartner came down in the eastern New Mexico desert minutes after jumping from his capsule 128,097 feet (39,044 meters), or 24 miles (38.62 kilometers), above Earth. He lifted his arms in victory shortly after landing, setting off loud cheers from jubilant onlookers and friends inside the mission's control center in Roswell, New Mexico. It was the highest-ever jump for a skydiver.

After protests, Myanmar bars OIC from opening office

Naypyidaw: Myanmar's president blocked a world Islamic body from opening an office in the country, an official said on Monday, bowing to rallies against its efforts to help Muslims in unrest-hit Rakhine state. "The president will not allow an OIC office because it is not in accordance with the people's desires," said an official from Myanmar leader Thein Sein's office, after thousands of monks held the latest protests against the Organization of the Islamic Conference in two major cities on Monday. The official, who asked not to be named, declined to comment on an agreement signed with the OIC, the top world Muslim body, which confirmed last week that it had obtained the green light to open an office in the country. Around 3,000 maroon-robed clerics, some shouting and holding banners reading "No OIC", marched through the country's commercial hub Yangon. Thousands more protested in the second largest city Mandalay, with another demonstration in the town of Pakokku in Magway region in central Myanmar, according to organizers.

Hindu thread stirs race row in SA

Johannesburg: A white South African music teacher is facing racism charges after allegedly taunting a young Hindu boy for the past three years over a red string worn by the student for religious reasons. Sybil Jordaan, the teacher, is facing racism charges from the education authorities and the South African Human Rights Commission. She will have to answer to claims that she made racist and religiously intolerant remarks to the pupil, now nine, who may not be named under South African law. The boy’s parents laid the charges after learning of the abuse that their child had reportedly suffered at the hands of the teacher only after he deliberately jammed his hand in a car door to avoid having to attend school.

Chinese pro-establishment writer Mo Yan wins Nobel Prize in Literature Stockholm: Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in literature, a somewhat unexpected choice by a prize committee that has favoured European authors in recent years. The Swedish Academy, which selects the winners of the prestigious award, praised Mo's "hallucinatoric realism," saying it "merges folk tales, history and the contemporary." Peter Englund, the academy's permanent secretary, said the academy had contacted Mo before the announcement. "He said he was overjoyed and scared," Englund said. Though Mo, 57, is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel literature prize, he's not the first Chinese. A Chinese emigre to

China's hot drink: Deer blood Beijing: A section of well off Chinese celebrated the just concluded mid-autumn moon festival in unique ways, with some queuing up in a farm to drink blood of freshly slaughtered deer. The lucky ones got a non-edible version of moon cakes made of pure gold valued more than $2,500 each. Young people "rented" boyfriends and girlfriends to convince their parents that they were seriously considering marriage. More than 50,000 Chinese stayed home after their planned vacations to Japan were cancelled because of the ongoing sea island dispute between the two nations and cancellation of flights. A private deer breeding farm near Nanjing did brisk business as people travelled from distant places to see the farm owner drink the flowing blood straight from the cut horns, the Nanjing Morning Post reported. Some drank the fresh blood in small cups, some mixed it with liquor and a few drank it straight from the cut antlers. People visiting the farm subscribe to an old notion that drinking fresh antler blood can cure several ills and hugely improve their health.

Mo Yan

France, Gao Xingjian, won in 2000 for his absurdist dramas and inventive fiction, especially the novel Soul Mountain. His works are laced with criticisms of China's communist government and have been banned in China. When Gao won, the communist leadership disowned the prize. Mo's award is likely to be more warmly greeted in

Beijing. Born Guan Moye in 1955 to a farming family in eastern Shandong province, Mo chose his penname while writing his first novel. Garrulous by nature, Mo has said the name, meaning "don't speak," was intended to remind him to hold his tongue lest he get himself into trouble and to mask his identity since he began writing while serving in the army. His breakthrough came with novel 'Red Sorghum' published in 1987. Set in a small village, like much of his fiction, 'Red Sorghum' is an earthy tale of love and peasant struggles set against the backdrop of the anti-Japanese war. It was turned into a film that won the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1988, marked the

directing debut of Zhang Yimou and boosted Mo's popularity. Mo writes of visceral pleasures and existential quandaries and tends to create vivid, mouthy characters. While his early work stuck to a straightforward narrative structure enlivened by vivid descriptions and raunchy humor, Mo has become more experimental, toying with different narrators and embracing a freewheeling style often described as 'Chinese magical realism.' European authors had won four of the past five awards, with last year's prize going to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer. As with the other Nobel Prizes, the prize is worth 8 million kronor, or about $1.2 million.

110 Egyptians injured in clashes at Cairo's Tahrir Square

Cairo: Clashes erupted on Friday at Tahrir Square, a downtown area in Egypt's capital Cairo, leaving 110 people injured, the health ministry reported. The clashes erupted between pro-Muslim Brotherhood (MB) protestors demanding the retrial of senior officials of the government of former President Hosni Mubarak and anti-MB liberalists calling for a constitution that represents all Egyptians. After the Islamists-dominated constitution-writing body Constitutional Assembly announced a partial constitution, anti-MB liberalists and secularists complained that the constitution was unfair. Protesters went on marches at Tahrir Square on Friday, calling for the reform of the Constitutional Assembly. "We want a constitution representing all Egyptians, not only Islamists," 26-yearold Khaled Abdel Naby told Xinhua, accusing the new constitution of neglecting women's rights. Meanwhile, pro-MB protesters, angered by a ruling by Cairo Criminal Court that acquitted 24 senior officials of Mubarak era charged for mur-

dent's backers responded. Islamists and their opponents threw stones, bottles and petrol bombs at each other. A temporary podium was completely destroyed. TV clips showed that fires rose as cars were burned. Some leaders of the MB began to worry that the situation in the square may lose control, calling their members to clam down. The MB political arm Freedom and Justice Party's deputy chairman Essam elArian urged MB members to gather outside the Supreme Judicial Court to protect it. Meanwhile, the MB spokesperson Mahmoud Ghazlan asked MB's youth to withdraw. After a state of hit-and-run for more than seven hours, supporters of Morsi left the square, while the liberalists stayed there and continued to call for a constitution that represents all Egyptians. Following Friday prayer in Alexandria, Morsi asserted the independence of the judicial authority, "but we couldn't neglect the criminals who corrupted our nation or those who impeded the development march."

dering protesters last year in a case dubbed "camel battle," also gathered at the square demanding judicial justice. Liberal demonstrators shouted, "Down for the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood," while pro-MB protesters chanted, "Freedom. Justice. We are defending President Morsi." Clashes erupted when pro-MB protesters destroyed platforms set by liberals and secularists, leaving 10 people injured. Revolutionary Youth Union, Revolutionary Youth Coalition and some other liberal parties were present at the square to show their dissatisfaction with President Mohamed Morsi's "inadequate performance" in his first 100 days as president. "In his first 100 days, we only felt a slight change in security and traffic, but the problems of power, bread and city- cleaning are still standing," Mahmoud el-Khobary, general coordinator of Revolutionary Youth Coalition, told Xinhua. "Down, down with rule by the guide," Morsi's opponents chanted, in reference to MB's leader Mohamed Badie. "Morsi, Morsi," the presi-

Nasa’s cargo craft carries ice cream for Sunita Houston: IndianAmerican astronaut Sunita Williams could enjoy delicious ‘chocolatevanilla swirl’ on board International Space Station (ISS) after Nasa’s first contracted commercial cargo capsule was rocketed into orbit to resupply the orbiting laboratory. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, a commercial cargo ship, was blasted off, kicking off a new era of commercial resupply flights intended to restore supply chain that was crippled following the shuttle’s retirement. The spacecraft is now

chasing the International Space Station and will arrive on Wednesday morning. The cargo ship has been loaded with 450 kgs of key science experiments crew supplies — including ice cream treats and other precious gear. There was also a personal touch: chocolatevanilla swirl ice cream tucked in a freezer for the three station residents. The space station’s three-person crew watched SpaceX’s smooth Dragon launch live via a video feed beamed up by flight controllers. At the time of launch, the station was sailing 362 miles

above Tasmania, Nasa officials said. “We are ready to grab Dragon!” the station’s commander, Sunita Williams, radioed down to mission control at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston along with congratulations for the SpaceX team. Though this isn’t SpaceX’s first foray to the station, it’s the first commercial resupply trip under the Commercial Resupply Services agreement between SpaceX and Nasa, announced back in 2008. The current mission, CRS-1, is the first of 12 such expeditions specified under that contract.

Which also means, as Nasa space station director Sam Scimemi put it, “a new era for spaceflight and the International Space Station.” Flights like this one, Scimemi pointed out, “are critical to the space station’s sustainment and to help begin its full utilization.” They are our newest space shuttles. “We’re very excited,” SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told reporters. “This is the first time we are taking powered cargo up. We are taking up a GLACIER freezer, which has refrigerated science samples in it.”

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Kejriwal targets Khurshid, to begain campaign in his constituency Arvind Kejriwal and a group of disabled people called off their four-day-old protest in Delhi against Salman Khurshid and announced a fresh campaign against Mr. Khurshid in his UP constituency Farrukhabad from November 1. Mr Kejriwal also alleged that there was a quid pro quo between the Congress, which is supporting Mr Khurshid, and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who is facing a disproportionate assets case in the Supreme Court. Announcing the end of his protest at Parliament Street, Mr Kejriwal claimed that they have not received a response from Prime Minister’s Office for an appointment and now they are shifting their battle to Farrukhabad. “Now the volunteers will go to Farrukhabad. We are getting more documents against Mr. Khurshid. Public will make a disabled person fight against him in the next elections and defeat him,” he said. Claiming that Congress and other parties like BJP and SP have been “exposed” in the fight against corruption, he also targeted Prime

Arvind Kejriwal

Minister Manmohan Singh. “He too has been exposed. He does not speak. Congress and BJP are hand in glove. In a couple of days, (BJP chief Nitin) Gadkari will be exposed,” he said. He said if the country has Right to Reject as Anna Hazare demands, then these people will not get elected. “During this Dussera festival, we should not burn the effigies of mythical Ravan (and Meghdhoot and Kumbhakarna). Let us not burn their effigies. Let us select three people who are Ravans of the present,” he said. He also said that they will participate in a Mahapanchayat of farmers where they will expose alleged links between Robert Vadra, DLF and other compa-

nies in land deals. He appealed Delhiites to switch off their lights for an hour in the evening on 2nd November to protest against power tariff hike in the capital. On Uttar Pradesh government’s probe into the alleged irregularities of Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by Mr Khurshid and his wife Louise, he said the Minister and the father-son duo of Mr Yadav and Mr Akhilesh will bail out each other. Mr Khurshid has denied the allegations of irregularities in his NGO. “There is enough evidence building up but the question is who will conduct an investigation. Akhilesh Yadav? A case of disproportionate assets is pending against his father Mulayam Singh in Supreme Court. Who will appoint the government lawyer against Mulayam? The Law Minister will do. “Now Khurshid will save Mulayam Singh and Mulayam’s son will save Khurshid,” he said addressing IAC activists on the fourth day of their protest at Parliament Street demanding Mr. Khurshid’s resignation. Levelling fresh charges

against Mr Khurshid, Mr Kejriwal alleged that one Pankaj Kumar from Mainpuri whose name figures in the list of beneficiaries did not get any help from the NGO.However, Kejriwal has already upped the ante, announcing a gherao of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's residence accompanied by disabled persons to press home his demand for the minister's resignation and his wife's arrest. India Against Corruption (IAC) activists have asked Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav to ensure that a FIR is lodged and investigation conducted in the reported scam. Kejriwal alleged that most of the beneficiaries of eqipment meant for handicapped people distributed by a trust run by Law Minister Salman Khurshid were "fictitious names".Kejriwal, whoy said he would produce more "evidence" against Khurshid whom he has accused of forgery and embezzlement of funds through an NGO, said IAC members tried to locate the people given wheelchairs, hearing aids and tricycles by the trust, but found most of them to be "fictitious".

SGPC honours former Army Daughter ‘had sex change chief Gen A S Vaidya's killers to secure family fortune’ In a controversial move the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) honoured the killers of former Army Chief General AS Vaidya in the Golden Temple, calling the Khalistani terrorists Sikh martyrs. Even as a debate is raging over the raising of a Blue Star memorial in Amritsar and the attack on Operation Blue Star commander Lieutenant General (retired) KS Brar in London, the commemorative ceremony held inside the Golden Temple premises by the SPGC has come as a shock to those involved in eliminating terrorism from Punjab. A bhog ceremony was organised inside the Golden Temple for the two assassins of General Vaidya - Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha - whom the SGPC considers as martyrs. General Vaidya was the Chief

of Army staff when operation Blue Star was launched in June 1984. General Vaidya was assassinated in 1986 in Pune by Jinda and Sukha. The two terrorists were convicted in the case and sentenced to death which was carried out on October 9, 1992 in Pune. In Operation Blue Star several terrorists including the mastermind of the Khalistan movement, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, were killed. After the Army operation to flush out the terrorists was over, several Army officers and political leaders including the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was provided with enhanced security. However, both Indira Gandhi and General Vaidya were killed by Khalistani terrorists. Indira as well as General Vaidya's assassins were declared "martyrs" by the SGPC.

For seven years the thick whitewashed walls of Mafatlal House, the home of one of Mumbai’s oldest cotton dynasties, have concealed one of India’s most ferocious family feuds. It is a tale full of claims of theft, torture and domestic violence, and allegations — furiously denied — that the family’s eldest daughter underwent a sex-change operation to secure a stronger claim to the family fortune. This week the dispute over the Mafatlal family’s jewels, property and art collection burst into the open when the family matriarch, Madhuri, 79, took out newspaper advertisements disowning her only male-born son, Atulya, as her legal heir. The decision paves the way for his elder brother Ajay, who was born a woman, to inherit the bulk of the fam-

ily’s assets. Within months of the family’s patriarch, Yogindra, dying in 2005, Atulya was accused by Ajay and his mother of employing bouncers to harass them and of trying to evict his brother. Atulya’s second wife, Sheetal, was accused of stealing assets worth an estimated 500 million rupees (£5.9 million), while her husband was in London receiving cancer treatment. She responded by filing writs accusing the family of domestic violence, including an attempted acid attack against her. “It’s a very complex dispute,” says Zulfiqar Memon, a lawyer who has worked with the family. “Some elements have been settled but others have not. They are all still living in the same house — it’s one of the most prime pieces of real estate in Bombay.”

Officer who cancelled Vadra-DLF deal transferred

The controversial, `58-crore real estate deal between realty major DLF and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra was cancelled by a senior Haryana government official who was later transferred, media reports allege. Robert Vadra is said to have purchased land in Haryana for just `7.5 crore and sold it for a whopping `58 crore. Reports said that Ashok Khemka, an IAS officer in Haryana's Land Registration Department, was transferred for cancelling 'the mutation of a 3.531 acre plot of land in Manesar-Shikohpur' which Vadra had sold to DLF for

Robert Vadra

`58 crore back in 2009. Khemka was shunted out as Director General of the Haryana Seed Development Corporation, just a few days after he ordered an investigation, on October 8, into the controversial land lead. Claiming that there were irregularities in the transfer of the said land from Vadra's

Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited to DLF, Khemka just before he left office -- had ordered the cancellation of the mutation on October 15. Television channel CNNIBN said that it had accessed the document ordering the cancellation of the mutation of land. The channel said that the land deal in allegedly had signatures by an unauthorised Haryana official. It has been alleged in the media that Vadra purchased premium apartments in DLF projects from the proceeds of this land sale. Activistturned-politician Arvind Kejriwal too had accused Vadra and DLF of financial

irregularities in the land deal.BJP slams Congress for transferring Haryana official. The BJP slammed the Haryana government for transferring IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was probing a land deal between Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and realty major DLF. Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Congress government in the state was trying to save Vadra and added that the Congress had an "Emergency mindset".The Congress is in complete shamble and doldrums, they do not know what to do next," he said.

In Focus Shah Jahan finds a competitor: NRI builds Taj Arabia in Dubai

With a little effort, they say, you can make a desert bloom. Like all hardworking Indians in Dubai, Arun Mehra has taken the message to heart. He just started work on a billion-dollar ornate, functioning replica of the Taj Mahal, three times bigger than the wonder of the world at Agra.Well, why not, retorts the 53-year-old chairman of UAE based Link Global Group. The romantic at heart — Mehra wants to dedicate this new monument to 'love in the world' — says it'd be practical to build the Taj given the rock-bottom construction costs."The cost of steel is low and cement is easily available today as many firms in China have built surplus capacities over the years," he tells ETover the phone from the Dubai site. Love and romance apart, Mehra says the project is a financial proposition that will attract customers from across the world. He plans it to be a Las Vegas where you could also wear sarees and sherwanis and get married.

US to give 245 Stinger missiles to India

The US is offering 245 Stinger missiles to India as part of a weapons package for the Apache attack choppers being acquired by the Air Force. 245 air-to-air Stinger missiles and 56 launchers are included in the weapons package for the Apache helicopters. India has selected the American Apache helicopter for its requirement of 22 attack helicopters which will have both airto-ground and air-to-air roles in the service. The American helicopter edged out the Russian Mi-28 in the race for the IAF contract. Under the MAFI programme, India is planning to upgrade 30 military air fields to enable them to carry out night operations and operate large-bodied planes such as the C-17 Heavy-lift transport aircraft.

Oldest dad becomes father again at 96

Miracles happen and Ramajit Raghav is there to prove it. The farm hand claimed on that he was the oldest person to father a child at the age of 96. He has done it for the second time in a gap of less than two years; Raghav was blessed with his first child in November 2010. On October 5, Raghav's 52-year-old wife Shakuntala Devi gave birth to their second male child at a primary health centre in the town. Claiming to have become a father at the oldest age, Raghav pointed out that he had remained a bachelor and practised celibacy throughout his life until he met Shakuntala about 10 years ago. "After staying together, we decided to extend our family and aspired for two sons. With God's grace, our wish has been fulfilled," said Raghav, sporting a thick unkempt beard.

Chargesheet filed against Saif in bar brawl case

A charge sheet wasbeen filed against Saif by the Colaba police station for assaulting NRI Iqbal Sharma at the Taj Mahal hotel earlier in February this year. Saif was allegedly arrested after Sharma had filed a complaint after the two got into a fight at the Wasabi restaurant at the Taj on February 22. He was later released on bail after providing a surety of Rs, 15, 000. While the incident took place in February, there was delay in filing a charge sheet as the celebrities involved in the brawl weren't available to give their statement, the Colaba police said. Saif will now be appearing in court when the hearing for the case is scheduled.

President’s son wins Jangipur by-election by a slim margin

Abhijit Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee, won the parliamentary by-elections from Jangipur the seat vacated by his father, in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Saturday. The seat was held by Mr Mukherjee since 2004. Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee, the Congress candidate defeated his nearest rival Muzaffar Hussain of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a margin of about 2,500 votes, according to senior officials of the Election Commission. The elections for the Jangipur seat were held on October 12. “The thin margin ( of victory) is because the elections were held in a difficult political situation.

INDIA

Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

In Focus

Advani praises MGNREGA at the United Nations

7 out of 10 youth in Punjab are drug addicts: Rahul

The UPA government that has been facing brickbats from the opposition parties has got a compliment from BJP leader L K Advani for its flagship programme, MGNREGA, which he said has helped empower rural people and revive economic growth. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted in August 2005, has been touted as a flagship programme by the UPA government. Advani said the scheme is the largest cash for work programme in the world and responds to the needs of 53 million poor rural households by ensuring 100

Addressing a rally of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) at Punjab University campus, Rahul said, "What is happening to human resource in Punjab. Seven out of 10 youths have the problem of drugs."He claimed that the government in Punjab was not giving unemployment allowance to the young people. "We send scholarship money for SC, ST (Scheduled Castes/Tribes) categories. It is not utilized here (in Punjab) and is sent back," he said. He also urged the youths to come forward to "cleanse and change politics".Gandhi said that the NSUI and the Youth Congress, the student and youth wings of the 127-year-old party, were the only ones to give youths a chance to enter politics.

Three die in navy chopper crash in Goa

Three people were killed when an Indian Navy helicopter crashed while coming in to land at Goa's Dabolim airport. The victims have been identified as the pilot, Lt. Cdr. D. Singh, co-pilot Lt. Rahul Tiwari and Chief Artificer Harish Krishnan, a naval officer said in New Delhi. The helicopter, a Chetak, was on a transit flight from Mumbai to Bangalore and was to make a refuelling halt at Goa when it crashed around 10 a.m., the officer sai d. Personnel of the Indian Navy and the Airports Authority of India were attempting to clear the wreckage from the runway, which is also used by civilian aircraft. Dabolim airport is under operational command of the Indian Navy. A board of inquiry has been ordered into the accident.

Delhi High Court grants bail to ex-BJP chief Bangaru Laxman

The Delhi High Court granted bail to former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Bangaru Laxman, who was sentenced to four years imprisonment in connection with the fictitious arms deal case. Laxman has been lodged in Tihar Jail since April 27. Laxman, convicted for accepting Rs one lakh bribe in a sting operation, had earlier sought leniency on the ground of poor health, while the CBI had sought the maximum punishment of five years for him. Laxman was convicted for ta king bribe from fake arms dealer to recommend to the Defence Ministry to award them a contract to supply thermal binoculars to the Army. Laxman, a former Union minister, was caught on camera in a sting operation in his chamber in the party headquarters.

Flyer misses meeting, airlines told to pay `14,500

The South Mumbai District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum recently ordered Go Air to pay `14,500 to a Prabhadevi resident, who missed a crucial meeting in Chandigarh after his flight landed in Delhi due to poor visibility.. The flight was delayed and left Mumbai at 1.30 pm, instead of 8.45 am. Due to poor visibility, the flight was diverted to New Delhi. Tapuriah contacted the airlines and informed that as he had an urgent meeting in Chandigarh, he needed a taxi. The airlines declined to provide taxi and offered `1,000. Tapuriah then booked a cab for `4,500 and on his return sent notices to the airlines seeking a refund. Since the airlines did not respond favourably, he filed a compliant in the forum.

Mamata Banerjee gets ministers to work on Saturdays

After asking her ministers not to leave their constituencies during the Puja vacation, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has stopped them from sneaking off work on Saturdays, too. Since coming to power, the CM has been harping on improving work culture. A few months ago, she noticed that a few of her colleagues were taking a twoday break at the end of the week. She asked her ministers to attend Writers' Buildings on Saturdays and set an example by staying back at the secretariat till late in the evening. With the panchayat polls in mind, the workaholic chief minister wants to leave nothing to chance. Saturday won't even be a half-day for her ministers, she has said. These days, she schedules important meetings on Saturdays so that cabinet ministers have no choice but to come to Writers' Buildings.

days employment to them per year with at least 50 per cent of the work reserved for women. "This programme has helped break down social inequalities, empower rural people, build up rural infrastructure and revive economic growth," Advani said during his address on 'Social Development' at the General Debate in the Third Committee, which focusses on social, humanitarian and cultural affairs, at the 67th session of the UN General Assembly here yesterday. Advani is part of a group of visiting Indian parliamentarians who will be participating in various sessions of

the General Assembly. He listed efforts made by India to help women and vulnerable groups, particularly in rural areas, initiatives in the field of education, health interventions and programmes to assist persons with disabilities.He said in India, achieving inclusive growth underpinned by empowerment of people, especially women, good governance, and investments in social sectors, education and health, skills training, affordable housing, are a major focus.Given that 65 per cent of India's population lives in rural areas, special emphasis has been placed on rural development initia-

tives, he added. Congress spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary said Advani is making a point for the BJP to understand. There is a big difference. His thinking is different from that of his party so what he is saying is correct. This is the truth and that is the reason why we brought the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) programme," she said. In his statement during the General Debate in the Third Committee, 67th UN General Assembly, Advani said 'achieving inclusive growth underpinned by empowerment of people.

Amitabh Bachchan receives mobile diabetes clinic for Mumbai Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan received a mobile diabetes testing unit for Mumbai. Mr Bachchan received the gift from Peter Beckingham, British Deputy High Commissioner Mumbai, on behalf of the British people at the SevenHills Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday, 11 October, as a birthday gift. British MP Keith Vaz was also present on the occasion. The gift means Mumbai will have a Mobile Diabetes Unit alongside those in London and Leicester in the UK and Goa in India. The clinic has been named ‘Amitabh’ in honour of Mr Bachchan who is the charity’s international patron and who has

been instrumental in raising diabetes awareness in India. Over the last 5 years the units have tested over 30,000 people in schools, communities, businesses and villages in the UK and India, which have literally saved lives and limbs. The ceremony was held at the SevenHills Hospital in Mumbai, who will fund and manage the operations of the unit which will offer free diabetes testing to Mumbai’s most disadvantaged. Among those attended the function were delegates from all around the world, including Britain’s most senior Asian MP Keith Vaz. The hospital was represented by Dr Jitendra Das Maganti,

Chairman, and Dr Bhujang Pai, a world class radiologist. Peter Beckingham, British Deputy High Commissioner Mumbai, said: “I was delighted to be present during the presentation of Silver Star’s mobile diabetes unit to a hospital here to mark their close links to India. Like many countries it still suffers from a lack of awareness of the causes of, and treatment for, Type 2 diabetes, and Silver Star’s gift, to coincide with the birthday of one of India’s most celebrated actors, Amitabh Bachchan, should help in the campaign to counter the effects of this too common condition.” Keith Vaz MP, Founder

Patron of Silver Star said: “We are privileged to honour Amitabh Bachchan on his 70th birthday for the work he has done for so many worthwhile causes throughout the world. The people of Britain wanted to give him a gift that was unique yet useful. This unit will help combat the spread of diabetes in his beloved city of Mumbai. Diabetes is a silent killer. There are an estimated 62 million Indians with type-2 diabetes and by 2025 there will be almost 100 million with the condition. As someone who suffers with diabetes I know that with greater awareness we can prevent 80% of cases.”

Conference of Indo-UK forum on Cancer Hemato Oncology The collaboration to enable more research, cure and treatments for the deadly disease of cancer Purvi Apurva Shah A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Gujarat Cancer Research Institute and Britain’s Oxford and Birmingham University hospital Queen Elizabeth and Oxford Red Cliff Hospital in Aug 2011. According to the memorandum, there will be exchange of doctors, nurses and other staff of both the countries to share knowledge regarding cancer research, diagnosis, cure, treatments and various training. Following the signing of the MoU, a two-day conference was held at Cancer Research Institute at Ahmedabad. It was held on 13-14 Oct and was attended by cancer specialists from all over India and England. Five expert doctors from Britain who attended the conference were Dr Daniel Hochhauser, Dr Stephen Mackinnon, Dr Charles Craddouk Dr Paresh Vyas and Dr Atul Mehta. The last two are of Gujarati origin. The collaboration between Gujarat Cancer Research Institute and Britain's Oxford and Birmingham University will benefit both the countries. The exchange of surgeons, nurses, training and sharing of research and treatments will enable both the countries to make the cancer patients live longer and better. Till now, only matching donors’ stem cells were used for bone

Indo-UK forum team of cancer specialists with Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal.

marrow transplant but now the possibility of using stem cells of donors not having blood relations will also be possible in Gujarat. In the same way, Britain will also get benefit of getting more number and variations of cancer samples from Gujarat that will help in their research work. Gujarat's ratio of cancer patients compared with its expert practitioners is much more, while Britain has enough doctors treating cancer. And moreover both the countries have different types of cancer prevalent. Gujarat has more of stomach, gastric, mouth and throat cancers while Britain has more of intestine cancer because of non-vegetarian diet. The collaboration is helping the patients in both countries as the specialist can share their knowledge with one another. Cancer expert Dr Bhavesh Parekh,

M.D., D.M (Onco) and an active facilitator in the conference and collaboration, spoke about the epidemiology of hematologic malignancies in Gujarat. The conference included the vast topics regarding the deadly disease of cancer. Oxford University's Prof Paresh Vyas and Dr Atul Mehta said that previously in bone marrow transplant, the donor has to be a sibling or member of the same family but now this will not be required. Now, despite not having any blood relations, the donor’s stem cell will be separated from the blood and after going through special process it will be implanted in patient’s body. This is possible in UK and USA and its cost comes to more than `7 lakh. But the collaboration will enable the patients to get the treatment at cheaper rate. Previously, a team of doc-

tors from Gujarat visited Britain for exchange of training between the two countires. When they returned after the training, they performed 150 transplants at the. If the treatment is given in time, Thalsemia patients can be relieved from frequent blood transplant. For cancer treatments, genetic testing is first done in Britain, this has given more precise treatments and solutions. Even tissue banking is an effective option. Dr Paresh Vyas, who is doing research work related to molecules responsible for cancer, said that recently much research was done to make such molecules inactive. Dr Atul Mehta has worked hard to start bone marrow transplant facility in Ahmedabad. He had given training to Gujarati doctors in Britain and now because of his efforts this facility is available in Ahmedabad.

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There were no Lobbyists...... Continued from page 1 Ironically, one of Narendra Modi's most prominent critics Lord Meghnad Desai two years ago decided to bury the hatchet and met with Narendra Modi at his Gandhinagar residence after years of saying that he would never step foot in Gujarat whilst Modi was there. Symbolism in diplomacy matters. Given the paramount consideration to the families of riot victims that the UK government has placed over the years, even the vociferous Modi-baiter Lord Adam Patel is reported in the Hindustan Times as saying he did not think there was anything wrong now in meeting Narendra Modi. Modi is no longer an untouchable even for his most vehement critics. How tunes change. Frank Wisner, the former US Ambassador to India and President Obama's point man during the Arab Spring, shortly followed Lord Desai and others continuing the West's second track diplomacy efforts. Though this political healing process was established and much of the groundwork done under the previous Labour Government, the fact of the matter is that the decision was ultimately made by the present UK Coalition Government. A large number of Conservative politicians are scrambling to claim personal credit. Bob Blackman, actually was one of the first conservative politicians to openly invite Narendra Modi to the UK (coincidently at a Gujarat Samachar/Asian Voice live broadcast with Narendra Modi last year where Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP also shared a warm exchange with Narendra Modi). Others who have worked in the background include the wonderful Baroness Sandy Verma and the least credited but highly effective Shailesh Vara MP. The newly ennobled Dolar Popat, has the uncanny habit of being in the right place at the right time. I understand he too has made representations very recently through his newly launched Conservative Friends of India. The senior most Gujarati LibDem Rt Hon Lord Navnit Dholakia, who is deputy leader of his party in the House of Lords was also sounded out, and I know his support for enhancement of relations with Narendra Modi has been crystal clear. Thereby completing the cross party support in the UK for Narendra Modi and his politics of development. Getting Down to Business: In 2007 Ratan Tata famously declared when singing the praises of Narendra Modi “You must be stupid if you are not in Gujarat”. This started a chorus of unprecedented praise for Narendra Modi from the captains of India Inc, culminating in Sunil Mital of the multi-billion dollar Bharti Group echoing Mukesh Ambani in predicting (though I suspect also hoping) Narendra Modi would soon become Prime Minister of India. As the pendulum of influence shifts from the West to the East, such change makers simply could not be ignored – especially as Britain needs their investments. Gujarat sees the lions' share of UK foreign direct investment. Yet for all these years, UK businesses have had to do with the support of a lonely (though highly determined) British Trade Officer in Ahmedabad called Milind

Godbole. With Narendra Modi being invited and wooed at the senior most political and business levels in Russia, China, Japan and Singapore over the past two years, and with several EU partners such as France becoming restless, the UK was coming under increasing pressure to work out a face saving measure to end its self imposed exile from Gujarat. This is where the UK- India Business Council and its astute chair the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP helped tipped the balance. By making it clear that their members were demanding more engagement with Gujarat, and Patricia Hewitt deciding to lead a highlevel business delegation for Vibrant Gujarat 2013 (where inevitably she would meet Narendra Modi), the table was set. The message was plain and simple – if you (politicians) don't, we (business leaders) will.

His own best lobbyist: Ultimately his politics of development and transparency has counted for the most. Narendra Modi's actions are and have always been his own best lobbyist. From the moment he stepped foot in the chief minister's office, almost with a missionary zeal, Narendra Modi set about transforming the way his state was governed, and thereby transforming (literally) the lives of millions – regardless of caste or religion. Whether it was ensuring water for all, ensuring education for every child, ensuring no power cuts, or ensuring that green economics was at the centre of his policies, Narendra Modi in his own no nonsense style ignored the headlines and got on with the job. A colleague of mine Julian Stretch OBE who recently visited Gujarat for the first time, summed it up by saying “In Gujarat, things work”. Though Narendra Modi never ever asked, it however took someone with guts to take the final call.

Contrary to what people may think, such calls are actually dependent to a very large extent on the “man on the ground,” which in the UK’s case is the current High Commissioner, the absolutely pragmatic, Sir James Bevan. He summed up the issues, balanced the competing interests, and made the recommendation. The decision then for the UK government a few weeks ago moved from whether to engage, to how and when to engage. Totally and unashamedly enlightened self-interest – and why not? Last week's UK announcement which focused on development and partnership with India (not just Gujarat) was the clearest indication yet that the UK was acknowledging that Narendra Modi was prime ministerial material and needed to be brought in from the cold. I am still however perplexed with who actually has in fact brought who in from the cold. What next: Sir James Bevan will visit Gujarat very soon, and

no doubt will get a resoundingly warm Gujarati welcome. He may well announce that a much needed British Deputy High Commission will be established in Gujarat. Narendra Modi will win a thumping majority in the Assembly elections in December. The UKIBC will lead a big business delegation to Vibrant Gujarat. UK politicians will scramble to kiss the hand of Narendra Modi during a UK visit at some point next year. The Indian courts will be left under the watchful eye of the world to continue to dispense justice for the victims of the riots. And Narendra Modi will move to the centre stage of Indian politics to have a shot at becoming India's most eagerly awaited prime minister in a generation. [Manoj Ladwa is the chair of the UK Labour Party Community Engagement & Empowerment Forum. He is a well-known practicing English solicitor and Indian advocate]

What Parliamentarians and community leaders have to say Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP: I welcome the decision of the Government to engage with Narendra Modi and the Government of Gujarat. Gujarat is an important state in India and it is sensible that we should have a step change in our relationship. This will be very welcome to the British Gujarati Diaspora, thousands of whom I have the honour of representing in Parliament. Lord Meghnad Desai: Narendra Modi pulls off diplomatic coup, gets UK Gujarat 'ban' revoked. The diplomatic isolation that was hoisted on Gujarat and Narendra Modi in the wake of the Gujarat riots seems to be ending with the UK looking to re-establish diplomatic contact with the chief minister and the state that he has ruled with an iron hand. In an official posting on its website, the UK foreign office has asked its High Commissioner to visit Gujarat and meet the chief minister to increase the contacts between the two. The same kind of policy is being run by the US and there are signs that his may be changing, according to sources. Lord Bhikhu Parekh: The move is a recognition by the UK as it couldn’t hope to trade with India while leaving Gujarat out. Priti Patel, MP: UK is also home to a large and significant Gujarati diaspora of around 600,000 people. Speaking as a member of the Gujarati community I am pleased that my colleagues in Government recoginse that British interests will be better served with greater engagement with Gujarat, rather than the policy of continued isolation. This is a significant development as Gujarat is the fastest developing state in India, offering tremendous opportunities for British companies. This move

sends a strong message of recognition to our Gujarati diaspora that their homeland will no longer be ignored by the British Government, that the UK Gujarati community can be even prouder of their influential enrichment of British society and that the Government should use this as the basis to offer the hand of friendship to the State of Gujarat which has strong historic and cultural ties with Britain. Lord Navnit Dholakia: I am pleased that normal relations are to be resumed between Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the British Government. The communal violence in Gujarat left an ugly scar on the good name of Gujarat. I recall speaking to Shree Modi, the Chief Minister and Shree Vajpayee, the Prime minister to impress them that all Indian nationals of whatever religious beliefs should be offered protection and any wrong doings must be dealt with by the rule of law since that is one of the essential elements of all democracies. Much has happened since then. I have had a number of conversations with the British High Commissioners, including Mr Bevan (the present one) to ensure that sooner normality of relationship is established, the better for all of us to work towards a satisfactory outcome for all communities. A democracy should never allow Human Rights to be eroded. Protection of all citizens is paramount. Gujarat is now the most favoured trading state in India with huge potential for growth in every business sector. It is time we closed the past chapters and start with a new one. Dr. Rami Ranger MBE: I am delighted to learn of the decision of the British Government to send their High C o m m i s s i o n e r, HE James Bevan, to Gujarat, India in a bid to normalise the relationship with the most vibrant and successful state. This relationship has been under strain

since the Gujarat riots in 2002. By not talking to each other, we achieve nothing. The best way forward is to keep communication lines open in order to influence each other through dialogue. By doing nothing we also achieve nothing. I am afraid this is what has been achieved through 10 years of silence. Had we been talking to the Government of Gujarat, we would have been better informed. In any case, we must not become judge and jury. Instead, we should listen and then make up our minds. This development is significant as it brings benefits to both Britain and Gujarat. Gujarat being the fastest developing state in India, offers greater opportunities for British companies wishing to trade and take advantage of the growth. Shailesh Vara MP: This is good news and it is to be welcomed. Gujarat is a significant part of India and it is right that Britain should seek to improve it's relations with the state's Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and his senior colleagues. I look forward to closer relations and particularly to the increased trade opportunities for Gujarati companies wishing to invest in Britain. The Lord Gulam Noon: I was delighted to learn that the British Government has finally accepted the importance of Gujarat and its Chief Minister Mr Narender Modi’s dynamic leadership for the State of Gujarat. This is indeed a very important announcement which recognises the hugh progress the State of Gujarat has made in the last decade. This announcement is very timely as Mr. Modi has been projected as a possible Prime Minister candidate in the next elections. We now await Mr. Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom. Seema Malhotra, MP: This is an important step forward for

Britain/Gujarat partnership and for economic and social progress in Gujarat. Narendra Modi has shown real leadership over the last 10 years in keeping conditions of peace in a state with a history of volatility. I am glad that British Government has taken this step which sends a positive message about the importance of our bilateral relationship and our shared commitment to a peaceful and successful future for Gujarat. Britain has a large Gujarati community of different faiths who will welcome this important move. Cllr Navin Shah, AM: Both as a Gujarati and an elected member of the London Assembly representing one of the largest population of Gujaratis living in the Boroughs of Brent and Harrow of London I’m thrilled that the UK’s Government has announced normalizing of ties with the Gujarat State. The announcement is more than just a ‘diplomatic coup’. It is a move that recognises the importance of the strong links the NRI Gujarati’s have with Gujarat stretching from personal family links to the cultural and socio economic ties. Gujarat State is a true symbol of huge economic strides for which the credit goes to the vision of the Chief Minister Narendrabhai Modi and his single-minded efforts. Every few months when I visit Gujarat, the pace of development I’ve witnessed is awe inspiring. Quite a contrast from the struggling and floundering economy here in the UK. The announcement paves a way for the UK to further our business and economic activities with Gujarat which we should do without any further delay. Equally and very soon I look forward to an opportunity of welcoming the Chief Minister to my constituency of Harrow and Brent - the ‘Mini Gujarat’ of the United Kingdom. (Lord Dolar Popat- on pg 27)

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Britain’s decision to restore links with Modi is long overdue

By Lord Popat

Last week’s announcement that the British Government is to renew links with Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi is a welcome move for British business and the Indian Diaspora in Britain. It fell to the newly appointed Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Hugo Swire MP, to announce that he had “asked the British High Commissioner in New Delhi to visit Gujarat and to meet the Chief Minister ... to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest and to explore opportunities for closer cooperation, in line with the British government's stated objective of improving bilateral relations with India." Over the past twelve months I have been heavily pushing the Government to reconsider its’ position on Modi. Like many business-focussed organisations, I have been pushing the case for reestablishing relations to our Ministers in the Foreign Office and our High Commission in Delhi. In April of this year I was also fortunate to meet one on one with Chief Minister Modi, and he stated how much he’d like to build relations with Britain. With its good infra-

Ban unilateral talaq, says Muslim women’s group The Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), an advocacy group, is run from a tiny office in a sprawling slum at Kherwadi in Bandra East. Yet, its passionate activists have a missionary zeal about bringing relief to Muslim women caught in marital discord. And their latest cause is a campaign against the unilateral and oral talaq. Using the case of Mumbra’s Afshan Bano, who was recently served a unilateral talaq by her Gulf-based husband (a divorce without the arbitration mandated by religious texts), BMMA is reaching out to the Muslim masses through seminars, pamphlets and meetings. Citing the regularity with which unilateral talaqs are being pronounced, the NGO has declared a virtual war against this mockery. Apart from creating awareness, BMMA activists are also protesting the patriarchal mindset of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, which has been consistently stonewalling all efforts to declare the unilateral and triple talaq as invalid.

File photo of Lord Popat with Narendra Modi.

structure, reliable power supply and Modi’s anticorruption stance, Gujarat is attracting foreign investment from around the world, with one conference earlier this year attracting a commitment from investors to put $450 billion into the state over the next few years. Yet as countries across the world have competed to work with Modi, Britain, parts of Europe and the USA have chosen to neglect him for ten years due to allegations that have since been disproved in court. We cannot afford to overlook a state that is experiencing annual economic growth at over 6% and with which, through the 600,000 Guajarati’s living in Britain, we have a unique opportunity to

build long-lasting relations. The internal review that led to the shift in stance by the Government will now allow major progress in the business, education, science and technology sectors. Gujarat has the enviable record of being home to just 5% of India’s population, yet it accounts for 16% of the country’s industrial production and 22% of exports. We should also praise the wider context in which this decision has been made. This Government is now showing real zeal for building our economic presence overseas and prioritising high-growth economies. Greg Barker was recently appointed as Minister with special responsibilities for build-

ing trade links with India, and only last week Ken Clarke has been given a special role to promote British business to Brazil and China. In addition the Prime Minister David Cameron has made it a priority to build Britain’s economic presence abroad, particularly with the ‘Great’ campaign. At a time of global economic uncertainty, we should all welcome the Government’s decision to embrace an economic powerhouse. The Government’s decision will be welcome news for the business community, welcome news for the British Indian Diaspora and, indeed, welcome news for Mr Modi himself. As the Chief Minister put it so succinctly: “Better late than never.”

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In Focus Amend rules for smooth members from same family killed in functioning of Parliament: Pranab Ten fire outbreak in Agra President Pranab Mukherjee has suggested that member of Parliament (MPs) should explore possibilities of amending rules to ensure that both houses are able to transact routine business in case of logjam when proceedings are paralysed for a long period for one reason or another. The President has also said that department related committees of the Parliament should undertake post approval scrutiny of budgetary allocations, made to the various ministries. Mukherjee arrived in Lucknow on two-day visit. He addressed the convocation of King George's Medical University and and took part in a function of a organization. His suggestions to amend rules for smooth functioning of Parliament assumes importance in the light of previous session which was washed out due to BJP's protest over Coalgate. However, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that he was impressed by the way the President used to work as member of the parliament and minister. He said that he learnt at lot from Mukherjee.

Pranab Mukherjee

Yadav said that the suggestions given by the President are valuable not only for smooth functioning of the Parliament but also for running government in the state. He said that he will try to follow the suggestions. Mukherjee said that it is extremely difficult to carry out the daily transaction of the two houses in the Parliament when certain members are agitated on some issue. However, he said that he believed that the collective thinking of political establishment would be able to explore the possibility of amending rules. He said that if it appears that rules do not reflect the situation which is prevailing currently, then they could be amended. He said that rules have been framed by MPs and they

can amended to provide an opportunity for orderly disposal of business. The President said that development should be inclusive and all parties and organisations should work together to remove hurdles, whether legal or administrative, in the way so that people, particularly can be served in a better way. poor can get benefit. He said that India is a vibrant democracy where over 70 crore people vote every five years to elect 543 members of Lok Sabha. But, instead of being complacent by the fact, we should work together to find out shortcomings and remove them. He said that democracy and development are complementary to each other. Mukherjee also said that Parliament should devote more time to discussing legislations especially those related to finance. Quoting a suggestion made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mukherjee said that besides scrutinising budgetary proposals of various ministries before they are sent to house, the parliamentary panels should also go through proposals after they get parliamentary nod.

At least ten members of a family were charred to death after a fire broke out at a house. Those killed included four adults and six children from the same family. Exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The house was owned by Braj Mohan Agarwal who was sleeping on ground floor of three storied house with others. People said that the efforts to douse the fire were in full swing and the firemen ensured that the fire did not spread to nearby areas. "There was a power cut and it is being presumed that they had lighted candles. So may be the cause of the fire is lighted candles or a short circuit after light was restored. "The house was on fire for around two and a half hours. Four families were inside the house, two on the ground floor and two on the first floor. Out of which, two families have survived and two families are charred to death.’

Gujarat MP booked for brandishing gun at toll plaza

Congress MP Vitthal Radadia brandished a gun at operators of a Vadodara toll booth who dared him to show his identity card to avoid toll tax following which he was booked for rioting and threatening people.Police filed a FIR against the Lok Sabha MP from Porbandar — who was apparently unaware that his gun-toting act at night was getting captured on the CCTV camera installed at the toll booth — under IPC sections relating to rioting and also under the Arms Act. Five more persons were also booked along with Mr. Radadia.

National Law School student raped on Bangalore University campus

In yet another shocking act of depraved violence against women, a 21-year-old south Asian student of the country's premier National Law School of India University was allegedly gang-raped by a group of seven to eight drunk men in the adjoining Jnanabharathi campus of Bangalore University. The second-year undergraduate student was out with a male friend, who works with an IT major, in his Volkswagen Polo car in a forested area of the 1100-acre campus, just about 2km from the Centre for Gandhian Studies, when they were attacked.

travel & wOMEN

asian voice - Saturday 20th October 2012

Purvi’s travel bag By Purvi Apurva Shah

women achievers

Actress Dimple Shah has captured hearts of audiences By AV Correspondent

Door-less houses of Shani Shignapur Shani Shignapur is a unique village. Its uniqueness is that none of the houses in this village has doors. Not only the houses but even the commercial buildings or schools have doors. When there are no doors, there is no question of locking the houses or other centres. Hence all the houses and other commercial outlets remain open day and night. The people here believe that it is the blessing of the god that no crime ever happens in this village. The first of its kind in the country, the United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a ‘lockless’ branch in the village taking note of the near-zero crime rate in the region in January 2011. The local police were reported to be unhappy over this development and that it amounted to a breach of conditions, because the Central government of India has made it mandatory for all banks to have high security. The bank has doors, but they will always remain open. However, it was reported by the local legislator and the bank officials that adequate precautions were being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents. This village is located about 35 km from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. Here, popular temple of Shani is well-known. It is said that this place has special blessing of God. Open-air Shani temple: The roofless and doorless temple of Shani shrine is visited by 40,000 visitors a day, which swells to around 3,00,000 on Amavasya (the new moon day), believed to the most auspicious day to appease Lord Shani. The village holds a fair in honour of

the deity on this day. A bigger festival is held on new moon days that fall on Saturdays. The shrine gained popularity with the decade-old film “Surya Putra Shanidev” made by the film producer Gulshan Kumar. The shrine for Shani consists of a five and a half feet high black rock installed on an open-air platform, which symbolizes god Shani. A Trishula (trident) is placed along the side of the image and a Nandi (bull) image is on the south side. In front are the small images of Shiva and Hanuman. There is a lamp that burns throughout day and night in front of the shrine. Shani Maharaj's palanquin: Devotees worship Shani Maharaj's palanquin placed close to the Moolasthan which has a huge wooden slipper in it. Several shops sell miniatures of this wooden slipper that people buy and take home as talisman. The temple also has the Samadhi of Udasi Baba who stayed in Shingnapur for many years and worshipped Shani Maharaj. An idol of Shivaji Maharaj in the temple complex: Maharashtra still shows a lot of love and respect for Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj that can well be seen from the statues and idols found in several places. The temple too has a large idol of Shivaji Maharaj outside it. Adequate accommodation and boarding facilities are available around the temple. For further information on route to Shani Shinganapur, the history of the temple, festivals, donations, pooja information etc. do check out the Official Website of the Temple.

TV actress Dimple Shah, who was last seen in Hats off Production’s show “Resham Dankh,” has made it back on the small screen and is a common name that can be seen in small screen with SAB TV’s “Bhai Bhaiya Aur Brother” (produced by Deven Bhojani and Vipul Amrutlal Shah). “I play a village housewife called Jyotsna. My character is a cleanliness freak who loves to mop her house all the time. She also likes to cook for her family, but always ends up putting more turmeric for she thinks it is one stop solution to all ills of the world,” shares Dimple. Dimple who loves to play comedy accepts that her above character is a bit over the top, but “that is the requirement of the market.” “Indian mass audiences are not yet receptive to subtle humour as in the west. Plus, I also believe that English language is more tuned to intelligent humour. In Hindi, on the other, we need to be a bit loud to get the fun m e s s a g e across.” Dimple also has no issues in repeatedly playing Gujarati characters (Resham Dankh and Ek Mahal The traditional Gujarati sweet. Ingredients: Coarse gram flour (besan)2 cups, Ghee 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Milk3 tablespoons, Green cardamom powder1/4 teaspoon, Nutmeg powder a large pinch Sugar 1 1/2 cups, Saffron (kesar)5-6 strands, Almondsblanched and slivered, Pistachios blanched and slivered. Method: Place the gram flour in a bowl. Heat a non stick pan, add one and half tablespoons ghee and two tablespoons milk and warm slightly. Add this to the gram flour and mix with fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pass through a thich sieve to get a smooth mixture. Grease a thali. Soak the saffron in one tablespoon of warm milk for ten minutes. Heat the remaining ghee in a thick bottomed non stick pan. Add the gram flour mixture and cook on medium heat till it is fragrant and darker in colour. Add half the green

Ho Sapno Ka). “I have done lots of Gujarati stage and TV (with Asha Parekh) and I sincerely believe that Gujarat has the world’s best language and culture. But that does not mean that I don’t like other languages. I have worked in Marathi and Hindi TV as well.” Ask her what kept her away from the idiot box for five years and she says, “My two daughters were very small then and I wanted to give them hands on attention. I don’t subscribe to maid culture and wanted to raise my kids the way my mom took care of me. Now that they are a bit older (Rishita is 11 year and Reva is 7), I decided to resume work and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah offered me this project at the right time.” Dimple, who also acted in “Hum Sab Ek Hain” (Neela Telefilms), is disap-

pointed with the current lot of new actors. “They don’t have the kind of dedication which we had. I come from the experimental theater background where we did not have any help to iron our clothes or do our make-up due to budgetary constraints. Today these kids have everything yet they don’t put their heart in their work. Having said that, it is not entirely their fault for in a daily environment there is no scope for really pushing the actor within, when you have to constantly shoot to create a bank of episodes.” She is also sad with the fact that Resham Dankh did not rock the TRP charts, “It had then come on a new channel called Star One. New broadcasters take time to find audience loyalty, take the example of Life OK where only Saubhagyavati Bhava is clicking,” she says.

Mohanthaal

cardamom powder and nutmeg powder to the gram flour and mix. Take the pan off the heat and keep stirring till the mixture cools completely. Meanwhile in a separate non stick pan, cook the sugar and half a cup of water to make a syrup of one and a half string consistency. Add the saffron flavoured milk to the syrup and mix well. Add the syrup to the gram flour mixture and stir continuously, till all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture thickens and becomes a little dry. Pour the mixture into the thali and spread evenly till the top is smooth. Sprinkle the almonds and pistachios. Sprinkle the

remaining green cardamom powder and set aside to cool. Cut into squares and serve. Health benefits: Has to be eaten in moderation. It is filling. Ghee has quite a long history, as it has been used in Indian cooking for many thousands of years. Ghee is an essential element in much of Indian cuisine, Ghee's nutritional and health benefits are touted as ideal for anyone from athletes to simple dieters. Milk and saffron has its own benefits of nutrition.

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Asian Voice - Saturday 20th October 2012