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Vol 44 | Issue 36

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

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Modi offers ST status to Assam communities

Yes Bank signs MoU on green bond plan

Rupanjana Dutta Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrived in Britain for his 3 day visit on 17th January to woo British businesses keen on investing in India, highlighting the initiatives that are taken by the Indian government to make India an attractive destination for global investment. He was hosted by the UK Chancellor George Osborne for dinner in London on arrival with a delegation of prominent Indian (origin) businessmen and cabinet ministers.

On Monday a breakfast meeting with Goldman Sachs was followed by a luncheon interaction organised by MasterCard with prospective investors.

An official source said, “The Finance Minister has held a series of meetings with investors and organisations keen on investing in India." Following the meetings, Lord O’Neill, commercial secretary to the UK Treasury at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), hosted a reception for Jaitley.

HE Navtej Sarna, Lord O’Neill of Gatley, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Nikhil Rathi

On Tuesday morning Jaitley delivered a keynote address at the Investors Summit at the London Stock Exchange. Nikhil Rathi (CEO, London Stock Exchange plc & Director of I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development, LSEG), Lord O’Neill of Gatley (Commercial Secretary to the UK Treasury) participated there alongside Dr Rana Kapoor (Founder, Managing Director and

CEO, Yes Bank) and Polina Kurdyavko (Co-head Emerging Markets Debt, BlueBay).

The event was followed by another investors meet, jointly organised by Kotak

Mahindra Bank in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Jaitley then headed to 11 Downing Street, the office of the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, to make his official address to the India-UK Financial Partnership. This was followed by the eighth round of the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue after which Jaitley and Osborne were meant to have a joint briefing for the media.

Jaitley highlighted initiatives taken by India over the last few months to make it a more attractive destination for global investment. The stability of the Indian economy amid global turmoil was expected to be the central theme as the Finance Minister left for Switzerland evening on Tuesday to attend the

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi receiving prime minister Modi on his arrival in Guwahati Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kokrajhar in Assam on Tuesday, in his two-day Northeastern state visit;

three days after the Bharatiya Janta Party forged a formal poll pact with the Bodoland Continued on page 14

Kashmiri Pandits observe 'Holocaust Day'

Continued on page 20

See Pages 16,17 & 18 for our EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURE on KUTCH

Kashmiri Pandits held a powerful demonstration outside the Raj Bhavan

in Jammu on Tuesday, marking the day they left Continued on page 14

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ONE ONE with Keith Vaz, MP Asian Voice |23rd January 2016

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to

James Firebrace

James Firebrace graduated from Cambridge University with an MA in Social and Political Science, later gaining an MSc with distinction at the London Business School. His early career focused on the development challenges of Sahelian Africa and the Middle East, to which he has reverted in a rather different capacity in recent years. Campaigning has been a thread throughout, whether on baby food marketing to illiterate mothers in the poorest countries to strengthening UK broadcasting regulations to deliver quality programmes on environment and development. In 1990 he was appointed Director General of Consumers International – at a time of massive political change as the Soviet Union collapsed and African economies started taking off, but consumers left exposed to unscrupulous practices. He set up his current consultancy in 1998. Water scarcity has been one focus, planning a way forward for Taiz the world’s most waterstressed city. Securing and creating livelihoods is another, most recently with a campaigning focus as the war in Yemen threatens major economic collapse.

1) What is your current position?

I run a consultancy aimed at finding solutions to key challenges facing the developing world. We keep it small and hire in the best people for any particular assignment – a genuine feel for the country and people is a must on top of the specific expertise.

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Making a real difference on those occasions when I’ve been in the right place at the right time. Opening up the aid supply route to northern Ethiopia outside government control during the mid 1980s famine – this included persuading a group of the world’s best known former Presidents and Prime Ministers

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

There are times when you realise you can go no further, that the odds are stacked too high against you or as in a couple of occasions it just became too dangerous. Time then to digest the lessons, move on, and if necessary reinvent yourself.

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

Amartya Sen, the Indian Nobel Prize winner in Economics, is one. He brought revolutionary insights to poverty and famine – how severe poverty can co-exist in a land of plenty, and famine when there is no lack of food, but either not affordable or accessible to those in need.

6) What is the best aspect about

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your current role?

I love the variability of what I do and the ability to choose what issues to take on - none is ever the same. Cultures are, thank goodness, massively diverse and people always interesting and extraordinarily resilient.

7) And the worst?

Long hours away from the family, missing those special occasions.

8) What are your long term goals?

Shami Chakrabarti

done'. I leave Liberty secure in the knowledge that we're stronger and more ready for that fight than ever.”

Chakrabarti joined Liberty in 2001, which was founded in 1934, as an inhouse counsel. Two years later, she was appointed as director. She also received her CBE in 2007.

The recruitment process to find her replacement will commence in the coming weeks. She will remain in the role until her successor has been appointed.

Frances Butler, the chairwoman for Liberty shared, “Under Shami's transformative leadership, Liberty has great extended its expertise, influence and membership.”

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To keep making a difference where I can, identifying and supporting game changing opportunities and innovations that create new businesses and new livelihoods.

3) What inspires you?

Margaret Mead, a remarkable woman well ahead of her time, said “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world”.

Throw in a bit of grit and persistence and it’s a powerful formula.

Known as one of Britain's most vocal civil liberties supporter, Shami Chakrabarti (46), has announced that she will be leaving from her post as the director of the human rights campaign group Liberty after 12 years.

She has fought for many issues while at Liberty, including terminating plans to make ID cards compulsory, stop-and-search powers, as well as proposed to extend pre-charge detention to 42 days.

The mother-of-one was born in London and studied Law at the London School of Economics. She was called to bar in 1994, and went on to work as a lawyer in the Home Office from 1996 to 2001.

Speaking about her time at Liberty, she said, “It has been the most enormous privilege to lead Liberty for the past 12 years. With members, colleagues, lawyers, journalists and politicians from across the spectrum, we have held three prime ministers and six home secretaries to account. Liberty's first president, EM Forster, rightly called defending civil liberties 'the fight that is never

an end to an EU embargo on imports of Iranian oil, will also affect the global oil market, as Tehran is expected to immediately add almost half a million barrels per day to crude exports. This is likely to add to downward pressure on an oil price that is already plummeting due to oversupply.

Iranian banks will soon re-establish connections with the European financial system, and private firms can now pursue business opportunities without fear of western punishment. About $30bn of a total of $100bn in frozen assets will be released to Iran imminently.

Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, has hailed a “glorious victory” after senior diplomats in Vienna formally announced the lifting of sanctions against the country following confirmations from the UN that Tehran had fulfilled its obligations under last year’s nuclear accord.

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to lend their weight to the concept of safe passage. Took a bit of nerve!

Shami Chakrabarti to leave Liberty

US lifts sanctions on Iran The US has lifted a wide range of sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Tehran had met its commitments to roll back its nuclear programme, under an agreement with China, France, Russia, the UK, the US and Germany in July last year.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “Today marks the day of a safer world. This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacy’s power to tackle significant challenges.”

The US has only removed secondary sanctions that restrict the dealings of other countries with Iran. Primary sanctions that bar US citizens and companies from doing business with Iran will remain. The lifting of restrictions on its oil, petrochemicals, banking, natural gas and port sectors will hugely benefit Iran and allow it to reenter the global market.

The lifting of sanctions, which will include

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

I find the current debate on migration so frustrating. So little recognition given to the massive economic benefits to our country from successive waves of immigration.

Then lumping foreign students, who give critical support to our universities and language schools, into the same targets as long term migrants. Such a shot in the foot!

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

Mahatma Gandhi, whose abiding principles of non-violent resistance combined with religious tolerance so badly need reviving. Two million people walked at his funeral and for good reason.

Theresa May to charge £1,000 to employ skilled non-EU migrants In attempt to reduce the flow of skilled non-EU migrants into the UK by 20% per year, Home Secretary Theresa May, has announced a new £1,000a-year immigration skills levy, which is expected to be introduced on all firms that require skilled workers from outside the European Union.

As part of a package recommended by the government's migration advisory committee (MAC), PM Cameron had first suggested the skills levy.

Recruitments of overseas teachers and nurses could be affected the most by this levy.

The MAC chairProf David man, Metcalf stated, “Skilled migrant workers make

important contributions to boosting productivity and public finances, but this should be balanced against their potential impact of the welfare on existing UK residents. Raising the cost of employing skilled migrants via higher pay thresholds and the introduction of an immigration skills charge should lead to a greater investment in UK employees and reduce the use of migrant labour.”

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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Perils that face a country afraid of its own shadow Ruminating on the war in Kashmir in October 1947, brought by a Pakistan-sponsored jihadi invasion of the territory, V.P. Menon, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s principal aide drew a parallel with the 12th century Mahmud Ghazni who invaded India seventeen times ‘Kashmir today, Delhi tomorrow. A nation that forgets its history or its geography does so at its peril… India has no reason to be afraid of her own shadow,’ he commented pithily.

Menon’s book The Integration of the Indian States, written a decade later and dedicated to the memory of Sardar Patel remains an enduring monument to the will, determination and vision of one of the founding fathers of the Indian State. Perusing a number of craven offerings in the country’s print media, many will bow their heads in shame at the regression of intelligence and moral fibre in much of the country’s fourth estate, now widely rated as abjectly fourth-rate. Take for instance the coverage of the jihadi attack on the Pathancot air base and Prime Minister Modi’s dramatic visit to Lahore and the attempted outreach to Pakistan. The high octane rhetoric swung wildly from one incoherent take to another – a case surely of confusion worse confounded. On the burning topic of the Middle East, readers are treated to rancid columns of purported wisdom from the American and British press. Western propaganda, human rights pietas, with barely a mention of the direct responsibility of Nato-led invasions for the consequent toll of lives and property in the region are stock offerings. An Indian voice on a subject of concern for India is

sadly lacking.

Worse: for every crisis in India’s neighborhood, newspaper pundit look to Washington for salvation. When US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the Times of India and Hindu in high fever took as their lead front-page story that a tougher US policy towards Islamabad was in the making. The Obama Administration has just sanctioned the sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan (see Media Watch), while Richard Olson, the Administration’s policy head on Pakistan-Afghanistan journeyed to Islamabad for a conference on Afghanistan, where the participants were Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Taliban, US and China, with India excluded.

Sarah Sewell, US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security and Democracy was in Delhi addressing India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s Vivekananda Institute on human rights and tolerance. The souls of Iraq’s million dead civilians – victims of US bombing and shelling must be savouring the irony in Paradise.

An edit-page article in the Telegraph included a thinly-administered rebuke to Indian policymakers for not consulting with Washington earlier on a Pakistan policy. A possible consolation, it averred, was an approach to Beijing to transmit Indian concerns to Pakistan, since Beijing and Islamabad were ‘all-weather friends.’ You have to throw-up. Why not tell Delhi to apply for Puerto Rican status in the United States or join Tibet as an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China?

President for foreign partners in education ‘Make in India’ is a principle to which the overwhelming mass of Indians enthusiastically subscribe. But for India to reap its full benefits the country’s youth must be endowed with the necessary work-skills and knowledge. These can only be acquired through a rigorous education system beginning at the school level and proceeding to the tertiary stage. Indian education has yet to embrace the future, being for the most part archaic in its methods and arcane in its values. Without a secure platform to aid the development of young minds the country’s human capital will never achieve its true potential. The previous Congress-led UPA government had suggested that the best institutions in Britain and the United States be brought into the picture as partners of Indian educational endeavour, but this was shot down by the then opposition BJP and the Communist party of India (Marxist) as opening the backdoor to neo-colonial enter-

prise. Collaborations with UK, US, German or Japanese industrial entities are permissible, but not apparently in education. Perhaps there is a fear that educated minds may not fit the needs of moribund ideologies, that the intelligent young will slip the thought control necessary for vote banks. The human dereliction in West Bengal after 34 years of Communist-led Left Front rule should be a lesson for the rest of India.

India’s much respected elder statesman, President Pranab Mukherjee, with his long experience of government as a senior Congress party minister, has issued a wakeup call to the nation. Alarmed by the declining standards in the country’s education, he has issued an impassioned appeal for foreign participation in a bid to reinvigorate a system dying on its feet. How on earth can India hope to cash in on its demographic dividend with a poorly educated population unfit for 21st century purpose?

Empowering women through science, technology San Francisco-based non-profit organization, “Girls in Tech,’ (GIT), which aims to empower Indian women through technology and entrepreneurial culture, arrived in Andhra Pradesh and made Hyderabad its hub. The goal is to open up opportunities for young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The youthful head of the body’s India chapter, Divya Vadlapudi, hit the headlines a few years ago when her name featured in the Limca Book

of Records as the undergraduate researcher with the most number of international research publications. GIT India aims to localize its mission with best available resources. Beginning with a mentorship programme for coding at school, college and professional levels , GIT India has lined up a gamut of events for the year. It plans to tackle the subconscious biases women often face at home and in wider situations. More power to its elbow.

It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be.

- Isaac Asimov

Hindu Born British Terrorist

Do You Know Who Your Child Is With?

‘Hindu Born British Terrorist’ – doesn’t make sense does it? Well that’s Britain’s most wanted man. It’s the man in the ISIS videos. This has been plastered all over BBC News – ‘from a Hindu family’.

Now the virus of Islamic radicals has visited us in our British Hindu homes. It has sought to convert us not just from our faith, but against British values too.

They say ‘none so devout as a convert’. If you want to find out the most likely to be ISIS recruits, then it is the converts. That is who the security services should be monitoring – yes we monitor even before a crime is committed, we cannot wait. We work on probabilities. And the odds of being a ISIS terrorist and not a Muslim are 0%. The odds of being an ISIS terrorist and a convert to Islam are greater than being an ISIS terrorist and a born Muslim.

So the problem is ours now too. It was ours when these British born nutjobs became terrorists. But now it is a Hindu problem. Well for all the complacent Hindus who never saw a problem with conversion, you sure have one hell of a problem now.

God knows we are one heartbeat away from an American President declaring that Hindus too are not wanted in America. You think I am being alarmist?

You think I am panicking? Spreading fear. I say again, the most wanted man by British and American forces, the de facto head of ISIS is a Hindu born man.

This virus of radicalisation we’ve been telling the authorities for over 30 years. We told them in the 1980s they are raising funds from mosques in Britain for terrorists in Kashmir, the havala system is a money laundering for terrorists, those shops are donating not to charity as they think for victims of some earthquake in Pakistan or some flood, but terrorism, those men are grooming young girls – we told them in the 1980s!

I remember at Bar school a Pakistani friend of mine told me that he was not allowed to speak English or watch Neighbours – his parents hated this culture – forget teaching them English – teach them some fricking bloody gratitude the village idiots first Mr Cameron.

I’m not asking for a witch hunt. But the Hindu community needs to be aware if it’s children are being targeted for conversion – it happens every day, and guess where is a good place – Universities and colleges.

Do you know who your child hangs out with? Yes, the ISIS leader’s Hindu sister couldn’t believe it either – just like you. Don’t be complacent. We live in dangerous times.

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EXCLUSIVE

Flood of relief: Nature's conspiracy brings communities together Rupanjana Dutta

C o m m u n i t y Neighbourhood The flood during Christmas worked with memand Boxing Day devastated bers of the Indian the life of Britons in the Muslim Federation North. The locals are still tryNewham and associing to put pieces together, ated mosques in having lost their homes, valurecent weeks to raise ables and mostly all personal funds for families belongings, while snow and affected by the floodfrost create havoc. Residents ing. in parts of north-east Collections at Scotland have been freshly Friday prayers in advised a week back to prenine east London pare for “residual impacts”. mosques, including These are people who have six in Newham, almost lost everything to the resulted in a staggernature's conspiracy. But ing £10,000 raised Muslims from Newham have donated £10,000 to flood victims in York despite the catastrophe, one and more than 100 good thing has come out of itvolunteers signing up turn up to shovel mud from ing seen how you are all up the disaster has brought to provide assistance for the the playground at the Burnley here helping us.” He took an together people who might massive clean-up operation.

Road Academy, a primary oath to go and apologise to all never normally mix- from Newham’s councillors school that was almost the Asian shopkeepers he had Sikh and Muslim volunteers then contacted local authoridestroyed during the Boxing been rude to over the years. to the individuals sending ties in the region to find out Day floods.

Ravi Singh, Khalsa Aid's care parcels. how best to provide assisYasser al-Jassem, a CEO said, “These floods have A special interfaith service tance. refugee who escaped Syria a changed people." His volunwas held at St James’s church York City Council’s few months ago, explained teer army diverted resources in Hebden Bridge, that was Communities and Equalities why they were there: “I volunup to Deeside in Scotland, attended by Muslim charities Team gratefully accepted the teered when I was in Aleppo. which flooded badly. “It’s and Khalsa Aid, which preoffer of help after two rivers I was an ambulance driver been incredibly inspiring to pared 6-8,000 hot meals which go through the city and helped with humanitaria c r o s s over flowed and merged on an rescue efforts when the Yorkshire, Sunday 27 December.

Assad regime bombed civilian Lancashire and On 9 January, 30 volunareas. Now, in the UK, I also Cumbria.

A teers left London at 5am to want to volunteer, and so do Muslim youth clean up local parks and many other Syrians who charity, the power-washing the silt off recognise the importance of Ahmadiyya balconies at sheltered accomhumanitarian efforts like this Muslim Youth modation schemes. The group one because of the destrucAssociation, also distributed 500 meals to tion in our homeland… said its 350 volflood-affected residents and a “With everything that is unteers had local homeless project. happening in our homeland, worked 7,400 A further 60 volunteers, it is nice to be helping where hours over the including Councillor Mas we can.”

Christmas periPatel and Councillor Ken od, helping Clark, cabinet member for Khalsa Aid volunteers preparing food for Muslims in Newham 10,000 people building communities, are distribution in the flooded areas come forward to assist in 38 towns and expected to make the journey see how people of all backflood victims villages. The Sikhs had also north again this weekend to grounds have come together.

Lead councillors and been dishing out free curry in present the £10,000 cheque There was no twiddling mosques in Newham have Mytholmroyd for a few days to the York Disaster Appeal thumbs waiting for the govraised £10,000 and assisted when a man in his mid to late and provide further assisernment or authorities to flood victims in the north of 20s came up to them, looking tance to the city. help. They rallied around and England in the massive clean very emotional. “I used to The York Disaster Fund they got stuck in. I think the up operation. hate Asians,” he told one of will use the money to give experience will have a longCouncillor Mas Patel, lead the coordinators from Khalsa financial assistance for York lasting effect on these comcouncillor for Stratford and Aid, a Sikh charity based in residents whose homes have munities.”

West Ham Community Slough, volunteering in the flooded, who are on low Locals were also stunned Neighbourhood and West Yorkshire town. “I used income, have little capital to see a group of Syrian Councillor Salim Patel, lead to be with Combat 18. But I’m and are not adequately refugees from Manchester councillor for Manor Park so ashamed of that now, havinsured.

Family evicted from council house in Leicester Imteyaz Gul (48), and her family were evicted from their council home in Spinney Hills, Leicester, as the court stated that the house was amid serious and persistent antisocial behaviour.

The eviction was approved by a court after an investigation by officers from Spinney Hill Park police station and Leicester City Council.

There were reports of alleged relentless antisocial behaviour by the family despite warnings which led the city council to take legal action. There was an incident of serious violent disorder associated with the family which led to the arrest of a number of people, in July 2015.

The assistant city mayor for housing, Andy Connelly, spoke after the

eviction process was complete.

He shared, “Everyone should have the right to live in peace and enjoy their homes without the fear and threat of the sort of persistent antisocial behaviour that occupants at this property were involved in. The eviction will help bring these problems to an end and provide reassurance that this kind of anti-social behaviour

In Brief

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will not be tolerated.”

Sgt Nigel Baraclough added, “The serious antisocial activity connected to occupants of this property has caused fear and misery to the local community.

Hopefully, this eviction will make a real difference to residents' quality of life.”

The eviction was carried out by county court bailiffs on Monday 18th January.

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Women in captive marriages turn to Sharia

According to an academic, Frances Gibb, multiculturalism is allegedly nurturing Sharia councils in the UK, as more children and women are in trapped or confined marriages.

A senior lecturer at Sussex University, Rumy Hasan, the uprise in the use of Islamic councils by women depicts that they are in captive marriages, which is allegedly ignored by British authorities.

Pensioners freeze as energy bills soar

It is said that many energy companies will have no choice but to slash their prices. Nearly five million pensioners will be turning down their radiators during this cold winter as they are not able to afford the bills.

A study has found that many elderly people will put their health at risk by reducing the use of energy during the chilling weather.

Freezing conditions will are expected to hit many parts of northern England and Scotland in the coming days.

12 more sexual abuse claims for deceased Lord Janner

Although criminal proceedings against the Late Lord Janner has ended, claims have emerged from twelve former residents of East Midlands children's homes, that they were abused by Janner.

Janner, who passed away in December aged 87, was accused of 22 counts of sexual offences against young boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

Even though more allegations of child abuse has emerged after his death, a judge has ruled that proceedings will not continue after the accused's death.

Woman jailed for failing to notify Council

Jyoti Patel (39), allegedly pleaded guilty to failing to inform Leicester City Council regarding her change in circumstances between November 2008 and October 2014, although she was aware that this could affect her entitlement to housing benefit.

She received a jail sentence of 24 weeks and suspended for 24 months.

Friends reunited to bid farewell

One of Britain's first social media forums, Friends Reunited, once boasted of having over 15 million members, which was successfully launched in 2000, in the UK. However, the website that reunited many friends is being blamed for several divorces as well, as people got in touch with their old lovers on the website.

Deemed as one of the popular friendship forums online once upon a time, Friends Reunited is closing down due to the huge popularity of other social networking sites.

Meeting friends is good for health

According to a study conducted by scientists, spending time with your friends could be beneficial for your health as it is more likely to pass on friendly bacteria. Friendly bacteria is found in the gut, where they help break down food, fight infections, synthesise vitamins and train the immune system. Lead author Andrew Moeller, from the University of Texas said, “The more diverse people's microbiomes are, the more resistant they seem to be to opportunistic infections.”

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Asian Voice |23rd January 2016

EXCLUSIVE

Lohri in Britain Sweetshops make pink ladoo to raise gender equality awareness Rupanjana Dutta The UK's vibrant Punjabi community celebrated the Lohri festival this year, with Lohri trending on Twitter on 13 January.

Although not many bonfires took place in the UK due to the sudden drop in temperatures, many British Punjabi families gathered with friends and family to celebrate in a true community spirit.

For those who wanted to celebrate Lohri in its pure Indian form, one group of dedicated BritIndians organised an event in north London. A huge Lohri celebration, complete with a bonfire, was organised in Harrow, north London on 16 January 2016 at the Pink Turban restaurant.

Traditional Indian musicians performed following the bonfire lighting, while an elaborate array of Indian food on offer. The event was hosted by the Voice of Dogras (a group set up to raise awareness about the Dogras ethnic community from India's northern region of Jammu) in close partnership with Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society.

The chief guest was Bob Blackman MP from the Conservative party.

Present also will be Councillor Manji Kara.

Manu Khajuria, Founder of Voice of Dogmas told Asian Voice exclusively, "Dogras are a minority ethno lingustic community from Jammu& Kashmir.

Celebrating festivals like Lohri, is an important festival of the State, with the

wider community is an attempt to protect and promote the local culture of J&K. "Lohri in London by Voice of Dogras UK, brings the Dogras in UK together and also gives them an opportunity to showcase their culture and heritage to other com-

munities here.

"Preserving our 'Indianness' as British Indians or NRIs is very important. Indian festivals help bring communities together and foster a spirit of goodwill, unity and bortherhood which only positively adds to what and how the Indian diaspora contributes to UK.” Lakshmi Kaul, Founder of Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society UK told AV, "The festival of Lohri marks the harvest of the rabi crop and is celebrated in various regions in India. In the UK, this celebration is not very widespread as people usually organise smaller get togethers at home. I am glad that Voice of Dogras are organising this festival for the wider community thereby showcasing the traditional celebration in yet another North Indian state - Jammu & Kashmir.

Not many people know that the Dogras celebrate this festival with much enthusiasm just like those in Punjab. It is a great way to bring communities together and we offer our whole hearted support to this great first step. May the traditions of love continue year on year.”

Inspiring story of Raj Kharia and Pink Ladoo

Each year, on January 13, Punjabi families all across the world, who have been blessed with a boy child, celebrate Lohri with grandeur.

Yellowcoloured ladoos are exchanged and is the hall-

mark of congratulation.

But it is a rare practice when a girl child is born.

30 year old Rajvinder Khaira, a UK-based lawyer, wants to change this mentality. Her campaign, ‘Pink Ladoo’, was born out of the need to generate awareness about gender discrimination

Rajvinder Khaira

and the need to end it. She narrated a story from childhood, when she was about 10 year old. It was while her parents were elated when her baby sister was born, the extended family was allegedly quite unhappy because it was not a boy. But when her brother arrived two years later, it was a celebration.

All this happened in England and the incident enraged her- making her think.

With a simple moto saying 'equality is sweet', she launched the ‘Pink Ladoo’ campaign. As the name suggests – people distribute pink ladoos when a girl child is born.

“It is just not about a ladoo that is pink. It is about ending gender discrimination in South Asian countries, especially India. We want to change the way people react when a girl is born. It is about creating a new custom of distributing ladoos even when girls are born, not only boys,” said Khaira.

Punjabi artist turned Aam Aadmi Party leader Jassi Jasraj, whose wife gave birth to their second daughter in Canada in October last year, supports the campaign.

At the ‘Her Lohri’ celebrations held in Nottingham by the Punjabi community on a Sunday, two weeks back, Pink Ladoos were distributed along with books spreading awareness against female foeticide.

The campaign is across the UK, where South Asian sweet shops have agreed to supply pink ladoos to their customers. The campaign will also be going live across Australia in March and across Canada in May. In India, Chandigarh and Gujarat are places where they are currently looking for ambassadors outside the UK.

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Ex-Lib Dem candidate barred from boarding plane at Heathrow Television presenter, Imam and ex-Lib Dem parliamentary candidate, Ajmal Masroor (44), claims that he was barred from boarding a plane to New York from London Heathrow airport, as the officials allegedly had concerns regarding one of his social media followers.

Masroor was due to travel to New York where he was going to lead prayers and speak at two events before he was stopped at Heathrow. He has also set up a website, Flying While Muslim, where fellow Muslims can share similar travel experiences. He works at the Islamic Society of Britain and is renowned for speaking on combating extremism within Islamic communities.

Ajmal Masroor shared, “I was just about to get on the plane when an American official told me my visa had been revoked.

I asked why and he said: 'Maybe you did something wrong.' They were insinuating there was somebody in my Facebook group they wanted to talk to and don't like. I was surprised, humiliated and isolated.”

Masroor was left with no other option but to cancel Barred at Heathrow: Ajmal Masroor his engagements at The whole idea of short notice and head back Facebook is that people to his home in north have the right to engage London. with you if they want He also visited the US because you're a public figembassy to resolve the ure. I have a public page.” issue but to no avail. He He further stated his said, “I think it was a fishdisappointment. “This isn't ing exercise. When I asked making America Safer. If what it was about they told I've done something me: 'It's beyond our pay wrong, try me in a court of grade.' They asked if I had law. Don't cast aspersions done anything- lots of and insinuations- that questions- but everything I makes me mad. In the do is in the public domain.

American constitution There's 28,000 people who we're all innocent until follow me on Facebook. proven guilty.”

Union Jack makes its way to space for the first time There have been many instances in history where the British went ahead and conquered many nations, and it now seems as though the sky is not the limit.

Astronaut, Major Tim Peake (43), became the

first Briton to embark on a mission outside the International Space Station.

The Union Jack officially made its place in space for the first time on Friday 15th January 2016.

The spacewalk by numbers

17,227mph Speed that ISS is travelling

6 hours 30 minutes The scheduled spacewalk time

200 feet Distance from hatch to solar power unit

15ml The amount of water in Tim Copra’s helmet

270 miles Distance the ISS is above Earth

12.48pm The time Tim Peake became Britain’s first spacewalker

4 hours 43 minutes Actual spacewalk time

280lb Weight of space suit in Earth’s gravity

Astronaut Tim Peake

Nasa states that the first British spacewalk was a success, despite it being terminated over Col Tim Kopra's leaking helmet.

Col Kopra (52), had reported that a bubble of water started to increase in his helmet, and how the absorbent head pad became wet.

Regardless of all the obstacles, the Union Jack proudly 'flies' in space, which is, indeed, a remarkable achievement for Great Britain.

Grandmother saves boy from major attack A 51-year-old grandmother intervened and disarmed a woman, described as Asian wearing a headscarf, who tried to stabbed her 15-year-old grandson on a bus.

The Asian woman is said to be aged between 20 and 30 and she allegedly lurched at the teenager with an eightinch kitchen knife, on Boxing Day. The Metropolitan Police have released CCTV footage of the incident, which shows a woman thrusting a knife towards a teenager's midriff after he boarded the bus on Brixton Road, Lambeth, south London, with his grandmother, at

from Scotland Yard states, “The suspect, who was already on the b u s , approached the victim and produced a large kitchen knife, which she attempted to stab the victim with. The victim's grandImage from CCTV footage of a woman mother interattacking a teenager on the bus vened and managed to disarm around 12:30pm. The the suspect.” accused had fled towards Witnesses are being Oval after the incident. urged to come forward The police stated that and contact the police on the teenager suffered 101, or Crimestoppers on minor stomach cuts from 0800 555 111. the attack. A statement

UK Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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Two doctors allegedly caused the death of primary school teacher Two under-qualified doctors, consultant anaesthetist, Dr Errol Cornish (68), and his colleague Dr Nadeem Azeez (52), have been accused of being responsible for the death of 30-year-old primary school teacher, Frances Cappuccini, shortly after she gave birth to her second child.

Her death was deemed as “totally unexpected and avoidable”.

A court heard how the two doctors watched as the healthy young woman passed away without taking the basic steps that could have saved her. The duo were accused of causing her death as a result of displaying gross negligence during their care and treatment in October 2012.

The primary teacher had a c-section and was suffering from heavy bleeding.

Surgeons had successfully removed sections of placenta that had been left inside her uterus by mistake. She was then left in the cafe of Dr Cornish and Dr Azeez.

However, she died after a few hours, died died from a massive heart attack after a buildup of acid in the body, due to not being able to breathe.

South Africa born Dr Cornish went on trial at Inner London Crown Court for manslaughter, whereas Dr Azeez had fled to his native

Frances Cappuccini

Dr Nadeem Azeez

Dr Errol Cornish

Pakistan and hence, could not be charged.

Prosecutor, John Price, QC, told the jury, “Her death[Frances Cappuccini] was, of course, in those circumstances, totally unexpected. More than that, it was wholly avoidable and it was clear from a very early stage that something had gone very badly wrong. What went wrong on October 9 2012, was the very serious failings in the adequacy of care and treatment she received from the two anaesthetists.”

Recent revelations have emerged that Dr Azeez was previously involved in an incident at the same hospital, in March 2012; seven months prior to the death of Frances Cappuccini. It was revealed in court how Dr Azeez was responsible for anaesthetising a woman who suffered a haemorrhage after childbirth and needed her placenta to be

Dr Azeez graduated in Medicine from Punjab University, Pakistan. He travelled to the UK to work in 2003.

In the UK, his qualifications were recognised by the General Medical Council, which only allowed him to practice at a basic level. He failed to obtain a post graduate qualification as an anaesthetist, even though he applied for this position with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in 2007. removed. However, Dr Azeez allegedly made errors which led to a “critical” incident where the patient had to be revived following a “serious” fall in blood pressure. The jury heard how Dr Azeez allegedly failed to document the patient's assessment appropriately, or give intra-

Dr Cornish was born in South Africa. From 20092010, he was employed as a locum anaesthetist consultant by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. In 2012, he returned to the trust in the same position at Tunbridge Wells Hospital until the death of Frances Cappuccini in October 2012.

Man fined for using bus lane on Christmas Day A city worker, Naeem Alam (30), pictured, was fined for driving in a bus lane on Christmas Day, even though there were no buses running on that day.

Alam had appealed against the £130 penalty which was rejected.

However, Barking and Dagenham Council eventually admitted that a mistake was made and did not charge him. Recalling the experience, Naeem Alam said, “I was driving back from my sister's after Christmas lunch. There was a vehicle a few cars in front that wanted to turn into a petrol station. It

was Christmas Day and I knew buses weren't running, so I moved into the bus lane for about eight seconds. The bus lane ended after those eight seconds.

He continued, “On January 4, I received a PCN. To mu surprise the contravention was being in a bus lane- which I found rather bizarre, because there aren't any buses on Christmas Day. I was really baffled by the whole thing.”

A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham Council admitted that a mistake was made. He said, “This PCN should not have been issued as we do not enforce on Christmas Day. We would like to apologise to Mr Alam for any inconvenience.

Man from Ealing is missing 49-year-old David Joseph, from Ealing, is alleged to be missing and was last seen in Southall Broadway on Thursday 14th January 2016, at 2:40pm. The police are searching for this man as it is said that he may become unwell or confused without his vital medication.

Police officers have described Joseph to be an Asian man, 5ft 8ins and of medium build. He was last seen wearing a zip-up cardigan, black trousers, dark

flap cap and black shoes.

They have also revealed that the missing individual is usually escorted due to learning difficulties.

Detective Inspector, Christina Jessah said, “We are very concerned about David, his current medical conditions make him very vulnerable and we urgently need the support of the public to find him. David has previously been found on a bus in the east London area, so he may be using public transport.”

Missing: David Joseph

If anyone has any information regarding David Joseph, please contact the Southall police in 101.

venous antibiotics, and also failed to replace fluids adequately. John Price also alleged that Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust had failed to check the qualifications and training of Dr Azeez and Dr Cornish. Prior to making them permanent members of the medical staff.

However, Dr Cornish and the Trust have pleaded not guilty to these charges at an earlier hearing. The trial continues.

In Brief

7

Study suggests potato consumptions causes diabetes during pregnancy

Research has suggested that women who enjoy eating potatoes are at high risk of suffering from diabetes during pregnancy.

The study has found that women who eat two to four serving of potato a week are said to be 27% more likely to have diabetes during pregnancy, even when their weight is taken into account.

The 10-year study analysed 21,000 pregnancies; 854 were affected by gestational diabetes. The results were published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Church of England attendance reaches new low

The number of people attending services at the Church of England has reached its lowest level.

Official figures show that 1.4% of England's population now attend Anglican services on Sunday mornings.

The number of people attending Sunday services are now only a third of what it used to be in the early 1960s.

New state pension affects at least 16m young workers

According to newly released figures by the Government, at least 16 million people who are under the age of 43 will be at great loss due to the new “flat rate” state pension.

For the first time, figures from the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) show the degree to which young workers will be worse off, while those aged 50s and 60s are the biggest winners of the state pension.

Outstanding headteacher shortlisted for National Award Rizwana Mahmood, who is currently in her second year at Carlton Junior and Infant School as a headteacher, has been shortlisted for Headteacher of the Year, by the National Centre for Diversity. Her leadership at the school in Dewsbury, has been widely recognised at a national level. The outstanding headteacher has been shortlisted due to the school's exemplary practice in teaching British

values, for developing high levels of community engagement, for promoting diversity, as well as for the rapid progress made by the pupils at Carlton Junior and Infant School.

Chair of governors at Carlton School, Amir Afzal said, “Rizwana has made a tremendous impact since taking over as headteacher. As well as having a clear focus on teaching and learning, she has introduced a wide range of measures to

Queen seeks new maid What is making the rounds is that Her Queen Majesty, Elizabeth II, is allegedly in search of a maid who will clean and look after some of her favourite artefacts, at her official Scottish residence.

The housekeeping assistant's vacancy at the residence in Edinburgh, is offering a salary of £17,160 per annum.

The advert on the monarchy's website states, “Aiming for the highest standards, you'll clean and care for interiors and

items, from rest rooms, carpets and furniture, to historic vases and irreplaceable paintings. This is your opportunity to use your enthusiasm and passion to deliver the exceptional.”

Are you interested in applying for this post?

Rizwana Mahmood

ensure our school is even more at the heart of our community.”

Britain to flourish despite global market turmoil

According to an influential forecast that was recently released, despite of the global market commotion that cleared £110 billion off public companies' values in so far this January, Britain's growth will be faster in 2016. The EY Item Club uses the Treasury's economy model. They expect a growth of 2.6%, in comparison to the previous year's 2.2%, on the back of a strong improvement in consumer spending. They also predict an increase in consumer spending by 2.8%, due to the low inflation.

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

As I See It

CB Patel

State of the Church Recently I read a news saying there’s a massive drop-off in church attendance.

The news startled me for a minute, but I realise this is a sign of a changing society – a secular society. There’s nothing for the church to panic about. But yes, they need to do some soul searching.

There is a difference between believing in church and church going. Those not going to church are not atheists or agnostics. They are God loving and God fearing, but perhaps somewhere they think the church has nothing to offer them. For them the age-old church services are boring. Instead they would like to do more fulfilling things at weekends. It’s possible they may be looking for spiritual pursuits, rather than religious ones. For them wisdom and rational thinking is the order of the day; superstitions and rituals are a passé.

Basically it all boils down to faith and conviction. And faith has no reason. A man filled with compassion will believe in serving the humanity than going to church or for that matter any place of worship. That’s his faith. This is nothing but religion backed by philosophy. He sees the Divine in his action.

To substantiate my viewpoint, let me quote Swami Chinmayananda, who has given a beautiful and a very concise definition of faith.

He says, “Faith is to believe in what

you do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

Swami Vivekananda – who preached and practised spiritualism rather than

superstition and ritualism – said that more evolved followers focus on philosophical aspects of the faith. Swamiji said, “He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.” Secularity is partly to blame for this change in society, but so too is the church.

Why people seeking spirituality are not interested in what the church is offering?

Why are they turning to everything except the church? Why do they think – the church has nothing to offer, it’s boring, irrelevant, dull, oppressive, dogmatic, it’s caught up inside its own issues like clergy abuse and then trying to cover it up, not practising what it preaches, etc?

The church has to do some serious introspection for this exodus. I am not surprised if today more and more people are claiming to be spiritual and not religious, faith-filled and not church-goers.

Sadly, this is the state of the church.

Petrol could soon be cheaper than bottled water Well, it seems petrol is in deep water.

Petrol and water at one time the price was oceans apart, now according to Royal Automobile Club (RAC) the price of petrol at the pump could drop to around 86p per litre, which would be less than a litre of bottled water costs at most supermarkets.

Petrol prices have been tough on drivers over the past few years. In the UK at least, refilling your car had become really expensive for many who enjoy the kind of cars that upset Greenpeace.

The price of oil has been plummeting recently, with savings passed on to drivers at the pumps.

According to the RAC motoring group report, it’s all because the cost of Brent crude oil has dropped to below $30 a barrel – the lowest since 2004, and 73% lower than its high last year – and is possibly expected to continue to fall to just $10.

The cause of the drop is attributed to

the fact that the USA’s stockpiles are ridiculously high, driving down demand.

According to The Telegraph: The US Energy Information Administration said its gasoline stockpiles grew by another 8.4m barrels in the week to January 8, higher than analyst expectations of 1.6m.

Simon Williams, RAC spokesman, said: “Breaking through the pound a litre price point for both petrol and diesel was clearly a welcome landmark, but it looks as though there is more to come. In fact, we may get to a bizarre time when a litre of fuel is cheaper than a litre of some bottled waters.”

The glut of oil being pumped out by the US and other producers, combined with slowing world demand from the likes of China, has weighed heavily on the price of oil and other commodities. The worldwide slump puts more money in consumers' pockets.

Needless to say, now is the time to drive home the dream car you always wanted.

Easy come, easy go Most of us think that winning the lottery is the ultimate thing in life. Well, nothing wrong in getting easy money, but, I think, it certainly is not a replacement for hardearned legal money.

The latest to enjoy the windfall are David and Carol Martin, the biggest winners in the National Lottery’s history, who scooped £33 million in Saturday’s record rollover. Initial reports suggest they intend to spend the money wisely – like giving some amount to help victims of recent flooding in their home town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders, etc.

According to a study published by the University of Kentucky in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt University Law School, lottery winners declare bankruptcy at twice the rate of the general population.

And that’s because money arriving by luck or circumstance is simply easier to

spend than money earned through hard work.

Few manage to spend the jackpot judiciously. More often than not, we have heard the riches-to-rags stories of lottery winners. That’s because their life is hijacked by lottery. They easily fall prey to lust, leisure, drugs, wine, gambling, extravagant lifestyle – often forgetting to cut the coat according to the cloth. The result is – it’s back to square one, or even worse than that. Some of them even end up taking the extreme step, because they are not able to handle the upheaval (becoming target of criminals, lack of anonymity, friends, relatives, etc.) it causes in their life. Suddenly having tons of money changes everything – and rarely for the better.

The message is – striking gold doesn’t guarantee richness unless the person is wise or stays away from vices.

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EXCLUSIVE

Faith leaders warn that authorities putting nonMuslim women at risk The sexual grooming scandals of non Muslim women

by Muslim men (often incorrectly mentioned as plain Asians) have ripped through Britain. It has been an example of gross injustice towards the minorities, especially by authorities, who feared the risk of being labelled as 'Islamophobic'.

But Hindu and Sikh leaders across the country have now warned that Britain faces high possibilities of mass sexual assaults against women similar to the Cologne attacks, because of the failing authorities and their obsession to be 'politically correct'.

In a joint statement the Network of Sikh Organisations, The Hindu Council, The Sikh Awareness Society and The Sikh Media Monitoring Group have also called for the Government to recognise “the targeting of nonMuslim women” as a “hate crime” in an explosive intervention on the current debate surrounding refugee sex crimes.

They have warned lessons "must be learnt" from previous exploitation scandals.

Linking the Rotherham abuse scandal to "mass, planned rape and sexual assault" by as many as 1,000 men of "Arab and North African origin" in Cologne on New Year's Eve, the leaders continue to express their deep concerns and worries.

They said: “Recent disturbing news from Cologne where a mass, planned, rape and sexual assault on New Year's Eve by a mob of at least 1000 'Arab / North African - looking' males on local women is just the latest in a series of reported cases of the targeting of women by small elements within the Muslim community.”

German police were accused of covering up of the crimes committed largely by refugees on New Year’s Eve - including robbery, sexual assault and rape.

More than 1,400 children were sexually groomed in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. A damning report into the widespread sexual grooming in the South Yorkshire town accused Rotherham council of deliberately trying to cover up the scandal and silence whistleblowers. Prof Jay, who carried out an enquiry, published her findings in August 2014, yet to this date no one has been arrested or charged for the cover-up.

Speaking about the issue, faith groups said: “Lessons can be learnt from Britain, where we saw a cowardly reaction from the political elite following several high profile sexual grooming cases of gangs of mainly young, Pakistani males involved in the rape, abuse and trafficking of young white girls in various cities up and down the country.

“These gangs have also targeted Sikh and Hindu girls.

“There seems to be a pattern emerging where young non-Muslim girls and women in the UK are being targeted by gangs from small elements within the Muslim community whose attitudes towards their victims seem to show no remorse or guilt.”

The statement further added: “The UK has legislation against various types of hate crimes - but the acknowledgment that this is another form of hate crime seems to have either gone unnoticed by the authorities or been conveniently ignored for fear of being labelled 'Islamophobic' by certain quarters.

“Ignoring that a particular problem exists just encourages the perpetrators of these crimes to think that their prejudice towards women from outside their community is all the more justified.

“It does no justice to the young girls and women who expect protection from the very authorities who don't seem to investigate why these particular women were targeted in the first place.”

“The problem in Germany and Europe in general needs to be addressed and we hope the authorities have the courage to tackle these issues.

“We request the Government to recognise that the targeting of nonMuslim women is a specific problem that exists in the UK and to treat it just as seriously as any other hate crime.”

This joint statement from Sikh and Hindu faith groups was signed by Lord

Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon, of the Network of Sikh Organisations, Anil Bhanot, of The Hindu Council UK, Mohan Singh Khalsa, of The Sikh Awareness Society, and Ashish Joshi, of The Sikh Media Monitoring Group UK. 31 suspects, including 18 asylum seekers, are under investigation over offences including sexual assault and theft in Cologne on New Year's Eve. Far right protestors in Lepzig have rallied against refugees and German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Navtaji Singh Sangha has launched a campaign calling for police officers, councillors and other public officials who knowingly ignored or covered-up grooming to be prosecuted.

It was launched on 1st Jan 2016, specifically calling for: l Neglect & Misconduct in Public Office to become a statutory offence l For there to be transparent and open investigations in the role of public officials in covering-up grooming l For there to be immediate arrests and prosecutions of those public officials in Rotherham who we already know hid the truth Sarna told Asian Voice, “I have started this petition because I am angry grooming was covered-up by the very public servants who are meant to protect the most vulnerable in our society. I am disappointed that since evidence of this cover-up and neglect was uncovered, we have not held any public official to account for their actions and failings.

“Following Rotherham and Prof Jay’s report, I hoped and waited for action from our politicians and the authorities. It is now clear to me justice will not be forthcoming unless we the public start demanding it.

“I have no personal connection to towns like Rotherham or to any grooming victims."

The details of the petition can be viewed at: https://www.change.org/p /david-cameron-mp-rthon-theresa-may-mp-prosecute-police-officers-councillors-and-public-officialswho-covered-up-childgrooming?recruiter=76083 535&utm_source=share_p etition&utm_medium=cop ylink.

UK Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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you have to look at life as a series of tiny tiny stories you just have to change one little ending at a time. I began my career as a story therapist. Stories are magic.”

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

Telling the Stories of Our Time, Seema Anand Seema is a London based mythologist, storyteller, and doctor of Narrative Practices specialising in women's narratives.

Her work on the revival and reproduction of oral literature from India is associated to the UNESCO project for Endangered Oral Traditions. She is an authority on the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and lectures on Tantra, the Mahavidyas, the Kama Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita.

Seema conducts Soft Skills training within the corporate sector using storytelling and the Power of Narrative.

Early Tragedy Seema was 19 when her father was assassinated.

She recalls “The soul destroying pain. I stopped praying, I stopped believing in God. It was like being abandoned. One of my professors was the head of department and had been through tough times – she told me that

Early challenges Seema says that while growing up in India, the main problem was being taken seriously and getting access to funding, research, training etc. “The Indian community does not understand the concept of 'Story telling'. 'Woh kya hota hai' - what on earth is that? 'Do fashion design or get married,'” She would be told. But Seema comes from four generations of highly educated working women. “Even my great grandmother was a social activist and an inspector of schools during the Raj. So no amount of put downs were going to stop me. But not much has changed with the Asian male - to this day when I introduce myself as story teller the response is 'oh ha ha I am also a story teller'! When they meet a brain surgeon do they also say - 'oh ha ha I am also a brain surgeon?’ she asks.

Family doesn’t stop her Seema was 23 when she came to live in London.

Like most young Asian mothers, she wanted to wait until her kids grew up before following her own dreams. “But when my

Seema Anand

9

people have been for a story telling they are converts. “I cannot think of anyone who has gone back after a performance disappointed.

I think if one is to be a pioneer at anything it is important to be good. If people enjoy what they see they will automatically come back for more.

Seema has set two goals for herself. “I believe that we are the stories that we tell. These are the stories that create our identities and define our within our Stories have so roles communities many aspects What is and if we want Storytelling? to create and so many change, then it Seema doesfunctions - I is these stories n't underwant to see them that we need stand why to change. I Asians don't respected and get storyprovide a means would like to change the telling. “After all, we have a of subsistence for women's stories the tellers. that we tell. We centuries old tratell far too many dition of 'sutradstories about victimhara'. Dance, music hood. I want to get rid of or theatre yes. the victim stories and retell Storytelling is a hermaphthem as stories of strength rodite art form. They still and empowerment. And I tend to see stories as a chilwould like to help bring dren's activity. To date storytelling to the mainmost of my audiences are stream stage so that it is non-Asian. Also my work is something that women in based on women's narrarural and urban areas can tives so many of the stories use as a commercial skill. are controversial. Perhaps Stories have so many that also makes people aspects and so many funcuncomfortable - having to tions - I want to see them look too closely at one’s respected and provide a own beliefs and see them means of subsistence for for what they are!” the tellers.

But she finds that once third one came along I realised that if I waited for her to grow up I would on my Zimmer frame by then.

And so three months after her birth I enrolled for my Ph.D. I was so proud of being a graduate mom, of being a role model for my kids. But it was the hardest four years that I can think of – juggling three kids under 10, carrying a new born to Oxford on the bus every week, breast feeding outside the library. But I think the excitement of being able to do it sustains one.

Trump causes debate at Westminster Donald Trump has been a name that has been on many people's lips in the last few weeks, thanks to his not so welcoming comments on Muslims. A debate was recently held at Westminster Hall, where they discussed about the US Presidential candidate.

His comments on banning Muslims from entering the US caused a global outrage, so much so that over 500,000 signatures were garnered in the UK to ban him from entering the United Kingdom.

The Prime Minister deemed Trump's comments as “divisive, stupid and wrong”, yet he rejected calls to have him barred

Donald Trump

from the UK. On the other hand, a Muslim Labour MP, Tulip Siddiq, is for the ban. The 33-year-old MP stated, “The Home Office has previous in banning hate preachers engaging in rhetoric similar to that of Trump. To argue with

MP Tulip Siddiq

there is no precedent for banning him does not stand up to decisions taken by this Home Secretary, or indeed previous Labour home secretaries. The real question is 'Why should we make an exception for billionaire politicians? We should not.”

Investors needed for the epic Mahabharata film The Film Partners Media Limited (FPM Ltd) are launching the film, The Pale King, which is based on India's grandest mythologies, The Mahabharata. This film will be the first in a trilogy, which is said to rival Avatar and the Lord of the Rings movies. The Mahabharata will be directed by Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner, Michael Radford.

The company will be making three other films,

Castro, Irish Story, and It's Probably Nothing... The producer is Chris Rose.

FPM Ltd are looking for development investment in specific projects rather than a general 'invest with us' approach.

They are Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) approved. Full repayment of your initial investment is made on the first shoot day of the first of the four films,

followed by profit as the films are released.

The team is raising £470k development funding in exchange for up to 12.5% of producers' net, in comparison to the $155m costs of shooting the films (which accrues 50%.) The only risk, therefore, is that none of the four films are made. They intend to make all four films, however, they only need to make one for Development Investors to recoup.

A RETROSPECTIVE

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY, 7pm CADOGAN HALL Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ Mahatma Gandhi is a legendary and much loved figure around the world. His ideology was based on the foundations of truth, nonviolence and service to humanity. Reflect on his life through a presentation comprising of rarely seen short films, audio recordings and much loved Gandhian bhajans.

PRESENTED BY Birad Yajnik, noted Gandhian author and curator RENDITIONS OF DEVOTIONAL SONGS PERFORMED BY Swati Natekar, Unnati Dasgupta, Sunil Jadav, Jonathan Meyer, Siddarth Singh & Amardeep Sarl.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW Cadogan Hall Box Office 020 7730 4500 www.cadoganhall.com

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READERS’ VOICE

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

London Mayoral Election I was impressed reading “London Mayoral Election: Campaign begins” by Yogesh Patel, under community news section. It was well written, informative yet humorous piece easy to read. It seems Labour’s Sadiq Khan is ahead in polls. So now onus is on Zac Goldsmith to placate, to gain trust and support of the ethnic minorities who may decide his fate.

Under Jeremy Corbin, Labour has moved away from British Indian community, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Ed Miliband. Labour’s reluctant to engage whole heartedly in welcoming popular Indian PM Modi has given Zac golden opportunity to corner Indian vote bank that may be crucial in close run election.

Boris Johnson placating Indian and Jewish community paid handsome dividend in defeating popular, enigmatic Red Ken who’s biased, prejudice approach alienated Indian and Jewish voters. Indian community should make specific demands incorporated in their election manifesto before pledging their support to either candidate.

Hindu crematorium should un-equivocatingly be top of our wish-list, glaring neglect of community’s need by all pernicious Hobbesian politicians, exacerbating our pain, unable to say final farewell to departing family members in friendly, sympathy surroundings that may comfort family and friends in their hour of need. This is golden opportunity to unite for good of our community.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Girls outperform boys

Asian Voice reported that women dominate university courses.

A columnist of a leading news paper reported that in 2007 there were 30000 more girls than boys in the higher education, now that is double.

The study of subjects like law, medicine and dentistry, which were male dominated, now have female majority.

Prior to the suffragette movement of early nineteenth century, women were considered capable only to do domestic work and raise children. 200 years on, the gender difference still exists in workplaces, in particular at the executive and board level.

Women's pay scale and bonuses are less than their male counterparts for the same work and position.

Certain sports, like football were regarded as unsuitable for females. women's football came in to the auspices of FA in 1993! And of course the female Oxbridge boat race was only approved in 2015!

However, the head of UCAS rightly expressed concern for increasing the gender gap in higher education.

It’s not that boys have fallen behind. Studies show that girls raced ahead because they care to look smart, are competitive, want to please and strive for success.

Whereas boys tend to enjoy playing video games, and have complacent attitude towards attainment.

Their male boisterousness, vigour and kinetic energy need to be channeled in the right direction to address the increasing gender gap.

Ila Kapadia By email

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Energy prices

For the last some weeks oil price has been tumbling and recently it has gone down to $29 or £20 a barrel, that is about 75% below the top price of $115! But to my surprise Ofgem Regulator and The Times Finance Editors are all quiet!

When oil price is rising, they are quick in saying gas and electricity prices would go up soon by say 8 to 10%.

Are they waiting for winter to finish so that all the big six suppliers can make exorbitant profit for the shareholders? They only said yesterday that energy big suppliers are not giving good customer service, which is not enough. Even the Ministers are quiet and not saying that gas and electricity prices should fall by at least 30 to 40% very soon. They all should think about the poor families and pensioners!

Upendra Kapadya By email

Sonia Gandhi

Mr Arun Vaidynathan continues to harbour venomous feelings and has inherent animosity towards the noble Sonia Gandhi dynasty.

He attacked her religion, nationality and doubted her patriotism.

After the Sushmitha Vasundhara scandal, he switched the subject onto Sonia’s impoverished and disruptive family background saying that her family was involved in the genocide of the Jewish community in Italy.

Mr Modi was a tea vendor turned politician and instigated Hindu-Muslims riots.

Recently he had a photo with Geeta released from Pak prison, but no word of sympathy when Muslim was murdered for lynching behaviour.

DR Moorthy Handworth

Those were the days

CB’s article in his column, Jeevant Panth” on page 14 of last week’s Gujarat Samachar took me down Memory Lane. How, while at Poona University, we used to bunk lectures and spend the afternoons watching Hindi films at one of the 28 or so cinema theatres. “Phir Subah Hogi” starring Raj Kapoor and Mala sinha was one of these memorable films. Like all Raj Kapoor starrer films, it has a message for the masses, providing dreams for better days – something to live for!

This kind of unforgetable songs are very few and far between. Nowadays, the songs have no meaning and have a short lifespan, while the old songs have etched an indelible mark on me which will not be blotted for years to come. They still linger on the mind even after fifty or sixty years. My thanks to CB for refreshing the memory with memorable songs. His previous such endeavour which flooded the mind with pealsurable memories was the “Chhoopi Hain Kahan” song of the Shantaram directed film Navrang.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Pakistan-India

I read your editorial and letter by Yam Gurung suggesting India should negotiate, and get united with Pakistan etc. It is a pity that latest attack on Pathankot in response to goodwill visit by Modiji has not opened your eyes.

Why pick on India when Indian citizens and soldiers die due to terrorism and violation of ceasefire by Pakistan. Is Indian life so cheap that as victims, India has to kowtow to culprits? India’s friendly gestures have been replied with terrorism. The onlookers are aghast that terrorists and Pakistan laugh all the way from one attack till next.

India’s cowardly attitude that has encouraged Pakistan to export terrorists and we expect India to negotiate, instead of angry confrontation. In the past our politicians have given away advantages gained by shedding blood of Indian soldiers.

If India is afraid of confrontation and revenge tactics, there are 1000s methods of nonviolence which can force Pakistan to negotiate, and India can have an upper hand.

Seal the borders, Sever all ties except emergency and humanitarian ones. Cancel all cricket, culture, commerce and visa facilities. Negotiations will always hurt India.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

America’s gun culture

Recently America boasted that it is the only super power in the world. That's true but it is also super power of gun culture in the world and largest prison population in the world and it's growing every year.

In Saturday January 16 Toronto Star newspaper I read that gun-related murders in America are 15 times higher than any wealthy nation and the reason is sheer numbers of guns. There are roughly 89 guns per every 100 U.S. citizens driven by fear of terror and crime. For the record Canada has 31 guns per 100 citizens. France has 31 while Britain has only 6 guns for every 100 citizens. Kudos to Britain and it's citizens. Per capita gun related deaths are 10.64 in U.S.A, U.K 0.23 and 0.28 in India.

So worst terrorism for U.S is within and as long as gun culture stays in America fully supported and backed by powerful gun lobby and National Rifle Association to weaken gun laws U.S will retain it's number 1 position of gun ownership and it's related deaths in the world.National Rifle Association I considered a domestic terrorist organization.

Suresh and Bhavna Patel Markham, Canada

Sugar tax, real concern or publicity stunt

It seems PM David Cameron has performed spectacular U turn on sugar tax that he vigorously opposed. But now it may become government policy, warned Chief Medical Officer, if food manufacturers do not act and react responsibly, reformulating, resizing, reducing salt and sugar in snacks and ready meals and stop targeting children.

Food industry is already on final warning. Any slip-up will bring in sugar tax even if it may apparently hurt poor families most financially. Consumers feel it will work, forcing manufacturers to drastically cut sugar input. This will improve health; reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes, especially among children and the elderly.

Some may feel this is Nanny State going too far. But in today’s materialistic world, manufacturers’ aim is to increase sale and profit at any cost; people’s health is the last on their list of priorities. A third of children are obese by the time they leave primary school and put youngsters on the slippery road to poor health and life-long dependency on drugs in their adult life. Popular, luminary TV Chef Jamie Oliver feels government is too close to food industry corridor. Such tax has worked in many countries, drastically reducing sales of food with high sugar content, thus forcing manufacturers to corroborate, market healthy foods to maintain their share of this multi-billion pound industry.

Kumudini Valambia By email

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

East End Eton trumps top schools at Oxbridge A sixth form college in a deprived part of east London has outdone some of the country’s top public schools by winning eight offers of places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Every one of the pupils bound for Oxbridge at the London Academy of Excellence in Stratford is from an immigrant background, with several having unemployed parents or living in council homes.

Meanwhile, one pupil at Scottish public school Gordonstoun, attended by Prince Charles, has received an Oxbridge offer this year according to reports whilst just five from Sherborne public school in Dorset have been accepted, along with a mere three at Bedales in Hampshire.

The London Academy of Excellence – nicknamed the Eton of the East End – is a selective free school for pupils aged 16 to 18, which opened three years ago.

Four-fifths of the pupils are from families in which no one has attended university, while a quarter are

Bright futures: Seven of the pupils bound for Oxbridge.

Clockwise from left, Sarah Temesgen, Zahra Seyyad, Supti Akhtar, Nuzhaat Ghani, Abed Akond, Nobel Basser and Reiss Akhtar

on free school meals. Some 70 per cent are from ethnic minorities.

Applicants must have at least five GCSE A grades, while the focus is on traditional Alevel subjects rather than modern options seen as less rigorous.

Headmaster John Weeks, who was previously deputy head at Brighton College said ‘high aspirations’ were a key factor behind the eight Oxbridge offers this year – which are conditional on the pupils achieving their expected Alevel results. Their parents have worked really hard in

Saanya receives high Mensa scores formed excepBritish Indian kids tionally well have always had a and continues natural endowto do so in senment for prosperior school. ing and attaining Apart from unthinkable objecbeing studious tives. No doubt, and a bright when one thinks of academician, intelligent chilshe is passiondren, Indians are ate about one of the first to music, and come to mind. enjoys to play One such bright chess, read and and talented 11Saanya Verma do robotics. year-old IndianHer proud mother, born Saanya Verma, who Sunita Verma shared, “It scored high in both of the has been a proud moment Mensa Tests, (Cattell III B for us and I think it's an Scale- 162 and Culture Fair equally proud moment for Scale- 142). the community that has Saanya has also provided her with the supachieved Level 6 in both port and encouragement to English and Mathematics achieve these unique objecfor her Key Stage 2 SATs. tives.”

She has constantly per-

Yoga could help youngsters learn more Sir Anthony Seldon (62), the ex-Master of Wellington College, Berkshire, had introduced yoga and mindfulness at the school, as he believed that youngsters learn more when they are “calm and focused”.

The ex-Master was in charge of the Berkshire public school from 2006 to 2015; his views, however, were not instantly approved.

While being on air for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Sir Anthony said, “Wellbeing... is about helping us to live smarter lives.

often difficult and lowpaid jobs. They have seen what their parents have had to go through and they are very highly motivated.’

Imam to be honoured at the University of Leicester Muhammad Shahid Raza, a Muslim faith leader will be bestowed with an honour at the University of Leicester, for his outstanding work for bridging communities together by building understanding between them.

Raza, who is the head Imam at Leicester Central Mosque, will be awarded the honorary degree of Doctors of Law, at a ceremony at De Montfort Hall, on Thursday 21st January 2016.

The cleric and teacher was born and educated in Eastern India, and became the head Imam at the Islamic Centre in Leicester,

in 1978. He has spent most of his life working with Muslim community groups, as well as on intrafaith relations on a national and international level.

The Imam shared, “I have always strived to instil in my students a desire to achieve academically and integrate themselves as valuable members and contributors to society. I am delighted to note that many of my former students have gone on to graduate from this university and, of those, many are now working in this city as civil servants, teachers and doctors or owners of small businesses. For this rea-

Muhammad Shahid Raza (OBE)

sons, I reflect on this award fondly and I hope it will further inspire the young Muslims of Leicester.”

His remarkable achievements also include an OBE he received in the 2008 New year's Honours list for services to the Muslim community in Leicester.

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Sir Anthony Seldon

Young people learn much better when they're calmer.

When they started getting hold of that [the parents] started liking it.”

With the chaos and hectic lifestyle in Britain, calm and mindfulness is much needed in order to help children develop more at a stress-free pace.

11

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, died a fortnight ago in a Delhi hospital following an illness that had dogged his health for the past year or so. He was leader of the State People’s Democratic Front (PDF). His party’s coalition partner in the ministry was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the ruling party at the centre in Delhi. The Mufti’s daughter Mehooba Mufti may have taken over the party’s reins in Srinagar, but of a new State government there is as yet little sign. Mehbooba’s initial reason was that there would be four days of official mourning for her late father; now she has moved up a gear by stating that her father was shown less respect by the BJP than was warranted.

Business-friendly image These hardheaded businessmen and heavyweight ministers with demands on time and money and opportunities elsewhere, might have normally avoided the event; the fact that they did not carried a positive message that, maybe, Bengal was at last ready to do business its once prime status as an industrial and commercial hub no longer a distant dream.

Industry committed Rs 40,000 crore on the very first day of the conference and no doubt more inflows can be expected.

Gateway to East

PDF leader Mehbooba Mufti with BJP President Amit Shah in Delhi

In her home town, she was greeted with separatist cries of ‘Azadi’ (Independence). Amid the uncertainty and shenanigans, came the declaration of Governor’s Rule in Jammu & Kashmir. The memorable line from Alice in Wonderland captures the prevailing mood: ’Will you won’t you, will you won’t you, come to the dance?’ What say you, Mehbooba? (Hindu, Times of India January 10-13)

Confusion worse confounded

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has counselled Indians not to give way to a ‘distrust’ of Pakistan, but to show patience with Islamabad’s inquiries into the possible involvement of its jihadi operatives and state institutions in the recent assault on India’s Pathankot air base. Singh was perhaps trying to counter Defence Minister Parrikar’s statement the terrorism from across the border would cease only when India inflicted greater pain on its sources across the border. If Rajnath Singh’s words blow up in his face in the coming days or weeks, he can plead that he was misquoted – the timetested stratagem of embarrassed Indian politicians (Hindu January 13)

US F-16s for Pakistan

The Obama Administration’s bid to supply eight F-16 war planes to Pakistan has been sent to Congress for approval. US Secretary of State John Kerry as a Senator in tandem with his Republican counterpart Richard Lugar was responsible for the enabling legislation giving Pakistan a huge $20 billion package for arms and economic development. There is thus no change in US policy, nor was there any signal of this taking place. Only the Indian print media kept beating their tom-toms on imaginary ‘breakthroughs’ in India’s ties with the US, China and Pakistan ((Hindu January 13) See page 3.

Mamata hardsells West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , with Finance Minister Amit Mitra in tow, addressed a mega business summit in Kolkata in a bid to attract

The visionary aspect to the conclave was West Bengal as gateway to the East, to the burgeoning markets of South East Asia and Australia, based on its potential as a hub for North East India Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal, all of whom had senior representatives present to make their pitch. Roads, railways, ports and telecommunications topped the agenda. Said Mukesh Ambani: ‘West Bengal is a power surplus State and is ready for industry.

There was more of the same from other bigwigs ( Business Line, Telegraph January 9, 10)

Andhra Pradesh

The southern State of Andhra Pradesh is spreading its wings under its highly capable Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu, who has made the State a red hot destination for domestic and foreign investors.

Unlike Mamata Banerjee, he has never had an image problem, never was a populist with cheap and easy verbal promises. Andhra Pradesh was climbing the heights when West Bengal was deep in its slumbers. Finance Minister Jaitley commended the State as an investment destination. The event was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry, and a massive Rs 200,000 crore worth of investments was raised during its duration (Business Line January 11)

Industrial output down

India’s industrial output in November shrank by 3.2 per cent, the worst performance since October 2011, while consumer price inflation rose to 5.6 per cent in December, denting government hopes of sustained troublefree growth. The rise in inflation dampens the chances of a further interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India, a measure necessary to spur investment. With the date of the national Budget looming ever larger the Finance Minister and his advisers will need to conjure ways and means to reverse such bumps along the road to a smoother economic ride. (Hindu, Business Line January 13)

Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal delivers concluding speech on the last day of Bengal Global Business Summit 2016

investment to the State and take it to the next level of growth and prosperity. It has to be said the great and good of Indian industry, including Mukesh Ambani, were out in force together with top ranking central government ministers Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goel and Suresh Prabhu, thereby lending a measure of seriousness to the exercise.

Car sales in top gear

December car sales rose by 13 per cent for the fourteenth straight month. The growth of the car segment pushed passenger vehicles sales to 231,000 during the month. The commercial vehicle segment grew by 12 per cent to 56,840 units in December (Business Line January 12)

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Lt General JFR Jacob

General J F R Jacob with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the three service chiefs, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, General Dalbir Singh and Admiral Robin Dhawan

Lieutenant General Jacob Farj Rafael Jacob, known to his Army colleagues and broad circle of friends as ‘Jake, ’the true hero of the India-Pakistan war of 1971, died in an Army hospital in Delhi on 13 January, aged 92.

A bachelor with no family in India, he was born in Calcutta in 1923, into one of its old Jewish families, his forbears having migrated to India in the eighteenth century from Baghdad, then part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Enlisting in the Indian Army in 1941 he saw action in the Middle East and South East Asia in World War II. The crowning achievement of his career was the audacious plan he laid out for the defeat of the Pakistan Army in Bangladesh.

The Times (London) Defence

PwC projects India as star PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has projected India as the star performer among emerging market economies with an expected GDP growth of 7.7 per cent for the 201617 financial year. Among the emerging economies of China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey, India will be the ‘star performer,’ said the PwC report. ‘For the second year in a row, we expect India to grow faster than China, expanding around 7.7 per cent in real terms,’ it said. Moody’s, the international rating agency endorsed this assessment, saying that India’s sovereign rating (Baa3) reinforced the message (Business Line January 11, 13)

Larsen & Toubro to partner Russia

Consolidating its position as a leading Indian private sector defence company, Larsen & Toubro is to partner Russia in the manufacture and upgrade by ten years of Russian designed submarines in service with the Indian Navy by winning a share of the Rs 5000 crore deal.

Having visited other Indian sites, Russia’s chose the Larsen & Toubro facility as best able to handle the complex engineering involved.

(Economic Times January 8)

Cipla embraces future growth

Mumbai-based pharmaceutical major, Cipla, charting out its next cycle of growth, is banking on 200 or more drugs under development, of which ‘top 50 projects have a (revenue) potential of $30 billion.’

The company is also eyeing the North American market to add traction to its expansion plans (Business Line January 14)

Correspondent, Henry Stanhope. likened India’s campaign to that of the German Army’s blitz in the summer of 1940 which destroyed the forces of France, Belgium and Holland in six blistering weeks. The Indian victory achieved within a fortnight in the most riverine terrain the world was similarly a masterly demonstration of mobile war, the first in Indian annals. Jacob’s stratagem for the capture of Dacca was brilliant, achieving the strategic goal with the minimum loss of life. Jacob’s book, Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation, will reward the reader for his time. Later, as Governor of Goa and Punjab, he was (and is) fondly remembered by people there as an enlightened and efficient administrator.

Infosys on roll

India’s second-largest software provider beat market expectations by recording 6.6 per cent growth for the October-December quarter.

It was a standout performance for

Vithal Sikka, CEO Infosys

the straight quarter, with revenue growing by 15.3 percent to Rs15,902 crore with hopes of beating industry leader Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) this fiscal riding high (Business Line January 15)

Tributes

President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sonia Gandhi, President of the Opposition Congress Party, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief of the Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh, extolled General Jacob’s peerless services to the nation. The Israeli Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmen, said: ‘He shall forever be remembered as a human bridge between our peoples.’ Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed recalled General Jacob’s role as her country’s liberator during the country’s struggle for independence. Her Government had awarded him the country’s highest honour in his lifetime. A glory has passed.

UK Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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IS gang was ‘plotting shootings on London streets' A four-member gang from west London, including a medical student, inspired by the IS plotted to kill police and soldiers in a series of drive-by shootings in the UK, a jury has heard.

It is alleged that Tarik Hassane, 22, was the gang leader who was a medical student at the University of Sciences and Technology in Khartoum in Sudan.

Friends nicknamed him “the surgeon” or “Tarik Surgeon”.

Prosecutors told the Old Bailey the men had acquired a gun and ammunition, and planned to buy a moped.

They researched potential west London locations online, the court heard.

Nathan Cuffy, 26, Nyall Hamlett, 25, Suhaib Majeed, 21, and Hassane deny conspiracy to murder and preparing terrorist acts.

When his co-conspirators were arrested,

L-R Nyall Hamlett, Suhaib Majeed and Tarik Hassane

Hassane planned to become a “lone wolf” attacker, the court was told.

Majeed, a physics student at Kings College London, was responsible for secret communications, while Cuffy, who worked at the Money Shop, supplied the weapon and “armed the plot”.

Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said Hassane had used his iPad to search the Google Streetview photo-mapping service for Shepherd’s Bush police station and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army

Barracks at White City.

The jury was told police found four guns and ammunition in Cuffy's bedroom and he has pleaded guilty to firearms offences.

Hamlett, said to be the alleged “middle man” who passed on a weapon to Majeed, has admitted transferring the gun and ammunition.

The defendants were arrested in September 2014, except for Hassane, who was studying in Sudan. Hassane would travel back to the UK from time to time.

The trial continues.

Tata Steel to cut 1,050 jobs in UK Many employees will have to literally say 'tata' to their jobs as Tata Steel Ltd plans to cut a further 1,050 jobs from its UK operations.

According to reports, the Indian steel giant plans to cut 750 jobs at its Port Talbot strip-products plant in Wales, 200 jobs in support functions and 100 jobs at its Trostre, Corby and Hartlepool steel mills, located across Wales and England.

“I know this news will be unsettling for all those affected, but these tough actions are critical in the face of extremely difficult market conditions which are expected to continue

A union banner outside the Port Talbot plant on Monday which was later taken down by security staff

for the foreseeable future.

We need the European Commission to accelerate its response to unfairly traded imports and increase the robustness of its actions. Not doing so threatens the future of the entire European steel Karl industry,” said Koehler, chief executive of

Tata Steel’s European operations.

This development is a big setback to the UK’s beleaguered steel industry, which is struggling because of inexpensive Chinese steel imports, green taxes on electricity tariffs, and a drop in steel demand.

Stats show women are more likely to attempt suicide According to the first national survey conducted on mental health, women are more likely to attempt suicide than men.

The survey shows that one in 14 women are more likely to attempt taking their lives, compared with one in 25 men. However, the official statistics reveal that men have over three times higher suicide rate in the UK than women, as men are more likely to succeed in killing themselves.

The chief executive of the Samaritans, Ruth Sutherland, “[Men] choose more lethal methods to end their lives and we know they are less likely to admit they are struggling. We need to encourage both sexes to talk about how they are feeling and to seek help before they reach a crisis.”

New statistics also

reveal that middle-aged women are most likely to have suffered from mental illness. The information from the Health Survey for England showcases that 25% of all adults (including men) have been diagnosed with some type of mental health problem; a common mental health problem is depression.

What is causing men to shun away from seeking help when it comes to depression or other mental health issues? Is it deemed as less-macho if they share their problems with someone and state their inner

turmoil of how they are battling their internal demons who are forcing them to give up their lives?

Even in this current contemporary society, there are many Asians who shy away from discussing mental health issues as it may still be considered a taboo topic to speak about. But whatever the reason, the fact cannot be disregarded that it is still a big issue within many societies, including the Asian society, and help must be given; people need to be encouraged to speak about their problems. The sooner they are diagnosed, the more likely they are to receive help, and less likely to give up their lives.

13

Cameron to suggest integration to Muslim women As a drive to get Muslim women to integrate into the mainstream British society, it is said that migrants who do not improve their English will not be able to remain in Britain.

Prime Minister, David Cameron, will announced this move as an attack on “passive tolerance” of discriminatory practices which are allegedly imposed on women from Britain's Muslim community.

A Government source stated, “The problems of young people being attracted by extremism will not be tackled without an element of cultural change within the community. At the moment, too many Muslim women are treated like secondclass citizens who may speak only basic English at best, and have no jobs or independent financial standing. It means they are in no position to speak out against the influence of the radical imams, however strongly they feel.”

Furthermore, the Prime Minister has recently announced that Muslim women can be banned from wearing

PM David Cameron

Lib Dem leader, Tim Farron

veils in courts, schools, as well as in other British institutions.

Cameron stated that he will give his approval to public authorities that set “proper and sensible” rules to ban women from wearing face veils.

Additionally, as part of the plans, ministers will also pledge to make gender segregation in public buildings unlawful, due to concerns that some Muslim organisations are allegedly making women sit separately.

Liberal Democrats' leader, Tim Farron has a different opinion on this.

He said, “Linking women in the Muslim community who struggle with the English language to home grown extremism only serves to isolate the very

people Cameron says he is trying to help.”

The Prime Minister is also facing fury from the Muslim community who feel targeted by his comments. The chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, Mohammed Shafiq said, “David Cameron is once again using British Muslims as a political football to score cheap points to appear tough. The Ramadhan Foundation has been clear for many years that we face an increased risk from terrorism and an ideology of hatred. The best way to confront it is to build support within Muslims and support the work done across the country, not lashing out and denigrating Muslims.”

14

UK / INDIA

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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Yet another death at City rooftop restaurant Lord Ganesha's exhibition A popular city restaurant Coq D’Argent has seen several suicides from its roof garden in recent years.

A 29-year-old man fell to his death from the rooftop terrace of Coq D’Argent on Queen Victoria Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene on Sunday. He was the sixth to have died in nine years at the same location.

Coq D’Argent is an eight-storey building near the Bank of England. The restaurant has made no comment.

In 2013 six-foot high barriers were erected and security guards employed and told to question anybody seen alone on the ter-

race. Despite these measures, in February, restaurant critic Wilkes McDermid (39) jumped to his death from the seventh floor balcony last year.

Coq D’Argent was cleared of any blame over Mr McDermid’s death.

In October 2012, Lambrechts, 46, a South African-born investment manager and father-ofthree, jumped after being put under extreme stress following a move from investment bank Merrill Lynch to Investec Asset Management.

The previous month, former British Library mangager Rema Begum, 29, plunged to her death after suffering from

coming to the UK

depression after losing her job.

In July 2009, Anjool Malde, 24, a stockbroker and Oxford graduate, leapt to his death from the venue holding a glass of champagne after being questioned at Deutsche Bank about prank internet posts.

In May 2007, a City

marketing executive Richard Ford, 33, died after he plunged from the terrace and landed on a bus.

A married couple, both aged 85, were found dead after an apparent suicide pact at their home in Nailworth, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

£500k worth of heroin smuggled in rice cookers Qaiser Khan (32), an alleged drug smuggler from Aston, Birmingham, has been imprisoned for 7 years for reportedly attempting to smuggle £500,000 worth of heroin into Britain inside rice cookers.

He was due to stand trial at Birmingham Crown Court, however, he pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial.

On 5th June 2015, he was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) offi-

Qaiser Khan

cers, after two rice cookers were imported into Birmingham Airport from Pakistan.

Border Force staff carried out checks and found around 3kgs of the class A drug hidden in the base of the cookers.

They also searched another property in Sparkhill, and found another rice cooker which had around 1.3kg of heroin hidden inside. Raja Arshad Khan (29), was arrested alongside Qaiser Khan, but he fled and failed to answer bail before he could be charged.

The head of the NCS's

Birmingham investigation team, Dawn Cartwright said, “This operation has prevented a substantial quantity of heroin reaching the streets of the West Midlands and fuelling further criminality.”

Regarding Raja Arshad Khan, Cartwright said, “We suspect Raja fled to Pakistan, but I would ask anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

The pious Lord Ganesha, the God of wisdom and remover of obstacles, will be making a blessed visit to the United Kingdom.

The British Museum (BM), is organising a touring exhibition touted as, “Celebrating Ganesha”.

The Lord Ganesha exhibit will be touring 5 British museums; Bradford Cartwright Hall, County Durham Bowes Museum, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Horniman in London, and London Brent Museum. The exhibition which commenced on 16th January 2016, will go on until August 2017.

A 13th century 119cm tall schist sculpture of Lord Ganesha carved in Odisha is one of the main highlights of this exhibi-

tion. Raj Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has urged major global art museums, such as Musee du Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as the Tate Modern of London, to frequently hold Hindu art exhibitions to familiarise and share the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

Kolak Snack founder receives Bharat Gaurav Award

Modi offers Assam communities with ST status

Continued from page 1

People's Front (BPF).

Addressing a public rally organised by the BPF, Modi said the state has received a raw deal even after the country had its Prime Minister from the state for 10 years. Mocking the previous central government, he said precious little was done for Assam for 15 years. “Now they have been demanding all these

from me within 15 months.

Is it justified?” he asked.

He said, “Assam should not have any problem in the state. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents Assam, was in the office for 10 years. This is apart from the nearly 15 year old Congress government.” He made several announcements including the government's decision to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Bodo people

residing in the state's two hill districts and, the Karbi tribals living in the plains.

He granted deemed university status to the Central Institute of Technology on Kokrajhar and the re-opening of the Rupshi airport, along with fund provisions for various development projects. The PM was, however, silent on the much hyped £100 million development package for the Bodoland districts, one

that was reportedly assured to the BPF. In a bid to garner support from all corners of the state, he also held a crucial meeting with representatives of six other communities of the state which have been demanding Scheduled Tribe status for several years now. The BJP had promised to grant ST status to the communities which together have a combined presence in at least 70 constituencies.

Kashmiri Pandits observe 'Holocaust Day'

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the Kashmir Valley in 1990, a year after militancy boomed in the region.

Calling the day the 'Holocaust Day', the protesters also submitted a memorandum to Governor N N Vohra, demanding a judicial probe into the community's exodus. Ravinder Raina, president of the All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference said, “The names of those responsible for the mass exodus should be made public.”

Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee from the Valley on 19 January, 1990, after repeated threats from different militant groups who blamed them for being “informers or Indian Agents”. “The BJP, during elections promised us that the day

An event was organised at the High Commission of India on 19 January to commemorate 26th anniversary of the Kashmiri Pandit Genocide. It was attended by Bob Blackman MP, along with community members and was chaired by Mr A.S. Rajan, Minister (Coordination), High Commission of India.

they will come to power, they would start immedi-

ate process of our return.

Separate colonies and jobs

under the rehabilitation process, nothing has hap-

H.E. Kaptan Singh Solanki presenting the award to Ashok Lakhani

Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kolak Snack Foods Ltd, Ashok Lakhani, was presented the prestigious Bharat Gaurav Award, in India.

Ashok Lakhani was presented the award by His Excellency, Kaptan Singh Solanki, Governor of Punjab and Haryana.

He was awarded by the Indian International Friendship Society (IIFS), a private voluntary organisation based in New Delhi, India. The organisation's aim is to strengthen the ties between India and its

community abroad.

Lakhani shared, “I am very proud to be presented with such a fabulous award. The Awards reflect the quality and strength of the Indian expatriate community and the contribution that we make. This fantastic recognition is also for the hard work of the Kolak team. Our success is built upon focussing on the needs of high street retail customers and developing a strong team here at Kolak. We are happy with our continued progress, especially in such a tough economic climate.”

pened till now,” Agni Shekhar, a Kashmiri Pandit writer and political activist, said. “To restore our dignity those responsible for the genocide should be held accountable and their names should be made public.

That is the reason we have been protesting. If nothing the Parliament of India should immediately pass a resolution naming the events as religious genocide. For how much time do you think should we suffer?”

There are 37,128 Kashmiri Pandit migrant families living in Jammu currently.

There are 19,338 families living mostly in Delhi and other parts of India, as per the

state government's Revenue and Rehabilitation Ministry. In the Kashmir Valley, the Hindu minority in Muslim-majority Kashmir, shrivelled from an estimate 140,000 in the late 1980s to a paltry 19,865 in 1998. Today, there are fewer than 3,400 Pandits in Kashmir. “All those who have returned are primarily doing government jobs.

You basically need a compact policy and political will, not just by the Centre but also by the State government. We have been suffering for so many years. We hope the Prime Minister will show some courage to address this issue,” said Ajay Chrangu, chairman, Panun Kashmir.

SP

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Sunetra Senior

Sowing the seeds for fatherless kids

Simon Watson so-called ‘magic potion’ is rejected, adding to the embarrassment.

Also, selling sperm corrupts our society’s concept of fatherhood. A healthy society should ensure that humans take care of their progeny. It’s not healthy if they fail to do so. Our society already suffers from an absentee father crisis. And these ‘sperm donors’ only add to the woes. It also sends a wrong message to the children about the concept of ‘father’. For a healthy society, it’s very important to teach men to become good fathers.

In short, the ‘sperm donation’ business paves the way to fatherless children.

Also, who knows how the child is treated by the ‘sperm buyer’. God forbid, if the child fails to develop as advertised i.e. the mother may have bought the semen after going through the profile of the ‘sperm donor’, especially she may have paid for the looks, intelligence and physical agility of the donor. In such a scenario, it’s possible she may not love the child unconditionally.

So, the need of the hour is to plant the seeds for stopping these ills of sperm donation, through legislation and awareness.

Union against Corbyn's nuclear-free Trident In an interview to BBC, Corbyn said protecting defence jobs was his “first priority” and there were “options” for doing this while taking a lead in global nuclear “de-escalation”.

Corbyn said that Trident was a relic from a “Cold War generation” and he did not believe Prime Minister David Cameron would ever contemplate using it.

Asked, in that case, what was the point of having at least one submarine on constant patrol, he said: “They don't have to have warheads on them. If anyone uses a nuclear weapon it is catastrophic for the whole globe... There are options there.” The party has said the idea is similar to one adopted by Japan. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Labour would weaken the UK's defences.

The Labour leader has been against Trident but some MPs and peers have threatened to resign if Labour reverses its decades-

long support for the nuclear deterrent. Parliament is to hold a vote later this year on whether to proceed with building successor submarines to the existing Vanguard fleet, which is due to become obsolete by the end of the next decade.

According to The Telegraph, it is understood that senior figures in the GMB Union believe the plan is “incoherent” and “not credible” and that the organisation will not endorse Mr Corbyn's idea.

GMB and Unite, two leading unions, have warned about the impact on jobs of scrapping Trident.

The BBC understands Ken Livingstone will not have a formal role on Labour's defence review, which will consider the party's stance on Trident.

The review, to be led by shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry, will feed into a wider review on the UK's global role that Mr Livingstone will chair.

15

Beauty met brains when Meeta walked away with the prize for ‘Best Service and Team of the Year’ at the London Hair and Beauty Awards, 2015. Her individually founded beauty and aesthetics salon Atelier M – “started from home” where she would “travel out for mobile visits, growing the franchise just over the course of the last ten years”- was contender among slick, transnationally renowned brand names such as Aveda and Babyliss. Sat there under the sparkling chandeliers, at the prestigious black-tie ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Mayfair, the beaming entrepreneur told us of the experience, “I could feel that all the hard work and vision had paid off; it just goes to show you can make a start from humble beginnings, as long as you have the focus”. Indeed, what makes Meeta special is her laser-sharp professionalism, and we are not just talking about her speciality hair-removal service: “when it came to beauty” she told us “I was always attracted to the precision of aesthetics; the way one can look so well put together. I suppose that’s why Audrey Hepburn was my favourite style icon. I enjoy making things match, knowing that I am training with the best available names out there so I can provide the best service possible.” Making the conscious decision to move into styling and beauty, after some time as an optician, and carrying on in the face of a difficult divorce, Meeta not only radiates strength as a person, but as a self-possessed businesswoman at the turn of the millennium.

Anand Pillai One Simon Watson from Luton, Bedfordshire, says he has fathered more than 800 children through ‘sperm donation’. He has been donating his semen for 16 years and has no plans to stop it. Today it’s a full-time job for him. The 41-year-old Briton has kids all over the world.

Well, it may be a boon for childless couples, especially single heterosexual women and lesbian couples, but what about the child and the father?

Selling sperm is a booming business today, but the ‘sperm donor’ is donating his semen only for money with utter disregard for the children produced.

Just like blood donors don’t know where and how their blood will be used, similarly sperm donors don’t know when and where the seminal fluid will be used and by whom?

Since it is a business for the man, the ideal terminology would be ‘sperm seller’ – not ‘sperm donor’. These ‘sperm sellers’ don’t give a damn what happens to kids – whether they are safe, fed and loved properly, where they are brought up, etc.

They are not even bothered about the background of the ‘sperm buyers’.

Also, the whole ‘sperm selling’ business degrades and objectifies men, promoting a culture of irresponsible parenting. The man (sperm donor) is like a cow who goes to the doctor’s lab, takes out the semen as if the cow is being milked.

And if the quality of the fluid is not up to the mark, your

TLIGHT

Could you tell us a bit about Atelier M’s journey?

I started as a beautician, doing people’s nails from home.

What followed was a busy time consisting of 9-9pm days, but it gave me valuable experience and the money to invest in top-end courses. Eventually I opened up a salon in Putney, changing the name from Meeta’s Beauty to Atelier M. I did much of the development of the business myself, from the marketing and social media aspects to the investment in the latest machinery and recruitment of my staff.

Yes, they’ve been spreading across the UK and internationally in America for nearly a year now.

The Kardashians have done many of these treatments, High and I’ve done them for celebrities in theatre, and in quality film myself. The whole treatments idea is to bring the Harley Street type salons to can be Putney; this good quality available at service can be available at your doorstep. For your example, I did the beauty doorstep treatment for Made in Chelsea’s Lucy Watson and she was incredibly pleased.

What is unique about your business?

We’re on top of the latest treatments: a big part of Atelier M’s journey was staying away from normal basic treatments such as the simple massages, and say Shellac manicure which is available in shops in nail polish form, and moving towards more advanced territory so we could compete with western salons in more affluent areas such as Knightsbridge and Kensington. In terms of this, we offer: semi-permanent make-up, cryolipolisis which is essentially fat-freezing and removal without having to go under the knife, lip plumping, laser hair removal which I am an expert in, and to top it all off a team of highly qualified hairdressers.

And these are all contemporary developments?

How did you bring all the different aspects- marketing, social media, and training- together?

Loving what I do! I always liked beauty and make-up. When I had my first child, I decided to drop the career in Optometry and move towards the creative. After my homerun nail beauty service began to take off, becoming popular in more affluent areas such as Richmond and Wimbledon, I begun to be able to advertise in all the mummy maga-

zines. Then I got on some great courses such as Dermalogica and Dr. Murad, the latter which I also use personally. It was about what I felt was useful together with what I liked. I research what was emerging. For example, I was invested in laser treatment way back before it became popular.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Helping my clients feel and look good, and giving them my honest, best advice.

Can you give us three good tips for putting on make-up?

Yes! I am a make-up artist, having trained with MAC and good Asian brands too: first, double up on eyelashes to get that wow factor.

Second- use gel eyeliner rather than liquid. A good brand to use for that is Inglot. Thirdly, for your skin, keep your face hydrated and exfoliate at least twice a week.

More specifically, how can Asian businesses come out on top in the west?

Do your research and don’t be afraid to change and evolve your salon. For example I’ll still see boutiques offering dated services such as microdermabrasion when there is skin tightening. When you see celebrities with tighter jaw lines that’s what’s happening! Go to exhibitions and conferences and find out more. Look at what the salons in places like Hollywood, LA, and Switzerland are offering; read all the magazines Finally what is your advice to other young beauty professionals?

It’s best to look at each individual topic: what are the best massages, the best facials? Do the hard work and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Another part of that is naming your salon. Put a modern spin on it; none of this ‘Mina’s Beauty’ stuff!

W

atelier-mlondon.com

RISING FROM RUINS: QUAK

16

KUTCH SPECIAL Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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After the 2001 tremor, Kutchis don’t quake in their boots, anymore. Of cours (Kutchi Maadu) propelled them to raise themselves from the rubble. This w to tell the tale. This is a modest attempt to tell you the story of Kutch a

Anand Pillai

THE BLACK FRIDAY

I was sleeping on the morning of January 26, 2001. It was holiday for me owing to Republic Day. I was at the time working with The Times of India, Ahmedabad.

I was a late riser in those days, more because of my late-night duty hours. After hitting the sack, I usually remained quite oblivious of what was happening around. But that Friday was different.

At 8.46am, time stopped and so did thousands of lives. At the time I did not realise the gravity of the disaster that hit with terrifying ferocity and there was no warning, after all. A deafening sound – as if there was a huge bomb blast – woke me from my slumber. I got out of the bed and saw the ceiling of my house swaying like a pendulum. To be honest, I shouted… earthquake, earthquake! and ran out of the house. Mine was an independent house. It took me perhaps 5 seconds to get out and be in a safe zone. I turned around and saw my house shaking in an alarming way for at least 15 seconds. That was a frightening sight. I thought my house

would crumble in no time but for the grace of God. Again when I turned around, I saw a sea of humanity on the road. I realised I was the last one to get out of the house. I

remember my neighbour jokingly telling everyone, “If Anand has come out of the house, this must certainly be earthquake!”

Although I knew it was earthquake, I could not gauge its magnitude (7.6 on the Richter scale) and the scale of its destruction, especially the fact that its epicentre (Bhachau) was miles away (255km) from Ahmedabad (central Gujarat) near Bhuj (northwest Gujarat). Bhuj is the administrative headquarters of Kutch district.

Slowly those initial moments of shock and surprise gave rise to a sense of grief and loss i.e. loss of near and dear ones as well as of the society at large.

I was not married and was living alone at the time.

My parents had settled in Kerala.

I did not realise when the whole of India was celebrating Republic Day, Kutch was mourning as thousands of people were buried alive when the devastating tremor shattered and brought down buildings.

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

*Of the 13,805 people killed in Gujarat, over 12,000 died in Kutch district alone, while nearly 2 lakh houses were razed to the ground in the quake. Some areas of

Ahmedabad and Saurashtra were also affected in the quake, including death and damage to property. *Several towns and nearly 8,000 villages were damaged. Almost half-a-million people were left homeless.

*The cruel hands of death also snatched nearly 200 schoolchildren taking part in the Republic Day march past through the narrow streets of Anjar. Their end came when the buildings on both sides of the street came crashing down.

WORST-HIT TOWNS

Anjar was one of the worstaffected towns, besides Bhachau, Adipur, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Mandvi, Rapar, Manappur in the earthquake.

KUTCH POPULATION

As per 2011 census, the population of Kutch is 2,092,371. The population of the desert district in 2001 was 1,583,225, as per 2001 census.

ECONOMY TURNAROUND

The vast, partly barren (desert) district of Kutch has some fertile land too. The mineral-rich Kutch district

has risen like a phoenix from the ruins of the 2001 earthquake, transforming itself into an economic boomtown with flat new roads, an airport and tax-free zones that have attracted hundreds of

businesses and created thousands of jobs.

The rate of change has been such that it’s a very different place and there is far more money in Kutch than there was before. Many people became much richer because of various compensation schemes and the price of land.

Aid was used well and in the first two years many of the damaged villages were rebuilt. New houses were constructed to high standards, with more rooms and lots of light. They also came with running water and a toilet. New facilities like medical centres and communal areas were put in place. Help also poured in from all our overseas Kutchis and other Gujaratis in the forefront.

Today Bhuj has two new ring roads, a new airport, parks and shops. Streets have been widened and new water and sewage works installed.

But along with the new infrastructure and plenty of cash, came something more important for the region’s long-term recovery: economic growth. The Indian government created tax-free zones drawing in private investment.

The policies of the Narendra Modi Government at the state level and Atal Bihar Vajpayee Government at the Central level facilitated in changing the fortunes of the quake-hit region.

One turnaround is in the former tiny fishing port of Mundra. Before the quake, it sat in the middle of a salt marsh. It is now India’s largest private port. The Adani Group owns the port, hiring many people once dependent on aid agencies for income.

Gautam Adani

Cashing in on the local government support and exemptions like no local taxes for the first five years and no excise duties and no indirect taxes to government, over 300 businesses have been established in Kutch, including the Welspun towel factory – the biggest towel factory in the world. It was built in just nine months and makes over 250,000 towels a day.

Since the earthquake, over 110,000 jobs have been created in Kutch alone.

Another driver of recovery was the growth of the dairy industry. The Bhuj dairy plant collapsed in the earthquake and was then rebuilt

by the National Dairy Development Board. The plant can process over 50,000 litres of milk a day and is run by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, India’s largest food products marketing organization.

Manapura, a village near Bhachau, boasts of facilities that can shame an urban group housing society. All the houses are connected with intercom facilities for instant communication and there is 24-hour medical and security service available to the denizens. This assumes significance, especially when the quake-hit region was completely cut-off from the outside world in the first few days of the earthquake.

Help poured in from all parts of the world and the five-year excise and sales exemptions lured the best industries to Kutch.

The resilience of the locals and a private-public partnership model of development and rehabilitation helped in rapid resurrection of the area. The new Kutch is to be seen to be believed, with a massive economic boom and changing lifestyle of the people of the district.

The change is most visible in Adani Port at Mundra, while Tatas have also set up a power plant in Tunda village in Mundra.

The Adanis have already set up a private airstrip here.

Due to the existence of Kandla and Mundra ports,

Adani Mundra port

KE CANNOT SHAKE KUTCHIS

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17

se, Kutch was razed and reduced to rubble, but the enterprising Kutchi spirit riter had experienced the devastation from close quarters and has survived after the earthquake – a tale of rare resilience, from rubble to recovery. transportation as a business has thrived. There are four airports in the district (Bhuj, Naliya, Kandla and Mundra). Bhuj airport is well connected with Mumbai.

There is a growing demand from NRI Kutchis that Bhuj must have an international airport, which is supported by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar.

The Gujarat government is also planning to connect Kutch to Dholavira with a 287-km-long expressway which motorists are likely to cover within a few hours.

Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district. The site contains ruins of an ancient Indus V a l l e y Civilization/Harappan city.

It is one of the five largest Harappan sitesand most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to

the Indus Valley Civilization.

Among those which have pitched tents in Kutch are big brands like LG, Hindustan Lever, Parle, Ajanta and Euro Tiles.

Power generation through windmills is yet another sunrise industry that is fast developing in Kutch.

Post-quake, Kutch has cemented its position in the industry by housing cement plants.

Gujarat Anjan Cement Ltd promoted by infrastructure conglomerate Anjan Group and Sanghi

Industries Ltd promoted by Sanghi Group.

Kutch has emerged as the biggest manufacturer of saw pipes in Asia, thanks to a series of manufacturing units that have come up here since the quake.

Bhuj known for poor infrastructure is suddenly a bustling place marked by superb infrastructure with excellent roads, traffic points, gardens and modern housing colonies. The beautiful Hill Garden built on a hill on Bhuj’s outskirts exemplifies the turnaround.

An idea of the economic prosperity that has embraced Kutch comes from the fact that the number of cars in the district has increased manifold since the quake.

Until the earthquake there were just five industrial training institutes (ITIs)

in Kutch. Today there are over 10.

The famed resilience of the Kutchis is, of course, one of the main factors but the public-private partnership model that developed following the earthquake is a greater factor for this revival. What has come as a boon in all this is the Narmada water that now comes to Kutch from a distance of over 500 km through canal and pipelines in what is a feat of engineering.

The Little Rann of Kutch

HAZARD PROFILE

is known for its traditional salt production and various references mention this to be a 600-year-old activity.

Communities involved in salt production are mainly Chunvaliya Koli, Ahir and Miyana (Muslim), residing in 107 villages in the periphery of Lesser Rann of Kutch.

These communities are traditionally known to have the skills of salt production and are known as ‘Agariyas’.

About 45,000 salt makers from across 107 villages produce 180,000 tonnes of salt.

Gujarat produces 70% of India’s salt and inland salt from the Little Rann accounts for almost 40% of this.

Also, a few years after the quake, in Tundwandh village models exhibited the textiles produced by local Kutchi craftswomen in a fashion show held in the presence of members of the Crafts Council of India. The models displayed the garments with the famous Kutchi embroidery work and also walked the ramp with Kutchi designers in the form of rural Kutchi women.

It was a rare sight and truly symbolised the incredible turnaround of Kutch.

Kutch produces large quantities of dates, palm, cashew, coconut and kesar mangoes that are also exported. Kesar mangoes are imported in the UK by several importers.

Also, Gujarat is all set to get its first-ever solar as well stellar observatories, with government-recognised Indian Planetary Society (IPS) selecting Kutch district for embarking on this project at a cumulative cost of Rs 12 crore (£1.2 million).

The Solar Observatory would be utilised to study the Sun as well as the Solar System, while the Stellar Observatory will collect crucial information by studying various galaxies, planets and stars.

NEW SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR IN BHUJ Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a temple complex in Bhuj, which is managed by Nar Narayan Dev Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, a sect of Hinduism. The 2001 earthquake had damaged the original Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Bhuj built by Lord Swaminarayan in1824. To replace this, a new temple was built of marble and gold.

The throne for the idol of Swaminarayan, the temple domes and doors are made of gold, while the pillars and ceilings are made of marble.

The new temple was built at a cost of Rs 100 crore on 5 acres of land. The inauguration ceremony of the temple was held from May 15 to May 23, 2010. A large number of people attended the opening ceremony of the temple, including from the UK and various parts of Africa.

VULNERABLE TO QUAKES

According to various reports, despite the structured and planned development, Kutch and Bhuj remained vulnerable, said B K Rastogi, director of the state-run Institute of Seismological Research in Gandhinagar. “Earthquakes in Kutch can be very big…

Every year, Kutch sees over 1,500 tremors that measure between 0.5 and 5 on the Richter scale. Four major faults in the district have become active since 2006.

They are located in populated regions. We need buildings that can withstand a 7.0 quake,” said Rastogi, who has laid a network of over 25 seismographs in the district to study seismic activity.

Due to its location and climate, Kutch district is prone to earthquakes, floods, cyclones and drought. The district is an active seismological area with a number of active faults, primarily running east-west. Kutch falls under seismically active zone V with a history of major and minor earthquakes over the years.

Kutch has witnessed many destructive earthquakes in the past, wellknown among them are 1819 Allah Bund (magnitude 8) and 1956 Anjar (magnitude 7).

New studies are suggesting that the existing faults still have high potential for a large magnitude earthquake in the future, according to a book “The Capacity Crisis in Disaster Risk Management”

by Asmita Tiwari.

KUTCH BEFORE 2001

Kutch the second largest district in India (the first being Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir) has always done well in agriculture over centuries. Lack of local transportation, potable water, electricity and big industries stifled the growth of this large arid desert district for long. Historically Kutch was always considered a backward region due to its location and submerged geography.

FAMOUS KUTCHIS

Kutch has produced many

famous sons who have earned their place in the sun. *Azim Premji is one such gift to the world of IT business. The big philanthropist is the chairman of Wipro Ltd. Azim Premji has now

Azim Premji

donated 39% of his company’s shares (worth Rs 53,284 crore or £550.58) for charity, primarily for funding education. Mr Premji was considered the ‘most generous Indian’ of 2014 according to the Hurun India

Shyamji Krushna Varma,

Philanthropy List. *Music Directors KalyanjiAnandji who ruled the Bollywood music scene for years are from Kutch. *Sanjay Leela Bhansali is

18

KUTCH SPECIAL

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

arguably the best film Director of modern-day Hindi film industry. He too is a product of Kutch. *Kutch is also home to the Shyamji multifaceted Krushna Varma, who was not only a freedom fighter but also an erudite Sanskrit scholar. He was also a lawyer and journalist who had formed the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and Indian

Sociologist Group in London. He was from Mandvi.

HISTORY OF KUTCHIS

History says that the aboriginal people of Kutch migrated from across the neighbouring countries like Marvad, Sindh and Afghanistan. The castes and tribes of the people here

TOP KUTCHI BUSINESSMEN IN UK

l Lexcon Construction-Laxmanbhai Construction Ltd has its wings spread across the UK, Kenya, Seychelles and India as well. The founder of this company is Laxmanbhai Raghwani. This company is managed by Kalyanbhai Raghwani, Naranbhai Raghwani and Harishbhai Raghwani. l Vascroft Contractors Ltd's directors Shashibhai Vekariya, Late Arjanbhai Vekaria and Mitesh Vekaria. l Manubhai Ramji, director of Kings Kitchen Ltd. l MP Brothers – Suresh Rabadia l Tough Glaze – Bharatbhai and Ashokbhai Varsani l Super Toughened Glass – Karsanbhai and Devjibhai Meghani l Crystal Unit – Pankajbhai and Vijaybhai l Amaging Tiles – Govindbhai Kerai, l Kenford Builders – Mavjibhai Vekarai l Jaysam Contractors – Shamjibhai Patel (Dabasia) l Elecmec – Purushottambhai Gami l Durga Timber – Shantibhai l Stayfix – Devashibhai l Kingsbury Construction – Arajanbhai Varshani l Ro Green Construction – Pratapbhai and Dineshbhai l Acre Construction – Pravinbhai Jesani l Interior Ltd – Nanji Jasani, Devendra Jasani l K P Building Construction – Devaji Karashan Mayani and Manshukh Mayani, l Euro Deluxe – Govindbhai Raghvani, l Pindoria Association Ltd – Khimaji Pindoria l Haley Builders Merchant – Nathabhai Halai l In Toto Kitchens – Shantilal Mulji Panchani l Weatherwell Ltd – D Kara, l Saloria Architect – Laljibhai Saloria l Protoprint – Nareshbhai Raghvani l Perfect Double Glaze – Jadavji, Ashokbhai, Dipakbhai l Prizma Windows – Jitubhai Halai l Cricklewood Timber – Vijay Kara l Vaspa Double Glazing – Hirjibhai l Meera Catering – Narendra Bhai l Chandani Sweet Mart – Lalaji Kara and Pravin Kara l S K Panipuri and Catering – Kishorbhai Tank l Om Transport and Logistics Ltd – Pravinbhai and Dineshbhai Varshani l Twinstar Logistics Ltd – Narendra Kunverjee, l K & K Builders – Vinodbhai and Pravinbhai Gajparia l Kingsbury Fruit and Veg – Hirjibhai Kunvarji l Kerai Construction Ltd – Rasik and Pravin Kerai and Hiraji Vagjiyani l Pindoria Solicitors – Bharatbhai Pindoria l Neasden Hardware – Karsanbhai Varshani (Kera) l Hendon Fruit and Veg – Devajibhai l West Hendon Fruit and Veg – Nanjibhai Asani l National Security Systems Group – Dinesh Naran l Echo Packaging – Rakesh Siyani l ABC Depot – Prakash Patel l KBMD Chartered A/C – Kunverji Patel l Euroken – Vinod Halai l Burnt Oak Building Material -Lakhubhai l Fourways Interiors – Kurji Karsan Varsani l Kingsbury Builders Ltd – Arjan Bhudia l Super Toughened Glass – Dev Meghani l Sow and Reap – Suresh Wagjiani l Perfect Glaze – Ashok Bhudia l Keyvale Ltd – Jitu Vekaria l Performance Building Services Ltd – Dipen Bhudia l In Design – Dhanji Bhudia l Interpharm – Ashok Patel l All Bees – Dinesh/Jay Patel l Shay Nay — Ravajibhai Hirani l KDB Design Ltd — Kish Bhudia l Sow & Reap — Suresh Vagjiani

include Lohana, Bhatia, Kapadi, Jadeja, Darbar, Kathi, Rajput, Leuva Patel, Brahmin, Nagar Brahmin, Khatri, Rabari, Rajgor, Shah, Bhanushali, jain (Visha and Dasha Shreemali, Oshwal), Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya, Mistry, Kharva, Vankar, Ahir, Muslim (MemonIsmaili-Khoja). Gujarati and Kutchi languages are widely spoken here.

The history of Kutchi Patel community dates back to some 300-400 years. It is said they migrated to Kutch in 1740 after having stayed in Banaskantha and Saurashtra regions. The Leuva Patels settled in Anjar, Bhachau and Rapar. During this time, the Kadava Patels also headed to Kutch from Banaskantha and Mehsana districts and resided in Anjar, Lakhpat, Nakhtrana and Bhuj. They live in a total of 142 villages in Kutch.

Initially, the Patels headed to Africa by sea.

Some of them got jobs at Jayaram Shivji’s place and the others started working in Materials and Water Transport company of Alladina Vishram (from Mundra, Kutch), where they were used to making scaffolds. Ultimately, this led to them exploring the fields of building construction and of course, they made it successfully.

Interestingly, the Kutchi Patels worked hard in constructing the Kampala-Uganda railway line from Mombasa in 1896. During this time, many Patels migrated from Jangbar (Zanzibar) to Mombasa. A large number of Kutchi people migrated towards Africa with some of them heading to Pakistan in the 1899-1900 due to the horrific drought in Kutch.

Shamajibhai Patel, also known as ‘Swahiliwala’ (originally from Dahisara) worked at Alladina Vishram’s place for 12 years before sailing directly to Mandavi in a small ferry which took him two months. Afterwards, on his return, he brought himself useful farming tools from Kutch and later had started farming vegetables and fruits in Mogadishu-Somali Land.

Kutchi Leuva Patels have mostly settled down in Mombasa, Nairobi and Nakuru. After the Second World War, a large number of Leuva Patels migrated to Somalia, Uganda, Tanganyika, Congo and Rwanda. This community built Kampala’s main railway station and all those highrising buildings in Nairobi were also erected by them, thanks to Laxman Construction which built

such towering buildings. Today the largest cement producer (Mombasa Cement) in whole of Africa is a Kutchi Patel (Late Keshubhai Bhudia).

It's now run by Hasmukh Kanji Bhudia.

During 1960-70, Kutchi Patels started migrating towards the UK, Europe and the US. Jadava Narayanbhai Vekariya (from Baladia) was the first who pursued his education in Europe. Then, Harishbhai Govind Halai, Khimji Lalji Bharaparia and Kanji Gaganji Halai (from Madhapar) came here in 1952. Then, Karsan Haraji Halai from Naranpura in 1959, Laxman Ramji and Narayan Karasan Vekariya from Baladia in 1960 and Shamji Shivji from Madhapar, Jadav Lalji Pindoria, Haraji Yadav, Lalji Velji and Shivji Amba from Mandvi and in 1963 Kunvarji Murju Varsani from Samatra also had receive their education in the UK.

DIASPORA

Many Kachhis left Kutch during the British rule of India from 1850 to the 1940s, moving to Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Many also lived in neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Many Kutchis migrated to East Africa, Fiji and other British colonies, where they further migrated to the UK, the US, Canada and other countries. A sizeable community of Kutchi Leva Patels can be found in Kenya, UAE, UK and Australia where they established community centres and Swaminarayan Temples under Bhuj Temple, Kutch. Among the immigrant Kutchi people living outside India, major populations can be found in countries like South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Fiji, Canada, the US, Oman and the UK.

BRITISH KUTCHIS

Sailing to foreign lands with a view to making good fortunes, there exist perhaps the fourth or fifth Kutchi generation in the UK. Most of these generations having worked tremendously hard in East Africa and other countries finally settled in the UK. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, they have always remained Kutchi; true to their hearts and culture and thereby, they have

inculcated such values in their next generation.

Kutchis are a step ahead not only in business or trade but also they have made a mark in British politics and Government services. For instance, Manjibhai Kara is a Conservative Counsellor in Harrow who has been well appreciated for his good work. The other one is Bhimaji Vekaria who is chairman of the

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Vaishnav.

Influenced by a warm and welcoming approach of Bhatia people, the Sultan of Oman had even built a Shreenathji’s citadel in Oman-Muscat.

After that, the replica of this structure was also erected in Dubai.

KHIMJI RAMDAS

The family of another Bhatia tycoon, Khimji Ramdas, have expanded their wings across Oman.

The Khimji Ramdas Group today has penetrated into many verticals that include infrastructure, telecommunications, retailing, designer watches, luxury lifestyle

Know Your British Asian Neighbour British Asian is a mosaic of people from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries of Indian sub-continent.

They may be Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or of no faith. They may be Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil or whatever.

Asian Voice has started a series of informative articles on various communiMetropolitan Police Hindu Association and also a Detective Constable of New Scotland Yard.

THE BHATIA ADVENTURERS

Bhatia Jeram Shivaji, originally from Manvi-Kutch had sailed for Oman and Zanzirbar during 18th century wherein he had started running banks.

The Kutchi Bhatia were operating trading and banking businesses across Mandvi, Mundra, Mumbai, Muscat and Zanzibar during the 18th and 19th century.

Interestingly, even European businessmen had to depend upon these Kutchi banker-merchants.

Jeram Shivaji passed away in 1867. Sultan of Oman had borrowed $600,000 from him, but with the help of a political agent John Kerk, this debt was reduced to $200,000, which was later paid in full.

Basically business-centred, the Bhatia community settled down along the coastal areas of Mandvi, Mundra, Veravi, Ghogha, Porbandar and Surat. The Bhatias are originally believed to be Rajput Kshatriya and are wellknown for their wisdom.

This community follows

ties. For further information, advice or any offer of assistance, contact CB Patel at cb.patel@abplgroup.com P.S – The best way to know your Asian neighbour is to be a regular reader of Asian Voice. So be a subscriber of Asian Voice.

See page number 26 for subscribing Asian Voice. accessories, international restaurant chains, super market retail chains, commodities and foodstuff, as well as pharmaceuticals and health care, kitchen and home appliances, building materials, paint manufacturing, shipping agencies, freight and forwarding, industrial machineries and tools, oil and gas, etc. Now, the chairman of such a mega group is Kanaksinhji Khimji. The Sultan had even titled him ‘Sheikh’.

Dharamsinh Nensinh Toprani is the other top industrialist in Muscat.

CHANDUBHAI MATANI

Chandubhai Matani who started the business of ‘Sonarupa’ sarees in Leicester is also a Bhatia from Mandvi. He headed to Malawi and from there he travelled to Northern Rhodesia and settled in Andola. Afterwards, he went to Mufulira and finally settled in Leicester, UK, where he started off a big business of sarees; both wholesale and retail. Fond of music, he founded ‘Shruti Arts’ in a bid to encourage Indian classical music and has given a platform to many classical musicians.

R EALESTATEVOICE Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap A Property Investment Company

Last week we agreed two deals, both in prime locations, one in Notting Hill and the other in Earls Court.

Both deals look good from the analysis we have done, but in truth the real rigorous layer of work only starts when we get the contract in. Why is this?

Because London is London.

It’s a fast paced property market, there are buyers all over the place hiding in the dark, runners trying to screw deals up, and it’s easy to lose control, especially on lucrative deals which we believe these are.

Real research takes time and money, therefore it should be spent when the deal is locked, and not before, if it can be helped. However there is also a fine balance, if you pull in deals and lock contracts down and do not perform you will lose credibility very quickly, and it will have a snowball effect.

What makes the Earls Court deal so exciting is this area is probably one of the strongest areas to invest in at the moment.

It also has a colourful history. It was originally owned by a noble family called the De Veres for a period of 500 years. Though owned by them, it is doubtful it was ever visited by them. Since then it has had many illustrious people residing in the local area, such as Mahatma Gandhi who lived in 20 Barons Court whilst studying to become a barrister at University College in 1888; and Marcus Garvey who lived at 53 Talgarth Road from 1935 to 1940.

What’s more important than the history from our point of view is the future growth of this area. Earls Court has been designated as an opportunity area in the Mayor’s London plan. The intention is to develop this area in various phases to minimise disruption to the residents.

The Earls Court Masterplan has been created by renowed architect Sir Terry Farrell and Partners. Farrells are considered to be the UK’s leading architect planners with offices in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

With a Masterplan, as the name suggests the growth of the area is likely to be holistic rather than lop sided, meaning the area is likely to have leisure, work and live areas in the right proportion along with the relevant infrastructure.

The plan proposes the transformation of the Earls Court Project Area into four new urban villages and a 21st century High Street, blending the spirit of the past with the best of tomorrow. The villages will include around 7,500 much needed new homes for people on a range of incomes and new work spaces and offices will generate thousands of new jobs.

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) and The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) formally granted outline planning permission for the Masterplan for the Earls Court Project on 14th November 2013.

The project will bring huge benefits not only to Earls Court but the surrounding areas with an extensive retail high street, business and residential accommodation, healthcare and educational facilities.

The Earls Court Project Area spans a massive 77 acres of land, and along with the homes and offices it will include tranquil public squares and gardens which will be a haven from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The area is very well connected and is located at a point where

Real Deal The

19

How to kill two birds with one stone

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Hyde Park, London, W1 Purchase Price: £1.9m

Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham all meet, therefore providing great potential for value increases throughout the area.

The plan since inception has been met with some resistance from the local population, understandably so, you cannot make a move of this size and it not ruffle a few feathers.

The project we have secured is a development project, with a purchase tag of £6.5m and a finished value nearly double this amount. It is a project which is not reliant on the growth of the location, the figures used on the resells are based on current values and conservative ones.

The property consists of a freehold block located only minutes away from Earls Court Station. So regeneration plan or not buying near a train station in London is always a good place to purchase.

The resale on this deal in light of the future government tax proposals could be done in an interesting way.

There are only two buyers in the market place, one is the end user and the other is the investor. The end user will not be affected by the changes in April in stamp duty as it only applies to investors. The government is due to hike up the stamp duty by 3%, furthermore it will start to phase out the ability to offset the cost of your mortgage against the rental income.

This is the equivalent of paying tax on your turnover as opposed to your profits.

The end product for this project could be tailored in a way where it would be attractive to the BTL investor.

Rather than purchasing the property directly it could be structured where they would be purchasing the shares in a company which holds the asset.

This means in one strike the BTL investor has saved 3% on stamp duty, or any stamp duty for that matter as this deal is being purchased in a company. Further they have no fear of the new offset rules as they only apply to individuals and not companies.

l A large two bedroom raised ground floor flat in a highly sought after location l Share of freehold l Very high ceilings l Period features l Low service charges l Close to Baker Street, Regents Park, Hyde Park and the bustling cafes and shops on Marylebone High Street l Very good buy and hold opportunity Call us now to secure this deal!

This would be a good resell strategy and there will be a market for it which will grow as time goes on. As long as the accounts and property is being managed properly I see no reason why this will not prove to be an attractive way to invest into the future. In fact this kind of model will begin to thrive in the new world the government is shaping.

The government is currently making purchasing and holding property for individuals very difficult. It almost seems as if they wish to flush them out of the market completely.

The Notting Hill deal is a smaller price in comparison and can be purchased for only £850K, it is freehold and a development deal with an end value of around £1.7m.

If you want a piece of either of these pies please call the office now.

0207 993 0103

We provide a turnkey solution. Contact us now:

Specialists in

Central London Property Sourcing

info@sowandreap.co.uk

www.sowandreap.co.uk

27 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8HU

Follow us online:

Sowandreapuk

SowandReapProperties

Tips of the Week l Leveraging equity in your home, or equity from another property, can be an effective way to buy an investment property. l Cheap is not always good! Go for properties which will give you good income and capital growth, not just which are priced low.

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BUSINESS

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Jaitley woos UK businesses keen on investing in India

Continued from page 1 World Economic Forum.

The Indian delegation included RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Trade and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The prominent Indian business leaders were: Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Cyrus Mistry, Anand Mahindra, Rahul Bajaj, Azim Premji, Adi Godrej, Chanda Kochhar, Uday Kotak, Hari S Bhartia, Shyam Sunder Bhartia, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Naresh Goyal, Sunil Mittal, Rana Kapoor, Anant Gupta and C P Gurnani.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, would be attended by more than 2,500 participants from across the world, including 40 heads of state.

The Chancellor George Osborne and Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before parting, reached a number of agreements to build on the economic relationship between the UK and India.

Speaking following the EFD, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said: The agreements we’ve made today are another important step in deepening economic ties between Britain and India.

“Working together across infrastructure and financial services we will be able to solve key shared challenges which will help us create growth in both of our economies.

“I want to thank Arun and his team for travelling to London and for making today’s talks a success, as we bring our two great economies closer together

Agreements reached during the EFD include:

Indian National In f ra s t r u c t u r e Partnership: The agreement will see the UK government support the delivery of major infrastructure projects in India across key sectors including smart cities, renewable energy and railways, all of which are vital for India’s future growth.

This initiative will support India’s development and may also present significant new commercial opportunities for UK businesses offering expertise in infrastructure delivery and financial & professional services.

Liberalising the Indian Legal Services Market: India will press ahead with liberalising the Indian legal services market to allow foreign lawyers the right to operate in India.

This will act as a cata-

lyst for international investment in India and give businesses the access they need to international legal advice. It will also bring new opportunities for the UK profession, who will benefit from being offered similar rights to those that Indian firms already enjoy in the UK, allowing them to enter partnerships with Indian firms and bring their specialist expertise to India.

One of the Justice Ministers in the UK, Shailesh Vara commended the positive discussions on liberalisation of the Indian legal services sector at the Economic and Financial Dialogue, welcoming Indian Finance Minister Jaitley’s support for the process.

He said: “I am delighted with the progress made in seeking to liberalise the Indian legal sector and I commend Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s commitment. This is a cause that I have been championing personally for many years, ever since I saw the value liberalisation would bring when working as a solicitor. The UK’s experience of an open legal services sector has been a hugely positive one, giving business the access it needs to international legal advice and helping make London the global legal hub it has become. I am confident that India’s decision to move down this path will benefit everyone, and be a real catalyst for bilateral trade and investment. My department stands ready to help the Indian Government progress this important reform in any way that would be helpful.”

Rupee Bond Commitments: Both sides welcomed the prospect of a pipeline of rupee bond issuances in London by Indian corporates, and agreed that the first such public sector issuance would be by the Indian Railway Finance Corporation.

This will help build on the success of rupee bond issuances in London by the International Finance Corporation, and demonstrates the UK’s position as a business partner of choice for the world’s fastest growing economies.

As the rupee markets build, London’s capital markets will play a key role in financing India’s continued rapid economic growth.

Fintech tie-ups: Both nations agreed to substantially strengthen links between the leading FinTech communities in India and Britain. This includes significant joint commitments to high-profile FinTech trade missions

between the two nations and major steps towards UK FinTech companies helping to deliver ‘digital India’, covering priority areas like access to finance for micro-enterprises.

FirstGroup to provide shuttle busses at Indian IT park: FirstGroup, the leading Transport operator in the UK and North America, is to operate employee shuttle buses at the Hinjewadi IT Park in Pune, India.

The five year contract will commence in April 2016 initially at Hinjewadi and is expected to expand across the country.

The Group will use its shuttle bus expertise from existing First Transit operations in North America and is working with local partner, bus manufacturer Tata, who will maintain the vehicles.

The Tintometer commits to £1m investment in India: Lovibond Tintometer - a leading UK supplier of water analysis

tracts for major Waste Water Treatment Works located in Mumbai suburbs.

Dryden Aqua to install 5,000 drinking water systems in rural communities in £500,000 deal: Edinburgh based Dryden Aqua, a marine biological company specializing in water quality and treatment technology, has secured a contract to install their product in 5,000 rural community drinking water systems in India during 2016.

The current project is valued at £500,000 for this year, with the technology improving the availability of clean drinking water in these communities.

FinTech accelerator ‘startupbootcamp’ to setup in Mumbai: Recognising the development of the Fintech sector in India, Startupbootcamp FinTech, the leading UK based accelerator focusing

Nikhil Rathi with Dr Rana Kapoor equipment based in Wiltshire - has committed to setting up a factory and sales service operation in Hyderabad with the aim of enhancing the production of instruments and chemical reagents to meet the rapidly growing demand for high quality water testing products in India.

Tintometer will be investing over £1 million in this project over the first three years.

Pell Frischmann win consulting contracts in Mumbai: London based consulting engineering firm Pell Frischmann has announced winning three major contracts in the Mumbai region. The contracts have been awarded by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and will see Pell Frischmann evaluating the detailed project report and bid process management of the 33 km Mumbai Coastal Road project, alongside two con-

on financial services innovation, will soon launch a branch in Mumbai.

This new branch will enable the growth of the overall FinTech ecosystem in India and foster the next generation of innovative startups in this exciting region.

Diabetacare agrees £500,000 partnership with King George’s Medical University in Lucknow: Diabetacare has procured a partnership project for Diabetes Services in King George’s Medical College, Lucknow - India’s largest Hospital with over 3600 inpatient beds.

The contract will see Diabetacare invest approximately £500,000 over a two year period, with nurses being trained to become specialist nurses in diabetes - directly supporting Prime Minister Modi’s National Skills Development Mission.

DelAgua sign

£700,000 water testing deal in West Bengal: UK based water testing company Del Agua has won a £700,000 contract from the Government of West Bengal to run a water testing programme for the entire state for 1 year.

This project will help safeguard the local population from various water contaminants such as arsenic and fluoride.

CDE Global and Bhartia Family win £1 million processing plant contract: A joint venture between CDE Global – a leading supplier of washing equipment for quarries and mines - and its Indian partner Bhartia Family, has won a contract worth £1 million to design, engineer and install a processing plant for the waste from construction and demolition.

This green technology will be used to convert waste into high quality high value materials.

Templar Executives Ltd agree security training partnership: UK based Templar Executives Ltd have partnered with Cyber Security Integrators (India) Pvt Ltd. to provide online and specialised Cyber security training and advisory services to Indian corporations and government agencies.

It is seen as in one of the first ‘Cyber Value Exchange’ initiatives between UK and India.

Darktrace open up in Mumbai: Cambridge headquartered security firm Darktrace is announcing that its award-wining ‘Enterprise Immune System’ technology will become more easily available to the Indian market as it opens an office in Mumbai.

Apollo Hospitals to partner with Health Education England: Apollo Hospitals, India and Asia’s largest healthcare group, have signed a memorandum of understanding with Health Education England (HEE) to promote co-operation and interaction in healthcare education between India and the UK. The partnership will aim to deliver the highest possible quality of care to the patients in UK, India and the region, while enhancing the quality of education and exposure to students.

BRC Global Standards to expand into India: BRC Global Standards - a leading food safety and quality certification programme - is launching an expansion in India in 2016.

To capitalise on India as one of the fastest growing countries for their market, the firm is looking to appoint a local representative and opening an office in India.

Yes Bank signs MoU with London Stock Exchange Group Yes Bank, India’s fifth largest private bank, on Tuesday 19 January formalised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with The London Stock Exchange during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UK visit in November 2015, to develop bond and equity issuance, with particular focus on the relatively untapped sector of Green Infrastructure Finance.

As part of the agreement with LSEG, Yes Bank confirmed that it plans to list a Green Bond of up to $500m on London Stock Exchange by December 2016. Yes Bank will also evaluate the possibility of raising further capital in London, potentially through the listing of Global Depository Receipts (GDR) as part of its overall $1bn of equity capital raising plans, basis market conditions.

The agreement, signed

by Dr Rana Kapoor and Nikhil Rathi will help strengthen the increasingly vibrant economic and financial ties between the UK and India.

Speaking about the collaboration Dr Kapoor said: “Following the historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UK, the Yes Bank – LSEG strategic MoU presents an incredible opportunity to create mutually beneficial partnerships. Yes bank will strive to improve the access to long term overseas funds for corporations in India, through capital markets in the UK particularly towards Green Infrastructure Financing, which is high on India’s agenda. We also look forward to working with LSE in establishing London as the leading instrument for raising rupee denominated offshore capital via ‘Masala bonds’.”

Nikhil Rathi said: "London is the world’s most international financial market and has a long history working with partners in India. London Stock Exchange is a natural partner for Yes Bank for their significant debt and equity issuances and as a partner for their clients.

Yes Bank is a leader in sustainable finance in India. Today we are honoured to welcome Mr. Rana Kapoor and his team from Yes Bank to sign this important MoU which demonstrates our commitment to supporting the raising of green capital for India."

CURRENCYVOICE

www.asian-voice.com AsianVoiceNews

Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

Pound continue to weaken Paresh Davdra is the Dealing Director of RationalFX, Currency Specialists.

The weakness seen in the pound continued starting the week with industrial production slipping below forecast 0.7% in November, the biggest slide in 3 years, mainly due to low domestic demand for electric and gas. UK manufacturing also slipped 0.4% over the month.

However all eyes were focused on ‘super Thursday’ where the Bank of England's rate-setting committee held interest rates at historic lows, while cutting forecasts for economic growth and inflation. The monetary policy committee voted 8-1 in favour of keeping the benchmark interest rate at 0.5 per cent, with lone hawk Ian McCafferty staying in favour of a rate rise despite concerns over the global economy. The BoE also lowered its forecasts for UK economic growth last quarter and this quarter by 0.1 percentage points to 0.5 per cent after data showed the manufacturing sector had shrunk by 1.2 per cent annually. Policymakers said the recent oil price fall would weigh slightly on inflation in the coming months, which is currently 0.1 per cent, sitting well below the Bank’s target of two per cent.

Over the Christmas period British retail spending recorded its weakest quarterly growth in more

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Foreign Exchange

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than a year. The British Retail Consortium said retail spending rose by a "disappointing" 0.9 percent in the three months to December compared with a year earlier. It was the slowest rise in retail sales values since the three months to November 2014. In December alone, retail sales rose just 1.0 percent after a 0.7 percent increase in November.

Sterling hit a 5-1/2 year low against the dollar on Friday, completing its third straight week of losses, as investors grew increasingly concerned about Britain's economic outlook and pushed back chances of a rate hike to early 2017. Worries about a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union have also intensified and weighed on sterling in recent weeks. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum by the end of 2017, though it may come as early as June this year. With the outcome unclear, investors are bracing for volatility and these concerns have also been central to sterling's weakness since the start of December.

US data started strong, with Labour Market Conditions Index (Dec).

A Federal Reserve Survey showed the U.S. economy expand-

ed across most of the country in the past six weeks as the job market showed strength. The report released underscores the challenge facing Fed policy makers heading into their meeting later this month: The labour market is strengthening without triggering signs of higher wages or inflation more broadly.

The dollar tumbled to a near five-month low against the yen and a 2-1/2-week trough versus the euro on Friday, hammered by a combination of poor risk appetite arising from a renewed drop in oil prices and weak U.S. economic data. The downbeat economic numbers along with the meltdown in oil and stocks could further slow the pace of the Federal Reserve's already gradual tightening policy, a negative scenario for the dollar. Many feel the Fed is going to be reluctant to raise interest rates any time soon.

U.S. producer prices were also lower last month due to weak energy costs, while the country's industrial output declined for a third straight month.

We saw a quite week for the Euro however on Monday 18th January, French President Francois Hollande declared that France was in a state of Economic emergency, with unemployment at 10.6%.

Hollande plans to tackle this with

an introduction of a €2bn job creation plan. This shows that the French economy is in a potentially dangerous position, with high unemployment and public debt, with France being one of the EU’s biggest economies this could cause worry in financial markets.

In terms of data for the euro it was pretty much quiet except industrial production saw a decline of 0.7% in November 2015, compared with the previous month. In terms of the yearly change, we saw an increase of 1.1%, less than the forecast of 1.3%. Overall, the main factors influencing the major currencies were due to oil prices dropping substantially and turmoil in China. Elaborating on this briefly Oil hit their lowest since 2003 on Monday , as the market braced for a jump in Iranian exports after the lifting of sanctions against the country over the weekend. With speculation placing Brent Crude at $20 a barrel in some cases.

China saw its economy grew at its slowest rate in a quarter of a century in 2015, increasing pressure on Beijing to address fears of a prolonged slowdown and ease the jitters affecting global markets. Full-year growth of 6.9% was only just short of government expectations of 7% but by contrast, growth in 2014 stood at 7.3%.

Weekly Currencies As of Tuesday 19th January 2016 @ 2.45pm GBP - INR = 95.85

USD - INR = 67.66 EUR - INR = 73.71 GBP - USD = 1.41 GBP - EUR = 1.29

EUR - USD = 1.08 GBP - AED = 5.22

GBP - CAD = 2.05

GBP - NZD = 2.18

GBP - AUD = 2.05

GBP - ZAR = 23.75

GBP - HUF = 409.06

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22

WORLD

In Brief

Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

Indra Nooyi becomes Yale's biggest alumni donor

WASHINGTON: Yale School of Management has decided to honour its deanship in the name of PepsiCo Chairperson and CEO, Indra Nooyi after she donated an undisclosed amount to her alma mater. While Yale did not reveal the amount, it said her “landmark gift” to endow the deanship of the school and inaugurate an innovation fund has made her the “most generous graduate” of Yale in terms of lifetime giving to the school. She is the first woman to be given such an honour at a top business school. “My experience at the Yale School of Management forever altered the course of my life. My gift to this wonderful institution pales in comparison with the gift that Yale gave me- the fundamental understanding that leadership requires an expansive worldview and a deep appreciation of the many points of intersection between business and society,” she said.

Saudi king ‘plots to bypass nephew’ in handover of crown

RIYADH: If American diplomatic sources are to be believed, King Salman of Saudi Arabia could be making preparations to upend the succession of the House of Saud by abdicating in favour of his controversial 30 year old Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bypassing his designated successor. The King is due to be succeeded by his nephew, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, however, a media report claimed that he could change the rules and install his son.

American officials believe it could trigger further instability in the Middle East, especially as Saudi Arabia already has tense relations with Iran. Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the deputy crown prince and the country's defence minister. “Things are tense and there is something afoot,” said one US diplomatic source.

“We’ve been told to expect changes in the summer and there has been a very concerted effort to project the image of Prince Mohammed [bin Salman] and push him forward.”

IS attacks Pak consulate in Afghanistan

JALALABAD: In its first attack at the Pakistani government, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a deadly gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate in Afghanistan's Jalalabad. Officials said all three attackers and seven security force personnel were killed in the assault in eastern Nangarhar province, where IS has made alarming inroads in recent months. The fourhour siege near the consulate comes amid renewed international efforts to revive peace talks with the Taliban. In a statement released via Twitter, the IS said two of its fighters blew themselves up at the scene by detonating explosive belts, while a third managed to escape unharmed. “The attack lasted almost four hours during which the consulate building was destroyed and tens of its employees were killed together with a number of officers from the apostate Pakistani intelligence services,” the statement said.

Musharraf acquitted in murder case of Baloch leader

KARACHI: Former Pak President General Pervez Musharraf has been acquitted in the murder case of former Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, by an antiterrorism court in Quetta. A media report said the court also rejected the request by Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of late Bugti, to order exhumation of the body of his father to confirm that the body buried in Dera Bugti belongs to his father. Also acquitted were home minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani and former federal interior minister Aftab Sherpao.

Bugti was killed in an operation in Balochistan's rugged mountains of Taratani in Kohlu district on August 26, 2006. His son, Nawabzaa Jamil Akbar Bugti had nominated former president Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Governor Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, and others in the murder.

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Indian-origin doctor held after deaths of 36 patients in US AsianVoiceNews

WASHINGTON: A psychiatrist of Indian-origin dubbed 'Dr Death' by the police, has been arrested in the US after 36 of his patients died, with at least 12 killed by overdose on prescription medication.

Narendra Nagareddy, a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia, has been put behind bars on suspicion of over-prescribing prescription medication and running a 'pill mill'. Almost 40 federal and local agents raided his offices, later moving on to his home to seize more assets. “He's a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine

Narendra Nagareddy and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths,” Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register said.

Agents with the Drug

Enforcement Administration, the Clayton County District Attorney's office, the Clayton County Police Department and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, converged on Nagareddy's office, armed with a search warrant and an arrest warrant for the psychiatrist. Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson said, “He's charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for legitimate purpose for the patient.”

As per legal documents, “thirty six of Nagareddy's patients have died while being

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

prescribed controlled substances from Dr Nagareddy, 12 of which have been confirmed by investigators through autopsy reports to have been the result of prescription drug intoxication.”

“Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Dr Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need,” the documents said.

“People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they're met with deadly consequences,” Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying.

Indian diaspora is world's largest at 16mn UNITED NATIONS: Latest estimates released by the United States show that 244 million people, or 3.3 per cent of the world's population, live in a country other than the one where they were born.

The ranks are growing at a faster pace than the world population as a whole, with enormous economic, social and demographic repercussions for their native and adopted countries.

The most popular destination in 2015 was the United States, followed by Germany, Russia and Saudi Arabia. The ranking, however, cannot be seen as a popularity contest as

Saudi Arabia only popped up on the list because it hosts an enormous number of migrant workers, not immigrants who resettle. The report does not distinguish between who migrates with legal papers

and who does not.

Among the migrants worldwide are 20 million refugees - those who have fled war or persecution in their home countries.

Also revealed is that Indians make up the largest diaspora, with over 16 million Indians scattered across the world, which partly reflects the country's demography and youth. Many migrants send home remittances, and in some countries that far exceeds what their governments take in traditional donor aid. Migrants are

mostly young, working-age people, which can be a boon to countries like those in Europe where the native population is swiftly ageing.

Africans and Asians are seen to be the youngest of migrants. Migration can also roil domestic politics in the receiving countries, as the presidential campaign in the United States has already demonstrated, especially when it comes to the issue of Mexican migrants.

After India, Mexico has the second largest diaspora, with 12 million living abroad, the majority of them in the US.

Merkel faces flak for migrant policy post NYE's assaults German chancellor, Angela Merkel is facing an ultimatum from senior members of her Christian Democrat Union (CDU) Party, to get rid of her “open door” migration policy, as new figures have emerged, revealing a large inflow of migrants from north Africa into Germany, alleging to be refugees.

It is said that senior members of CDU and the Christian Social Union (CSU), will send Angela Merkel a confidential letter, which will ask the government to control national borders more severely as over 50,000 people have requested asylum in Germany, since early January. The letter allegedly threatened for a parliamentary vote to close Germany's borders if their demands were not met.

If the vote is conducted, this could not only be embarrassing for the chancellor, but it can also imperil her authority as current polls are not favourable to her. In a survey conducted by a pollster, INSA, 61% of those who participated in the survey have become less happy about accepting refugees since the New Year's Eve assaults; 63% believe there are already too many asylum-seekers in Germany, whereas only 29% evaluated Merkel's approach to handling the country posi-

German chancellor Angela Merkel tively.

This move comes after the sexual assault and thefts from hundreds of women on New Year's Eve, in Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city.

The attacks were carried out by a thousand young men who allegedly appeared to be of Arab or north African. Over 600 women made criminal complaints of sexual assault or theft in Cologne.

Although it was thought that the perpetrators were from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, groups of people have been taking their anger out on dark-skinned immigrants; men from Syria and Pakistan have faced revenge beatings from vigilante groups.

There was also a face-off between 1,700 anti-migrant

A pictorial leaflet is being issued at swimming pools, warning migrant men not to grope women demonstrators in Cologne, against 1,300 pro-migrant demonstrators, which had to be intervened by the police due to the outbreak.

One of the victims, Jamin, shared her horrifying experience of the assault. “It started off tame enough, touching my behind. Then I was surrounded, I felt helpless, I was in shock. It felt so foreign, I know this sounds weird but it did not seem like Germany.”

Due to the alarming attacks on women on New Year's Eve, and after incidents reported at 18 if Munich's public swimming pools, many swimming pools in Bavaria have started to issue a cartoon guide which warns migrant men not to grope women wearing bikinis.

The pictorial leaflet is printed in several languages such as French, Arabic,

Somali and Pashto. It also includes safety tips which emphasises the verbal and physical harassment of women.

While these leaflets are being issued at several public swimming pools, after receiving six complaints about “sexually offensive behaviour”, Bornheim went ahead and banned all male asylum seekers above the age of 18 from swimming pools.

Angela Merkel and her governing alliance have responded by promising that the offenders will “feel the full force of the law”, while also suggesting that more asylumseekers who commit crimes would be deported. However, not all of the offenders of the Cologne attacks has been identified, hence, not all can be prosecuted. Additionally, in a typical scenario in Germany, criminals are not deported when they receive a sentence of less than three years. The sexual offences which occurred fell short of rape and carried lighter penalties.

Post the Cologne attacks, on 12th January, interior minister, Thomas Maiziere, and the justice minister, Heiko Maas, stated that they would expand the meaning of rape as currently, an assault is not considered as rape unless the victim fights back.

WORLD Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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US administration assures Sikhs of security In Brief AsianVoiceNews

WASHINGTON: In a moving gesture, the Obama administration has assured American Sikhs of their safety and security amid the recent increase in threats and hate crimes against the Indian community. Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and the head of the Office of Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships office of the White House, Melissa Rogers visited a Gurdwara in Maryland to personally deliver the message.

Asserting that the US government stands with minority in America, Rogers also expressed empathy with the Sikh community over the recent incidents of violence against it and a reported case

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

of vandalism at a Los Angeles Gurdwara. “I want to offer our deepest condolences for some recent violence and attacks against Sikhs and Sikh institutions. These reports are of tremendous concern to us as they are to you. We feel a deep sense of loss for victims of these crimes,” she said as she

addressed the community at the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwara. Rogers said the incidents not only bring grief among the people who are being attacked and the associated communities, but they also threaten all as America draws strength from its diversity.

“We want you to know that we stand by you and we will continue to work until we stamp these incidents out.

Like you, we believe that attack on any faith is an attack on every faith,” Rogers said. “It is essential that all faith communities here and all over the world stand against hate motivated violence. We will continue to stand with you and we will continue to work to ensure that security and your civil constitutional rights are protected,” she added. “Sikh community has shown tremendous resilience in face of challenges and I am confident that you will triumph and we will be there with you to triumph over the current challenges that we face together.”

Sanctions against Iran lifted, India happy VIENNA: UN nuclear agency has certified that Iran has met all its commitments under last summer's landmark nuclear deal. The move lifts Western economic sanctions on Iran, that were in place for years, also unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and opening new opportunities for its battered economy.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and top diplomats of Iran and the European Union hailed the accord, reached after years of setbacks and a full decade after the start of international diplomacy aimed at reducing the possibility that Tehran could turn its nuclear programs to weapons making. “Today marks the first day of a safer world,” Kerry declared in Vienna. “This evening, we are really reminded once again of diplomacy's power to tackle significant challenges.” Kerry also linked the trust built

between both the countries over the past two years, to talks to the release of four Americans by Iran.

“Thanks to years of hard work and committed dialogue, we have made vital breakthroughs related to both the nuclear negotiations and a separate long-term diplomatic effort,” he said. EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini. in a statement also read in Farsi by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, said the accord “demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy, we can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.”

In Washington, US President Barack Obama signed executive orders lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Kerry confirmed that the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency could verify

that “Iran has fully implemented its required commitments.”

With the international nuclear sanctions lifted, India can finally resume its unrestricted import of oil from the country. Indian Oil Corp has said that the possibility of freely importing oil from Iran, to be paid in US dollars for now, comes at a time when global prices are expected to plummet further.

Iran is due to increase its export of 1.1 million barrels of oil per day by 500,000 soon, followed by a further 500,000 bpd later. The news has provoked the continuing fall in oil prices with UK Brent crude closing trade on Friday below $29 a barrel. Also marking a 13-year low, the price of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) basket of 12 crudes stood

Taiwan elects its first female president, angers China TAIPEI: In a landmark election, Taiwan has elected its first ever female president. Tsai Ing-wen, leader of opposition Democratic Progressive Party, won the presidency with 56.1 per cent of the vote, after eight years under the government of the pro-China Kuomintang or Nationalist Party. Nationalist Party candidate Eric Chu acknowledged his defeat and congratulated Ing-wen on her victory. Her supporters filled streets, waving party banners and cheering to victory announcements made from a stage. The election also marked the first time the KMT has lost control of the island's legislature. The DPP took 68 of 113 seats in Taiwan's parliament compared to the KMT's 35.

At a post-election news conference, Tsai underscored Taiwan's commitment to democracy, calling it a value “deeply engrained in the Taiwanese people.”

“Our democratic way of life is forever the resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people,” she said. She also acknowledged the tenuous relationship with Beijing, saying both sides “have a responsibility to do their utmost to find mutually acceptable ways to interact ... and ensure no provocation and no surprises.”

An editorial carried on China's official Xinhua news agency said there was "no denying that the DPP's return rule poses grave challenges to cross-strait

relations." And a statement from China's Taiwan Affairs Office quoted by Xinhua said it resolutely opposed "any form of secessionist activities seeking 'Taiwan independence.'" Tsai's DPP has traditionally leaned in favour of independence for the island from mainland China. That could anger Beijing, which views Taiwan as an integral part of its territory that is to be taken by force if necessary.

Beijing has missiles pointed at the island.

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at $25 a barrel on Friday, compared to $25.69 on the previous day, the organisation's secretariat said. Adding to investors' worries was the lack of signs that US shale oil producers would start to cut production in face of the plunging prices. With OPEC deciding last December against cutting output, traders are betting the cartel is less likely to cut output now to prevent easy passage of Iranian crude into the market, particularly at a time of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

23

Lord Hanuman part of Obama's lucky charm

LONDON: Always a charmer, United States President Barack Obama revealed in a recent interview with a Youtube vlogger that he carries a selection of lucky charms and religious trinkets along with a statue of Monkey God Lord Hanuman in his pocket. He said he is not a superstitious person, but carries around the lucky charms all the time. He said these trinkets remind him of all the different people that he has met along the way with their hopes and dreams from him. Rosary beads from Pope Francis, a lucky poker chip from a biker in Iowa, a little Buddha from a Buddhist monk and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia are a part of his lucky charm collection.

Jailed former Maldives leader in UK for surgery

MALE: Jailed Maldivian opposition leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed finally left the country for urgent medical treatment in Britain after his departure was delayed following legal dispute with the government. Finally the deal was brokered by diplomats from neighbouring India and Sri Lanka as well as former colonial power Britain, with the help of his lawyer, Amal Clooney.

Al-Shabaab raid ‘killed 100 Kenyan troops’

NAIROBI: Al-Shabaab militants claimed to have killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers and taken many others as prisoners when they raided a base in El Adde, close to the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia. Kenyan officials refused to give any details of the casualties in Friday’s dawn assault. Speaking at Wilson airport in Nairobi as wounded soldiers were airlifted home, General Samson Mwathethe, chief of Kenya’s defence forces, admitted that the insurgents had taken prisoners but he refused to say how many.

24

INDIA

www.asian-voice.com

Dalit student's suicide: minister, VC booked Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

HYDERABAD: Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and four others, including the vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, were booked on the charge of abetting the suicide of a Dalit research scholar of the university amidst opposition demand that the BJP leader be sacked immediately from the council of ministers.

Amid protests at the university in Hyderabad and in Delhi, Union HRD minister Smriti Irani sent a two-member committee to ascertain facts about the suicide by Rohith Vemula. The 26-yearold had hanged himself in a hostel room on Sunday after

Rohith Vemula desperate pleas to reverse a varsity decision to expel him and four other Dalit students from the hostel and common areas failed to evoke any response.

Karunanidhi appears in court amidst high drama CHENNAI: The court room in Chennai saw some real life drama as DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi made a political spectacle of a defamation case filed against him by the Tamil Nadu government. Judge N Authinathan took no more than a minute to acknowledge the 92 year old leaders' personal appearance, and adjourned the case to March 10 for further hearing.

However, a crowd had already gathered, both inside and outside the court hall and started raising slogans, giving a tough time to the police.

The case is over a statement issued by Karunanidhi asking as to what his rival and chief minister Jayalalithaa had achieved in four years of power. The politico turned his appearance into an event, ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Though this lawyers had suggested that as usual his defamation complaint too could be challenged in the high court and pro-

M Karunanidhi ceedings could be stayed, he preferred to appear in court in person. The 'special appearance' was a publicity stunt by the DMK to draw attention to, what it calls, the persecution of the ruling party's critics and political rivals. Emerging from the court, the DMK chief told reporters that defamation cases were being filed for anything said about the state government.

He also said even the Supreme Court had recently indicated that initiating so many defamation cases was not the right attitude. “I have nothing new to say. Justice will prevail, and people should unite for justice,” he said.

Dera chief in soup over dressing up as Lord Vishnu CHANDIGARH: Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus by dressing up as Lord Vishnu and the All India Hindu Student Federation has filed a complaint against him with the Mohali police.

The self- styled godman can be seen descending from the sky as Lord Vishnu, a gimmick that left federation activists fuming. While cops are yet to register an FIR in Zirakpur, student leaders have threatened to move the court if action is not taken against Gurmeet Ram Rahim. “We will not tolerate Gurmeet Ram Rahim insulting our gods and gurus. He first insulted Guru Gobind Singh ji and is now seen as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in one of the videos.

What is this? He got TV actor Kiku Sharda arrested just for mimicking him after which the police arrested the actor immediately. We gave a complaint to the Zirakpur police station,

Gurmeet Ram Rahim which is hesitating to register a case against him. We will move the court if the case is not registered immediately,” Nishant Sharma, president of the All India Hindu Student Federation, said. Police officials, however, confirmed having received a complaint but refused to comment. Sources say the government may not be keen to take action against the baba due to the upcoming elections in the state as the selfstyled godman has a strong support base in Doaba region of Punjab. “We have received the complaint but the jurisdiction lies where the video was shot. The complaint should be registered where the video was shot,” said Deep Inder Singh, SHO, Zirakpur (Mohali).

Besides Dattatreya, the police booked vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, BJP legislator Ramachandra Rao and two student leaders of the university under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act even as a company of 200 Rapid Force Action personnel battled student groups protesting the suicide on campus. The police registered a criminal case against Dattatreya and others following separate complaints from the warden of the hostel and a student, Prashanth, who was among those expelled.

In his complaint, Prashanth blamed Dattatreya for “forcing” Vemula to end

his life. Vemula and his fellow research scholars, all members of a Dalit group, were expelled in December last year for an alleged brawl with activists from the rival Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad over the July hanging of Yakub Memon in the Mumbai blast case.

A probe into the incident by the proctorial board in August last year, however, gave a clean chit to Vemula and his colleagues. It was at this juncture that Dattatreya stepped in and wrote a letter to Irani, describing the university as a den of “casteist, extremist and anti-national politics.”

Karnataka CM 'caught' slapping official BALLARI (KARNATAKA): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has landed himself in a row after video footage showing him appearing to slap a person went viral.

Rejecting media reports, the CM said he had not slapped any official and some electronic media were carrying out “false” propaganda against him.

The video showing Siddaramaiah lose his cool and raise his hand against a person, went viral as TV channels aired it, identifying the purported victim as Ballari Corporation Commissioner P G Ramesh, who has maintained it was not him.

The Chief Minister appeared to have slapped the person who came in his way in the midst of an enthusiastic crowd in Ballari but he and Ramesh said the reports were false. The video shows Siddaramaiah surrounded by his security personnel and supporters accepting greetings from the people and he

Siddaramaiah suddenly loses his cool and raises his hand against a person saying “make way” angrily, as the crowd jostled to shake hands with him. Only the back of the person, who was allegedly slapped, is seen in the footage. Siddharamaiah took to the social media to clarify his position.

In a post on the CM's official Facebook account, Siddaramaiah said “the news that is being telecast by some media channels that the Chief Minister has slapped an officer at the inauguration of Valmiki Bhavan in Ballari has surprised and saddened me.

Through this, I would like to inform the people of the state that I have not slapped any officer.”

Chandigarh to get quake warning system CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh is set to get an earthquake warning system, which will be installed at the New Haryana Secretariat in Sector 17. It will sound an alert around 30 seconds before an earthquake.

German company Secty Electronics Gmbh, in collaboration with German Geo Research Centre (GFZ) has developed this system. An alert will be sounded when the sensors catch the vibrations of the P-wave or primary wave in the zone where an earthquake will take place.

The P-waves are the first waves of an earthquake to arrive on a seismograph.

These are followed by surface waves. The system was assembled on the basis of research conducted by GFZ on earthquakes in the last 100 years. Chandigarh is in seismic zone IV, making it prone

to earthquakes.

The sensors of the device are also capable of sensing the magnitude of the earthquake, which if greater than level 6 on the reading scale, will sound an alarm indicating that the earthquake will be destructive. The system comes with speakers, which increases the range of the alarm. The device helps in blocking and shutting down of gas pipelines, nuclear supplies, water supplies, etc. In case of leakage in a pipeline, supply to the pipeline is stopped and can only be resumed through a code. The cost of the device is between Rs 1200,000 and 1400,000.

In Brief

AsianVoiceNews

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Professor, associate arrested for alleged drug peddling

BENGALURU: A maths professor and his associate have been arrested by the Bengaluru police for alleged drug peddling and ephedrine and cobra venom were seized from them.

Jameer Ahmed, 47, a lecturer at IRM degree college in Kuppan, and his associate Pyarejan, 70, have been booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at Hennur police station in East Bengaluru. Officials from the special inquiry squad of the Central Crime Branch said they received information that two people were trying to sell narcotics near Nagawara and they were nabbed before they succeeded in their attempt. “We have seized 320 gm of ephedrine, 400 ml of cobra venom and two cellphones, worth nearly Rs 700,000, from the accused.

Further investigations are on,” an official of the Central Crime Branch said.

YSR Congress MP arrested

CHITTOR (ANDHRA PRADESH): Chittor police have registered a case against YSR Congress Party MP from Rajampet, P V Mithun Reddy, for assaulting an Air India official last November at Renigunta Airport. The MP and members of his family manhandled, slapped and assaulted Air India station manager K Rajasekhar after the AI staff refused them boarding passes as their flight was already closed. The manager, in the police complaint stated that the MP was scheduled to catch an AI flight, but reached the airport several minutes late. The airline had also lodged a complaint along with the AI station manager, at the Yerpedu police station and an investigation was started based on CCTV footage.

Anticipating trouble, six YSRCP MLAs were detained as a precaution ahead of the arrest of Mithun Reddy.

Guinness Record for Amritsar

AMRITSAR: A striking dance performance by 8,726 students of 40 schools in Amritsar, preaching against the use of drugs, has put the district in the Guinness Book of World Records. Amritsar district administration has received notification informing that the largest Bollywood dance performance of students held at local Khalsa College has secured entry in the Book. Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, the man behind the initiative, officially announce that the students used song and dance as a medium to spread the message against drugs, and that nearly 9,000 school students were overwhelmed by the achievement. An earlier record was held by 4,428 people in Mumbai, who performed on 'Dance India Dance' in 2012.

Manpreet Badal's Party merges with Cong

CHANDIGARH: Running out of options, the People's Party of Punjab, headed by Manpreet Singh Badal, has merged his political outfit with the Congress. The PPP failed to make the cut in the 2012 elections with not a single MLA elected to the assembly, including Manpreet, who lost badly in the two constituencies he had contested. Nowhere to go with the 2017 elections hovering over his head, he initiated talks with Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh, soon after he took over. However, his close aide, Gurpreet Singh Bhatti persuaded him to join the AAP. As he faced stiff resistance from leaders of the Kejri-party, he was forced to join Congress. He unwillingly relented to merge with the national party and accept 4-5 tickets for himself and his supporters.

SP to undergo lie detector test

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police SP Salwinder Singh, who was allegedly kidnapped by terrorists before they attacked the Pathankot air base, will undergo a polygraph, or lie-detection, test next week as part of the investigations of the attack. “We will seek court orders for his polygraph test,” an NIA officer said. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar met with top officers from their departments to discuss the “takeaways” from the Pathankot incident.

UK Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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25

Rhodes legacy must fall, not his statue AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Anand Pillai

The worst thing that had happened to India postIndependence was the Internal Emergency imposed by Mrs Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975.

She signed her own death warrant by sanctioning the Blue Star Operation – the codename for the Army raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab) to flush out Sikh separatists (hiding in it) who had been demanding an independent homeland called Khalistan.

The Sikhs were deeply hurt by her decision to storm the Golden Temple.

Her son Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India when the Sikh massacre took place (November 1-3, 1984) in Delhi. The state pogrom against the Sikhs – to avenge the killing of Mrs Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards – was carried out right under the nose of Rajiv Gandhi. He didn’t do enough to stop the carnage. On the contrary, he justified the threeday horror by making a controversial statement saying, “When a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake.”

Now, despite these unpardonable incidents, both Indira and Rajiv are revered figures in India.

They have been criticised, but never written off even by the worst critics. The reason is – these incidents don’t sum up their whole story, rather they are only a few scenes of the entire episode. They have done some good work also.

People in India remember that and have given the duo their due by immortalising them in statues across the country.

Hitherto, no one has ever protested for erecting their statues or campaigned for removing them.

On the contrary, there are reputed educational institutes in their name like Indira Gandhi National Open University (New Delhi), Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (Karnataka), to name a few.

The mother-son duo paid a heavy price for their misdeeds. Both had violent deaths, ultimately. But Indians – though never condoned their wrongdoings – had only sympathy for them and mourned their loss.

These two Indian leaders were no less evil than Cecil Rhodes. Both were power hungry and did their utmost to remain in power and decimated anyone who came in their way. Perhaps they were never seen or perceived as someone with an evil bent of mind. Also, they were never called racist or imperialist – which are strong words and make headlines. And that’s where Cecil Rhodes becomes a bigger villain relatively.

Well, I completely agree that Indira-Rajiv cannot be compared with Rhodes.

They had done many a good work for India, but no one can deny that they too had their share of wrongdoings. And I cannot look the other way.

However, their wrongdoings should not pave the way for the removal of their statues in India.

Similarly, Rhodes may have played a significant role in the colonisation of Africa, he cannot be admired in an ideal world, but calling for the removal of his statue in Oxford does not serve any purpose.

Instead of his statue, his legacy should fall.

Oxford should not condone his actions. If there is racism in Oxford, that should be dealt with firmly.

We should recognise our past and must not cover up

the history that we are not proud of. No need to rewrite the history. If there is a bad chapter in history – learn from it, rather than pretend that there was no such thing in the past.

Instead of #Rhodesmustfall campaign, we should fight for a just and sound education system. If the statue is an emblem of his dubious past, then it is also a symbol of his financial largesee.

The Rhodes Scholarships have allowed 8,000 students from around the world to study at Oxford, including former US President Bill Clinton and former Australian PM Tony Abbott.

Rather than removing the statue, it is far better we remember and learn from what the statue represents.

Otherwise, by the same logic, we should demolish Auschwitz as well. Nearly one million Jews were killed by the Nazi Germany in the concentration camp during the World War II. The #Rhodesmustfall campaigners are right when they say Rhodes was a racist and imperialist and held views that would tore him apart today. But removing his statue would not absolve him of his wrongdoings.

Tony Abbott, exAustralian PM, who is a Rhodes Scholar, claimed it would ‘damage the university’s standing’ if it were to remove the monument.

The former Australian Prime Minister told The Independent: ‘Rhodes was a man of his times. We can lament that he failed to oppose unjust features of society while celebrating

the genius that led to the scholarships.”

Historic England, which protects listed buildings, said ancient structures help people to ‘understand and debate’ the past even if they sometimes bring up ‘uncomfortable truths’. Forcefully removing such statues can be compared to the destructive actions of Islamic State or the Taliban destroying Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan when the militant group held sway in the war-torn country. Today IS is destroying ancient sites in Syria.

The Rhodes statue was installed in 1906 in recognition of the vast sums he donated to the university.

Many foreign students have since benefited by studying at Oxford on Rhodes Scholarships.

Rhodes was a famous imperialist, and Rhodesia – now Zambia and Zimbabwe – was named after him. However campaigners say he paved the way to apartheid by introducing discriminatory laws in southern Africa.

For students, keeping Rhodes statue is like putting him on a pedestal, which alludes to approving his legacy.

Inspired by a popular movement that forced the removal of a statue of Rhodes at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, campaigners now have been asking Oriel College at Oxford to do the same.

By the way, Oriel College at Oxford has agreed to remove a plaque featuring a bust of Rhodes and to a six-month “listening exercise” from February on whether to remove the

statue. It will seek views and ideas of students and staff of the college and the University, alumni, heritage bodies, Oxford City Council, residents of Oxford and other members of the public.

The college said Rhodes’s values “stand in absolute contrast to the ethos of the scholarship programme today and to the values of a modern University”.

However, Chris Patten, Oxford’s Chancellor, spoke against removing the Rhodes statue. “Our history is not a blank page on which we can write our own version of what it should have been, according to our contemporary views and prejudices,” he said.

Patten told BBC Radio 4 that Oxford should welcome debate on historical issues, no matter how uncomfortable, but that taking aim at physical monuments was the wrong way to go.

“Our cities are full of buildings that were built with the proceeds of activities, the slave trade and so on, which would nowadays be regarded as completely unacceptable,” he said.

He asked rhetorically what should be done about Trinity College in Cambridge, which was founded by King Henry VIII, who had two of his six wives executed.

Rhodes was a Victorian-era tycoon and politician who founded the De Beers diamond company, created Rhodesia and is seen as a founding father of South Africa.

Revered by some and reviled by others as a racist, his legacy remains contro-

versial 100 years after his death – including Oxford’s Rhodes scholarship, which boasts many high-profile recipients.

A student at Oriel in his youth, Rhodes left the college money when he died, which helped fund the construction of the building where his statue stands on the facade.

One letter writer to the Daily Telegraph argued: “The trouble is that almost every person of that era held opinions that were commonplace at the time but are at odds with modern thinking. Taken to its extreme, this approach would lead to the eradication of almost every building and statue commemorating notable figures of the past, including the Albert Memorial and Nelson’s Column.”

Ironically, the main man behind the #Rhodesmustfall campaign, South African Ntokozo Qwabe, was himself named a Rhodes Scholar last year.

However, he has defended himself against charges of hypocrisy – saying that he is taking back some of the money that Rhodes took from Africa.

“I’m no beneficiary of Rhodes. I’m a beneficiary of the resources and labour of my people which Rhodes pillaged and slaved,” he wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, students at a second Oxford college have joined a campaign to whitewash the legacy of Cecil Rhodes.

Undergraduates at University College have voted to change the name of its Rhodes computer room.

The room at University College, where former US President Bill Clinton studied under a Rhodes scholarship, was not named directly after Rhodes but to reflect the generosity of former scholars who paid for the computer suite more than 30 years ago. A final decision on whether it is renamed will be taken by the college rather than its undergraduate body.

Anglo-Indian writers unfurl the final curtain CTR Books, a US-based publishing enterprise dedicated to promoting AngloIndian heritage and culture, has just released its eighth and final paperback – titled "Curtain Call Anglo-Indian Reflections" flagged as one of the most exciting projects to roll off its presses.

Edited by eminent Anglo-Indian professors Kathy Cassity and Rochelle Almeida, the book features the work of Anglo-Indian and Indian authors, both new and established, spanning the varied experiences of a little-known mixedrace community which had

its beginnings during the British Raj in India when white-settler Britishers,

missing the presence of British females, married Indian women.

Anglo-Indians are totally British in outlook, their mother tongue is English and they follow the Christian faith. They have British as well as French, Dutch and Portuguese surnames, reflecting the various European nations that occupied India at different periods in the subcontinent’s colourful history. At its peak, the Anglo-Indian community numbered around 500,000 and when India became independent in 1947 most migrated to Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and elsewhere, with around 200,000 still in India

today.

Publisher and philanthropist Blair Williams, a New Jersey-based AngloIndian businessman, runs CTR (Calcutta Tiljallah Relief) a registered "not for profit" charity he set up in 1999 to help alleviate India's Anglo-Indians from financial distress. He started publishing books in 2002 with one penned by himself entitled "AngloIndians Vanishing Remnants of a Bygone Era", because he felt that the community had been "grossly stereotyped" in the past. He wanted to set the record straight by issuing

books written by AngloIndian and other writers who "really knew our community". He said the final book contained "excellent stories, memoirs and reflections" like all the other books he has published.

Williams added: "Our books not only make interesting reading but buyers also get to help less fortunate people as the gross proceeds of all books bought go to helping India's Anglo-Indians. We provide monthly sums to over 250 seniors and finance the education of the community's children."

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INDIA

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India, Pak Foreign Secy-level talks rescheduled Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

The much-awaited foreign secretary level talks between India and Pakistan have been rescheduled as New Delhi wants to wait and watch developments amid reports of detention of Jaish-eMohammad chief Masood Azhar. Sources say both the neighbouring countries have mutually agreed to hold the talks later. They have agreed to hold them in the “very near future”, as “there is no point in delaying the talks indefinitely as that will be counter-productive.”

It was also said that Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary was “not surprised” when Indian counterpart S Jaishankar suggested the meeting be delayed, he in fact, agreed to the change.

The telephone conversation between Jaishankar and Chaudhary took place shortly after National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval returned from Paris and briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his “assessment” of the action taken by the Pakistan government. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Jaishankar joined the meeting, where they discussed the options

sage under which they were working,” said sources. Officials stressed that much will depend on the action taken by Pakistan in the coming days and whether Delhi will be convinced. Sources said that India has sought copies of FIRs and sections or laws under which the Jaish-e-Muhammad members have been apprehended. “Pakistan has been asked to provide documentary and supporting evidence, including their photos in custody, to substantiate their statements and claims of action.”

Without concrete cases against the individuals linked to the terrorist attack in Pathankot, it will be difficult for the govern-

ahead. While a later date has not been finalised, both the sides are under deliberation. Pakistan government sources said Chaudhary is busy with the Q u a d r i l a t e r a l Coordination Group meeting on Afghanistan, which includes China and the US, till January 18. “A date after January 20 will be suitable,” a source in Islamabad said.

“Since Doval and Pakistan’s NSA Nasser Khan Janjua were in touch over the last two weeks, he had a clear idea of the action being taken on the ground,” the source continued. “PM’s message to Doval and Jaishankar was clear: trust but verify. That was the underlying mes-

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ment to send the Foreign Secretary to Islamabad.

However, the meeting between the Foreign Secretaries will not be linked to the visit of Pakistan's Special Investigation Team. “It has been decided that the two things will be kept separate, and will not influence each other,” officials said.

Many also feel the NSAlevel talks should not be announced before it takes place. “The template being considered is the manner in which the NSAs met in Bangkok, without any prior information or announcement. That meeting was held without any pressure or external influences of public opinion, and is considered to be a successful model for future interaction.”

Pak detains JeM chief Masood Azhar In a major step to address Indian concerns, Pakistan has announced the arrest of several Jaish-eMohammad members believed responsible for the January 2 attack. Reports said that JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rehman Rauf have also been detained.

Officials said Azhar, the dreaded terrorist and two other terrorists who were released from an Indian prison in 1999 in exchange for release of 155 passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane, has been taken into protective custody after raids on several JeM offices.

An official Pakistani statement said Jaish offices were being traced and sealed. “Further investigations are underway,” a statement issued after a high level meeting chaired

by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif which was also attended by the country’s Army chief Raheel Sharif, said.

In order to conduct further investigations into the incident, Pakistan was also thinking of sending a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to Pathankot in consultation with the Government of India. The reports also said that several seminaries run by JeM have been closed down.

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Obituary: Mohsin Ali (1923 to 2015) - A Journalist Par Excellence The most remarkable thing about him is there isn’t anything unremarkable about him.

A journalist of repute, fighter pilot to the core and an OBE, Mohsin Ali was efficiency and aristocracy personified.

Born in Dehradun (now in Uttarkhand) on October 9, 1923, in an elite Muslim family, Mohsin Ali was descended from a line of Indian nobility in Aligarh state, north of New Delhi, where his great grandfather Sir Syed Ahmed Khan – who helped to lay the foundations of modern higher education in India – founded Aligarh University. His grandfather was the Nawab Mohammed Ali and his father had been minister of transport in the last days of the raj. His grand uncle was Sir Ross Masood, a leading educationist to whom E M Forster dedicated his classic novel A Passage to India.

Mohsin Ali studied in Doon School, an elite private school that the British had set up along the lines of Harrow. At 18 Ali was recruited into the Indian Air Force and trained as a fighter pilot at the Empire Flying School near Ottawa (Canada) with 23 other officer cadets. He was assigned to a Hurricane squadron and saw action on the Burma front (World War II). Only three of his fellow flying school cadets survived.

“Pray, how did we come out alive?” he asked later. “The Lord had mercy on us.”

Mohsin Ali joined Reuters in 1948 and, as diplomatic correspondent and later diplomatic editor, covered most of the big East-West conferences and summits; the Korea, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam peace talks; disarmament, nuclear test ban and non-proliferation negotiations, meetings of NATO foreign and defence ministers, Commonwealth conferences and the UN General Assembly.

Mohsin Ali was famous for being able to produce from his pocket a copy of diplomatic communiqués before their official release.

In Geneva in 1961, he met Dolores Gregory, a southern belle and American civil servant working for the World Health Organisation. They married in 1978, and she survives him.

On his retirement in 1980 he was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to international journalism.

Former British Prime Minister James Callaghan

wrote to him: “When I think of Reuters, I think of Mohsin Ali and I feel sad that in a week or two this will no longer be true…

This, together with your many kindnesses to me and my staff, has made your name synonymous with the reputation of that great agency for which you have worked so faithfully.”

After retirement Mohsin Ali moved to America and became a US citizen. He offered his experience to The Times as a part-time correspondent covering defence and diplomacy. He covered the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Congress. He appeared on TV programmes about world affairs and gave lectures about diplomacy and his long experience reporting on international statesmen. At the time he lived in Washington. Eventually, he retired again, this time to Pinehurst in North Carolina.

He held two leaders in high regard – Chou En-lai, China's prime minister and foreign minister, and Charles de Gaulle, French president, who, according to him, were the two most incorruptible and principled leaders of his time.

In one of his lectures, Mohsin Ali told his American audience: “An old journalist like myself should hesitate before criticising the present media generation. However, one cannot escape the suspicion that many now join the profession for the ultimate glamour of becoming TV stars, unlike predecessors who joined what was previously one of the less sought-after and prestigious of professions.”

Mohsin Ali was fascinated by eastern mysticism. He was much attracted by Sufi thought as well as Buddhism. He would advise his friends to follow moderation, or the middle path of Buddha in life.

Despite his blue-blooded upbringing and pedigree, Mohsin Ali remained a humble and down-toearth man.

Mohsin Ali died in North Carolina on 16 December, 2015, at the age of 92. He remained fit and spry into old age. “Nothing in this life matters as along as you have your health,” he used to say.

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Modi unveils new steps to boost start-ups FOOD

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a number steps, ranging from tax waiver for three years, ending inspector raj and a mega fund to help boost the start-ups. After a day-long event, Modi said that the government would only play the role of a facilitator and not burden entrepreneurs with complicated compliance requirements.

“If the government doesn't do anything, so much will happen. We have done a lot for 70 years.

Where have we reached?

Please tell us what not to do.

If we decide not do anything, they (entrepreneurs) will take us places,” Modi said at a jam-packed Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Modi had announced the Start Up India campaign in his Independence Day speech last year to accelerate the pace of creating jobs at a time when employment growth in the government and the brick-and-mortar economy remained slow. On Saturday, Modi who shared the dais with prominent names from Indian startups as well as global giants such as Uber founder Travis Kalanick and SoftBank chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son - put in place the first building blocks, by defining a startups and detailing the action plan to help these businesses grow. To begin with, any entity which has been

FITNESS

around for less than five years and has a turnover of less than £2.5 million qualifies to be defined as a startup, provided it is working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercial of new products, process or services that are driven by technology or intellectual property. If a company clears the test conducted by a government board, it will be entitled to several benefits including a three-year income tax holiday. In addition, the government announced capital gains tax benefits. Although the plan has been unveiled some of the measures can only be implemented after the budget is cleared by Parliament.

The policy recognises the potential that start-ups can play in the

LIFESTYLE

coming years after a recent spurt which saw the number of in the technology space jump over nine times from 501 entities in 2010 to over 4,500 last year. The increase has come with the rise of Flipkart, Snapdeal, Ola Cabs and Paytm, which have become household names and attracted huge investor interest. Currently, Indian entrepreneurs depend on overseas investors for over 90% of the funding, which has been a major area of concern.The government sought to address this partly through a £1 billion fund and a £200 million credit guarantee fund. While the corpus was seen to be s m a l l ,

Signs of heart attack women should know

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tudies show heart attacks and heart disease are underdiagnosed in women, as their symptoms do not match that of men. To prevent a heart attack from sneaking up on you, watch for these seven littleknown signs of heart attack: Fatigue: More than 70 per cent of women reported extreme fatigue in the months prior to their heart attacks. This was an overwhelming fatigue that sidelined them from their usual schedules for a few days at a time.

Insomnia: Despite their fatigue, women who've had heart attacks remember experiencing unexplained inability to fall asleep during the month before their heart attacks.

To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement it. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

Anxiety and stress: Stress has long been known to up the risk of heart attack. But what women report is the emotional experience; before their heart attacks they felt anxious and stressed, more than usual.

Indigestion or nausea: Stomach pain, intestinal cramps, nausea, and digestive disruptions are other signs reported by women heart attack patients.

Shortness of breath: Women couldn't catch their breath while walking up the stairs or doing other daily tasks.

Flu-like symptoms:

Clammy, sweaty skin, along with feeling lightheaded and weak, can lead women to wonder if they have flu when, in fact, they're having a heart attack.

Jaw, ear, neck, or shoulder pain: Many women say they felt pain and a sensation of tightness running along their jaw and down the neck, and sometimes up to the ear, as well. The pain may extend down to the shoulder and arm - particularly on the left side - or it may feel like a backache or pulled muscle in the neck and back.

HEALTH - INDIA

industrial promotion and policy secretary Amitabh Kant said that the steps announced were just the beginning.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the scheme would ensure minimum interference from the government with attractive tax incentives. “StartUp India will change conventions. Government will merely be a facilitator for start-ups,” the minister said addressed the inaugural session. “We ostensibly broke away from the license raj in 1991, conceived with idea that government will d e c i d e which businesses can r u n , ” Jaitley said.

“Our effort in last few years has been to restrict role of the state in policy domain," he said, assuring Start-Up India scheme will follow that path.

Commerce and I n d u s t r y M i n i s t e r N i r m a l a Sitharaman said the government now looks forward to engage with entrepreneurs to remove “all the burdensome regulations for start-ups.”

Working over 8 hours a day raises stroke risk Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week.

It clearly shows that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke.

In the study, data from 25 studies involving 6,03,838 men and women from Europe, USA and Australia were looked into, with each of them studied for nearly nine years.

The study was carried out by Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London.

27

| Asian Voice | 23rd January 2015

www.asian-voice.com

What exactly is Diabetes?

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iabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity are among the most concerning health conditions found today.

What exactly is diabetes?

Often referred to as diabetes mellitus, diabetes is nothing but a group of metabolic disorders where the individual has high blood sugar levels. This happens due to two possible reasons – the production of insulin in the body of the individual may be inadequate, or the individual’s body may not respond properly to insulin, or possibly even both. Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin is responsible for around 90% of all the cases of the disease worldwide.

Who should get tested for diabetes?

There are several risk factors involved, which may raise the risk of diabetes in an individual. If you fall under any of the following categories, you may consider getting yourself tested for the disease.

You are overweight: Being obese or overweight could put you at a huge risk of being affected by diabetes. It has been found that being overweight tends to cause the body to release certain chemicals that destabilize the body’s cardiovascular and metabolic systems, which in turn, raises the risk of diabetes.

Someone from your fam-

ily is diabetic: Having a family history of diabetes can put one at a much higher risk of being affected by the condition.

You belong to a particular region: People of the Middle Eastern, South Asian or African descent are thought to have a higher risk of developing the disease.

You are inactive: Living a sedentary lifestyle is thought to put one at a higher risk of being overweight, and therefore, more likely to fall prey to diabetes.

You follow an unhealthy lifestyle: Those following an unhealthy lifestyle - minimal physical activity, alcohol and nicotine addictions and consumption of unhealthy foods are thought to be at a higher risk of the disease. In fact, a recent study has revealed how an individual consuming just one can of soda a day can be at an increased risk of being affected by the condition.

You have low testosterone levels: Several studies have found that men having lower levels of the hormone testosterone are more likely to be affected by type 2 diabetes.

If you do fall under any of the above categories, you may need to get yourself checked for diabetes.

Diabetes is usually diagnosed by the FPG (fasting plasma glucose) test.

Sadly, diabetes is a health condition that has no cure - it can only be managed by a proper approach.

Foods that give you a glowing skin

Here's how you can get a glowing skin Tofu: Known to be a good source of proteins, unsaturated fats, calcium, antioxidants and minerals, tofu is great for your skin.

It's best eaten stir-fried so you don't have to worry about cooking it thoroughly.

Also, what's great is that you don't have to be worried if you are lactose intolerant.

Brown rice: Steady blood sugar levels and healthy skin is related, it regulates the sugar levels in your body, thereby making your skin smoother and softer. Rich in vitamin B, minerals and antioxidants, brown rice improves your overall health,

N

which in turn makes your skin healthier too.

Nuts: A rich source of vitamin E, nuts are actually good for your overall health.

Nuts help reduce scars, blemishes and acne as well.

They increase the white blood cells in your body and strengthens your immunity as well.

Garlic: The benefit of garlic was known only to reduce joint pain. However, garlic boosts your skin a great deal too. It kills the harmful bacteria in your blood and also eliminates any virus present in your body. This in turn, makes your skin healthy and glowing.

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28

Shruti Haasan to team up with her father in new film

Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

AsianVoiceNews

Manisha Koirala to make a comeback with Tamil film

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a n i s h a Koirala will soon be making a comeback in films, with a role in National Award-winning filmmaker Bala's new Tamil multistarrer project. The yet-untitled project is reported to go on floors starting July.

“The film so far features Vishal, Atharvaa, Arya, Arvind Swamy, and Manisha. The makers are also in talks with Anushka Shetty,” said a source. The film is rumoured to be titled 'Kutra Paramparai', and will be produced by Bala's home banner B Studios. “The project was supposed to go on the floors much earlier.

However, due to the delay in the release of Bala's forthcoming film 'Tharai Thappattai', this project was postponed,” the source added.

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ather-daughter duo Shruti Haasan and Kamal Haasan will soon play their real life roles in reel life in an yet-untitled Tamil project, which is expected to hit the floors very soon. The film, which for the first time the two are teaming up, will be directed by veteran Malayalam filmmaker TK Rajeev Kumar. “Contrary to the rumours, Kamal and his daughter are not coming together for upcoming Tamil comedy 'Appa Amma Vilayattu.' This is a different project altogether and it will feature Shruti as Kamal’s daughter,” said a source close to Haasan. “Since Kamal was already in talks with Rajeev for Appa Ammaa, he brought him on board to direct this film, which will feature his script. Kamal has been working on this script for a long time. “The rest of the lead cast will be finalized in a couple of weeks,” the source said, adding the team plans to go on the floors by this month end.” Kamal is in talks with maestro Ilayaraja to compose the music for the film. “In about a week’s time, both Ilayaraja and Shruti will officially be part of the project,” the source added. The film will be shot in the US, where Haasan is currently finalising the locations.

‘Nannaku Prematho’ rakes in over £3 mn in three days

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elugu drama 'Nannaku Prematho', an emotional drama between a father and son, has grossed over £3 million worldwide, in the first three days since its release. Trade analyst Trinath said, “Despite mixed reviews, the film managed to collect over £3 million in the first three days worldwide. It is

expected to gross over £5 million in the opening weekend.” The film is inching pretty close to the $ 1 million mark in the US. One of the overseas distributor of the movie, Sanjay, said, “It has raked in over £400,000 in just two days. It's performing extremely well and is running to packed houses.”

Priya Mani follows Kajal Aggarwal

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e r e days after it was reported that actress Kajal Aggarwal will make her singing debut with the P u n e e t h Rajkumar starrer Kannada film 'Chakravuha', National Award winning actress Priya Mani will soon be following suit. The actress who has acted in different Kannada films, will make her singing debut in Kannada film 'Devravne Budu Guru' in which her friend Akul Balaji plays the lead role.

'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum'

Danseuse Rinil Routh forays into Bollywood

M 'Airlift'

A story that revolves around the time India evacuated Indians during the KuwaitIraq war, 'Airlift' packs a punch with superstar Akshay

Kumar in the lead. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the movie also features actress Nimrat Kaur as the female protagonist.

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'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum' is an adult comedy featuring Tushar Kapoor, Aftab Shivadasani and Mandana Karimi in the lead.

ulti-talented artiste, Rinil Routh will step into Bollywood with writerdirector-producer Vivek Kumar's upcoming 'Rhythm'. The New Yorkbased actor who is trained in different dance forms, will play the female lead Avantika, who is a dancer in the film. Kumar said, “I chose her because she had all the qualities that I want-

ed for Avantika's character.

Rinil is a true Indian at heart. As she is from New York, she has the right attitude that was required for the role. Apart from being a fantastic actor, she is a trained dancer. Since my film is based in an international university, I wanted artistes, who were from different parts of the world, so that their characters in the film looked authentic.”

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Ranbir and Katrina are no longer a couple

I

t's official now! RanbirKatrina are no longer a couple and there is no reconciliation for now. A source very close to the Kapoor family confirmed that while the actor has moved back in with his parents two days ago, Katrina remains in their terrace apartment by herself.

Just recently, Kat had surprised everyone by attending the annual Christmas luncheon hosted by Ranbir's granduncle Shashi Kapoor, and posing with Ranbir for the paparazzi. This came just weeks before she had admitted she was not too close to the Kapoors. She had also added that she planned to hang out with them more as “family would be a defining factor when I make the decision to marry.”

While the media

was quick to point their fingers at ex Deepika Padukone, who recently did 'Tamasha' with the actor, it is known for fact that she's currently committed to making her relationship with Ranveer work. One of the biggest known reasons is Ranbir's non commitment on planning a wedding. A common friend said that RK would develop cold feet every time the subject came up. Also, each time they fought, the only way Katrina agreed to give this another chance was on his promise that there would be a wedding. Well, while both the actors retreat into their holes licking their wounds, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope they make up and we see a major Bollywoodishtyle ceremony.

Ranveer, Deepika win the Filmfare best actor and actress awards

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t was a night of glitter and glam as the celebrities walked down the red carpet in their best. The 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards 2015 ended as actors Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone took home trophies for the Best Actor and Best Actress category.

Ranveer bagged the award for his outstanding performance as Peshwa Bajirao I in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama, and Deepika took home the trophy for breathing

life into the title character of the Shoojit Sircar directorial, 'Piku'. Accepting the award, Deepika said, “I dedicate the award to my parents. Thank you Shoojit sir.” Dippy even read out an emotional letter that her dad addressed to her. Ranveer too left his quirky antic aside for once and touched his lady love's parents' feet before accepting the award. In his thank you speech the actor, as always expressed his gratitude to his sister saying, “Thank you for being my second mother.”

Shahid injured, ‘Rangoon’ shoot halted

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i s h a l Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon' set came to an stand still after Shahid Kapoor and a Japanese actor were injured during a fight sequence on a set of a bombed-out village.

Vishal said, “The Japanese actor was hurt in the chest and rushed to the hospital. X-rays revealed a slight inflammation and he has been advised rest. But he's an energetic fighter and will be up and running soon.” Shahid has hurt his finger and developed a fever from being drenched in rain for over six hours. “We were hoping he'd be back but I've just got a call from his doctor informing me that his temperature is still high and he won't be able to resume work,” the filmmaker said.

Freida Pinto finds short films fascinating

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reida Pinto, the Indianorigin actress who rose to fame with 'Slumdog Millionaire' finds working in short films “fascinating” as it allows you to tell a story in less time.

“Short films are very fascinating because we don't get the comfort of like two hours feature to tell the whole story and develop it.

So you pretty much have to be very spot on in a short film to tell the whole story,” she said in an interview. The actress stars in short film 'Black Knight Decoded' as part of the Pepsi Challenge. “I was actually headed back into the sci-fi world. In America, there are many people who believe in the Black Knight theory and they believe in the extraterrestrial world. It's very, very big in America. In a way for me to find comfort in it and understand this other world which I didn't know was very fascinating.”

Police visit Hrithik's birthday bash uninvited

Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

'B

ang Bang' actor Hrithik Roshan celebrated his 42nd birthday in style, at a hotel in Mumbai. One of the biggest birthday bashes to be held in recent times, the party saw 200 celebrities and who's who in attendance. Hrithik's party was in full swing with naach-gaana, and loud music till wee hours of the morning, which however, caused trouble to the aam janta.

A report said that cars were parked haphazardly near the hotel, creating chaos at the venue. A south Mumbai resident eventually called the police. The resident who was passing by AER Lounge at 1.30 am, said, “Several cops were stationed at the hotel gate for bandobast but they did nothing to stop the loud music. I asked the cops on bandobast whether the party had special permission to

Kangana wants to write book on her struggles

A

c t r e s s K a n g a n a R a n a u t intends to write a book on all the struggles she has faced in her life, including the time before she came to the film industry as well as after. “The way I dealt with my failures has been very heavy and I would like to write a book about that, how success will never teach you anything,” Ranaut said at journalist Barkha Dutt's book launch. “So I've been through struggle for 10 years, and I think that's what shaped me up as a person today,” she said.

“Ten years of humiliation, rejection, embarrassment could've made me believe what the whole world thought about me - like if they thought about me as a loser, but I didn't think of myself as that or as what the world or my parents thought of me. That's why I could do what I did in my life... Not just in India but all over the world, winning and success in so overrated,” she added.

continue late into the night, but the cops denied this. They said they had been posted there as several celebrities were attending the bash.”

After speaking to the policemen, the resident filed a complaint at 2 am. After half an hour, the resident had to call the police control room yet again since the music still hadn't stopped. “I made another complaint at 2.45 am, then again at 3 am, but the cops did not come to the spot to stop the loud music.” It took a third call for the cops to finally arrive on the scene.

“We had already gone and fined the hotel manager.

When we got the complaint, we went back and fined the manager the same amount again. This time, the party came to an end,” a senior official said.

To sum up, Roshan Jr's birthday bash just cost the hotel Rs 25,000 in fine.

Priyanka Chopra to star in 'Baywatch'

O

u r beloved Piggy Chops will don the red bikini as she bags a role in Dwayne Johnson's 'Baywatch'.

Confirmed by the movies' writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, Priyanka has signed her first Hollywood movie which will also star Johnson and Zac Efron. The screenwriters posted the news through their joint Twitter account.

Retweeting a story about her, they said, “Been sitting on this one for a while. So excited about her!” The movie centres on the leader of an elite group of lifeguards (Johnson), who is forced to team up with a young, hotshot former Olympian (Efron) to save their beloved bay. The actress has already made her mark across the seas, with her debut American series 'Quantico', besides a singing career.

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

Britain's oldest person celebrates 113th birthday

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 likely to generate financial

Co-operative ventures are

What does one usually want for their birthday? A luxurious car? A swanky new watch? Or maybe a nice getaway to somewhere Gladys exotic?

Well, Hooper asked for something more surprising; she wished to celebrate with a slice of cake, new teeth, and a nice hot cuppa.

Gladys Hooper is Britain's oldest person who recently turned 113 years “young”. The former concert pianist celebrated her birthday with her friends and family at her nursing

Gladys Hooper, age 113

Coming Events

l Brent Indian Association- India's Republic Day, Flag Hoisting Ceremony: Tuesday 26th January 2016, 10am. 116 Ealing Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 4TH. Contact BIA: 020 8903 3019. l High Commission of India invites you to "Martyrs' Day- on the Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi: Saturday 30th January, 11am, at Tavistock Square. l Hanuman Chalisa: Sunday 24th January, 11am5pm. Social Club Hall, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ. Contact: 020 8459 5758. l The East India Company London presents GandhiA Retrospective: Tuesday 26th January, 7pm.

Cadogan Hall, Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ. To book your tickets, contact: 020 7730 4500. l Celebration of the Republic Day of India at The Bhavan, with Chief Guest His Excellency Mr Navtej Singh Sarna, High Commissioner of India: Wednesday 3rd February, 6:30pm. The Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road, London W14 9HE. Contact: 020 7381 3086. l The Bhavan's Students Perform: Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st January, 3pm. The Bhavan, 4a Castletown Road, London W14 9HE. Contact: 020 7381 3086/4608. l Fundraising Events- Snow Riding Hood & Three Bears: Sunday 31st January, 5pm. Rose Theatre, Kingston. Contact: 020 8547 5027/5030. Visit: www.rosetheatrekingston.org/whats-on l Bahamans by Adhya Shakti Mataji Temple Artists & Guests: Sunday 24th January, 3pm. Ashy Shakti Mataji Temple, 55 High Street, Cowley, Middlesex UB8 2DZ. Visit: www.matajitemple.com l India's Republic Day Celebration: Saturday 30th January, 6:30pm. Gujarat Hindu Society, South Meadow Lane, Preston PR1 8JN. Contact: 01772 253 901.

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home in Ryde, Isle of Wight. She has witnessed many landmark historical events in her lifetime, and incidentally, she was born in 1903, the same year in which the Wright brothers invented the first successful aeroplane.

Although she has turned a remarkable 113 years-of-age, she says she doesn't “feel very different to when I was 75”.

Her 85-year-old son, Derek Hermiston, a retired pilot shared, “I am very proud of her, I have known her for quite a long time and I have seen her life when she was young, when she was a very agile person and always the centre of parties. She was a great pianist, I remember going to the Dorchester Hotel in London a few times where she was playing. Now we see her hands moving up and down and I

success. So, if hoping to drum up support or backing, it would certainly do no harm to adopt a more pushy and outgoing approach to life. As social life will tend to draw you into a wider circle, the chances of meeting someone attractive are greatly increased. The general pattern of things continues on a progressive and buoyant theme.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 The pace of everyday life will

gather momentum and there may be times when you find it hard to keep your act together. Any obstacles that have stood in the way of your heart's desires should melt into the background soon. Your self-confidence will be extremely high and this will be helped by various encouraging events.

Gladys Hooper, age 16

think she dreams quite a lot of her piano days. I think she has melodies going through her head which is rather nice for her and those melodies bring back very happy memories.” May Gladys Hooper have a very happy 113th birthday, plus many more to come.

Mother describes escaping IS as 'hell'

Tareena Shakil, a 26-yearold mother from Birmingham, was accused of taking her toddler to Syria, to join Islamic State. She described running away from Syria similar to escaping from “hell”. During the interviews played at her trial, Tareena Shakil, who is originally from Staffordshire, mentioned how she had spotted the Turkish border and “just

ran, ran, ran” with her toddler, until she found a military patrol who took her into custody. In court, the prosecution showed messages where she allegedly told her friends that she was “happy as Larry” to be in Raqqa.

However, she denied joining IS and encouraging acts of terrorism via the social media site Twitter. The case continues at Birmingham Crown Court.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 If you are seeking to expand and enrich your mental horizons, experience will provide you with much stimulation and inspiration for some time to come. Anything that engages your mental energies purposefully will bring excellent results. Ideas will now be easily pulled into shape, allowing you to push ahead with a new project.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22 It is a particularly favourable time for dealing with financial interests with a long-term basis, such as investments, insurance and pension schemes, legacies and all jointly held resources. You will be able to sort out any difficulties by taking immediate action. There may be a certain amount of unfinished business to be dealt with. Therefore you will need to adopt a fairly flexible policy in order to accommodate the odd twists and turns of everyday life.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23 The Sun illuminates your opposite sign. After a period of “nesting”, you are coming out of your shell, ready to perform and to express yourself creatively. You are feeling inspired creatively and romantically and you express your loving feelings quite openly now. At this time, you instinctively know how to place yourself in the best light in order to make a good impression on others.

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23 You have everything to gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new ideas, now is the time to put them into practice. Whatever your present interests you are likely to find that new doors open and the way ahead offers increased scope for expressing your real self. A great time to meet and interact with people.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23 Life appears to be focusing your mind on practical matters. So you will need to organise your time carefully if you are to avoid an "all work and no play" situation. Resist making any hasty moves when it come to finances - this is a time to focus on consolidation of current assets rather than attempting to make any new investments.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

Social commitments are liable to increase considerably. At times this could lead to a conflict of loyalties and perhaps a degree of resentment that others are taking advantage of you. Make a very conscious attempt to stick to main priorities. Organise your time so that it is not taken up entirely by the demands of other people.

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SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

It would be a mistake always to blame the other person if your experience and expectations of love turn out to be disappointing. It is said that if you do not learn from past experience you will be condemned to repeat it until you do learn. You now have an excellent opportunity to sort out where things may be going wrong. The hard part is that you will have to be honest with yourself.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20 There is an element of disruption or stress which may be hard to avoid, but it appears that there is a strong sense of purpose in the background. A certain amount of sheer hard graft will be necessary for a short while, but the final result will be extremely pleasing. An exchange of opinions ought to prove very enlivening at this time.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19 You will feel energetic and confident as the week begins. New beginnings are favoured around now, as long as you do not bite off more than you can chew. This may be a time of expansion and improved opportunity and it would be unwise to let yourself become complacent. Affairs of the heart are likely to flourish.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

Financial and business affairs are unlikely to give rise to any major problems this week.

The gentle influence of Venus ensures that most things run smoothly and that your cash-flow remains viable. Domestic and career interests are likely to come into conflict - try to aim at a more balanced pattern of life and remember that work is not always a virtue.

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Broad bowls England to series victory over South Africa AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

England's bowler Stuart Broad (left) gestures after taking a second wicket Stuart Broad produced a sensational display of fast bowling as England swept to a series-clinching victory over South Africa on the third day of the third Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.

Broad took six for 17 as South Africa were bowled out for 83 in their second innings. England won by seven wickets to take a winning 2-0 lead into the final Test in Centurion next week.

Broad destroys South African batting: Broad ripped the heart out of the South African batting, taking the first five wickets for one run in the space of 31 balls after lunch. The defeat toppled South Africa from top spot on the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings.

England led on the first innings by 10 runs after

being bowled out for 323 and the match was evenly poised as South African opening batsmen Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl put on 23 runs at the start of the second innings, with Broad having conceded 13 of the runs.

Then Broad struck, having Elgar caught behind off a ball that lifted and moved away from the left-hander.

Van Zyl was dropped, a difficult chance to James Anderson at third slip, and the single that was taken as the ball looped away was to prove the only run that Broad conceded while tearing the heart out of the batting. Van Zyl was caught at gully. South African captain AB de Villiers came out to a roar of appreciation from a near-capacity crowd but was caught behind for nought off a delivery which cut back sharply to take an

inside edge.

Hashim Amla was superbly caught at short leg

by James Taylor off a fullblooded leg glance and Temba Bavuma was bowled when he ducked to avoid a short ball which hit his glove and went on to the stumps.

Broad was rested with figures of five for 14 from 10 overs, eight of which were bowled after lunch.

But the carnage continued. Steven Finn had Dane Vilas caught by a diving Taylor at short leg and Chris Morris was bowled by a full ball from Ben Stokes.

Kagiso Rabada made a quick 16 before he was caught behind off Stokes.

Eight wickets fell for 55 runs between lunch and tea.

The last two wickets fell quickly after tea. James Anderson took only his second wicket of the match

when he had Hardus Viljoen leg before wicket and Broad dived full length down the pitch to take a return catch from Faf du Plessis. Morkel tested Alastair Cook with some fast, lifting deliveries at the start of England’s second innings, but he and Hales took England to within ten runs of victory before parttime spinner Elgar dismissed Hales and Nick Compton in successive overs. Cook made 43, his highest score of the series, but was caught behind off Morris with three runs needed. Earlier Rabada claimed a maiden five-wicket haul to restrict England’s first innings lead to 10 runs.

Rabada, 20, playing in his fifth Test match, took five for 78 and led the Souh African attack, bowling at pace with consistent control.

I'm focusing on, and there is a nice six month break before we play Test match cricket again. Lots of things can happen before then and I don't want to commit myself too much to everything before then, but for now I'm as committed as I can be and I'm very hungry to make a success of the next two Test matches.”

He clearly wants to reduce his workload with South Africa, perhaps just playing the big Test and one-day series as well as ICC events, while also cashing in on the Twenty20 dollar. Players are now far more powerful.

Now players from countries such as South Africa have other options offering them more money than their home board.

It would be a huge blow to the standing of international cricket if a player of De Villiers’ ability play less for his country and would possibly lead others to follow suit. “I think it is a going concern for ICC. They have been talking

about it for the last few years to find a way of keeping everyone fresh. Test cricket is the main format and we all want to be part of that. Huge traditions and culture in this format but I truly believe there are one or two areas where we can improve and the guys keep their focus in the right place,” De Villiers said.

“International cricket is the main one you want to play and one or two things will have to change in the future in order for that to happen. There has been plenty of surveys in the last few years. I have seen some changes in the past. There are still one or two that need to get attention from the ICC,” said De Villiers.

“One of those is the schedules for the more senior guys to make sure they keep their focus in the right places. I don’t know what the answers are. I can’t make a statement. All I know is there are quite a few guys feeling we are playing a bit too much cricket and just need to get the focus right.”

De Villiers warns ICC against frequent test matches South Africa captain AB de Villiers has called for changes in the way test matches were being played.

He said that he was not enjoying cricket like in the past and the game should move with the times. He said that he was committed himself to South Africa for the rest of the series against England but offered no assurances about his future beyond the next two Tests.

Players are now able to earn more money appearing in Twenty20 leagues such as the Big Bash and the IPL which are shorter and less demanding on the body. His comments follow Tony Irish, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’, saying that “free agency” is on the rise among his members and more players will drift away from international cricket unless the International Cricket Council makes radical changes.

“There has been a few rumours floating around and in most rumours there

AB de Villiers is always a little bit of truth,” said De Villiers, in his first press conference since taking over from Hashim Amla as South Africa captain. “It is not just in the last while, in the last two or three years I've been searching for the right answers to play a little bit less cricket in one way or another to keep myself fresh and to keep enjoying the game.

“I've found myself on the pitch in the past few years, every now and then, not enjoying myself as much as I should be and that raises concerns within myself. I'm still very committed. To the job I'm not sure, obviously the two Test matches for now is all

SPORT Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

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Sania & Martina are queens of Sydney

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis' awe-inspiring run continued unabated as they lifted their second trophy of the season with the WTA Apia International title after clinching their 30th win a row, at Sydney last week. The triumph over Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic though was not without initial hiccups as the top seeds lost the first set meekly before eking out a 1-6, 7-5, 10-5 win in one hour and 13 minutes. The world number one team trailed 1-6, 1-4 at one stage but they yet again came out unscathed, levelling the second set 5-5 and then sealed it to stretch it to a Super tie-breaker. It was the 11th title together for the Indo-Swiss pair as continuing the good show from 2015 when they won 9 titles including the year-end WTA finale. The pair earlier equalled the record for the longest women's doubles winning streak of 28 matches by advancing to the WTA Sydney International semifinals with a straight set triumph.

With the semi-final win Sania and Hingis won their 28th consecutive match to equal the record set by Puerto Rican Gigi Fernandez and Belarus' Natasha Zvereva in 1994. Starting last year, Mirza and Hingis have won 10 WTA doubles titles together - Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and WTA Finals in 2015, and last week's Brisbane International.

Chris Gayle smashes 12-ball 50 to equal world record

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle smashed 50 from 12 balls for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League to match India's Yuvraj Singh's record for the fastest half-century in Twenty20 cricket.

Left-hander Yuvraj achieved the feat against England in a group match at the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 in South Africa, smashing fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over.

Gayle plundered 21-year-old Adelaide bowler Greg West, playing his second T20 match, for 27 runs in the first over and hit the last four deliveries for six. His seventh maximum took Gayle past his half-century as he deposited spinner Travis Head over the long-on boundary. Head dismissed him five deliveries later for a 17-ball 56 with Gayle caught by wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman from a top edge.

Messi wins FIFA world player award for 5th time

Lionel Messi has won the FIFA world player of the year award for a record fifth time. He thus ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-year hold on the Ballon d’Or trophy, soccer’s top individual honour. The Barcelona forward regained the prize after his club won five major titles last year, leaving Ronaldo’s Real Madrid with nothing. Ronaldo ended up in second place, with Barcelona striker Neymar in third. Voting was by national team captains and coaches, plus invited journalists, from FIFA member countries. Barcelona swept the main honours as Luis Enrique was named best coach for guiding the winner of Spain’s La Liga, Champions League and Club World Cup.

Chandigarh turns down Afghan plea to use cricket stadium

The Chandigarh Sports Department has expressed its inability to give the Sector 16 cricket ground to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on long-term basis.

The department, however, has agreed to let the Afghan cricket team use the facility on short-term basis. The Indian government is helping war-torn Afghanistan in many areas, including sports. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed to the president of Afghanistan about India’s support to the cause of Afghanistan cricket. ACB had approached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expressing desire to make one of the Indian grounds as their permanent home ground.

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Asian Voice | 23rd January 2016

Australia clinch series against India www.asian-voice.com

Australia dominated with both bat and ball to defeat India by three wickets in the third One-Day International (ODI) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. Pacer John Hastings returned figures of 4/58 as India posted 295/6 after being asked to bat first. Glenn Maxwell (96) and Shaun Marsh (62) then spearheaded the run chase as Australia claimed victory with seven balls to spare.

The hosts have now taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-ODI series.

Australia had won the first two matches by five and seven wickets respectively.

The Indians have now lost three of their last four ODI series since the World Cup in Australia last year. This is their third consecutive series loss. They earlier conceded an away series in Bangladesh and went down to South Africa at home. As in the earlier matches in this series, the visitors were let down by the bowlers despite putting up a big total. Leftarm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/49) and pacer

Ishant Sharma (2/53) claimed two wickets each.

But the overall standard of the visitors' bowling was not enough to pose a serious challenge to the Australian batsmen.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav claimed an early wicket when Aaron Finch (21) edged him to India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the wicket.

But the visitors' joy proved to be short-lived as Marsh and Australian skipper Steven Smith (41) brought

the hosts back on track with a 64-run stand.

Jadeja struck in his very first over after coming on in the 19th over when Smith mistimed a slower ball to offer an easy edge to Ajinkya Rahane at first slip.

That saw the Australian run rate go down a notch and Jadeja gave the Indians a glimmer of hope when he got rid of George Bailey (23) thanks to some nice work behind the stumps by Dhoni. When Ishant sent back Marsh a couple of

overs later, the Indians held the upper hand with the Australian score reading 167/4. But Maxwell strode in to turn things around for the hosts, stroking eight boundaries and three sixes during his 83-ball knock.

James Faulkner (21) gave him steady support at the other end. By the time Maxwell offered a top edge to Shikhar Dhawan at longoff while trying to smash a Yadav delivery out of the ground, it was all over for the visitors.

Fauja Singh to be face of '100 Years and Running' campaign

Nestle India, which has partnered with Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, will see Fauja Singh as the face and symbol of '100 Years and Running' campaign. In an initiative to salute his incredible spirit, Nestle India will also release two inspiring short films titled "Running with India" featuring the 'Marathon Man'.

As a part of the campaign, the latest film being launched before the Mumbai marathon, talks about his passion for the country and his excitement of running with India. The first film was launched at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, which celebrates Fauja Singh, the legend and his achievements.

In the latest film, Fauja Singh is heard saying, "I have won marathons across the world and beaten records but in India I have come to win hearts. The joy of running in India has always been different and

Fauja Singh something special which keeps me going."

On the occasion of the release of the latest short film, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India said, "The Running with India' is worthy testimony to Fauja Singh's achievements as an incredible Marathon Runner whose love for the country and passion for running remains unmatched."

"His indomitable spirit, as an iconic 104-year old marathon runner, is representative of grit and determination that have enabled him to consistently create new benchmarks breaking all records," added Suresh.