AV 30th June 2018

First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe

Vol 47 Issue 9

ARORA WELCOMES HEATHROW VOTE WITH A MUCH BETTER PLAN R

30th June to 6th July 2018

World celebrates PM Modi's International Day of Yoga

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side 80p

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebrations at Dehradun’s Forest Research Institute Campus where he was joined by over 50,000 people.

Tens of thousands of people joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 21, to celebrate the fourth International Day of Yoga. Modi had pushed for the annual event to be held worldwide after he came to power in 2014. Not only India, countries like Afghanistan, Japan, and Peru also held yoga sessions, with Australia and South Africa celebrating the day on Monday. “From Tokyo to Toronto, from Stockholm to Sao Paulo, Yoga has become a positive influence in the lives of millions. In a world where noncommunicable diseases, stress and lifestylerelated ailments are rising, yoga can play a central role in mitigating these diseases to create a healthy mind and body,” Modi said to the 50,000 people who joined him on the lawns of Dehradun's Forest Research Institute in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand.

Several other gatherings took place in New Delhi with 10,000 enthusiasts registered. At least 5,000 events big and small took place across India, but the largest was expected to be in Mysore in the south with over 60,000 taking part.

Submarine staff from the India's Eastern Naval Command were pictured doing yoga poses, as were soldiers in Secunderabad.

Yoga was also performed on board Indian Navy's INS Sahyadri. Around 80 people in Tokyo, most in their 60s and 70s, took part in a special yoga session organised through the Indian Embassy in the Zojoji Temple- a twostorey red shrine in the shadow of Tokyo Tower.

Other events scheduled around the world included in Ireland, Bahrain, and Milan.

Ever since Modi has begun campaigning for Yoga, it has boomed and millions across the world are said to be practising it regularly.

Continued on page 17

Surinder Arora

Rupanjana Dutta The Parliament on Monday has backed a controversial plan to build a third runway at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport. MPs backed the government’s proposal which argues the controversial £14 billion expansion will boost Britain's post-Brexit economy, by 415 votes to 119.

The Arora Group is competing with the airport company, Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) for expansion development rights.

This group, which is the largest landowner in the area marked for expansion, has provided alternative

proposals for the expansion in early May. Known as the ‘Western Hub’, the Arora Group promises to design the new terminals to provide capacity for over 50million additional passengers and transform passenger experience and efficiency.

The estimated cost of Arora’s airport expansion plans to full capacity is £14.4bn. The competing scheme, from HAL allegedly could be more than twice this sum at £31bn, according to an Airport Commission report.

The costs of airport expansion will be passed on to airlines and passengers and Heathrow is already one of the most expensive airports in the world.

Surinder Arora, Founder & Chairman, Arora Group speaking to Asian Voice said, “The stamp of approval from MPs for Heathrow expansion is a vital further step – but there now needs to be an independent process to determine who can best deliver each element of the expansion. Arora’s plans to deliver the full extra capacity via a Westerly campus deliver significant cost savings and break the current monopoly, which overcharges airlines and passengers.

Costs must be kept down for the expansion to work and Heathrow’s track record should be a cause for concern.”

Continued on page 8

Mumbai

£375

Ahmedabad £395

Bhuj

£485

Amritsar

£405

Hyderabad

£420

Goa

Kochi

£435

Singapore

£435

Delhi

Chennai

£405

£410

Rajkot

£505

Bangalore

£435

£455

Lucknow Kolkata

£450 £425

Dhaka

Bangkok

£465 £425

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

AsianVoiceNews

to

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with

Keith Vaz, MP

James Morrison James is the Head of Cabinet of the EU Commissioner for Security dealing with counter terrorism, organised crime and cyber security. He is one of the most senior British officials at the EU. He was previously the Chief of Staff of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice President of the Commission and before that the Head of Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Trade. In between, James was Policy Director in the Secretariat-General of the European Commission for two years covering international trade, counter terrorism, cyber security, the digital single market, migration and development.

Before joining the Commission James was a British diplomat with 20 years of experience and was posted to Brussels twice (1994-1999 and 2004-2006) when he chaired EU Committees dealing with trade with North East, South and South East Asia. James was a Foreign Office spokesman from 1999-2000, Private Secretary to the Minister for Europe (2000-2002), and Head of the Common Foreign and Security Policy Department (2003-2004). James began his Civil Service career in the Home Office (1989-1991). James holds an MBA. He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2015 New Year's Honours.

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

That is a tricky one – London because it is a truly great, open and dynamic place but also Brussels because I've spent most of my career here negotiating in one capacity or another!

2) What are your proudest achievements?

Personally – my wife and three daughters Professionally – being the first Chief of Staff to the EU's foreign policy head, setting up the EU Foreign Service from scratch and being part of the core team on the Iran nuclear negotiations.

3) What inspires you?

Ideas, professionalism and public service.

4) What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

I haven't encountered it yet...

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

People I have worked for and have believed in me: (Baroness) Cathy Ashton and Sir John Grant to name a couple.

6) What is the best aspect about your current role?

Doing something worthwhile to help counter the security threats we currently face by closing down the space in which terrorists, organised criminals and cyber attackers operate by strengthening the

Students support academic in King's College racism row Cambridge University students have rallied behind an academic who said racism at one college is "widespread".

Priyamvada Gopal, pictured, claimed porters at King's College frequently "hassled" non-white staff and students at the gates,

amounting to "racial profiling".

Since posting about the issue, current and former students have said they had similar experiences.

A university spokeswoman said it "abhors racism" but its

investigation found no wrongdoing by staff.

The lecturer hit the headlines earlier this week when she said porters at King's had repeatedly refused to use her academic title of "Dr" and had spoken to her in a harsh and sarcastic tone.

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She described the incident as a "small issue" but said it was "symptomatic of a wider problem" at the university.

The academic, who specialises in post-colonial literature, announced in a Twitter post that she would be be refusing to supervise any students at the college in protest.

Europe-wide rules and frameworks 7) And the worst?

The rapid growth of cyber-enabled threats like on-line radicalising propaganda, fake news and behavioural manipulation which pose real threats to our democratic societies.

8) What are your long term goals?

To stay alive and to continue to do something useful and interesting!

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

I have been taught from a very young age never to answer hypothetical questions...

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

Alec Issigonis the designer of the Mini of which I am a huge fan and who famously said "a camel is a horse designed by committee" which I often think of at work..!

Charges against teen dropped in McDonald's stabbing A teenager arrested after a stabbing at a fast food restaurant in Ipswich will face no further action, the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed.

The 17-year-old from Ipswich was due to appear before the town's youth court, but the charges against him were dropped.

A 16-year-old boy was left critically injured in the attack at the McDonald's in Ravenswood Avenue, on 13 June. An 18-year-old man remains in custody, charged with wounding

with intent.

Rishawn Mohamed is due to appear before Ipswich Crown Court for a plea hearing in August.

The injured boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to Ipswich Hospital with "life-threatening injuries", but has since left hospital.

Police say they are not directly linking the attack in Ravenswood to the murder of 17-year-old Tavis Spencer-Aitkens in Packard Avenue on 2 June - or to another stabbing of a man at an address in Pauline Street on 11 June.

Barnet triplets visit Harrow hospital to thank staff

Triplets returned to the hospital where they were born 18 years ago to thank the staff who delivered them.

The Patel family, from Colindale, visited Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow - the same hospital where mum, Jaya Patel, also works as an administrator.

The three 18-yearolds, Jayna, Jinesh and Jitesh were born two months premature in 2000. Jaya said: “It was tough because we weren’t allowed to pick them up for several weeks - but the staff were fantastic.”

Due to the difficulty of the birth Jaya had to have a caesarean. All three infants weighed just over two kilograms each - Jaya could even fit them all in one hand.

She said: “We knew we were having triplets. We were very excited as well

Jayna, Jinesh and Jitesh (centre) who were born at Northwick Park Hospital 18 years ago with their parents Jaya and Manoj

as a bit scared to see how we were going to cope, but the excitement was always there.”

Jaya and her husband Manoj had to make daily trips to the hospital’s neonatal unit.

Reminiscing about the experience, Jaya said: “I was in every day for 10 weeks. We were always informed about anything that might have happened in the night. There was one nurse per child so we

got to know them better.

They were very understanding in how a stressful time it was for us as we could not hold our babies for quite a few weeks.”

Now that the children are adults Jaya said that the triplets wanted to see where it all began.

The triplets, two boys and a girl, are currently completing their A-levels and hope to study geography, computer science and finance at university.

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COMMENTS

Unfolding drama in Kashmir With no regional party commanding the required numbers in the State Assembly, Governor N.N. Vohra dissolved the Legislative Assembly and imposed Governor’s Rule, that is direct rule from the Centre in New Delhi. Biting the bullet, the Centre vested the Army with full authority to return the State to normalcy from jihadi terror groups and jihadi stone throwers. They shall not pass. The barbarians may be at the gates, but that is hopefully as far they will get. Calling for fresh elections in the State at this juncture would have been an exercise in karmic futility. Democracy is not the issue in Kashmir. The essence of the jihadi-Hurryiat agitation is the formation of an Islamist state, with religious and ethnic minorities either expelled or living under the new dispensation as hewers of wood and drawers of water. The ethnic cleansing the Hindu Pandit community was the prologue to the present narrative.

Past regimes in New Delhi have played fast and loose with democratic norms in misbegotten charade of perks and perquisites and a revolving door of specious backroom electoral deals. An acceptable distribution of the loaves and fishes of office, plus the bribery of recalcitrant politicians with piles of bank notes was the only show in town. The Hurriyat leadership were honest: nothing less than Kashmir’s secession from India, as a first step to the State’s accession to Pakistan. Surrender or die was the coda.

In the late 1980s and early 90s, the Kashmir valley was witness to sustained ethnic cleansing of its Hindu Pandit population from their ancestral homeland, resulting in internal displacement in local refugee camps or the safety of Indian cities farther afield.

The tragedy was underplayed in New Delhi for the fiction of a little local difficulty. The brutal truth was concealed in the comfortable foliage of make believe. India’s financial hub Mumbai was subjected to a commando-style jihadi assault in 1993 during which around 300 of its inhabitants were killed; in November 2008, a similar assault left around 167 of its citizens and foreign visitors dead and significant properties seriously damaged or destroyed. Both these assaults were choreographed by Pakistan’s military-intelligence nexus and executed by their field operatives. The scale of the assaults and the casualties dwarf all the jihadi terrorist outrages in Europe, and bear some likeness to the devastation of 9/11 in the United States.

The crisis in Kashmir must be viewed in context to the

larger picture, including the messianic Pakistan dream of a subcontinent Khilafat, with Islamabad as its hub. The partypolitical ground reality gets murkier by the day. Even as Kashmir boiled and bubbled, with senior Kashmiri Congress leader Saifuddin Soz issuing a call for an independent, Kashmir causing embarrassment to his party leadership.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, once Kashmir chief minister himself, accused the Army of killing more civilians in the State than jihadi terrorists, a provocative statement by any yardstick. The BJP faithful were outraged, but there was broader public wonderment at the cynical games being played by men long perceived as Congress party loyalists. Perhaps it was a case of wolves in sheep’s clothing, and hence undetected by the partially sighted Congress President Rahul Gandhi, more adept in high voltage street theatre.

Mr Gandhi deplored the ‘opportunistic BJP-PDF alliance (as) it set fire to Jammu and Kashmir killing many innocent people including our brave soldiers. It cost India strategically and destroyed years of UPA’s hard work.’ UPA was the Congress-led coalition at the Centre from 2004-2014. The convoluted drafting could have done with better penmanship.

Mufti Mehbooba, the departing Chief Minister warned: ‘Muscular policy cannot be successful here.’ But it was surely the murderously ‘muscular policy’ of the jihadis that eventually led to her undoing. When people refuse to turn swords into ploughshares, they must be prepared to perish by the sword. In a sign of things to come, Dawood Sofi, a notorious jihadi believed to be behind the recent attacks on the police was killed along with three accomplices in a gunfight with security forces in the valley’s Anantnag district.

Finally, Mufti Mehmooba’s predecessor, Omar Abdullah, of the National Conference, exclaimed: ‘What’s this about “new muscular policy” discourse that’s sought to be created?

She was unapologetic for all (the) pain and suffering.’

Abdullah could with help in his parsing. Confusion worse confounded, with the contestants struggling for the elusive clarity. So the game goes on regardless, a travesty of democracy and the rule of law that offered little security of life and limb to the citizenry. Wailing, handwringing, and ritual breast- beating the only solace in view. The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve better.

Rajnath Singh in Mongolia Home Minister Rajnath Singh paid a three-day visit to Mongolia to strengthen ties with one of the most strategically significant states in Central Asia. Mongolia is Buddhist, belonging to the same school of Buddhism as Tibet, and hence also reveres the Dalai Lama as its pontiff.

Mongolia and Tibet were both constituents of the Manchu Empire in China. With its collapse in 1911, China became a republic. Thereupon Mongolia and Tibet made a declaration of independence and signed a defence treaty. This failed to get the recognition of the United States, which committed to the territorial integrity of the Manchu Empire for reasons of commerce, opposed the move. Britain opted for a casuistic policy of de facto support to Tibetan autonomy – it minted its own currency, appointed diplomatic missions and possessed a Nation Assembly and Cabinet - and to China’s de jure sovereignty over Tibet.

The invasion of Tibet by Mao’s legions in 1950 was a repeat performance of the Manchu general Chao Erh feng’s march into Lhasa and to the flight of the Dalai Lama to India, whereupon The Morning Post in London on February

28, 1910 issued this prescient warning: ‘A great Empire, the future military strength which no man can foresee has suddenly appeared on the North East Frontier of India…The Strategic Line has been lost, and a heavy price may be exacted for the mistake. China, in a word, has come to the gates of India, and the fact has to be reckoned with.’

Thanks to Tsarist, and subsequently, to Soviet intervention, the outcome for Mongolia was sovereignty guaranteed by Stalin’s insistence, against US opposition, of a United Nations-supervised plebiscite in 1945, resulting in an overwhelming vote for Mongolian independence.

The Chinese military presence in Tibet and the Dalai Lamama’s refuge in India cast a dark shadow over SinoIndian relations. When, in 2016, the Mongolian government of Mongolia invited the Dalai Lama to visit the country as religious figurehead, Beijing responded with a vicious economic blockade accompanied by a minatory warning of intent. The full significance of Rajnath Singh’s visit to Mongolia can only be appreciated in its historical context. It is the new Great Game in the Eurasian heartland.

Red card for anti-Russian tantrums

Russia-baiting is the flavor of the silly season for sections of the British media and the country’s political class. Whitehall has relied on its Russian ally to see off such world conquerors as Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. Frederick the Great of Prussia put it well: ‘The more I see of men, the more I love my dog.’

This latest fit of the vapours from the National Socialist cabal of the Labour Party arises possibly from the striking success of the FIFA World Cup across Russia. The dire predictions of British tabloids of hooligans and race riots have been refuted by the carnival atmosphere soccer fans from across the world in full enjoyment of their surroundings. An enraged Stephen Kinnock MP has called for the boycott of Russia. This is at one with other rabid Blairite voices, who forget the damning Chilcot Report on their sainted leader, whose mendacity and crawling servility to the George W. Bush Administration, which included jointly crafted falsehoods on Saddam Hussain’s ‘weapons of mass destruction.’

The sight of vast masses of humanity mulling over the splendid sights and sounds of Russian cities is difficult to swallow. Contrast these images with pictures of black footballers assaulted by Polish hooligans in Poland or English thugs in Chelsea colours roughing up a black passenger on the Paris Metro. Sir Alan Sugar’s racist innuendos directed at the soccer stars of Senegal, would appear to suggest that the once famous British sportsmanship and good manners now float in

the gutter.

On the eve of the Iceland-Nigeria tie at Volvograd – once Stalingrad - players and officials from both sides went to the city’s iconic War Memorial and laid wreaths in tribute to the million and more Soviet dead, whose epic resistance over six months against Hitler’s hordes brought the victory that saved Russia, Europe and, dare one say it, the civilized world from a new Dark Age. Winston Churchill, a larger than life figure, addressing the Parliament in London, said the ‘guts of the German army had been largely torn out by Russian valour and generalship. The people of all the Russias have been fortunate in finding in their ordeal of agony a warrior leader, Marshal Stalin, whose authority enabled him to combine and control the movements of armies numbered by many millions upon a front of nearly 2,000 miles.’

A Nigerian supporter told a reporter that Stalingrad and all that it represented brought him to the site. Earlier, on the morning of England’s clash with Tunisia at the same venue, a senior British diplomat, Lindsay Skoll, and Greg Clarke, Chairman of the (English) Football Association laid wreaths to commemorate the 75th anniversary of this historic battle.

Mr Skoll said: ‘I think what this demonstrates more than anything is that the enduring nature of the relationship between the UK and Volvograd outweighs any political ups and downs.’ Give politics a well deserved rest.

Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I See It CB Patel

Boris on the run The Foreign secretary Mr Boris Johnson planned very skilfully his escape from the Commons during the crucial Heathrow runway vote. He was aided and abated by the PM herself and her senior colleagues. That he had to go to Afghanistan was important but not crucial on the day. He was the one who boldly announced when he was the Mayor of London his strong opposition to the Heathrow airport extension and even pledged to stand in front of the bulldozers.

But one should not expect too much from at least, some politicians that they will stick to their words. Power corrupts and to retain power at any cost is very often prevalent. No wonder voters name, by and large, lost the trust and confidence in their elected leaders. It's also not surprising that mavericks like Donald Trump and others gain huge number of votes from dissatisfied and disgruntled voters.

Excellent Arora Proposal If the Heathrow airport needs major extension then the proposal made by Mr Surinder Arora should have been considered very carefully during the initial debates in and outside the Parliament. Mr Arora's proposal supported by several respectable and knowledgable individuals are not only well substantiated but in a way the matter has reached the High Court.

Afterall Mr Arora is one of those rare entrepreneurs, especially from the Asian community who have taken a public stand and prepared a well documented alternative scheme for the expansion of the Heathrow airport.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are major airlines who have been using Heathrow airport for a very long time have supported Mr Arora.

Prime Minister Theresa May may have won the vote in Commons. Perhaps it could be a futile exercise. Not only £14bn is a lot of money, but there are so many imponderables lurking on all sides.

Why be so rigid on Brexit?

Brexit has been a clarion call for over two years.

Referendum itself was unnecessary and PM Cameron paid the price and took the easy way out. He should have insisted on facts and no hyperboles during the campaign for both campsleave and remain as well. One wonders why an astute politician with earson the ground became so cavalier.

Then came Theresa May. The deadline is less than one year now. So far there are no firm agreemens with the European Commission.

Britain is known as a pragmatic country which plans in advance the whole operation in such a major situation. Not only in the war time, but Britain is renowned as well preparedness with the second or third line of defence in all contingencies.

On one hand we had no agreement about Brexit. On the other hand we expect miracles to happen with new trade treaties, with one and sundry. The real anxiety is expressed by so many spokesman who have more immediate responsibilities in manufacturing, export, financial services and other on economic fronts. Similarly the human resources of some 4mn EU National in British Health services as well as other pivotal areas are almost ignored. Its mind boggling. You don't run Great Britain by leaving it to luck alone. There is something called common sense.

Last weekend one hundred thousand people marched through London to protest against this unpreparedness and the dangers faced by this and future generations of Britain.

Finally, some say don't worry about things which may not happen. I know and you know that all the politicians who are pretending to act for national interest are struggling to save their skins. How silly one can be! If this gamble does not pay off who will these decision makers turn to?

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Man, 20, admits robbing and kidnapping Belgrave jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya A third man last Friday admitted taking part in the robbery and kidnap of Leicester jeweller Ramniklal Jogiya.

Charles Frances Mcauley, (20), appeared at Birmingham Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to the two charges. He is also charged with murder and manslaughter of the 74year-old man. He formally denied this charge.

Police said.

Thomas Jervis, (24), and Callan Reeve, (20), both denied murder and manslaughter. A fourth man, 30-year-old Javon Roach, has pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter as well as charges of kidnap and robbery.

All four defendants have been remanded in custody and are due to stand trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Mr Jogiya was reported missing by his family when he failed to return home having locked up his shop, Vama Collections, in Belgrave Road on the evening of Wednesday, January 24. His body was found the next morning in Gaulby Lane, Stoughton.

Two men appeared in court last month to admit taking part in the robbery and kidnap, Leicestershire

Fraudsters charge vulnerable man £131k to replace guttering A man has been jailed for his part in a scam which cost a vulnerable Leicester man his life savings.

Arshad Hussain was caught after £54,000 was transferred into his account as part of a larger scam which saw the victim conned out of £131,000.

The vulnerable man, who lives in Knighton, even took out a £25,000 bank loan to pay the fraudsters after exhausting his savings.

Hussain, 35, appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday and admitted two money laundering charges.

The court heard the victim was targeted in June 2016 by bogus workmen claiming firstly to be from a company called Pro Guard, and later from a business known as Everest. They persuaded him to have his guttering cleaned and have his fascias and guttering completely replaced.

Very little work was ever

done, and it was of very poor quality, but the conmen continued to visit the victim, demanding cash payments and even taking the victim’s phone away and deleting messages from it.

An expert engaged by Leicester Trading Standards to examine the shoddy work suspected the workmen had deliberately damaged the house in order to charge for carrying out extortionate repairs.

Police were alerted in June 2016 when £54,200 was paid in three separate transactions to a bank account belonging to Hussain, by a fraudster who visited the victim claiming to be from Everest. Although the money was subsequently dispersed to other accounts held by Hussain and others, investigators said there was no indication that Hussain was involved in the principal fraud.

Major Incidents Conference

By Dhiren Katwa Every citizen needs to be prepared for a terrorist attack. This was a stark message conveyed by a senior official at the Major Incidents and Emergency Response Conference.

Key themes discussed and debated included: Central Government perspectives on Resilience & Emergencies; Emergency

assistance to victims of major incidents; Local Authorities’ preparedness for emergencies; and challenges faced by the police in countering terrorism.

Each presentation was followed by a Q&A session chaired by Baroness Harris of Richmond, DL. One speaker cited the Mumbai terror attack of 2008 and said that an attack on a prison or an intensive

care unit of a hospital was his worst nightmare and that we should not be complacent.

Among the 14 speakers on day 1 were Luana Avagliano, Head of Resilience, Cabinet Office, Andrew Lynch, editor of Fire Magazine and Commander Dean Hayden, senior national coordinator, counter terrorism policing at the Metropolitan Service.

Controversial plans to close library to save £14k a year put on hold A Leicester library has been thrown a lifeline after controversial plans to close it were put on hold for “at the very least the next three months”.

Leicester City Council was due to relocate Rushey Mead’s library service from its current building, in Lockerbie Avenue, to a nearby recreation centre earlier this month in a bid to save £14,000 a year.

But the move was postponed until City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and deputy mayor Councillor Piara Singh Clair, who represents Rushey Mead, met with Keith Vaz MP and campaigners.

The news was revealed at a Rushey Mead community meeting after Sir Peter wrote to Mr Vaz telling him of the council’s revised plans.

The letter said: “Over the last week we have had an opportunity to look at preliminary figures for increasing income were the two buildings to remain open and whether the user groups might indeed be able, as they offered, to assist in the process. We have also had an opportunity to look at the levels of capital expenditure

Rushey Mead library protest

that would be necessary to preserve an appropriate quality of public access and use over the next few years.

“We have considered that increased usage and income may be possible and that the user groups offer of demonstrating this is credible. We have also concluded that the level of capital investment — which will need to be properly quantified — is likely to be considerably less than if the two buildings were merged.

“We have therefore decided to put on hold plans to close the library and merge the two facilities for at the very least the next three months.”

The council made the decision to shut the existing library in January 2017, since then there have been several arguments in the council chamber with senior Labour councillors turning down invitations to meet with campaigners who say the recreation centre, which is owned by the city council, is too small to host both its existing users and a library.

Officers will work with user groups and property officers will assess the building over the next three months.

A final decision on the library’s fate will made in September.

Organised by Westminster Insight, around 180 delegates had signed up for this knowledge exchange event, held at the Park Plaza Hotel in Victoria, London, last Tuesday.

Day two featured a halfday workshop focused on last year’s Grenfell disaster, looking in detail at the response to the tragic events, and on what lessons should be learnt.

Results from De Montfort University students' union elections scrapped after fairness concerns Results from the De Montfort University students’ union elections held earlier this year will not stand following concerns that processes were “not fairly and properly conducted”.

The voting was shrouded in controversy when it was held in March, with claims of fraudulent campaigning made by some students. An investigation was conducted into the situation following complaints,including some which made accusations “cheating”.

Some students even protested the results with a campaign called #NotMyDSU. The results of the votes, where students select representatives for key areas in the students’ union were first announced in March.

But now a spokesperson for the city centre university’s students’ union, DSU, has announced it will hold fresh elections for the officer roles.

The decision was made after the university’s board of governors used its powers under Section 22 of the Education Act 1994 to not ratify the results of the initial election.

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Restaurant owner hits £500k target after 11 years of intense fundraising

Syed Rahman

A restaurant owner is celebrating helping the county raise half a million pounds for charities.

Syed Rahman has spent more than 11 years holding fundraising nights and every month thousands are raised at Cuisine on India and Chef and Spice.

After years of fundraising it was a dinner in aid of the Loros hospice at Chef and Spice in Hinckley Road, Leicester, that helped Syed hit his target two years earlier that he had predicted.

The latest event, held on Monday evening, saw a group of about 60 diners enjoying curry and other treats from around the world. The event was organised by Steve Graham, 51.

He is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in September to raise money for the hospice in Groby Road, Leicester.

Loros ambassador Andy Williamson was at the dinner representing the charity, which has benefited from numerous charity curry nights had at Chef and Spice, as well as Cuisine of India in Wigston.

Other fundraising events held recently at Chef and Spice have been held for charities including the RSPCA Woodside Animal Centre in Leicester, Hope Against Cancer, Rainbows children’s hospice in Loughborough and Leicester Friends of Bethleham.

Before Monday night’s event the total raised was £499,891 so even before the final total was counted, Syed was confident he would be able to reach his target that night.

In the end, the total raised on Monday was £980, which Steve will donate straight to Loros.

Taxi driver who was 'worried guide dog would lick gear stick' appeals against conviction for refusing to take her

A taxi driver found guilty of refusing to take a guide dog in his vehicle has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Zaman Khan pleaded not guilty at L e i c e s t e r Magistrates' Court in March to refusing to Zaman Khan take Martyn Richardson and his guide dog, Janet, in his Hyundai i40 estate in May last year.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of the offence, under the 2010 Equality Act. Last Thursday his appeal against the conviction was thrown out at Leicester Crown Court by Deputy Judge Michael Stokes QC, sitting with two magistrates.

A further £400 in costs was added to a £400 fine and £400 costs Khan was ordered to pay by magistrates in March.

The court also heard Leicester City Council's licensing committee had since refused to renew Khan’s taxi licence and he is out of work.

The appeal hearing was told Mr Richardson, 48, of Thurnby, called city company ADT asking them to take him, two friends and golden retriever cross Janet home after a night out at the White House, in Scraptoft at 10pm on Friday, May 26 last year.

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Community shocked with Hindu school’s closure

Rupanjana Dutta

The diaspora has been left shocked with the news of the sudden closure of The Swaminarayan School which has served the community faithfully over 25 years. People have been immensely proud of this private school’s many successes and achievements during this time, especially the remarkable grades achieved by the students at GCSE or A-levels.

A spokesperson from the £4310 a-term private Hindu school in a letter said, “with the increasing regulatory requirements, difficulties in recruitment and retention of teachers, ready availability of free state-funded Hindu schools, and declining pupil numbers have all posed significant chal-

lenges to the school, particularly over the last few years.” They have reportedly hampered the investment in the resources required to sustain the improvements needed in the School, both educationally and in infrastructure, resulting into the Akshar Educational Trust’s (AET) decision to exit the education sector.

The trustees said that they would close the School in two phases. “The closure timetable will give

a full academic year’s notice in order to allow all parents ample time to apply to other schools. The whole of the Prep School and Senior School will continue as normal from September 2018 until closure in July 2019. This applies to all pupils, except those commencing GCSEs or A-levels in September 2018 (i.e. entering Year 11 or Year 13 in September 2019) who will all be able to complete their GCSEs and A-levels at the School

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer visits India

until July 2020. The School is in the process of liaising with the Secretary of State for Education to amend their registration details,” according to a statement.

The School is now in discussions with the Avanti Trust which runs state-funded Hindu faith schools. The Trust has been granted permission and funding from the Department for Education to open an all-through Hindu school in Brent, and is currently actively looking for a suitable site. If the Avanti Trust is successful in opening its school by September 2019, The Swaminarayan School parents will be able to apply for places available at that school – subject to meeting the school’s admissions criteria and the catchment area.

Jitu Patel, Chair of AET said, “It is indeed

very sad, particularly for our pupils, staff and parents. We explored several options before arriving at this difficult decision. We have given all parents one year’s notice to find an alternative school as well as a commitment to our staff that their employment is secure for the academic year 2018/19.”

Nilesh Manani, Head of the Senior School since it opened, said, “The children and staff are some of the very best I have had the privilege of supporting and we will strive to ensure that our education standards are maintained until the very end.”

Umesh Raja, Head of the Prep School, said, “It is very sad, but the most important thing now is for everyone to work together over the next two years, especially for the pupils remaining at our school.”

However, the parents

of the 449 pupil-school, who came to know about the closure over emails on Monday evening were livid, as the news went viral.

One parent, who did not want to be named told Asian Voice, “We parents have not been consulted.

This is outrageous. What if our children now get through nowhere?”

Heena Solanki, whose two children go to the The Swaminarayan School said, “It’s a very sad day.

We have supported the school through various challenges and our need for faith based school which has balance of academic and culture.”

A protest has been organised by the parents on Tuesday 6pm as we go to press, at the first meeting about the closure between the School management and enraged parents.

Shots fired at house after street fight beforehand and police are investigating whether it was connected to the shooting.

A police statement read: "There was no-one in the house when officers arrived and nobody was injured. Contact has since been made with the occupant to check on their

A property in Harehills was blasted with a shotgun Monday night. Armed officers were sent to the scene and damage consistent with a shotgun discharge was found to the outside the property.

A street fight was reported on nearby Ashton Street around 45 minutes

welfare. Witnesses reported seeing two males approach the property and fire the weapon before running off.”

ºђકЦ® ¸Цªъ³Ъ ╙¸àક¯ђ³ЬєÃºЦ ˛ЦºЦ ¾щ¥Ц® Major Commercial Property Auction Wednesday 11th July 2018 Rt Hon Philip Hammond in Mumbai

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, has been showcasing the very best that the UK has to offer on infrastructure finance and FinTech during his visit to Mumbai for the annual meetings of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), 25 – 26 June.

The UK was the first G7 country to join the AIIB, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to supporting investment in sustainable infrastructure across Asia.

The Chancellor met with Indian Finance Minister Shri Piyush Goyal to take forward UK’s ambitious joint work in these areas.

This visit builds on PM Modi’s successful visit to London in April, where Prime Ministers Modi and May agreed a new UKIndia Tech Partnership, positioning both countries as world leaders in innovative, cutting-edge technologies.

The UK’s reputation as the global centre for FinTech makes it the natural partner to support Mumbai’s ambitious

plans to develop its FinTech ecosystem.

The Chancellor got a flavour for Mumbai’s vibrant FinTech scene when he met young entrepreneurs at the Zone Startups Accelerator at the iconic Bombay Stock Exchange. He also celebrated the new FinTech Rocketships programme, which was announced during PM Modi’s visit to the UK. Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP said: “The UK and India have strong links and shared expertise in technology, infrastructure and financing and I’m delighted to be here in Mumbai to further develop the bonds between our countries. will be meeting some of India’s innovative fintech start-ups and seeing how we can support the next generation of Indian and British fintech entrepreneurs, and promoting London as the best place in the world to raise capital for Indian investors.”

HM Trade Commissioner for South Asia, Crispin Simon said:

“The Chancellor’s visit to Mumbai highlights the tremendous value that close cooperation between the UK and India brings to both countries, and follows a hugely successful visit to the UK by PM Modi. The UK-India relationship in infrastructure finance is already strong as evidenced by projects here in Maharashtra that are financed by masala bonds with recent issues by HDFC and the National Highways Authority of India. Adding the new Tech Partnership, Tech Clusters in Pune and Bangalore and partnerships between our FinTech sectors, and we really have some momentum.”

The Chancellor also delivered remarks at a ‘Raising Finance in London’ session – which includes speakers from the London Stock Exchange and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) – and met senior Indian business leaders such as Anand Mahindra and Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC.

On behalf of Aviva Investors, Waitrose, Mapeley, Wesleyan, BDO, Trustees and LPA Receivers, amongst others

91 lots to include

(unless otherwise sold prior)

Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 1HB 2 Castle Street Restaurant trading as Ramy’s Kitchen with 3 flats above.

Rent £25,460 p.a.x.

Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 1LS 183 King Street Let to WHSmith.

Rent £80,000 p.a.x.

48/50 South Street, Romford RM1 1RB

RETAIL INVESTMENTS

Edgware, London HA8 0LF 311 Hale Lane Shop let to Pizaza Pizza with flat above. 500m from tube station.

Rent £40,600 p.a.x.

Romford, Essex, RM1 1RB 52 South Street and 48/50 South Street Two Shops let to Haven House Foundation and Footasylum Plc (with Medical Centre above).

Rents £55,000 p.a.x. and £125,000 p.a.x. (Two Lots)

Burnt Oak, London, HA8 0LF 37 Watling Avenue Freehold Retail & Residential opportunity. Shop with two Flats above. 100m from Burnt Oak tube station.

Vacant

BANK INVESTMENT

Sutton, Greater London, SM1 1JF

Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1RE 58 Queen’s Road

95 High Street

Let to Lloyds Bank Plc. Rent £100,500 p.a.x.

Shop let to Carphone Warehouse.

Rent £51,000 p.a.x.

DRIVE-THRU INVESTMENT

231 High Street

Wolverhampton, WV2 4NJ

Shop trading as Khaneja Food & Wine.

Rent £20,250 p.a.x.

KFC Drive Thru, Penn Road Retail Park

Acton, London, W3 9BY

Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1DG

Let to KFC. Rent £91,200 p.a.x.

7/11 Piccadilly

GROUND RENT

Large Shop let to Perfect Home.

Rent £45,000 p.a.x.

Northwood Hills, Northwood, HA6 1NX

Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 1RU

9 Joel Street

44 Cheapside Shop let to Warren James Jewellers.

Rent £35,000 p.a.x.

Let to Madarin Restaurant.

Includes 3 bed maisonette.

Significant rental uplift in 15 years.

Rent £115 p.a.x.

Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK1 1JJ

OFFICE INVESTMENT

8/8A Little Underbank

Unit 1 Oak Court, Prologis Park

Let to William Hill with flat above.

Rent £21,640 p.a.x.

Let to Regent Office Care Limited.

Rent £42,000 p.a.x.

John Mehtab: +44 (0)20 7034 4855

Coventry, CV6 4QH

www.acuitus.co.uk

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Mayor joins Londoners for Eid Festival celebrations in Trafalgar Square

5 Rules for UK India Relationship Disruption How do you make closer connections between UK India. Or indeed any two countries. The recent UK India Week, the brainchild of Manoj Ladwa’s IndiaInc, provides some important rules.

Rule 1: Be Bold UK India week was not just an Awards evening, or just a magazine launch, or just a list. It was, like the UK Government’s UK Tech week, a week of events. Most people do an awards. Few dare to do an awards, a launch of the 100 most influential, a conclave over two days with CEOs of the biggest firms and telecast Ministers giving Q and A and launch a young leaders group too! That’s bold. That substance builds momentum.

Rule 2: Be High Profile Not just the ministers that were at this event, and the Foreign Secretary in person and PM by video, but also via social media before, during and after. Energy attracts positive reputation and makes something enduring.

Rule 3: Be Deep, Be Intimate These were not yet another awards.

Everything around all the groups was in depth to allow a sharing of ideas and networks. That is critical. It was the deep purpose to make a genuinely substantial change which results in change happening. It is not just people talking at you, once, but a back and forth over a week of events that leads to relationships. An

overnight conclave outside London is high risk – but it worked. The intimacy meant deep conversations and closer networking with senior people than the usual dip in and out.

And when IndiaInc makes clear time and again – the visa issue is a problem for both UK and India, it trickles through – it should make more of an impact than other channels.

Rule 4: Be Innovative and Disruptive People don’t like the same old. By having a week, adding all these approaches under one roof, and with the intent to make the relationship game changing or stepchanged better, it is not just another speech then moving on, but something long-lasting and deeper feedback to the Governments of both countries. Or as IndiaInc said – let’s be ‘transformational’.

Without ambition and vision there is no change.

Rule 5: Follow Ups and Momentum No events matter, no digital newsletter, magazine, event, if it is not sustained, with energy and followed up each week.

That’s what IndiaInc has been doing. The magazine ensures it, bring together the biggest names in the bilateral relationship.

Of course, I should not be surprised, Manoj set up the National Hindu Students Forum – and what an incredible enduring entity that is.

Brum man jailed for anti-Islam Twitter hate

ted publishing A man who postthreatening, ed a string of abusive or Islamophobic insulting matetweets in the rial intended to wake of the stir up racial Manchester hatred.

Arena attack has Chand was been jailed for arrested on 17 stirring up racial June 2017 after h a t r e d . a member of Rhodenne Chand the public posted 32 tweets Rhodenne Chand reported the over a few days tweets to police. Some of after the bombing in May the messages encouraged 2017, police said. violence against Muslims Supt Mat Shaer of West and for mosques to be Midlands Police said the attacked, while in one messages "left people fearChand claimed he wanted ing some of the threats to "slit a Muslim's throat". could be carried out by him Chand told officers he or his Twitter followers". was "venting" in the afterChand, 31, was jailed for 20 months math of the Manchester at and London Borough Birmingham Crown Court Market attacks and had on Monday. He had admit-

stopped using Twitter, police said. Officers said Chand admitted he "felt disgusted at himself for writing the posts".

Supt Shaer said: "This case saw the sustained release of offensive, threatening material aimed at Muslim and Pakistani communities − it left people fearing some of the threats could be carried out by him or his Twitter followers.

"The law is careful to try and not penalise expression of opinion, even in strong and possibly offensive terms.

But Chand's tweets were a much baser expression of animosity towards a section of society and were totally unacceptable."

Dr Lakshmi Vyas elected as President of Hindu Forum of Europe for second time Dr. Lakshmi Vyas has been elected second time as President of Hindu Forum of Europe in recently held General Assembly 2018.

Dr Vyas is an Educationist cum Academician and served as Principal of one of the most reputed collegeElphinstone College in Mumbai. Currently works in the Educational Circle as Internal and External Quality Assurer.

Dr Vyas one of the first woman to have worked on Noise Pollution and subsequently awarded a doctor-

ate on Noise Borough of Pollution in Greenwich, Mumbai and Executive memwas added as ber of UKWOMPanellist by EN Network and C e n t r a l involved with Government, several other India. charity work.

Dr Vyas is Dr Vyas is also associated widely travelled with important and has Dr. Lakshmi Vyas responsibilities authored three in a) Vice President & books and more than 30 Chair of Education and research publication is Census - Hindu Forum of journals of International Britain, b) Member of repute. Dr. Vyas is totally Religious Education committed to solve cerCouncil, UK, C) SACRE tain issues of brothers and sisters in Europe who (Standing Advisory are denied certain rights Committee for Religious Education for Royal unlike UK.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined with Londoners from all backgrounds, faiths and communities for the annual Eid Festival celebration last Saturday. The 13th Eid Festival on Trafalgar Square once again united Londoners and visitors to the capital to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

This year’s event celebrated London’s diverse Muslim communities through displays of Muslim art, cultural exhibits, poetry, storytelling and food.

As part of the Mayor’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign, the vital contribution of women to Muslim culture was a focus of the festival, with speeches and presentations from an exciting line-up of Muslim women and girls .

The international programme, hosted by Sameena Ali-Khan and

Members of the public celebrating Eid

Mayor Khan addressing the public

Remona Aly, was designed for all ages with DanishPalestinian Darbuka drummer Simona Abdallah and British-Eritrean rapper and social commentator Awate reflecting the diversity of the Muslim creative community.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “Eid alFitr is a time for celebration. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed breaking my fast

with Londoners of all faiths and backgrounds across our city, and now, after the fasts of Ramadan, I can’t wait to bring together families and neighbours to share our cultural traditions. I know this year’s festival will present the vibrancy, breadth and depth of Muslim culture to Londoners and will once again show the world that London is open.”

Employers, immigration and data protection - Maria Fernandes The new date protection regulations which came into force on the 25th May 2018 through the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and implemented in the UK through the new Data Protection Act 2018.

There are new rights for people to access the information companies hold about them, obligations for better data management for businesses, and a new regime of fines which are substantial for breaches.

Individuals, organisations, and companies that are either 'controllers' or 'processors' of personal data will be covered.

Both personal data and sensitive personal data are covered. Personal data can be anything that allows a living person to be directly or indirectly identified. This may be a name, an address, or even an IP address. It includes automated personal data and can also encompass “pseudonymised” (eg encrypted data) if a person can be identified from it. Sensitive data includes sexual orientation, political views etc.

The idea is to enable people to have easier access to the data companies hold about them, a new fines regime and a clear responsibility for organisations to obtain the consent of people they collect information about. Applying for data used to cost £10 but is now free.

There's also a requirement for businesses to obtain consent to process data in some situations.

When an organisation is relying on consent to lawfully use a person's information they have to clearly explain that consent is being given and there has to be a "positive opt-in". A default consent would not be lawful.

In immigration cases, data is collected for a variety of reasons and at a number of sources. Most of the information is collected in an official capacity and is lawful.

However there are particular instances in which employers are required by the Home Office particularly in Tiers 2 and 5 particularly, to retain information in the form of CVs, application forms, references etc., about candidates who apply for positions but who are ultimately not selected.

An employer will need specific consent to pass this information to the Home Office, remembering that consent can be withheld at any time.

What if the candidate refuses? Can you legitimately refuse to provide this information to the Home Office? And could the Home Office refuse to accept this ? When I contacted the Home Office about this, they pointed out that they are covered by exemptions and provided a link.

Regulation 23 provides that Member States can introduce exemptions from the GDPR’s transparency obligations and individual rights, but only where the restriction respects the essence of the individual’s fundamental rights and freedoms and is a necessary and proportionate measure in a democratic soci-

ety to safeguard: - national security; - defence; - public security; - the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences; - other important public interests, in particular economic or financial interests, including budgetary and taxation matters, public health and security; - the protection of judicial independence and proceedings; - breaches of ethics in regulated professions; - monitoring, inspection or regulatory functions connected to the exercise of official authority regarding security, defence, other important public interests or crime/ethics prevention; - the protection of the individual, or the rights and freedoms of others; or - the enforcement of civil law matters.

This is a broad sweep of exemptions and the question will be whether it is proportionate to pass on this information to the Home Office.

The employer is a collector of data and is ultimately responsible for making the decision about disclosing information and will bear the brunt of any breaches. And, in these circumstances, by requiring this personal information could the Home Office be encouraging unlawful use of data?

These are questions that need to be carefully considered and as part of that the Home Office have to make their position of collecting data very clear.

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Guests at unveiling ceremony pay to tribute to former UEL Chancellor’s achievements A bronze bust of Lord Noon, the former Chancellor of the University of East London (UEL), was formally unveiled at University Square Stratford on June 19 at a ceremony attended by family members, friends and leading figures from the worlds of academia and politics.

Baroness Scotland, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, and East Ham MP Stephen Timms, were among the guests as Lord Noon’s daughter, Zeenat, and the current Chancellor of UEL, Shabir Randeree CBE, performed the official unveiling.

A ‘wall of Noon’ – a series of framed prints telling the story of how Lord Noon rose from humble beginnings in India to becoming a hugely successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and peer of the realm – was also inaugurated.

The bust and prints will be displayed permanently in the foyer of the University Square Stratford to inform students about his remarkable life.

Lord Noon, who died in 2015, built a vast food business empire and became popularly known as the UK’s ‘Curry King’ for turning his range of ready-made Indian food into a staple of the British diet.

He was appointed an MBE for his services to the food industry in 1994 and was knighted in 2002.

In 2011, he was made a life peer with the formal title of Baron Noon of St John’s Wood.

He was appointed Chancellor of UEL in 2013.

Aside from his business interests, Lord Noon was also a generous philanthropist, donating millions of pounds to charities in the UK and India.

His charitable work included two key initiatives: founding and building a state-of-the-art hospital in his ancestral home town of Bhawani Mandi and founding the Noon Centre for Equality and Diversity in Business at UEL. The Centre supports research and engagement in the area of workplace diversity and helps prepare students from

diverse backgrounds for employment. Last year, it co-funded a trip to Mumbai for 50 students to develop their leadership skills and cultural intelligence. For some students, it was their first ever trip abroad.

Zeenat Noon Harnal, who is a Trustee of the Noon Memorial Legacy Trust, said, “This is a very emotional, wonderful occasion for me and my family and I know my father would be smiling right now.

“He was so proud to be Chancellor of the UEL. He passionately shared the University’s values of equality, justice and social mobility, especially with such a diverse body of students, and he loved working with young people and interacting with them.

“The bust and the story of his life will help students understand his journey, what he went through and what he did for the University – and hopefully they will take something from that.”

Shabir Randeree said, “We at UEL are very proud of our connection with Lord Noon and the unveiling of the bust is a small token of our appreciation of that connection.

“It is a privilege for UEL to honour him in this way and I hope the bust and the story of Lord Noon will be an inspiration to our students.”

Midlands Indian Association celebrate birthday of Rabindranath Tagore

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Nominate them for the 18th Asian Achievers Awards

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Deadline for nomination 31st July, 2018 Please tick the appropriate category Achievement in Community Service In recognition for an individuals service to community.

Woman of the Year The award will recognise and honour a woman who has made a significant mark in any chosen field.

Sports Personality of the Year Awarded for excellence in sports.

Business Person of the Year Awarded to a business person who is a success in every sense of the word and can demonstrate a genuine passion for social issues.

Lifetime Achievement Award To honour those individuals, who during their lifetime, have made immense contributions in any given field. This remarkable individual can be marked as an example for the younger generation.

Uniformed and Civil Services For outstanding achievements in uniformed and civil services or contribution to the community through any of the above services.

Entrepreneur of the Year Awarded to an entrepreneur with a proven track record of operating a successful business enterprise.

The Midlands Indian Association (MIA) celebrated the birthday of Rabindranath Tagore at Walsall, West Midlands on the 17th June, 2018. The programme was well attended and started with a rendition of Tagore’s poems and songs by a group of talented young children. The recital and singing were all of high quality. The polished performance, aided by the flawless diction of the Bengali words, of the young generation of kids left the audience spellbound.

It shows the future on Indian culture is in very capable hands at the MIA. This was followed by a wonderful presentation of Tagore’s works by the renowned celebrity Mrs Saswati Guhathakurta. Her melodious voice, measured

emotion and expressive recital brought Tagore to life. She concluded her performance with a mesmerising reading from Lipika.

The final part of the show comprised of a captivating performance called Aloy Phera (waking up to light), an experimental work on the relevance of Tagore, then and now. It started with the concept of enlightenment in 19th Century Bengal from darkness with Upanishadic sloka, song aguner parashmani and further elaborate presentation of poems and songs including je rate more duarguli, nirjharer sapnabhanga, edin aaji konghare go, and suprabhat.

After a subtle hint at Bengali renaissance, it moved to the remembrance of Tagore today and went on to present some of the masterpieces of

Tagore’s works, including the song ei kathati mone rekho, poem Taaj Mahal (e katha janite tumi) and excerpts from Sesher kabita. The pathos of biraha (heartache of the estranged lover) was beautifully brought to life by soulful rendering of kandale tumi more, bhalobashar i ghaye.

This was followed by a poem written for this occasion by the programme director, and then the song andhakarer utso hote utsarito alo. After a chorus of aloker ei jharnadharay, it concluded with the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, which incidentally was also written by Rabindranath Tagore. All in all, this was a highly enjoyable evening and left the audience with an enthralling experience.

Professional of the Year Professionals in the field of medicine, law, education, banking, finance and others, who have scaled the heights of their chosen profession.

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London Mayor promises to lobby for Indian students

London Mayor Sadiq Khan in an Award in London has said that he will continue to lobby for the Indian students and termed the exclusion of Indians from an easier student visa application regime as “offensive” and a “wasted opportunity”, the PTI has reported.

His comments have come in the wake of brewing tensions in India-UK relationship after the UK Home Office launched a more relaxed Tier 4 student visa system, adding countries like China, Serbia and the Maldives. India has been left out on that list believed to be because of the nonsigning of an MoU regarding illegal immigrants by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his April visit to U.K. Dismissing the UK government’s claims over these illegal immigrants from India, Khan reportedly said the evidence did not back up the concerns. “To link the two, illegal immigration and students is deeply offensive and also muddies the waters. This hostile environment (to immigration) is still here and we need real concrete evidence that it will change.

“There isn’t a problem about students overstaying… All the evidence shows that Indians who study here leave with a very positive attitude. So, when they become chief executives or

Mayor Sadiq Khan

investors, they invest in the UK,” he said.

According to the report he also challenged the Theresa May-led Conservative party government’s “blind spot”, which fails to take into account the benefits of immigration to Britain. “I feel this government is being very complacent about Indian investment. They assume it will always be here. My message to the government is no; these talented people can go elsewhere,” he warned, the agency reported.

Khan further said that he would lobby not just for tourists and students but also for Bollywood because film producers are now going to other parts of Europe as filming in London becomes far more difficult because of visa restrictions and the high cost of visitor visas. “The reality is there is so much talent in India, there is so much potential.

Why aren’t we rushing to

try and get that talent to come here rather than letting them go to Canada, Australia, the US and New Zealand?” questioned Khan.

His intervention came as the UK government seemed to indicate a softening of its stance over the issue of visas. UK Foreign Office Minister Mark Field who was also present at the awards, that the government was determined to make the changes necessary and it was just a matter of time before these become visible.

MPs question Home Office visa fee

MPs and campaigners have called for urgent action to reduce Home Office fees as the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration launches an inquiry into the charges.

David Bolt issued a call for evidence as he started work on an inspection of the Home Office’s charging for asylum, immigration, nationality and customs services. Bolt said it would look at the rationale for the fees, including the amounts charged.

The Guardian spoke around with families who had to choose between paying for accommodation or Home Office fees. Another family, who have a disabled daughter, are still paying back the £7,000 they bor-

rowed to pay the charges and said they fear losing their home.

The Home Office has allegedly made profits of upto 800% on some immigration applications from families. Figures released to the BBC showed the Home Office made £800mn revenue from fees in six years.

MPs to debate petition about family visitors visa

MPs will debate three petitions about family visitor visas on Monday 9 July. The Committee has scheduled this debate because there were no new petitions which had reached the 100,000 signatures required to be considered for debate.

These petitions have a combined total of more than 89,000 signatures and are about an issue that affects a relatively small group of people in the UK, which would make it harder for a single petition to pass the 100,000 signature threshold.

The petition claims, family members of UK Citizens shouldn’t have to meet the same criteria as other applicants for a visit visa. Not being a citizen doesn’t make our parent, siblings, children or grandchildren any less a part of our family. The only requirement should be that a British relative sponsors them.

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Bolton Hindu Forum hold Bollywood Festival

On the weekend of 23rd and 24th of June 2018 Bolton Hindu Forum held a Bollywood Festival at Market Place Bolton. As part of the festival, The Great Get Together event which is held throughout the country in memory of the MP Jo Cox was also held along with our partners Bolton Interfaith Council.

This was an amazing weekend celebrating South Asian culture with food, fun, entertainment and all things Bollywood. On both days we showed two classic films, Mother India and Sholay in the morning. Amazing per-

formances were held throughout the weekend, including music on violin, guitars and dhol, Bollywood and Bharatanatyam dances, and an amazing piece on the sitar.

Alan Sugar has been accused of sexism after posting a tweet telling men to buy sweets for their wives or girlfriends for "ignoring them during the World Cup." His tweet has faced backlash online with many people telling the Apprentice star that "wives and girlfriends watch football too."

It comes less than a week after Lord Sugar faced a barrage of criticism for a tweet likening Senegal's national football team to beach-

sellers. He later apologised and deleted the post.

And Lord Sugar sparked a backlash online again on Tuesday after tweeting to promote the confectionery company of his business partner and former winner of The Apprentice Sarah Lynn.

Alan Sugar sparks Twitter backlash

ARORA WELCOMES HEATHROW VOTE WITH A MUCH BETTER PLAN

Continued from page 1 The Confederation of British Industries (CBI) reportedly hailed this vote as a “truly historic” decision, saying it will “open the doors to a new era in the UK’s global trading relationships.”

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who had previously said he would "lie down in front of the bulldozers" if the plans went ahead, has faced criticism for not being present during the vote in Parliament and was visiting Afghanistan at the same time.

The Oxford Economics, reportedly highlighted the value of international business travel, emphasising in a research with GTMC, that the average international business travel air trip triggers a £34,000 contribution to gross domestic product.

Local MP for Ealing and Southall, Virendra Sharma in a statement earlier this month said, “The airport has worked closely with local residents in developing proposals that will deliver significant benefits to the local economy, and minimise the impact on Heathrow’s neighbours. If they stick to the deal we have then

Heathrow will deliver sympathetic sustainable growth in the local area for decades. Thousands of young people in my constituency will have access to high quality jobs and rigorous apprenticeships to qualify them for the jobs.

An expanded Heathrow is not just an airport for West London, it is a nationwide and worldwide hub, with more flights in and out of Heathrow we can expect more direct flights to India and other increasingly important UK trade partners. The government is investing in a global Britain."

However, the decision is set to face a legal challenge from a cross-party group of London councils, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and Greenpeace UK. Khan reportedly said that despite the vote being the “wrong decision” for Londoners, it did not represent the end of the fight.

“I’m joining the legal action brought by local authorities in opposition to Heathrow expansion,” he said.

Tory councillor Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth, reportedly said the third runway proposal would not survive

“independent, lawful and rational” scrutiny in the courts.

Stephen Cowan of Hammersmith and Fulham told newspapers: “We absolutely refuse to sit back and let such a potentially catastrophic decision be made without a fight. If we need to take legal action, we will.”

The councils have six weeks to challenge the decision through judicial review if the government formally designates the national planning statement supporting the third runway.

Comments in support of Arora Group Airlines operating from Heathrow have consistently voiced concerns about HAL’s ability to undertake Heathrow expansion in a cost-effective manner and have called for competitive principles to be adopted to ensure that expansion is undertaken by the best party and to ensure that it is a success. Airlines have therefore welcomed the Arora’s proposals.

Sir Rod Eddington, former British Airways CEO and member of the Arora Group Heathrow Expansion Advisory Board, supporting the Arora

low and we call on the urge all involved in Group’s expansion plan Government to break up Heathrow expansion to said: “Heathrow used to be the airport’s monopoly give the Arora plan serious the premium global aviaand allow third parties to consideration.” tion hub but has suffered run terminals. The Arora Mr Arora said: “Our under the current proposal looks very interapproach has been to work monopoly, which has seen esting and deserves to be closely with airlines and to it drop below other employ the world’s European air“The stamp of approval from MPs for best and most expeports. Arora is Heathrow expansion is a vital further step – rienced airport best placed to but there now needs to be an independent designers and these deliver true process to determine who can best deliver benefits are clearly competition and return Heathrow each element of the expansion. Arora’s plans evident in our to deliver the full extra capacity via a Western Hub plans. to its place as Westerly campus deliver significant cost Heathrow has been the top-tier savings and break the current monopoly, in monopoly coninternational which overcharges airlines and passengers. trol for too long and airport, which is critical in a post- Costs must be kept down for the expansion to our proposals show work and Heathrow’s track record should be what can be Brexit Britain.” a cause for concern.” achieved through Jonathan an alternative M a s s e y , properly evaluated so that approach and Heathrow Principal of Corgan’s customers can get the best fully welcoming competiAviation Studio, commenttion. ed: “Our plans maximise facilities at the most “We welcomed the the site’s potential, incoraffordable price”. consultation from the porating a large number of Craig Kreeger, CEO, CAA. It is helpful to have gates next to T5, reducing Virgin Atlantic, said: talks in place and we are passenger connect-times, “Heathrow expansion is a eager to work with all parand including an integratonce-in-a-generation ties to realise the best ed public transport hub as opportunity to challenge solution for Heathrow. part of an innovatively the status quo and build “We are passionate designed ‘central procesthe right airport for the about developing a sor’ core area, to develop future. Arora have develHeathrow that delivers a the best operational soluoped a plan that will bring truly world-leading expetion for Heathrow.” down the cost of construcrience; one that works for tion and inject competiA spokesperson from airlines; one that offers tion at the UK’s hub airInternational Airlines port. At first look, this plan Group (IAG, the parent passengers a top-class appears to be a credible company of British journey; and one that has alternative. Virgin Atlantic Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia the commercial grounding and Vueling) said: to be a long-term success believes passionately in “Competition at Heathrow for the nation to take pride the benefits of competiis critical to keeping costs in.” tion to consumers, so we

UK

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Dr Rami Ranger CBE and Zac Goldsmith MP appointed new Co-Chairmen of the Conservative Friends of India Conservative Friends of India (CF India), a group affiliated to the Conservative Party which aims to build stronger links between the Conservative Party, the British Indian community and India, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rami Ranger CBE and Mr Zac Goldsmith MP as the organisations new Co-Chairmen.

Dr Ranger and Mr Goldsmith bring a wealth of experience to their new roles. Zac Goldsmith was first elected MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston in 2010 and has won a number of awards for his campaigns in Parliament.

Dr Rami Ranger CBE is a founding member of the Hindu Forum of Britain, and Chairman of the Pakistan, India & UK Friendship Forum, and the British Sikh Association.

His company, Sun Mark Ltd, is the only company in the UK to have been awarded 5 consecutive Queens Awards for enterprise. He is also the Patron of the Punjabi Society of British Isles, the Combat Stress and a Fellow of the Prince’s Trust. As a key supporter of youth and skills development, Rami is a member of the government's Apprenticeship Delivery Board and an Ambassador for the Food and Drinks Industry in the development of apprenticeships and job creation throughout the UK. In 2005 he was made a Member of the British Empire and in 2016 the Commander of British Empire for his services to British Business and the Asian Community.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP said, “The UK would not be the vibrant country that it is today without the enor-

Dr Rami Ranger CBE with Zac Godsmith MP

mous contribution of successive generations of British Indians.

Conservative Friends of India plays an important role in strengthening the links between our Party and the British Indian community, and in supporting the flourishing friendship between the UK and India. I know that under Rami Ranger and Zac Goldsmith’s leadership, CF India will go from strength and strength as a valued part of our Conservative family.”

His Excellency the High Commissioner of India YK Sinha said, “I welcome the appointment of Dr Rami Ranger CBE as the Co-Chairman and look forward to working closely with the Conservative Friends of India to further UK India relations.”

Mr Ranger said, “I am deeply honoured to be appointed as CoChairman of Conservative Friends of India along with Zac Goldsmith MP, an organisation that recognises the contributions and values of the British Indian community within the United Kingdom and strives to build closer ties with India.

“As Co-Chairman of the Conservative Friends of India, I will work to further enhance the involvement of the British Indian

community in the political life of our great country which will bring about a positive change to the UK through their participation within the Conservative Party and political service in UK. I am putting together a new team at CF India which will help me with the required support network to truly allow CF India to capitalise and maximise on the significant and exciting opportunities we have at hand both in the UK and with greater trade and cultural ties with India as the UK’s key Commonwealth partner. The relationship between the Conservative Party, and the India diaspora, is the closest it has ever been”.

Zac Goldsmith MP said, “It is a real honour to be Co-Chairman of Conservative Friends of India, and to be able to work alongside Dr Rami Ranger CBE. CF India is already an important organisation, and it has an even brighter future.

The British Indian Community is such an important part of what makes our country successful, and the relationship between Britain and India is not only a deep and lasting, it is becoming ever more important.

Through CF India, we will continue to strengthen that bond.”

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30th June 2018

St Luke’s Hospice Midnight Walk

St Luke’s Hospice hosted their annual Midnight Walk last Friday, which saw over 1,100 ladies marching the streets of Harrow to raise funds for one of North West London’s prominent community hospices.

The walk was officially started by one of the Founding Members and Chief Patron of the Hospice, Lord Dolar Popat.

The annual walk first started in 2008 and has been growing in size year on year ever since. Participants came together from all communities, backgrounds, abilities and ages to take part in specially coordinated 5 and 9 mile walks around Harrow.

Speaking at the start of the walk at Bryon Hall, Harrow Lord Popat said, “The Midnight Walk is more than just raising money. It brings together various communities of all ages and backgrounds to support a local institution

which seeks to help everyone.”

“I was delighted to see so many participants take part – but I want to see more people come forward to support St Luke’s which is open to everyone.”

The Hospice is currently open to everyone with an incurable illness, providing invaluable care, not just to patients, but support for family and carers. St Luke’s has become a haven for people to die with dignity and is heavily subscribed.

St Luke’s was founded by a number of community leaders and began by funding two nurses in the community. In 1990, the first Day Care Service, followed by the opening of their In Patient Unit at Kenton Grange in 2000. Over the years the community has raised millions of pounds to maintain the Hospice, including through their charity shops. This week a new charity shop was also opened in Ealing Road.

Lord Dolar Popat

All care is provided free of charge. Patients can be cared for at home, the Patient Unit, or attend the Woodgrange Day Centre for day therapies.

Newly appointed Chief Executive of the Hospice Aparna Malde said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed organising the Midnight Walk this year. It is inspirational to see the amount of help and support that we get from all our dedicated volunteers, marshals and committee members to make this event run smoothly year on year.”

This year’s Midnight Walk raised £180,000 for the Hospice.

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READERS’ VOICE

Asian Voice |

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30th June 2018

Plastic bags are hazardous to the environment

Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They fly off trash piles, garbage trucks and landfills, and then clog storm water infrastructure, float down waterways, and spoil the landscape. Plastic bags also pose a serious danger to birds and marine mammals who often mistake them for food. Floating plastic bags regularly fool sea turtles into thinking that they are one of their favorite prey --- jellyfish. Thousands of animals die each year after swallowing or choking on discarded plastic bags. This mistaken identity issue is apparently a problem even for camels in the Middle East.

Plastic bags exposed to sunlight for long enough do undergo physical breakdown. Ultra-violet rays turn the plastic brittle, breaking it into ever smaller pieces.

The small fragments then mix with soil, lake sediments, are picked up by streams, or end up contributing to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and other oceanic trash deposits.

Finally, producing plastic bags, transporting them to stores, and bringing the used ones to landfills and recycling facilities require millions of gallons of petroleum, a non-renewable resource which can arguably be better used for more beneficial activities like transportation or heating.

Some business organisations have even stopped offering their customers plastic bags. San Francisco was the first to do that in 2007.

Reusable shopping bags made from renewable materials conserve resources by replacing paper and plastic bags. Reusable bags are convenient and come in a variety of sizes, styles and materials. When not in use, some reusable bags can be rolled or folded small enough to fit easily into a pocket. Make sure you wash them regularly.

Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai, India

Brexit Headache

Brexit continues to dominate the minds of British people who are divided down the middle as to whether to have a hard or soft Brexit.

Basically the split is between the young generation and the old generation. The way things are going it appears Brexit is hurtling towards a crash landing very soon. The Tory party is divided between the leavers and remains, the prime minister Theresa May is stuck in the middle not knowing which way to jump. The choice is between a rock and a hard place.

Similarly the Labour party is divided on this issue.

With these two major parties are at logger heads with each other and on top of that have divisions within their own parties, which is a recipe for disaster for their forthcoming negotiations with the EU. People who voted for Brexit thought that they could just walk out of EU and have a clean break without any problems or issues to be resolved or negotiated in connection with the economy, jobs of the British workers, Irish border, status EU citizens in UK and British citizens in Europe, UK’s participation in the Space project, Airbus project, foreign business investment to UK, security arrangements, type of tariffs to be applied to both imports and exports, joint research projects, visas, flights between UK and Europe. Without resolving these Britain cannot just walk away, it will have to face the music and deal with it.

Analysis has shown each of the government’s four Brexit scenarios, including a bespoke deal, would leave Britain poorer. A study has found that voters, even those who backed Brexit, feared that leaving the European Union would come at “too high a price”.

Brexit will cost UK public services £40bn a year under the government’s preferred deal, rising to £81bn in a ‘no deal’ scenario. Theresa May’s preferred option would increase the cost of non-tariff trade barriers by £23bn. Brexit has also caused a drop in the value of pound sterling.

I hope good sense will prevail and a proper deal is done in the interest of the country and not in the interest of a political party or group of individuals with vested interests.

Baldev Sharma Rayners Lane, Harrow

MAKE YOURSELF HEARD

Write to our ‘Reader’s Voice’ section about what you think regarding the various ongoing issues all around the world. Please send your letters to aveditorial@abplgroup.com Make sure they are NOT more than 450 words. Any letter longer than the limit may not be published.

Note that all your letters are subject to being edited by our team for valid reasons - AV

A storm in a tea cup

It is interesting to read the battle of bulge or rather polite differences about the length of letters, between our dedicated, regular and knowledgeable contributors Dineshbhai Sheth and Rameshbhai Jhalla. In a way both are right in their endower to make “Readers’ Column” popular, easily accessible to wider readership.

I feel the length of letters should be judged on the merit of letters, the subject matters and popularity of the contributors. It is right to limit the length between 250 and 500 words. If the subject matter is obscure, not in public domain, then 250 words are adequate. But it is impossible to do justice to the subject matter, such as “Singapore Summit” between unpredictable, enigmatic US President Donald Trump and ruthless North Korean dictator Chairman Kim Jong-Un, a poacher turned game-keeper.

I must admit at one time I was addicted to long letter writing. But it was not difficult to adjust to the word limit. The saying “If there is a wish, there is a way” is certainly true to letter writing, as it is in most circumstances.

My two popular novels, collection of short stories, many published in Asian Voice, “Ivory Tower” and “Olive Grove” with 1000 large pages and some 700,000 words, edited by Rameshbhai, is the proof of my inexorable addiction to writing which has served me well in my hour of need.

The best solution to word limit is for us to be sensible and leave the final outcome on the “Editorial Board” who is doing a wonderful job under difficult, inextricable circumstances.

Bhupendra M. Gandhi By email

Could bypass become irrelevant?

As we all live longer, not necessarily a healthy life, cancer, heart problems and dementia, a few among many illnesses that plague us in our old-age. No wonder our NHS is under immense pressure, mainly due to obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, type two diabetes related to excessive sugar intake, smoking, lack of exercise and age related illnesses.

Over the time, high cholesterol level in the blood causes arteries to be clogged, become narrow with fatty deposits and restrict flow of blood to heart causing heart attacks and similar heart problems.

Scientists have been working hard for many decades to find a cure or at least a simple, inexpensive solution to treat these ever menacing and on the rise health problems without undergoing surgeries, bypass or inserting stents to stop veins collapsing so that blood can flow freely, delivering much needed oxygen to the over working heart. So it is indeed pleasant news that scientists have made a significant breakthrough in what is considered to be one of the holy grails of cardiovascular disease.

A simple, twice weekly injection may not only stop the clogging of arteries but also reverse the condition, reducing considerably the risk of heart attacks without undergoing risky operations. No matter how minor operation may be, there is always a risk of infection, negligence and procedure failure, as hospital staffs are working under unbearable pressure.

No wonder NHS workload leaves nurses and junior doctors feeling depressed and turning to alcohol and drugs to get-by, as many fail to take even breaks, as they are too busy looking after their patients. Even suicide rate among them is much higher than the national average. It is indeed a shame that successive governments have failed to tackle hospital underfunding, making NHS a political football.

Priorities of our politicians of all political persuasion are bizarre, to say the least, as defence spending, hyped up by imaginary Russian threat and overseas aids are more important than looking after the health and wellbeing of our people, especially OAPs who have fought for this country so that we today enjoy the freedom and life-style we deserve. It is time that this fiddle-faddle nonsense is confined to dustbin, in favour of well-funded progressive approach in line with Scandinavian countries, Germany and France where NHS is a jewel in the crown, available practically on demand.

Kumudini Valambia By email

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Is Brexit a big mistake?

Have those of us who voted for Brexit made a catastrophic blunder?

I, for one, expected to see many countries lining up to do business with a Brexit Britain that was free from the shackles of EU bureaucracy.

I even thought countries like India and the United States would be jostling each other to be first in the queue. To my astonishment, nothing is happening and the silence is deafening.

Sadly I must conclude that Britain is walking off a cliff backwards, handcuffed and blindfolded.

Rudy Otter by email

Trump’s Tantrums

It must be said at the outset that the world’s most powerful man, Donald Trump, comes up with extreme ideas almost every week, and after the initial furore, they become the norm and get accepted.

He seems to be ruling the roost. He appears to be putting in place many of his proclamations at his election campaign.

People’s protests are falling on deaf ears and his ideas, whether acceptable or not, first meet with protests and contumely, and later become accepted.

As in the heading, can we say that these are Trump’s tantrums or Trumps triumphs? In his most recent provocative action, he has caused further furore by claiming that illegal immigrants want to ‘infest’ the United States.

His zero tolerance policy has separated 2,300 migrant children from their families and left many held up in cages.

Not long ago, his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had opened up the Pandora’s box in the region and, by this rash action, all ills had been let loose in the surrounding regions.

At the moment, everything he says or does, goes.

Many of his new ideas, though initially condemned by the world, get accepted. How long can he keep pulling new rabbits from his bag reamains to be seen.

The world awaits with abated breath what other tricks he pulls out of his bag. However, whatever techniques he uses, one cannot but admire him for winning the game by playing his trump cards right.

Dinesh Sheth Newbury Park, Ilford

Gujarat no vaarso Narsaiyo

As a pious Nagar, please accept many thanks for full page 6 – Gujarat Samachar- article about “Nagar ratna” Narsinh Mehta by Vishnu Pandya. Nagars from Junagadh, will also be pleased to see their community icon accorded reverential publicity. Vishnu Pandya mentions that Narsinh Mehta would have lived same quality of pious life even if born in other caste. But any historian familiar with most ancient roots of Nagars and right reverential life style, would stress /endorse innate hereditary luminesence and lustre.

From early days in Kashmir till becoming governer of Gujarat, Nagars have lived as faithful devotees of Shiva. Narsinh Mehta inherited this aura since VEDIC DAYS, which no other caste would have accorded.

Yet it cannot be denied that after establishment of Akbar’s rule in 1526, Hindu way of life was threatened. Devotees were put off by unintelligible (JAGAT MITHYA) philosophies and rituals (HAVANS).

Conversion by Muslim mirs, pirs, fakirs also attracted many low caste Hindus.

Saintly persons from all over India, saved Hindu religion; appealed to laymen via easy simple bhajans, songs prasadam, dancing and weeping / crying.

Laymen accepted doctrine of heart as against doctrine of mind. All were low caste pious devotees. Most revered and notable were Sant Kabir, Ramanand, Samarth Ramdas, Guru Nanakdevji, Tukaram.

Namdev, Vallabhacharya, Reidas, Chaitanya Mahaprahu and many more.

Vishnu Pandya also questioned whether values propounded by Narsinh Mehta’s values, and bhajans were congruent in present day competitive world. He has discussed miracles as sudden awareness of interplay of spiritual and cosmic forces. Enlightened saints did not perform miracles for personal gains or advertisement of their powers. Therefore, soon after performing garland miracle to please local ruler, Narsinh Mehta had to abandon Junagadh. Then Hindu domain slipped under heel of Muslim navabs. Erudite writer Vishnu Pandya should now probe into origins of Nagars, migration into India and history covering era of Anandpur (VADNAGAR of today) Sridhar Mehta, Dahyo and Damaro to Balvantrai Mehta.

Ramesh Jhalla By email

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Students win NASA competition A team of Harrow pupils are reaching for the stars after winning a national competition to design a spacecraft for NASA. Four young scientists from Alpha Prep School won this year’s ‘Generation Beyond Challenge’, which was organised by Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education.

The challenge – a UK first – was launched to schools last year as part of a new STEM education programme to inspire the next generation of astronauts. Children were asked to stretch their imagination by designing a habitation module for Orion, the NASA spacecraft which will take the first crew to Mars in the 2030s.

Pupils Helia Najafi (9), Veer Thakkar (11), Krisha Shah (11) and Adithya

The winning team: (L-R) Krisha Shah, Veer Thakkar, Helia Najafi and Adithya Raghuraman

Raghuraman (10) scooped the top prize with ‘Andromeda’, a colourful 3D model for astronauts to live and work on the planet Mars. The design featured details such as an artificial gravity shower and judges said that the children’s design showed “fantastic teamwork and inspiration”.

The school, which is “absolutely over the

moon”, hosted a special celebration assembly for the pupils and their parents. They received iPads and science magazine subscriptions as prizes, with the school receiving a £5,000 STEM grant.

Over 160 pupils from across the UK took part in the challenge, which was judged by a panel of teachers, academics and space scientists.

August.

The project team, incorporating four artists and led by UCLan’s Senior Lecturer in Fashion Design Amanda OdlinBates and Principal Lecturer in Fashion and

Textiles Bev Lamey, worked with an intergenerational mix of local Burnley women for a period of several months, producing contemporary textiles for headscarf designs.

Hidden Gems

Women from Burnley’s Asian community have joined forces with fashion experts at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to create a range of contemporary headscarves and hijabs, inspired by rare Asian textile samples from the world-class Gawthorpe Textiles Collection (GTC).

The striking results of Hidden Gems, a project funded by the Arts Council, will go on display at an exhibition in the Burnley Mechanics from 12 July until 7

University student suicide rates revealed Suicide rates for higher education students have been revealed for the first time. The Office of National Statistics figures show 95 recorded university student suicides for the 12 months to July 2017 in England and Wales.

This is lower than for the general population of similar ages, but does not include suicides among students at further educa-

tion colleges.

Since the 1950s there has been limited data on student suicides.

A report published last autumn showed the numbers of students disclosing mental health problems had increased fivefold in a decade.

Up until now detail on things like age clusters, people's undergraduate or postgraduate status, or

comparison with similarage people who did not enter higher education, has not been available.

There were more than 2m students study at a university in England or Wales in the 12 months up to July 2017, meaning the suicide rate was 4.7 deaths per 100,000 students.

Suicide rates were higher among young men than young women.

A cooked travel agent was sentenced to more than two years in prison after he was found guilty of defrauding unsuspecting holidaymakers out of thousands of pounds.

Tej Bahadur Gurung carried out a last-minute cancellation scam through Markhor Traders Limited (MTL), where he was a director.

The 54-year-old swindled almost £70,000 from 28 victims, though according to Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, the number of victims is thought to be much higher and the true scale of the scam may never be known.

Cllr Graham Henson,

leader of Harrow Council, said he was pleased to see the fraudster brought to justice. He said: “Criminals like Gurung prey on people’s hopes and dreams and I’m proud that this council’s trading standards officers are secondto-none in finding them and punishing them.”

Gurung pleaded guilty on all counts including fraud and unfair commercial practice. He was sentenced to 25 months imprisonment and was handed a Director’s Disqualification Order of ten years.

Statements from victims revealed that MTL would cancel flights worth

thousands of pounds before bullying victims into booking new ones.

The company would claim that airlines had cancelled the tickets when, in fact, Gurung had done so and pocketed the cash.

Simon Legg, senior regulatory service manager from Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, urged all holidaymakers to check and double-check the travel agents when making a booking. He said: “If you’re planning a holiday, always do your research, check the provider’s ATOL membership is genuine and where possible, pay by credit card to ensure your money is protected.”

Harrow Trading Standards catch dodgy travel agent

Increase in first‑class degrees as unis fight over students Universities competing with each other have overhauled degree marking to “ratchet up” the number of students getting firsts, a report discloses.

The inquiry by Reform, the think tank, comes as the new student watchdog begins investigating grade inflation.

The report said that half of universities had altered the way they calculated the marking of degrees.

The rise in the number of firsts and 2:1s being handed out meant that degree classifications were becoming “meaningless”, the study said.

The Office for Students responded to the report, saying that grade inflation was not “in the interest” of graduates. It is understood to be investigating the issue with some urgency.

The proportion of firsts awarded rose at the fastest rate on record last year with 26 per cent of students getting the top grade, compared with 15 per cent in 2012, the year that fees were trebled to £27,000, and 8 per cent in 1995.

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30th June 2018

Readers’ Voice

Migration

Every living human is a legacy of migration from somewhere. Anthropologists state that the Homo sapiens originated about 300,000 years ago in Africa but they cannot precisely located the “Garden of Eden”. Humans migrated everywhere on earth from Africa in ancient times.

In the early 17th century, after Columbus’s voyages in late 15th century, Europeans started migrating to the Americas (North and South) which were already populated by the same number of people as in Europe at that time.

Every president of the USA has traced his ancestry in Europe except Obama whose ancestry is in Africa.

One would like to ask Trump; which migrants have infested the USA? European migration to Australia and New Zealand only started in the 19th century by whalers, sealers, missionaries and later deported convicts after Captain Cook’s voyages in the late 18th century.

The present migration crisis in Europe could be squarely put on Mrs Merkel’s shoulders due to her open arm unilateral dictatorial invitation to unlimited migrants in 2015. It has created only misery and death in the Mediterranean Sea for migrants and riches for human traffickers.

Until then, migration to Europe had been orderly and had taken place by invitation (like Windrush Generation), by political considerations (like Ugandan Asians) or by skill requirement using work permits. Lately, some orderly migration has also taken place on humanitarian grounds.

Mrs Merkel’s 2015 action has created discord in the European Union (only 16 out of 28 countries attended the migration meeting on 24th June), friction between host communities and recent migrant communities and even reignited persecution of Roma (Gypsies) in Italy, Hungary, Romania and other European nations.

The Roma communities had arrived in Europe several centuries ago from Bharat. It seems, migration, conflict and persecution is a perpetual human activity.

Narsibhai Patel New Malden

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

The Centre’s peace initiative in Kashmir in the Islamic holy month of Ramzan brought not peace but greater bloodshed. The Hurriyat leadership, blinkered and defiant, spurned the olive branch. The PDF-led State government of Chief Minister Mufti Mehbooba in Srinagar remained anchored to its policy of indulgence towards mobs of jihadi stone throwers even as it kept wailing at the accelerating cycle of jihadi violence.

Mufti Mehmooba and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra

and was persuaded to extend it by another year to October 2018.

However, for urgent personal reasons, he asked to leave within a month or two (Hindu, Times of India, Economic Times June 21).

Mercedes to use Pune base

Omar Abdullah

The assassination of the Sujaat Bukhari, Editor of Rising Kashmir, and the abduction and murder of soldier Aurangzeb were clearly the last straw for the Jammu-based BJP partner in the PDF-led coalition, a fraught alliance at the best of times, hence the BJP sought a quick way out with an abrupt divorce, bringing closure to what was fast becoming a farce (Times of India, Economic Times, Hindu, Mint June 20) See Comment Page 3.

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz, the world’s top luxury carmaker plans to manufacture electric vehicles at its Chakan facility, Pune, as part of a plan to stem pollution across India’s major cities. ‘As the Indian market moves towards electrics, we will be investigating local manufacturing here. As part of our long-term perspective (on India), we want to manufacture here,’ said Michael Jopp, Mercedes-Benz Vice President India (Sales and Marketing) (Times of India June 20)

India’s wealth more evenly distributed According to the Boston Consulting Group’s Global Wealth Report 2018, Indian wealth distribution has been more even than generally perceived. Personal wealth in India grew 12 per cent from 2017 to 2018. The character of personal wealth, in India, says the report is changing. Those with personal wealth exceeding $1 billion account for 16 per cent of the country’s total wealth.

While investable wealth – listed equity, bonds, investment funds, currency and deposits etc – accounted for 64 per cent in 2012 and is expected to increase to 70 per cent in 2022. The 17 per cent category of personal wealth holders in 2012, rose to 22 per cent in 2017 and is expected to grow to 32 per cent by 2022 Hindu June 16).

Indonesian envoy for stronger trade links Addressing a meeting at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi, Indonesian Ambassador to India, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, called for the diversification of bilateral trade with India from exports of palm

had and probably ever will.’ He joined the Finance Ministry in 2014 on a three-year contract

oil and coal, to cooperation in high-tech areas, and in improved connectivity. The current state of India-Indonesian relations was the best in seven decades, he claimed, with expectatios of increasing the value of bilateral trade from its present $20 billion level to $50billion by 2025 (Mint June 21).

China’s Xiaomi plans for Indian market Chinese firm Xiaomi that strategizes its marketing through third party outlets, plans more of its products manufactured in India, from television sets to t-shirts and much else in a varied list. ‘We are definitely exploring possibilities of setting up more factories for all other products,’ said Xiaomi Vice President India Manu Jain.

Popular in India for its Mi and Redmi brands of smartphones, Xiaomi now sells the first hand-held devices manufactured in six facilities across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Noida (on the outskirts on New Delhi). Of these, five belong to Foxconn. Jain said: ‘We don’t own a factory anywhere in the world, not even in China… don’t manufacture anywhere in the world. Only design them.’

Sixty-five per cent of Xiaaomi sales are online, but this is likely to change as the company establishes a presence in India’s Tier cities (Hindu June 21).

Indian couple spice up Moscow World Cup Restaurateurs Prodyut and Sumana Mukherjee brought Indian flavours to the FIFA World Cup in Russia through their eateries, ‘Talk of the Town and ‘Fusion Plaza.’ Both are full between 6pm and 9pm.

According to FIFAS sales agency ‘Cutting Edge Events,’ India is amongst the top ten countries with numbers of tickets for the games.

Prodyut came to Russia from Kolkata several years ago to study engineering, moved to pharmaceuticals, before moving on to the restaurant business (Hindu, June 18).

PM buoyant on farm sector

Mercedes-Benz plant in Pune

Rise in dollar Millionaires

Arvind Subramanian

India hits back at US tariffs

In a cycle of rising tensions with the US tariff impositions, India has written to the World Trade Organization notifying it of its counter tariffs on 30 US items worth $240 million. ’India hereby reiterates its decision to suspend concessions or other obligations notified to the council for Trade in Goods on 18 May 2018…that are substantially equivalent in amount of trade affected by the measure imposed by the United Japan investments in States. The proposed suspension of concessions or other Indian start-ups surpass obligations takes the form of an China, US increase of tariffs on selected products originating in the United States, based on the measures of the United States. India reserves the right to further suspend substantial equivalent concession and other obligations based on the trade impact of the resulting from the application of the measures of the United States.’ (Hindu June 17, 22).

The increase of US tariffs on steel and Japanese venture capitalist Mashayoshi Son aluminium by 25 per cent and 10 per cent Japanese investments in Indian respectively, provoked the robust start-ups soared 13-fold in 2017 Indian response.

Subramanian resigns The Government’s Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has resigned and will leave for the US for what he said were personal reasons.

Speaking to the press in New Delhi, Dr Subramanian said: ‘This is the best job I have ever

have equal exposure with Chinese investors and they are also equally amazing, but they have a different style.’

Several start-up evangelists believe Japan will continue to surpass China in 2019 too. They are reliable reports of a large fund being set up by Masayoshi Son’s brother, Tazo Son. Furthermore (Business Line June 20).

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There has been a 20 per cent rise in the numbers of India’s US dollar millionaires in the 201718 financial year ending March 31, 2018, according to the French tech firm Capgemini’s report.

The numbers of these millionaires as they currently stand is 200,60. Their collective wealth tops $1 trillion. Their numbers have risen by around 20 per cent, higher than the global average 11.2 per cent. ‘India is the fastest growing market globally,’ opined the report (Times of India June 20).

to pass China and US figures.

According to data collated by research and analytics platform Tracxn. Japan led venture capital investments placed Japan in pole position in India’s ecosystem. At $4.9 billion from the earlier $387 million in a single year, this truly is surge. Investments from the USSS and China were $4.6 billion and $3.5 billion respectively.

Different styles Sandeep Aggarwal Founder and CEO droom.in, which has eight Japanese investors said: ‘Japanese investors are detailoriented; for them chemistry with founder is very important. I

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a farmers’ conference in New Delhi, affirmed that the ‘unprecedented progress’ in the farm sector in the past several years had resulted from record production of crops and welfare schemes for the farming community.

The budget for agriculture had doubled to Rs 2.12 trillion, he told his audience, promising hopefully to double farmers’ incomes by PM Modi addresses National Conference 2022, despite the on Agriculture 2022 climate of pessimism spread by critics. The spate of farmers’ suicides across the country was surely a major cause for such pessimism? (Mint June 21).

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Bina Mehta, Partner KPMG with Shamil Thakrar, Co-founder Dishoom

rated and painted in vibrant colours, which were pulled by hand through the streets.

The English word ‘juggernaut’, meaning a large truck or vehicle, originated from this festival.

Jagannatha means ‘Lord of the Universe’ – Lord Krishna.

The joyous and exuberant festivities transformed Trafalgar Square into a vibrant attraction for everyone. There were tents showcasing traditional music, dance performances and exhibitions on

the Vedic culture of India and mantra meditation.

The family-friendly festival also included stalls of face painting and henna for the children.

Over the years, the festival has grown in size to more than 5,000 people on the procession and 30,000 people in Trafalgar Square.

Over 20,000 plates of prasadam (sanctified food) were distributed. Visitors experienced music, dance, drama, mantra meditation and were also provided with a complimentary delicious vegetarian food.

East End Foods chief is new Patron of Acorns

By Dhiren Katwa Acorns Children’s Hospice has appointed East End Foods Plc Director Dr Jason Wouhra OBE as a Patron for the charity.

Toby Porter, Acorns' Chief Executive said: “Jason is recognised and respected across our region not just for his business skills, but also as an extremely important advocate for many of the things that we value most deeply at Acorns." Toby added: “The engagement and support of Jason and his wife Daali will be a huge help."

Established in 1988, Acorns first hospice, based in Selly Oak, Birmingham was officially opened by HRH the Princess of Wales. In the past year the charity cared for over 870 children and supported more than 1,090 families, including those who are bereaved.

Dr Jason Wouhra OBE described Acorns “a very special local charity” which was

Dr Jason Wouhra, East End Foods Director and Company Secretary

helping children and families, all of whom, he said, were facing the toughest imaginable challenges.

In February this year, Dr Wouhra was invested with an OBE for services to Business and International Trade by HRH Prince Charles. Dr Wouhra was also Chairman of the West Midlands’ Institute of Directors (IoD), a role he took on in 2013, then aged 35, making him the youngest chairman and the first-ever from an ethnic minority in the history of the IoD.

Toby Porter, Chief Executive Office, Acorns Children’s Hospice

Acorns - which this year marks its 30th anniversary providing vital care for life limited and life threatened children and support for their families across the West Midlands - provides a network of specialist care and support to children and support for their families, both within the hospice and in family homes. It costs the charity nearly £10mn every year to provide its services and it relies on fundraising for the bulk of this amount.

For more information visit www.acorns.org.uk

30th June 2018

KPMG hosts next generation South Asian entrepreneurs

London marks historic Rathayatra, Festival of Chariots celebration On Sunday 24th June, London's streets came alive with festive displays of music, singing, dancing and chanting as Rathayatra (the festival of the chariots) made its way from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square.

Dating back 5000 years, the festival was brought from India to the West in 1967 by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and is celebrated every summer in over 200 cities around the world. This year London celebrated the 50th Rathayatra coming to the city. The first London Rathayatra was held in 1969.

Every year thousands of Londoners, pilgrims and tourists line the route of the chariots, which carry the deities from Hyde park. These deities are from London’s RadhaKrishna temple at 10 Soho Street. The festival was a grand procession of the deities of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Lady Subhadra. They rode in three enormous wooden chariots beautifully deco-

13

On Thursday 21st June leading young award winning South Asian entrepreneurs gathered at professional services firm KPMG in London to hear from Shamil Thakrar, co- founder of multi-award winning restaurant chain Dishoom.

Guests included entrepreneurs from

diverse backgrounds such as finance and investment, technology, media and entertainment, fashion and retail, property development and the food and drink sector.

The aim of the networking event was to connect dynamic and enterprising professionals, many of who have built successful businesses.

Bina Mehta, KPMG Partner and lead for the firm’s Asian business programme said, “As a large global business we have an important role to play in supporting the next generation of leaders in helping them to develop ideas, create opportunities and inspire each other as they journey towards success. I have no doubt that with the passion that our next generation Asian business leaders have for driving

change and growing their own businesses, the future is looking encouraging.”

Special guest of the evening Shamil Thakrar said, “It was fantastic to meet so many talented young Asians who are forging their way to becoming successful business leaders. I’m glad to be able to support our next generation of Asian entrepreneurs. It was a delight to share some of the story of Dishoom and to be part of the new generation of Asians. I do feel that values, purpose and people should be at the heart of a growing business. Therefore, this event resonated strongly with me in the way it celebrated Asian culture and shone a light on the new entrepreneurs that are championing innovative new business models.”

Online petition for toddler brain damaged in car crash reaches over 120,000 A petition set up by the uncle of a toddler left permanently brain damaged by a driver on his mobile phone has reached 120,000 signatures.

Nikunj Patel, 32, from Harrow started the petition in response to a “lenient” verdict given to Ben Etheridge, 23, who caused his nephew, Kai Khetani, severe brain damage in August 2016.

Kai was two when was crossing Kenton Road in Harrow with his grandfather, Shivji Patel, when Etheridge him them with his car. It left the little boy with fractures to his hips and legs and he was placed on life support at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, where he remained until September. He was discharged in October severely brain damaged and now requires roundthe-clock care.

Shivji had a broken shoulder, ankle and head injuries.

Etheridge pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving at Harrow crown Court on October 5, 2017. He was sentenced on March 23, this year.

Kai’s uncle, Nikunj, and his family have set up

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The petition has received more than 120,000 signatures.

Nikunj said: “The only way to create awareness was to start a petition to

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COMMUNITY

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Magical concert rings in His Highness the Aga Khan's Diamond Jubilee In honour of the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan, and his 60 year long commitment to support pluralism, civil society, and the arts, a sold-out concert was held on June 20, in London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall.

Reflecting his approach towards the society, the concert brought together carefully selected musicians from different cultures and parts of the world. All the performers were carefully chosen, are known to be unmatchably brilliant in their fields and hold the ability and versatility to perform and collaborate.

His Highness has in the past six decades, transformed the quality of life for millions of people around the world. He has worked to inspire excellence and improve opportunities in the areas of health, education, cultural revitalisation, and economic empowerment.

Titled 'Jubilee: contemporary Expressions of Musical Heritage from the Middle East, West Africa & Central Asia', the concert featured Master Musicians of the Aga Khan Music Initiative with spe-

cial guests Kronos Quarter and one of Mali's best known musicians Bassekou Kouyaté giving performances. It also featured music, musicians, and musical instruments from Afghanistan, China, Egypt, India, Italy, Mali, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the United States.

A special feature of the concert was a dialogue between music, visual imagery and animation in the form of miniature paintings and manuscript illuminations from the collection of His Highness and his family. Artist

Homayoun Sakhi played an instrumental for the rubab, an Afghan version of Sitar, as Salar Nader played a bubble of tabla.

Nader then had a polite percussion brush with Abbos Kosimov on an Uzbek doira. Virtuoso Wu Man pepped things up with a dancing tune on the pipa. Kronos Quartet played Islam Chispy's 'Zaghlala', to a pulse from Hank Dutt slapping the body of his viola and Sunny Yang plucking her cello. David Harrington and John Sherba played avian shrieks and swoops of violin. They were then

joined by Wu Man for one of her 'Four Chinese Paintings', with an aerial footage of the Gobi Desert unveiling behind them.

The long-necked dutar in the quintet was joined by Sirojiddin Juraev for the traditional Tajik melody 'Rohat', followed by the full ensemble for Sakhi's thrilling 'Madhuvanti'.

One of the many unique features of Jubilee was the inclusion of young musicians from London's Ismaili community in the concert's finale performance of 'Jama Ko', one of Kouyaté’s most popular songs.

PM meets 61 inspirational young Commonwealth leaders The remarkable achievements of 61 young global leaders were celebrated at a Downing Street reception hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May. Hailing from 38 Commonwealth countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Malawi, New Zealand, Canada and Dominica, the inspirational group of young people, aged between 18 and 29, have all completed the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme which aims to celebrate and support young people who are leading the way in transforming their local communities.

The list included 3 Indians, 24 year old Deane de Menezes, tackling the stigma around menstruation in India, 27 year old Trisha Shetty, working to promote gender equality and the founder of SheSays and 27 year old Aditya Kulkarni, who is developing mobile health solutions to help reduce maternal and child mortality in areas with limited health resources. He is the co-creator of CareMother. There were 3 young people from Pakistan and two from Bangladesh.

They spoke to the

Prime Minister about their pioneering work across a broad range of fields including healthcare, women’s rights and equality, STEM and climate change, and Theresa May reiterated her continuing commitment to the Commonwealth and to delivering a fairer, more sustainable, and more prosperous future.

Speaking at the reception earlier, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The inspirational young people I met earlier today show what a powerful force for good our Commonwealth can be. I was delighted to hear about the wonderful work these future leaders are doing, serving their communities, helping others and improving the life chances of other young people.

“The UK is committed to a fairer, more sustainable and more prosperous Commonwealth, and at the heart of that vision must be its young people. That’s why the voices of youth representatives were given such a high priority when the Heads of Governments met earlier this year; and why I will continue to ensure young people take centre stage as we shape the Commonwealth of the future.”

Lord Raj Loomba CBE hosts events in Delhi and London to mark International Widows’ Day 2018

The Loomba Foundation held an event to mark International Widows’ Day at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday, 23rd June, 2018.

The event was attended by the Hon’ble Vice President, as Chief Guest and the Hon’ble Union Minister of Law and Justice as Guest of Honour. Mrs Cherie Blair CBE QC, President of the Loomba Foundation travelled to Delhi to attend this important event, together with Lord and Lady Loomba.

The event was attended by over 800 people including over 300 widows, who are benefiting from the Loomba Foundation.

Hon’ble Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu, said that it is a matter of concern that widows are looked down upon and at times meted out unjust treatment even in the present digital area. He also added that there is a need for a change in the mindset towards the asking “if a man can remarry why can’t a woman ?”

Speaking at the event, Union Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad echoed same sentiments. Prasad said that steps taken for the empowerment of widows will not be successful unless it is taken as a mass movement. Without a change in attitude we cannot change it.

“The Indian Government to

L to R: Hon'ble Union Minister for Law and Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mrs. Cherie Blair CBE QC, President of the Loomba Foundation, Hon'ble Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu and Lord Raj Loomba CBE, Founder and Chairman Trustee of the Loomba Foundation

take steps to improve the conditions of widows in the country.

India has 46 million widows, the largest in any country. I urge the Indian Government to set up National Commission for women. I also urge the Government to include widows in the minority section to provide them various assistance” Loomba said.

Following the event in India, the Loomba Foundation held on Monday, 25th June, a Reception in the River Room at the House of Lords, to mark International Widows’ Day in London, with the courtesy of the Lord

Speaker. It was attended by over 60 high profile guests including Rt Hon Lord Bates, Minister of International Development and many other dignitaries.

Lord McFall, welcoming guests to the House of Lords, on behalf of the Speaker of the House, Lord Fowler, described how, the first ever "International Widows Day of Action" was inaugurated at the House of Lords in 2005. Saying it was always a pleasure to hear about the progress that has been made since those early days in combating the humanitarian issues that widows face,

Lord McFall praised Lord Loomba for his hard work and dedication.

Citing some of the reasons why the UN granted official status to International Widows Day, in 2010, Lord Loomba described the 'double-discrimination' widows face on the death of their husband. It is practiced in some cultures, and societies, to take away a widow's land and possessions, blame her for the death of her husband, and to ostracise the widow, thus depriving her of her dignity and often her livelihood.

Guests listened in awe as President of the Loomba Foundation, Mrs Cherie Blair QC, described the tenacity and determination with which Lord Loomba, over a relatively short period of five years, stoically persuaded the UN to grant offi-

cial status to the day.

"The treatment of widows," Mrs Blair said, "is at the core of gender discrimination;" adding, that it is a worldwide problem, even widows in this country face isolation, and often do not have the same pension as men.

Noting that all this hard work is starting to pay off, Mrs Blair revealed that the Supreme Court in India will be discussing on 31st July, 2018, a petition to help widows in India, which has been put forwarded by the Loomba Foundation.

Increasing the demand for action Lord Loomba called on the British Government to examine and monitor the treatment of women and children in countries where the "local customs and traditions" meant widows and their families were facing hardship and destitution.

Audience

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VRAJ PANKHANIA A Blend of Faith, Good Deeds and Charity Kokila Patel

Several decades ago a vast number of Gujaratis left India with nothing more than clothes on their backs and a few rusty possessions. After many years of struggle they found hope for themselves in countries like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, where they did everything they could to make life better for themselves and their families back home.

Many of them undertook odd and small jobs in the railways, roads and construction as carpenters and blacksmiths, while others found work in small stores.

All these people and their families are now an integral part of African history.

To this day the streets of Africa's villages and towns bear telltale signs of their hard work, sweat and tears.

Sixth and seventh generations of these migrants are now settled in England and reap the harvest sown by their forebears.

Birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, Porbandar stood witness to these migrants boarding ships to Africa.

Countless Kutchi and Kathiyawadi people who worked as carpenters and masons left from this very place between 1910-20.

One of the men to board a ship to Mombasa, Kenya, was Purshottam of the Pankhania family. Soon settled in Nairobi with a family of four sons and five daughters in Nairobi, he worked as a foreman in construction. Today, third and fourth generations of the Pankhania family have crossed several milestones in London.

The birth of Westcombe I met with Purshottambhai's third son Vrajbhai, fondly known as Vajubhai, last week. He is organising Shri Rameshbhai Oza's Bhagwat Katha at the Wembley Arena in 12th August this

year. As we sipped coffee seated in the boardroom inside property developers Westcombe Group's office opposite North Harrow station, Vrajbhai and I talked endlessly on several issues; how the Westcombe empire was established and how the name 'Westcombe' was decided upon, were just some of many things I came to learn about.

Vrajbhai is now gradually leaving his post as group chairman of the Westcombe Group. He has handed over the reins of the company to his sons Kamal and Sunil, who have been highly successful under his mentoring.

Kamal is the chief executive of this giant corporation that develops huge buildings, hotels, luxurious apartments and commercial properties. Sunil is the Group Operation’s Director. Meanwhile, for the last 18 years, Vrajbhai and his wife Jyotsnaben have been deeply involved in charity work in Kenya, India, Nepal, and UK, through their charity foundation.

In a bid to create bright futures for his future generation Purshottambhai and Jashodaben left Kenya in the October of 1967 and settled in a small apartment in Blackheath, south east London. Vrajbhai says, “All of us joined various jobs, and I brought my first property Westcombe Hill at the age of 23. That property turned out to be very lucky

2012 had almost razed everything in the country to dust. Many lost their lives. We have taken up the construction work of around 250 shelter homes and five schools in the country.

The construction of one of these schools has reached completion and it will The Pankhanias at the Kent & Curwen Royal Charity Polo cup in Berkshire. be inaugurated From left to right Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Vraj Pankhania, Kamal in October this Pankhania, Sunil Pankhania and Duke of Cambridge Prince William year.

“Nairobi is my Charity Foundation in for me. Soon I bought a secbirthplace and I can never 2000. Through the organiond house next to it, then fully repay my debt to it. sation we send funds to third, then fourth, and then Jyotsna and I go to Nairobi India, Africa, Nepal, UK I converted them. Soon I each year and visit nearby and also across the world converted around eight to areas where we serve and to regions struck by natuten houses. We did around donate to the needy with ral disasters and to the less twenty-odd projects there. our own two hands. The fortunate.”

We bought army barracks plight of poor women in in Woolwich and turned Kenya is seriously tragic. them into flats and comWe have given them mercial property. sewing machines and built Westcombe Hill proved to training centres for them. be the beginning of our Food for the poor is availgood fortune, so 48 years able always. Also, we hold back I opened a property camps for the disabled and development company donate tri-cycles, wheel with the name of chairs, and artificial limbs.

Westcombe Group.”

Eyes are an important part of a person's life. I have Charity runs in particular inclination our blood towards charities relating Purshottam and wife to the eyes. The charitable Jashodaben were naturally foundation is always keen Pankhania couple helping spiritual. They taught their to help in cornea transneedy disabled in Kenya children the importance of plant and the distribution giving and religious culof glasses.”

He continues, “In 2012 ture. Vrajbhai says, “Even Vrajbhai also said, The Charity Foundation with his meagre salary, I “India, specially Gujarat is sponsored the Kent & remember my father the motherland of our Curwen Royal Charity Polo donating to several small forefathers and we will cup in Berkshire. At Lord charities. Charity runs in forever be indebted to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s our blood. We are always them. Jyotsna and I visit Berkshire estate several indulging in charitable Gujarat at least once or dignitaries donated generworks which is why God twice a year. Be it an old ously to an auction and a has been more generous age home or an orphanhuge sum was raised.

This than we asked for, and so age, we arrange for food Foundation gave a sizeable we use the money for good distribution whenever we amount to the Prince Harry purposes. To make sure our go. Also, we distribute and Duke Of Cambridge efforts to serve and give is books, notebooks, stationcharities Sentebale and done ethically and with ary and schools bags in Tusk trust. The horrific clarity we established his schools located in remote earthquake in Nepal in

The Pankhania Charitable Foundation hold camps for the eyes, disabled, donate tri-cycles, wheel chairs, and artificial limbs

areas. Just recently, we donated items for sports to a school in Junagadh.

The Charitable Foundation will soon make education possible for tribal children in Dang district.”

Simple, honest, satsangi, and a strictly vegetarian family It would be expected of an owner of such a successful and expansive empire to talk down on those around them and walk with a certain air around him.

However, Vrajbhai has only learned to treat others with kindness and respect. He has never craved for the limelight.

Settled in posh Harrowon-the-Hill, the Pankhania’s are strictly vegetarian and deeply religious.

While children from wealthy families can fall prey to addictions and an extravagant lifestyle, three generations of the Pankhania’s make it a point to dine together every night at the family dinner table. Vrajbhai says, “In the last ten years, I have hosted and supported several satsang and bhajan functions. I organised a Hanuman Chalisa function ten years ago in the presence of Shri Bhupendrabhai Pandya.

Soon after that I held Morari Bapu's Ramkatha in Wembley Arena in 2009.

In 2016, I held Pujya Giribapu's Shivpuran in Harrow Leisure Centre and in August this year, I have organised Shri Ramesbhai Oza's Bhagwat katha in Wembley Arena. People organise the Bhagwat Katha after their deaths, but I have held them while I breathe and have already completed the cycle of Lakh Chauryasi.”

16

INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY

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30th June 2018

Indian diplomat calls for the implementation of weekly yoga classes in primary and secondary schools

Baba Ramdev who had a series of yoga sessions in the UK from 22-26 June 2018, will have a wax statue installed in Madam Tussaud it has been learnt.

The session with the yoga guru started at London’s Olympia complex on Saturday, followed by a day in Coventry, then moved to Glasgow.

Speaking to the press, Ramdev said, yoga, Ayurveda and spirituality has been India’s biggest contributions to man’s welfare. He also went on to say that yoga is so easy that anyone can get into it, and good health is free as well as our ‘birth right’.

The United Nations General Assembly in December 2014 had declared that June 21 would be observed as International Day of Yoga every year. PM Narendra Modi is believed to be a great proponent of it too.

Baba Ramdev, the 52year-old yoga expert, whose Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust already offers nearly 140 products from his Ayurvedic enterprise in Britain, has reportedly revealed that he has received several proposals to set up production units in the UK and Europe.

He told the PTI, “There is great enthusiasm and growing demand for Patanjali products in these markets. We will soon take the decision in accordance with particular laws of

Photo courtesy: Twitter

Baba Ramdev to get wax statue in Madam Tussaud

these countries, which are different from Indian laws.”

During the ongoing UK tour, baba Ramdev had also been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the National Indian Students & Alumni Union UK (NISAU-UK) for his contribution to the

world through Yoga and Indian Traditional Sciences.

N I S A U ’ s H o n o r a r y Fellowship is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a non-member by the union for their significant and long-lasting contributions to India, Indian culture and/or the welfare of Indian students in the UK, or elsewhere.

With this award, Ramdev joins other Honorary Fellows such as humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; Indian cinema personality and social activist Shabana Azmi, Rajya Sabha MP and Indian cinema personality Javed Akhtar and Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr S Y Quraishi.

NISAU UK said Ramdev had been chosen because he is a “great role model” for youngsters and his story and achievements are “extremely inspiring”.

Upon receiving the Fellowship, Ramdev said: “The truth is that to be a good leader, you have to have passion. For a good organisation to work, you have to have a leader who has the quality to be in charge. I can see NISAU is working so well because of its leadership.”

Raj Aggarwal centre in white with Sam Hancock in the back on left

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones was asked to consider a plan to implement yoga classes for all primary and secondary schools at the International Yoga Day event in Cardiff on Thursday 21 June.

Indian diplomat Raj Aggarwal called for the implementation of weekly yoga classes in primary and secondary schools at this year’s International Yoga Day celebrations at Ty Krishna Cymru, Emlyn House, Cardiff, which was attended by 100s of people, including Miss Wales Bethany Harris, and Miss Universe finalist Sam Hancock.

The hugely successful annual event had been

arranged by the Honorary Consul of India for Wales, Raj Aggarwal OBE, and he said: “The introduction of yoga in schools has minimal cost implications but the benefits are incredible in both the long and shortterm. Many teachers who have implemented yoga classes in their schools have described how their pupils return to class after their yoga lesson in a better frame of mind for learning and even do better in their exams.

“We asked the First Minister at the event to consider our plan to implement yoga classes across all of the schools in Wales."

It was a packed event and there were classes for all abilities, from complete beginners to veteran yogis,

and there was a turn-out of several hundred people.

The event has been arranged by Mr Aggarwal, who has been practicing the ancient Indian physical, mental and spiritual discipline for many years.

Mr Aggarwal added: “I am pleased to take part in this global event to celebrate the 5,000 year-old practice of yoga, which originated in North India. Wales has a strong relationship with India and this event is a great way to continue to develop our valued business and cultural ties.”

“Yoga is not only a great way for people to keep fit and healthy, it also helps focus the mind and allows people to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of modern life.”

formed one after another asana along with the Master.

He enumerated the benefits of constant practice of “Pranayama”, especially to cure ailments and reinvigorating the body and mind.

Children performed asanas on stage along with Swami ji and sang Gayatri Mantra.

Swami ji appreciated that yoga has become popular internationally.

The Consul General thanked all the participants,

presented with an oil portrait of self. A memento was also presented to Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop for being anremarkable Master of Ceremonies.

Dr. Puri remarked that yoga brings the world closer to India and India closer to the world.

The day concluded with a hope that the participants will imbibe yoga in their daily lives and help to popularise yoga among others.

Yoga celebration in Coventry a massive success

Interestingly, Coventry has also been named the City of Culture 2021, thus it is an ideal location to recognise yoga, the ancient cultural gift of India to the humankind. In the last three years, this event has gained much popularity and a global following. Indian Missions around the world have made tremendous efforts to popularise yoga.

The event which was compéred by Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop, popular actress and yoga practitioner, started with the traditional lighting of lamp by the Honourable Consul General Dr. Aman Puri, the Chief Guest Swami Ramdev and other distinguished guests.

This was followed by relay of a small video message by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He stated that yoga is a way of life and

Photo courtesy: Raj D Bakrania, PrMediapix

Thousands of yoga enthusiasts converged at Ricoh Arena, Coventry on June 24th to celebrate the fourth International Yoga Day and practice yoga under the tutelage of none other than yoga guru Baba Ramdev.

Lighting of the lamp by the Consul General Dr. Aman Puri, Baba Ramdev, Ms. Sunita Poddar (CEO Oakminister Healthcare Ltd), Mr. David Burbidge, Chairman

its regular practice keeps the body and mind fit. Prime Minister Modi also stressed on the need for standardising yoga and having institutionally trained and certified yoga teachers, so that yoga can be popularised, especially among the youth.

In his welcome address Dr. Puri enumerated the steps taken by the Indian Government in general and Prime Minister Modi in particular to popularise Yoga and its benefits internationally. He also highlighted the recognition given to Yoga in United Kingdom (UK), especially Yoga4NHS which started in 2014 and UK’s first centre of Excellence and

Research Indian Traditional medicine and Yoga, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi along with His Royal Highness Prince Charles, during his recent visit to UK. Dr. Puri stated as yoga’s popularity is growing exponentially, it would not be difficult to foresee that in 2021 over hundred thousand people will perform yoga at Coventry along with Swami Ramdev.

David Burbridge, Chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust assured that Coventry will be having fantastic events in ‘UK City of Culture 2021’ and he was hopeful that yoga celebrations would be a part of the

event.

Baroness Sandip Verma, Chairperson of European External Affairs Committee (former Minister of Energy and Climate Change and International Development) stated that people today are becoming distressed and that yoga helps to bind people together again. Sunita Poddar, CEO- Oakminster Healthcare Ltd and Trustee of Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust informed that these days one in eight children are diagnosed with mental health issues and yoga being a holistic exercise can help in the physical, emotional and mental development. Nikhil Nanda, Managing Director JHS Svendgaard Laboratories, stressed that everyday should be “Yog Day”. Dr Ashok, a doctor of Ayurveda, encouraged the gathering to take a positive energy back home and create a healthy, wealthy and happy environment.

The main attraction of this event was the yoga discourse and practical demonstration by Baba Ramdev. His simple way of explaining yoga appealed to the masses, who enthusiastically per-

The audience performing Pranayama in tandem with Baba Ramdev

the sponsors and especially Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Peeth Trust (UK) to make the event a success. As a gesture of appreciation for gracing the event and making it successful Baba Ramdev was

This will ensure that this ancient form of physical and spiritual exercise benefits more and more people and help them to overcome the stress and ailments of modern day life.

INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY AsianVoiceNews

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30th June 2018

World celebrates PM Modi's International Day of Yoga Continued from page 1 Indian embassies in different nations made sure to be a part of the yoga celebrations. The Embassy

Commissioner of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ambassador Rahul Chhabraon. Also, on the request of Chief Election Commissioner of Bosnia &

Centre, the session began with an address to the Prime Minister of India.

The Embassy of Nepal in Doha held yoga programmes on the premises of the

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu performing Yoga at the 4th International Day of Yoga in Mumbai with Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of State for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in the mass yoga demonstration, on the occasion of the 4th International Day of Yoga 2018, at the Forest Research Institute, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand

of India Budapest celebrated the day in seven cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The celebrations were spread over two days from 16 to 17 June. Programmes included yoga, Indian cultural performances, henna painting and Indian cuisines. Inauguration of the celebrations were done

by Dr Irena Hadziabdic, Chief Election

Herzegovina, the Embassy will be conducting special classes for the staff of Chief Election Commission for stress management.

A grand yoga session organised in Muscat by the Embassy of India witnessed participation of about 5000 persons including citizens, Indians, expatriates, corps, and diplomatic students. Held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition

embassy and saw over 100 in attendance.

Professor Ramesh Prasad Koirala, Ambassador of Nepal to Qatar, was also present on the occasion and performed yoga postures in the event that lasted an hour. Koirala spoke on the importance of yoga, adding that it is an effective way to fight health problems like gastritis, diabetes and uterus ailments.

Members of Indian Navy perform yoga on the flight deck of INS Viraat, an Indian Navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier during International Yoga Day 2018 in Mumbai.

Int’l Yoga Day in Parliament Park Bob Blackman MP Co-Chair and Rt Hon Baroness Verma Member of All Party Parliamentary Group – Indian Traditional Sciences along with His Excellency Mr Y K Sinha the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, Mr Manoj Sinha, MP, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Government of India, Dr. Munisamy Thambidurai Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha (House of Commons in India) Government of India and Sri M, were joined by five hundred yoga enthusiasts from all over the country to inaugurate the 4th UN Int’l Yoga Day celebrations at Victoria Tower Gardens with the splendid backdrop of the Houses of Parliament on a sunny Thursday afternoon.

This was the High Commissioner of India to UK Mr Y K Sinha’s flagship event for the 2018 UN Int’l Day of Yoga in London where he reminded the guests sitting on their yoga mats in the open-air garden adjoining the Palace of

Int'l Yoga Day 2018 @ Victoria Tower Gardens. Minister Manoj Sinha MP, Speaker Dr Thambidurai, Bob Blackman MP, Baroness Verma, High Commissioner of India Y K Sinha, Amarjeet S Bhamra

Westminster the message of Prime Minister of India.

‘This "biggest mass moment" has shown the world the path from ill health to well-being, as well, this "ancient yet modern" discipline gives hope for the future of humankind, he said the Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi gave in his keynote address

earlier today celebrating the 4th International Yoga Day with over 50,000 yoga enthusiasts in Dehradun.’

Mr Manoj Sinha along with Dr Thambidurai also reflected the Indian Prime Minister’s universal message for human health of ‘prevention is better than cure’.

Amarjeet S Bhamra Secretariat APPG Indian Traditional Sciences con-

Int'l Yoga Day 2018 @ Victoria Tower Gardens, London Parliament

gratulated the Hon Indian High Commissioner Mr Sinha for his fond interest and dedication to see the installation of Indian Traditional Sciences in the fabric of UK’s National Health Service, which led to the first Centre of Excellence for Yoga and Indian Traditional Medicine opened

by Prime Minister Narindra Modi in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales on the 18th April 2018 in central London.

After a stimulating and informative session of 3 hours held by various expert Yoga teachers including Jyoti Joshi, Dr Nitasha Buldeo, Padma Coram, Devraj S

Khalsa, Pandit Satish Sharma, Sushma Bhanot, Joanne Avison, Martin Worthy, and Robin Graham the day continued at the Houses of Parliament to discuss the development of Yoga practice in the U.K. and the affiliations that could be made to integrate it to the NHS.

MAYOORAN HANMUGANATHAN:

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Asian Voice |

30th June 2018

SP

TLIGHT

Assist RR, and the Communal Heart of Cardiology Sunetra Senior

M

bers being given longer and better quality of life. Heart problems are a big issue in this country so cardiology is a service that’s especially needed”.

ayooran founded the free echocardiogram and cardiology clinic as part of the charity, Assist Rehabilitation *** and Resettlement, which is dediAs well as being focussed, the cated to enabling people’s livelidaring doctor emphasised that hoods, in his home country of Sri being able to work with peoLanka. The enterprising cardiologist ple in his profession is a works at Harefield Hospital in massive and mandatory London and had already raised funds skill: “I think my success for the beautiful yet environmentally and politically torn country when he at charity work has come was president of The International of my innate interest in wanting to help people, Tamil Society during his undergradwhich is what’s helped uate education at Imperial College. me thrive as a cardiolo“We had raised money for Sri Lanka gist too. Honestly, I when the Tsunami struck in 2004,” became a doctor not he said. The group also contributed because I liked Biology to helping Sri Lankan residents and Chemistry, and rote learning, but recover through the national trauma because I wanted to work for and of civil war. “I later did more Sri with the public. You need to be a Lankan charity work for my local people-orientated person. You need temple, West Ealing Hindu Temple . to have a strong humanitarian attiIt’s a country that’s always needed tude. You need to be able to forget us. My parents raised me to give about yourself and drop your when it is needed and not just ego: teamwork and relating when one feels like it.” Some to patients is vital.” This is years after the civil conThe goal is certainly clear through flict in his particular to develop the Mayooran’s even philanancestral land in South Asia, Mayooran found entire northern thropic ethic towards raising money and the himself further on in a province of more entrepreneurial healthy medical career, Sri Lanka side of his charity work. “I and naturally revisiting believe if your intent is the cause: “it came to my authentic and you want to do attention that the entire good, you will naturally attract northern province of Sri Lanka, good people. It’s a magnetic effect: if including states such as Kilinochi you’re promising to donate a fishing and Mannar, were severely undernet, for example, make sure your equipped when it came to cardiologorganisation does that. Your donaical staff and equipment. Once again, I had to act. Being a trained professional in the field, I was obviously ready to go but needed the adequate platform and support to carry out such a specialist, co-ordinated project. I contacted the wonderful team at Assist RR, chaired by Dr Sarveswaran from Birmingham, a charitable organisation consistently doing great developmental work in Sri Lanka, and they were more than happy to work with me. We’ve done extraordinary work since.” Mayooran started by offering the services of himself and other colleagues whom he contacted via the British Cardiovascular Society. He and one other available cardiologist fly out to the country, seeing hundreds of patients per visit. This week has him fly out for the fourth time since the tors will remain invested in your beginning of the project, last July: cause because you are building mutual trust.” Mayooran continued: “it’s been incredible,” he comment“a small example of this is when a ed. “We’ve now seen and managed friend who used to go to the temple more than 600 patients, giving scans with me wrote back to an email I’d and diagnoses”. The Mannar state sent out to raise awareness on the did not have any local cardiological cardiological aims of Assist RR, services, where three states are still expressing that his seven-year-old lacking such attention currently. son wanted to do a sponsored run to Remarkably then, Mayooran and a help. This ended up raising an handful of British cardiologists have tended to 90% of the heartcare impressive £1,700. I brought my famrequired for the Sri Lankan state of ily along and as well as a tailormade Mannar. “We also raise funds for hostrophy for the boy, Ajesh. It’s all a product of sincere, universally interpital equipment such as echocardioconnected energy.” Thus, taking gram machines and exercise treadheartcare to its social heights, mills used to check the heart,” the Mayooran and his tireless medical young crusader added. “The great team at Assist RR turn the concept of bonus of this is that hospital equipinfectiousness paradoxically on its ment and funding and salaries can head! also allow local doctors to be employed so you’re helping a country help themselves on a larger scale Tell us more about Sri Lankantoo.” As well as supporting Sri aid charity Assist RR? Lankan doctors, the socio-economic As well as the healthcare unit, impact is increased by what they provide people with long-term Mayooran pointed out was “breadaid, such as a cow that can provide winners of families, and family memmilk and create a stable income.

They also build shelters for refugees and provide free cataract surgeries in the wards. The goal is to develop the entire northern province of Sri Lanka, which has undergone much dissent.

What has been a highlight moment with your project?

Being away from family is hard work, but there have been many g r e a t moments. A very moving one was when a family from a fishing village in Mannar waited behind after a very long clinic to offer us a feast in return for our care. That gratitude was so clear.

They were Christians who said prayers for us and that sense of togetherness and unconditional love has stayed with me.

The online age has been both a gift and a curse. Can you comment on how it is helped you expand from a traditional, service-based career and how perhaps it is has detracted from success?

Absolutely. As I say, for doctors, and cardiologists in particular, face to face communication is so important. I often find that young people are not talking to each other and just looking at their phones etc. There should be a family time-out from

screens. Conversely, being a doctor and wanting to extend into charity work has needed the sort of reach only online platforms can provide. At the touch of button, you can engage so many people. But, even as you’re promoting social mobility, you must continue to be mindful of fraud. I would encourage donators to check if a charity is registered online.

Finally, what advice do you have for others who want to start a social initiative?

A few pieces of advice: start with what you know. If you’re a businessman, use your ability to sell concepts. Also, research where you can vouch for the results. For example, don’t attempt to start a charity overseas where you can’t travel; secondly, try to do the hard work yourself.

Fundraise what you can to prove your project has worth; finally, reach out to organisations who are like-minded and can help.

W: http://assistrr.org/

www.asian-voice.com UK

Another OUTSTANDING inspection report for Bright Little Stars

Established in 2013, Bright Little Stars aims to provide a happy, healthy and safe learning environment for children in a caring and creative atmosphere. We respect children as individuals and encourage them to follow our ethos of truth, love and compassion.

We are delighted to announce another ‘Outstanding in all areas’ grade has been received from Ofsted, meaning all of our Nurseries who have been inspected have accomplished the highest possible accolade.

Having focussed on developing high quality standards of Early Years Care and Education for babies and young children through the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage, our unique BLS Learning Programme, modern facilities, outdoor gardens and all-inclusive approach, we are able to support our children to gain confidence in themselves and to achieve their full potential whilst nurturing their independence. We now eagerly await Ofsted at our newer Nurseries in Harrow and Stanmore.

Since opening in March 2016, BLS Watford have worked continuously to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and we are thrilled this hard work and dedication has now been recognised by Ofsted. In their first Ofsted inspection, BLS Watford was graded OUTSTANDING in all areas which is the highest outcome achievable. The four key areas that are assessed are Effectiveness of the Leadership and Management, Quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Personal development, behaviour and Welfare and Outcomes for Children.

Children were observed, during the inspection, flourishing in their learning through highly stimulating and challenging activities provided by “exceptionally nurturing” and “expert staff.” The inspector acknowledged the exceptional progress all children are making from their starting points in learning.

She also emphasised the “staff’s ultimate dedication in promoting Pre-school children’s independence” ensuring they are ‘school ready’. As part of the inspection, discussions were held with the management team, staff, children and parents around the quality of teaching, the ongoing sharing of information and the impact this has on the children’s learning. Several parents who gave their views on the Nursery praised the staff’s dedication in promoting outcomes for children.

Through reflective practice and an exceptionally dedicated, highly qualified staff team, led by an inspirational manager, the nursery has been striving to ensure high standards of Early Years Care and Education is provided to all of our Bright Little Stars on a daily basis; we still have more to do and have many further ideas to continue this journey.

Management would like to say a huge thank you to the staff team at BLS Watford for their devotion and hard work and to our BLS families for your overwhelming support since the Nursery opened.

For further information about Bright Little Stars Nursery in Harrow, Mill Hill, Stanmore and Watford, please visit www.brightlittlestars.com where you can also download a copy of the Watford Ofsted Inspection Report.

Kaiya Patel in race against time to find donor

A five-year-old girl’s heartfelt plea for a stem cell donor to save her life has seen thousands of people come forward — but a match is still to be found. Kaiya Patel, of Rickmansworth, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in March. She urgently needs a stem cell transplant to cure her of the aggressive disease, which affects bone marrow, compromising the immune system and blood. But her family said her chances for a transplant are “not good”, with Asian people having a significantly lower chance of finding a match than white Europeans. Kaiya’s parents Annu and Ruchit Patel, both 37, launched a national and international appeals for members of the South Asian community to have their blood tested to see if they could be a match. They said the campaign has seen 35,000 more Asian people register with blood charities, boosting their chances of finding a match for Kaiya.

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COMMON SENSE, IS NOT SO COMMON AsianVoiceNews

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In a slow or stagnant market, there are two choices in property. One is to ride through the tunnel, in the hope there will be light at the other end. This hope is not totally blind, it is born of experience and history. Property always bounces back, it is ‘proven’ historically.

Suresh Vagjiani

Sow & Reap London Property Investment

However, the question could then be asked ‘just because history shows something always happened in the past, does that necessarily mean it will happen again in the future?’ Perhaps not.

There is a slim chance it may not, and the whole house of cards may collapse.

All one can do is look at a probable outcome. And this shows the odds to be in favour of property, always rising back up

following a stagnation.

The other option is to cut out from the deal, and move on.

This requires a fluidity of thought and action. Most people will be stagnant, and chose to stay in the deal, rather than cut lose and move on.

If a deal was purchased in a set of favourable market conditions, and then the conditions change does this mean the deal was bad at the time it was bought?

No. This is the nature of investment. Things change and move on.

When the market softens, deals you are in may not be as lucrative, but opportunities will start to surface.

The property market is not like the stock market, you

AGONY AGENT IS HERE TO HELP! Q: I need to refurbish the kitchen in my rental property. Do you have any tips to share please?

A: Decorating or fitting a kitchen for a property is all about return on investment. You want to spend enough that you get a durable, hardwearing kitchen, but not so much that it takes you years to break even through your rental income.

If you imagine spending £10,000 on a kitchen for a property which will rent for £300 pcm, you can see how long it would take to earn that money back.

REAL ESTATE VOICE

However, if you invest too little, you could find yourself having to replace everything a year down the line.

Whether you are replacing the whole kitchen, or just doing up an existing one, my top tips will help you save money and time – as well as contribute to keeping your tenants happy.

As with bathrooms, moisture is one of the biggest threats to your sparkling new kitchen.

Once mould has set in, it’s pretty hard to stop and is notorious for eating away at plaster and paintwork.

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There are plenty of ways to prevent moisture damage and mould, for example, use a mouldresistant paint (one that is also wipe-clean) and use tiles where possible.

Although expensive, tiling will last and keeps moisture at bay.

If your budget doesn’t stretch to a tiled floor, try lino flooring. Lino is cheap, easy to fit and easy to clean – as well as being water resistant. Needless to say, carpets are a no in any kitchen, as is laminate flooring, which can expand and buckle when wet. Install a good extractor fan or cooker

cannot sell with a press of a button. However, it is not as illiquid as many believe. Especially in London.

Currently, we are looking to sell a property at a loss, in auction. The decision to throw this overboard has been made, all that remains is to choose the auctioneer from the options we have shortlisted. This will be done this week. The auction will take place mid July. This means the money will be in, in full, by mid August.

This is a tough decision but one which is correct.

Looking at the situation in isolation it does not look good. However, if you open up the framework and view it along with the opportunities on the market currently, you see it makes sense. hood and advise your tenants to use it every time they cook, to whisk away steam and condensation.

If your units are looking a little dated you’ll need to weigh up the expense of replacing them against your intended return on investment. Think again about the type of tenant you’re trying to attract, and this should help you decide what to go for.

If there is no structural damage to the cupboards, but they look shabby, why not paint them, with cupboard paint, and try replacing the knobs for some fresh new ones?

You could even keep the ‘shells’ of the cupboards and simply replace the

19

Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

The funds released from this sale will be used to invest in a location where the property prices are expected to rise at about 10-15% per annum for the next five years at least. In terms of the expected return on cash, this represents about a 40% return on funds, as these funds will be geared up.

The downside risk is extremely low.

Therefore, this is the correct decision. But often

decisions like this are not governed by common sense, which isn’t actually that common. They are governed by psychology.

In psychology and decision theory, loss aversion refers to people's tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains i.e. it is better to not lose £5 than to find £5. Some studies have suggested that losses are twice as powerful, psychologically, as gains.

doors but, whatever you do to them, stick to neutral colours.

When it comes to appliances and white goods, even unfurnished properties will be snapped up quicker if they have the basics on offer. A washing machine, fridge and cooker will go a long way to attracting tenants.

Before you go full steam ahead and start including fancier goods such as dishwashers, consider again the type of tenant you want and how much they’ll be paying in rent.

As always, any gas

appliances will need fitting by a Gas Safe registered engineer and will need an annual safety check.

If you need any help or assistance with the refurbishment of your rental property, contact our office for some free advice on this subject.

Richard Bond Lettings Manager Sow & Reap

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FINANCIAL VOICE -INDIA-UK

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Consultant Editor Financial Voice Alpesh Patel Dear Financial Voice Reader, So will tariffs mean problems for the markets? Not really. I know it is surprising. You see tariffs do impact businesses, but not so much consumers. Tariffs are also easy to bypass, you just do what Harley is doing, move production to Europe from America. That’s the exact opposite of what Trump wanted.

You want to see outside interference in US elections.

Well in November there is another election and Europe is targeting tariffs on companies and products in marginal constituencies. When Harley moves jobs to the Europe or India to avoid tariffs, who are those employees going to vote for? Not Trump.

Of course economics is hard. Some people don’t get it. Sometimes even economists don’t get it. And Presidents for sure don’t get it. Tariffs are like punching yourself in the face. They are a tax on your people for buying goods from another country. Your own people pay a price.

For instance America now punishes through higher tax people buying certain goods from India. Nice eh! So, after America punched itself in the face, India punched America, with China and EU too, by taxing American sellers of certain goods.

So tariffs led to America getting punched twice in the face, once by itself, and then by the other countries.

It’s like going into a pub of rival supporters and picking a fight because you claim your team was unfairly treated. You don’t get to win the next game, you just get punched even more.

Don’t get me wrong, the American President understands psychology, he won a minority of the popular vote to take the White House after all – or more accurately, outmanoeuvred every Republican and the FBI did the rest on Hilary.

So what of stocks. Well, listed companies suffer more from tariffs than the consumer because of size and scale.

Consumers have the cost spread among all of them. So who suffers? The employee. The poor worker. Not the steel maker – they’re fine. It’s job redistribution from one industry to the other. Steel comes to America, and Bikes go to Europe.

And that begs another question. You’d think you would have tariffed software companies not steel! Its not 1880 for goodness sake. Yes, makes you feel good, big steel plant, hankering to the past – but that the problem – it’s psychology, quick impact not long lasting.

Then again, Trump is about now, not tomorrow.

For a free online trading course visit www.alpeshpatel.com

India signs 3 MoUs with British academic institutions to ring in 5G The Indian government has signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with three different academic institutions in the United Kingdom to facilitate meaningful exploration and early adoption of 5G technologies. Signed

by Vipin Tyagi, Executive Director, C-DOT, a government-owned body conducted research and development in the field of telecommunications in India, with representatives of King's College, University of Surrey, and University of Bristol, in the presence of Indian Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha and High Commissioner to the UK YK Sinha.

Sinha said, “It is a winwin situation for both CDOT and the three universities. The Government of India is fully committed to ensuring that we march in step with the world, and be among the leaders to accel-

erate the exploration, adoption, and full-scale deployment of 5G technology for the benefit of our citizens. The signing of these agreements with premier academic institutions in the UK is an important milestone for us. We expect this strong partnership to produce accelerated outcomes that benefit both our great countries.”

The main focus of the engagement will be to set up use-case labs to explore new scenarios for 5G, promote awareness and understanding of 5G, support the creation of 5G test beds, conduct field trials, and evolve solutions for the Indian context. With the signing of the MoUs, CDOT will get access to leading experts and labs associated technologies in the UK universities. The UK universities will be able to participate in the on-going establishment of 5G test beds in India which can inter-work with the testbeds in the UK.

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Mallya wrote letters to PM Modi

In a twist of ways, Vijay Mallya has released a twoyear-old letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with a statement saying he was “making every effort” to settle his dues to banks but he had been made the “Poster Boy” of bank default and a lightning rod for public anger. “I wrote letters to both the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister on April 15, 2016, and am making these letters public to put things in the right perspective. No response was received from either of them,” Mallya said. He added, “I have been accused by politicians and the media alike of having stolen and run away with Rs 9000 Crores that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines. Some of the lending banks have also labelled me a wilful defaulter.”

Mallya also said that he was “tired of this relentless pursuit” by the government and its criminal agencies. “I respectfully say that I have made and continue to make every

effort, in good faith to settle with the Public Sector Banks. If politically motivated extraneous factors

Vijay Mallya

interfere, there is nothing that I can do.” The defunct tycoon believes that the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) were “determined” to frame criminal charges against him. “The surprising fact is that the ED has objected in court to my Group's applications for sale of assets in order to allow me to repay creditors, including Public Sector Banks.”

ED moves court to declare Mallya fugitive economic offender Meanwhile, the ED has

moved a special court to declare the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines' chief Vijay Mallya a “fugitive economic offender” and confiscate all his properties. The financial probe agency said that it has filed an application before a court in Mumbai to declare Mallya a fugitive economic offender under the newly-promulgated Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance.

The ED has also sought court orders for confiscating all of Mallya's properties worth £1.25 billion, which includes immovable properties as well as movable properties in form of shares. Vijay Mallya is the first person under which action is proposed under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance.

Agency officials said fugitive diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, who is currently wanted by investigating agencies in a £1.35 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case, would be the second person to be declared as a fugitive economic offender under the

new law.

The Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, 2018, was approved on April 21 in a bid to bring back defaulters of huge bank loans who escape abroad, and also provide for attachment and confiscation of the properties of the economic offenders.

The Ordinance makes provisions for a “Special Court” under the PML to declare a person as a Fugitive Economic Offender, or a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution.

The ED had filed two chargesheets last week against Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd (KAL), UBHL and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Following the chargesheets, the court issued fresh nonbailable warrant against Mallya in both the cases.

Nirav Modi presence may harm India-UK relations Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, who is currently in Britain requesting political asylum, has raised the ire of Indian officials.

Authorities are reported to be furious that the 47 year old was able to travel in and out of Britain at least four times since his passport was cancelled in February. “Why are they always ending up in London? It's as if the UK is a safe haven,” an official said. Have fled the country over an alleged £1.5 billion banking fraud, Modi's presence in the UK

Nirav Modi

has the capacity to seriously rupture the British government's attempts to strike a post-Brexit trade

deal with India.

Both, Modi and uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of benefiting from a huge fraud against the Punjab National Bank. An Indian court has issued warrants for the arrest of both men.

Indian authorities revoked his passport on February 23, and contacted the Interpol and UK government after.

However, official records show that Modi travelled from Heathrow to Hong Kong on March 15, and from New York to Heathrow on March 28.

Three days after, he flew from Hong Kong to Paris.

Modi is said to have boarded the Eurostar from London to Brussels on June 12.

The Home Office (HO) and Border Force declined to discuss individual cases. The HO said, “All passengers attempting to enter the UK are subject to checks by Border Force officers to identify people of concern. Border Force works with international partners to ensure the most up-to-date information is available.”

Sebi all set for adjudication process against ICICI Bank, Kochhar A preliminary examination by regulator Sebi has favoured adjudication proceedings against ICICI Bank and its CEO Chanda Kochhar for alleged violation of disclosure norms regarding “conflict of interest” in the business dealings of her husband with the Videocon group, a report said. ICICI Bank may face a penalty of up to £2.5 million, while Kochhar may go up to £100,000, besides other penal actions, the report quoted a senior official as saying. The adjudication process will start soon, after taking into account the replies to the showcause notices issued by Sebi to

ICICI Bank, Kochhar and others in this matter, the report added. According to an ICICI Bank spokesperson, the bank and its MD received a showcause notice seeking a response as to why an inquiry should not be held against them under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules.

“Documents relied upon under the notice have been received today. Appropriate response to the showcause notice after seeking legal advice would be submitted within the timeline provided,” the spokesperson said.

Conflict of interest?

It was reported that Videocon promoter

Venugopal Dhoot provided a loan of £ 6.4 million to NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd (NRPL), a firm he had set up with Chanda Kochhar’s husband and two relatives six months after the business group got £325 million as loan from ICICI Bank in 2012. Dhoot transferred proprietorship of the company to a SEBI trust owned by Deepak Kochhar for Rs 9,00,000, six months after he received the loan from ICICI Bank. The Videocon account was declared an NPA or a bad loan in 2017. Questions of propriety and conflict of interest involving Chanda Kochhar and Videocon are now the subject of an “inde-

pendent” probe announced by the ICICI Bank.

Last week, the bank said she would be on leave until the probe is completed. It is reported that the income tax department is probing the acquisition of the current family residence of Chanda Kochhar in South Mumbai by her husband in a complex transaction involving firms linked to Videocon Group.

Sebi preliminary examination According to sources, Sebi’s preliminary examination findings are based on enquiries made by the regulator in the matter involving Kochhar, ICICI Bank and Videocon Group.

SPECIAL

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A REMARKABLE MAN

PRAMOD JASHBHAI PATEL (ALIAS NARENDRABHAI)

P

ramod Jashbhai Patel alias Narendrabhai was born in Mikindani, Tanganika on 13th May 1937. He was the only son of his beloved parents Jashbhai Motibhai Patel and Laxmiben Jashbhai Patel. He lost both his parents at a tender age of 24 in a car accident. He came to UK on 28th June 1975 with wife, 2 sons and niece.

Initially he started his career in the post office and also worked part time in a factory in Gidea Park, Essex, east London. In June 1979 he and his wife Vimlaben invested their savings in a convenience store in Hainault, which is running still today. When he was 42, he had some dental problem and visited his dentist cousin Raguvir for a general check up. During the check up some “white spots” were noticed inside the top pallet of his mouth.

This is where “a remarkable journey of a remarkable man Pramod’s” life began and his message to everyone is “you are in control of your own destiny. Be active, be positive, be strong, no matter what difficulties or challenges you face, You can do it.”

In 1980 he was diagnosed with cancer of the mouth (upper pallet) as a result of which he underwent the normal treatments of cancer. The main reason

for this was his bad habit of eating beetle nut (sopari).

Like all cancer treatments he had faced difficulties and had his good as well as bad days. Eating normally became a thing of the past as he was struggling to swallow solid food items and anything spicy became a severe burden. After being on drips for months in January 1980 his daily diet were broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower with no spice or salt and boiled to a point that it was soft enough for him being able to swallow gently without any discomfort.

Once he mentioned to his wife, “You know how much I love my food” but from tomorrow I will have to start all over again afresh and will have to get used to my new diet.” His dreams were shattered, hopes broken, efforts baffled. He con-

tinued without complaint eating the same food 3 times a day for over 30 years. “This is will power.”

Restricted to this diet it was difficult for him to participate during festive seasons, family outings and all he did was sit in one corner happily watching everyone enjoying themselves. His normal treatments continued over the years, he has had his ups and downs, however, being Pramod he just got on with his daily routine and never grumbled or deplored.

He continued running the business with his wife for the next 30 years and managed all the challenges of running a business, waking up at 4 am for paper rounds, dealing with customers and suppliers, going to cash and carry etc. As he aged and continued his yearly treatments he slowly started to loose his voice and holding a conversation became very difficult.

Thirty one years passed on the same diet and as a result the Oesophagus, the long, round 25 cm muscular tube that connects our mouth to our stomach, became hard 0 During swallowing the walls of the oesophagus squeeze together (contract) and move the food down the oesophagus to the stomach.

This made eating very difficult and painful and the food instead of being directed to the stomach it started coming out of the nose and some ended up inside the lungs. This made him very ill and was yet again put on drips for months. After various consultations and biopsy tests it was decided that the only option was 'nil by mouth' i.e. no more food to enter the mouth and it was concluded that he would now need to feed by means of a “a peg inserted directly into the stomach.”

Since 2011, for the last 7 years he has been on an only “liquid diet.” He has 3 feed a day as follows: Every morning at around 6 am he has a full glass of water injected directly into the stomach by

Family members of Pramod Jashbhai Patel - (Left to Right front row) Nikunj my wife, Kashmira, Devan, My dad, (at the back) Nilesh my brother, Premal my son and Pritesh

means of the syringe, which he inserts into his stomach via a permanent, peg. At around 8 am he has a 250 ml bottle of special nutrient milk followed by another glass of water.

At around 5.30 pm he

while he is asleep. Initially the peg caused a lot of problems when it use to pull out and get detached hence ending up spending hours in A & E rooms. However, today all the doctors and nurses are fully acquainted

Pramod Jashbhai Patel after receiving treatment for his injury

tomers are now used to his style of serving “conversation by means of pen and paper only”. “you are in control of your own destiny. Be active, be positive, be strong, no matter what difficulties or challenges you face, You can do it.”

A poem written by his eldest son dedicated to his remarkable father: Remarkable people don’t mourn, weep and cry They try to rebuilt their dreams Remarkable people don’t give up They live up to the challenges that life throws at them Remarkable people don’t go through They grow through the difficulties that come on their path Remarkable people are survivors With remarkable grit With remarkable hope & With remarkable determination And that is why 40 years later he is here today; when most people in his position would have given up a long time ago.

always been by his side.

Today the business is run by his younger son and his daughter- in- law. However, everyday without fail you will find Pramod aged 82 running the shop from 10 am to 12.30 pm, all cus-

A peg inserted directly into the stomach

sets up his feed for the evening by attaching a 1000 ml packet of the same nutrient milk to a mobile hand held machine that he can carry with him and the machine drip feeds the liquid contents for the next 12 hours

with him.

Once a month he has to have the peg changed and replaced and he insists on going alone taking the bus to go to Queens Hospital in Romford. On 20th October 2014 he lost his wife, his lifetime partner who was

You have to admire this remarkable man, his determination and will to live and get on with life without mourning and complaining.

He is one of a kind and those people out there who are going through cancer treatments should be positive and take a note of the journey Pramod has been through over the last 40 year and is still going strong at 82.

Recently, he fell down on the pavement while returning from a visit to the hospital. Despite severe injuries in his face, he picked himself up and went to the hospital again to get himself treated.

This is the willpower and determination of Pramod.

Dr Dak Patel FCCA

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WORLD

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PAKISTAN

Pakistan may be placed on FATF’s blacklist for aiding terrorism ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could be placed on the blacklist of countries that financially aid terrorism, media reports said as Islamabad fielded its interim finance minister Shamshad Akhtar to defend the country in Paris where the Financial Action Task Force is meeting. The FATF is an inter-governmental body established to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. Currently placed on the FATF'S 'grey list', Pakistan has been scrambling to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by the FATF, a measure that officials fear could hurt its economy, which is already under strain.

In February, Pakistan narrowly escaped placement, but a senior official of the FATF confirmed that it will be placed on the FATF's watch-list in June.

Pakistan was previously on the grey list from 2012 to 2015. The FATF will decide after a six-day meeting whether Pakistan should be placed on the blacklist of countries that financially aid terrorism, the report said.

Caretaker finance minister Akhtar arrived in Paris along with senior officials

to fight Pakistan's case before the FATF. Ahead of the July 25 general elections in Pakistan, the country is being governed by a caretaker government led by former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasir-ul Mulk. The Pakistani delegation will inform the FATF of the action plan drafted by the government to avoid sanctions, the report said.

Amid increasing global pressure to move decisively against proscribed organisations, Pakistan reviewed its new draft action plan for

submission to global bodies working on curbing money laundering and terror financing. The action plan was reviewed just two days before the filing of comments to the observations raised by the Asia Pacific Group (APG) on money laundering. The APG and the FATF's recommendations to curb money laundering and terrorfinancing were first discussed in a federal cabinet meeting. The proposed action plan was then reviewed in a meeting chaired by Akhtar.

Ahead of the latest meeting, Pakistan took steps in keeping with FATF regulations. On June 20, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan issued the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Regulations 2018, in compliance with FATF recommendations.

Pak EC rejects nomination papers of Abbasi, Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: In a setback, Pakistan’s election commission has rejected the nomination papers of former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf chief Imran Khan for the NA-53 constituency of Islamabad. The nomination papers of Abbasi and his covering candidate Sardar Mehtab Khan for NA-53 were rejected by the returning officer after the candidates failed to fill the affidavit as per the requirements, says report.

According to the returning officer, Abbasi had not submitted complete tax returns with his documents either.

The candidates have vowed

Imran Khan

to challenge the decision in the election tribunal.

Khan’s nomination papers for the same constituency were rejected on account of being incomplete. His nomination papers were challenged earlier this month by Pakistan Justice and Democratic Party candidate Abdul

Wahab Baloch, who contended that Khan did not fulfil the criterion under articles 62 and 63 on the issue of Sita White and her daughter Tyrian.

Although the returning officer rejected Baloch's objections against Khan's candidature, he turned down the PTI chief's papers saying he had submitted an incomplete affidavit as approved by the Supreme Court.

JuD fields Hafiz’s son-inlaw & son Meanwhile, Mumbaiterror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's son and his son-in-law are among 265 candidates fielded by the Jamaat-ud -Dawah for national and provincial

assembly seats, with the banned group's political wing vowing to make the country a "citadel of Islam."

Saeed, who also carries a $10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities, is not contesting the election.

The JuD, a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack, launched its political front Milli Muslim League (MML). Pakistan's election commission denied registration of the MML as a political party following objections from the Interior Ministry which argued that the entity was an offshoot of the JuD, led by Saeed, banned by a UN resolution.

Musharraf resigns as APML chief after barred from contesting election ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has resigned as the chief of All Pakistan Muslim League, days after the Supreme Court barred him from contesting in the July 25 general elections. Musharraf, 74, sent his resignation as chairman of the APML party to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The move comes days after the Supreme Court withdrew an interim relief given to Musharraf to allow

Pervez Musharraf

him to submit his nomination papers as the Dubaibased former dictator failed to appear before the

court. Despite multiple assurances from the chief justice, Musharraf failed to appear before the court resulting in the cancellation of his conditional nomination. Muhammad Amjad, previously the general secretary of the party, has been elevated to the position of chairman. He will now be in-charge of all party affairs and will decide the APML's role in the July 25 general elections.

"Musharraf had tendered his resignation as

President of the APML on June 18 due to the Peshawar High Court's 2013 verdict which had disqualified him from politics for life," Amjad said. Amjad said that Musharraf took a decision to resign after the party's meeting on June 18 as he was not allowed to contest the election.

Musharraf had challenged the disqualification in the Supreme Court which summoned him on June 13 and allowed conditional filing of nominations.

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SRI LANKA-BANGLADESH

Driven out of Bangladesh, 'crazy pill' sellers now eye India

DHAKA: Drug peddlers trading in Yaba (meaning 'crazy pills' in Thai) in Bangladesh are now making inroads into India's northeast to sell the drug as they are finding it difficult to conduct business in the neighbouring country owing to a crackdown on drug cartels there. Earlier, the popular methamphetamine-based drug used to be smuggled into Bangladesh from Myanmar through the northeast. So far this year, Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) has seized 5,297,234 number of Yaba pills.

Last week, the antismuggling unit of the customs division (Guwahati) seized one of the biggest shipments of synthetic drugs from two persons, including a woman from Manipur. The seizure included at least 15,720 units of methamphetamine pills worth over £150,000.

Customs sources said they had arrested the duo while they were on their way to

hand over the drugs to local agents in the area.

The fear of a possible spillover of these narcotics into the region turned out to be true when a consignment of 4,566 Yaba tablets was seized in Meghalaya's Garo Hills recently. It is one of the several consignments seized by forces guarding the borders of the northeast. Research has revealed that the immediate effects of taking Yaba are similar to those of any stimulant. A crystalline variant of this drug named 'Ice', made entirely of methamphetamine, having no fillers, also exists. The consumption of these drugs is believed to induce a state of euphoria among the users which they consider pleasurable or desirable.

"Inhaling its fumes or snorting the crushed powder induces a hyperalert state so exhilarating that users have been tempted to give up on even heroin and ganja," a source said.

India hosts Lankan defence personnel in Gaya

Sri Lankan defence personnel in Bodh Gaya

N E W D E L H I: In an innovative step towards strengthening military ties, India hosted a 160member delegation comprising Sri Lankan military personnel and their families in Bihar’s Gaya, where they will visit Buddhist religious places.

One C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force brought the Sri Lankan delegation comprising personnel from all three services and their family members from Colombo to Gaya, the Air Force said.

The delegation will also visit the Officers Training Academy in Gaya. The visitors would be airlifted back to Colombo later. During

Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, a proposal was discussed for a visit of Sri Lankan military personnel of all three services and their families to the Officers Training Academy in Gaya and the Buddhist religious site at Bodh Gaya.

The Sri Lankan side was extremely enthusiastic about the tour, while the Ministry of Defence cleared the “out of the box” proposal from the Army chief on priority.

India and Sri Lanka share robust defence ties. This year, India handed over a second advanced offshore patrol vessel to Sri Lanka.

WORLD

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100 Indians, mostly from Punjab, held at US detention centres WA S H I N G TO N: The Indian mission in the US has established contact with two immigration detention centres where nearly 100 Indians, mostly from Punjab, are detained for illegally entering the country through its southern border. Around 40-45 Indians are at a federal detention centre in the southern US state of New Mexico while 52 Indians, mostly Sikhs and Christians, are held in Oregon.

Most of the detainees are asking for asylum claiming that they “experienced violence or persecution” in their home country. Satnam Singh Chahal, of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), believes that thousands of Indians, with overwhelming majority of them being from Punjab, are languishing in jails in the US. “A consular official has visited the detention facility in Oregon and another one is

between three years of 2013, 2014 and 2015, more than 27,000 Indians were apprehended at the US border. Of these, over 4,000 were women and 350 children. Many of them, it is reported, are still languishing in jails.

According to a FOIA request in 2015, more than 900 Indians were in various federal prisons on charges of illegally staying in the country. Chahal alleged that there is a nexus between human traffickers, officials and

politicians in Punjab, who encourage young Punjabis to leave their homes to illegally enter the US and charge Rs 35 to 50,00,000 from each individual.

"Human trafficking is a criminal act which affects the global community and consequently Punjabis are too victims of this episode.

The Punjabis enthusiasm to migrate to affluent countries in search of greener pastures has given the traffickers to exploit them," he said. "Using different modus operandi, people of different backgrounds involved in human trafficking and often put the lives of their clients in considerable danger. Failure to reach their promised destination leads to deportation, exploitation, indebtedness, imprisonment and even death," he rued.

He urged the Punjab government to strictly enforce human trafficking laws that have been passed by the State Assembly in recent years.

was ruling out a 2020 bid, Harris said: "I'm not ruling it out, no." According to the media outlet, it is her most direct comments yet about her political future.

At the same time Harris, the first Indian-origin US Senator, said presently she was focused on "a lot of other things as a higher priority" than running for the president. Harris, a former prosecutor, was California's attorney general before she was elected

to the Senate in 2016.

She has started to carve out a reputation as a defender of immigrants in the Trump era, a move that could give her an edge with those voters in 2020, the outlet said. Earlier this year, she bucked her party's leadership to vote against an immigration compromise that she said made too many compromises with Republicans, angering some of her colleagues.

Detainees inside fenced areas at Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center in Rio Grande City, Texas

scheduled to visit the detention facility in New Mexico. We are monitoring the situation,” the Indian Embassy said.

More than a dozen of them are being held at the New Mexico centre for months. And the rest of the Indians were brought to this detention centre about a week ago.

More than 27,000 Indians apprehended in 3 years According to information obtained by NAPA through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Kamala Harris not ruling out 2020 White House ambition

WASHINGTON: Indianorigin American senator Kamala Harris has not ruled out the prospects of running for the US President in 2020, according to a media report.

Harris, 53, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, is viewed as a rising star in Democratic politics. Her likely presidential ambitions are the subject of wide speculation, and she's often included on the not-so-

short lists of potential Democratic 2020 hopefuls.

Pressed on whether she

BEIJING: Nepal can serve as a bridge between India and China, PM K P Oli has said, insisting that his country will maintain close ties with the two neighbours while pursuing independent foreign policy. Oli, who was is China o a five-day visit, held talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, following which an MoU was signed to build a railway link connecting Tibet with Kathmandu, along with 14 cooperative documents.

In an interview to China’s state-run Global Times, Oli said since the formation of his government, Nepal has intensified engagements with both neighbours. “We have

made it clear that we pursue an independent foreign policy and a balanced outlook in the conduct of international relations,” he said.

Asked whether Nepal will be the “land of the competition” or “bridge of cooperation” between China and India, Oli said Nepal has remained a sovereign and independent nation throughout history. “We are firmly committed to not allowing our territory to be used against the sovereign interests of our neighbours. We have the resolve to maintain this and we naturally expect similar assurance from our neighbours.”

“We believe that Nepal

Kamala Harris

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Kerala woman, lover jailed for killing husband in Australia

Sam Abraham and Sofia (left); Arun Kamalasanan

M E L B O U R N E: An Australian court has sentenced a Kerala woman and her lover to over 20 years in prison for murdering her husband at their Epping home in October 2015. While Sofia Sam (33) was sentenced to 22 years in prison, her lover – Arun Kamalasannan – received a jail term of 27 years. In February, the Victorian Supreme Court had found both of them guilty of fatally poisoning the victim – Sam Abraham – with cyanide-laced orange juice.

Delivering the verdict, Justice Coghlan said the guilty parties do not deserve any sympathy because the murder was a premeditated one. The judge noted that 36-yearold Arun – who met Sofia at a university in India – had gained entry into the house through a window and sedated the family” to commit the crime.

Australian police said 34-year-old Sam – an employee with the UAE Exchange – was found dead in the bedroom of their house on October 13, 2015. Soon afterwards, Sofia called up his relatives to say that he had died of cardiac arrest. She brought his body to Kerala and returned to Melbourne after performing his last rites.

Once she was back in Australia, Sofia began living in with Arun. A few of Sam’s friends grew suspicious and alerted the police, who decided to put the samples they had initially collected through a rigorous check. When the toxicology report showed an inordinate amount of cyanide in the victim’s liver and blood, they examined Sofia’s phone call details to zero in on a conspiracy. The two were arrested in August 2016, ten months after her husband’s murder.

Saudi women are free to drive

RIYADH: Finally, Saudi women are free to drive. The ban’s end, ordered last September by King Salman, is part of sweeping reforms pushed by his powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a bid to transform the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and open up its cloistered society.

“It is our right and finally we took it. It is only a matter of time for the society to accept it, generally,” said Samira al-Ghamdi, a 47-year-old psychologist from Jeddah, as she drove herself to work. The lifting of the ban, which for years drew international condemnation and comparisons to the Taliban in Afghanistan, was welcomed by Western allies as proof of a new progressive trend in Saudi Arabia.

Nepal can serve as bridge between India & China: Oli

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (L) chats with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

can serve as a bridge between our two neighbours. In fact, we want to move from the state of a land-locked to a landlinked country through the development of adequate cross border connectivity.

Our friendship with both neighbours places us in an advantageous position to realise this goal.” On

China’s Belt and Road Initiative, he said: “Nepal wants to benefit from the initiative and at the same time, it works for the benefit of the international community.” India has reservations over the BRI as it includes the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor which is being laid through Pakistan-

occupied Kashmir.

Dilling tunnel under Himalayas China is attempting to drill a tunnel to build a rail link from Chinese-controlled Tibet to Nepal which would ultimately link the mountain state's capital Kathmandu with Beijing. The new rail route would boost trade and tourism between China and Nepal in a development that risks more tension with India over China’s ambitions in south Asia.

The new line would join an existing line from Qinghai, a central Chinese province, to Lhasa, the capital of Chinese-controlled Tibet, and is being planned “at Nepal’s

request,” according to reports in the China Daily.

Everest’s 29,029ft summit sits precisely on Nepal’s border with China. The rail project’s specific details are few, but engineers may look for guidance to the makers of the world’s current longest and deepest tunnel, under the Swiss Alps. The Gotthard Base Tunnel is 35 miles long, and runs beneath more than 7,500ft of mountain.

It was completed in 2013, with trains expected to pass through it in 2016.

For most of the work, its builders used a 300-ton mechanical mole to crunch through 125ft of rock every day, with the rest done by conventional drilling and blasting.

24

INDIA

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SOUTH

WEST BENGAL

TN governor, DMK heading for confrontation CHENNAI: In a new twist to the ongoing tussle between Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit and the opposition parties led by the DMK over his field visits to the districts to review government departments, Raj Bhavan has threatened “imprisonment” of those preventing the governor from exercising his powers vested under the Constitution.

The governor will continue to undertake such visits to the districts in future too, Raj Bhavan said in a statement.

A Raj Bhavan statement reiterated that

Banwarilal Purohit

the “office of the governor” is protected under IPC Section 124.

“Attempts to restrain the governor from exercising any of the lawful powers vested on him, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to seven years, and a fine,” the statement said.

Reacting to the statement,

DMK working president M K Stalin charged the governor with “indulging in direct politics” and condemned the threat of imprisonment.

“The DMK is against such visits by the governor to review functioning of the government departments, since it is an attempt at parallel governance. The DMK will continue to hold black flag demonstrations in its efforts to safeguard the interests of the states,” Stalin said. The Raj Bhavan missive came in the wake of the black flag demonstration held by the DMK cadres at Namakkal during governor’s visit last

week. Several DMK cadres were taken into custody.

Protesting the arrests, Stalin led a protest march towards Raj Bhavan to lay siege to the governor’s residence. Stalin and his party members were taken into custody and were released later.

The Raj Bhavan statement said, “he (Stalin) is either ignorant of the law or attempting to overawe by threatening to besiege Raj Bhavan or block the roads leading to the Raj Bhavan.” In his counter argument, Stalin pointed out that such reviews by the governor is not taking place in other BJP ruled states.

SC to hear pleas of 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on June 27 a plea filed by 18 disqualified AIADMK MLAs seeking transfer of their case from the Madras High Court to the apex court after the split verdict by the high court. Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the MLAs, said it was a serious matter that required an urgent hearing as the HC had given a split verdict on June 14 and the third judge was scheduled to hear the matter afresh.

He alleged that people knew about the appointment of the third judge through WhatsApp mes-

T.T.V Dinakaran

sages. A vacation Bench of justices Arun Mishra and S.K. Kaul said, “we don’t go by WhatsApp messages and the matter will be heard on June 27.” On June 14, the HC gave the split verdict on petitions chal-

lenging the disqualification of the 18 MLAs loyal to sidelined party leader T.T.V Dhinakaran, a ruling that maintained the status quo in the corridors of power in Tamil Nadu.

The division bench of the HC, comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar delivered divergent verdicts on whether the 18 MLAs deserved to be disqualified under the antidefection law by Speaker P. Dhanapal on September 18 last for approaching the Governor and seeking the removal of Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

The Chief Justice

upheld the Speaker’s decision, saying, “In my opinion, the view taken by the Speaker is a possible, if not plausible view, and I am unable to hold that the said decision is any way unreasonable, irrational or perverse.” Justice Sundar, in his order insisted that Dhanapal’s order “deserved to be set aside on grounds of perversity, non-compliance with principles of natural justice, mala fides and violation of the constitutional mandate.” The Chief Justice said status quo would continue till the third judge delivered the verdict on the petitions.

PUNJAB-HARYANA

Haryana babus told to rise up to 14 Indians on death row return from receive and see off MPs, MLAs UAE after paying ‘blood money’

CHANDIGARH: In yet another controversial move, the Haryana government has asked all its bureaucrats and officers to stand up in show of respect whenever an MP or an MLA walks in. The directive, issued by the political and parliamentary affairs department, requires that “government servants should show courtesy and consideration to MPs and MLAs,” and they “should be meticulously correct and courteous and rise to receive and see off an MP/MLA visiting him”.

The circular, cites the guidelines issued by the Central government, on how to show respect to the members of parliament and state assemblies. The order asks for “strict compliance both in letter and spirit” and states that “any violation of the said guidelines will be viewed seriously.” It also cites the second report of the ‘Committee on the Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous

Behaviour of Government Officers with Members of Lok Sabha,’ tabled in the Lok Sabha on January 4 this year.

The report had recommended that the consolidated instructions/guidelines on ‘Official dealing between the Administration and Member of Parliament and State Legislature’ should strictly be complied by all the government servants.

The guidelines say that the government servants should “consider carefully and listen patiently to what the MPs and MLAs are saying, though they should act according to their own best judgment as per rules”. Besides, the directive states that “any deviation from an appointment with MP/MLA must be promptly explained to him to avoid any possible inconvenience”. The order also cautions the government servants from ignoring the phone calls of the MPs and MLAs and immediately revert via an SMS if they are busy.

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President of NGO Sarbat Da Bhala Trust SPS Oberoi addressing the media at Jalandhar

JALANDHAR: Fifteen Indians, including 14 from Punjab, who were on death row in United Arab Emirates (UAE) after being convicted in two murder cases, have been released after an NGO, ‘Sarbat Da Bhala Trust’, paid blood money to the relatives of victims.

Fourteen of them have returned to India recently, including 10 persons who were released on June 15 and brought here by SPS Oberoi, a businessman from Dubai, who runs the NGO. Addressing a press conference, Oberoi said only one of the convicted Indians, Dharamvir Singh, is now left in UAE and he too will return after his paperwork is

completed. He said one of the two cases in which five of these Indians were convicted pertained to the murder of 38-year-old Varinder Chouhan of Shekhanura village of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh. He was killed on November 4, 2011.

In the other case, a Pakistani national, Mohammad Farhan, was killed in July 2015. Ten Punjabi men were convicted and awarded death penalty in this case by an Al Ain court. “After families of some of these convicts approached us for help, our organisation reached out to the kin of the victims who were murdered and paid them ‘blood money’.

Bengal BJP chief threatens TMC, says 'Gabbar is coming' KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh once again courted controversy by threatening to kill TMC workers if his party supporters were attacked. He was speaking at a public event.

Jalpaiguri district police has registered a case against Ghosh for his inflammatory speech.

“TMC is ruling the state and I would like to tell them that they would either go to jail or there will be encounters,” Ghosh said amid slogans of 'Jai Sri Ram'. Referring to the blockbuster movie Sholay, Ghosh said, “He is coming… Gabbar Singh will ask how many bullets are in here? I can promise, no one will be spared. Dead bodies will be all around.

Either they will be jailed or there will be encounters.”

Hinting at TMC’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal, the state BJP leader further said, “We have seen a lot of people like this. Kesto (nickname of Anubrata) or Bisto, no one will be spared.” “There is a limit to our tolerance of the atrocities of Trinamool Congress. We have not signed any bond to treat them with rosogolla. If they attack us, we too will retaliate. If they use bombs, we will also use bombs. If they use guns, we will also use guns.”

Confirming that a case

Dilip Ghosh

has been lodged against Ghosh for his hate speech, A d d i t i o n a l Superintendent of Police, Jalpaiguri, Indrani Mukherjee said, “All relevant sections have been pressed against him and the matter is under investigation.”

Ghosh responded by saying, “I am not scared of police cases. Police are biased and are sheltering TMC workers and terrorising our supporters. They don’t have any right to say anything on the current situation in Bengal.”

Asked who he referred to as ‘Gabbar’ in his speech, he said, “You will know the ‘Gabbar’ when the right time comes.”

This isn’t the first time Ghosh has made such remarks. He had earlier allegedly instigated his workers to thrash the police if they try to shelter TMC workers. He had reportedly threatened to remove their uniforms too.

Mamata cancels China visit in the last minute

KOLKATA: West bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee cancelled her nine-day trip to China hours before she was to fly out after Beijing didn't confirm her meetings with the communist party's leadership "at an appropriate level". The cancellation was announced by finance minister Amit Mitra at a suddenly called press meet. She was scheduled to fly out on Saturday night.

"Till yesterday everything was going on well but unfortunately the Chinese side could not confirm the political meetings at appropriate level," he said, reading from a statement.

India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is presently out of the country, and Foreign Secretary VK Gokhale have been informed about her decision, Mitra said. Soon after, Mamata put out a series of tweets in which she said, the visit would not have served any purpose since the Chinese side did not confirm the political meetings.

"Therefore, the purpose of my visit with a delegation to China under the

exchange programme is of no use," the Chief Minister tweeted. "However, I wish the continuation of the friendship of India and China in the days to come and it should strengthen further in the interest of both the countries," she added.

Sushma Swaraj had asked the Chief Minister to make the visit in March this year under the government's exchange programme with the Communist Party of China's international department. The Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale had tried his best to make the programme a success but the meetings proposed by the Indian side could not be confirmed by the Chinese authority.

This isn't the first time that Mamata's plans to visit China have run into trouble. She was expected to travel to China to seek foreign investment in 2017 but it did not work out because of the tensions at that time over Doklam.

According to reports, the foreign ministry had then advised her not to visit.

HERITAGE HISTORY

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Dr. Hari Desai

The Size of West Pakistan on 15 August 1947!

• Unlike Patel, Jinnah could not accede any of the nine Princely States • Pakistan for “diplomatic mischief” by promoting non-acceding States

Q

uaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the creator of Pakistan on 15 August 1947, present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh, was no match to Indian Deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The Sardar could manage to get most of the Princely States in independent India convinced to join the Indian Union even before 15 August 1947. Jinnah could have none of the nine Princely States joining the West Pakistan Union at the time of the Muslim Homeland taking birth! Of course, even historians, including Ayesha Jalal, the writer of the book, “The Sole Spokesman”, do claim that Jinnah did not want Partition. As such, in the words of Ayesha Jalal, Jinnah had to be satisfied with “a moth-eaten and truncated Pakistan” and he was quoted as telling one of his colleague that he would have been satisfied even with some acres of land as “a Muslim homeland” in the desert of Sind than being under the Hindu majority rule of independent India.

Now since Pakistan has become a reality, one would be curious to know whether the West Pakistan was of the same size as it is today ?

“Not even half the size of present-day Pakistan.” The authoritative reply comes from none other than Yaqoob Khan Bangash, a Lahore born historian who earned D.Phil. from the University of Oxford. Known for his extra-ordinary work, “A Princely Affair: The Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan, 1947-1955”, Bangash is being invited not only to the Karachi Literary Festival(KLF) but also by the Government of India’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) to share his views.

“On 15 August 1947, West Pakistan was less than half its present size. Nearly

a year of negotiations, arguments, threats, and even chance, brought nine Princely States into the Pakistani fold. Thereafter, followed a long and staggered process of integration.” The bright son of Nawabzada Sardar Abdul Aziz Khan Bangash gives credit to his father for

became a part of Indian Union. The Nawab of Junagadh, Mahabat Khan III, fled from the Keshod airport to Pakistan by his own aircraft.

At the time of merger of small States in independent India. Keshod airport was built by the Nawab and is spread over an area of 460

Quaid-e-Azam with the Khan of Kalat

instilling in him the love of history. One of the first Princely States to sign the Instrument of Accession to Pakistan was Khairpur State of Sind. It was only on 3 October 1947. But before that Junagadh acceded to Pakistan and Jinnah had accepted it on 15 September

acres of land, according to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

Another major State, Kalat, which is better known to the outside world as centre of Balochistan, signed the “Instrument of Accession” on 27 March 1948 and the State of

The Last Nawab of Bahawalpur with his British wife, Linda Sayce

1947. Of course, it was only on 9 November 1947, following the Arzi Hukumat movement, Junagadh

Bahawalpur signed a “Merger Agreement” on 17 December 1954. The other four Frontier Princely States

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of the Princely States which are not the part of presentday Pakistan. In February 2017, Pakistan had approved the minimum maintenance allowance for former rulers of the States that “acceded to Pakistan” be raised from less than Rs.25,000 to Rs. 500,000 annually. The federal cabinet of Pakistan had approved a 200 per cent increase in the allowance

The Map of West Pakistan on 15 August 1947 when not a single Princely State had acceded to Pak

back in November 2007, but tribal in nature and more Article 5 of the Rulers of akin to the Arab sheikdoms Acceding States (Abolition of the Persian Gulf. This of Privy and Privileges) made them different from Order 1972 did not provide other Princely States, which for an increase in maintewere influenced by Mughal nance allowance. The beneand British courtly culture. ficiaries of the list presentHe further adds, the British ed include three depentransferred power to the dents of Nawab of Dir, nine Governments of India and of former ruler of Makran, Pakistan in 1947, but the eight of Nawab of Kalat, two process of national integraof the Nawab of Junagadh tion in both countries State, former rulers of remains incomplete even 69 Chitral, Khairpur, years later.

Bahawalpur, share Pakistan’s Next Column: holders of the excesses in Bantva State, the suppressing Sardar Patel: talukdar of Baloch sepaA visionary on Sultanabad, ratists are Sheikh Sahib of well docu- Global Affairs Mangrol and the mented. At the Khan of Manawadar. same time, separatists Though it is a settled fact continue to find support in that Junagadh, Bantva, Kashmir.

Mangrol and Manawadar, Even when Pakistan is Sultanabad are part of being debated as a Rouge India, Pakistan continues to state or a Failed state, facplay diplomatic mischief. ing lot many domestic (The writer is a Socioproblems, Islamabad conpolitical Historian. E-mail: tinues to play mischief by haridesai@gmail.com ) promoting the former rulers

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like Chitral, Dir, Swat and Amb were among the most backward tribal States.

Hunza and Nagar disputed to be part of Jammu and Kashmir.

On behalf of the Indian Government, Sardar Patel assisted by V. P. Menon, an able ICS official, initiated negotiation with the Princely States well in advance. On the Pakistan side, in the initial stage, Jinnah, through his counsels, was dealing with major Princely States including some Hindu States under the Bhopal Scheme to convince them to join the Pakistan Union or instigating some like Hyderabad and Travancore to remain independent. Later, the negotiations or intimidation was carried out by the bureaucrats or military officials. Unfortunately for him, till 15 August 1947, the day of the birth of Pakistan, Quaid was not successful to gain confidence of any of the nine Princely States to accede to Pakistan where as Patel had most of the 565 Princely States on his side.

Three States created problems for Patel in the initial stage. Junagadh was to be part of the Indian Union followed by J and K despite misadventure of Jinnah. The Nizam was to stop dancing to the tune of Jinnah with just five-day “Operation Polo” ordered

by Sardar Patel and even withdrew his complaint from United Nations. The Nizam took little longer but by 17 September 1948, Hyderabad acceded to the Indian Union.

Bangash’s research identifies the following States: Kalat (now part of the province of Balochistan); Bahawalpur (now part of Punjab); Khairpur (now part of Sind); Chitral, Dir, Swat and Amb (now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province); and Hunza and Nagar (now part of the disputed GilgitBaltistan region). As Vikhar

Ahmed Sayeed notes in “Frontline”, most of the Princely States of India grew out of political vacuum created after the decline of the Mughal Empire, but the States in Pakistan emerged in the wake of the departure of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Durrani.

Except for Bahawalpur, which was the largest State to become part of Pakistan, all the other States were

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Heavy rains lash South Gujarat, Mumbai; 7 people killed

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Pak provokes India again, stops envoy from visiting shrine

Sikh devotees paying obeisance at Gurdwara Panja Sahib

Fourteen vehicles were buried under debris as a wall collapsed in Mumbai on Monday

Four people were killed and train movements between Valsad and Mumbai paralysed as heavy rains lashed South Gujarat on Monday. Rain also caused flooding in low-lying areas and snapping electricity in several districts of south Gujarat. The Vadodara to Valsad stretch witnessed huge downpour. Two persons died of electrocution in Vadodara, and thousands of passengers were left stranded at railways stations as at least 11 trains to and from Mumbai, including Karnavati Express, Shatabdi Express, and Suryanagiri Express were delayed.

Areas in Valsad were pounded by over 200 mm rainfall, with Umergaon on Gujarat-Maharashtra border receiving 550 mm in 30 hours. Jayanta Sarkar, regional director, Indian M e t e o r o l o g i c a l Department, said due to cyclonic circulation over north Konkan and adjoining south Gujarat areas,

heavy rains in the next two days. Railway crossing at Udwada was closed for almost one hour as flood waters washed the earth on either side of the railway line at several places between Sanjan and Bhilad.

Trains between Mumbai and Ahmedabad

the heavy flooding.

Officials said rail traffic resumed at a speed of 10 kmph in view of safety on affected lines.

Wall caves in in Mumbai; cars buried A portion of a wall at an apartment complex in Mumbai collapsed following incessant rain, causing

Heavy rains lash south Gujarat; Valsad gets maximum showers

was running late by almost an hour or two. AK Gupta, general manager of Western Railways, reached a site between Bhilad and Sanjan to take stock of the

a road to cave in and taking down at least 20 parked cars. Dramatic visuals of the 32-storey Lloyds estate in Antop Hill, Wadala was seen as

Water-logged street in Vadodara

parts of southern Gujarat and coastal Saurashtra will receive heavy to very

raining continuously for the last few days and around 4 this morning, there was a deafening sound and the boundary wall of our complex came crashing. After that the road where we park our cars caved in. It was almost like a landslide and 15-20 cars went with it.”

situation. He oversaw the restoration work that immediately begun after

several cars were either buried or stuck in debris. A resident said, “It has been

Mumbai has received 231.4 mm rain since Sunday. IMD's Mumbai Director Ajay Kumar said so much rainfall is categorised as extremely heavy showers. “This is the first extremely heavy rainfall recorded in Mumbai in the current season. The rain intensity has gone up since Sunday afternoon and is expected to continue further.” Three people have already died in rainrelated incidents in Mumbai and Thane this week alone. The downpour caused water-logging in subways in suburbs of Andheri, Khar, and Malad, severely impacting the rush hour traffic.

The Mumbai Police tweeted, “The showers are heavy but so is our 'bandobast' on the streets to 'be there' for Mumbaikars.

We are #AlwaysUpForDuty to help you reach your destination with a little care & caution from you during your journey #RoadSafety #MumbaiRains”.

In fresh provocation by Pakistan, Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria and his wife were prevented from entering Gurdwara Panja Sahib, about two hours’ driving distance from Islamabad, to meet Indian pilgrims, which led India to lodge a protest. The Bisaria couple and Indian officials were forced to return from the shrine despite having obtained all necessary permissions for the visit in advance from Pakistan’s foreign ministry. This is the second time Indian officials have been prevented from meeting pilgrims from India, the last being on April 14.

Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner Syed Haider Shah was summoned by the Indian foreign ministry to register a protest and India also warned Islamabad against fanning the Khalistan secessionist movement. As on April 14, when Indian pilgrims were visiting for Baisakhi, India said its officials had been prevented from carrying out their consular duties.

According to Indian officials, Pakistan prevents such meetings to allow its agencies the opportunity to try and brainwash pilgrims into supporting the Khalistan movement.

On the previous occasion, a woman had broken from the delegation to go to Lahore where she converted to Islam and married a Pakistani citizen. A widow, she left three children behind in India. Indian officials wondered if she was spotted on social media - where she met her Pakistani husband - as an emotionally vulnerable target.

“Concerns have also been conveyed at repeated attempts by entities in Pakistan to extend support to secessionist movements in India and incite the Indian pilgrims, and Pakistani authorities [have been] asked to ensure that no such activity is carried out from Pakistani soil,” said a statement by the MEA. The pilgrims were visiting Panja Sahib on the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson claimed in a tweet that

Bisaria was informed about what he described as heightened pilgrim sentiments against India and that concern over the same had led the Indian high commissioner to cancel his visit. “Sikh pilgrims were protesting against their maltreatment in India and release of controversial movies,” the spokesperson said.

Envoys’ harassment has continued in both Delhi and Islamabad India conveyed to Pakistan that preventing the Indian high commission officials from discharging their consular responsibilities is in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, and the 1974 bilateral protocol on visit to religious shrines.

The Indian organiser, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, when contacted by MEA, expressed grave concern and dismay that the Indian envoy was turned away despite the visiting pilgrims having asked the Pakistani organisers to facilitate a meeting with Indian high commission officials, said the statement.

More than 300 Indian Sikhs are visiting Pakistan for the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Pakistan said that a special train was arranged by its railways from Attari to Wagah for the Sikh yatris.

Despite the understanding reached in late March to revive the 1992 code of conduct, which is meant to shield diplomats from frequent turbulence in ties, incidents of harassment have continued in both Delhi and Islamabad, as reported by TOI on June 16.

Within the framework of the Pakistan-India protocol on visits to religious shrines of 1974, Sikh pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to observe various religious festivals/occasions every year. Pakistan had said on Saturday that it had issued visas to over 300 Sikh pilgrims from India to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore, from June 21to 30.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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To Our Readers

We are publishing these items in good faith, kindly consult your Doctor before you try to implement any advice. We do not hold any responsibility for its efficacy...

Child obesity plan targets sweets at checkouts Sweets and fatty snacks sold at checkouts and as part of supermarket deals will be banned under new government proposals to halve childhood obesity in England by 2030.

Tighter restrictions on junk food ads on TV and online are also planned, as well as mandatory calorie labelling on restaurant menus.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the measures gave "power to parents to make healthier choices".

The plans have been broadly welcomed.

The proposals form part of the government's updated Childhood Obesity Plan, which was widely criticised for being too weak when it was launched two years ago.

With one in three children now overweight or obese by the age of 11, this updated plan targets stores, industry and advertisers that use "pester power" to sell food high in fat, sugar and salt to children and families.

It also pledges to "help close the deprivation gap" by looking at why children

from poorer areas are more than twice as likely to be overweight.

The plan encourages all primary schools to introduce a daily "active mile" for children. Official advice recommends children should do 60 minutes of activity per day.

The measures, which will open for consultation by the end of the year, include: - Banning the sale of sweets and snacks at checkouts, shop entrances and in buy-one-get-onefree deals - New restrictions on advertising unhealthy food to children on TV and online, which could include a pre-9pm ban - Clear calorie labelling in restaurants, cafes and takeaways, to help families know what they are eating - Ending the sale of energy drinks containing high levels of caffeine, to children.

Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

10 Foods That Can Help You Breathe Better

Needless to say, our lungs play a vital role in helping our body function well.

However, consequently our lungs have to suck in not just air but some harmful elements like air pollutants and smoking along with it. These pollutants happen to increase the risk of respiratory health problems like asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis and pneumonia among others. A good way to keep your lungs healthy is by engaging in regular exercises and eating a healthy diet.

A healthy diet helps you go a long way and keeps you off any ailment.

In India, with the increase in air pollution and population that smokes, respiratory illnesses are on an all-time high.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 235 million people suffer from asthma, which is an under-diagnosed and under-treated condition.

So, if you wish to boost your lung health, make sure you incorporate some healthy foods that will help keep your lungs active and working.

1. Apples: Researchers have linked good lung function with high intakes of vitamins C, E and betacarotene, all of which are present in apples. Apples

come packed with antioxidants that help keep your lungs healthy.

2. Walnuts: Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating a handful of them can help fight asthma and other respiratory conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be anti-inflammatory nutrients with protective effects in inflammatory ailments.

3. Berries: Acai and blueberry are two of the most effective berries that help keep your lungs healthy.

They are rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, which help fight cell damaging free radicals.

4. Broccoli: Broccoli is high in vitamin C content, carotenoids, folate and phytochemicals that fight damaging elements in the

SATURDAY 30th June TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES

* Schedule is subject to change

* Schedule is subject to change

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16:00: 17:00: 17:30: 18:00: 18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 20:00: 20:30: 21:00: 21:30: 22:00: 22:30 23:00:

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18:30: 19:00: 19:30: 20:00: 22:00: 23:00:

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MONDAY 2nd - FRIDAY 6th July TV PROGRAM NAMES

RASOI SHOW STRICTLY STREET THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI UTTARAN DIL KI PUKAR TERE SANG YAARA ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN KASAM BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE RADHA KI BETIYAAN RADHA PREM KI DEEWANI ISHQ MEIN MARJAWAN BIGG BOSS MARATHI

SATURDAY 7th July

TV PROGRAM NAMES

UTTARAN DIL KI PUKAR TERE SANG YAARA RISING STAR NAAGIN 2 BIGG BOSS MARATHI WEEKEND CHA DAAV

16:00 17:00 18:30 20:00 21:30 22:30

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16:00 17:00 18:30 19:30 20:30 21:30 22:30

CID The Kapil Sharma Show Zindagi Ke Crossroads Zindagi Ke Crossroads Crime Patrol Crime Patrol

SUNDAY 1st July TV PROGRAM NAMES

CID The Kapil Sharma Show Crime Patrol Zindagi Ke Crossroads Zindagi Ke Crossroads Crime Patrol Crime Patrol

MONDAY 2nd - FRIDAY 6th July TIME TV PROGRAM NAMES 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30

Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya Hai Mere Sai Vighnaharta Ganesh Porus Dus Ka Dum (Mon-Tues) / Zindagi Ke Crossroads (Weds-Fri) 21:30 Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai 22:00 Dil Hi Toh Hai 22:30 Crime Patrol

17:30: "WEEKEND KA MAHAEPISODE BALIKA VADHU - LAMHE PYAAR KE" 18:30: UTTARAN 19:00: DIL KI PUKAR 19:30: THE GREAT INDIAN GLOBAL KITCHEN 20:00: RISING STAR 22:00: NAAGIN 2 23:00: BIGG BOSS MARATHI WEEKEND CHA DAAV

Tuesday July 03, 2018 00:39 Film : Woh Lamhe 05:00 Film : Chal Bhaag 07:03 Film : Loha 09:40 Film : Andaaz 12:47 Film : Jwalamukhi 15:44 Film : Welcome 19:00 Film : Zeher 21:45 Film : Bas Ek Tamanaa

* Schedule is subject to change

MONDAY 2nd - FRIDAY 6th July

19:00:00 SAVITRI DEVI COLLEGE & HOSPITAL 19:30:00 UDANN 20:00:00 SHAKTI ASTITVA KE EHSAAS KI 20:30:00 TU AASHIQUI 21:00:00 ROOP

21:30:00 BEPANNAAH 22:00:00 SILSILA 22:30:00 DEV 2 22:30:00 KAUN HAI?(Fri)

enhance the elimination of toxins and carcinogens, further helping your lungs to function better.

9. Water: What's better and more effective than water? Water is the best way to detoxify your body processes. Moreover, dry lungs are prone to irritation and increased inflammation; therefore, you must drink six to eight glasses of water to keep yourself well-hydrated.

10. Turmeric: Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties; thanks to the curcumin compound pre-

piratory tract. It is best to drink cayenne pepper tea that is also a great source of beta-carotene, which has great effects on reducing the many symptoms of asthma.

6. Ginger: Ginger is not only anti-inflammatory but also helps detoxifying and promotes the elimination of pollutants from the lungs. Ginger helps in relieving congestion, unclogging air-passages and improving circulation to the lungs, further boosting lung health.

7. Flaxseeds: According to a study published in the Journal BMC Cancer, a diet of flaxseeds given to mice not only protects lung tis-

Monday July 02, 2018 23:31 Film : Raman Raghav 2.0 01:50 Film : Tumsa Nahi Dekha 05:00 Film : Future To Bright Hai Ji 07:10 Film : Udaan 09:48 Film : Rama Rama Kya Hai Dramaa 12:29 Film : Jaanam 15:18 Film : Andha Kanoon 18:40 Film : Star Stop 19:05 Film : 16 December 22:18 Film : Fareb

SATURDAY 7th July

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sues before exposure to radiation, but can also significantly reduce the damage after exposure occurs.

8. Garlic: Garlic comprises flavonoids that stimulate the production of glutathione, which helps

lungs. Broccoli is said to have an active constituent called L-sulforaphane, which tricks the cells to switch on the antiinflammatory genes that further avoids respiratory conditions.

5. Cayenne Pepper: The capsaicin in cayenne pepper helps stimulate secretions and protects mucus membranes from upper and lower res-

Sunday July 01, 2018 00:10 Film : One 2 Ka 4 05:00 Film : 18.11...A code of secrecy 07:22 Film : Ram Balram 10:49 Film : Chalo Ishq Ladaaye 13:50 Film : Andaaz 16:57 Film : Agneepath 20:15 Film : Welcome

SUNDAY 8th July

TV PROGRAM NAMES

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TV PROGRAM NAMES

19:00: SILSILA - KAHANI AB TAK 19:30: DESI BEAT 3.0 20:00: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 21:00: DANCE DEEWANE 22:30: KAUN HAI? 23:00: SILSILA - KAHANI AB TAK 23:30: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 00:30: MAHAKALI

sent in it. This compound helps relieve inflammation of the airways and tightness of chest associated with asthma.

Wednesday July 04, 2018 00:00 Film : Dhoop 05:00 Film : Listen... Amaya 07:00 Film : Hafta Vasuli 10:00 Film : Ghar Mein Ram Gali Mein Sham 13:00 Film : Andha Kanoon 16:23 Film : Dhokha 19:00 Film : Inteha 22:15 Film : EMI - Liya Hai To Chukana Padega Thursday July 05, 2018 00:53 Film : Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara 05:00 Film : Surkhaab 07:00 Film : Atishbaz 09:45 Film : Yeh Hai Judgement Hanged Till Death 12:32 Film : Chor Bazari-Ek Atrangi Prem Kahani 14:54 Film : Krantiveer 18:00 Film : Star Stop Lifestyle 19:00 Film : Aatma - Feel It Around You 21:02 Film : Amit Sahni Ki List

Friday July 06, 2018 23:12 Film : Pappu Can't Dance Saala 05:00 Film : Wake Up India 07:15 Film : Awaargi 10:20 Film : Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya 13:10 Film : Hero 16:31 Film : Agent Vinod 19:44 Film : Mela

Saturday July 07, 2018 23:14 Film : Aatma - Feel It Around You 01:00 Film : Samay-when the time strikes 05:00 Film : Dam999 07:04 Film : Aasma - The Sky Is The Limit 09:23 Film : Dhadkan 12:51 Film : Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar 15:52 Film : Trapped 18:00 Film : Star Stop Lifestyle 19:00 Film : Omkara 21:52 Film : Zeher

SUNDAY 8th July

TIME

TV PROGRAM NAMES

19:00: ROOP - KAHANI AB TAK 19:30: BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPIONS 20:00: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 21:00: DANCE DEEWANE 22:30: KAUN HAI? 23:00: ROOP - KAHANI AB TAK 23:30: NAAGIN - SEASON 3 00:30: MAHAKALI

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

Shruti Haasan to produce Nayanthara - 'The Golden 'The Mosquito Philosophy' Lady of South Indian Box Office'

B

A

ctress-producer Shruti Haasan will produce director Jayprakash Radhakrishnan's next 'The Mosquito Philosophy'.The actress will be presenting the project as well. "Our belief at Isidro is to present extremely interesting, edgy and different kinds of content. It can be content across various formats just as long as they further the creative process and make it possible for people to experience world class storytelling," said Shruti."When we saw 'The Mosquito Philosophy' and after having seen JP's last works especially his much acclaimed film 'Lens', we knew we had found the right person to associate with. He has a very edgy vision to creatively showcase even the simplest stories."

"It's fantastic to work with someone who is courageous in offering new content that challenges conventional thinking. We are really excited to present this film under the Isidro banner and hope this is the start of a long term working relationship," she added. Despite being in Tamil, the film's story has universal appeal and is shot with basic storyline with no scripted dialogues and bare minimum equipment and crew to ensure that the most real showcase of life is replicated on screen.

Talking about his film, JP said, "Filmmakers the world over have struggled hard to make films that are as close to reality as possible to ensure the art they create connects seamlessly with the audience. 'The Mosquito Philosophy' is an interrogation of a society caught between the throws of tradition and modernity seen through the story of four friends.

Mammootty's Tamil film screened at Asia's Oscars!

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irector Ram's film titled 'Peranbu,' starring Mammootty in the lead has been screened at the Shanghai Film Festival, which is dubbed as Asia's Oscars. 'Peranbu' had its world premiere earlier this January at the 47th edition of International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR), Netherlands.

The film also stars child artist Thangameenkal Sadhna, Anjali, Anjali Ameer and several others,with music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film is produced by P L Thenappan under his production banner Shree Raajalakshmi Films. Thenappan revealed that they are planning to release the film soon for the Indian audience.

ehindwoods Com, a leading Kollywood entertainment website, has presented 'The Golden Lady Of South Indian Box Office' to Nayanthara, the lady superstar. In the male-dominated industry, she has created a niche for herself. She chooses women-centric scripts that enhances her performance that creates a special impact for her on screen. Her defined beauty comes next to her effortless performance and dedication.

On getting the award she said,: "Only when I am presented with an award, I am able to realize that I have done so many films. Every day is a new day according to me and I hardly realize my growth. I am extremely proud of this. I thank my entire team and all my fans for all the support I receive constantly. The support and encouragement you all give me mean the world to me. If I am able to survive in the industry standing very strong, it is only because of you all. Thank you Behindwoods once again."

Shriya Saran not in a hurry to become mother

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ctress Shriya Saran recently married her long time Russian boyfriend Andrei Koscheev. After spending some quality time with her family, the actress is back to the film industry. The actress talked about her career after marriage. When asked if she's planning to have kids anytime soon, she said she has no plans to turn mother at least until she completes another 20 movies. She added that marriage will never be a hindrance to her acting career.

Shriya is awaiting the release of her film 'Naragasooran.'

Prabhas smashes 37 cars and five trucks for 'Saaho'

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ctor Prabhas was in Abu Dhabi shooting in outdoor locations facing the desert sun for a 20 day non-stop shoot for his upcoming film 'Saaho'. The tri-lingual film is supposed to be shot in various locations and a major part of the film is being shot at Abu Dhabi. The star actor has apparently smashed 37 cars and five trucks shooting an action sequence in the film.

Hollywood stunt master Kenny Bates is doing the choreography for action sequences. The Dubai action scene is expected to be the highlight of the film. Directed by South filmmaker Sujeeth, the film has Shraddha Kapoor playing Prabhas' love interest in the film. Others who will be seen in prominent roles are Neil Nitin Mukesh, Mandira Bedi, Jackie Shroff, Chunky Panday, and Mahesh Manjrekar.

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

Sanjay Dutt pays surprise visit to Kapoors

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R

anbir Kapoor has always been in awe of actor Sanjay Dutt, right from his childhood days and now playing the superstar on screen is nothing less than a dream come true for the Kapoor lad. The real and real Sanjay Dutt paid a surprise visit to Rishi and Neetu Kapoor recently. Neetu Kapoor took to her Instagram account and shared a candid picture of Rishi, Sanjay and Ranbir together and captioned it as, ‘Surprise visit by real n reel #sanju made the evening so special ’ Although Sanjay Dutt is not part of his biopic ‘Sanju’, the makers have reportedly planned for a special song which will be played in the end credits. The song is a peppy dance number and will reportedly portray Dutt’s relationship with the media. The film is slated to release on June 29.

It is a well known fact that Ranbir is total mama’s boy.

The actor, who has always shared about his close bond with mother Neetu Kapoor, had a little something special in store for her on Mother’s day. The mother-son duo was spotted arriving at a plush restaurant in Mumbai for a lovely lunch date. Speaking in a recent interview, the actor gushed about his mother saying that everything he is professionally and personally, is because of the values his mother instilled in him.

nukreethy Vas, 19, from Tamil Nadu’s Trichy, clinched the ‘Femina Miss India World 2018’ title, succeeding Manushi Chhillar, who brought home the coveted ‘Miss World’ crown the first time since 2000. Vas, raised by a single mother, was crowned at a grand finale of the beauty contest in Mumbai. Meenakshi Chaudhary from Haryana was the first runner-up and Shreya Rao from Andhra Pradesh was the second runner-up. A student of Chennai’s Loyola College, Vas is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in French to become an interpreter, but she works closely with an NGO for the education of transgenders – a cause close to her heart.

She wishes to become a supermodel as she loves facing the camera, but Bollywood is not her focus right now. Her eyes are set on winning the Miss World crown for India again. The contestants proved their aptitude by facing some tricky questions from the judges’ panel, which included Bobby Deol, Kunal Kapoor, Malaika Arora, fashion designer Gaurav Gupta and cricketer Irfan Pathan, along with Chhillar. Madhuri Dixit performed a beautiful dance number during the India round, with her co-dancers.

T

move in with him, she flew into the country last week with her beau. Surprisingly, while in LA they have been clicked at concerts and ballgames together, they opted for some inexplicable cloak-and-dagger games the minute they stepped onto Indian soil.

Her mother’s car which had come to receive her and her guest was parked at an isolated spot at the airport and rolled up just five minutes before Priyanka stepped out, using a longer route and a different gate in an obvious attempt to give the paparazzi a miss.

Anukreethy Vas (Miss India world) flanked by Meenakshi Chaudhary (l) first runner up and Shreya Rao (r) second runner-up

Amitabh to star in Spanish thriller remake

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ega star Amitabh Bachchan is all set to star in Bollywood remake of famous Spanish crime thriller 'Contratiempo' (The Invisible Guest).

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the remake of Spanish thriller is titled as 'Badla' (Revenge). The film revolves around a successful young businessman who seeks to prove his innocence when his mistress is murdered.

Amitabh's 'Pink' co-star Taapsee Pannu will also feature in the flick.

The movie 'Badla' is co-produced by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment and Azure Entertainment.

According to reports, the surprising element about this- it will be the first time when Khan is co-producing a film top-lined by Bachchan. Shah Rukh and Amitabh were last seen on screen together in 2008 release 'Bhootnath'.

Big-B is currently shooting for Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' which is a fantasy drama, and also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

Peecee brings Nick Jonas home

he love affair between Priyanka Chopra and American singersong-writer Nick Jonas started getting serious.

Over the last few weeks, since the curtains came down on Peecee's TV show 'Quantico,' Nick and Priyanka have been inseparable, the 10-year age difference being of little consequence. In fact, the 25year-old singer has apparently been telling pals that he loves it that his new girlfriend is older and more mature than his exes. Close on the heels of reports that Nick has asked Priyanka to

Anukreethy Vas Crowned ‘Miss India World 2018’

Uncertainty is the only certainty, says Irrfan Khan

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ollywood actor Irrfan Khan penned a note on his battle with cancer.

The 'Madari' actor, who is in London for his Neuroendocrine tumour treatment, wrote about his struggles with the ailment and his journey of recovery. "The entire cosmos becomes one at that moment - just PAIN, and pain felt more enormous than GOD," he wrote, adding, "This realisation made me submit, surrender and trust, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of where this takes me, eight months from now, or four months from now, or two years. The concerns took a back seat and started to fade and kind of went out of my mindspace."

People took to Twitter to extend wishes for his speedy recovery. The 'Hindi Medium' actor had broken the news of his illness to the world on March 16, 2018.

Neuroendocrine tumours are neoplasms that arise from cells of the endocrine (hormonal) and nervous systems. Many are benign, while some are malignant.

They most commonly occur in the intestine, where they are often called carcinoid tumours, but they are also found in the pancreas, lung and the rest of the body.

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

GCSE's student elocution competition postponed inconvenience caused to all the participants and their families for the sudden change.

In future, we will make prior announcements for any such programmes if to be held.

For more details, contact Kalpesh Pandhi at kalpeshpandhi@yahoo.com 07894 989 103, Kokila Patel at kokila.patel@abplgroup.co m 07875 229 177, and Kamal Rao at kamal.rao@abplgroup.com 07875 229 211.

Due to unforeseen conditions, elocution competition on 'My Father in My View' held for students studying in Gujarati schools, and those taking the GCSE's Gujarati test in 2018, has been unfortunately postponed.

Held by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar, along with Maa Krupa Gujarati School, the competition was to be held on July 1, Sunday, at the Canons High School, in Edgware.

We apologise for the

Coming Events

l Bolton Hindu Forum presents the Women Together Pampering Day on July 8, Sunday, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm at Ellesmere Road Social Club. l The Asian Music Circuit presents Music of the Three Worlds exhibition from Kuly 3 to July 8, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm at Asia House, 63 New Lavendish Street, Marylbone, London, W1G 7LP. l Dharmaj Society of London to host its famous annual barbecque on July 15, Sunday, 2.00 pm onwards, at Kingsbury High School, Sorts Ground Princes Avenue, Kingsbury, London NW9 9JR. l Chinmaya Mission UK presents Swara to Ishwara: Hindustani classical instrumental music concert, on June 30, 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm, at Chinmaya Kirti, 2 Egerton Gardens, Hendon NW4 4BA. l Iskcon Croydon presents Rath Yatra, the Festival of Chariots, on July 1, 11.00 am onwards, on Croydon High Street, CR0 1TY. Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha's head Param Pujya Mahant Swami is currently on his vicharan in Sarangpur. He reached Sarangpur temple on June 16, Saturday. He offered pushpanjali to Pujya Pramukh Swami's samadhi in the temple premises, and did a pradakshina of the Khijda tree. Mahant Swami is currently holding functions where he meets children, youngsters and his followers. He spoke about unity, peace and love during his address to the haribhakts.

Sneh Joshi

A mum who has had to have six operations after a crash in Harrow is still recovering from the ordeal two months later.

On April 23 Sonal Chande, 55, was crossing Cecil Road when she was involved in a collision with a car, reported to be a black Mercedes.

Ms Chande, who works as an administrator at Harrow Crown Court , was thrown 20 ft away, towards Headstone Lane, smashing the windscreen. She suffered a broken pelvis, two broken legs, and broken ribs in the crash.

Her daughter Surena Chande, 26, told a local newspaper after the crash that her mum had lost a lot of blood and the bone had “come through the skin” on her leg.

The mum-of-two has since undergone six surgeries and a skin graft and is still recovering in

Surena (left) with her mother Sonal

hospital, more than two months later.

The car involved in the incident had been travelling southbound and after crash continued to do so, before making off at some speed, according to police.

Speaking in April Surena said: “This has ruined our lives. This will have a long-term effect on her, she won't be able to walk for a long time.

She loved walking, she tried to walk two hours a day. Now it'll be rest and then physio. It could not

have happened to a nicer person, to see my mother in the state she is in is the most horrible thing I have ever seen. When I found out I was in pieces, it's been horrific. My dad is probably going to give up his job.”

Two men, aged 25 and 22, were arrested by police on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and failing to stop but have since been released under investigation, a Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed.

BAPS presents the National Gujarati Teachers' Conference Inspired by His Holiness Mahant Swami, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha UK has organised the National Gujarati Teachers' Conference on July 15, at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden.

The conference will

feature several workshops to share best practices, resources, and solutions. It will also train attendees to teach in more creative, fun, and interactive ways with students.

The conference will detail information on the new Gujarati GCSE

curriculum from experts and survey resource stands of different Gujarati schools.

A unique opportunity to make education better, the conference comes at a time when all Gujarati establishments need the most attention.

Gang who murdered Sikh rival in Southall jailed for a total of 104 years A gang who used swords, hammers and baseball bats to attack a rival on a Southall street have been jailed for total of 104 years. The gang of five each had a role to play in the death of Sukhjinder Singh, also known as Gurinder Singh, who was viciously attacked on

Spikes Bridge Road over a long-running feud between rivals within the Sikh community.

Gurinder had a longstanding feud with Kuldeep Dhillon, 26, dating back to 2013. Dhillon grew angered when he found out Gurinder had been boasting about hav-

ing assaulted him at a Sikh religious festival in Birmingham, the court heard.

Police , who are still hunting for more people who took part in the attack, said the five attackers had taken "revenge" after a bitter feud.

Baby boy still fighting for his life nearly three weeks after Feltham double stabbing

A baby boy who was seriously injured during a knife attack in Feltham is still in a critical condition, nearly three weeks after the horrific double stabbing.

The boy, who is just 11months old, and his 32-year-old mother, were the victims of a knife attack on the Oriel estate.

The woman suffered minor and non-life changing injuries.

A large-scale man hunt took place immediately after the attack, but 25-year-old Rehan Khan from Feltham later handed himself into a police station and has since been charged with two counts attempted murder.

Editor: CB Patel Chief Executive Officer: Liji George Tel: 020 7749 4013 Email: george@abplgroup.com Associate Editor: Rupanjana Dutta Tel: 020 7749 4098 Email: rupanjana.dutta@abplgroup.com Deputy Editor: Urja Patel Email: urja.patel@abplgroup.com Advertising Managers: Kishor Parmar Tel: 020 7749 4095 Mobile: 07875 229 088 Email: kishor.parmar@abplgroup.com Head of Sales & Marketing: Rovin George Email: rovin.george@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 Mobile: 07875 229 219 Head - New Projects & Business Development: Cecil Soans Email: cecil.soans@abplgroup.com Tel: 020 7749 4097 Mobile: 07875 229 111 Graphic Designers: Harish Dahya & Ajay Kumar Tel: 020 7749 4086 Email: graphics@abplgroup.com Customer Service: Ragini Nayak Tel: 020 7749 4080 Email: support@abplgroup.com Leicester Distributors: Shabde Magazine, Shobhan Mehta Mob: 07846 480 220

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The UK’s leading Vedic writer and TV personality

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20 Mars, your ruling planet has

turned retrograde and this transit will be nothing if not frustrating for you. It’s all about cultivating patience until the planet goes direct. This is evident mainly in the arena business partnerships and joint ventures. While you wait, don’t waste any time organise yourself.

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21 Mars turns retrograde in your

tenth house of career and status, creating havoc at work. It is important for you to be steadfast and focused as misunderstandings and confusion reign. Stay as organized as possible while Mars tries its best to trip you up.

Patience and diplomacy is key to getting jobs done and getting on with your work colleagues.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Mars turns retrograde in your

ninth house of travel and adventure, causing mayhem and chaos. Your mental focus could be anywhere other than your normal routine - find a way to break up the monotony. Extra care should be needed when taking any physical risk as you are bound to injure yourself. Please take safety seriously or you will regret it.

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22

Mum seriously injured in crash with Mercedes still in hospital two months later

Mars Retrograde cycle occurs in your eighth house of intimacy, shared resources, and personal transformation. Hold onto your money, work on a budget, and avoid arguments with loved ones that revolve around intimacy and sexuality. You could also be dealing with past actions or karma. It's time to redefine what it is that you want out of life.

Your closest relationships come under scrutiny as Mars, the feisty planet goes retrograde in your seventh house of marriage and partnerships. There can be a lot of misunderstandings and confused signals. You'll need to listen carefully to what your partner is saying so that you do not end up arguing. People you know from past can also re-appear.

LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23

VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The next few months may bring confusion and misunderstandings at work and troubles with your health as Mars turns retrograde in your sixth house. You'll need to pay more attention to detail and double check everything before finalising important matters. Close relationships need to be re-assessed.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23

Mars, a feisty planet goes retrograde in your fifth house of romance for some time to come. This is a good time reflect and analyse current situations. Pressure begins to build as there will be a lot of demands in your daily work. Some of you will prefer to get away and seek solitude and avoid social events. This is a time when your need to use tact and diplomacy with loved ones.

As Mars turns retrograde in your fourth house, you need to watch out for extreme changes in peoples attitude and behaviour at home. Strong emotions may spill out with your loved ones, but it is alright to reveal your fears and insecurities sometimes. It's a cosmically testing time, so try not to tread on each other's toes.

SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

020 8518 5500

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21

Mars is retrograde in your solar third house this time, extra care should be exercised when it comes to composing letters, emails, making phone calls, and with communications in general. Issues with siblings or neighbours - these should be resolved amicably. Relationships are also sensitive, try to resolve issues by using tact and diplomacy or there can be fireworks.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20

You may need to take care as Mars turns retrograde in your second house of finances. This is a good time to re-assess your money matters. In spite of that, all sorts of things could go wrong especially if people owe you money. Have patience as business matters move slowly or get delayed. Use tact and diplomacy if you want everything to go smoothly regarding your monies as people can take you for a ride.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

Mars is in its retrograde phase in your sign, promoting a new cycle that will force you to slow down and reflect on your past achievements and future goals. It is now time to take stock, consolidate and plan ahead. The art of making haste slowly should therefore be cultivated and do not allow other people to rush you.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20 Mars turns retrograde in your privacy sector. In general, it's not the best time to ask for commitments from others or to make them yourself. Living in the moment, and enjoying it, without too many expectations is your best bet, as long as you don't go overboard with this. You may seem quite preoccupied, and this can be due to secret conflicts or personal matters that are weighing on your mind.

INDIAN BOXERS WIN SIX MEDALS IN GERMANY

SPORT

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The fast-rising Gaurav Solanki (52kg) notched up his second successive international gold medal, along with Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg) as India ended a strong campaign with six medals at the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany. The Indian contingent picked up two gold, a silver and three bronze medals in all. The presence of powerhouse Cuba lent the competitive edge to the event’s small draws, in which several boxers had to win just one bout to be assured of medals.

Solanki, gold-medallist at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April, pulled off a massive victory by edging past Cuba’s fancied Jorge Alejandro Merencio in a draining contest.

CWG bronze-winner Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg), meanwhile, defeated former national champion Madan Lal in a rare allIndian final at an away international tournament.

Both Solanki and Husammuddin are

Archer Deepika Kumar wins gold at World Cup stage event

Deepika Kumar

Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumar won gold medal gold medal in the women's recurve event at the World Cup (Stage III) after a gap of six years beating Germany's Michelle Kroppen 7-3 to qualify for the circuit final, later this year. Deepika, a four-time World Cup final silver medallist (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015), automatically qualified for the Archery World Cup Final in Samsun, Turkey, which will be her seventh appearance at the season-ending event.

The Indian archer opened the match with 29 out of a possible 30 points to take a 2-0 lead, before splitting the points with Kroppen in the second. The German archer, making her individual debut in the finals arena, won the third set and tied the match at 33. Deepika then took the fourth and fifth sets with a 29 and a 27, over Michelle's pair of 26s, to win the match, 7-3.

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Asian Voice | 30th June 2018

England sweep series against Australia

Jos Buttler's unbeaten century guided England to 5-0 whitewash

Indian junior boxers win six gold medals in Germany

employed with the Indian Army.

The bronze medals were claimed by Commonwealth Games silver-winner Amit Panghal (49kg), another army man, Dheeraj Rangi (64kg), and Narender (+91kg). Amit had lost 0-5 to Cuba’s Damian Arce Duarte, while Dheeraj had gone down 2-3 in a highintensity contest against Jordan’s Obada Alkasbeh.

Narender, on the other

hand, was knocked out by American Richard Torrez in his last-four stage bout.

Narender’s semifinal contest lasted all of two minutes and 55 seconds before the decisive blow ended his campaign.

Sonia, Mandeep enter final Meanwhile, world silver-medallist Sonia Lather (57kg) and Mandeep Jangra were among the finalists but Shiva Thapa (60kg) signed off with a

bronze medal in a mixed first semifinal session for India at the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournament in Mongolia.

Also making the final was Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), a gold-medallist at the India Open earlier this year. Ending with bronze medals were Shiva and Bina Devi Koijam (48kg), the latter a direct entrant into the last-four stage owing to the small size of the draw.

Chennai boy is world’s 2ndyoungest Grandmaster

R Praggnanandhaa, a Chennai boy, has became the world's second youngest Grandmaster ever at 12 years, 10 months and 13 days. Praggu, as he's affectionately known, achieved the feat when he defeated GM Moroni Luca Jr in round 8 of the 4th Gredine Open in Italy. I can now play feely, says Praggu. “There is a sense of relief that I have done it. I guess the feeling is yet to fully sink in. I wasn’t aware of the prospect of becoming a GM till someone informed me while I was heading for my round 8 match in the tournament. I chose not to think of it as it would have robbed me off my concentration. Having achieved this, my next target will obviously be to become the world champion,” he said, moments after winning the 9th round of the competition where he beat GM Roeland Pruijssers. Praggu finished second in the event.

Vishwanathan Anand, Praggu's idol, was quick to congratulate the young gun.

"Welcome to the club & congrats Praggnanandhaa!! See u soon in chennai?" he tweeted. Praggu became the youngest International Master in the world in May 2017 and bagged his maiden

Jos Buttler's 110 not out saw England to a dramatic one-wicket win over Australia in the fifth and final one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday and thus complete their first 5-0 series sweep of Australia in any format in more than 140 years. Set just 206 to win, England slumped to 50 for five and 114 for eight. They were still 11 runs shy of victory at 195 for nine when Adil Rashid (20), who had helped Buttler add 81, was dismissed to leave England 195 for nine.

But Buttler responded by hitting part time seamer Marcus Stoinis for six to complete a hundred off 117 balls. Last man Jake Ball held his nerve and Buttler won the match with nine balls to spare when he hit Stoinis for four.

Aussie fast bowler Billy Stanlake's opening spell of three wickets for 18 runs had given Australia a hope. England

lost its first wicket when the score was just four when the in-form Jason Roy was bowled. Stanlake then bowled Jonny Bairstow (12) and had Test skipper Joe Root (one). When Stanlake bowled England captain Eoin Morgan for a duck, the hosts were 27 for four. England were 66 for five off 16 overs when 'lunch' was taken.

Buttler (27 not out) and Moeen Ali (three not out) were then at the crease, but Ali (16) fell soon afterwards. And England were 114 for eight in the 30th over when Kane Richardson struck twice in two balls to remove Sam Curran and Liam Plunkett.

Rashid survived the hattrick, however, and then helped take Buttler to the brink of victory before he was well caught by Stanlake. Earlier, offspinner Ali took an ODI best four for 46 as England dismissed world champions Australia for 205 inside 35 overs.

England, New Zealand shatter women's T20 record

R Praggnanandhaa

GM norm at the world junior championships in November last year. If he had two more GM norms before March 10 this year, he would have beaten Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin's record of becoming the youngest ever GM (at 12 years and 7 months).

However R B Ramesh, Praggu’s coach, says his ward never lamented missing the chance despite coming agonizingly close to it on a few occasions. “I don’t think Praggu was chasing the youngest GM tag. Yes, he would analyse his game, think of getting better at it but beyond that, he never dwelled too much on the outcomes,” Ramesh said.

When his parents Rameshbabu and Nagalakshmi - introduced him to the sport, it became clear from the outset that Praggu had an eye for mak-

ing the right moves. He started off following elder sister Vaishali - who is on course to achieve her maiden IM norm - but soon zoomed ahead. "He was sharp with his moves and played the game for the love of it. Results didn't matter much as long as he enjoyed," said Rameshbabu.

Praggu conceded that the constant discussion on gaining the GM title got to him at times, but the class VIII student was able to shrug it off quickly. “I won’t say it affected my performance, but yes, I have thought of it a few times.

Having said that, I can now play a lot more freely,” Praggu revealed. In March this year, Praggu’s consistent run was recognized by the Susan Polgar Institute of Chess Excellence in Webster University.

England posted a new women's Twenty20 international record of 250 for three against South Africa at Taunton last week - just hours after New Zealand had done the same thing to the Proteas at the same ground.

The three sides are taking part in a triangular tournament where teams will play 'double-headers'. First South Africa conceded 216 for one against New Zealand, but that record did not last long.

A few hours later, England eclipsed that score, with Tammy Beaumont making 116 and putting on 147 for the first wicket with Danni Wyatt (56).

Beaumont said the team had ignored advice from England women's coach Mark Robinson. "We saw the Kiwi girls broke it, Robbo told us in the pre-match chat not to try and break it, but I think a few of the girls got a bit of a challenge on,"

Beaumont said during the mid-innings break of England's match.

"It's an incredible wicket, and we feel a bit sorry for the South Africa girls having to go two in two, but that's the way it goes in this T20 series and we've all got one of those." Earlier, New Zealand captain Suzie Bates topscored with 124 not out off 66 balls, and with Sophie Devine (73) put on a record 182 for the first wicket against the overworked South Africans.

New Zealand's total surpassed Australia's 209 for four against England in Mumbai in March.

It came barely a week after the White Ferns posted a colossal 490 for four - the highest total in any one-day international, women's or men's, against Ireland in Dublin - an innings that featured Amelia Kerr's individual record 232 not out.

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INDIA STUN ARGENTINA IN CHAMPIONS TROPHY HOCKEY

India continued their unbeaten run in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament and surprised Olympic champions Argentina 21 for a second consecutive win in the 37th and last edition of the prestigious tournament at Breda (Netherlands) on Sunday. India scored both their goals in the second quarter through Harmanpreet Singh (17th minute), who converted a penalty corner, and Mandeep Singh (28th).

World number two Argentina's lone goal came from the sticks of dragflciker Gonzalo Peillat, who scored from a set piece in the 30th minute. India, eying their maiden Champions Trophy title, had earlier crushed bitter-rivals Pakistan 4-0 in their campaign opener. India now sit atop the six-team standings with two wins from as many games. The eight-time Olympic champions will take on world champions Australia in their next round robin match on June 27.

The team's new chief coach Harendra Singh couldn't have asked for a better start to his fourth stint with the senior national side. Harendra took over the reigns after swapping roles with

Lankan trio admit to breaching Level 3 offence

Lankan team mangement meeting ICC official

The Indian hockey team defeated Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in their second Champions Trophy match in Breda on Sunday.

Sjoerd Marijne, following India's dreadful Commonwealth Games campaign.

Coming into the tournament on the back of a disastrous campaign at the Gold Coast Games, where they finished a disappointing fourth, the Indians made their intentions clear early on by showcasing all-round, compact hockey in their opening two games. The Indians carried on from where they left against Pakistan and produced a solid display in all departments of the game to get the better of their fancied rivals.

The defence, which was once India's perennial

problem, yet again stole the show with a compact display, while the forwardline was up to the mark despite missing Ramandeep Singh owing to a knee injury. The talismanic Sardar Singh, who played his 300th international game, controlled the midfield and combined well with the forwardline to create opportunities.

Argentina, however, were quick to get off the blocks, securing three consecutive penalty corners in the first quarter, but the Indian defence stood tall to deny Peillat.

Next it was India's turn to earn a penalty corner in the 17th minute and

Harmanpreet fired home with a low flick through the legs of Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Santiago.

Two minutes from half time, India doubled their lead through Mandeep but it was Dilpreet, who created the chance by brilliantly controlling a overhead long ball inside the circle and then setting it up for his striking colleague.

Argentina pulled one goal back just at the stroke of half time through Peillat's powerful strike to the top left corner of the Indian goal.

India got their second penalty corner seconds from half time but Harmanpreet failed this time.

The Sri Lankan team management, including skipper Dinesh Chandimal, has accepted the ICC's charge of acting against the spirit of the game by refusing to take the field in the second Test against the West Indies after a balltampering row. Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted to their role in team's refusal to take the field during the second Test at St Lucia, the ICC said in a statement.

Following their admission, the ICC appointed Michael Beloff QC as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the case to determine the appropriate sanction as according to the ICC code of conduct it breaches Article 2.3.1, a Level 3 offence, which relates to "conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game". The three were charged by the ICC chief executive David Richardson for their involvement in the incident which caused a two-hour delay in the start of play.

Chandimal had been found guilty by the ICC for attempting to change the condition of the ball after video evidence indicated that he applied saliva to it shortly after putting what the world body suggested was a sweet into his mouth.

The Sri Lankan skipper, however, appealed against match referee Javagal Srinath's verdict of banning him for one Test match. Beloff will hear Chandimal's appeal to establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges.

All Level 3 breaches carry an imposition of between four and eight suspension points and attracts a ban for 2 to 4 Tests or 4 to 8 ODIs.

India to play 203 games World cricket’s most marketable team India will once again play the maximum number of international matches across three formats - 203 in the next five-year Futures & Programme Cycle (2018-2023). In this period, India is expected to play 51 Test matches, 83 ODIs and a record 69 T20 Internationals. India’s number of matches is significantly more than second-placed West Indies (186 matches) and third placed England at 175. However, contrary to popular perception, India will play the second highest number of Tests (England top the list with 59 games), which is four more than Australia, who are third with 47 games in longest format.

Umar Akmal makes fixing claims about India-Pak match In a shocking revelation, Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal has said he had received an offer to spot-fix during Pakistan’s 2015 Cricket World Cup game against India. India went on to win that encounter in Adelaide by 76 runs, with Virat Kohli top-scoring (107 runs) in the entire match. “I had got an offer during the World Cup to leave alone two balls and they were willing to pay me $200,000 for that. It

Umar Akmal

w w w . d u b a i h o lida y s .c o

was our first match against India in the 2015 World Cup,” Umar was quoted saying.

He went on to say that this was nothing new, and similar offers were made to him in the past. “Similar offers have been made in the past as well. In the matches with India I’ve been told to make some excuse and opt out of the game for which I’d be paid but I have told those people that I am committed to Pakistan and to not

approach me ever with such offers,” he continued.

Both Pakistan and India crashed out of the tournament after losses to eventual champions Australia in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. Both the teams will once again lock horns in the Cricket World Cup next year at Old Trafford on June 16. The 28-year-old Umar last played for Pakistan in an ODI against Australia in January 2017.